Urban Mermaid Designs

Wednesday 4 November 2015

Day of Dead Project

Where did October go?! Here is a mixed media piece I created for Halloween, based on the Mexican sugar skull traditions for their Día de Muertos (Day of the Dead).
While looking through my scrapbooking stash, I noticed a chalkboard paper with the banner "don't forget to smile" on and thought it would be fun to add it as an ironic sentiment to my Gothic image. I thought it would work well with the portrait as a kind of "Day of the Dead" high school yearbook concept.

I started with this 4 x 6 paintables card by Prima:
I painted a base of white gesso and then had fun decorating the face with inks, pens and glitter to create a Sugar Skull makeover.
Using Tim Holtz and Tattered Lace dies I created the headdress. I also used Wow embossing powder in Vintage Peacock on the flowers.
 I added some self-adhesive black pearl swirls.
 Close up of the Wow embossing powder in Neutral Ultra Shimmer
 I made a web strand with clear glue, dusted in embossing powder. I found the spider in a mixed pack at a pound store. I now have a hundred other spiders to use somehow!
 I embossed the Tonic flourish die in Angel Wings Peacock embossing powder. This is clear on white card, but transforms on black. The roses are a quilling die cut from Marianne.


 The somewhat tongue-in-cheek banner. Cut from Prima's Optimist paper.

 Detail of the Marianne rolled flower die cuts, finished with glitter and inks.

Close up: Wow Vintage Peacock embossing powder on black card, gives a textured, silver and blue glitter effect.
 

Supplies:
Prima Marketing Bohemian 4"x6" Paintables
Prima Optimist - You & Me 12 x 12 paper
Santoro Mirabelle 6 x 6 paper
Dies:
Cheery Lynn - Spider Web, Memory box - Spider web border, Tonic- floral swirls fancicul flourishes,
Marianne - Branch and roses, Tim Holtz - mini tattered florals, Spellbinders Die-D-lites Ivy, Tattered Lace - Foliage
Tim Holtz distress inks,Spectrum Aqua Pens
Embossing Powders:
Wow! Vintage Peacock and Neutral Shimmer, Lindy's Stamp Gang - Angel Wings Peacock
Hobbycraft black pearl swirls
Dovecraft glitter glue (like Stickles)
IOD for Prima - Build-a-Frame stamps, dictionary and script stamps on leaves.
Spider - pound store!
White gesso for face

Challenges:
Country View - Blue
That's Crafty - Haunted Halloween
Papertake Weekly - Anything Goes
Lost Coast Portal to Creativity - Day of the Dead
Wow Powder - Anything Goes
That Craft Place - Anything Goes Mixed Media
Dream in Darkness - November


10 comments:

DreamInDarkness said...

This is a really creative and beautiful transformation. Wonderful color and texture. Really nice sentiment. Thanks so much for joining in at Dream in Darkness!~kim, CT

My Side of Oz said...

Love this transformation of the digi printable to the awesome end results! Thanks for sharing with us at Dream in Darkness this month! Nan, CT

Felix the Crafty Cat said...

That is one amazing transformation. Thanks for joining in the challenge at That Craft Place and good luck, Angela x

Doreen said...

This is just gorgeous,thanks for sharing with us at Country View Challenges.xxx

Sam Lewis said...

Such an amazing alteration!
Thank you for joining us for the challenge over on the That Craft Place Challenge Blog..
xxSAMxx TCP Design Team.
❤My Blog❤
❤That Craft Place Challenge Blog❤
❤That Craft Place on Facebook❤

Unknown said...

Wow - you would never know it was the same gal! What an incredible transformation. She is uglisciously lovely! Lots of work - great result! j.

My Side of Oz said...

Hi back again to thank you for entering this fabulous make at Lost Coast Designs DOD event, Nanette, DT

Leigh S-B - The Sharpie Domino Queen said...

What a truly fabulous creation, I loved seeing the process and the transformation and appreciate you joining us over at Lost Coast Portal to Creativity...however, to be in the running for the prize our entries must involve rubber stamping in some way so I hope you'll come and play with us again very soon!

Nikki W said...

Wow, quite the transformation. Its fabulous. Thanks for sharing with us at The Lost Coast Portal to Creativity :)

Urban Mermaid said...

@Leigh S-B The ivy leaves are rubber stamped with a script stamp and the Gothic choker is a Prima rubber stamp.