I have two (as my husband calls them) "shrines" in the main living room; one is in a pass-through to the kitchen where I keep fresh flowers, cards, votive candles, blessed candles, icons ...my husband thinks it's a bit much. I always do it up that way for Christmas, only with the nativity on a table and the floor beneath it. I put away the nativity in February, of course, but decided to leave the rest (except obviously Christmas items) because it's beautiful to me, and great for emergency prayers.
Then I have my private prayer spot in that room with several icons (St. Michael, a few Our Ladys, 3 special crucifixes, a rosary from Rome when my g-ma was there, a rosary my son got me in Rome this summer (in case someone doesn't have one), and some other things that mean a lot to me. (Doesn't take up as much room as it sounds since they're arranged together). They're all displayed to face me in "my" chair, but it's a glass table so everyone can see the items. Underneath I keep an older missal my g-dad (who I never met) had; a similarly old D-R, the Imitation, and these Paperblanks notebooks with Book of Kells, Gutenburg, and other manuscript covers that are just
amazing. This setup has been with me since childhood, through college, and into Marriage, except the newer stuff of course. It's part of who I am. I travel with it, minus the huge books.
But we're not rich. I've been saving to buy a nice St. Cecilia framed painting for the library (which is fairly private: two desks, a wall of bookshelves, and a huge comfy sofa.
And a hockey table right now, but that's going to go to the dump if the kids don't find a home for it soon. The cheaper paintings (or prints) can be
not how I picture my name saint at all (I just don't like that one AT ALL).
I like this one Strudwick, but the largest size is still a bit small for the room, and is $360 in the large size. I just can't justify spending that kind of money now, anyway.
So I'm actually hoping to find more St. Cecilia art at an auction or yard sale one day. Everyone is helping me look for one, They've found tons of St. Jeanne de Arc, and Our Lady, and lots of Jesus ones of course (all of which are nice), but I'm holding out for a St. Cecilia. (Plus, the people who help me look end up getting nice paintings for themselves, so it all works out great!) Hey, like
songbird just posted!
(The kids MUST get older before we get statuary in here again. Last one that got "accidentally", the priest had to bury it. My sister is keeping some of it for me for when the kids get less "wild".)