A few years ago Magnificat began selling rosary greeting cards with 20 different images depicting each mystery of the rosary. While I wasn't too interested in using them as greeting cards I was interested in the fact that they were each a perfect 5 x 7, which means they could be framed.
At the time we were just beginning our first year as FOCUS missionaries, so the "decorating the new home" budget line was minimal. In our cozy cinderblock dorm suite, where I was a hall director, there was a large empty wall that I wanted to fill with some kind of religious art, but let's face it, religious art is not cheap. So when I saw these beauties I knew I had a solution to my problem. To frame the pictures I purchased clip frames for less than $2.00 each, including the shipping charges. If you buy them in bulk you end up buying 24, so the extra 4 are a bonus.
When we pray a family rosary we grab the picture(s) of the mystery we are meditating on from the wall for a visual during the prayer. Pointing out the details of the images has been a great way to help explain the mysteries and to introduce our children to beautiful art. We also love them because they are a constant reminder in our home of the significant events in the lives of Jesus and Mary.
Cost rundown:
Rosary Greeting Cards: $20.00 (after shipping)
Frames: $37.50 (after shipping)
Total Project: $57.50
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| We hung them with a 1/2 inch spacing around each side of the frame. |
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| Pal picking out a mystery... or 3. |
Also, I keep forgetting... for more awesome ideas check out the Catholic Icing link up party. Bloggers have posted their ideas for the rosary here in one place.