¡Amor para siempre! This translates to “love forever” and that is what Día de Los Muertos (Day of the Dead) is all about. Day of the Dead is not meant to be a sad event or day of mourning, but rather celebrating the lives of those who have passed before us and sending their spirits our never ending love.

As a Latina, Día de Los Muertos is an important holiday in my family. We don’t celebrate it as often as we used to but the day acts as a reminder for us to remember our loved ones and send them loving thoughts, prayers and more. Whimsical brightly decorated sugar skulls can be seen all over and are becoming ever more popular in the crafting world. You can see plenty of sugar skull motifs in Zentangle pieces!

If you’re not too familiar with the holiday, here’s a quick breakdown:

On October 31, All Hallows Eve, the children make a children’s altar to invite the angelitos (spirits of dead children) to come back for a visit. November 1 is All Saints Day, and the adult spirits will come to visit. November 2 is All Souls Day, when families go to the cemetery to decorate the graves and tombs of their relatives. The three-day fiesta is filled with marigolds, the flowers of the dead; muertos (the bread of the dead); sugar skulls; cardboard skeletons; tissue paper decorations; fruit and nuts; incense, and other traditional foods and decorations. (source)

Typically featured on the alters is La Catrina, or the Lady of the Dead. Her presence is designed to make death more elegant and graceful than something to fear.

Thanks to Eye Connect Crafts and their newest Lace-Up Skull, I was able to create my own mini Día de Los Muertos sugar skull. Día de Los Muertos is a holiday I hope to celebrate with my own children one day and this is a great way to get my decorations started!

By only using a few Imagine Crafts/Tsukineko products i was able to create this vibrant little skull.

I hope you enjoy creating your own sugar skulls and Day of the Dead pieces. El amor para siempre, mis amigos. Until next time!