4Real Forums: Liturgical Colors in the Home

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Topic: Liturgical Colors in the Home

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JennGM
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Posted: June 19 2008 at 7:34am \| IP Logged

We just had a shopping trip at IKEA (two days in a row, because we needed to exchange). I bought some tealight candle holders because they were perfect matches to the liturgical colors -- purple, red, green, gold (for Christmas and Easter) and a blue for Mary. I thought they would be simple and pretty on our home altar or even our dinner table as a reminder of the season or feast.

How do you incorporate the liturgical colors of the feast and/or season?

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Tina
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Posted: June 19 2008 at 7:52am \| IP Logged

We have a small family altar (the top of a bookcase). I purchased fabric pieces big enough to cover the altar, 2 in each of the liturgical colors you mentioned. I use one on the altar and one for our teatime. At teatime we put that color fabric at one end of the table and place the image, candle, flowers, book and/or statue on it. You can see what I mean here. I was originally going to get tablecloths in each color for our teatimes, but I didn't want to add to our laundry, because someone is bound to spill something. We also have a variety of candles in liturgical colors. I don't have the gold candles yet, though. I'll have to look for those.

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Maryan
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Posted: June 19 2008 at 7:59am \| IP Logged

I've wanted to use various different color cloths for the liturgical season... but anything that drapes gets yanked by my little guys.

So... I use those stiff felt pieces (they feel like they are majorly starched) that they sell at AC Moore/Michael's to put underneath our candles, etc. They come in all colors and the white ones even comes with sparkles... with seems fitting for Christmas and Easter.

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JennGM
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Posted: June 19 2008 at 8:18am \| IP Logged

Tina and Maryan, I love both those ideas!

I don't do tablecloths normally because of the same reason as Maryan, but also because of the laundry issue. Do you know how long it takes to get an opening to wash that special red cloth?

I haven't found a good place for a prayer table. If I put it in the dining room, which is where most of my liturgical things go, we don't see it much, as it's a bit isolated. But there isn't much room elsewhere in the busy parts of the house. Our new kitchen table should us a little more elbow room and a place to put a candle or small felt piece.

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SusanJ
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Posted: June 19 2008 at 9:03am \| IP Logged

We get IKEA candles in the liturgical colors and light them for Morning and Evening Prayer. Dh's mom is offering us several sets of dishes (long story) and, if we decide to actually take them all, we'll almost be able to use liturgically correct dishes as well. That might be going a bit too far, though

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Tina
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Posted: June 19 2008 at 10:19am \| IP Logged

Jenn~ I really wrestled with where to put our family altar for a while, too. I've even moved it a few times. Now it's in "the quiet room" (our formal LR that is not very formal). It's the room where we do read-alouds, pray together and talk. But, it's also where the kids play (at times), but we don't store any toys in there at all. Putting it in that room, but off, sort of in a corner, keeps it in plain view, but out of the way so it doesn't get slammed into. And the kids seem to notice when I change liturgical colors, or put up a new picture or statue. It catches their eye before I point it out.
And I've had to watch that my little guy doesn't yank on the cloths, too. I end up folding the fabric up under in the front.

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Mackfam
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Posted: June 19 2008 at 10:53am \| IP Logged

I only occassionally use tablecloths - actually, I use them very rarely because of the pulling off of the table issue. This year, I ordered a set of playsilks in all of the liturgical colors. I'm going to try them. They're not very large and I think I can set them out without them hanging over the sides. My dd is asking for more decor to work with.

Wish we had an IKEA because the candles sound so neat!

For the most part, we display the liturgical colors using Father Oak - a wooden figure we made and then made vestments for. I know, I know...you need another craft project like you need a hole in your head

...just throwing it out there.

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missionfamily
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Posted: June 19 2008 at 1:06pm \| IP Logged

I use a cloth draped across the mantle in the correct color. I'd like to get a set of cloth place mats in each color for tea times, but I have yet to acquire them.

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MaryM
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Posted: June 19 2008 at 3:27pm \| IP Logged

missionfamily wrote:

I'd like to get a set of cloth place mats in each color for tea times, but I have yet to acquire them.

Napkins are another option. We only have purple right now, but eventually will add the other colors.

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fsuadamson
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Posted: June 19 2008 at 5:38pm \| IP Logged

JennGM wrote:

How do you incorporate the liturgical colors of the feast and/or season?

Well, we do this a couple different ways. Last year the children wore collared shirts each in the liturgical color (ordinary times - green, Mary Feast days - blue, Christmas & Easter seasons - white, Lent & Advent - purple, and red on Martyr feast days).

We have a cloth that covers the family altar that remains in Liturgical color. We just bought some plain white cotton material and dyed them green, purple, pink, and red. Then the older girls embroideried IHS and other symbols on the front.

We too have liturgical colored table clothes but we just put them out for our Sunday dinners only. Makes Sunday a little extra special. We also use placemats so we've been pretty lucky so far to not have a lot of spills.

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Posted: June 19 2008 at 5:45pm \| IP Logged

Maryan wrote:

DD had made us some lovely liturgical cloths for our prayer table in all the colors last year - the problem I am having is my 11m old is yanking the tablecloths off all the time - he keeps trying to get the rosaries and crucifix and candles - I am going to have to rethink this

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JennGM
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Posted: June 19 2008 at 6:05pm \| IP Logged

SusanJ wrote:

Dh's mom is offering us several sets of dishes (long story) and, if we decide to actually take them all, we'll almost be able to use liturgically correct dishes as well. That might be going a bit too far, though

I don't think so. You might minimize it just for Sundays, but I think it would be a great tool to get the kids excited about setting the table. Keep a liturgical or circle hanging nearby to follow.

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Jennifer G. Miller
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JennGM
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Posted: June 19 2008 at 6:10pm \| IP Logged

MaryM wrote:

missionfamily wrote:

I'd like to get a set of cloth place mats in each color for tea times, but I have yet to acquire them.

Napkins are another option. We only have purple right now, but eventually will add the other colors.

We have lots of white and purple napkin, too. Need the rest of the year to fill in the gaps.

I would like some "padded" oilcloth mats to wipe clean after meals in my dream table setting with small children. Maybe make some?

IF I use a tablecloth, I tend to gravitate to white cotton tablecloths to use all year because I can soak them clean in Oxyclean or bleach if needed. I've found numerous ones for cheap. What I would like to do when I do use the cloth is add the touch of color on top, like a runner or the napkins (or mats if I want to use the cloth for several days).

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Jennifer G. Miller
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JennGM
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Posted: June 19 2008 at 6:12pm \| IP Logged

And I just want to say those handmade cloths just sound like such a treasure! What a blessing!

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Jennifer G. Miller
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JennGM
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Posted: June 19 2008 at 6:16pm \| IP Logged

Mackfam wrote:

Where did you get the playsilks? And PLEASE report back on the success or failure.

I'm picturing if it doesn't work ON the table, how about a drape from the light fixture above the table? At least in our house that would work. Then EVERYONE would know I was crazy. But think about it -- add some garlands or touches of nature from the season out of doors, visually combining both seasons.

I know...over the top.

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mcchatty
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Posted: June 19 2008 at 6:39pm \| IP Logged

We are absolute rookies at "living the liturgy". AS a start... The buffet in our dining room is the spot we are using as our "liturgy center". I cut pieces of felt to fit the top (30"x 51"). No drapyness to tempt toddlers.... My daughters used chalk and a saucer (and scissors) to figure scallops on the edge. Our black felt has pointy edges cut all around it. (we ended up using that for much of Lent) We top the felt with candles (both votives and some pillars in the seasons color- we decorated them with stickers- they look surprisingly good. We also try to have a craft- for Lent we used the bread dough/toothpick wreath of thorns. For marian fests we made a Mary display. We always have a vase of flowers (for Lent we used a large glass vase filled with bare branches- for pentecost a large bowl of beautiful fruit with doves with the gifts of the spirit written on them- it's highly variable!) Right now we are working on memorizing some new prayers- I typed them out, cut the white paper with decorative scissors and mounted them unto green card stock. We also are trying to do a daily rosary- so we have our individual rosary boxes and some holy cards about the rosary. (About the boxes- each of us has a small box (bought at the craft store) and then painted with our favorite color, we used stick on letters to put our names on them. They are working wonderfully- no more tangled rosaries in a drawer)
I have also found it is a real draw to the kids... My young teen boys are allowed to light a candle as slong as they are standing there and praying or working on their prayers..... It is GREAT how long/often they spend time there. Somehting about allowed pyromania touches a boys heart! I know, I know.... I am bribing them to spend time in the presence of God and that is not good- but it has been a wonderful jumpstart to this new way of living.
I stick with plain tables and white napkins- but we have colored napkin rings.. (cut a strip of felt- use nail scissors to cut a button hole on one end and sew a button on the other) You could also use ribbon.... We use our colored pillar candles on the dinner table.
We are so enjoying this new journey- I am learning so very much here. I admire you ladies tremednously...
McChatty

TracyQ
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Posted: June 19 2008 at 6:50pm \| IP Logged

My mom made us family altar cloths too, but I can't find them.

But I will soon, because we're doing a HUGE declutter here!

But I LOVE the idea of candlholders for tealights in the liturgical colors too. How pretty that must be!!!

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momwise
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Posted: June 19 2008 at 7:22pm \| IP Logged

Ahhh...Jenn I wish we could get together at Union Station and chat over lunch...hehe...

I use the tablecloths and candles. I pick up the cloths at the thrift store whenever I can, so I guess my thinking is that I'll just pick something up if there is a stubborn stain.

I pick up the napkins and candles on clearance whenever a season is over (Christmas, St. Patrick, Mardi gras,etc) and put them away.

We don't use our colors during the whole season but frequently during Lent and Advent and more on the feast days during Ord. time. This last year with the dc growing older it's been hard to keep the colors and feasts going...I'm going to be working hard at it this year or I'll have to go into mourning!

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Posted: June 19 2008 at 9:39pm \| IP Logged

JennGM wrote:

Mackfam wrote:

I bought the playsilks in all of the liturgical colors as well as some lovely blues for Our Lady from Nova Natural. They are Sarah's Silks and you can google them to find them in a number of places for sale including Amazon.

My plan is to have it "puddle" around the crucifix, a set of candles, at the feet of Father Oak, or even around a piece of sacred art. No dangling necessary. I like it because it is quite easy to work with, and my children love arranging it "just so". And, because it's silk, any "just so" really looks lovely. I've had the silks for about a month, and already the children love using them to decorate. I ordered a large white silk that is especially beautiful. They would make a lovely canopy for displaying elements of the liturgical year combined with seasonal items from the natural world.

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Jen Mackintosh
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MaryM
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Posted: June 19 2008 at 10:22pm \| IP Logged

Mackfam wrote:

I bought the playsilks in all of the liturgical colors as well as some lovely blues for Our Lady from Nova Natural.

It is very clever to have them in liturgical colors.

So you decided to not to color your own, Jennifer?

For anyone who is interested in coloring your own, it can be done super easily for about a third of the price. We discussed it around Christmas and I linked to a tutorial. It was with the kool-Aid dye, but other commercial dyes could be used (like RIT) where you would be able to choose a wider color palette.

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