Update, Nov 29 2013

My blog has moved to Wordpress and a new download of the ornaments is available here. Enjoy!

This isn't really an artsy-craftsy mommy blog at all (although I do like them), but I am artsy and craftsy and a mommy, so it was bound to sneak in here sometime.

One of my favorite books is The Jesus Story Book Bible by Sally Lloyd-Jones. Ellie received it as a gift a couple years ago and we've loved it, and read it often, and if you're a parent or grandparent, or even if you just know some kids, you should really get a copy. It does such an amazing job of showing how the story of Jesus is woven throughout the whole of scripture.

Anyway, last year we saw the idea on homewiththeboys.net for using the JSB during Advent, (which I think originally came from the mommyhoodmemos.com.)  There was another blogger (who I can't seem  find now) who had come up with cute little ornaments you could make to go along with each day's reading. Awesome, BUT... since we live in Africa, where there is not a craft supply store on every corner, I came up with these color-in 'ornaments' instead. We printed them off on card stock and cut them out. I made a big Christmas tree out of green construction paper and we stuck it up on Ellie's bedroom door. Each night we'd read a story, Ellie would color in the ornament, and put it on the tree. We loved it. It was fun. It was EASY. It was Christ focused. Win-win-win-win.