The minute I read my second matchbox-swap partner's list of themes, I knew her topic of "day of the dead" was the one for me. I quickly decided to make a Dia de los Muertos Altar.
The altar includes: "papel picado" ("pierced paper," representing the wind); candles (representing fire), various fruits and vegetable (representing earth), a small bowl on the top shelf filled with water (representing water), sugar skulls, a loaf of "pan de muertos", a picture of the deceased and some bottles of her favorite beverages.
I know. Hard to see "matchbox" in that pic -- maybe this one will help:
By the time this photo was taken, I'd already lost control of the project.
Yes, that is a cracked-open rib cage attached to the box.
You see, while I was working on the altar, I remembered that I had some skeletons and I thought, "wouldn't it be cool if I used a skull as the drawer pull?"
After that it's pretty much a blur. I never meant to use the entire skeleton, but use her I did. And I never meant to dress the entire skeleton, but dress her I did. Suddenly, my simple altar became an object held by a full-fledged
Catrina.
These things happen when you allow your projects to control you.
The dress is made from ribbon and glue. Seriously.
I forgot to take a photo while I was building the dress, but here's a shot just to demonstrate the process (this piece wasn't used in the final product).
I debated about making a crown for the hat, but Mr. Jivvy very much liked her bony head peeping out the back of her enormous hat and I had to agree. Looks cool, less work. I'm a happy camper.
And a shot just to prove that, yes, the matchbox drawer is still functional (and stuffed with goodies).
