Category: Crafts

Crafts

St. Therese Themed Rosary

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Today I thought I would show you all a rosary I recently made. I themed it around St. Therese. St. Therese was my confirmation saint and her autobiography, The Story of A Soul is one of my favorite books. Thus, I really wanted to have a rosary themed around her.Rosary Photo

The beads I chose were 6mm Swarovski pearl beads. They are cream colored with a slight pinkish tint. The official name of the color is light cream rose. The eyepins are used are normal base metal. My favorite part of this is the centerpiece! It has an actual picture of St. Therese! I love this so much, because I do find that many of the centerpieces have artwork which can be… difficult to identify. I also love that the centerpiece has roses on the edges. The crucifix is also one I love. If you look closely, you will see small decorations which match the centerpiece on it.

 

I am very satisfied with how this rosary turned out. It has a good weight to it when you hold it in your hands, which is nice. What are your favorite rosaries? This one and my olive wood rosary from the Holy Land are my favorites. Now I just have to get this one blessed!

Crafts

Finished Knitting Project – Rosebuds in Nice

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Hello everyone,

I thought that I would show you all a picture of a project which I recently finished. It is a knitted shawl which I made for my mother. The yarn is a blend of silk and wool. I really love how it feels! The pattern is called “Rosebuds in Nice”, and is available from Ravelry here.

It was enjoyable to knit. The pattern was well written. The directions were clear and the charts were easy to understand. I think that it is a nice size as well. It is large enough to really wrap around your shoulders. I would highly recommend knitting this to anyone interested in lace. It took me a little under a year to finish.

BeFunky-photo (8)

Commentary · Crafts

Enjoying Crafts & An Exhortation

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Hi everyone,

I am sorry there will not be a full length post tonight. I have been very distracted today, Final Commentary Logobut I actually finished a craft which I had been working on for a long while. I am not telling you what it is today, but I should have a post out tomorrow about it! My thoughts have been dwelling especially upon what my favorite crafts are and why I enjoy them. Cross stitch, crochet, beading, and knitting are three of my favorite craft activities.

I was trying to pin down exactly why I like them. I think part of the reason is the fact that I can do them while listening to talks or shows. One of my favorite things to do is to watch videos or listen to podcasts while I work on my projects. I also like crafts because I can make people unique gifts. This is extremely enjoyable!

I do think that I have a tendency to “overdo” it on the crafts. By this I mean that sometimes I allow my enthusiasm for these activities to distract me from prayer. As in all things, temperance is a virtue here!

Moving on to the exhortation section of this blog post. In reading the news today, it becomes clear that the Devil is at work in today’s world. In a thousand different ways, in various times and places, he strives to keep us from Heaven. The power of evil seems so great, so deeply entrenched in our culture. It is important to remember that God always has the upper hand. The Devil is never more powerful or equal to God. We must trust God and be obedient to His Law. We must have faith, hope, and love in these times.

The reason I am writing about all this is simple. I cannot do much about the chaos in our culture. I cannot wave my hand and ban abortion, contraception, euthanasia, or gay “marriage”. What I can do, however, is love all of those who have become ensnared in these sinful activities. I can pray for them. I can beg God’s mercy. More than that, I can ask you all to do the same. So, my request to you is to pick up your rosary beads and say the Chaplet of Divine Mercy for our world. Here is a link to instructions on how to pray it from the Marians of the Immaculate Conception. May God richly bless all of you.

Crafts

Lourdes Themed Rosary Bracelet

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Hello everyone! Today I want to share a craft with you. I really enjoy jewelry making, particularly making rosaries and rosary bracelets. Rosary bracelets are some of my favorite items. I love the ability to reach over to my wrist and pray the rosary anywhere I am, as well as the fact that they are a subtle reminder of prayer in the midst of the day. Recently I designed a rosary bracelet themed around Lourdes and want to show you all!

Supplies

BeFunky-photo

The Hail Mary and Our Father beads are 12mm turquoise colored round glass beads. To space the large beads, I used small 4mm clear glass round beads. Between the Hail Mary beads, I used one spacer bead. To separate the Our Father bead from the others, I used three spacer beads on each side. The beads are strung on 49 strand wire, which allows the bracelet to drape nicely. The fastener is a stainless steel lobster clasp and ring. Next to the Our Father bead, I placed a small crucifix and a medal with an image of Our Lady of Lourdes on one side and St. Bernadette on the other. I used crimp tubes on the ends of the bracelet.

I decided to use blue as the main color for several reasons. For one, blue is a color which is often associated with Our Lady. Fulton Sheen often quoted the poem (or was it a prayer) “Lovely Lady Dressed in Blue”, which is extremely beautiful. Another reason I chose blue as the main color is the fact that water was such an important part of Our Lady’s apparition at Lourdes. When unclasped, the bracelet is approximately 8.25 in. long. Overall I am happy with how this bracelet turned out. I particularly like the medal of Our Lady of Lourdes. The blue beads are a little bit larger than I usually go with for rosary bracelets, but I think the final effect is pleasing. These beads are crackled glass, which creates an interesting look when light shines through them.