The Arts Council in town was celebrating Dia de los Muertos on Monday, and the blurb mentioned some snazzy-sounding crafts, so although I knew it would be 99% children, and although I was bushed, I went over to take a look. First I had to stand through a brief, non-microphoned speech explaining the holiday and its observances, which, alas, was mostly inaudible. Then there were two dancers who did a couple of traditional dances. They started slowly, but by the end I was really enjoying it, although throughout I was eyeing the craft tables impatiently.
At last! The program was over and it was time for crafts. What should I make? A skeleton head puppet or a diorama? The diorama won out. There was a small, deep cigar box to start with, painted red inside and black outside. While it was drying, I made three skulls and hot glued them to three corks (I was restricted to what supplies they had, of course). I found two small plastic dogs for two of the death's head figures to walk, and an old small metal wheel which I afixed to the top as "The Wheel of Life." (In medieval iconography, for example, one will encounter images of the the wheel of life.) A pair of dice with the snake's eye side showing, and a teensy toy wood block with an M on it (for Miranda? for Muerte?) went inside the box in the front. Then I found a small metal gear that looked like a crown and an old jewelry bit with dangles that upside-down looked a bit like a hat, and glued them to the heads of the two figures in front, along with a small green pom pom for one of them. Someone filched the trim I was going to use for the edges, which I thought was really low, by the way, so I think I will use sparkle pipe cleaners. I still have a few things to add at home - hope I get to it - but either way, it was so much fun to make something like that again! I made a couple of dioramas a year or two ago - I will post a picture next time around.
Yay! I'm still out of my rut!! It takes constant vigilance not to slide back in . . . .
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