The evolution of the Virgin Mary

So I've been working on the Virgin Mary pin. Here's how she started:

Actually, she started with a bunch of Brunswick advertising slapped all over her torso. But a can of flesh-toned spray paint took care of that.

Once I got all my elements of creation at the ready, here's what happened next. I particularly like the Graceland ticket, purchased from my lovely friend Miriam on ebay. I copied the actual ticket to Graceland that had its genesis in the 1960s or so, then mod-podged the copy, complete with ticket number.

Here's a shot of her early days here on terra firma:

Her hands are made of heavy metal. The better to mete out eternal judgment, my pretty! And if the heavy metal wasn't enough, at the end of each piece, where her 'hands' would be, are crosses.

I took a break after I did this first part. Everyone needs a day of rest. Jeez.

And on Friday afternoon, when it was snowing like a crazy blowing snowing machine was pointed right at my house, I took out the pin and the materials, put Monty Python's 'The Meaning of Life' on my MacBook, and got to work.

Here's what it looks like now, if you were prone to stare into those sparkly eyes:

Kind of like she can look straight into your soul, huh?

Here's a full body shot from the front. She, like her predecessor, has an old wristwatch as a prominent feature. Symbolism, perhaps?

And here's a view of her hinder. There's a great bracelet with globs of fishes dangling from her back-angled woman place. It's hard to see in the photo, but it's there.

And I love the hair. I found a strand of very untamed stuff at Porter Thrift for a buck. And that's her hair now: a collection of wild strands and coordinating beads. She looks like she just rolled out of bed. I love the unseemly incongruity.

She's not done.

She's not even close to being done. I still have a mini-creche and rosary beads that need a home.

Is anything worth having so simple that it's finished when someone slaps their hands together and pronounces "Finis!" in a flourish? Ah, if it were all that simple. She's a complicated lady.

Complicated is good.