Monday, February 9, 2009

My embellished Mary print - a vintage treasure...

Last year, during my search for the elusive Staffordshire dogs, I stumbled upon this vintage framed Mary print at a junktique shop.... I have a great fondness and love for all things Mary. Some day I'll share my small collection of Mary statues and art...

(click any photos to enlarge)

This was so different from anything I'd ever seen before. Some very creative soul had hand-painted a delicate floral border around a black and white print of Mary and then glued robin's egg blue crinkled paper around the print and painted border, giving it a lovely dimensional effect.


I love everything about this image - the serene expression on Mary's face, the delicate position of her hand, the flowers in the background, the overall simplicity of the design...


More than likely the person who handpainted the border is the same person who hand lettered "The Power of the Agnus Dei... To help efface sin... To guard against a sudden or unprovided death. To turn away the thunderbolt" below the artwork.



The frame itself is old and the back is quite primitive, with small nails holding everything intact.


Mary hangs among family photos in a corner of my office. (I know I have way too many things hanging on the wall, but in my office I tend to let my packrat mentality take over)... And in case anyone is wondering... yes, that is a framed photo of Colin Firth but no, he's not family. It was a gag gift from someone who knew that Darcy (of both Pride & Prejudice and Bridget Jones's Diary) makes my heart go pitter-patter!
I'd love it if you shared some of your favorite actors since I'm the odd duck among my friends, who are all huge Johnny Depp fans... I can't possibly be the only one who prefers a clean cut image to a bad boy image... can I???

And don't you just love Trish from Clean House?? Oh my gosh, she's such a hoot! I love that show, and everyone on it... (although I don't think Mark would care too much for the look of this cluttered corner!)

Be sure to head over to Smiling Sally's blog to see her Blue Monday listing and to find a list of all the other blue-loving bloggers! Have a great week, everyone!
Donna

21 comments:

  1. Very pretty embellishes Mary print...what a treasure!

    Susan

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  2. Cool picture of Ave Maria...really neat! (Oh, yah, and Colin too!)

    M ^..^

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  3. Donna, Mary is just lovely! I agree about the reasons you like her. She's very unique. And I don't think your wall is too crowded. Surround yourself with the things you love, and make yourself happy! :-)

    Speaking of which...

    Happy Blue Monday!

    XO,

    Sheila

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  4. What a beautiful Mary. Her face is so serene and elegant. Great find!

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  5. Enjoyed my visit here today. Happy Blue Monday to you!

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  6. I'm with you: I prefer clean cut to the dark, hairy kind! The Mary picture is a find! Thanks for sharing. Happy Blue Monday.

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  7. Hi there
    What a lovely picture you found. The embellishments are so pretty. YOu have so many wonderful framed pictures..a lovely collage. Love it.
    Thank you for sharing.
    have a lovely day
    Judi

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  8. Love it! We attended a Christmas Tour of Homes last Dec. One of the victorian homes had a front parlor devoted entirely to the virgin Mary; there were pictures and tiny statues everywhere, lots of candles. It was over the top, but I loved it. I wish we'd been able to take photos so I could post about it.

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  9. That's a beautiful print! Thanks for sharing it with us.

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  10. Beautiful Mary picture. I love both Colin Firth and Johnny Depp.
    Hugs, Susan

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  11. That is so very pretty!!! Happy Blue Monday to ya!

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  12. What a sweet picture. I love it in with your family pics. I like to look and see my loved ones all together!

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  13. I love your pictures in your office, I think it should be our one space apart from the family that we can "clutter or junk up" if we want to!

    Blessings,
    Leslie :))

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  14. I love the picture of the Blessed Mother. You wall is not cluttered. I think the arrangement of your pictures is special. Happy Blue Monday!
    Sweetie

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  15. Donna, that picture of Mary is lovely! Don't you just love to find something that someone else crafted. It always makes me a little sad though, to think of where some of my crafting projects may end up! Of course, I am such a clutter bug, but I love the way you have the pictures hung in the corner (Colin ain't bad either!) laurie

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  16. what a beautiful picture. So serene.. I love your office and photos. Happy Blue Monday.
    hugs ~lynne~

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  17. The picture of Mary is wonderful. It is such a treasure, and I find that you just have to keep your eyes open at all times to find these beautiful things. Your pictures are not too crowded, it's wonderful wall art!

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  18. Such a lovely picture of Mary. It's smaller than I thought it though. I am a pack rat kind of person, too and I think that your corner looks great - Collin and all. Although I am fond Luke Wilson - the bad boy of The Family Stone.....LOL ~ Robyn

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  19. I've always had a special attachment to Mary too, Donna. The grammer school I attended was named after her and we always had a May Day procession to honor her and we wore our First Communion veils. Many homes owned by older Italians in brooklyn have a statue of Mary in their front yard.

    Your picture is lovely and your office wall is fun!

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