Angel Handprint Craft on Canvas Bag

I am such a sucker for cute handprint crafts! We made these angel bags for our All Saints’ Day treat bags this year. (Last year we made these cute All Saints’ Day treat buckets, but when we moved from Virginia to South Carolina, we only kept about 20% of our belongings, and they didn’t make the cut. lol.)

In Catholic ABC’s, “A is for Angel” and there’s a handprint angel craft. This year, I made this same basic craft on a bag rather than paper. I made them with my whole preschool class so they could use the bags to bring their stuff to and from co-op. One of the moms there said she was having her kids make these for everyone in her family as Christmas presents!

Supplies Needed to make Angel Bag Craft:

  • Canvas Bags (we ordered these. They’re a good size for little kids and a great deal.)
  • Acrylic Paint (I always use regular acrylic paint rather than fabric paint because it’s cheaper. It will not wash out of clothes.)
  • Sponge (cut it into a circle to make the angel’s head)
  • Permanent Marker (I just use sharpies because they’re cheaper than fabric markers. Again, they won’t wash out, which for this craft is a good thing.)

When I do handprint crafts with kids, I usually paint their hand with a paint brush, then help to stamp the handprint for them. For this craft, turn the bag around with the handles facing you, and stamp one hand in the middle of the bag with fingers all smooshed together. We used red for this- it will be the angel’s dress. Wash the hand, and paint it white. Stamp with the fingers spread to be a wing. Add more white paint and stamp a second wing (no need to switch hands- that just make for twice the hand cleaning.)

Squeeze out some skin-toned paint onto a paper plate, and let the kids dip the circle sponge into it, and stamp on a head. Dip your finger into more paint, and add hair with finger dots. (I skipped the hair with my preschool class because it was just too much).

Allow the paint to dry, then draw on a simple face with a sharpie marker. You can also add the child’s name and year to the bag.

My kids love these bags! They’re so much fun to make, and it’s great to make a craft they can actually use.

These are going to be perfect for Julian and Violet to carry for All Saints’ Day because they are both going to be angels this year! (Julian is going to be St. Michael, and Violet is going to kind of a classic angel.)

For anyone who missed it, I have a new page with links to all of my All Saints’ Day resources for kids here. Happy celebrating! :-)

Catholic ABC's Curriculum

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Saint Craft for Catholic Kids- Printable Templates for Paper Bag Puppets

All Saints’ Day is just around the corner, and you want to make this craft! We have made paper bag Saints many, many times, and they’re always a huge hit! They are cute, fun, and easy to make. Finally, I have put together a little ebook that takes all of the guess work out of making Saint paper bag puppets. This book has over 50 printable templates that ensure even the least of the crafty will come out with a Saint puppet worth marching in! :-)

For a limited time, this Saint Puppet ebook is free to download for all of my subscribers! If you are already a Catholic Icing subscriber, you already have access to this ebook! If you are not yet a subscriber, you can be- it’s free. :-)

One option is to subscribe by rss feed in a reader, and the link to the subscriber bonus page is at the bottom of the feed. That’s where you’ll find access to this download.

Your other option is to subscribe by email. This means each time I post a new Catholic craft, it will come straight to your inbox! To become an email subscriber, enter your email address in the box below.

Enter your email address to subscribe here:

A verification email will come to your inbox. You will need to click the link inside the email to verify your address. The next time I post here at Catholic Icing, you will get a subscriber email with a link to the subscriber bonuses at the bottom.

When you get your subscriber emails, the link is at the very bottom of the email. It’s called the “Subscriber Bonus Page”. This is the link you’re looking for:

I’m very excited about these Saint puppets, and I hope your kids enjoy making them! God bless!

Subscriber Bonus Page Instructions

Click for instructions for reaching the Subscriber Bonus Page

Do you prefer to just buy the eBook instead?

You can purchase it right now for just $2.00.  There will be an immediately download pop-up, as well as an email with a link to download that will arrive just a bit after your purchase.

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Group Costumes Ideas for All Saints’ Day- Saints Who Go Together

I think it’s so cute when siblings (or friends) dress up as Saints who go together in groups or pairs! It’s adorable, right? I know I’ve dressed my kids up as saints who go together, and I’ve seen my friends do it, so I wanted to make a list to help you brainstorm some ideas. So here it is- a list of Saints who were friends, family, or otherwise “go together”.

Saint Groups

The Holy Family! As seen above, my friend dressed her children up as Mary, St. Joseph, and Baby Jesus. You could also do just St. Joseph and Mary, or just Mary and Baby Jesus. Whatever floats your boat. ;-)

The Fatima Children- Jacinta, Lucia, and Francisco are the peasant children that Our Lady of Fatima appeared to. If you have a group of 4 kids, you could include Our Lady of Fatima in this group!

Boy/Girl Pairs

St. Juan Diego and Our Lady of Guadalupe- Our Lady of Guadalupe appeared to San Juan Diego in Mexico. I have a post on making a Saint Juan Diego costume here.

St. Francis and St. Clare- If you have a boy and a girl, these costumes would make a cute pair. Read about the story of St. Francis and St. Clare here.

St. Patrick and St. Brigid- They were friends and are both Patrons of Ireland. Read more here.

St Faustina and Divine Mercy Jesus- Jesus appeared to St. Faustina. I’ve had a Divine Mercy costume idea in my head with red and blue fabric flowing down, but I’ve never made it- lol. You can find our Divine Mercy tie-dyed shirts here.

St. Margaret Mary Alacoque and Sacred Heart of Jesus- This would also make a cute pair. Check out our Sacred heart t-shirts here.

Pope John Paul II and Mother Teresa- because they knew each other on earth, and they’re both so super awesome. ;-)

Saints Benedict and Scholastica- Actual blood twins. This would make a great brother/sister pair for costumes, even if you don’t have twins in your family.

 

Girl Saint Groups

St. Bernadette and Our Lady of Lourdes- Our Lady of Lourdes appeared to St. Bernadette. This would make a cute All Saints’ day pair.

St. Cecila and Angel- An angel appeared and crowned St. Cecilia and her husband with roses and lilies. One little girl gets an angel costume, the other gets a flower crown. Girls will love it!

St. Therese and Sisters/Family- She had lots of sisters and amazing parents. Read the story and choose your combination.

Nuns from the Same Order- Just dress all your girls as sisters from the same convent!

St. Agnes and Sheep- Yep, dress one girl up as St. Agnes, and your other little girl in a sheep costume. Wouldn’t that be adorable?

Saints Perpeuta and Felicity- read their story here.

St. Anne and Mary- After all, St. Anne was Mary’s mother.

Boy Saint Groups

St. Ignatius and St. Francis Xavier- they were roommates.

St. George and Dragon- One little boy gets to dress up in armor, and the other one as a dragon. What’s not fun about that?!

Apostle Saints- Saints Peter, James, John, Andrew, Philip, Bartholomew, Matthew, Thomas, James, Thaddeus and Simon… they all clearly knew each other. Dress up as any combination of these apostle Saints for a fun costume group!

Archangels- Gabriel, Michael, and Raphael.

Saints Who Go With Babies

If you have a baby, pair him/her with one of these saints:

  • St. Gianna
  • St. Anthony
  • Mary

For ideas of how to put costumes together and links to diy costume pieces, see my Saint costume ideas for girls and Saint Costume ideas for boys posts.

Do you have any ideas for group saint costumes? Please leave a comment! :-)

 

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All Saints’ Day Costume Ideas for Girls

All Saints Day costumes don’t have to be complicated, and they can be fun and easy to put together! After your child decides what saint she’d like to dress up as, you should spend some time researching the saint together and looking up pictures online to get a feel for the costume you need. Here’s a list of All Saints’ Day costume ideas for girls to get you started:

Nuns and Sisters- This is a big category for girl saints! I have directions posted here for putting together a simple no-sew nun costume. There are so many great saints to choose from!

Royalty: Dress up like a queen or a princess saint! Put on a fancy dress, make yourself a crown, and be a royal saint for All Saints Day! You can find lots of ideas for crafting your own crown here. If you want a more “saintly” look rather than a Disney princess kind of a look, you can try putting a veil under your crown and/or adding a cape/robe (depending on the saint). Here are some choices for queen and princess saint costumes:

 

Flower Crown- You don’t have to dress up as a queen or a princess to have fun with a crown on All Saints Day. Find some ideas for making your own floral crown here.

  • St. Cecilia- She was crowned with roses and lilies by angels. If you dress up as St. Cecilia, be sure and carry an instrument!
  • St. Rose of Lima- She is often depicted with a crown made of roses.
  • St. Lucy- Also known as St. Lucia. She wore a green wreath on her head with candles all around it. This crown gets paired with a white dress and a red ribbon tied around the waist. Read more about putting together a St. Lucy costume here.
  • St. Philomena- She wears flowers as a crown, and you can carry an anchor. See a St. Philomena costume with directions here.
  • Mary- Our Lady is often crowned with flowers, and she’s the queen of all the saints!

Doctor- St. Gianna Beretta Molla. She was a modern doctor. Where a white lab coat, and carry a baby doll (or a little baby sibling).

Soldier- St. Joan of Arc. Girl dressed in armor. Simple armor can be made from cardboard, duct tape, and aluminum foil. Armor can also be found at the Dollar Tree around Halloween time.

Maid- St. Zita. Wear a simple dress, an apron, and a handkerchief in your hair. Carry a broom or a duster. Can also carry bread or roses in your apron.

Dress up as Mary- Our Lady has so many titles, and just as many ways to dress up like her! The classic look would be to wear a dress with a blue veil. You can also try some of these:

  • Our Lady of Guadalupe- Wear a pink dress with a black ribbon tied around the waist. This is a symbol of pregnancy. Then you need a long blue veil with golden stars on it. You could paint them on with gold glitter glue, or use gold foil star stickers. This is a great costume to pair with San Juan Diego!
  • Our Lady of Fatima- Also known as Our Lady of the Rosary. Dress in a white gown with a white veil trimmed in gold with a crown placed on top. Carry a rosary.
  • Immaculate Heart of Mary- Dress in a red dress with a white veil and a blue sash or cape. Tape a picture of the Immaculate Heart on your chest. Or, find directions on tie dying an Immaculate Heart shirt.
  • Our Lady of Lourdes- Also known as Our Lady of the Immaculate Conception. Wear a white dress or robe, and a white veil.
    Tie a blue ribbon or sash around your waist, and carry a rosary. This
    would be a great costume to pair with St. Bernadette!

Angel- Dressing up like an angel for All Saints Day can be great fun! You’ll need a white dress, a halo, some wings, and possibly a harp. You can find great directions for making your own angel costume here. You can cut wings out of cardboard and then either spray paint them, glue feathers on them, or cover them in foil. A harp can be easily cut from cardboard, then use pipe cleaners for the strings. I also thought these angel wings made from paper plates were pretty clever. I absolutely love this feathery angel costume!

Bonnets- You can either sew a bonnet with this free pattern, or you can make bonnets out of paper. Here are some saints that wore bonnets:

Peasant- Dress in simple dresses, plaid or different patterns. Tie a rag or veil on your head and add a shawl. Here are some ideas for peasant saints to dress up as:

Native American- Blessed Kateri Tekakwitha. Dress as a Native American girl and carry a cross made from 2 sticks tied together. Check out this easy St. Kateri costume here, and also, I think this Indian costume is the cutest!!!

First Communicants- Maybe you have an old First Communion or Flower Girl dress lying around the house? There were many Saints who had a devotion to making their First Communion. Dress up like a First Communicant in a white dress and veil.

Carry Props- For many girl saint costumes, all you need is a dress, a veil, and the right props. Here are some ideas to get you going:

Thanks to everyone who submitted pictures for this post, especially Gretchen, Elizabeth, and The Cotter Family. If you have more ideas for girl saint costumes and would like to share, please comment below. If you log in and comment, you can actually add an image to share a picture of your little saints with all of us, or leave a link to a post on your blog.

Now Check out my Saint Costume Ideas for Boys!

I finished up these costume posts last year, but I added some new links, pictures, and ideas, so I’m running them again! Very excited about All Saints’ day this year! :-)

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