Portable Icons

"Icons are a form of religious art from the Greek eikon, or image. The subject matter of the an icon is not the flesh and blood of the subject, but rather is focused on the point where the visible and the invisible worlds are transcended through the Incarnation. In the homes of Eastern rite Catholics, an icon corner is set up which contains the family icons and other religious items. In Russia, it became popular to have portable icons, which were blessed and which travelers could take with them on their trips. These were usually in small gilded or jeweled folding cases which were closed during travel but which could be opened to stand in the room of the traveler. Some of the the portable icons were made as lockets and meant to be worn on the trip." - from Catholic Traditions in the Home and Classroom by Ann Ball

Here we are making our own portable icons. I have been looking forward to doing this project with the kids, and they turned out great. I cut and spray painted the cardboard pieces ahead of time. Attaching the ribbon for the 'binding' was the trickiest part. The kids enjoyed decorating them with Our Lady of Perpetual Help holy cards.