Fully Fall & Day of the Dead Warm Up

Yesterday was a quintessentially fall day. The day at school had been thankfully calm, a nice contrast to the strained craziness of the earlier full moon part of the week. I left school just a little early so that I could make it up to Two Hands in Boulder so that I could be time for the El Dia de los Muertos event that featured Laura Lambrecht and a few of her goods from her store, Bella Frida.

Driving up highway 93, I was taken by the dramatic colors - the deep red of some of the clay that peeked out between large swaths of tawny dried grass and the tassels of weeds waving in the wind. The sky was filled with dramatic light. As I drove north the ominous black cloud enveloped the sky. Even as I was driving, part of my brain wondered how that beauty could be caught with paint. Could it be rendered in acrylic? Watercolor? I am not even sure that the photograph really contains the beauty I witnessed. I am thankful that we get to have fall weather for a while as we often go from summer to winter in a very quick shift.

I was excited to get a chance to meet Laura. Mia spoke about her and her store when I was working on the Frida pieces that I began during the encaustic workshop this summer. Laura even sponsored a special Frida event this summer, but I was not able to attend. And then here she was sharing some of the fun Day of the Dead stuff she sells in her shop. I knew I would like her and then when I saw that she was brave enough to have her face made up, I knew that it was a done deal. I was sure that she and I would enjoy each other's company. Here are some of the fun things she was displaying:

I also had a chance to meet Tori Carpenter who came for the event and to drop off the Ofrenda that she made for the contest that Two Hands is sponsoring. Her shrine is dedicated to her beloved pup, Cracky, who passed away a while ago. Her shrine was made out of a special gourd that she purchased from an Amish store. She made it look like an apple by covering it with green encaustic medium. I love the playfulness of her piece. She has a love of making miniatures, so this project was just right for her.

Later in the week Laura will return to Two Hands to teach a class on how to make a cigar box Ofrenda.

I also loved the new displays that they put up in the store. They are so clever. I was very tempted by the metal hearts on this wall. I would have loved to see the big ones lit up. I did end up buying one of the simple metal hearts, and was very tempted to by one of the hearts with the flame and barbed wire for Ellie. I was not sure if she would want one, so I held off.

Did you notice the large metal skeleton?

Next to that they also had another fun display where the shrines for the contest will be displayed along with fun stuff for the holiday.

And of course I admired the window display. They are always so clever with what they display. I think this one might be one of my favorites.

There was inspiration to be found in the new card selection, too.

On the way home I stopped to pick up the things we needed to make Pad Thia for a late dinner.

When I arrived home I was thrilled to find that Ellie had created a wonderful fall centerpiece on the dining room table. I love it when she creates such lovely displays and gives me presents to celebrate the turning of the season. My girl has such a nice, artistic eye.