I am still so excited that I managed to finally finish this piece! Halfway through it I thought that I might have been insane to start it.

I’m glad that I did, though. I’ve had a spot reserved for it on the wall since I refinished the dresser in my living room. I knew the exact look I wanted for it, too.

Typically when I frame a piece I will use the pre-cut mats that you can purchase at A.C. Moore or Michael’s. This piece, though, was different. Due to the image that I had in my head I decided to break down and pay to have mats cut specifically for it. I measured it, though, so that I could fit it all in a standard size frame.

What do you think?

In order to get a deep rich look to the mats I had to go with fabric mats, which were a bit pricier. I knew that if I cheaped out, though, I wouldn’t be happy. I went with a deep red for the inside and I framed that with a deep hunter green. I knew that the frame would have to be fairly rich-looking, too, to keep the feel that I was going for.

I think that this worked out quite nicely.

This isn’t the best picture, but it gives you an idea of how it looks. It is flanked by the Our Father and the Creed, which I received as gifts from the RCIA last year when I was getting ready to be baptized and confirmed. On this table sits my grandmother’s bible, Jay’s grandmother’s rosary (which was another baptism gift), a decorative box that Jay’s mom gave to me, plus both mine and Jay’s baptismal candles. Jay refers to it as my Catholic shrine. I told him that in order to really qualify as that I need a statue of Mary within a half-buried bath tub. 😉