Day Of The Dead

It's time for a new challenge at Time Out. Challenge #300 opens today and runs through November 5th. This time it is a Theme where we are to create a project inspired by Autumn Celebrations around the world, for example: Halloween, Thanksgiving (USA), Oktoberfest (Germany), Day of the Dead (Mexico), Diwali (India), Moon Festival (China), La Merce Festival (Spain), Loy Krathong Lantern Festival (Thailand), Nuit Blanche (France)... You get the picture. The celebration you choose can be, but does not have to be, one that you celebrate yourself. It can be ANY autumn celebration anywhere in the world. In your post, please describe your choice of Autumn Celebration for your project. 

 We are joined by the wonderful, lovely, talented and witty Jaydee of Stampin! with Jaydee as our Guest Designer. We are so excited to have her with us for this challenge. You can check out her fabulous card On the Time Out Challenges BLOG where you can also link to Jaydee's own blog post. 

We are generously sponsored by Doodlebugs WA. Challenge Winner as chosen by the Design Team will receive a $25.00 Store Credit and an invitation to join the Time Out Design Team as Guest Designer for a future challenge.

For my project I chose Day of The Dead which is a joyous celebration. It has ancient Indigenous roots with its origins in the rituals of Indigenous peoples in what is now Mexico, particularly the Aztecs, and was later merged with Catholic traditions, such as All Saints' Day and All Souls' Day, during the Spanish Conquest.

It is a time to celebrate and remember loved ones, making it a festive occasion filled with music, dancing, and colorful decorations. Families build altars in their homes or gravesites called "ofrendas" (offerings) to honor and welcome the spirits of the deceased. These altars are decorated with candles, flowers, and the favorite foods, drinks, and personal items of those who have passed.

Marigolds guide the spirits. Known as "cempasúchil" or "flowers of the dead," their strong scent and bright orange and yellow color are believed to help guide the souls of the dead back to their altars.

Sugar skulls are for decoration. Despite being made of sugar paste, sugar skulls are typically meant for decoration, given as gifts, or placed on ofrendas. They symbolize the festive nature of the holiday and the cycle of life and death.

I used the Dia del los Muertos Card Kit from Vera Lane Studio Digital Designs. I am not a frequent Digital Design user, but it's great when you can find exactly what you are looking for and download it for immediate use. I had so much fun coloring these images and putting this card together. The background paper is from the set as well. I had one big mishap while coloring the face - a huge blop of ink just flowed out of the marker I was using. I did my best to blend it out as I was not going to redo the whole image! 

Please head on over to the Time Out Challenge Blog where you can see what Jaydee and the Design Team have created for your inspiration. Come play with us and share your Autumn Celebration creation in the gallery! 

Project Details
Stamps/Dies	Vera Lane Studio Dia del los Muertos Card Kit Simon Says Stamp Postage Stamp Edge Frames
Cardstock	80lb. Neenah Solar Crest Gina K. Base Weight - Onyx Black
Ink	Copic markers
Embellishments
Other	Spellbinders Platinum Plus Scor-Pal Score Board Fiskars 12" SureCut Deluxe Craft Paper Trimmer My Sweet Petunia Precision Glue Press Spellbinders Foam Squares Black Fun Foam