Two Shrines

(Click above image to be directed to the auction site)

*** MY NEXT POST WILL FEATURE THE AUCTION ***

But first I thought I would give everyone a little history as to how I got involved in this project (you might want to grab something to drink, kick back and relax for a bit ... I have a feeling this isn't going to be a quick post).

In November I visited Yoli's blog and came across THIS post; the timing couldn't have been better. I had just recently participated in my first "Dia de Bloglandia" event hosted by Susanna & Stephanie. Since it was a first, I had to do some research about Dia de los Muertos. The traditions & expression of the holiday spoke directly to my heart and soul. I truly enjoyed the process of making items, gathering others and simply erecting the shrine for friends and family that had passed. There was a real sense of healing in honoring these people that had touched my life (you can see the shrine HERE), so when I saw Yoli's post, I jumped in feet first ... the brain caught up a little later.

I committed to contributing a Cigar Box Shrine/Memory Box to benefit the Street Children of Oaxaca. I cannot explain why, but I felt a really strong urge to do a shrine in black & white ... once I began the process, my muse insisted that red be included, too. As for the cranes, it has been long believed that cranes not only bring luck and represent longevity, but they are also symbols of peace. How appropriate?

The birdhouse was cut down to a one inch depth to fit inside the closed box; there is a crystal heart attached just inside the opening of the birdhouse. I folded the cranes from squares of (just over 1") washi paper. Once all were folded and open, each one was dipped in a setting agent to strengthen and allowed to dry. Once dry, I painted half of them black and the other half white with acrylic paints and then sealed with a gloss varnish. The birds were strung along with black and white glass beads and clear Swarovski bicone crystals. Each string is suspended from the "ceiling" of the box. The three cranes at the base are attached.

Once all the elements were attached, I added the design in white acrylic paint to the inside cover, box front (has the name of the piece "Osmosis") and the sides.

Here's a detail of the interior:

This second shrine was an experiment for me ... I have a tendency to play it safe when it comes to use of color, but I really wanted to push my personal boundries and go for something bold and coloful - on the lines of more is better. I had tons of fun working on this shrine.

On the right (interior space of the box), I glued down a fragment of the cloth I had used on the first shrine (for Dia de Bloglandia) ... it felt right to honor that experience in this piece. I also used part of the same Our Lady of Guadelupe image. Our Lady is surrounded by pink and green sequins with Swarovski crystals set in here and there. The sides are bordered with red and gray textured glass tiles. The little cards are from a miniature tarot deck with bold images and are floated on small squares of stacked wood chips. (More were used on the outside box lide and outsied edges) The base has six swirly irridecsent shells attached. The flower stem is made of green sequins, the center of the flower is a yard pebble and the petals are small pieces of turquoise. The bit of lace at the top is actually a veil suspended from the inside and can be pulled back over to "hide" the interior.

On the left is a cross made up of bits and pieces and set in a thick layer of gel medium that's been liberally dusted with a coarse white glitter. The first outline is made up of light green glass chips and tiny red Swarovski crystals. The next is a slver textured ribbon and is followed by a border of pink sequins - the rest of the background is super fine citrus glitter with many coats of high gloss varnish over it.

Here's a detail of the box interior:

Both Cigar Box Shrines are available through the Auction to benefit the Street Children of Oaxaca located HERE ... take some time to look through the catalog of offerings and feel free to share the link with all your friends and family. The more interest we can generate, the better!

"Just one person MAKES a difference"