Our Lady of Lourdes Water Medal Bracelet

Our Lady of Lourdes: France, 1858
Our Lady appeared to 14 year old Bernadette Soubirous in Lourdes, France, 18 times from February through July, 1858. During the apparitions she told Bernadette to dig a hole which later in the day produced a stream of water, bringing about thousands of spiritual and physical cures even to this day. Mary pleaded for "penitence! Penitence! Penitence!" and urged us to "Pray to God for sinners". She called herself the "Immaculate Conception".

HOLY WATER OF OUR LADY OF LOURDES
O ever Immaculate Virgin, mother of mercy, health of the sick, refuge of sinners, comforter of the afflicted, you know my needs, my troubles, my sufferings, cast me a look of pity. By appearing in the Grotto of Lourdes, you were pleased to make it a priviledged sanctuary, whence you dispense your favours, and already many sufferers have obtained the cure of their infirmities, both spiritual and corporal, I come, therefore, with the most unbounded confidence & implore your maternal intercession.

I created this bracelet in honor of Our Most Beloved Lady of Lourdes. I used a water medal of Lourdes Water as well as a beautiful handpainted gold plated medal of Our Lady in the Grotto. (this medal was issued last year in Bangkok, Thailand and the medal depicts Our Lady on front side and the church of Bangkok on reverse side).

I also used vintage and new Catholic medals of Miraculous Medal, St. Louis, St. Michael, Guardian Angel and Our Lady of Victory in a beautiful ornate design. I also used beautiful 24K gold foil glass lampwork beads to accent the bracelet and beautify the gold plated medal even more.

Our Lady of Guadalupe Relic Bracelet

Feast DayDecember 12th
In 1531 a "Lady from Heaven" appeared to a poor Indian at Tepeyac, a hill northwest of Mexico City; she identified Herself as the Mother of the True God, instructed him to have the bishop build a temple on the site and left an image of Herself imprinted miraculously on his tilma, a poor quality cactus-cloth, which should have deteriorated in 20 years but shows no sign of decay 474 years later and still defies all scientific explanations of its origin.

God of power and mercy, you blessed the Americas at Tepeyac with the presence of the Virgin Mary of Guadalupe. May her prayers help all men and women to accept each other as brothers and sisters. Through your justice present in our hearts, may your peace reign in the world. We ask this through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.

I created this bracelet to honor Our Most Humble Lady of Guadalupe by using a beautiful color medal of Her image and a relic medal as well. I used other vintage and new Catholic Medals including Our Lady of Miraculous Medal, St. Therese, 14K gold layered medal of guardian angel and others.

I adorned this bracelet with turqouise beads and enhancing them with sponge coral beads and sponge coral carved flower. I also used a couple of vintage charms.

Immaculate Heart of Mary Bracelet

Our Lady of The Sacred Heart
Remember, Our Lady of the Sacred Heart, what ineffable power thy divine Son hath given thee over His own adorable Heart. Full of trust in thy merits, we come before thee and beg thy protection. O heavenly Treasurer of the Heart of Jesus, that Heart which is the inexhaustible source of all graces, which thou mayest open to us at thy good pleasure, in order that from it may flow forth upon mankind the riches of love and mercy, light and salvation, that are contained therein; grant unto us, we beseech thee, the favors which we seek. . . . We can never, never be refused by thee, and since thou art our Mother, O our Lady of the Sacred Heart, graciously hear our prayers and grant our request. Amen

I think the picture on this porcelain cameo is just stunning. I love Our Lady's compassionate and loving look on Her face. I was inspired to create a bracelet to make Her honor and found a stunning flower charm with rhinestones which I added on the center of the bracelet. I added vintage and new Catholic medals, including St. Gerard, Sacred Heart of Jesus and others.

I also added gorgeous handcrafted glass lampwork beads with 3D flowers, glass hearts and pearls to enhance the cameo's beauty.

Angelic Realm Victorian-Style Charm Bracelet

I love the romantic look and feel of this bracelet. I used a large porcelain cameo of a victorian angel and added more porcelain angels surrounded by beautiful handpainted shabby pink cottage roses beads and glass pearls to give it that nostalgic romantic look.


Prayer to One's Guardian Angel
Dear Angel, in his goodness God gave you to me to guide, protect and enlighten me, and to being me back to the right way when I go astray. Encourage me when I am disheartened, and instruct me when I err in my judgment. Help me to become more Christlike, and so some day to be accepted into the company of Angels and Saints in heaven. Amen.

"Religious Treasures" Infant of Prague Catholic Altered Art Necklace

INFANT OF PRAGUE
The devotion to the Holy Child Jesus has long been a tradition of the Catholic Church for a very long time. This devotion is a veneration of our Lord's sacred Infancy. Many saints had a very strong devotion to the Divine Child, notably St. Therese of the Child Jesus, St. Francis of Assisi, St. Anthony of Padua, and St. Teresa of Avila.
Prague is the capitol city of the Czech Republic, which is at the very central of Europe with Germany, Poland, Russia and Austria as its neighbours. The history of the Infant Jesus of Prague started in the 17th century when a statue of the Infant Jesus was brought into Bohemia (now Czech Republic) and eventually was given to the Discalced Carmelites in Prague. Since then, the statue has remained in Prague and has drawn many devotees worldwide to go and honor the Holy Child. Many graces, blessings, favors and miraculous healings have been received by many who petitioned before the Infant Jesus.
History
The exact origin of the Infant Jesus statue was not truly known, but historical sources point to a small 28cm high sculpture of the Holy Child with a bird in his right hand carved in around the year 1340. Many other Infant Jesus sculptures were also carved by famous masters throughout Europe in the Middle Ages.
The popularity of the Child Jesus grew in the Baroque period in Spain which may have been caused by the visions of St. Teresa of Avila. A number of sculptures made in Spain eventually found their way to Prague. These sculptures were made of wax, ivory, and bronze and were dressed in garments reflecting the aristocratic fashion of that period.
It is unknown to this date which of those early sculptures that got to Prague was the exact origin of the Infant Jesus of Prague. It was speculated that it came from a monastery in Bohemia and from there it was obtained by Dona Isabella Manrique who gave it as a wedding gift to her daughter Marie Manrique who married a noble of the Czech kingdom. Later, the Holy Infant statue was again given to Marie's daughter Polyxena as a wedding gift in 1587. In 1628, Lady Polyxena presented the statue to the Carmelites at the Church of the Virgin Mary the Victorious in Mala Strana saying, "I am giving you what I most esteem of my possessions. Keep the sculpture in reference and you will be well off" (*FN1*). This statue then became known as the Infant Jesus of Prague. It stands 47 cm high (includes a 2cm base) and has a long gown around the wax body.
Shortly after 1628, the Saxons and the Swedes took turns to invade Prague and the Carmelites had to flee and the veneration of the Holy Infant ceased. It was not until 1638 that a young priest named Fr. P. Cyril, a Matre Dei, returned to Prague and found the Holy Infant statue buried in the ruins of the Lady of Victory church. Fr. Cyril cleaned the statue and placed it in the oratory for worship. While he was praying before the Infant Jesus, he heard the Infant Jesus say, "Have pity on Me and I will have pity on you. Give Me My hands and I will give you peace. The more you honor Me, the more I will bless you". (*FN2*)
The repairing of the statue's hand was a miracle since Fr. Cyril and his peers did not have the financial resources nor the know-how to repair it. Through prayer, Fr. Cyril asked the Blessed Virgin Mary in several occassions to to provide the necessary funds for fixing the Infant statue. The Divine Infant spoke to him again, "Place Me near the entrance of the sacristy and you will receive aid" (*FN3*). Fr. Cyril then did what he was told and in a few days time, the statue was fixed by a man who came to the sacristy to offer help.
Since the statue was fixed, a number of miracles had occurred and the word began to spread, resulting in a large increase of veneration to the Holy Child. This includes the Czech nobles as well. These early miracles were recorded in a book by P. Emerich a St Stephano, published in German in 1736 and in Czech in 1749 (*FN4*).
In 1641, an altar was built for the Infant Jesus in the church, and in 1644 a chapel was built, but was not completed until 1654. Many nobles of the time had greatly supported the Infant Jesus, among them were Lady Polyxena, King Ferdinard (Czech), King Charles Gustav(Sweden), and Bernard Ignatius of the Lords of Martinic. It is interesting to note that the crown over the Divine Infant's head came from Bernard Ignatius, who presented the Infant statue with a little gold crown set with precious stones and jewels on January 14, 1651 during a procession that carried the Infant Jesus statue from the Lady of Victory church to other Prague churches. The Infant Jesus was solemnly coronated on April 4, 1655 by the Archbishop Josef Corta acting for Cardinal Harrach III who was sick.
After that period, Prague went through more wars and unrest but the church and the Infant Jesus chapel was miraculously protected. In 1776 the altar was rebuilt using marble and two huge sculptures of the Blessed Virgin Mary and St. Joseph were placed to the left and right sides of the altar. The Holy Infant was kept in a glass case standing on a pedestal engraved with crystals, and surrounding the Infant were twenty angels in gold

I was inspired once again to create another altered art necklace with the inspiration of a shrine to Infant of Prague and Religious treasures

I used a pocket watch case to create a portable shrine using a vintage statue of Infant of Prague, a tiny medal of Our Lady of Miraculous Medal, praying hands an vintage pearls.

On the charm necklace I used other medals, gemstones and misc. charms.

St. Anthony Charm Bracelet

ST. ANTHONY
He is known as Miracle Worker; Doctor of the Church; He is especially invoked for the recovery of things lost; as well as against starvation,; patron of amputees, animals, domestic animals, the elderly, expectant mothers, faith in the Blessed Sacrament, fishermen, harvests, horses, lower animals, mail, mariners, oppressed persons sailors, scholars, sterility, travelers
Prayer to Saint Anthony the Wonder-Worker

PRAYER TO ST. ANTHONY
Saint Anthony, perfect imitator of Jesus, who received from God the special power of restoring lost things, grant that I may find {mention your petition} which has been lost. As least restore to me peace and tranquility of mind, the loss of which has afflicted me even more than my material loss. To this favor I ask another of you: that I may always remain in possession of the true good that is God.Let me rather lose all things than lose God, my supreme good. Let me never suffer the loss of my greatest treasure, eternal life with God. Amen.

I made honor to St. Anthony on this bracelet using a beautiful color image of St. Anthony and Baby Jesus. I surrounded it with other Catholic medals including Divine Mercy, St. Jude, St. Michael, Infant of Prague, Miraculous Medal and others. I also added a howlite stone cross and amber color Czech. glass beads, lavender Czech. glass, hunter green glass pearls all capped with ornate bead caps.

St. Therese Relic Catholic Charm Bracelet

Patronage AIDS sufferers; air crews; aircraft pilots; , ; florists; flower growers; foreign missions; illness; missionaries; parish missions; sick people; sickness;
Also known as Therese of the Child Jesus; the Little Flower; the Little Flower of Jesus

Many miracles attributed to her. Declared a Doctor of the Church in 1997 by Pope John Paul II.

PRAYER
"For me, prayer is a surge of the heart; it is a simple look turned toward heaven, it is a cry of recognition and of love, embracing both trial and joy." - Saint Therese of Lisieux

Since roses are associated with St. Therese, I created this bracelet in her honor using polymer clay roses throughout the bracelet, enhancing them with Czech. glass leaves. I added a special relic medal of St. Therese, Our Lady of Lourdes Medal, St. Odilia medal, Sacred Heart of Jesus, Immaculate Hear of Mary. I also used yellow glass pearls to make the bracelet more colorful.