Rosary making for the family continues..

Remember my rosary making endeavours for half of the family? Well I've finally made sure that the rest now have at least a tenner or rosary beads.

The pair above are mine...pretty extravagant and eye catching..really letting 'my hair down' so as to speak. I think the idea of mummy's beads being really beautiful and feminine and very, very special is a nice thought for the children and as I've mentioned before, "Lex orandi, lex credendi" is what echoes through my mind.

As anyone who visites my blog knows, I love Our Lady of Guadalupe. I just finished reading from cover to cover, Our Lady of Guadalupe and the Conquest of Darkness out loud to my 13, 11 and 8 year olds. They shared my love for this book which meant alot to me - this, my favourite book ever - big statement, really. I am sure that there are many better books in the spiritual world that have benefited me in one way or the other but this is my favourite. I read it at least once a year.

My rosary beads are in honour of this most special apparition...and shrine, that recieves the most Catholic pilgrims each year after St Peter's in Rome. I chose a beautiful bead - crab fire agate. You can see in the close-ups just how beautiful and eye-catching it is. I've used it for both the Pater and Ave beads.

I'll tell you something..I don't really like orange, it is my least favourite colour but there is something about this bead that also mixes with the subtleness of cream and brown and in my mind it is symbolic of the sunburst behind Our Lady of Guadalupe, if I were to name this rosary I would call it, "Woman, Clothed with the Sun."

I've done something unusual with the mix of colours too. I've added an interesting, luminous swarovski crystal that throws off shades of blue (crystal AB satin) on either side of the Pater bead, the use of complimentary colours that creates a beautiful effect.

In between the Ave beads I did something unusual, I placed a rounded 4mm swarovski crystal in between (Golden Shadow) with a little luminous blue seed bead (Mill Hill antique brand) on either side of the crystal with the normal bronze seed bead either side of the blue beads.. The *flashes* of blue make me think of Our Lady and her signature colour - blue.


The vintage reproduction crucifix is called a 'Child's Crucifix' even though it is really big and heavy compared to most. It is South American in origin with a 'New Spain' influence. The orginal was from the 1700's. This is in solid bronze. You can see in this shot that I've used a brass Etruscan bead cap on either end of the Pater bead.

Here is the vintage reproduction rosary center - Our Lady of Guadalupe with a Truine filigreed aura around her head. It is South American.

Here is dh's beads. He wanted something 'simple and dark' Dh is very devoted to Our Lady (Louis deMonfort spirituality) and he liked the Ave Maria Crown rosary center, it is a symbol particularly connected to the feast of the Holy Name of Mary (12th Sept) which is dh's birthday. (An interesting choice for him at the time, as he did not know it was connected to this feast until after the rosary was made..) He chose a crucifix with the 12 cherubs around the cross.

Dark red African poppy jasper was the bead chosen for the Ave's.

Here is my dear son's beads, who is 13 years old. He loved the fossilized crazy lace agate bead for the Ave's. For the Pater beads he went all out with the carved bone, with double bead caps either end, brass and solid bronze with a little 3mm gemstone bead at either end of the bed caps. I think he believed it had a bit of an aztec feel to it, as these beads were made just after the reading of Our Lady of Guadalupe and the Conquest of Darkness. An Ave Maria Crown was chosen by him for his rosary center.

A nice, close-up shot of his cross - a St Anthony's brief. This side of the cross photographed here has the St Anthony's brief written on the cross. On the other side it has St Francis and a quote from him - St Francis is his confirmation saint. I like the idea of him carrying his beads in his pocket and having the St Anthony's brief with him also - good choice!

Lastly, dh's tenner for work..it has been re-worked from when I made it months ago. Dh had the solid brass crucifix from before we married and the antique brass miraculous medal I bought from Europe. The 8mm Ave's are a browny-grey fossil bead and a carved stone was used for the Pater bead. Such a manly tenner!