My Little House

Bible Coloring Pages - The Two Houses

2012-02-14T16:29:00.000-06:00

Someone wrote me recently asking for some activity pages and coloring pages to illustrate some Bible verses, so here a first set. You are welcome to use them and reproduce them, simply keep my name and copyright on the pages.

You can download the PDF of the booklet here:
http://www.mediafire.com/?yx2mdtu4px5f218

Some News and Preview - February 2012

2012-02-12T18:24:00.000-06:00

Thank you for all the notes and comments and letters. I didn’t post very much these past two months but I have been working and preparing different projects.

Here a few sample of art I have been working on:
(these illustrations are copyright and may not be reproduce)

And here some photos of projects in the work to be posted hopefully soon

First, new parts for the Dino Mini World:

A waterfall with rocks and 2 new tiles, a set of river tiles and a small jungle hut with a new character to add to your sets.

Also in the work for the Dino Mini World: a rope bridge, dinosaurs and crocodiles and 2 new characters (the villains) and their fantastic flying machine.

I started work as well on another set: Castle Mini World, you have seen a picture of the model I had already made, but I am fixing and re-layout the different parts and adding a new level under the castle with secrets passages and oubliettes so the little people may have many adventures

And a new set of Bible paper Toys: the story of Moses

So do check again for others news (of smaller projects) or to download some of these models.

Thank you for your help and financial support as well, I live on a small income and work on these different projects in order to share them with everyone and your gift and donations help me to continue to be able to give them out for free. Thank you,

Didier

Calendar for February 2012

2012-01-31T13:08:00.000-06:00

You can download a color PDF of the 3D calendar here:
http://www.mediafire.com/?w06n3s7f2byrrj7

And a black and white copy of the 3D calendar here:
http://www.mediafire.com/?izy9h3kgei7zpy8

And a copy of the Instruction How To here:
http://www.mediafire.com/?lwj8gh2iiht17wt

Little Dragon

2012-01-17T12:05:00.000-06:00

This is a simple little dragon paper model.

Happy New Year 2012 to dear friends who are living in Asia

Download link:
http://www.mediafire.com/i/?du8peisdt9ritrq

I didn't put any instruction but it is very simple to assemble, after you cut, glue together and cut out the crest, insert the tab into the slot on the back of the dragon and add a small drop of glue to attach it to the tail

Calendar for January 2012

2012-01-01T17:39:00.000-06:00

A new series of 3D calendars for 2012

You can download a color PDF of the 3D calendar here:
http://www.mediafire.com/?n4ut3tkc3ve2jcn

And a black and white copy of the 3D calendar here:
http://www.mediafire.com/?t5f6xdcxfhtg3ll

And a copy of the Instruction How To here:
http://www.mediafire.com/?lwj8gh2iiht17wt

And whishing everyone
A Happy New Year 2012

A Christmas Gift - New Translations

2011-12-19T20:13:00.000-06:00

In German

http://www.mediafire.com/?8wthmgnbfh7dhha

And in Romanian

http://www.mediafire.com/?dk7e0qzqv4d1sk3

A Merry Christmas

A Christmas Gift

2011-12-08T16:44:00.005-06:00

Here’s a Christmas coloring tract we prepare for this Christmas season to give to everyone we meet, and to orphanage and poor families in our city.

It is also my present to you, whishing everyone a beautiful Christmas season and praying that many will find joy and peace this Christmas, as the angels sung two thousand years ago:

“Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men.” (Luke 2:14)

You are very welcome to use this tract, to print as many as you like and to give it to many people

(Do keep my name, copyright and the address of my blog on the tract)

Though I was a little late, I was able to have it translated in Spanish and French, and my dream would be to have it translated in as many languages as possible, and as soon as I have a new translation I can post it, Christmas can be everyday of the year.

So if you would like to help with this project, simply translate it in your language, wherever you are in the world, and send me a word files or a PDF or whichever is the easiest and I can place it in a new layout. Thank you.

Here’s the link to download these tract

In English
http://www.mediafire.com/?rvbktg0wb7ub8f3

In Spanish
http://www.mediafire.com/?vdx9xa4g6c86oaj

In French
http://www.mediafire.com/?g017cvn0x560kne

Here a bigger size format if you like to use it as coloring page
In English
http://www.mediafire.com/?hazbv74hjwfhf8a

In Spanish
http://www.mediafire.com/?3tde59eav5q8z1k

A Merry Christmas to everyone!

Didier

PS: on the photo, the little cross-stitching picture of the deer was made by one of my daughter, she has a beautiful web site that you do need to visit; here the link:

http://www.roland-designs.com/

a little note about download and a big thank you

2011-12-07T21:34:00.000-06:00

First, a very big thank you for all your sweet comments, and notes and letters, I really appreciate and am very happy to create these different projects for my blog, and there are many others in the work for next year.

If you can, do send me photos of your projects, I'll be very happy to see them.

Now about the download I received several notes that there was some difficulty with getting some of the files, I am so sorry about that, especially in places when it is not so easy to download or slow connection, I did check the links and they all seems fine, so I think the problem comes when too many people download at the same time and the server has some difficulty serving everybody. (I am very happy that many people are downloading) but sorry that it gives problem at time.

If you do experience difficulties, try again at a later time, and if it still doesn't work, do write me and I will send you a different link.

Again thank you for all your very kind notes,

Didier

PS: I will be posting in a day or two, a Christmas coloring booklet

Calendar for December 2011

2011-11-30T17:16:00.000-06:00

You can download a color PDF of the 3D calendar here:
http://www.mediafire.com/?jtahzj9zvz2niwi

And a black and white copy of the 3D calendar here:

http://www.mediafire.com/?1opjgggagw6xzpj

Bible Paper Toys – Bethlehem Town - the inn

2011-11-27T11:49:00.000-06:00

The last part for the bethelehem town: the inn

This model is bigger than the other houses but most parts are quite simple to assemble, and will be a nice addition to your town.

You can download the PDF here:

Inn part 1
http://www.mediafire.com/?13z56gt05dbazrh

Inn part 2
http://www.mediafire.com/?x4gvamxdopmkxpn

Have fun creating your Bethelehem town,

Didier

Bible Paper Toys – Bethlehem Town - House 4 and Town Accessories

2011-11-24T18:58:00.000-06:00

Two others parts for your town:

A small shop

And some accessories to use in your shop and in your town

You can download the PDF here:

http://www.mediafire.com/?rt4iin1en5c5r5h

http://www.mediafire.com/?fler9dxaz85urp4

The last part of the Bethlehem town, the inn, will be posted soon.

Thank you for all the encouraging comments and kind notes I received. If you can, send me a photo of your town, I would be very happy to see it

Thank you

Bible Paper Toys – Bethlehem Town - House 3 and Town People

2011-11-20T16:00:00.000-06:00

Here two new parts for your town:

A house with a small garden and a laundry line (You will find small pieces of (paper) clothes to cut out and hang on your laundry line in book 17 “Town Accessories” [coming very soon] or you can cut out real pieces of material to hang on your laundry line.)

And a set of new people to place in your town

You can download the PDFs here:

http://www.mediafire.com/?1625jiayt30tah4

http://www.mediafire.com/?zu869mjre8ssesb

Bible Paper Toys – Bethlehem Town

2011-11-17T12:13:00.000-06:00

Here the beginning of a series of booklets to create and assemble a small town to accompany the Nativity scene posted last year.

If you didn’t download yet, you can find it here at these different links:

The nativity set booklets part 1 to 5:
http://www.mediafire.com/?vjic8amje21iif8

Booklet 6: The wise men
http://www.mediafire.com/?aj977fb8w8w9q6c

And here the different booklets I will be posting to create the town:

These houses have been created as an addition to the nativity set but you can also use these buildings for Bible scene display, for teaching and acting out Bible stories. As the series grow, you will have soon a variety of different parts to create many different Bible scenes.

With these sets you can assemble the different houses shown on the cover of the booklet but you can also print out several parts again and create new building, combining different pieces. These houses are simple to assemble; though the inn is a little more complex as it consists of several buildings.

First read through booklet 18 for some instructions on how to assemble the houses, this cover the basic steps. You can also add other details not include in the booklets to enhance your models, other booklets will be added in the future with additional parts.

So here the Bible Paper Toys Booklets to assemble your Bethlehem town (or any other Bible town) and don’t forget to write me if you have any questions or comments. Donations will also be a great help to support this work and to continue creating more of these projects.

These models will be posted over the coming few weeks, so check again soon

Here the first 3 booklets:

Bible Paper Toys – Book 18
House “How To” Instructions
http://www.mediafire.com/?3rm6thq1jtcjcu9

Bible Paper Toys – Book 11
House 1
http://www.mediafire.com/?39b0rak7jgqrxv0

Bible Paper Toys – Book 12
House 2 with sheep pen
http://www.mediafire.com/?2lgjmw3871zglbf

News, November 13, 2011

2011-11-13T18:56:00.000-06:00

Here some sample art I work on this month, a few photos preview of the coming Bible Paper Toys "Bible Town" and a very interesting tutorial on paper modelling

First some art sample of project I work on

And here a few photos preview of the soon to be posted new sets of the Bible Paper Toys for Christmas, I am doing the final checking (to make sure everything is right) and should hopefully start posting it very soon before the end of the month, so do check back again soon to start downloading your Bible Town, it will have 5 houses (including the inn), many accessories for your town and a new set of people.

And recently I received a newsletter from a paper models designer http://www.robives.com/blogshop

With a link to a very good video tutorial teaching the basic of paper modelling, so check it out at the link below

http://www.robives.com/blog/paper_modelling_tutorial

It is a very good site with some free models to download and others to buy, and lots of tips and tutorials to create wonderful models

And again, thank you for your very kind comments and encouragement in response to my blog

Calendar for November 2011

2011-10-30T09:48:00.000-06:00

You can download a color PDF of the 3D calendar here:

http://www.mediafire.com/?rbxe6ov8pjwmcdc

And a black and white copy of the 3D calendar here:

http://www.mediafire.com/?v52kn9bd5cuwq0p

Some News, October 16

2011-10-16T17:13:00.000-05:00

I haven’t posted much on the blog recently, it has been busy days but I thought to take a little time to post some news and a few photos with different projects in the work.

I have been working on illustrations for some children stories, one about a young squirrel and her rabbit friend, and another one to illustrate the story of “the boy who cry wolf”. You can see a sample of the art here.

I also started work on a Bible flannelgraph series with a dear friend, a long project but good progress is being made. I will write more when the project will be completed and how to purchase the flannelgraph books.

And diverse illustrations for a Christmas story

And last, here a preview photo of the next part of the nativity project for this year, the town of Bethlehem, it is near completion, though there are many details to finalize, but it should be ready to post in November.

You will then be able to create different houses and add many accessories to create a small town (or a bigger one if you have a big display area) not to forget the inn. This will include also new town people, so do check back soon to start downloading the different parts.

And a few weeks ago one of my daughters, Laura, came from Ireland to visit and to spend some time here, so we are taking long walk to talk and to show her different places in town.

Thank you for all the very encouraging comments and letters I have received over the months.

Didier

Calendar for October 2011

2011-09-25T12:33:00.000-05:00

I'd like to dedicate this calendar to Yazmin who sent me a beautiful picture of Jesus in the Garden of Gethsemane that I used for the idea to create this calendar for October, thank you Yazmin.

You can download a color PDF of the 3D calendar here:
http://www.mediafire.com/?h3w9wnkuk2h93y7

And a black and white copy of the 3D calendar here:
http://www.mediafire.com/?fyx2xyh48d71jr7

Dino MiniWorld PDF Tree Link

2011-09-11T12:02:00.000-05:00

My apologies for the broken link for the Tree PDF link, I try to fix it a few time but somehow something didn't work, but it should be working now.

Thank you for all your good reactions for this project.

A few people wrote me also about the castle model, it is in my work list, but with Christmas coming up, I have a few projects to finish up first, an illustrated booklet about the first Christmas with some activities to accompany the story, and more parts to add to the Nativity set I posted last year, So I will post the castle model beginning of next year as these different Christmas projects needs to be posted in time for everyone to have time to download them and assemble them.

Thank you for your patience and kind notes.

Didier

Dino MiniWorld Trees and Fossils

2011-09-05T11:10:00.012-05:00

The last parts for the set 1 of Dino MiniWorld

You can download the PDF here:
http://www.mediafire.com/?ijyk009d1vpomms

You can download the PDF here:
http://www.mediafire.com/?jpqawg325e3xk8k

Links to PDF 3D Color Calendar

2011-09-02T19:38:00.002-05:00

Links for the different PDF for the 3D calendars in color.

If you prefer to use the picture only, simply cut out the calendar and assemble the different parts to form the 3D pictures to create 12 images of events from Jesus' life.

January: The Wise Men
http://www.mediafire.com/?4xxu86sot84890o

February: Young Jesus Visits Jerusalem
http://www.mediafire.com/?k6uhore2dbbm8su

March: Jesus Was Baptized
http://www.mediafire.com/?bta16wucxcx57g9

April: Jesus and Nicodemus
http://www.mediafire.com/?c2fvzdot7t5ccg2

May: Jesus Chooses His Disciples
http://www.mediafire.com/?5544p0ntoiindoh

June: Jesus And The Samaritan Woman
http://www.mediafire.com/?zskcn56gt4ebcsb

July: The Sermon On The Mount
http://www.mediafire.com/?r4z7nf88l5t4fz2

August: Jesus Healing Ministry
http://www.mediafire.com/?82yie6d3t7u5hrd

September: Raising Of Lazarus
http://www.mediafire.com/?fxrdwpbdt8t47aq

Calendar for September 2011

2011-08-30T18:59:00.003-05:00

And here a 3D version of the same calendar for you to make

You can also download a black and white copy of the 3D calendar here:
http://www.mediafire.com/?5jqa0pagg1dyobr
Or the color version in PDF format:
http://www.mediafire.com/?yq99pqbzm1y5yf5

Dino MiniWorld Scenery Rocks and Cliffs

2011-08-28T14:56:00.000-05:00

You can download the PDF here:
http://www.mediafire.com/?bwvj9yzwwswnabu

Dino MiniWorld Camping and Props

2011-08-20T17:12:00.000-05:00

Here's another part to the Dino MiniWorld model

And here the PDF to download:
http://www.mediafire.com/?qu6tt0ghg1kno1k

Dino MiniWorld Paper Toys Adventures

2011-08-18T16:18:00.000-05:00

Set 1 – Setting up the camp

This model follows the adventures of Bob, Liz, and Tom in their search for a hidden land where live dinosaurs still exist.

Take part in their adventures (story to be posted) or create your own as they explore jungles and mysterious places to discover the hidden land of dinosaurs, while facing many dangers along the way.

In this first set, they are setting up their camp and getting ready to explore at first light. In front of them looms mysterious cliffs, covered with dense jungle vegetation. Through an opening between the rocks they can see a path leading ahead—will this be the way to the land of the dinosaurs? What dangers await them?

Don’t miss the next set: The river crossing (there might be dangerous creatures lurking in the water).

To create the first set, you will need the following parts:

Print, cut out, and assemble the different parts. These photos shows the final set assembled. Feel free to change the layout of the scenery and add more floor tiles. You can also print several extra pages in order to have more rocks etc. for your scenery.

This is a fun project for you to create, to assemble, and to experiment and play with.

Don’t forget to write me if you like it. Send me your comments, or ideas of others parts you would like to see included. And send me photos of your final models. You can meet with friends and start a small paper models club. Another idea is you can use parts from this model to create scenery to play with Lego.

This model is for free for you to use, simply don’t use any of these materials for commercial use. If you like to send a donation of appreciation, it will help me to continue to create these models and many others.

And now the first parts: The makings of the first set of floor tiles set 1 and the people.
Soon to be posted: The camping and props part, the rocks and cliffs, the trees and some dinosaurs fossils. So do come back.

Have fun and do write me!

Dino MiniWorld Floor Tiles

2011-08-18T15:24:00.000-05:00

You can download a PDF here:
http://www.mediafire.com/?39rbl8n01xxynt3

Dino MiniWorld people

2011-08-18T15:17:00.000-05:00

You can download a PDF here:
http://www.mediafire.com/?62wsfjz6699cg90

Hobbit House Model

2011-08-07T17:58:00.000-05:00

First a little update:
the Dino Miniworld project is almost ready to post, just a few things to finalize, but hopefully I should be able to post it soon, so do check again.

Then the Hobbit House Model:
A few years ago, when the first movie of the Lord of the Rings came out, and after seeing the beautiful depiction of Hobbiton from the movie I needed to built a hobbit house, so with plaster and different materials I create this model, it is about 90 cm long and it is made of 2 parts, the front part with the entrance to the house and on the back you could see 2 of the rooms. (for the scale I use small Hobbit plastic figures)

A friend help me to set some small lights inside the model, in some lamps outside, in the fireplace and 2 lights for the room which gives a nice effect when the room is dark.
It was a very fun project to work on. if you like, I can post a few photos of the making of the model in another post.

Here the photos:

Calendar for August 2011

2011-07-29T13:02:00.000-05:00

And here a 3D version of the same calendar for you to make

You can also download a black and white copy of the 3D calendar here:
http://www.mediafire.com/?cd4l1qwsssvnlya

Dino MiniWorld – Preview

2011-07-10T15:56:00.000-05:00

Hello,

You may be wondering when the rest of the Dino paper toys will be posted... Well, originally I was going to make it simple and post a few other pieces, but as I was working on it, new ideas started to form and I decided to take a little more time to work on it and present a more complete model.

It will be a real paper toys that you can put together and actually play with. The younger children will need help to put the parts together (though I will try to keep them simple), but it could be a fun project to work on together: dad, older brothers and sisters, mom, friends.

Here are preview photos of what it looks like so far, and this is only the beginning.

It will have tiles that you can use for creating floor scenery, and you will be able to rearrange the tiles in different ways every time you play to create your own MiniWorld. It will have people, accessories, rocks, cliffs, and I will teach you how to make foliage out of color paper. And you will be able to rearrange every piece the way you like to create new scenery.

Here are sketches of other projects in the work: a dinosaur’s look-out, a cave and you’ll be able to play with the people inside the look-out or the cave, different trees, a bridge, and I will update the Dino truck so you can actually open the top and place the people inside.

I am also working on another series: a Castle MiniWorld scenery. (I already did one, but I am fixing it now to fit this new series (see the photo though it will be a little different).

And after several parts of the Dino MiniWorld will be posted, you will be able to use the scenery and people to play a 3D game; I plan to post other parts to add to the scenery to turn it into a 3D game board.

So check again for the Dino MiniWorld Paper Toys. In the meantime, here’s a small sample page that you can already print to try out, it is not final, but you can have a little sneak peek, (one tip: you can glue a small coin inside the box forming the character, before gluing the top of the head, to add extra weight)

So do come back very soon to check on the progress.

Calendar for July 2011

2011-06-28T11:43:00.000-05:00

And here a 3D version of the same calendar for you to make

You can also download a black and white copy of the 3D calendar here:
http://www.mediafire.com/?gralijoqxjn79f8

Dino Truck Paper Toy

2011-06-24T12:48:00.000-05:00

Just a fun little model
I'll try to create more parts soon, dinosaurs, people figures, accessories and scenery.
Let me know if you like it. Thank you.

You can also download a PDF copy here
http://www.mediafire.com/?cba3bp2mocr8bov

Calendar for June 2011

2011-05-29T12:48:00.000-05:00

And here a 3D version of the same calendar for you to make

You can also download a black and white copy of the 3D calendar here:
http://www.mediafire.com/?7c3ga1pi07ueboo

A little note

2011-05-25T17:57:00.000-05:00

Dear readers,

These past weeks I had much changes, I moved to a new city and with all the packing and moving and unpacking and starting to settle down I wasn't able to post much.

I was off line for a while and wasn't able to answer the different notes and questions you sent me, but I should be back fully on line and in my new work place soon with new projects to post.

Thank you for your encouraging comments and notes, I greatly appreciate
.
Thank you,

Didier

Snails!

2011-05-25T17:48:00.000-05:00

Here some pictures of funny snails I drew for a project with children, you can use them as coloring pages or clip art or to get ideas to draw your own snail character, and if you do, send me a photo, I'll be very happy to see your picture

Calendar for May 2011

2011-04-30T10:01:00.000-05:00

And here a 3D version of the same calendar for you to make

You can also download a black and white copy of the 3D calendar here:
http://www.mediafire.com/?7nod35rgxng8un2

Bible Paper Toys - a little note

2011-04-18T12:00:00.000-05:00

You have seen on the photo of the Easter paper model, two palm trees, these were posted earlier with the Christmas package

You can find them here:

The palm tree:
http://jacques-mylittlehouse.blogspot.com/2010/12/bible-paper-toys-book-4-plants.html

The animals:
http://jacques-mylittlehouse.blogspot.com/2010/12/bible-paper-toys-book-5-animals.html

The floor of the Easter model is made using color sheets of foam. You can use others parts of the Bible Paper Toys to add to your scenery or create other stories from the Bible, I am presenting working on figures for the stories of Moses and Pharaoh which I hope to post sometimes soon.

Also, I'll be happy to see final photos of your models and feel free to ask if you have questions or comments or ideas of others parts that could be created for the Bible Paper Toys series.

Thank you for all the comments and notes you have sent already

Bible Paper Toys - Easter

2011-04-03T15:13:00.003-05:00

Here’s a paper toy model of the Easter story for you to assemble.
You can download the different parts below; you will find 4 booklets with different figures and parts to create a paper model of the story of Easter.

Each booklet contains the different figures as seen in the cover, and instruction pages with photos to guide you in the making of the model.

Take the time to look through the different pieces and instructions before starting, to help you get familiar with the project. Most pieces are simple to put together, a few are a little more complex, but remember always try the parts together before gluing, and if you make a mistake, it is easy to reprint another page.

These booklets are free to download and use for your Easter preparation, for Bible activities with children or Sunday school. Feel free to share them with others. I simply ask you to not use these for commercial purposes, and to always include my name and copyright. If you like, and enjoy this project you may send me a donation for my work. It will be appreciated and will help me to continue to create more activities.

I would like to also dedicate these paper models on Easter to the people of Japan. Many may ask “why did God let such a thing happen?” I don’t know. There are many things I don’t understand but I believe Jesus died on the cross and 3 days later resurrected with the message of hope and life after death. I will not go into long debate or arguments. I have very dear friends who live in Japan, and I pray for the healing of all those who are suffering.

And now the Bible Paper Toys booklets.

Bible Paper Toys - Book 7 - The Easter Tomb

2011-04-03T15:06:00.000-05:00

You can also download a copy in PDF format here:
http://www.mediafire.com/?baexahwizbv5sy4

Bible Paper Toys - Book 8 - Easter Figures

2011-04-03T15:02:00.000-05:00

You can also download a copy in PDF format here:
http://www.mediafire.com/?3w5oev6bnz4r277

Bible Paper Toys - Book 9 - Roman Soldiers

2011-04-03T15:00:00.000-05:00

You can also download a copy in PDF format here:
http://www.mediafire.com/?un35dit2d5edb0n

Bible Paper Toys - Book 10 - Rocks

2011-04-03T14:57:00.000-05:00

You can also download a copy in PDF format here:
http://www.mediafire.com/?fl9nde72xfop892

Calendar for April 2011

2011-03-29T10:51:00.000-06:00

And here a 3D version of the same calendar for you to make

You can also download a black and white copy of the 3D calendar here:
http://www.mediafire.com/?9t4s331i392q2tt

Soon to be posted ...

2011-03-23T15:23:00.000-06:00

... from the series Bible Paper Toys:

The Story of Easter

Don't miss it!

A Little Box to Store Small Treasures

2011-03-20T12:13:00.000-06:00

And a blank template if you like to decorate your own box,
Have fun!

The Tree That Wanted to See the World

2011-03-06T15:23:00.008-06:00

An oak sapling stood in a meadow by a small, winding river. Near him, two elegant, majestic oak trees towered high. The little sapling—Sprigs, as they called him—respected and honored the majestic oaks, for those two oaks had been around for many years, and had learned much through what they had seen and experienced.

Sprigs would often ask the oaks to tell him stories of the things they had seen. He never tired of hearing their tales. They would tell him stories of the children who had played under their branches, of the fierce storms they withstood, of the time that a rainstorm continued for many days and the little stream overflowed and flooded its banks, and of the many other things that had happened in the meadow.

The spot in the meadow where the three trees stood was beautiful and peaceful. Grass covered the ground in a soft, green carpet, sprinkled with a multitude of colorful flowers.

Little white snowdrops, yellow daffodils, and red poppies swayed in the gentle spring breeze. Bees were busy about their work, while bright butterflies flew around in a graceful dance. Despite all this, the little sapling couldn't help but feel that something was missing.

One sunny day, Sprigs was feeling particularly glum. “I wish I lived in a different place,” he said. “It's beautiful here, but nothing happens. It's too peaceful.”

The two older oaks listened, silently pondering the little sapling's request.

“You must remember, Sprigs,” the taller oak began, “that this is where the Creator has placed us.”

“Yes, I know. But I still wish I could see the world. The swallows have told me about places they have seen and heard of. They've told me about mountains, deserts, jungles, and more. I wish I could see them all!”

“It's true,” the other oak said. “The Creator has made a beautiful world, with many diverse wonders. But we were all given a place in His creation, and this is ours.”

“I'm bored of this river, and the butterflies, and the busy buzz of the bees. I want adventure!”

“Sprigs,” the larger oak rumbled, “remember that the Creator placed each of us in a blessed place where we find nourishment and what we need for life. We should not complain.”

Fresh water from the river bubbled near them, generously watering the oaks' roots. Warm rays from the sun helped their leaves produce the food they needed, and their tough bark protected them from insect attacks.

Once in awhile a storm raged and thunder rumbled and lightning would flash across the sky, but no harm ever touched them. The Creator's supply and protection never failed.

The sapling hung his head and nodded, but he was none the happier. Around him there was so much beauty, but he no longer noticed it.

*

Autumn and spring were the hardest times of year for the sapling. Autumn was difficult because all the birds were preparing for their migratory flight to warmer climates. The birds would gather together in the branches of the oaks, and the sapling's, and would chatter about the journey ahead of them. Then Sprigs would feel sad that he was not able to go along. When spring arrived the birds would return with tales of their flight, and their time in the warmer south.

So Sprigs would dream. In his dreams he would see the marvelous lands of places unknown. He dreamed of beaches with golden sand, of mountains covered with a thick blanket of snow, of jungles with dense vegetation, and of majestic blue whales splashing in the ocean.

Dreams of adventures, of better worlds, Sprigs thought. Not bees and butterflies and a river that puts me to sleep.

And so the young tree went on dreaming of travels, and bemoaning that he found himself in such a serene and unadventurous place.

One morning, however, something happened. The sun that rose was hotter and brighter than normal. Sprigs had never felt such strong rays from the sun. He could no longer hear the splash of the river; it was nowhere to be seen. What is happening? he wondered.

Everything around him had changed.

The sapling was wondrously surprised when he looked around to see that rather than the green grass of his familiar meadow, he was now surrounded on all sides by golden sand. There was almost no vegetation, just a few small bushes here and there. As far as little Sprigs could see there was only sand, sand, and more sand.

How very unusual, he thought. Everything is so different all of a sudden. And oh, how terribly hot the sun is!

Off in the distance the sapling saw a very strange plant. It looked like a tree with a few sparse branches, but there were no leaves on it; instead its body was covered entirely by thorns.

Strange! Very strange! Where are its leaves?

He remembered in the autumn when he would lose his leaves, and all winter long only his branches would show; sometimes it seemed that he had died. Then spring would come and his leaves would grow again. But this was different. Wherever he was suddenly relocated, it wasn't cold; in fact, it was quite the opposite. This was by far hotter than even the hottest days of summer in the meadow.

“Excuse me,” Sprigs said, calling out to the strange plant, his curiosity finally getting the better of him. “I've never seen a tree like you before. Are you even a tree at all?”

“A tree?” the plant responded with a laugh. “No, I'm not a tree. I'm a cactus.”

“Oh, how interesting! I've never heard of a cactus before,” said Sprigs.

“Well, we've been around for as long as deserts have been,” the cactus explained. “We live in the desert—this place is our home.”

“Where are your leaves?” the sapling asked.

“Leaves? We cacti don't have leaves like trees do. You see, here in the desert it's so hot, and there is so little water, that the Creator made us this way so that we could survive with only a small amount of water.”

“That's pretty neat,” said Sprigs. “And you're right, it's very hot here!”

“What are you doing here?” the cactus asked. “I haven't seen you here before.”

“I'm not exactly sure—I just appeared here. That's all I remember.” With that Sprigs sighed and continued to study his new surroundings.

Hours passed, and at first the sapling was excited to be in a new place. There were so many different things to observe! He saw little desert rats scurrying to their burrows, digging for whatever sparse food they could find. Off in the distance a meerkat stood upright keeping a lookout against the vultures. He even saw a snake slithering quietly in front of him. Only once before had Sprigs seen a snake—it had been a water snake. Suddenly the thought of the water brought a worry to him.

There is no water here, Sprigs thought, at least none that I can see. And even when I try to reach deep down into the ground with my roots, I still cannot feel any moisture. What am I going to do?

After many hours, the young sapling started to feel weak. His leaves started to wilt and turn brown, and began falling onto the desert sand. In his wish to see the world, he now stood alone in a strange place with no water—only sand and the scorching sun. How he missed the river and the grass, and even the butterflies.

The sun sank into the horizon, leaving behind a cold night. Everything was so quiet, so still, and so terribly cold.

“Why is it so cold now?” Sprigs asked himself aloud. “Moments ago it was so hot that my leaves were falling, but now it is near freezing. What a very strange place! I wish I were back in the meadow. I'm not so sure I like it here very much.”

Without any warning, a violent wind suddenly rose. It was neither like the breeze the young oak had felt in the meadow nor even the storms he had known. It was a harsh, furious wind, carrying millions of grains of sand, whirling and raging across the desert. Each grain of sand felt like a sharp needle piercing his soft trunk, tearing away what few leaves were left, and breaking his young branches. It was so painful! Then, as unexpectedly as the wind rose, it died down, leaving behind a miserable, dying sapling.

“That was a desert sandstorm,” the cactus whispered softly, wishing there was something that could be done for his obviously misplaced neighbor.

The young oak couldn't even reply. With no strength left in him, he closed his eyes and fell asleep.

*

When Sprigs awoke a new surprise awaited him. He felt well again! New leaves had grown, and he could feel moisture around his roots.

When he looked around, a strange surrounding met his surprised gaze.

“Hey, look at this!” called a large tree that was standing nearby. “A tiny, microscopic tree.” The tree burst into a loud guffaw.

“Never seen such a small thing before,” a winding vine laughed.

“He'll never make it here!” boomed another tree.

The sapling looked around trying to take in the strange new place he now stood in. Tall, gigantic trees—bigger than he had ever seen in his life—surrounded him on all sides.

They were so big that he couldn't even see to the top of their branches. Around him there was a confusion of leaves, strange plants, and long roots hanging from the tall trees. All the plants, it seemed, were fighting to conquer a little bit of earth to grow in.

Colorful birds flew all around, chattering, singing, and squawking. Monkeys were swinging from one branch to another. The other plants seemed to thrive in this environment; they were happy, but not Sprigs. He felt very lonely, and very out of place.

“What an unusual place,” Sprigs said, troubled and scared. “It is so terribly dark here! I wonder when it will be morning.”

“It's already noon,” said a nearby liana [vine], taking pity on the foreign tree. “The sun's rays rarely reach us here, deep in the rainforest, because of all the tall trees surrounding us.”

“But I need the rays of the sun to give me my nourishment,” replied Sprigs anxiously. “I will start dying otherwise.”

Sprigs thought back sadly to his life in the meadow. “At home I never had to worry about getting enough water, and the sun always shone perfectly for me. But here it's so dark and gloomy, and it's terribly humid. All the other plants are suited for this rain forest. They don't need lots of sunlight, or much earth to dig their roots into like I do. What am I going to do?”

Now Sprigs wished he hadn't complained and envied all the trees that grew in other places.

He remembered something one of the tall oaks in the meadow told him: “You never appreciate things around you as much as when you don't have them.” Only now did Sprigs realize how wise that oak was. In the meadow, he had been surrounded by beauty and by his friends. There were the bees, the butterflies, and the sparrows and robins that would sing their tunes. There were the little animals that would scuttle across the meadow. It was all so different here.

The thought of not being able to see the sun anymore was more than the little oak could endure. Slowly he closed his eyes and fell into a deep sleep.

*

He soon awakened by an unpleasant, cold wind.

“Where am I now?” Sprigs cried. “This is certainly not the meadow. It's freezing here!”

“You are on the slope of a very high mountain,” replied the deep voice of a pine, who was growing just a few paces above him. “I am the last tree in the treeline before the summit.”

Past the tree, Sprigs could see the barren, rocky slope leading up to the snow-covered peak of the mountain. There were only rocks and snow above. The ground was frosty and white.

Well, at least we are closer to the sun here, and no one will grow to overshadow me, thought Sprigs.

“Is it always so cold and snowy here?” he asked the pine.

“Not always,” the pine answered. “For a short period of time at the end of spring and beginning of summer the snow melts and the weather is warmer. But most of the time it is very cold here.”

“Oh!” sighed Sprigs. “I'm not so sure I would like to stay in a place where it's always winter.”

Looking closely at the pine, the sapling asked, “How can you still look so green, when it's so cold? Don't you lose your leaves in winter?”

“No, I'm an evergreen tree,” replied the pine. “The Creator made me this way so I would be able to live here and endure the hardship of the cold, wind, and snow.”

“Oh, but I'm not a pine tree! I'm just a little oak, and I'm starting to feel numb and weak, and my sap is starting to freeze. I don't think I should be here. I belong in the meadow!”

Sprigs felt like he was dying once again. His leaves were frozen and brittle.

Poor little tree, thought the pine. “Dear Creator,” he prayed, “help this poor tree, and take him back to his meadow.”

*

“Sprigs, it's morning!” a familiar voice called.

“Where am I? Is this the meadow?” Sprigs asked, afraid to open his eyes.

“Of course this is the meadow! Where do you think you are?” replied the elder oak.

“It's so nice to be back in the meadow again!” exclaimed Sprigs breaking into a huge smile.

“Back in the meadow?” the other oak asked. “Where have you been? We had a bit of a storm last night, but you certainly didn't go anywhere. In fact, you seemed to sleep through the entire storm.”

“But I traveled all over! First I went to a very hot place, with a cactus and all kinds of desert animals. And then I was in the rainforest with all these strange creatures. I could hardly see the sun. And finally I was on top of a mountain with a great pine tree, where it was so bitterly cold!

“I will never complain about being in the meadow again,” Sprigs said. “This meadow is so beautiful, and has everything I need. The Creator put me in just the perfect place, didn't He?”

“He surely did,” the two other oaks chorused.

The End

Authored by Didier Martin. Illustrations by Zeb. Color by Didier Martin
Copyright © 2011 by Didier Martin

Calendar for March 2011

2011-02-27T17:49:00.000-06:00

And here a 3D version of the same calendar for you to make

You can also download a black and white copy of the 3D calendar here:
http://www.mediafire.com/?9f43udebxif69yz

Calendar for February 2011

2011-01-25T12:22:00.000-06:00

And here a 3D version of the same calendar for you to make

You can also download a black and white copy of the 3D calendar here:
http://www.mediafire.com/?ajz9clp3vssomt1

Have fun and let me know if you like it

Littletown Paper Toy - train station part 3

2011-01-16T20:08:00.000-06:00

Finally, (again so sorry for the long delay) part 3 of the train station: the platform and a few accessories.

This model series is to accompany the story of "Mr. Gardener, Story 1" that you can find here on my blog:
http://jacques-mylittlehouse.blogspot.com/2010/04/heres-first-complete-episode-of-mr_12.html

More stories are in the works, as well as other parts of the Littletown model, so check again in the future to download new buildings to start adding to your Littletown.

Coming soon: roads, railroad, the train, trees, and of course various houses and shops to place in your town.

So here's the train station platform, you can download the PDF files here (instruction pages and the color files for the model) as well as a copy in black and white (to color).
http://www.mediafire.com/?c8yxzcv7grd5c

3D Calendar for January 2011

2011-01-08T11:38:00.001-06:00

Here it is! Sorry for the delay, my computer is now fix (the motherboard needed to be replaced, not so fun but these things do happen)

And a very Happy New Year 2011

You can also download a black and white version here:
http://www.mediafire.com/?hxd7stwp14k6yx3

Calendar for January 2011

2010-12-30T16:09:00.004-06:00

Soon I will be posting another version of the calendar with a 3D picture, I have been preparing the files but unfortunately my computer is not working anymore, some parts have died and I won't be able to access the files for a few days, in the meanwhile you can download this calendar and I will post the other files as soon as possible, here a little preview.

Merry Christmas 2010

2010-12-25T10:07:00.000-06:00

Bible Paper Toys - Book 6 - The Wise Men

2010-12-20T15:28:00.000-06:00

The Wise Men Arrived!

You can download the different pages below or the PDF from this link:

http://www.mediafire.com/?aj977fb8w8w9q6c

A Merry Christmas to everyone!

Tiny Bible Treasures: Jesus Is Born

2010-12-09T16:35:00.001-06:00

Merry Christmas!
Here another part of the "Tiny Bible Treasures" series: "Jesus Is Born."

Don’t miss the coloring book and flannelgraph that complement this story. You can download the coloring book of this story, and color and assemble it to make your own Bible storybook. Or color and cut out the flannelgraph pieces and use them to tell the story yourself.

sample pages:

Make your own presentation of this story by copying or tracing the figures from “Be the Artist” to create different characters and a variety of scenes. You can photocopy these pages and enlarge them to make them easier to trace. Or color the figures and items and cut them out and paste them onto a paper to create your own story collage.

sample page:

Download the files here:
Be the artist:
http://www.mediafire.com/?fseej4cd8xelzoj

Coloring book:
http://www.mediafire.com/?6j8qlwc4kujfju4

Flannelgraph black and white:
http://www.mediafire.com/?9at6aka1f6y6zrr
Flannelgraph color:
http://www.mediafire.com/?wqy7olhpkktuf7a

Slides show:
http://www.mediafire.com/?kzh52q230zskrcj

Posted by permission from My Wonder Studio.
Jesus Is Born: Slideshow: http://www.mywonderstudio.com/0-5/2010/11/21/jesus-is-born.html
Jesus Is Born: coloring book: http://www.mywonderstudio.com/0-5/2010/11/21/my-coloring-book-jesus-is-born.html
Jesus Is Born: Flannelgraphs: http://www.mywonderstudio.com/0-5/2010/11/21/my-coloring-book-jesus-is-born.html
Jesus Is Born: Be the Artist: http://www.mywonderstudio.com/level-1/2010/11/23/be-the-artist-jesus-is-born.htmlhttp://www.mywonderstudio.com/level-1/2010/11/23/be-the-artist-jesus-is-born.html

Bible Paper Nativity - a little note

2010-12-02T12:17:00.000-06:00

Dear everyone,

First of all a very big thank you for your sweet notes and comments, I really do appreciate hearing from you.

I receive a few notes asking where baby Jesus is. At first I was worried and thought, "Oh dear, I forgot the most important part!" But baby Jesus is there, you'll find him on page 5 of Book 1.

I apologize as it wasn't clear in my explanation. Probably what caused the question is the part showing how to do the straw to put in the manger as this part is not included in the booklet.

For the straw I used a simple piece of yellow paper, which you can buy in different places. The reason I used the yellow paper is to have the color on both sides, and you can also use the rest of the sheet of yellow paper cut in small strips to put inside the little house to represent the straw on the ground.

And someone asked me also about the pages missing. On the post you will find all that you need to build the nativity, the reason some pages are missing is because they are a repeat of the same ones that I included in each booklet and I didn't want to post them again each time as there were already so many pages. So nothing is missing, and you can download a PDF of the complete booklets here at this link:

http://www.mediafire.com/?vjic8amje21iif8

Again I apologize for this lack of clarity. In the future, I will hopefully post more paper models of other stories of Jesus' life, then it will be easier to list the different parts as booklet.

But thank you for your comments and questions, this way I am able to meet new friends. And don't forget to check again towards the end of December for the booklet with the wise men and their gifts; they are coming from a long way so it takes them a little while to follow the star.

God bless you and may you have a beautiful Christmas season

Didier

Bible Paper Toys - Book 1 - Nativity Figures

2010-12-01T10:10:00.001-06:00

Here’s a paper toys model of the Nativity story for you to assemble. You can download the different parts from here; you will find 5 booklets with different figures and parts to create a paper model of the story of the birth of Jesus—the first Christmas.

These booklets are free to download and use for your Christmas preparation, for Bible activities with children or Sunday school. Feel free to share them with others. I simply ask you to not use these for commercial purposes, and to always include my name and copyright. If you like, and enjoy this nativity project you may send me a donation for my work. It will be appreciated and will help me to continue to create more activities.

Hopefully I will try to create other Bible Paper Toys to illustrate the life of Jesus. This first series is made to illustrate the Nativity story, but Bible Paper Toys can also be used to depict other scenes from the Bible, for example a diorama showing the shepherds keeping their sheep at night and the visit of the angels. More photos and ideas will be coming in the future.

Please feel free to comments or write me if you have any questions or suggestions of other scenes to create, and send me photos too of your Nativity model if you like. Thank you.

And now the Bible Paper Toys booklets

Bible Paper Toys - Book 2 - The Nativity House

2010-12-01T10:10:00.000-06:00

Bible Paper Toys - Book 3 - The Shepherds

2010-12-01T10:09:00.001-06:00

Bible Paper Toys - Book 4 - Plants

2010-12-01T10:09:00.000-06:00

Bible Paper Toys - Book 5 - Animals

2010-12-01T10:08:00.000-06:00

Calendar for December

2010-11-28T18:56:00.000-06:00

Coming Soon Christmas Nativity Paper Toy

2010-11-22T20:23:00.000-06:00

Here's a preview of the soon to come Christmas Paper Toy Nativity, check back soon to download it. (Finishing up the last details)

Littletown Paper Toy Note

2010-11-18T14:21:00.000-06:00

A short note to apologize for the long delay in posting the final part of the train station: the platform.

So sorry! The platform is almost ready with a few more people and different details, I need to finish the instruction pages, but I will try to post it very soon.

(Right now I am finishing also a paper nativity model, almost Christmas time)

Then I will continue on the Littletown model. Soon to come: trees and roads, (almost done) and buildings and shops and the train of course with the railroad tracks.

Thank you for your patience,
Come visit again,
Didier

Tiny Bible Treasures - A plan to help a friend - animation

2010-11-06T09:51:00.000-06:00

Tiny Bible Treasures - Fish! And More Fish! - animation

2010-11-06T09:47:00.000-06:00

Paper Backgrounds

2010-11-03T09:27:00.000-06:00

Here a few photos of a project I have been working on, an idea to create backgrounds with paper to used for an animation to give a 3D effects.

Red Schoolhouse Paper Model

2010-10-31T11:30:00.000-06:00

About the Little Red Schoolhouse Museum and Red River:

... Oral tradition has it that Red River City was founded on July 3, 1895, by Colorado miner and "land speculator" Edward I. Jones and the Red River City Town and Mineral Company.
It was a mining town from the beginning and the search for precious metal resulted in hundreds of mines with colorful names like Golden Treasure, Silver King and the Black Copper dotting the countryside.
The Little Red School House, located on Jayhawk Trail behind the Red River Public Library at "the Y," was built around 1915-16 to replace the original log schoolhouse which was destroyed by fire. The building was the seat of education in town until classes were discontinued in the early 1940s, but it continued to serve the community as social meeting hall, church and funeral parlor for many years.

For more information about Red River and the little red schoolhouse, visit:
http://new.redriver.org/schoolhouse

Calendar for November

2010-10-27T21:20:00.000-05:00

Drawing of houses

2010-10-25T21:39:00.001-05:00

Art Houses Portrait

A friend told me "Drawing buildings is an extremely relaxing pastime", and I agree, it is fun, so here a few sample of drawings done in my "free" time, more pictures coming very soon.

Then another fun pastime is to turn them into paper model, here a sample of a model create after a cute little building I saw on a visit to Red River, a town in New Mexico, USA. It was a school house but now a museum.

The paper model will be posted soon, so you can built your own little red school house

visit this website to learn more about Red River:
http://redriver.org/lodging

Tiny Bible Treasures: Fish! And more fish!

2010-10-17T13:04:00.001-05:00

Fish! And more fish! Slideshow

Don’t miss the coloring book and flannelgraph that complement this story. You can download the coloring book of this story, and color and assemble it to make your own Bible storybook. Or color and cut out the flannelgraph pieces and use them to tell the story yourself.

Posted by permission from My Wonder Studio.

Download a PDF of the story in color here:
http://www.mediafire.com/?be31z4adw3oyu67

Fish! And more fish!: Coloring Book and Flannelgraph

2010-10-17T12:55:00.001-05:00

Coloring Book

Download PDF of coloring book here:
http://www.mediafire.com/?8fkqdd5cdk0xq7h

Flannelgraph

Posted by permission from My Wonder Studio.

Download PDF of flannelgraph in black and white here:
http://www.mediafire.com/?cks31zl9c3ula77

Fish! And more fish! - Be The Artist

2010-10-17T12:37:00.001-05:00

Make your own presentation of this story by copying or tracing these figures onto a paper to make different characters and a variety of scenes. You can photocopy these pages and enlarge them to make them easier to trace. Or color the figures and items and cut them out and paste them onto a paper to create your own story collage. (See "Fish! And more fish!" for an example of how these figures can be used.)

The options are endless for how you can “be the artist” and use these figures when drawings get-well cards, coloring pictures for your younger brothers or sisters, posters for friends, and so much more.

Posted by permission from My Wonder Studio. http://www.mywonderstudio.com/level-1/2010/10/13/be-the-artist-fish-and-more-fish.html

Tiny Bible Treasures - Back to Life - animation

2010-10-12T20:07:00.000-05:00

Construction Crew Animation

2010-10-06T21:39:00.000-05:00

Here an animation project that I worked on with a very dear friend artist, Zeb (I only did the backgrounds)
Please do visit his web sites for more animation, art and news at:

http://zebtoonz.blogspot.com/
http://www.youtube.com/user/Zebtoonz

God is Powerful

2010-10-03T15:57:00.001-05:00

God is Powerful

For a fun way to help your child see the power of God’s creative force at work in a seed, try sprouting a seed in a wet paper towel or wet cotton balls. After the seed has sprouted, you can plant it in a pot of dirt to watch it continue to grow. See http://www.ehow.com/how_5258433_sprout-seeds-paper-towel.html

Posted by permission from My Wonder Studio. http://www.mywonderstudio.com/level-1/2010/8/25/god-is-powerful.html

Jesus, the Expression of God's Love

2010-10-03T15:37:00.000-05:00

Jesus Expression of God's Love

calendar for October

2010-09-30T10:02:00.000-05:00

Calendar for September

2010-08-30T20:36:00.000-05:00

Leaves in the Fall come tumbling down,
Scarlet and yellow, russet and brown,
Leaves in the garden are swept in a heap,
The trees are ready for sleep.

Author unknown

Ever wondered ...
Why do leaves change color in the fall?
Check this interesting web site with some science experiments to do:
http://www.sciencemadesimple.com/leaves.html

Science fair projects ideas, topics & instructions and science articles at ScienceMadeSimple.com

Book of Acts illustrations

2010-08-18T20:26:00.000-05:00

Here are illustrations I prepared for a project covering the Book of Acts in the Bible. The chapter illustrated is mentioned under each picture, so you can read the chapters to learn more about the story. The Book of Acts is a fascinating adventure story of the early Christians.

Also, if you are interested, here's a web site I found about the travels of the Apostle Paul, with lots of interesting facts and photos, a well done site:

http://www.worshipexcellence.org/PAULS_MISSIONARY_JOURNEYS/0.1WhoIsPaul.html

Book of Acts HQ

Invisible, But Here!

2010-08-15T15:35:00.001-05:00

Invisible but Here.sl
Posted by permission from My Wonder Studio. http://www.mywonderstudio.com/level-1/2010/7/2/invisible-but-here.html

Calendar for August

2010-08-01T15:20:00.000-05:00

Tiny Bible Treasures: Back to Life

2010-07-08T12:18:00.002-05:00

Back to Life_Slideshow.sl

Don’t miss the coloring book and flannelgraph that complement this story. You can download the coloring book of this story, and color and assemble it to make your own Bible storybook. Or color and cut out the flannelgraph pieces and use them to tell the story yourself.
Posted by permission from My Wonder Studio.
Download PDF here:
http://www.mediafire.com/file/mz2gweo2oz1/Back%20to%20Life_Flannelgraph.color.dl.pdf