dia de bloglandia

welcome! make sure you're comfortable, this is kind of a long one! you see dia de los muertos is a very special celebration close to my heart. ever since i was very young, i was fascinated by different cultures and their practices... especially the way they interpreted death. after a friend of mine died of cancer when we were 12 years old, i decided then that i wanted to learn about all cultures and their different world views. so later i went on to university in psychology and religious studies, more specifically, psychology of religion. through this experience i learnt so much and came to appreciate and love dia de los muertos even more. it struck me how colorful and regal dia de los muertos celebrated death... AND life. the both so closely intertwined.



  after the passing of my grandmère (grandmother) who i was close to like a second mother, this time became a celebration of her, for her. i started setting up an altar and leaving ofrendas. it was my time for sitting with her and taking stock of the year so far. i would write a letter to my grandmère and leave it there on the altar for her to read. then with the years i lost a couple more special people in my life, my uncle and grandpère (grandfather). they all now have a special place at the altar and a letter especially for them.

 

everyone deals with loss differently, i have just chosen to see it in a certain light. accepting this inevitability of our physical existence, but believing that the soul has a place somewhere in the after life.



here are some of the dia de los muertos crafts i have made this year:


embellished candle holder with dimensional glass paint


clay skulls decorated with sequins (for eyes) and sakura glaze and glitter pens... here's a closer look at each one of them:







and of couse, what kind of post would i have without posctards... my newest obsession. i think i've included some of the postcards i've been making in every post this week! well this one is no exception. instead of a letter to my loved ones this year, i made posctards. i left a larger area on the one side to have more room to write. here are a couple blanks ones:


dia de los muertos postcard 1 side a


side b


dia de los muertos postcard 2 side a


side b

ok, this post is getting pretty long. i'm off now to sit at my altar and share some chocolate and cakes with my special loved ones, leaving them my letters and well wishes. please don't forget to check out susanna and stephanie's dia de bloglandia posts. as well as all other participants of dia de bloglandia. a great big thank you to both stephanie and susanna for hosting this excellent celebration.

ps. the winner of my halloween giveaway (à la random number generator) is melissa from wondrous wild wanderings!!! congratulations melissa!!! pleasy please email me your address so i can send off your package asap!!!

pps. if you liked my postcards, check me out later in the week, as i will be posting a fun tutorial with a step by step of how i make my postcards... also there is still time to sign up for my gratitude postcard swap.

hope you are having a fabulous halloween/dia de los muertos weekend!!!
until next time...

peace

Comments

[eb]

BEautiful - so beautiful - you are so kind and loving - and inspire us to share with our dear departed in a similar way - thank you for your love...

xox - eb.

[Leau]

How lovely, especially liked the candle holder.

[gillian at indigo blue]

A nice tribute. Those postcards are gorgeous!
xo

[stephanie]

This is just beautiful, thank you for sharing your experiences here...

Thank you too! for being part of this Dia de Bloglandia celebration!!

x..x
steph

[Julie Prichard]

Everything looks so beautiful..I especially love reading how people celebrate their departed.

[Viki Worley]

beautiful.
Thanks for sharing

[Lisa Oceandreamer S.]

What a truly nice tribute and I love the idea of writing letters and adding offerings now and then.

[rachel whetzel]

I love the ORANGEness of it all!!

[susanna]

A letter...now why didn't I think of that? That's a terrific idea and I think I'll write letters to the family spirits next year. Or if I can get my act together, then maybe tonight. Your skulls are so perfect for your ofrenda, too.

And I like your postcards. I'm interested in your swap so please keep me posted, okay?

[3rdEyeMuse]

I really like your little clay sugar skulls & the postcards are really fantastic, too!

Happy Dia de los Muertos!

[glorv1]

I think that is so great of you to have always paid tribute to family. Thank you so much for sharing.

[plo]

I love your postcards, they are uniquely you. The palate of your display is pretty too. What are your little skulls made from? And the skull's on your postcards...are they stamps? LOVE IT!

[Mary]

There is so much warmth, love, and sweetness to your celebration of Dia de los Muertos. The colors, the letters to your loved ones, the postcards: I love them all!
Hugs,
Mary

[quilted cavalier]

What a wonderful posting. The sugar skulls and postcards are fabulous! I have a fondness for postcards also... Thank you for visiting my blog.

-Roberta

[debbie]

This is my first year to celebrate Dia de los Muertos and I am "collecting" ideas to add to my celebration next year. I love your idea of writing letters to leave as ofrendas.

[Melissa]

What a great practice! Life and death are very intertwined. In my mind, I often compare the death from this world to the birth into it - it's a process, painful, a little scary, unsure, it's the end of the life that we knew and onto a new, unmarked journey. I believe our culture is very confused by it which causes a lot of pain in our lives.

Anyways, Aaaaaadoring the pictures, the orange candle holder with the swirls (yummy), the candle holder you made (very creative), and those beautiful skulls! love their noses :) and the colors you used to paint them are lovely!

I'm sure your loved ones treasure every single word, every single thought you put into what you do.

BTW, I WON, I WON, I WON! yay. I sent you my address. I'm doing my Miss America wave.

~I'd like to thank Jennlui and The Universe and the random number generator and Halloween and Dia De Los Muertos and....~
Melissa

[Chris]

I know what you mean about postcards. I like yours, and I'll be back to see more.
Your ofrendas are warm and beautiful. I love the idea of writing letters and incorporating them, that's inspiring to me. Thank you for sharing your remembrance.

[Yoli]

Very very nice!

[Christine]

I think your orange blossom colored alter is so elegant .I found it very interesting how your turned your friend's death into a lifelong quest to learn about other cultures! Your skulls are fantastic as are your postcards~ I am a "paper freak" so when I see handmade or decorative papers used in such a fashion I start to salivate. I may have to send out Dia de los Muertos cards next year. Fantastic post, Jenn!!

[Amanda @ A Tuscan View....]

I love the little clay skulls. This is a beautiful offering for the Dia de los Muertos. best wishes amanda