After making the Paper City Nativity Scene last year, I received many requests for additions. So without further ado, here is the new version which includes two shepherds, a standing angel, three chickens, two lambs, one extra sheep, and an ox. I hope you and your kids have fun with it! Share with as many...Continue Reading

I thought it would be fun to make a Paper City Dinosaur set using the designs from the music video I just made for my sister Lori. You can print all of the templates out below. And feel free to encourage your kids to draw their own favorite dinosaurs to add to the set! If...Continue Reading

I just finished shooting this music video for my sister Lori’s new Dinosaur song. Feel free to watch it with your kids! It was really fun to make! And I’m also finishing up a Dinosaur Paper City set to go with it. Should be done in a day or two! You can see my wild...Continue Reading

The trees are turning beautiful colors here in Portland, and I was inspired to make an owl coloring sheet for fall. It might be a fun one for all you embroidery fans out there too. Hope you all enjoy it! Click here or on the image below to print.Continue Reading

Our youngest daughter LOVES anything that involves cooking, and she’s also enchanted by tiny objects. So I decided to paint the top of an old mint tin to resemble a stove, then I created some cooking objects that could be stowed away inside for a miniature kitchen set. So far, it’s been a huge amount...Continue Reading

I hope you’ve all been having a great summer! We’ve been spending a lot of time outside playing and enjoying simple pleasures. Here’s a summery coloring sheet for you to print out if you’re in the mood! Click here or on the image below to print.Continue Reading

I was cleaning up my shop corner in the garage today and decided to select a few nuts, bolts, and other odds and ends for the kids to play around with. They’re always fascinated with screws and tools. Then I gave them some wrenches and screwdrivers and let them build. It reminded me of the...Continue Reading

I recently made a new oscillating bird design for a magazine, so I thought I’d share it here too. After finding this toy idea on the brilliant Science Toy Maker site a couple of years ago, I made this woodpecker. It’s based off of an old folk toy, and is a great way to teach...Continue Reading

BIG Kids Magazine asked me to create a paper craft for their new “Into the Dark” issue. While I was working on it, my 6 year old son came over and wanted to join in. We had a great time collaborating! The template is below if you’d like to try it out. We also put...Continue Reading

Warmer weather is coming, and last week I made cutoff shorts from some holey jeans. A couple of springs ago, I made this ball, and I always wanted to try narrowing the panels to make a football shape. So yesterday I gave it a go and it worked! In addition to some regular stuffing, I...Continue Reading

I just finished a new music video for my sister’s upcoming kids album. The song is “When I Look Into The Night Sky.” It was a really fun video to make! I painted some paper and made abstract space objects, tied them to some thread, and basically did a puppet show. Our almost two year...Continue Reading

I have great memories of making these paper helicopters when I was a kid. They fly so well! The kids love dropping and watching them spin to the ground. My son also really likes toys that have people on them – so introducing Copterman and Copterwoman! The amazing rescuers that can bend their elbows backwards!...Continue Reading

Here is a little animated card based on my Paper City Paris design. Just pull the tab and watch the people walk down the street. It might even be fun for a Valentine’s Day card! I actually got the idea for this card a few months ago, but I never had the time to figure...Continue Reading

I’ve wanted to try weaving for a long time, but was never sure how to get started. Then I learned about weaving with yarn on a little piece of cardboard, and also found out more great tips from all of you on the Made by Joel Facebook Page. Thanks! Our twins just turned six this...Continue Reading

This week, the kids and I had a fun time making paper snowflakes to hang in the living room. They were so excited to create more winter decorations for the house! They loved cutting them out, but hanging them was even more exciting. The kids were cutting thread, handing me tape, and following me around...Continue Reading

We’ve been enjoying a lot of indoor paper crafts lately, and a few days ago we made some little slotted animals based on a wooden set that I made awhile back. Cutting the animal shapes out and putting them together was just the right amount of challenge for the kids. They were quite focussed, and...Continue Reading

After posting my Wooden Turkey, many of you thought it would be fun to make sometime similar out of cardboard. Good idea! I tried to simplify the design as much as possible so that it would be fast and simple to make. If you want to try it out, there are directions and a printable...Continue Reading

Here is another connect the dots worksheet you can print out for the kids. They sure are fun to make! (If you missed the first one, here is the link: Connect the Dots Worksheet 1) Have a great day! Click on the image below, then print.Continue Reading

In the last week of summer break, my son told me one morning that he was bored. So I asked him if he’d like to make a slingshot. He definitely said yes! I’d actually been thinking about this project for awhile, and I believe the design ended up having the perfect balance of safety and...Continue Reading

I got requests from some of you for a connect the dots worksheet, so here is my first attempt. When the kids saw what I was doing, they weren’t too interested. But I printed some out this morning and did one myself. I told them it was pretty tricky to find all the right numbers,...Continue Reading