It's Dia de los Muertos!

It's Tuesday which is my day to share a project created for Topflight Stamps. It's the second day of the Día de los Muertos celebration, which is a wonderful Hispanic tradition whereby relatives and friends who have passed away are remembered and their lives celebrated. Imagery associated with the holiday include Sugar Skulls. 

That's Crafty's versatile Small Elements Stamp Set 2 contains a lovely, if small, sugar skull, which I used to create my card.

Topflight Stamps Products Used:

Small Elements Stamp Set 2 by That's Crafty

Abundance Stencil 85 by AALL and Create

Essential Rectangle Frames Die Set from the Sue Wilson Slimline Collection by Creative Expressions

Confetti, Sundance, and Pine Elements Inks by Lavinia Stamps

Onyx Black VersaFine™ Ink by Tsukineko®

Other Products Used:

Solar White Classic Crest® Cardstock by Neenah Papers

Yellow Cardstock

Kiwi Double-Dots Patterned Paper by BoBunny Press®

Tuxedo Black Memento™ Ink by Tsukineko®

Copic® Markers: Y02, Y04, YR15, B04, B06, YG05, RV55, RV63, N6

Slimline - Stitched Rectangle Aperture Trio from the Sue Wilson Slimline Collection by Creative Expressions

Banner Die - Source Unknown

Día de los Muertos Stamp from the Sugar Skulls Unmounted Rubber Stamp Set by Bombshell Stamps

Removable Label Paper by Avery®

STAY-tion™ by Wendy Vecchi for Ranger Ink

Stamping Platform

Removable Tape

Instructions:

1. Cut white cardstock into three 3" x 3" pieces. 
2. Cut Removable Label Paper into three 3" x 3" pieces.
3. Use magnets to secure one of the pieces to the base of a stamping platform.
4. Place the sugar skull stamp face-down on the white cardstock.
5. Press the platform's lid onto the back of the stamp, lift the lid, ink the stamp with Tuxedo Black Memento ink, and stamp.
6. Keeping the stamp on the lid, replace the white cardstock, re-ink the stamp, and stamp again.
7. Repeat Step #6 with the last piece of white cardstock and with all three squares of label paper.
8. Fussy-cut all three of the label paper sugar skulls and place over their cardstock counterparts.
9. Brush Sundance, then Pine Elements ink over the masked sugar skulls. 
10. Remove the masks and reserve for another use.
11. Heat set the image panels.
12. Color all three sugar skulls.
13. Cut a piece of white cardstock to 4.25" x 8.5"
14. Cut the white cardstock with the largest die from the Essential Rectangle Frames Slimline Die Set.
15. Center the Slimline Stitched Rectangle Aperture Trio die blade-side down onto the white die-cut, tape the die in place, and run through a die-cut machine.
16. Remove the three white rectangles.
17. Use magnets to secure the white die-cut onto the STAY-tion.
18. Use more magnets to secure the Abundance Stencil on the die-cut.
19. Brush Confetti Elements inks randomly-ish over the stencil onto the white die-cut.
20. Brush Sundance Elements inks over the stencil covering un-inked parts.
21. When you're pleased with the ink coverage and the blending, remove and clean the stencil.
22. Heat set the die-cut which is now the card front. 
23. Trim the sugar skull panels to slightly larger than the aperture (windows) in the die-cut/card front.
24. Place the sugar skull panels on the STAY-tion and position the windows of the card front to cover the sugar skulls.
25. Use magnets to keep the sugar skulls in place while applying adhesive to the rear of the die-cut/cardfront.
26. Adhere the die-cut/card front over the sugar skulls.
27. Cut a piece of green patterned paper .25" larger than the die-cut/card front.
28. Adhere the die-cut/card front to the green patterned paper, then to a yellow slimline card.
29. Use the banner die to cut white cardstock.
30. Secure the banner die-cut to the base of the stamping platform using magnets.
31. Estimate where the sentiment should fall* and place the stamp face-down on the banner.
32. Press the lid of the stamping platform onto the back of the stamp and lift.
33. Ink the stamp with Onyx Black VersaFine ink and stamp.
34. Fold the banner and adhere to the card as shown.

*The banner die is solid metal and the sentiment stamp is cling mounted, so I had to estimate where it would fall. I got lucky. :D

Thanks for visiting today!