Last year around this time of year, I was invited to attend a very special event by called Vive Cultura. It was all about celebrating Dia de los Muertos. We were asked to bring a picture of a loved one to place at a beautiful community alter they made. They also had a craft and some speakers to share stories and traditions with all of us bloggers.
It was really a defining event for me because it was the first time I really got to meet and connect with other bloggers outside of the craft industry. Sure, I go to blogging conferences, but this one was all about culture and sharing very personal stories about our loved ones. All year i secretly hoped I would be invited back for this event. Part of me was thinking, “Maybe they want new bloggers, you got to go last time, give some else a chance!” Well, wouldn’t you know, they not only invited me back, but also asked me to share a craft with the group! This was the inspiration for the wood shrine project from last week that I posted.
Click here to see how to make a wood shrine base.
I had my local woodworker here in Phoenix (my son’s godfather!) make a huge batch for me and I basecoated them here at home. iLoveToCreate donated gobs of glitter, glue and other decorations for us to use. Because time was short, we had to carry mostly everything them in our suitcases to Los Angeles. It was worth it – everyone loved the project.
What really made the event special was that the team behind Nestlé and the event coordinators put a lot of heart into the day’s activities. Danial Galo talked to us about the traditions, and he had El Catrin and La Catrina stop by to help. We did our craft and learned how to actually mix and bake pan de muerto.
Click here to get the recipe for Pan de Muerto!
We also had a chance to talk about our favorite holidays, and what we loved about the day we spent together. It was a much-needed time to stop, relax, and hang out with like-minded people! And eat yummy food! They served us chicken mole made with Abuelita Chocolate!
At the end of the day, they let us shop at the company store. Let’s just say, the empty suitcases we thought we’d have once the wood shrines were gone/ Well, they came home filled with goodies!
