Bienvenida! The day arrived and I welcomed a couple of girl friends over for some autumn victuals and sugar skull hijinx.
This is the first year I've made an ofrenda and I have to say it has brought such a loving glow to our home, I may leave it up all year. My wonderful husband built the stepped ofrenda structure and I had the pleasure of creating the place of honor for our loved ones that have crossed over. As I lit the candles in the dark twilight of the early morning, peacefulness washed over me.
Set up in my entryway, it welcomed all souls who came to visit. The candle glow reminding me of the churches I visited in Mexico, the quiet stillness a point of rest.
Chocolate, apples and corn a welcoming repast for the visiting spirits.
Bobble headed skeletons dancing in the light…
…marigolds and cockscomb brighten…
…as the skeletons enjoy a good laugh (the chef lost his arm in transit from Mexico last year).
I honored my grandmother, Frances Whitney, who passed away four months after my daughter was born. She was one hundred years old and one week, to the day. I have one precious picture of her holding my daughter – one hundred years separating them. She always drank Lipton tea, in a cup and saucer, with the tea wrapper laid out like a runway for the main event. She loved simple picnics in the woods.
We also honored my dad (large photo) who passed when I was 6 and loved Coors beer (maybe a little too much) and my husband's father who passed when my son was just 5 months old, and loved his coffee strong and black all day long.
Miss Lupita greeted visitors as they crossed the threshold.
These lovely friends, Stephanie, Katy and Lisa came for a lunch of roasted butternut squash soup and little sopes – small corn tartlets with salsa, chopped fresh herbs and goat feta cheese.
After lunch Steph and Lisa worked on mixing up a bunch 'o royal icing….
…in some of my favorite colors…
….while I punched star bursts for my skull's eyes….
…and my daughter worked the glitter glue magic….
…and Katy worked the icing bag.
Four Gaudalupes stand in their sugary splendor as our afternoon of decorating wound to a close.
And these characters are all destined for the their home alters to cajole and entertain the dearly departed.
Gracious mi amigas for the honor of your prescence as we honored and celebrated those that have gone before us.
I am THRILLED to find all of these posts on Mexico! What a beautiful and warm ofrenda. This has been a wonderful place to begin Dios de los Muertos! Thank you so much for the peek.
Catherine
OMG I LOVE your alter, the size and all the offerings in your entry way is perfection. I plan to leave mine up always too and in fact hope to enlarge it to accommodate others that have passed.
What fun that must have been for you gals to share a nosh and create together that day.
I have loved each and every one of the post leading up to today and this is one is just wonderful as well. Thanks for sharing and how lucky were those girls? Get to make a mess and leave for someone else to clean up! Way to celebrate
Your ofrenda is beautiful and such a beautiful tribute. How wonderful to see photos of the very talented group that were lucky enough to have such a wonderful lunch and to be able to make art together.
I love everything about this post. I will be making more visits to your blog 🙂
Your ofrenda is beautiful, I want to make one, too. I will definitely do it next year!
I’ve been saying it all morning…this is the best idea ever..I know all of our loved ones are with us all today!
So much lovely stuff to see, thank you for sharing,Juliet
I can’t wait for NEXT year… I have so many plans to make my celebration BETTER than this one!! (this was my first)
Wow, it just gets better. I was blown away with your cemetary visit.
Great Ofrenda. Such amor and beauty.
Saludos,
Yoli Manzo
Your ofrenda is INCREDIBLE! It looks so beautiful up there in your entryway and you are right, it does have a lovely glow, a warmth, to it. I can’t believe that this is your first ofrenda – you go girl! And what a wonderful party theme. Your sugar skulls and sugar Gaudalupes are wonderful, so happy. It looks like your friends had a great time. 🙂
your ofrenda is AMAZING. I love all the details and the family bits that you included … oh how I would have loved to been at that table decorating with that bunch of gals – looks like one great afternoon. 🙂
Happy Dia de los Muertos!
Frannie! Thank you soooo much for yesterday. Fantabulous lunch and such fun creating the sugar skull goodies! Your home simply glows! with dia celebration.
thank you for being part of the Dia de Bloglandia celebration….
x..x
steph
Wow, that was beautiful. You shared with friends and paid tribute to family. This is so great. Thx for sharing.
oh my goodness Fran! this is divine – what a gorgeous post and images and love and friendship! Your alter and ofrenda is breath-taking – this has been such a wonderful celebration – thank you for coming by…
Happy Dia…
xox – eb.
Your ofrenda is stunning and warm and welcoming. I love it. It’s great to share time with creative friends, and I appreciate seeing all the work going on because I’m hoping next year to work on sugar skulls, too. It must really reinforce the spirit of celebration and remembrance.
Can I come next year? Please? Wow, you ladies did a great job. I really enjoyed your ofrenda…and the story of your 100 year old Grandma holding your daughter, with 100 years between them…that gave me chills. FANTASTIC…thank you for sharing!!!!!!!!!!!
If my ofrenda looked like that I’d keep it up all year too! I love the pics of you and your friends too.
Everything you’ve done is just wonderful! I really enjoyed seeing all of it, and also the pictures of the preparation!
I do think that your special-needs chef may need to hire an assistant, though! Poor thing, well, arms aren’t everything.
Thanks for sharing all you did for Dia de los Muertos!
I am so inspired by seeing what you created. I am new to it and did not do such a good job but with every entry I visit I feel enriched. You did an outstanding job. Wonderful tribute to those that have gone before you.
So much color to drink in! Your ofrenda and those other marvelous creations are terrific. And look who you got to party with for Dia de los Muertos! An all-around wonderful celebration.
I’m sure the souls must have been queuing at the door to come to your beautiful celebration. What a vibrant and uplifting post. Those sugar skulls are gorgeous.
best wishes amanda
That is a gorgeous alter if ever I have seen one.So warm and inviting, rich in color and bathed in beautiful lights! And a lovely tribute to your family :)I love the idea of having close friends over to make sugar skulls and such. Thanks you for sharing..can’t wait to read your previous posts about your visits to Mexico. I visited for three weeks and found it hard to come home 🙂
Me again..First off I am just in love with your photos from Mexico. Secondly I recently bought “Studios” and yours was the page I bookmarked as my favorite studio! I’m hoping to have a larger one within the next year and your space felt very welcoming and most like my taste. So happy to have found your site:)
~Christine
Du Buh Du Designs
What an incredible visit I’ve had to your Bloglandia post! Your alter is fabulous–thank you for sharing family stories, and for the behind the scenes peek of creative preparations:)
I have never really “seen” this holiday celebrated. I like it. The photos are wonderful. The tributes to your family are so beautiful. Thanks for sharing. I just found your blog and it’s really beautiful.
Your altar does indeed remind me of one you’d find inside a church – it feels that way even in the photos. And I see you didn’t scrimp on the chocolate selection – excellent and delicious choicE! The butternut squash soup and friends and art all look just as wonderful. GREAT Dia de Bloglandia post, thank you.
Fran – My, you certainly do a lot of fun things around that kitchen table of yours. LOVED the celebration/honor – ofrenda. Hope you are well!!!!