Miranda Kate

May is for Mary: In the Home

Recently we painted one of the rooms in our house. It’s a small room with few big pieces of furniture, so the project wasn’t too difficult. I’ve been amazed at the difference this small undertaking has made. When I walk into the room now, I feel a sense of relief, of peace. It sounds dramatic for such a simple change, but I think our environments affect us a lot more than we may realize.

For this reason, decorating your home isn’t just something you have to do so people think you have style or a quick way to spend all your hard-earned money. It’s a beautiful way of expressing what is important to you, and of turning your house into a life-giving haven.

I’m not an advocate for spending a lot of money on home decor, most of our pieces were gifts or thrifted. I’ve spent a lot of time in second-hand stores and antique shops searching for gently used pieces that are cheaper than their brand-new counterparts. This has made the home-decorating process more interesting and, in my opinion, more fun; in addition to less expensive.

Having said that, our homes are the ideal place to celebrate and live out our Faith. Every detail can be a reflection of our values expressed in a beautiful and unique way. When it comes to celebrating Mary, there are tons of options. Below are just some ideas to get started. You might want to make some purchases, save them for later, or just take away some inspiration for using what you already have.

FLOWERS

Since who knows when, Mary has been honored with flowers in the Church. You’ll often see at least one bouquet by her statue in any given church building. An easy way to honor Mary during this month is to buy some beautiful flowers and, if you have one, put them by a statue of her. I did this a few days ago and looking in that corner of my living room every day has brought me so much joy and been a good reminder to pray to our Mother in a special way throughout this month.

I love to use baby’s breath, tulips, and blue hydrangeas. Another idea (which I haven’t done but sounds super cool) is planting a Mary Garden.

LINENS

If you have blue and white napkins, table runners, tea towels, hand towels, or table cloths, now is a great time to use them! You can also check these out:

DECOR

We have several small Mary statues in our home that we inherited from my family. Stephen also bought this statue of the Pieta before we got married. If you don’t have one, now could be a good time to start being on the lookout! Antique shops are a great place to find Marian statues or art at a discounted price. If you want to this month, maybe set aside part of your budget to go antiquing with a friend (or alone) and see what you find!! It can be super fun and you may just find a beautiful piece that keeps Mary in your thoughts more often.

Here are some other ideas:

There are so many beautiful depiction of our Lady in many forms. Even if you don’t buy one this month, it might be a good idea to at least start keeping an eye out for some Marian artwork! This month, even if it’s just picking a fresh bouquet of flowers, try doing something small to honor our Mother in your home.

Cheers,

Miranda

Miranda Kate

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