Welcome to the world of HEAVENS TO BETSY! CATHOLIC CRAFTS. COM
The purpose of this website is to make learning about the Catholic faith and the saints an exciting and fun adventure for children. Through games, crafts, puppets, and other activities it is hoped that the faith will become alive and meaningful for children.
All of the crafts on this website are easy-to-make and can be crafted from the simplest materials found in every home: plastic spoons, popsicle sticks, cereal boxes, egg cartons and lots more.
Learn how to make a spoon doll of St. Gianna Molla—her doctor’s coat is glued on, and her stethoscope is made from black yarn (which has been stiffened with a glue and water mixture). And she looks so real! Notice her stylish red shoes!
Make a diorama of St. Damien of Molokai who gave his life to take care of the poorest of the poor, the lepers of Molokai, Hawaii. The diorama? It’s made from a styrofoam meat tray which has been turned upside down. Father Damien? He’s made from a wooden icecream spoon; his coat is glued on. A toothpick glued to his back enables him to stand upright in the diorama.
Children will enjoy acting out two plays: one about Our Lady of Guadalupe in Mexico and another about St. Marianne Cope, one of our newest saints who is from Syracuse, New York. She looked after the girls at Father Damie’s leper colony in Molokai, Hawaii. And our newest saint, teenager Carlo Acoutis, from Italy, can be found on skiis! The skiis are made from popsicle sticks! He loved to ski and swim and do sports of all kinds. And he was a champion on the computer!
A few years ago my husband and I bought this weekend-getaway house a few miles from our home. It sits on 20 acres in the beautiful Northern Ontario woods. We call it EL CIELO which means “heaven” in Spanish. It also serves as my art studio where I design the crafts for the HEAVENS TO BETSY! CATHOLIC CRAFTS website, inspired by the beauty of nature all around me.
I am a former teacher and have a Master of Divinity and a Master of Education degree with further graduate studies in Education. I have written articles for the National Catholic Register, The Catholic Register, St. Anthony Messenger and One Peter Five.
You might want to check out our other companion websites as well: THE BIBLE MADE ME DO IT (crafts about the Bible) and MADONNAS OF MEXICO. This last website is not about crafts for children—it is about the many glorious Marian shrines in Mexico.
I wish you many happy, faith-filled crafting days ahead!
Mary Hansen
Ontario, Canada