Dia de los Muertos' Masks

What fun we had crafting yesterday with the cousins!

 ^^ This mask is Effervescent Ethel's.                                         

                                                     ^^Cap'n Mad Ellen's mask.

 
^^This mask won Best Oscar for Use of One Hand 

 ^^ This mask won an Oscar for Best Minimalism.

^^ Waiting for the spray paint to dry...

 ...

DIA DE LOS MUERTOS' MASKS



These *wood laser cut Dia de los muertos' masks were scooped up last month while poking around at Micheals' crafts. At the time the masks were $2.99/25% off and I bought about six (I wasn't sure how quickly they would sell out). A couple days ago I stopped in at Michaels again and they had four masks left in stock and they were half off!


*If you cannot find the wood laser cut masks locally, an alternative would be to make the masks using paper plates. See this link:

http://scrumdillydo.blogspot.com/2010/10/make-paper-plate-calaveras-masks.html


Craft items used:



-spray paint for the background (We use Krylon™ Short Cuts® craft spray paint in the 3 ounce cans. This spray paint comes in a wide range of colors: http://www.krylon.com/products/short-cuts-aerosol-paints/ )
-Sharpie™ permanent markers in a variety of colors including neon colors; metallic colors in silver and bronze
-clear glue
-scissors
-various types of sequins
-cotton swabs/Q Tips™ for spreading glue
-loose glitter in different colors
-plastic beads, assortmend of (I found "frosted" plastic beads for .5-.10 cents each at Ben Franklin)
-a selection of self-adhesive ribbon and rhinestones
-ribbon, string or similar to hang the mask (optional)

In a nutshell: 

1. Day of the Dead (Spanish: Día de los Muertos) is a Mexican holiday observed throughout Mexico and around the world in other cultures. The holiday focuses on gatherings of family and friends to pray for and remember friends and family members who have died.

   
   

   

   
   

   
   

   DAY OF THE DEAD SKULLS

   
   

   The prominence of skulls as a Day of the Dead icon harkens back to the days of the Aztecs. Back then, skulls were important icons that illustrated their belief in the existence of an active afterlife. In Mexican culture, skulls continue to symbolize death and rebirth.

   
   

   
   

   
   

   
   
   

   Day of the Dead skulls take on many appearances in modern Day of the Dead celebrations. You'll see them as:

   
   

   • Sugar skulls
   • Chocolate candies
   • Pan de muerto(Bread of the Dead)
   • Masks
   • Face-paintings, as part of costumes
   • Papel picado
   • T-shirts and jewelry
   • 
     

   Day of the Dead skulls show up on altars and ofrendas, as well as graveyards and shop windows. Some people people paint their faces with black and white make-up to resemble skulls, while others may wear skull t-shirts bearing colorful sugar skull designs. Wooden or paper skull masks are also popular to wear during Day of the Dead festivities. Sugar skullsand chocolate skulls are popular gifts enjoyed by both the living and the dead. You can get them customized with the recipient's name written upon the skull's forehead. It's not creepy – it's cool!

   
   

   Skulls are called calaverasin Spanish, so you will often see Day of the Dead skulls referred to as "calaveras".

   
   
   Text is copyright protected © Thaneeya LLC:http://www.celebrate-day-of-the-dead.com/day-of-the-dead-icons.html#ixzz3FmqwLoxw

_____________________________________________________________________