Handmade Catholic Rosaries with Bronze and Sterling Silver
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Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!

1/4/2019

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I recently had a customer email me and ask if my website was active.  Since I hadn't posted on the blog for so long, they wondered if I was still making rosaries.  It actually surprised me.  I am so busy in my workshop that I didn't even think to post on the blog...Oops!   But realizing now that customers actually read this blog,I have decided to post more often.

Please add your comments below so I have the feedback to know what posts are most helpful to you!

So what is new at Graceful Rosaries?   I  took a vacation from my rosary workshop the week before Christmas all the way up to New Years.   I had all 7 kids home for the holidays plus my mother in law came for several days as well.   It is a lot of work to prepare for Christmas in such a large family.   But taking a break from the work of making rosaries and taking that time to relax and be with family is super beneficial.  We all need to take a break every now and then.  And I find that a vacation really gives me renewed energy to start again in earnest.

At present I am working daily to update inventory, and refresh the website.  Every now and then the photos start to turn grainy and all I can think is that the website provider is making updates and the photos suffer for it.  Now that is frustrating for me.  

At home, the kids have started back to school.  It is kind of nice to have a little more order to the day and a little less clean up!  I would post our Christmas photo....but feel a bit unsettled posting too much personal stuff on the internet.   But I have no problem posting my cute doggy photos!   Above is a photo of Crystal and Ginger on Christmas morning.  Crystal is a White Miniature Schnauzer and is expecting a litter in February.   Ginger is an Apricot Schnoodle who was born from my dog Winnie last summer.  I enjoy breeding Schnoodles when I am not making rosaries.  God made me an animal lover and breeding dogs gives me the opportunity to connect with a lot of wonderful families and share the JOY of a new puppy.   It is a very exciting business to be in.  It would be impossible to make rosaries 8 hours a day....so breeding dogs gives seasonal variations to my work ...as well as the daily joy of their companionship. ​  With 7 kids and most of them still in school, my rosary and puppy businesses are helping our family with the kids educational expenses.   If you are a dog lover you may enjoy reading the story of my puppies on my Puppy Blog.   
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What ever you are doing as you embark upon this new year,  I hope that God blesses you all and brings you a litter closer to Himself in 2019!

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DIY Sturdy Advent Candle Wreath

11/28/2014

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   It happens every year,  I search and search for Advent Taper Candles only to have the candles broken by a child the first Sunday that we light the wreath.   It drives me crazy!    So I finally decided to make my own Advent Candles from sturdy little pillar candles.   This is project is so fast and easy, I highly recommend it for anyone with small children who need semi-childproof Advent wreaths.  The kids can't break these candles....but obviously all lighted candles need to be supervised around young children.  

To make these candles you will need the following:

4 small pillar candles :  Mine came from Bed Bath and Beyond.  2"round and 4" tall.  $8.00
Plain Green Wreath (Michael's Sells them)
Purple Ribbon for Decoration
old broken Crayola crayons:   Violet and Pink
a tuna tin
a shallow pot for boiling water.
flat paint brush. 

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Step 1:
Put a few inches of water in the shallow pan and bring it to a boil.

Step 2

Put the clean empty tuna tin in the pan so it sits in the water.  But do NOT get water in the tin.

Step 3.  
Peel the pink Crayola crayon.  Throw a few crayons in the tin to melt.  I start with Pink so I can use the same can for the Violet color.  You can add a little white to the pink crayon wax to make it less 'Barbie' color.  I didn't think to do that in time...so mine is unfortunately, 'Barbie Pink'.
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Step 4

Allow the crayon to melt and dip your brush in the wax.  Quickly stroke the wax on the candle starting with the top near the wick.   Produce even strokes one next to the other, to cover the candle as smoothly as possible.  Let your brush warm in the wax after every few strokes as wax will harden in your brush if it gets too cold.

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Step 4


After you finish painting the pink candle then you can throw 3 purple crayons in with the remaining pink wax.   I added a white crayon too because I wanted to lighten the dark purple crayons I was using.  

Step 5 

Now just place the candles on the wreath,  I had to bend some of the wire branches out a bit so they would more easily accommodate the pillar candle.
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If you wanted a fancier wreath, you could use a floral wreath form that you soak in water and add fresh greenery all around the wreath.   That would be lovely....but I don't have that amount of time to invest.   This whole project probably took me a total of 30 minutes to accomplish.   It only cost me $8 because I had the wreath from the past 20 years of Advent in my house.  I happened to have the ribbon, the crayons, the brushes.  All, I had to buy was the pillar candles.   That is what I consider, a super easy DIY project!
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The powerful example of a holy wife in the life of her family....

11/2/2014

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Sarah Harkins, my beautiful friend and rosary maker, passed away last July. Her husband Eric wrote an amazing testament about her powerful influence in his life.  It is so inspirational I hope you will read it....

A wife is a Gift from God in Life and in Death


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What an amazing story!   The power of prayer....

10/28/2014

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https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NEuOA_llfHE#t=236

Miracles still happen!

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The Sacramental Season

3/21/2014

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Did you know that the busiest season of the year for rosary makers is is from March through May.  This is because of Lent brings a resurgence in Catholics commitment to prayer. Additionally this time is the Sacramental Season.  Spring is the most popular time for First Communions, Baptisms Confirmations and Weddings.  

For rosary makers like myself, this season is even busier than Christmas!   Please keep this in mind when placing your order.  Allow a little extra time for shipping or construction of custom pieces.  I know that rosaries gifted for a Sacrament will be a treasured prayer pieces for a lifetime. Placing your order early allows me to treat each order with the care it deserves.  God bless you!

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Graceful Rosaries featured in Catholic Digest Magazine

6/23/2013

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I wanted to thank the Catholic Digest Magazine for featuring my Graceful Rosaries shop in their April 2013 Issue.  

The photo on the left is a rosary that they included in that article.  If you get the Catholic Digest Magazine, look under the article entitled 'Sacramental Guide"  April 2013 issue.

It is truly a privilege to be noticed by such a lovely magazine!

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Graceful Rosaries featured in OurCatholicFamily.com

5/15/2013

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I want to thank Lisa Goddard for featuring my Graceful Rosaries shop in her blog today.

She wrote such a lovely article featuring photos and an interview....Check out the post on 05/15/13    You should check it out!

OurCatholicFamilyLife.com is a mom blog that chronicles the goings-on of the Goddard Family, while celebrating the simple joys in life that unite us all as people. It’s a blog about faith, hope, love, and creativity. 


Visit www.OurCatholicFamilyLife.com





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Our Easter Puppy

3/17/2013

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There's a new little bundle of fluff bouncing around our rosary workshop.  Her name is Coconut....Coco for short.  She's a small Mini Schnauzer.  Her fur is as soft as a bunny.   She's a  wee 3 lbs at 9 weeks old.  Isn't she adorable!   Just thought I'd share her cute photo.

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Shipping  Increases by the USPS are in effect!

2/23/2013

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Here are the new rates in a summary.  Additionally there is a handling fee of $3.50 for each international order because of the extra gas and time to take packages to the post office.:

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A busy Start to the New Year

2/8/2013

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I want to thank all my customers who purchased gifts over the Christmas season.  This Christmas was the busiest season yet.  Thank you so much! 

I fully expected the month of January to slow down considerably.  Boy, was I surprised that business has not slowed down at all in the New Year.  Rather, I have had more custom orders then every before.  I expect the main reason for this surge of business, after the Christmas season, is that I opened a new email account specifically for communication with this website.    For some reason, the 'Contact Me' form was not sending my messages as it was programmed to do.  I cannot explain why, as I checked the settings several times.  Finally,  I redirected the Contact form to a brand new email account.  It is so wonderful to now have an efficient means of communication with my customers once more!

I appreciate everyone who visits my Graceful Rosaries shop.  I ask for your patience that many pieces are listed as 'SOLD'.  I have a steady stream of custom requests, so keeping the shop stocked can be difficult at times.  Rest assured, I give each and every order the personal attention it deserves.  My customers are very important to me.  Providing you with Sacramentals is not just a business, it is a Mission.  God bless you all for visiting my shop, and thank you for all your encouragement!
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    I am a wife, mother and rosary maker.  I find so much joy in making rosaries.  My goal is to provide unique, beautiful rosaries and bracelets of excellent quality and craftsmanship that will be an inspiration for years to come!

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