Memento Mori

Once I learned about the Day of the Dead tradition of setting up an altar to honor deceased relatives I was hooked. Every October, as part of my Halloween preparations, I would set up my own version that included lots and lots of photos of relatives that have passed away. It seems to grow every year, unfortunately. I began to hate having to take it down at the end of the Day of the Dead celebration and decided to come up with something I could leave up year round.

The glass case is something I picked up from a HomeGoods store well before I thought about using it in this way. It's perfect because the roof is perforated so that I can string the copper wire through the top to hang the pictures. The photos are pasted onto bottle caps with small holes on opposite sides. I purchased them that way, but you could make them. I decorated the wires with beads to give the caps a little more weight so that they hang better.

I love my finished memento mori case. And, though I was a bit concerned that visitors to the house would think it odd, I've had many great discussions about it. I love walking by it everyday and talking to my relatives. I have also found it very comforting to add a recently deceased family member to the group. It's like I feel they are in a good place- loved and surrounded by family.