Everlasting Crown for Mary

You can make an everlasting crown for your home statue of Our Lady from very simple materials.

After it is done, you may want to plan a special May crowning ceremony for your home. 

You will need:

piece of string
small home statue of Mary
White craft glue
1 slice white bread
small cup
sheet of foil
toothpick
waxed paper
acrylic or water paints
clear acrylic spray
piece of thin ribbon (optional)

Use waxed paper to protect your work surface. Take off any rings before you begin. 

With a piece of string, measure around the head of your statue to find how big around you will need to make your crown. Cut the string to the right size and lay it on your work surface to use as a measure when you are making the base for your crown.

Carefully remove the crust from a slice of white bread. “Gibble” (tear) the bread into small pieces and put it into the cup. Pour 1 tsp. of white glue over the bread. Scoop the bread and glue into your hands and begin squeezing and kneading it in your hands until it becomes the consistency of clay. 

Using half of your wad of clay, make a “snake” by rolling the clay between your hands and on the waxed paper. Make it as thin and as even as possible. Lay your “snake” by your measuring string and cut or pinch off any excess. Join the ends to form a circle for the base of your crown. Flatten the sides slightly with your fingers to make it easier to attach. 

Use the rest of the clay to make as many tiny little balls of clay as you can. 1/8th to 1/4th inch in diameter is the best size. 

Use your finger to press one of the balls flat on the waxed paper. Then pinch the end of it gently with your thumb and forefinger to make a small point on one side and to form it into a leaf shape. Press the end of a toothpick into the clay in the middle of the leaf to suggest the mid vein of the leaf. Make several leaves in this manner.

Use your finger to press down five more of the balls of clay. These will be the petals for a flower. Overlap the edges of the 5 petal pieces, joining the first to the last to form a circle of petals. Put a small ball of clay in the center of the petals and fold the petals gently upward to form your completed flower.

Continue making flowers in this manner until you have used all your clay. 

Allow your flowers, leaves and crown base to dry in a sunny spot until they are completely dry and hard. Depending on how damp your area is, this could take more than 24 hours. If you want to speed up the process, you may move them to a piece of foil and dry them in a slow oven, about 250 degrees, for a few hours. 

Using acrylic paints, paint your crown base, leaves and flowers. Allow the paint to dry thoroughly. If you have only water colors, don’t use too much water; your colors will not be as strong as if you used acrylics. Tempera will also work but you will need many more coats of spray. 

Using white glue, begin by choosing your largest flower and center it in the middle of your crown, attaching it with a spot of glue. Assemble your project on a piece of waxed paper as some of your glue may run. Continue adding flowers and leaves working from the center front around to the back. When all the flowers and leaves are placed as you like them, allow the glue to dry thoroughly. This will take several hours; overnight is best. 

Because you are actually having to kind of prop the flowers against the crown base, when you are done it may look best turned upside down. If you want the flowers exactly centered, you may also use a glue gun. 

To finish your crown, spray it with several light coats of clear acrylic spray. This will give it a nice finish and help to protect it from moisture or critters. 

Finish your crown by tying a tiny ribbon to make streamers in the back if you like. 

This craft and many more will be in an upcoming book, Catholic Home Traditions, from Our Sunday Visitor.