31 Days of Halloween - Day 17 - Day of the Dead Cameo

Yea! It's day 17 of Smeared and Smudged Forum's 31 Days of Halloween Blog Hop!   This has been so much fun, hopping and commenting AND I thank everyone for the awesome comments you've give me! 

Dia de los Muertos. or Day of the Dead, is a wonderful, colorful celebration of life. In the days of celebrating, people groom the gravestones of loved ones, hold candle light vigils, break bread and share memories.
The skull is a symbol of loved ones passed and is loved, not feared. It can be a super fun decorated sugar skull that is made even more exciting if it has your name on it! It can be part of a vignette with whimsical skeletons portraying loved ones' occupations and family gatherings. 
My shrink plastic sugar skull sits atop a piece of polymer clay mounted on a cardboard pendant.

Materials:
Cardboard - a cereal box or something similar will work
Aleene's Turbo Tacky Glue
Die cutting machine
Sizzix Frame and Flower die
Black paint
Inka Gold metallic paste - Copper
Shrink plastic - white
Martha Stewart Skull Punch
Permanent markers - fuchsia, purple, blue, orange, lime green and black
Polymer clay - a small amount of black
Clear gloss sealer

	I used Sizzix Frame and Sculpted Flower die to cut 3 frame pieces from cardboard.
	Glue all 3 pieces together and allow them to dry. Paint the cardboard with black acrylic paint and allowed it to dry. I used my fingers to apply a thin layer of the copper paste so that some black showed through.
	Condition a small amount of black clay.
	Click here to see how I made the sugar skulls The skull had a hole in the top to put a jump ring in. I chose to cover it with a tiny gem. Form the clay into an oval that fits inside of your frame and is big enough to put the sugar skull on. Bake the clay as directed.
	Cover the black backing with clear glossy sealer and set the skull in it. Add a bit more sealer on the skull. I can't wait to make this into a necklace!

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