Here is the new winter theme Paper City set! I love the imaginary escape of dollhouses, so I tried to create some of that feeling. The kids have been busy coloring and cutting. Now they’re making a few of their own additions! So find some hot cocoa and start crafting! I hope you enjoy it!...Continue Reading

Hey everyone. I’m super excited to announce my first ever toy to hit the shops! Collaborating with The Saturday Market Project is wonderful, and the Paper City Paris Kits are fantastic. The templates are printed in the USA on sturdy paper which takes color very well, and also folds great. I designed a Champ de...Continue Reading

Hope you’re all having a great summer! Here is the other project I just finished for Pottery Barn Kids. A little camping scene in the woods. I hope it gives you a small taste of the great outdoors! (Template is below!) Template: Click on the image below, then print!Continue Reading

I recently got the fun job of designing a Paper City toy set for the Opéra national du Rhin in Strasbourg. They used it in the programs for their Aladdin production so kids could take it home and cut it out. This set is based on the original (pre-Disney) story in the Tales from the...Continue Reading

Need a holiday traveling project for the kids? Here is a travel size Paper City Nativity Scene! The tiny pieces turned out rather cute, and it’s also quite convenient being able to print everything on one sheet of paper. Especially great for large groups of kids. And after they’re done building it, you can stow...Continue Reading

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

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

It seems like we’re always in the need of more kids activities for restaurants and travel. Shortly after I made Paper City Paris, I wondered what a miniature version would look like. Finally, this week I had the time to try it out. It was really fun redesigning and simplifying the folds and structures. For...Continue Reading

I’ve been so busy for the last two weeks, I haven’t had time to make many new crafts, so we printed out the Paper City style trick-or-treat scene from last year. The fall leaves were so nice in our yard today, the kids took the paper people outside to practice up on their trick-or-treat lines....Continue Reading

Voilà, Paper City Paris! I’ve been working on this for a very long time now and had so much fun creating it. My kids have been watching me draw and sketch for two months, and they’re now huge fans of the city. They kept asking me, “When are the buildings going to stand up, Daddy?”...Continue Reading

Disney FamilyFun Magazine asked me to create a design for their Badges of Fun summer activity game. I did the road trip badge, which just came out in their August issue. Below is a printout for the interactive version of the badge. You can also add it to the rest of Paper City Road Trip...Continue Reading

Disney asked me to make a road trip illustration for a project of theirs. (More on that in a few weeks.) So I thought I’d turn some of the illustrations into a Paper City “Road Trip Pack.” I made road pieces, like train tracks, so you can build your own road. My son was very...Continue Reading

The votes are in ~ Paper City Paris won! If any of you have ideas about what you’d love to see in the design, please let me know! Feel free to leave comments and even upload your favorite photos of Paris (to the Made by Joel Facebook Page) that capture what you love about this...Continue Reading

I was struggling to decide which city to select as our next Paper City and thought, “Why not put it to a vote?” As soon as I did, I was amazed at how quickly the votes started coming in. In fact, over the past several days, we received nearly 300 votes on over 35 cities...Continue Reading

My sister Lori has a new album of original songs entitled “Outside My Door – Songs For Children Of all Ages.” I did the artwork for it, which some of you might recognize since I used the Paper City and added some color and a few extra details relating to her lyrics. The design layout...Continue Reading

I was asked to create a Paper City addition for Art Month Sydney. To launch the festival this year, Sydney’s National Art School hosted an ‘Art Month Art Adventure’ event for kids. The project (named Itty Bitty City) was driven by LMNOP magazine, and was based on my Paper City, but also included many other decorations...Continue Reading

I was asked to take part in the 2011 Play! Design for Kids calendar.  My copy just arrived from Hamburg yesterday!  It is a project initiated by EIGA and it’s filled with amazing contemporary children’s design – on the theme of play.  I’ve looked through it a dozen times already.  So many cool and inspiring ideas....Continue Reading