Dia de los Muertos

As you can tell, It's only September, but the Halloween and Dia de los Muertos holidays are beckoning to me and I can't ignore their cries :D I created a card (sort of) for Dia de los Muertos, using a very popular image by Invoke Arts depicting a skeleton adorned with roses. You will most likely recognize this image from the album art on one of the Grateful Dead's album covers. Here I have colored the image with Copic markers and then embossed it 4 times with the aid of my ever so faithful Versamarker and some clear embossing powder. I just can't get enough of this technique. I love it when people see it and ask "How did you do that?". I feel like a magician ;-)

Next, I stamped the frame with Staz On ink in black on a metal aluminum sheet from 10 Second Studio and trimmed the image out using a pair of good, sturdy scissors. I also used a craft knife on a cutting mat to remove the center portion of the frame. Using a stylus and some decorative tools from 10 Second Studio, I embossed the stamped design on the metal. Occasionally, I flipped the project over and debossed the other side to make my details really pop. I also added a few details of my own with the Ball and Cup tool. A few highlights with the Copics and my frame was finished in no time.

I added twine, a milagro, a bottle with a message, and some paper flowers to finish it off. My favorite detail has to be the tiny glass bottle holding the handwritten message reading, "The day which we fear as our last is but the birthday of eternity. - Seneca". A wonderful message indeed, and to me, it so eloquently captures the spirit of Dia de los Muertos.