A day for honoring the dead

True Xoxo Girls November Challenge Page- swing by and participate!
MATERIALS: Ikea plastic cake doily (I know!), Core'Dinations Jenny Bowlin paper, Cosmo Cricket blackboard and naked chipboard, Prima flowers and leaves (painted black with acrylic paint), EK Success slim line border punch, Petallo velvet roses and Dahlia value packs (black and red), Tattered Angels Glimmer Glam in Oil Slick, Smooch Spritz in black and Silver

The Mexican holiday known as Dia De Los Muertos has always fascinated me. The tradition is a hybrid of long established rituals in Pre-Columbian Mexico and the Catholic religion brought in by Spanish invaders- oops- I mean- "Conquistadors". The celebration actually lasts 3 days and takes place during what is also known as "All Saints Day" and "All Souls Day"- a change brought by the Spanish when they found they could not destroy the practice outright.

Calaberas are the focus for Dod.
TIP- that's found fishing line in that circle-
guess where I'm off to scrap shop next?

I burned right through my black Prima and
Petaloo stash... LOVE the black velvet!!!

The colors, the pageantry, the flowers- Day of the Dead is wonderful!!!  Best of all- it's a time to remember those you loved and lost- to tell their stories and carry on their name.

I envy the cultural strength it takes to carry this tradition 500 hundred years into the present. I admire the joy it brings to what could be a sorrowful occasion. Perhaps you remember your Mother or your Abuelita today. Maybe you make an altar for Celia Cruz or Frieda Kahlo- Madame Curie or Helen Keller.

Untitled Day of the Dead page 2
MATERIALS: Gauche Alchemy Wedding Night White Mixed Media Kit, Bazzill Kraft paper, Mister Huey in Plum Thumb, Overdue and Hot Dog, Crate Random mini paper, Daisy D's rub on stitches (which have dried out and can't heat them up since they are on a roller- darn!)

These are my first Dia De Los Muertos projects and not remotely authentic as they don't commemorate anyone. I wanted to keep these light and showy since they are meant to grab your attention and hopefully draw you into this AWESOME Latin American tradition.

Gauche Alchemy Scarlet Fever Red Mixed Media Color Kit, some dollar store roses.

Traditional activities include

• visiting family graves and decorating them with beautiful floral and paper displays 
• making mini "altars" for your home and decorating them with colorful fruits and flowers 
• gathering with friends and family and serving heaps of food 
• making papier-mache, papel picado (cut tissue paper) or sugar sculptures

Photos came from a street art poster.
The Skull and crossbones cameo was found on Etsy.

Whatever you do, tell the tales of those who have passed on- do not weep- rather, weep and laugh and shout out with joy- your loved ones are now in a better place!

Results of a sugar skull workshop. Getting
those sequins to stick using only spit was
harder than it looked.

Today I commemorate
Leo the caretaker and bike rider.
Nakia who left us so young.
Neco and Maneca my great grand parents.
And Juan and Mita my grand parents.
Whom do you celebrate?
Whose memory do you sing praises to?

Hugs mi gente- pass it on.

Michelle

An appropriate nightmare on Halloween

Happy Halloween everybody. We got some snow here in Brooklyn but it's all gone now so I think the witches, spooks and goblins will come out and play tonight. We are going to a party at The American Museum of Natural History.
But that's not what I want to share. I had a crazy SCARY dream last night!!!!

Ok several things:
1: I LOVE this easel from 7 Gypsies!  2: I found a pack Bazzill black card stock at TJ Maxx for 6 dollars along with AC Mix Tape for 3 bucks- shelf raiding time! 3: That FABULOUS brain stamp is from Dragonfly Laser on Ebay- they have FANTASTIC rubber stamps- all handmade in New Jersey. It's crystal clear- I used a mist to ink it.

It started normally. I was hanging around with Lola in a busy wide street- perhaps 42nd and Broadway. We stopped at a cafe table (they are everywhere now- part of a "traffic calming" program the mayor dreamed up).
Suddenly this chic comes out of nowhere saying she's a long lost relative and asking to hold Lola. I say no but she takes Lola off my arms anyway.
I am watching her walk away with my baby. I see them cross the street. I am thinking- WHY am I letting this happen? DO SOMETHING!!
And the the sun goes out.
Everything goes black for a few seconds.
People scream. Cars crash.
The sun FLICKERS back on.
I start to run after the woman who has now turned around and is looking at me from across the street. Lola is holding her arms out for me. No one moves.
I distinctly hear someone say: "What's going on? What's happening?"
I start to go through all the scientific causes in my head- eclipse, stroke, falling space stations- wouldn't an eclipse be on the news for weeks??? my brain babbled.
Wouldn't it get incredibly cold?
The sun flickers back off.
Pandemonium breaks out. People stampede past me and I am taken away from Lola and the sun FLICKERS back but much weaker- redder, dimmer.

Adorn-it thought bubbles, Basic Grey Obscure line rub-ons I had to activate using double sided tape.
Tip- don't bother with the heat gun- it just curls up the plastic they come in.

That's when I woke up. I "heard" myself yelling WAKE UP! WAKE  UP! I literally could not stand it another minute.
First I checked to see if Miss Thing was ok- she was. Then I looked out the window- it was dark- 3am dark in a snowy too cold to hang out night. And it was quiet.
Ooooo creepy not really awake brain filled in all KINDS of terrors I had to actively choose to ignore... didn't sleep for the rest of the night.

Halftone app

GRATUITOUS BABY SHOTS!!!!!!

This year's outfit- Candy Corn Witch. She refuses to wear the hat.

She also refuses to pose while looking at the camera.

Happy Halloween!
Michelle and Family

Fade to black- shooting an all black layout.

The November True Xoxo Girls challenge is.... (dramatic music) BLACK.
You've been duly warned.
Tune in November first to see the varied and FANTASTIC projects created by the DT.
Meanwhile here's a tutorial on photographing monochrome layouts.

I had a LOT of fun avoiding this challenge. I bitched and moaned to fellow DT members.
I sat down several dozen times and played with my iPod instead.
I read a book- a 400 page book- "Peter and The Star Catchers"- It's awesome- pick it up when you have a moment.
I watched several movies, taught Lola to sing "Itsy Bitsy Spider in Spanish and produced 3 other pages.
Then I made this- finally.

"Good Magic" or  "Happy"- take your pick.
MATERIALS: Canvas Corp chalkboard paper and burlap, Basic Grey and Crate Paper buttons,
Ki Memories title, Webster's Pages die cuts, large paper clip, "good" card and slide mount from
cyber-friend Amy Baldwin (Thanks Amy!!), felt floral by Anna Griffin, Amy Tan chevron fabric paper  

This isn't the page you'll see on the True Xoxo blog. The challenge won't be up till November 1st. I have a very special post scheduled for that day. I'll be celebrating the fabulous Mexican holiday Day of the Dead with not one but 2 projects. Try to swing by- if you aren't completely pooped from FINALLY getting your kids to sleep after their dinner of chocolate covered sugar bombs that is.

Mini Tute time!
Shooting black isn't as hard as you think as long as you keep the following rules in mind:

1. Rake light across the project. That just means add a side light of some sort.
I did this by placing the page directly in front of a window. It was raining so the light was already indirect. On a sunny day, make sure to place your project in a way that avoids direct light. I then added a side light by taping some aluminum foil of a piece or cardboard and bouncing light from the window onto the project- you can sort of see that here- my hand is holding the board.

OOO! DoD page Sneak Peek!!!

2. Make sure to include both "light" blacks and "dark" blacks in your project. 
The Canvas Corp paper I used for this project is great because the paint it uses literally eats light- black buttons added on top still showed. The Ki Memories "happy" title" is also light chomping but the stcky backing acts as a highlight.

This is a more traditional photo of "raked" light. The sun is hitting the page directly. That's great for this detail shot but the shadows obscured many of the details in the overall project photo so I didn't use that shot. Face palm on that out of focus journaling.

3. Add contrast with textures, patterns and if you must- colors.  I added some contrast to this page by using some green and beige elements- I love the final look but and that's mainly why it didn't become my final Xoxo Page- I wanted to explore using only black elements.
Here's what an "all black" page can contain:

True Xoxo Day of the Dead page sneek peek!

I still "cheated" by using some grey chipboard but I just couldn't bring myself to paint those fabulous Cosmo Cricket hearts. The flowers all started out annoyingly pink but got painted black with Tattered Angels Glimmer Glam.
Did this make sense?
Albie says:

GRATUITOUS BABY SHOT!

Now reaching the Brooklyn stop of the Hogwart's Express. All ABOARD!

MuChoS SmOoChEs!
Michelle