Catholic Icing

How to Make a St. Brigid’s Cross with Kids

2012-01-26T13:56:54Z

I have wanted to try making a St. Brigid’s cross for years, but never got around to it until now. It wasn’t as hard as I thought it would be, and we had a lot of fun! St. Brigid’s feast day is on February 1, but St. Patrick’s day is an equally great time to make this fun craft!

I decided to experiment with several materials to see what made the best cross. Here are a few I made out of colored raffia.

While the raffia crosses are adorable, the raffia was harder to work with than the pipe cleaners. Next, I tried making some crosses out of plastic string. It didn’t go well. In fact, it went so un-well that I don’t even have any pictures to share. It was a total craft fail. Therefore, I’m going to recommend using pipe cleaners for this project! (If you’d like to try your hand at making some St. Brigid’s Crosses out of raffia, I’m going to suggest learning first with pipe cleaners and then moving to the raffia.)

I also experimented with different sizes of St. Brigid’s crosses. With both the raffia and the pipe cleaners, I thought the smaller ones were easier to handle, and very cute!

So after our many experiments, I’m going to recommend making these out of pipe cleaners with kids (and quite possibly, half-length pipe cleaners.)

You need 15 pipe cleaners to make 1 full sized St. Brigid’s cross, and about half that many for a smaller one. Whatever size you decide to make, you’ll want all of your pipe cleaners to be the same length when you start. You’ll need one that’s straight, and the rest of them should be bent in half. It’s easiest to do this before you start.

How to Weave St. Brigid’s Cross: a picture tutorial

Start with 1 straight pipe cleaner. Place a folded pipe cleaner over it. Rotate it once to the left, and add another pipe cleaner. Rotate it once to the left, and add another pipe cleaner. Rotate it once to the left, and …. well, I think you’re starting to understand. It’s actually very easy once you get going! Ever time you add a pipe cleaner, you put it over all of the pieces sticking up. Then rotate and repeat.

When the cross has gotten to your desired size, cut some small sections of pipe cleaner, and twist the ends together. We made this one using the colors of the Irish flag!

My 5 year old was able to weave a St. Brigid’s cross (with a little help) and she was very proud! I’m going to recommend this craft for everyone ages 5 and up! (Lydia’s is on the left, and mine is on the right. I think it made it easier than we used the same colors as we went so I could say things like “now we need the yellow one to point up.”)

I think the smaller ones were a little easier to handle because it was easier to keep the pieces of pipe cleaner straight. Once you get the hang of it with pipe cleaners, give the raffia a try! I used about 3 strands of raffia at a time. The directions I found said to soak the raffia in warm water before beginning, but I skipped that step and it seemed to work just fine.

I strongly recommend trying your hand at these! They’re super fun to make, and so cute when they’re finished!

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Sacred and Immaculate Heart Rosaries- A Fun Catholic Craft!

2012-01-23T20:58:50Z

This craft would be great for celebrating the feast of the Sacred Heart of Jesus, or the feast of the Immacualte Heart of Mary. We made these in celebration of St. Valentine’s feast day. You know– National “Heart” Day.

You can either call these One Decade Rosaries, or you can call them Chaplets. Either way, they’re really fun and easy to make!

Supplies Needed:

Scissors

Pipe Cleaners

Beads

Sacred Heart Medal (optional)

Crucifix (optional) I have a pack of these crucifixes from Autom- they’re only 9 cents each! I love to let kids use them for crafts because they’re no good for regular rosaries. They’re not much more sturdy than aluminum foil.

You can get Saint medals really cheap at local Catholic Shops. If they’re out of Sacred Heart medals (because you know– it’s a popular one) then look for a Scapular Medal. He’s usually on the back of there. If you’re really lucky, you’ll find medals that have the Sacred heart of Jesus on the front and the Immaculate Heart of Mary on the back.

If you only have one medal, no problem! Check out this post to see how to make a mold and craft as many as you need! This is a lot of fun for kids of all ages. Lydia used a crucifix that she molded herself for the end of her rosary.

To make this craft, take your pipe cleaner and add 10 of your beads. Twist the pipe cleaner closed, and snip off a section at the end. Put your Sacred Heart medal along with your “Our Father” bead, then twist the extra piece of pipe cleaner on to make a cross shape for the end. This will also hold your last bead on. If I were going to make these with a whole class, I’d probably go with a version kinda like this:

We used red for the Sacred heart, and pink for the Immaculate heart. The orange and yellow beads around the Sacred heart chaplet symbolize fire, and the white beads around the Immaculate heart symbolize the white roses that surround Out Lady’s heart. You can also twist on pieces of orange and yellow pipe cleaner to the top of the heart to add flames.

Sacred Heart Chaplet

Immaculate Heart Chaplet

I really liked the addition of some heart-shaped beads. Lydia (of course) used pretty much exclusively the heart shaped ones.

When it’s finished, it’s pretty easy to shape the pipe cleaner into a heart. Pair with some Valentines, or a Sacred Heart holy card. Now isn’t that a great craft for Catholics on St. Valentine’s Day?

Related Posts:

Sacred and Immaculate Heart “Play-Doh Cookies”- these are so much fun to make, and totally edible!
Tie Dye Sacred and Immaculate Heart Shirts- One of my favorite projects!
Make a Sacred Heart Wreath
Sacred and Immaculate Heart Ideas for Kids
Sacred and Immaculate Hearts- Crafts, Food, Printables, and More!

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Printable Bible Verse Valentines

2012-01-20T19:52:22Z

A few years ago, we made some Valentines with scripture verses on them. Each of them had something to do with love, and also had a “punny” treat that went along with it. This year, I put together some printable valentines with the bible verses to make it easy for everyone to use them!

There are no watermarks on the ones you can download. I put them all on one sheet incase you want some variety with your valentines, but I also made full pages of each one incase you wanted them all to be the same (so you only need one kind of Valentine treat to go with them).

This one gets paired with Hershey’s Kisses.

This one gets paired with raisins

(a healthier alternative than most Valentines.)

Find a fruity candy (such as runts) to go with

this “Fruits of the Spirit” Valentine.

Pair this Valentine with some “Life” Savers.

This one goes with a small Almond “Joy” bar.

I like this one a lot– pair it with a fire ball!

(By the way, this one is a prayer, not a scripture verse.)

If you want to craft them yourself, you can do that too. I just though the printing option would make it a little easier on y’all.

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Mammas, Don’t Let Your Babies Grow Up Without Glitter!

2012-01-17T00:52:51Z

I have heard from so many mothers they “don’t allow” glitter in their homes. Somehow glitter has gotten a bad reputation for being overly messy, and I’m here to clear the good name of glitter!

Here are the top 6 reasons not to be afraid of glitter:

Glitter is easy to clean. Wipe it up with a damp rag, or use the vacuum or broom. For stubborn, clingy glitter, try using a swifter sweeper refill. It’s not a big deal- I promise!
Glitter doesn’t stain. If you let your kids paint, you really shouldn’t be afraid of glitter. Even if your kids shake a whole bottle of the stuff over your house, the worst you’re looking at is that your living room will have some extra sparkle until you’ve vacuumed a few times, but it won’t do any long-term damage. I mean, would you rather see your carpet covered in paint, or glitter?
Glitter isn’t sticky. If you allow glue in your home, what’s you beef with glitter? Again, glitter messes don’t have any long-term consequences.
Glitter sparkles! Yes, this is obvious, but glitter is so pretty! It can bring serious shine to your crafts, and that’s worth mentioning.
Make glittery Jesus fish from cardboard tubes
Kids love glitter. And isn’t it about the kids? A mommy who lets their kids do a glitter project is the best mommy ever. Trust me.
Glitter is to crafting as sprinkles are to cooking. Glitter and sprinkles are rarely necessary, but they’re above and beyond! They add the “wow” to your project. Why wouldn’t you want to “wow”?
Glitter is less messy than many other craft supplies. I’ve already mentioned glitter being less messy than glue and paint, but if crayons or markers are misused, they pose a larger threat than glitter as well. And if you don’t allow crayons or markers in your home, why are you even reading this blog?

Glittery Monstrance Craft. (Click picture to find directions)

All of that being said, I feel obligated to share a few glitter warnings with you. No need to panic- these common glitter pitfalls are easily avoidable with a little planning! Here goes:

Glitter will clog your sink! If your kid’s hands are caked with glitter, wipe off the majority of it with baby wipes before sending them to wash their hands.
Glitter will cling to your skin. One time my husband went to work and he had some glitter stuck on his eye lid. He couldn’t see it when he looked in the mirror, but every time he blinked, there it was. Hey, it happens. You can use a piece of tape to remove glitter that is being stubborn about coming off.
Glitter is not a “free rein” craft supply. While my kids may be allowed to color any time they wish, glitter is definitely for special times only.

Print this Divine Mercy Jesus Craft for Free!

Now that you’re ready to allow glitter in your home again, I’d like to share a few glitter tips with you!

Look for glitter at your Dollar Tree. It’s way cheaper there than at craft stores, and sometimes they have really great colors! I almost always find red, green, silver, and gold at the Dollar tree, but some days you can find blue, pink and purple as well.
Glitter things over paper plates. That way, when you’re finished, you can curve the paper plate in half and use it as a funnel to return the leftover glitter to the bottle. Now you have extra glitter for your next crafting adventure!

Click to see how to make your own Priest peg dolls... with glittery vestiments!

So, do you allow glitter in your home? Why or why not? What are your favorite glittery projects?

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Valentine Countdown Chain- 1 Love Bible Verse a Day {Free to Print!}

2012-01-17T18:47:32Z

I know it’s still January, but I wanted to share this early in case you’re already making St. Valentine’s Day plans. We’re going to be counting down the days to Saint Valentine’s day this year with a heart-shaped paper chain. Each piece of paper has a bible verse about love on it. So each day, you tear off one heart, read a bible verse, and you’re a little closer to St. Valentine’s day! The best part is, the countdown chain is printable and you can all download it for free!

This project was inspired by my friend Maureen’s Advent Chain. (I’ve actually been inspired by Maureen a lot lately. First the nativity sensory bin, then the scratch n’ sniff paint, and most recently the trinity snowmen!)

The free download for this is all in black and white, so it won’t eat your expensive ink- just print it on colored paper. You print the first bible verse page on red, and the second on pink. That way you can make a pattern when building the chain. Just print, and cut on the dotted lines. I love all the cute Valentine’s day fonts I used on these- so much fun!

Making the paper loops into hearts is super easy to do! Just fold the strips in half, curl the ends in, and staple together.

Keep alternating from red to pink until you have all 14 love bible verses attached- one for each day of February until St. Valentine’s day!

The download also includes a heart “topper” for your paper chain. I printed mine on some cute scrapbooking paper, cut it out with adorable scissors, and framed it with some red paper.

I love the cuteness factor that is added by cutting these hearts out with scrapbooking scissors!

There’s a little heart at the bottom of this page. Poke a small hole through your paper with a pin in this heart, and thread a pipe cleaner through it. You can use the pipe cleaner to attach your chain to the heart at the top.

I just absolutely love the look of the heart paper chain!

That’s it! Hang it up in your house. Remove one link for each day in February, and read the verse.

This Valentine’s Day advent chain is available to print for free! It’s on my special page for those who are subscribers of Catholic Icing. If you’ve already made yourself a friend of Catholic Icing by subscribing, just look to the bottom of this post in your reader or email, and you’ll find a link to the “Subscriber Bonus Page”. If you’d like to have access to all my free downloads, but are not yet a subscriber, no problem! Subscribe here, or by entering your email address into the box below. The next email you receive from Catholic Icing will have a link to the Subscriber Bonus Page at the bottom.

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These pages are my own artwork and are free for any not-for-profit use by individuals, families, or educational organizations. Copies may not be sold, reproduced for profit, or published by anyone but me. If you’d like to post this calendar for others to find, I would ask that you link to my post and rather than my individual downloads because their location may change.

You Can See All of my

Valentine’s Day Posts Here.

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