The Virgin Mary Shelf. Um... what??
Two years ago my husband and
I moved into a quaint suburban neighborhood where all of the little brick homes
and manicured lawns look exactly same. Shortly after moving in, we discovered
that our neighborhood was built in the early 1960s and that all of the original
inhabitants were either Italian or Polish and, like, REALLY Catholic.
Hence, the Virgin Mary Shelf… or at least, that’s
what I call it. We noticed this little effigy hidey-hole on our first tour of
the home with our realtor. When the realtor pointed it out, I said under my
breath, “…and this is where they kept The Blessed Mother…” – and I’ve been
calling it the Virgin Mary Shelf ever since. For two years I’ve decorated my
walls, my mantle and anywhere else I could place décor, but this little area
has remained empty. For two years I've been staring at this odd and
off-putting space wondering WHAT IN THE WORLD to do with it. I was at a loss.
World's heaviest pitcher. Seriously; you try to pick it up!
But then my mother, who
shares in my love for unique dishware, gave me the world’s heaviest glass
pitcher that I would never actually put a beverage in (because your wrist would
break just trying to pour yourself a drink). And so again I was at a loss – I
love glassware and my favorite color is green, but what do you do with a rather
large and cumbersome object you won’t actually use? You put it on a shelf in
your basement and you forget about it (let’s just be honest).
But one day, as I was
rummaging around those basement shelves looking for a completely unrelated
item, I glanced up and saw the pitcher. As waves of guilt for not properly
utilizing a gift from Mom washed over me, inspiration struck me as well; I
could put a bunch of random stuff in this pitcher, stick it in the cubby custom
made for the Madonna, and call it good! Two unlikely misfits united in
home-décor bliss. I would be able to fill that random little void in my home
that just bugged me and also put a
gift from my mother on display (which would, of course, make her so happy) –
what could be better?
Being that it is so darn skinny and tall, the Virgin Mary Shelf was proving to be kind of a weird space to fill. After placing the pitcher on the shelf I stepped back, looked it over and thought, "No, this just won't do. It doesn't fill the space right!" So I did what my mother does when she's in need of crafty inspiration; I ran to my local Jo Ann Fabrics store with my 50% OFF coupon in hand (or on my phone, rather) and just wandered the aisles - hoping.
My husband and I live on a pretty tight budget and while I knew it might be a bit unrealistic, I didn't really want to spend more than $10.00 on whatever I purchased. Lucky for me, pretty much exactly what I needed was waiting for me in the silk flower section; this "bouquet" was tall, skinny and just quirky enough that it might work! And, with my half off coupon, I was gonna get out of there for around $9 bucks. Awesome sauce.
Coins from around the world! ...and also a couple of randoms.
Along with my bouquet, I knew I also wanted something at the bottom of my pitcher. At first I put a bunch of marbles on the bottom - but I hated it; it was so cliché! Then I remembered I had a jar full of random coins I started collecting as a kid and kept adding to over the years. In there I found like 78 fifty-cent pieces (nobody actually spends those), those pressed pennies you get as souvenirs, some coins from different countries I've visited and even a few tokens from the casino, the bus and a "good for one shopping outting" token my mom had taped inside a card that is probably older than most kids in high school. I dumped this hodge-podge out onto the floor, looked it over and declared that it was good.
#hotmess
Yeah. Way too big. Cut it down? I agree. Now where are my kitchen shears...?
We have a winner, folks!
While a random floral/glassware decoration may not have been the original intention of whomever designed this built in unit, I was just happy that it was finally filled with something. Something that was inexpensive, definitely unique but looked pretty, as well. I walk by that shelf everyday (it's in the hall leading to my bedroom; can't avoid it!) and still smile each time I see it. The void in my Virgin Mary Shelf has been filled! And no, that is not a metaphor.
Do you have a funny or random home decor story?
I would love to hear about it!
You can share your adventures in home-decor stories
(and photos if you have them!) with me at
Email me! thatbusygirllife@gmail.com
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Blair Clark is a wife, teacher, dog-mother, mentor, wanna-be-chef, recipe collector, crafter, painter, novice photographer, thrifter, writer, marriage ministry leader, Sunday school teacher and blogger. In short, she's a busy girl! Blair lives and blogs from the suburbs of Detroit with her handsome hubby and perfect Chocolate lab.
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