Miraculous Medal Embroidery Pattern (and other resources!)

 

After sharing this Miraculous Medal inspired embroidery project (which was part of my Through the Year with Mary giveaways), lots of people asked about offering a pattern. I am a make-it-up-as-I-go embroiderer, and also a very-very-rudimentary-pattern-maker, but I have it ready to share with you today! The pattern contains a color photos of my hoop, a supply list, suggested steps, a key to the stitches I used, patterns to print and trace, and a few ideas for other options when using the design.

If you aren't familiar with basic embroidery stitches (I often use the straight stitch, backstitch, lazy daisy, spiderweb roses, satin stitch, and French knots) I totally recommend watching youtube videos to get the hang of them.  The beauty of this pattern is that you can make it your own, with your unique style, colors, and details.

If you decide to make your own Miraculous Medal embroidery, I'd love to see it!  Email me at looktohimandberadiant (at) gmail (dot) com, or if you post it on Instagram tag me @katherine.bogner and use #miraculousmedalembroidery.  I can't wait to see what you create!

Click here for the free printable pattern:

P.S.- If you love the Miraculous Medal like I do, you might be interested in the resources that the Association of the Miraculous Medal offers. In addition to other items available in their online gift shop, they send free Miraculous Medals out around the globe! They sent me a generous box with resources for all of my students, including cards with a blessed Miraculous Medal attached (top) and the Marian easel (right). I used the Miraculous Medal reflection from my book Through the Year with Mary (affiliate link) for the lesson in my classroom before I gave out the medals! It was the perfect summary and also helped introduce/review the purpose and use of sacramentals. The coloring page I found here. If you'd like to get your own Miraculous Medals for your family or students, you can order up to 25 on their website, or can call 1.800.264.6279 for more than 25. My students were thrilled to have their own, and I was so happy to be able to share this devotion with them!

P.P.S.- If you are looking for more embroidery ideas, I also have a free pattern for the Holy Family Hearts available here:

O Mary, conceived without sin, pray for us who have recourse to thee.

Etsy Shop Restock and Sale!

Hi All! Praying you have a very, very happy and holy Solemnity of St. Joseph today! May the rich graces and virtues of the Patron of the Universal Church, Joseph, lead and guide us!

I don't usually pitch my Etsy shop here on the blog much, mostly because the blog is about free resources ;) but I also have heard from people that are not on Instagram and are sad when they miss a stamp restock or a sale.  So forgive the intrusion in your inbox, I promise I'll be back in a few days with free resources for Holy Week! 

Tomorrow I'm restocking the Catholic themed rubber stamps I carry in my Etsy shop. I love creating them and sharing them, but keeping up with a constant flow of orders and shipping isn't something I can make time for, so instead I release them all at once a few times a year and when they are gone, they are gone. They typically sell out within hours- so I wanted to make sure you had a heads up! 

This restock includes lots of old favorites as well as a bunch of new designs that I am so happy with!

The stamps will be listed at 9 am CST tomorrow, Saturday, March 20, 2021. And just for fun, I also have all of my digital downloads (Bible journaling tools and block carving art) are 50% off until after Easter!

Here are some previews of the stamps:

The Holy Family Hearts are the reason my Etsy shop exists in the first place! Four years ago I made a few stamps like the one in the upper right for Christmas gifts, but after showing a Bible journaling page made with them on Instagram, people asked to have their own! My Etsy shop is under the patronage of the Holy Family, and these will always be my favorite stamps. These designs range in size from 1"x1", 1.5"x3", and 2.5"x2.5".

Here's what the actual stamp side looks like- I'm always so impressed by the details! Each of these stamps is created from one of my original drawings (or block carvings) and then is digitally sent to a professional print shop and laser cut to create consistent tools for you.

These little minis (1"x1") are so adaptable! Perfect for little hands, planners, or Bible journaling. In addition to the individual Holy Family Hearts above, I'll also have the Divine Mercy/Jesus I Trust in You, JMJ (Fulton Sheen's handwriting), Holy Spirit Dove, and Ave Maria/Auspice Maria.

These Marian stamps are so cool- they were originally 4"x6" block carvings, now scaled down to about 2.5" tall! In this round I'll have Our Lady of Guadalupe, The Holy Family, Stella Maris, and the Immaculate Heart of Mary.

An old favorite is this Holy Spirit dove, and new stamps include the Infant Baby Jesus and the Angelus- both originally block carvings.

A few more perfect for the Easter and First Communion seasons are the Paschal Lamb, Cathedral, Chalice and Host, and Sacred Heart of Jesus. (I also have a Monstrance, but it's not pictured here!)

And finally a few stamps that are great for cards and mail, including the "Prayed a Rosary for You," Spiritual Bouquet counter, and Miraculous Medal stamps.

If you've got plans for how to put these stamps to good use, I'll see you at 9 am CST tomorrow at LookToHimBeRadiant on Etsy!

Merry Christmas! {Free Baby Jesus Block Print}

 

Earlier this fall I shared with you that block carving and printing has become my new favorite hobby. I've really enjoyed sharing process videos on Instagram and am grateful for the creative outlet this medium has been. I hand carved this sweet infant Jesus stamp for my Christmas cards, and creating it was a beautiful opportunity for reflection and prayer on the hope of the Incarnation.

I'd love to send all of you a personal Christmas card, but since that isn't quite possible, I'm happy to send you this greeting as a little Merry Christmas and thank you for being part of the Look to Him and Be Radiant Community!

Here is the original test print and the carved block- this was my most detailed block to date. The image of Jesus is based on some photos of my sweet nephew, and the Christmas star, poinsettias, holly, and pine are all symbols connected to the birth of Christ.

Click on either image below for the free pdf, both in black on white, and black on brown kraft paper. Feel free to share as a little digital greeting to your friends and family! The edges of the print are marked to an easy to frame 5x7" size. If you display it in your home, I'd love for you to email me a pic or tag me on Instagram!

May the Infant Jesus, born to save us, 

fill our hearts with hope this Christmas Season and always. 

Know of my prayers for you, your families, and your students each day.

Merry Christmas!

Names of Mary Bookmarks (and Etsy Shop Announcements!)

I'm kind of a jack-of-all-trades girl when it comes to crafting. I like to watercolor, letter, sew, make jewelry, draw, embroider, and more. I kind of bounce from one media to the next, and about a year ago I decided I wanted to learn how to do block carving and printing. It is a challenging process that is wide open to style and interpretation, and I have really enjoyed learning and growing in skill while learning something new!

Over the past few months, I ended up created a collection of carvings honoring Mary under some of her various titles and names. If you follow me on Instagram, I've been sharing carving and printing videos along the way, and I'm so excited to have all of these prints to share with you! 

Seeing all the images of Mary together inspired me to scale them down to little postage-stamp-sized, and I made these bookmarks, which would be a nice thing to use during this last part of the Month of the Rosary and to remind you of Mary's role in a Christian's life all year long. Print on heavy cardstock and stick it in your favorite Bible or journal!

Click here for a free printable set of Marian bookmarks:

Maybe soon I'll do a how-to post about what I've learned about (and from) block carving, but I'll just share that it has been a very prayerful process overall. The slow work and attention to details gives you a lot of time to think as you work, especially when carving a holy image.

The inking and reveal of the first print is just so satisfying after all of the work- so much cooler than hitting "print" on a computer! ;)

And the texture, inconsistencies, and little mistakes of the prints that make them one of a kind are really fascinating as well. I often have a hard time choosing a "favorite" or master print from a printing session because there are different things I like about different prints.

And because art is meant to be shared, I added a whole Marian collection in my Etsy Shop available today! Everything here on my blog will always be available for free, but I don't always do a good job of letting my blog readers know when there are new things available for you on Etsy. I hate being "sales-y," but I know that we are all thinking ahead to Christmas shopping, and I thought you might like to go check out these prints and bags as you work on your gift list.  

You can find my Etsy Shop here and below is a little preview of a few of the items:

The Names of Mary Collection includes prints, totes, zipper pouches, and stickers of: 

Our Lady of Guadalupe, The Immaculate Conception, Stella Maris, The Immaculate Heart, The Sorrowful Mother, The Holy Family, Our Lady of  Częstochowa , The New Eve, Our Lady Undoer of Knots, Our Lady of Perpetual Help, Our Lady of Fatima, and The Spouse of the Holy Spirit

The black and white really looks great with a variety of decor, and I am loving how mine look on the gallery wall I've set up in my bedroom.

The block prints are all hand printed, and contain unique inconsistencies, making them one of a kind:

Besides prints, I also made some little zipper pouches for pens or all those pesky tiny things floating around your purse or diaper bag:

These generous zipper pouches, which I love for journals and art supplies:

And there are several versions of these tote bags (13x13" with a 3.5" gusset and 9" drop on the handles- not too big, but plenty of space to haul things!)

And I just love these super cute vinyl stickers:

Also next Saturday, 10/31/20, I'll be restocking my popular stamps, which are the heart of my shop. This will be the last restock before Christmas, and I'll be honest that they usually sell out quickly. I'm advertising the restock as opening at 9 a.m. CST, but I'll let my blog readers know that I'll have the listings up and ready at 8:30 a.m. if you want a little head start. :) Set an alarm now!

I hope that these things help bring a little faith and beauty into your lives!

Art & Wonder & Saint Dolls- Marcy from Marzipantz {Guest Post}

In a world that craves the true, the good, and the beautiful, is a joy to host the fourth Why Make Beautiful Things series here at Look to Him and Be Radiant. You can read the original post with my thoughts on beauty here and read all the guest posts in the previous series here. Today I have the honor of sharing the work and reflections of Marcy from Marzipantz. maker of incredible, heirloom quality Saint and literary character dolls, I think you'll enjoy reading her wisdom about the WHY behind her creativity. We'll be featuring guest posts all week, and a huge giveaway of beautiful things on Friday, the Solemnity of the Sacred Heart. We'd love to hear from you here or on Instagram why YOU make beautiful things- Chime in on today's post!!

There’s a moment while I’m making dolls when everything’s assembled – the limbs, the face, the whole body – all put together, but I don’t know what it looks like because it’s inside out, and in that moment I feel a lot of uncertainty, anticipation, and sometimes a little nervousness. I assemble the dolls inside out so that the seams are not visible when it’s finished, but I leave a little section unsewn, just a small hole, easy to sew by hand when the doll’s completely finished. And I pull the rest of body through that hole to flip it right side out, but there’s a lot of fabric that has to fit through. (I admit I sometimes think about the pangs of childbirth when I’m performing this operation, especially if I have a particularly stubborn doll!)

There is something about the whole process of making dolls, my little handstitched people, that makes me think about the formation of a new person in the womb. I have an idea of what I hope the doll looks like, but I can’t see it yet. Step-by-step the doll gradually comes together. Then the moment of truth, the “flip”, and I can see how it all fits together. It’s a teeny bit like the nervousness and anticipation of an expectant mother. Is it a boy or girl? Whose eyes will she have? Whose nose? Each creation is different and unique. Each one put together with care. Each one eagerly awaited, anticipated, hope for. And each one – at least this is my prayer for all my dolls – an artful reflection of the wonder God has made.



I am a mom to six. I stay at home with the children. My husband is a high school teacher. So, as you can imagine, there are limits to our budget, and I am always looking for ways to save or make money from home. And I’ve tried almost everything: babysitting, online tutoring, couponing – like extreme, full-time job couponing! – knit-and-crochet shop, break-of-dawn paper route, miscellaneous direct sales gigs. Like I said, almost everything. While all these things allowed me to stay at home and it was a boon for our family financially, for me it often left me drained and worn out.

Several years ago, I discovered some beautiful handmade dolls on the internet and thought how wonderful it would be to have similar dolls, just as beautiful and appealing, but of saints. But, I couldn’t ever find exactly what I had in mind, and even if I had, I was sure we wouldn’t be able to afford it. Then, one Christmas, after years of drooling over Instagrammed heirloom dolls, I received a sewing machine and decided to take the plunge and try my hand at this doll-making thing.

At first, I was excited just to make something fine and beautiful for my children, but I discovered just how much I enjoyed the creative process itself. I had always enjoyed crafting, but sewing was an entirely new endeavor for me. The only other times I had been around the sewing machine was cutting up fabric for my mom when I was eight and making a couple pairs of curtains for the boys’ bedroom on a machine borrowed from a neighbor. As it happened, sewing dolls turned out to be my “blue-flame passion.” (To borrow Jennifer Fulwiler’s apt phrase from One Beautiful Dream.)

After making the first few dolls for my children, I started wondering if I could do this to help with the family finances. I already knew I loved the work. It left me full and happy, complete. And it certainly fed my soul more than cutting out coupons. Thus, Marzipantz Shop was born.

As I mentioned above, I did not have a lot of previous experience with sewing, so I had to learn by studying how my own clothes were constructed, and I am still learning to this day. Each new doll design requires a new pattern with new challenges. I’m always tweaking, trying out different ideas and techniques. I’m always picking up tips from others with years more experience than I. For me each new design is like a puzzle that I am trying to solve in order to capture that unique look or feel I’m hoping for. Sometimes it’s a different clothing article that I need to create a pattern for. Other times hunting down that perfect fabric choice to match the saint or character. Or it might mean a new measure of hand-stitched details and embroidery.

When I’m making a saint doll, I don’t always start out knowing a lot about that saint, so preparing to make a saint doll isn’t just a design project but also a research project. I like to look at the traditional representations of the saint and read a little about their lives. It has been so special to learn about all the saints I’ve made. Or to use the language of iconographers, all the saints I’ve “written.” But usually at some point in this process, I catch a vision of how the doll should look and then it is just a matter of bringing it into existence. I love how Madeline L’Engle puts it in her book, Walking on Water:

"The artist is a servant who is willing to be a birthgiver….I believe that each work of art, whether it is a work of great genius, or something very small, comes to the artist and says, ‘Here I am. Enflesh me. Give birth to me.’ And the artist either says, ‘My soul doth magnify the Lord,’ and willingly becomes the bearer of the work, or refuses."

Sometimes the vision presents me with something difficult, that I haven’t tried before, that I don’t have a pattern for yet, and I know how much work that will mean. But part of the process is accepting that work and moving forward faithfully.

My goal with my shop has always been to create items that help cultivate a beautiful childhood and encourage a greater love for the things I love: the saints and inspiring literary characters. At least where the saints are concerned, I would love if the dolls could be a sort of child’s version of an icon – to encourage a devotion to those saints, and a rich sense of the communion of saints that are cheering us on our own walk of faith. There are so many toys readily available that, while fun, aren’t especially appealing to look at. Loud colors and cartoonish characters. My goal has been to make dolls that represent the saints beautifully and artfully and would be something even the adults enjoy looking at.

But I have learned over and over again that those sparks of inspiration, while they can be overwhelmingly beautiful, feel impossible to bring to fruition. Despite all the compliments and praise I received from others, which truly humbles me, I have never felt that I crafted something that perfectly reflects my original vision. I wonder if all makers and artists feel this way. Always a little too self-critical. But for me, it feels like my work is just falling short, almost but not quite. It reminds me of St. John Paul II’s “Letter to Artists” when he writes:

"All artists experience the unbridgeable gap which lies between the work of their hands […] and the dazzling perfection of the beauty glimpsed in the ardor of the creative moment: what they manage to express in their painting, sculpting, their creating is no more than a glimmer of the splendor which flared for a moment before the eyes of their spirit."

That “unbridgeable gap” can feel disappointing, but it is part of the artist’s struggle. To acknowledge that all artists and makers experience this provides some bit of a consolation.

My other consolation is the joy my dolls bring to others. I love to hear the individual stories of my customers. I love when they tell me about their devotion to a particular saint. I love seeing the pictures they share of their children at play or hearing stories about how their little one can’t sleep without their saint doll. Every time I learn that one of my dolls has somehow inspired or comforted or moved a child, I am filled with gratitude. For me, it is a privilege to play some small role in creating beauty in this world and encouraging beauty in childhood too. As someone trying to make beautiful things, the joy comes not only in the creation but also in sharing beauty with others.

Beauty touches the heart in a special way. It is always pulling us further, deeper, higher, even if it does fall short. Perhaps even because it does fall short. For it still points our eyes and hearts upwards to God who is the source and summit of all beautiful things, who is beauty itself. That longing in our hearts that we feel when we see or hear something beautiful pulls us towards God and is only ever satisfied in Him. Our restless hearts echo with beauty’s call.

I'm honored to get to share Marcy's words of wisdom with you.  Please go visit Marcy's shop and social media, and join the conversation here in the comments or on today's Instagram post about why you make beautiful things. And don't forget to come back every day this week for more creative wisdom from a set of beautiful women makers!

Find Marcy:

Shop- Marzipantz Shop

Instagram- @Marzipantz

Facebook- Marzipantz

And on Friday I'll be hosting the Beautiful Things Giveaway, an amazing collection of lovely items to bring the beauty of the Creator into your daily life.  Marcy is generously giving away a $55 credit towards the purchase of one of her dolls AND a coveted guaranteed spot in one of her releases in 2019.  You'll be able to enter to win here on the blog and on Instagram, so check back Friday, 6/28/2019, the Solemnity of the Sacred Heart!

Holy Family Hearts Embroidery Pattern

Embroidery has become by favorite summer time craft.  I love that it is simple, inexpensive, and travels well.  It's also a great activity that can be done while sitting and talking with a friend, which basically makes me want to be a character in a Jane Austen novel. ;)

I made a mulit media hoop of the Holy Family Hearts on whim earlier this year, and it got a ton of love on Instagram, and then I made another one for the Beautiful Things giveaway this summer, and recently made some small versions as gifts.  I've used a combination of embroidery floss, felt, and watercolor making each set of the hearts a little unique.  I love the free form creativity of it- I didn't start with a sketch or a pattern, just started working and was happy with what found a home on the hoop (after, well, ripping out a few stitches, of course).

And many, many people have asked if this is a product that I'd be willing to offer in my Etsy shop, but it's just not something that I think I'll ever do.  Embroidery has a low overhead but requires a lot of hours, and I don't want to take the joy out of it by trying to mass produce things.

However, a lot of people have also asked about a pattern, and that I am happy to share!  And I have it ready for you today for free!  I'm by no means an experienced pattern maker, but it contains color photos of different versions, a supply list, suggested steps, a key to the stitches I used, and patterns to cut out and trace for two different sized hoops.

If you aren't familiar with a few basic embroidery stitches (I used the straight stitch, backstitch, lazy daisy, spiderweb roses, satin stitch, and French knots) I totally recommend watching youtube videos to get the hang of them.  The beauty of this pattern is that you can make it your own, with your unique style, colors, and details. I'm thinking next time I might add some beading...

If you decide to make your own Holy Family Hearts embroidery, I'd love to see it!  Email me at looktohimandberadiant (at) gmail (dot) com, or if you post it on Instagram tag me @katherine.bogner and use #holyfamilyhearts.  I can't wait to see what you create!

Click here for the free printable pattern:

And if embroidery isn't your thing, I also have tons of versions of free coloring pages and prayer cards for the Holy Family Hearts, as well as lots of Holy Family Hearts items in my Etsy Shop:

Click here or on any of the images for more:
LookToHimBeRadiant Etsy Shop
Holy Family Hearts Coloring Page and Prayer Cards
Sacred Heart of Jesus Coloring Pages
Sacred Heart of Jesus & Anima Christi Prayer Cards
Sacred Heart of Jesus Color-A-Novena
Immaculate Heart of Mary & Seven Sorrows of Mary Coloring Pages
Immaculate Heart of Mary & Hail Holy Holy Queen Prayer Cards

“I wish to invoke the protection of the Holy Family of Nazareth…it is therefore the prototype and example for all Christian families…St. Joseph was a “just man”…may he always guard, protect and enlighten families. May the Virgin Mary, who is the Mother of the Church, also be the Mother of “the Church of the home”…May Christ the Lord, the Universal King, the King of Families, be present in every Christian home as He was at Cana, bestowing light, joy, serenity, and strength”
~St. John Paul II