The Butterfly Seller at the Mercado (Dias de los Muertos Nicho)

In addition to Halloween, I also really enjoy creating art for Dias de los Muertos, a celebration in the Latino community which has its roots in All Souls Day and is a way of honoring our ancestors and those who have recently passed away.  "Nichos" are scenes featuring skeletons, as a way of poking fun at Death and thinking affectionately of those who have passed away.  I've starting making nicho frames out of plaster wrap, and this is my first finished nicho.  It's a market scene. And who do we find in the market?  The Butterfly Seller, a recurring figure in my art.  She began her life in this post, and I really enjoy it anytime she makes a return visit.  I've found that some people have a strong negative reaction to Dias de los Muertos, so I apologize if you find this disturbing.  For me it really is a positive cultural celebration.  Your thoughts welcome as always!

September Lessons (part 1)

So, I started a new class, "Learn Something New Everyday" at Shimelle.com.  Although I'll be creating pages for it everyday, I don't want it to take over my blog, so I'll just post a bunch of pages every few days or so.  I'm using a stack of 4.5"x6.5" chipboard pieces which have been covered with Basic Grey paper.  You can see the front and back covers in the top picture above. For each daily lesson, I'm just embellishing with a simple stamped image. I'm hoping it will be a good way to get reacquainted with my huge stamp inventory.  Each day, I'm making a list of the various lessons I learned that day on my ipad and then will choose one lesson to feature each day.  Here's my first two lessons:
1.  You never know how long a task will take.  I've been putting off renewing my drivers license because I thought it would take forever, but I did it online today in two minutes. One more good reason not to procrastinate.
2. Time does help the heart to heal.  It's been a year since Buster's been gone and while I still miss his gentle presence and wildly wagging backside, I no longer think I catch a glimpse of him out of the corner of my eye or instinctively glance around for him first thing in the morning or when I come home.
And here's some lessons learned that didn't make the journal:
* You never know what you will find when you clean up. I've been organizing my craft desk and found a brand, new, unopened set of acrylic stamps (soccer-themed). I vaguely remember buying these last spring!
*I am actually okay with summer being over. I'm happy to have the kids back in school and to be getting back into a routine after all the fun freedom of summer.
*Clara and I really do wear the same size shoes. When I picked her up from school today, I noticed she was wearing my new Van's!
*It's okay to change plans. I had planned to drive up to work today but decided to stay home and play because it was such a gorgeous, sunny day and because I had not pressing business.
*Plaster dries really fast in the sunshine. Living on the foggy coast, it takes forever some days, but today it was a joy to work with!

Ownership

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