Category Archives: art
carita de gringa
Another video for you guys. This one I animated, eh, sort of. You wouldn’t know it, but I was voted “Most Artistic” my final year of school. Being able to draw with a pencil doesn’t necessarily mean one can draw using a mouse though. Hopefully the ugly stick figures will distract you from my Spanish mistakes. Hee hee…
Update: I drew better stick figures and re-did the video. LOL. So if you’re watching this video for the first time and you think my drawings are no good, you can only imagine how horrible the first video was :)
The secret ingredient in my kitchen is love
I love to cook. I love it because it fully engages all my senses and allows me to be creative while doing something practical to care for mi familia. I love the diversity of colors, textures, scents, tastes – the memories it conjures and creates.
My only problem is that I often used to stain my shirts. After I ruined much of my wardrobe, my husband asked Suegra to make me an apron.
Here is something nice I have to say about mi Suegra – she is a very talented seamstress, (and she’s completely self-taught!) She can make anything imaginable, from the sweetest little dresses for baby girls to silly Halloween costumes for mis niños – and when she’s not living with us, I realize what a useful skill it is as I haphazardly repair sofa pillows myself with crooked, child-ish stitches.
My favorite thing she ever made for me is my apron. She takes a lot of pride in her work and she took the time to embroider it in the traditional Salvadoran style. Salvadoran folk art contains colorful images of familiar things – houses, flowers, birds, and animals.
I wanted to take a photo of my apron to show you, so I put the camera on the counter top and set the timer.
I always take more than one photo just in case. I set the camera up again and while my husband has been known to run into the kitchen and steal bites of food before dinner is ready, this time my husband ran in to steal a besito.
I don’t usually post photos of myself or my husband, and especially one so intimate, (¡Qué escándalo! ji ji ji…) but this photo makes me happy and I wanted to spread the love.
“Cooking is like love. It should be entered into with abandon or not at all.”
- Harriet Van Horne
Contest: Design a T-shirt for Surropa.com!
Yesterday on Twitter I announced a special deal for my readers. Surropa.com agreed to give you all 15% off your purchases using coupon code “latinaish” until June 30th.
Today I chatted with them and they said we could have some more fun by holding a contest here. All you have to do is go over to Surropa.com, look at the women’s T-shirt line to get an idea of what sort of designs/messages they create. Then come back here and comment with your idea for a new T-shirt you think they should make. You can describe a new theme, topic, text and/or design. If yours is the winning idea, you’ll win the shirt you helped inspire! Qué chivo, verdad?
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Contest closed. No new entries being accepted. Thank you.
Disclosure: Just in case you’re wondering, no compensation, monetary or otherwise, was received in return for this post.
Calaveras – $1 store craft for Day of the Dead
I tried to make traditional calaveras (skulls) out of sugar for Dia de Los Muertos, (Day of the Dead on November 2nd), but they didn’t come out very well because my local Latino markets didn’t have the molds I wanted to use. I decided I would make them another way.
I saw a creative Etsy crafter had used felt, and was going to make some like that, but then I happened upon ceramic skulls at The Dollar Tree. They were actually 2 for $1.
With just a little craft paint and some creativity – Ta da! A calavera for Dia de los Muertos :)
Painted calavera (left), unpainted calavera (right)
If you want to make one, too, go check your local dollar stores for clearance Halloween decorations. ¡Diviértanse! (Have fun!)
Mi Elefante
El Chiquito is reading The Mixed up Chameleon by Eric Carle at school. He came home very excited about it. He was especially interested in the illustrations, being that he’s quite artistic himself. I suggested we try to make our own collage-like animal pictures. Here is mine.
