his time of year, angels are everywhere - kids make snow angels when they play outside, you may have angel ornaments on your tree and you might even be baking angel shaped cookies. But angels aren't just a holiday phenomenon.

According to Time magazine, 69 percent of Americans believe in angels and 46 percent believe they have a personal angel. Melody Brenna, CEO of Milestone Architectural Ornamentation understands. "In our family, we firmly believe that angels watch over us," she says.

Her company, which specializes in custom cast limestone architectural ornamentation, commissions a special angel sculpture every year. This year's angel, modeled in a classical style, was created by Nikolaev Graziani a well-known European sculptor whose work can be found in churches throughout Europe.

"He did 65 drawings before we had the exact image that we wanted," says Brenna. "This angel is 26 inches tall and is depicted as a very strong woman, a beauty in the Greek and Roman sense." Once the design was finalized Nikolaev spent four months carving the sculpture which was used to make the mold for the limited edition statues.

"Each angel is made according to the customer's specifications," explains Brenna. That includes color choices and choice of material. For example, if you wanted to use your angel on a shelf, or piano it could be cast in a lightweight masonry and gilded with gold leaf for an authentic aged look. For outdoor use, the angel can be cast in fine marble to withstand any weather conditions. "Our marble comes from the island of Brac in Croatia, and is the same marble used on the White House columns," she notes. Because of this attention to detail, there is a five-week lead time required for an order.

Just 1,200 of these limited edition guardian angels will be available. Each statue is signed and numbered and comes with a beautiful calligraphied certificate of authenticity. "We are also happy to do a personal message," says Brenna.

The angels make a very special gift for an individual or an organization. "One of our angels was given to the Presbyterian Children's Home in Amarillo, Texas for their chapel in memoriam for a family member," says Brenna.

Other angels in the collection include a mother and a baby angel. Plans call for next year's angel to be a man.