Comfort food for the soul...

I seem to have a growing collection of little mid-century Catholic statues and figurines.

I grew up in a Catholic family and attended Catholic school. That was a long time ago, back in the 60's when it was mostly nuns who taught.

 So figurines of Mary, Jesus, and angels remind me of those years. In particular I seem to be drawn to statues that are old, worn, or broken...

Those statues whose gold trim has become worn and faded over the years...

...or whose painted bases have chipped...

... and even those who are missing hands.

None of that matters, as they all make me think of my Mom, my Dad, and my Grandparents. This small collection is part of a makeover my little home office/painting studio will be undergoing as I move into the bigger spare bedroom later this year. And from the looks of it, I think it's pretty safe to say that I'm leaning toward a Vintage Catholic decor.

I'm linking up to My Romantic Home's Show & Tell Friday.

Hope you all have a wonderful weekend!!

Donna

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