Draw Near Designs

Draw Near Designs Draw Near Designs is a Orthodox mother run business, dedicated to creating Orthodox Christian educational materials.

We also offer freelance illustration and graphic design services

Today, Sept 4, is when the icon of the Theotokos Burning Bush is commemorated. This incredible icon depicts the Theotoko...
09/04/2026

Today, Sept 4, is when the icon of the Theotokos Burning Bush is commemorated. This incredible icon depicts the Theotokos as the burning bush, because she, like the bush, held God within her and was not consumed. It’s also one of the many icons we painted watercolor versions of for the 2027 Orthodox Children’s Calendar, and in the calendar we explain more about how to understand this complex icon and what we can learn from it about the Theotokos.
When I painted it, it was one of the most requested prints, so we’re pleased to share that it’s now available as 5”x7” or 8”x10” prints, professionally printed on a texture paper that is reminiscent of watercolor paper.
AND great news— the calendars are HERE and they look amazing!! We’ll spend a few days filling all the pre-orders, and can’t wait to hear what you think of them when they hit your mailbox! 💌🥳

Happy New Year! Glory to Thee for the feast day of life!
09/01/2026

Happy New Year! Glory to Thee for the feast day of life!

New book alert! The 4th volume of the Delightful Grace series is now in stock! We were excited to see St Maria of Paris ...
09/01/2026

New book alert! The 4th volume of the Delightful Grace series is now in stock! We were excited to see St Maria of Paris included in this book, as well as so many other lovely saints. Find it (and the other Delightful Grace series) in the Books section of our website! 🌼📚☦️

If you’ve ever wondered… Steps of making a Snuggly Saints doll:1. Think and pray about it until I know who should be the...
08/31/2026

If you’ve ever wondered… Steps of making a Snuggly Saints doll:
1. Think and pray about it until I know who should be the next Snuggly Saint.
2. Read their story and study their icons.
3. Draw the front and back of the doll on my iPad.
4. Lay out the fabric (we generally use organic cotton sateen, with a couple special edition dolls available in super soft minky, as pictured here).
5. Order fabric to someone on our team of seamstresses, and wait patiently until they’re don’t with a batch and we can share them with the world! 🙌🏽
Fabric is printed in the US, sewn with care by Orthodox women here in the US… nothing mass produced, and all made with intention!

This doll is called Tenderness, and it’s based on the icons of the Theotokos and Christ tenderly embracing, like the Mother of God of Vladimir icon. It is by far our best selling doll, and that little hand hold gets me every time. 😍🥹

Great news for everyone who’s been waiting so patiently… September-October Tea Time with the Saints is here! Tea Time wi...
08/27/2026

Great news for everyone who’s been waiting so patiently… September-October Tea Time with the Saints is here! Tea Time with the Saints is designed as a morning time routine for children to learn about the saints of the church through recipes, quotes, and music.

Each book and extension packet features:

curriculum for two months

links for all the music

laminated icons

recipes

saint quotes

suggested reading lists for the month

Find it in the Education Resources section of our Shop!

New stickers from katdujour are in the Shop! We have a wide selection of stickers (vinyl! Waterproof! Durable! Removeabl...
08/26/2026

New stickers from katdujour are in the Shop! We have a wide selection of stickers (vinyl! Waterproof! Durable! Removeable!) from many artists, including quite a few bestsellers from the talented katdujour! Happy to add these to our line-up!

2026-2027 Orthodox Academic Planners are now 25% off! Since this is our first year publishing them, we had to guess the ...
08/24/2026

2026-2027 Orthodox Academic Planners are now 25% off! Since this is our first year publishing them, we had to guess the quantity… and we have some left! So while supplies last, you can get a beautiful, useful planner for the academic year at a good discount. 🥰

Thrilled to add this incredible new curriculum, written by Jennifer Hock , illustrated by The Meek Sparrow , and publish...
08/22/2026

Thrilled to add this incredible new curriculum, written by Jennifer Hock , illustrated by The Meek Sparrow , and published by Ancient Faith Ministries , to our Shop! You can find it in the Education Resources section of our website.

One Year with the Divine Liturgy is an all-in-one curriculum for Orthodox Christian churches, homes, and schools. Split in twenty-nine lessons, your students will learn what’s happening, why, and how to best prepare and engage in the very heart of our Faith—communion with Christ. Each lesson is split into three age groups to accommodate ages 5–18, with more developed lesson plans for the older students and age-appropriate activities to allow the use of one curriculum for all ages. The lessons are designed for both inexperienced and veteran teachers.

We added a new cross from Reader Philip this week! This faceted 3-bar cross is graceful and beautiful. Reader Philip is ...
08/21/2026

We added a new cross from Reader Philip this week! This faceted 3-bar cross is graceful and beautiful. Reader Philip is a 3rd generation gold and silver smith, and he hand makes each of these crosses using a mold he carved by hand. One of our favorite things about this and the other crosses he makes is that the ring on the top is a solid piece connected to the cross, so you don’t have to worry about it bending open and falling off the chain. The crosses we carry are sterling silver and come with a chain and polishing cloth. Find them in the Apparel + Accessories section of our website!

We are so excited to introduce you to the newest members of the Draw Near Designs team, Matushka Jenny and Andrew! Mat. ...
08/20/2026

We are so excited to introduce you to the newest members of the Draw Near Designs team, Matushka Jenny and Andrew! Mat. Jenny is my (Marian’s) sister-in-law, and Andrew is my nephew. They recently moved to the area, and the timing was perfect as we definitely need the help! They bring incredible talent to the team, and I just cannot overstate how THRILLED we are to have them on board!

Matushka Jenny’s husband is a priest, and they have been Orthodox for 23 years. She is lending us her talents by helping us with office tasks, order fulfillment, writing, and editing. In the morning, you’ll find her drinking hot coffee and her favorite cookie is a chewy chocolate chip cookie. In her free time she is a voracious reader, and volunteers her time with many church organizations. Her favorite Orthodox food tradition is making Pascha bread!

Andrew is Mat. Jenny’s son, and he will be helping with office tasks and order fulfillment. We are extra happy to have a strapping young man lifting the heavy boxes for us! Andrew is a skilled iconographer (he is the one who graciously wrote the icon of St Dorothea a couple of weeks ago for the little girl in our parish), and in his free time you’ll often find him exercising and writing icons. His drink of choice is iced coffee, and his favorite cookie is snickerdoodle. His favorite Orthodox book is Three Treaties on the Divine Images by St John of Damascus. You can find his iconography on his Instagram page, Andrew Levine (and he accepts commissions)!

We have been praying for years for God to bring us the right people to help us as Draw Near Designs grows, and their moving here and willingness to jump right in is an absolute answer to prayer.

Fun fact: I (Marian) met my husband because about 19 years ago, Mat Jenny and her family lived in Kentucky for a few months, and attended my parish. My (now) husband would come visit them for the weekends and go to church with them even though he wasn’t Orthodox. He fell in love with the Faith, we met at that church and fell in love with each other, and here we are!

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San Antonio, TX

Telephone

+12106837142

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