Craft of the Week: Guadalupe Altars

Several months ago, I volunteered to provide the "Craft of the Week" for the week of November 5th. Normally, I would try to come up with something new and seasonal, but, unfortunately, my camera is broken and has yet to be replaced. Here are our Miniature May Altars from May of 2006, adapted now as "Guadalupe Altars" to prepare for the coming feast.

Many thanks to Sarah at Plainsong for organizing the Craft of the Week Club!

Guadalupe Altars

Materials:

Small wooden hangable shelves from the craft store
Assorted acrylic paints and paintbrushes
Optional: decoupage tissue, white glue, and a sponge brush

The children began by decorating inexpensive wooden shelves in pastel colors. Agnes chose to adorn hers with roses, lilies, an an "M" wreathed in twelve stars, before decoupaging a flower-flecked "altar cloth" on top. The decoupage was done simply, by applying watered-down white glue to tissue with a sponge brush. "Mod Podge" decoupage medium could have been used to add a glossy coat to the decoupage, but we opted for the simple approach.

This photo below shows what the girls' four projects looked like after painting. (Back row: Theresa (age 10), Margaret (age 8); Front row: Agnes (age 12), Marie (age 6))

The next group shows what each painted shelf looked like once adorned with a Marian statue, holy water bottle, crucifix, rosaries, and scapular (or, in Marie's case, a bouquet of flowers). These photos were taken in our dining room, but, each of the girls will have an altar mounted over her bed from now on. We usually say our family Rosary at night, so the beads will have a handy home, as will their scapulars. I am glad to think of my girls looking at the Crucifix and Our Lady of Guadalupe at eye level as they doze off to sleep, perhaps after a blessing of holy water from each individual bottle. It is difficult to make out from the picture, but each girl chose a distinct holy water bottle with images of the cross, Our Lady of Guadalupe, Our Lady of Grace, or Our Lady of Lourdes.

Agnes':

Theresa's:

Margaret's:

Marie's:

_____________

Cost per project: 97 cents without paint and other decorations; about $1.50 each with paint, brushes, glue, and special decoupage tissue. The adornments for the altar may be found around the house. If you do not have a small statue of Our Lady, a holy card mounted on cardboard would work every bit as well.

Other ways to improvise: If you do not have time to run to the craft store for small paintable shelves, use something on hand to create a similar effect. Even an upturned shoe box will look beautiful when covered with a piece of pretty fabric, statue, flowers, and a bowl of holy water. The main joy of the project for my girls seems to be that each one has an altar all her own right near her bed. Six-year-old Marie looks forward to keeping hers adorned with flowers, and, for a setting so small, an empty film canister would make the perfect little vase!

Comments

[Mary G.]

Alice -- I love these altars! Thanks for sharing and posting this craft ... looks like a visit to Hobby Lobby is in my near-future (we go about once a week anyway!).

[Michele Q.]

Beautiful Alice - thank you for reminding us of these!

You are in our prayers dear one.

[Ruth]

Beautiful, Alice! Thank you so much for sharing this craft. I'm going to save this one on my sidebar.

[Donna]

Thanks, Alice, these are beautiful! Prayers going your way for your Mom.

God bless,
Donna

[Julie at Trinity Acres]

How lovely! We are going to snitch your idea and do this craft during our 12 Days of Christmas Craft Day, letting each child make their own patron saint altar. Thanks for such a nice idea!
Julie

[Linda]

great idea, I'd love to do it too.

[Meredith]

Alice, we loved making these, I'm so glad you posted them again, they are delightful!!