Dia de la Muerte

From left to right
Fast Eyes' tag book is created from foam core, newsprint, leatherette,
candy wrappers, skull beads, fibres...awesome skeleton stamps and
panache.The foam core has been cut away for the skull bead making a really creepy face for "La Flaca". The book is free standing ...the foam core makes it stable.

Shauna Palmer made milagros from 3 x 3 inch papier mache boxes, painted with acrylic paints and webbing spray.The milgros contain tarot cards,
dominos, mardi gras beads, word beads and other miscelleneous charms and beads, glass globs,glitter glue and beaded fringe around the outside of
the boxes.

Laura Dannhauser Elliott created tag
shrines from red shipping tags stamped with Brilliance, a matchbox with an acetate window and mini book necklaces that are made from
shrink and bound with wire and beads. The tiny
pages are colored with Posh inks and stamped with Mexican tarot
symbols.The coordinat- ing colors are replicated throughout the project with delightful result.

Cynthia Weed created 6 altoid tins, each is unique. The profusion of tiny articles contained in each shrine is amazing...a crutch, a statue, a lizard, tiny tree, st. christopher charm, photos and fabric scraps all have been collected in her travels across the US. The rose scented incense from a catholic church in California has the richest scent of roses imaginable. Each tin is wrapped in hand tinted tissue paper and wrapped with black and gold ribbons and a dried rose. A traves de los ojos del Alma...through the eyes of the soul.

Colleen Bryan Rodgers created these lovely "Partido con el Muerto" shrines from antique cigarette tins using Luna Lights paint and some groovy skeleton stamps. Colleen used wax, wood, metal, paper, and suede textures,
along with pop-up dimension to raise select images to create interest and focus.

Megan Whisner created these shrines with tins, tiny handmade book necklaces, bottle caps, and Mexican tarot cards. Each tin is individually
numbered with a tiny necklace book inside each one. There are different cards inside and on the top of each tin lid. The handstamped images on the book covers are very mystical. Megan's projects are always so highly
conceived that is difficult to convey them in a 2-dimension plane. Here are pictures of the tin, the inside of the lid and the shrine and necklace
itself.

Heather Cockrell "Instant Shrines" are made from matchboxes painted with metallics, tissue paper, hand- made skulls, candles, ribbon roses along with some groovy death images stamped inside and out....even a super tiny Virgin Mary card and a useful bead and fiber tassle that doubles as a pull for the drawer.

Silver Moon created an exotic 5x7 frameable art piece in the colors of the people of the Southwestern United States love most. Fresco paper, glitter, Golden acrylics and copper metal are used with skill. The copper is enhanced with purple and green metallic accents...Silver Moon chose this image to honor her son, Steve, who was the world's best kept secret; a talented and gifted musician. Steve's guitar collection is displayed throughout the family home.

Pilar Pollock's tag shrines are created using a most imaginative combination of fibers, ribbon, beads, tags, matchboxes, confetti a funky
skeleton and groovy images. Feast your eyes on the sumptuous art of "Una tostada a la muerte"...what a delicious gathering. Detail used for the background

Cindy Albright created 6 sets of bulletin board pins from shrink and thumbtacks using our favorite dia de la Muerte image from Stamp Francisco.. .her pins are mounted on individual cards and tucked inside an origami box. The card is a ingenious creation of vellum, and silk ribbon
and with a tissue paper adhered to the back along with an image I'm just dying to have, "Dia de los Muertos". Cindy where can we get this stamp?.

Elizabeth Mauro created cards for the swap using black cardstock and a funky skeleton stamp.

Sally White created her tag shrines using an antique photograph, mexican tarot cards, beaded fringe, fibers, charms and plastic skull. Her use
of antique colors and the accent of the stamped hand tag and hand charm finish her piece in an unusual and asymentrically eye catching manner by attaching them with a jump ring. The backs of the shrines are collaged with a Mexican tarot card. Each card is accompanies by a little booklet that
has some history that she put together on the Day of the Dead celebrations in Mexico which is used as an introduction at the beginning of this web
page.

Elaine Akers Tag Shrine Books made with polomer clay, shipping tags and fiesta colored fibres... Elaine's tags started out life as pins but evolved into tag books along the way.

Marsha Siddoway created 5 wild and crazy assemblage pieces that are each as wild and different as can be. Please click here to view all of the pictures of her artwork

Sarah Richardson created mini-shrines from white shrink with a little plastic skull and a cool skeleton stamped with green Brilliance ink. Sarah took her nickname to heart and signed her pieces Sarah "Corona" Richardson.

The Day of the Dead altar is a prehispanic tradition that has lasted throughout the years. It has become an integrated part of the Catholic religion in Mexico . Every year it becomes a bigger and bigger event, with
school classes, government employees, and artists throughout Mexico competing for the most creative and interesting altar. Halloween is not a tradition in Mexico, and every year the Catholic Church fights against the celebration and promotes the Day of the Dead Altars. November 1 (for dead little children--santos inocentes) and November 2 for adults. Many persons in the US and abroad observe the tradition as a way of remembering
their culture and ancestors or as a new found way of celebrating the lives of loved ones by inviting the spirits of lost loved ones into their homes. Competition in the form of food and celebration is considered a way of tempting the spirits to visit...who would want to miss out on such a fantastic party? We hope you enjoy your visit to our celebration for Dia de La
Muerte."Una tostada a la Muerte".
Hosted by Shauna Palmer Oct 2001