Halloween – Day of the Dead Jewelry Blog Hop
Diana Ptaszynski, of Suburban Girl Studio, is hosting a Halloween – Day of the Dead blog hop! Since my husband and I were in Oaxaca, Mexico during the Day of the Dead last year, this jewelry challenge was right up my alley! (I wrote about our experience with this amazing celebration, on the Art Jewelry Elements blog, if you would like to read more).
Dia de los Muertos was originally an Aztec celebration of the lives of those who had died. The Spanish conquerors tried to put an end to the holiday, without success. Over time el Dia de los Muertos merged with the Catholic All-Saints day and All-Souls day on November 1st and 2nd. The contemporary celebration melds aspects of Aztec ritual with Christian traditions and contemporary life.
Sugar Skulls and Marigolds
Sugar Skulls in Oaxaca
We started seeing sugar skulls in the markets about a week or 2 before the Day of the Dead celebration. Apparently the Catholic friars taught the Mexicans how to make decorations from an ingredient that was abundant and affordable: sugar. Sugar Skulls and other items are often used to decorate the ofrendas on Dia de los Muertos. As in the picture below, marigolds also decorate small home altars like this, as well as large public displays. The bright orange marigolds are said to guide the spirits of the deceased, back to their earthly homes, as they visit their loved ones.
Oferendas with sugar skulls
Day of the Dead Necklace
I wanted my Day of the Dead necklace to reflect these traditions with respect and authenticity. So I started with an awesome, bronze clay sugar skull that I got from Staci Smith at Bead Fest in August.
Then I needed some beads to represent the marigolds. These were perfect!
Day Of the Dead Necklace with Marigold beads.
So I wired a “marigold” to the chin of the sugar skull and dangled 7 of them from a strand of black, gray and silver “peanut beads”.
Day of the Dead Necklace
I topped the sugar skull with a dark lilac handmade ceramic bead by Mary Hubbard, of White Clover Kiln and then added a strand of purple, recycled sari silk.
Day of the Dead Necklace
I had a lot of fun expressing my experiences in Mexico through the design of my Day of the Dead necklace. Thank you Diana Ptaszynski, for hosting this blog hop! Check out the links below to visit the other blogs participating in Diana’s blog hop!
Kathleen Breeding http://99bobotw.blogspot.com
Sue Kennedy http://www.suebeads.blogspot.com
Dianne Miller http://www.artbydianne.blogspot.com
Lisa Liddy http://www.lisaliddy.wordpress.com
Toltec Jewels http://www.JewelSchoolFriends.com
Linda Landig http://www.LindasBeadBlog.com You are here.
Laura Medeiros http://Www.zoeowyn.blogspot.com
Veralynne Malone http://www.veradesigns.blogspot.com
Lynn Jobber http://thecreativeklutz.blogspot.co.uk
Michelle McCarthy http://www.fireflydesignstudio.blogspot.com
Karen Totten http://www.starryroadstudio.blogspot.com
Jayne Capps https://mamasgottodoodle.blogspot.com
Jenny Davies-Reazor http://jdaviesreazor.com/blog
Joan Miller http://metalmudandsand.blogspot.com/
Melissa Meman http://melissameman.blogspot.com
Melissa Trudinger http://www.beadrecipes.wordpress.com
Kari Asbury http://hippiechickdesign.blogspot.com
Inge von Roos http://www.ingetraud.wordpress.com
Andrea Glick http://zenithjade.blogspot.com
Stephanie LaRosa http://Www.stringaholic.blogspot.com
Lola Surwillo http://www.beadlolabead.com
Jennifer Cameron http://glassaddictions.com/blog
Diane Hawkey http://dianehawkey.blogspot.com
Kristi Harrison http://kristibasket-itsanewday.blogspot.com
Nicole Valentine Rimmer http://www.nvalentine.blogspot.com
Tanya Goodwin http://www.Pixiloo.blogspot.com
Shai Williams http://shaihasramblings.blogspot.com/
Sandra McGriff http://skyescreativechaos.blogspot.com
Sarajo Wentling http://www.sjdesignsjewelry.blogspot.com
Marie Covert http://thistledown-and-swaddlings.blogspot.com
Lisa Stukel http://www.carefreejewelrybylisa.blogspot.com
Laurie Vyselaar http://www.Lefthandjewelry.wordpress.com
Sherri Stokey http://www.knotjustmacrame.com
Pam Traub http://www.klassyjoolz.blogspot.com
Lori Dorrington http://lorisglassworks.blogspot.com
Kristen Stevens http://kristen-beadjourney.blogspot.com
Eleanor Burian-Mohr http://cornerstoregoddessjewelry.blogspot.com
Sally Russick http://thestudiosublime.com
Dawn M. Gallop http://www.flipflopsandpoptarts.com
Christine Damm http://storiestheytell.blogspot.com
I am always delighted to read your comments! Hope to hear from you.
Linda's Bead Blog & Meanderings 
Gorgeous necklace with all the right touched! That pendant by Stack is gorgeous. 😉
Have fun on the hop!
Pretty awesome Linda! Nice colors you used 🙂
Linda- I love it. the colors and textures are fun and perfect!!!! purple and orange are great together!!!!!!!
Stunning as always!!!!!!!!
Linda, that is amazing. I love Staci’s components and I adore what you did with her skull. The piece is absolutely perfect!
Hello and what a lovely creation you have made to share in the hop….I love Staci’s skull….the necklace is elegant and so much fun!!! Thanks for sharing and have an wonderful day!
Nice job. I think the textile element really pulls it together.
Love it! It represents the holiday perfectly! Thanks for joining!
Nice work Linda! I really love the Sugar Skull by Staci Smith, I’ve seen her work well represented by several praticipants in this blog hop. I also love that your design was based on the traditional decoration elements of Dia de los Muertos in Mexico. Cheers!
Lori in Atlanta
Love this Linda! Just stunning. Happy Halloween!
I love how you added the czech beads to the piece as “marigolds”, brilliant!
Just love the necklace especially how it brings back so many memories for you,
Love the colors! Beautiful work!!
Beautiful work 🙂 You truly found the perfect beads to fit together 🙂
This necklace is so great! I love all the elements and what they represent. Beautiful color combination, and the sugar skull pendant is fab.
Well done! Love the history!
The marigolds make it extra special and perfect. Love that you did the research. It makes the piece even more meaningful.
Beautiful!
That is perfection!!!! I wanted to incorporate marigolds, but waited too long to make it happen. Gorgeous design. I would totally wear it.
I’m loving all these sugar skulls! Beautiful necklace!
Skull-a-rama! I’ve been collecting all kinds a skeleton head beads. I so need to start designing with mine. Such great ideas. Love them.
Gorgeous! I love Staci’s skull and what you did with it… especially like how you incorporated the idea of the marigolds into your design.
Marigolds! Linda you are brilliant! Love the palette, the skull, the flowers!!!
This necklace has a very light and feminine feel, something you could wear every day, not just for Hallowe’en. I like that. Really nice choice of elements, findings and fibers. Happy Hallowe’en!!
Linda, what a perfect blog hop – you happened to purchase a beautiful bronze skull by Staci, and you were in Mexico for this holiday last year! Your necklace truly looks like a blend of authentic elements and beautiful components! You out did yourself – just love it! 🙂