Day of the Dead Crafts - by Kerry Arquette & Andrea Zocchi & Jerry Vigil (Paperback)

About the Book

Packed with colorful photos, this how-to appeals to crafters of all heritages and skill levels. The unique, fun, and meaningful projects include sugar skulls, candles, altars, paper banners, jewelry, albums, cards, and skeletons.John Wiley & Sons

Book Synopsis

Celebrated on November 1 and 2, Day of the Dead honors the memory of departed souls, welcoming them back to celebrate the best of life. Families decorate grave sites with marigolds and set up stunning altars. Streets flutter with paper banners. Store windows glisten with sugar skulls. Skeleton figures grin rakishly from every corner. Day of the Dead Crafts is filled with dozens of terrific projects that allow you to participate in the excitement of the holiday while expressing your own creativity. You'll enjoy showcasing these unique, fun, and meaningful projects throughout the year.

Inside you'll find step-by-step instructions, ideas, and inspiration for a wide range of projects, including:

• Calaveras, those comical and clever skeleton figures caught in the act of enjoying life's favorite activities
• Masks and skulls made from paper mache, gourds, and even sugar
• A meaningful and artistic ofrenda, or altar, to honor those who have passed
• Necklaces, earrings, bracelets, and more to wear day or night
• Pieces guaranteed to liven up any decor

Colorful, whimsical, and often dramatic, Day of the Dead art is steeped in rich history and symbolism. The projects in Day of the Dead Crafts honor the traditional, while taking advantage of today's materials for a fresh and exciting twist.

From the Back Cover

Celebrated on November 1 and 2, Day of the Dead honors the memory of departed souls, welcoming them back to celebrate the best of life. Families decorate grave sites with marigolds and set up stunning altars. Streets flutter with paper banners. Store windows glisten with sugar skulls. Skeleton figures grin rakishly from every corner. Day of the Dead Crafts is filled with dozens of terrific projects that allow you to participate in the excitement of the holiday while expressing your own creativity. You'll enjoy showcasing these unique, fun, and meaningful projects throughout the year.

Inside you'll find step-by-step instructions, ideas, and inspiration for a wide range of projects, including:

Calaveras, those comical and clever skeleton figures caught in the act of enjoying life's favorite activities

Masks and skulls made from paper mache, gourds, and even sugar

A meaningful and artistic ofrenda, or altar, to honor those who have passed

Necklaces, earrings, bracelets, and more to wear day or night

Pieces guaranteed to liven up any decor

Colorful, whimsical, and often dramatic, Day of the Dead art is steeped in rich history and symbolism. The projects in "Day of the Dead Crafts" honor the traditional, while taking advantage of today's materials for a fresh and exciting twist.

About the Author

Kerry Arquette, fi rst published at age thirteen, has work featured in "Seventeen, Good houskeeping, Ladies' Home Journal" and other popular magazines. She has authored more than a dozen books, including "Daddy Promises" and her award-winning children's picture book "What Did You Do Today?" She is a cofounder of Cantata Books Inc.

Andrea Zocchi, cofounder of Cantata Books, Inc., was an art director for a large design and how-to book and magazine publisher. Multitalented and versatile, he has worked as a graphic designer, freelance photogrpher, director of a foreign studies program, sales manager, and farmhand.

Jerry Vigil, a self-taught Chicano artist, has carved bultos and retablos since 1998. Known in his hometown of Denver as the "Dean of the Dead," he is a high-profi le art activist and instructor whose work has appeared in dozens of local and national exhibits and competitions as well as numerous publications. His signature calaveras are a distinctly vibrant blue.