Art Journaling Course in Spanish Harlem

     Today I went to the first session of an art journaling course taking place at La Casa Azul Bookstore in Spanish Harlem.  The bookstore recently opened this year and is a very cultural, colorful and friendly space.  They have been hosting many cultural events this summer and one of them is the six week art journaling course given by fellow blogger and artist Diana Gonzalez.  Diana is a very talented mixed media artist who has given many art workshops in the past.  It was a lot of fun to sit and do art with a group of creative souls.  We did up to six journal pages and each of them using different mediums such as stamping, collaging, and water color painting.  Diana shared all of her amazing art tools with us and even gifted us some colorful fabric tape.  I took some photos of her class so she can share them on her blog and here are some more shots I took that day:

 Colorful Mural at the bookstore (not sure who the artist is but I will find out!)

 Beautiful vintage dolls

Paper, Paper, and more paper!

Diana, our art instructor, who guided us every step of the way.

Loved using the stamps!

This was one of the art journal pages I created using stamps, fabric tape and a vintage doll. 

This was the group in action.  

Colorful inkpads! 

This was another one of my journal pages using stamp and water color paints.

     I was really glad I came out to this class and it was great to meet and connect with Diana.  It was also great to meet Aurora Anaya-Cerda, who is the owner of La Casa Azul Bookstore.  Lately I have been connecting with many Latina women artists in the city of New York.  I am grateful to get to know them and their work, they are true inspirations for me and other Latinas who are starting to recognize their own work as an artist and sharing it with the world.  Below are some links to the AMAZING work of some of the Latina artists I have been connecting with that I truly admire.

Olga Huraira Ayala

Elizabeth Rossi

Marthalicia Matarria

Diana Gonzalez

Hope you support and enjoy their work as much as I do! 

Random Acts of Kindness...

   I am in complete awe at the way life rewards us and how interconnected we are.  Yesterday I went to the post office to send out some mail.  There was something powerful and deep about sending off that piece of mail that I felt was going to be helpful to the person who would receive it on the other end.  Little did I know that I had an unexpected piece of mail waiting for me when I got home.  I received a beautiful card about friendship from a special friend.  It was completely random and unexpected and it brought a huge smile to my heart.  I know that the scriptures say "Give and it will be given to you" but I didn't expect it to be so soon! Thank you to my special friend..YOU KNOW WHO YOU ARE! 

True Catharsis

     Lately I've been going through a true catharsis in body, mind, soul, and spirit.  For my body I've been eating healthier, playing tennis, and taking long walks.  For my mind I've been doing some meditating in the mornings and some self-reflection in the evenings.  I've been using the book mentioned in this previous post to guide me in my meditation which includes bible scriptures.  For my soul I've been listening to music by artists from the neo-soul movement and those who influenced the movement.  Growing up I was heavily drawn and influenced by this sub-genre of music and it still manages to stir up my soul.  This is one of my faves, makes me get up and dance each time and this one..and this one...

     Spiritually, I have also been praying more and asking for what I need and interesting things happen when one does that.  The other day I was looking at the cork board I have over my desk which has a bunch of creative knick knacks, messages, pictures, etc.  It was a bit cluttered.  I have the words FAITH in the middle of the board which is part of a beautiful collage that someone special gifted to me years ago.  It has been with me through lots of changes.  Its a beautiful collage that I have added to over the years and I realized that it was so full of stuff I could barely see the words FAITH anymore.  So I decided to give it a little makeover.  Its been sitting on top of my desk for days but today I decided to work on it.  I didn't want to stay indoors so I decided to pack my things and go down the block from my house.  This is a block which the city closes up to traffic all summer so the kids in the community can have a place to come together, play and do activities.  The block is right next to a playground and its always full of parents with their kids, teenagers playing basketball, and even older folks doing yoga or jogging.  I decided it was a good place to get creative so I went.  As I sat there painting, two little girls and their moms from the neighborhood came over and kept me company.  I spoke to the moms and gave the girls some paper and paint and they were painting away! They all thought I was an art teacher even though I told them I was not.  They kept saying teacher....lol.  Now I'm in trouble though because they expect me to go back tomorrow! 

     I am blessed.

     Below are the before and after photos of the collage center piece I painted.  I will be using these words as a centerpiece to a bigger collage which I am looking forward to completing this summer. 

This is the way it originally looked for a long time..really beautiful! 

but its time for a little makeover to focus on the word FAITH.

I stripped it of all the images and here is how it looked..Now you can read the words! 

 My next step was to paint the whole thing white and hide the residue of the images.

  and WALLAH!  Now FAITH is clear.  My centerpiece is ready for the next project. 

(to be continued) 

This was one of the images one of the little girls made...She calls it the sea monster..she did a good job!

Spiritual Sunday

     I went to mass today and it was very refreshing.  I had not been to church in a while and was craving to be in the Lord's house surrounded by the hyms, scriptures, and traditions.  It's like going back home to listen to old songs, hear all the old sayings, and participate in family traditions.  Going to church makes me feel like I am visiting God in His house.  One of my favorite parts of the mass is when we recite "Lord I am not worthy of you but only say the word and I shall be healed" which in Spanish is "Señor no soy digno de que entres en mi casa pero una palabra tuya bastara para sanarme" Its a little different in Spanish but it basically means the same thing.  That part is very meaningful to me because I feel that I am humbling myself in the presence of the Lord. Today's message included these scriptures: 


"A prophet is not without honor except in his native place and among his own kin and in his own house"

Mark 6:4

"...my grace is sufficient for you, for power is made perfect in weakness.  I will rather boast most gladly of my weaknesses, in order that the power of Christ may dwell with me."

2 Corinthians 12

   I also fell upon the quotes below which speak volumes of wisdom.  I will contemplate on both the scriptures above and the quotes that I stumbled upon this spiritual sunday.  


"Hospitality opens the doors of our hearts and minds to the stranger among us, no matter how familiar he or she may seem to be.  Faith enables us to accept the gifts of others, no matter how alarming or strange they may seem to be.  Discernment helps us to discovery the prophets in our midst, no matter how amazing they may seem to be.  Hospitality, faith, and discernment-cultivate these."


"Look to Jesus and realize that regardless of your earthly status, you are called to make a difference by the witness of your life."

Here are also some images of the day:

Read about this in the tablet today, didn't realize this upcoming liturgical year will be the Year of Faith, its so meaningful to me.  

Found this pic online and know I have to totally remind myself of this always especially when I am stressed with schoolwork!

Spiritual Sunday

     I had a conversation last night with a spiritual friend of mine.  Our conversations always involve deep spirituality and inspiration.  I was telling her how much I long to see the details of my life in a spiritual way.  It seems that lately I've been feeling so overwhelmed that I am unable to make spiritual connections to certain situations in my life.  I feel like I haven't been tending to my spirit and I don't know where to begin.  When I woke up this morning I realized I had a dream.  In the dream I was in this dark apartment with a group of friends.  All of a sudden one of my little cousins walks in (he is currently going to be 18 but in my dream he was about 7).  Since it was only us grown ups I got up and walked him to a bookshelf and asked him to pick a book so he can go read.  Out of all the books that were on the shelf he chose the missallette which was the only spiritual/religious book on the shelf.  I was intrigued by his choice of book and looked back at my friends and told them that I was going to be with my little cousin.  Him and I sat down and began to read together.  I found myself teaching him about some of the bible scriptures in the book.  That was all I remember about the dream.  I am not sure what the dream meant but I felt it was powerful.  

     I went on to read Today's daily word and it turned out to be about divine order and how we must believe we are at the right place at the right time.  Here is the message of today:

I greet this day with gratitude for my life—now and in the past—and with anticipation of the wonders to come. Every day of my life is part of my spiritual journey, and I am thankful for each new experience.

In silent contemplation, I become aware of the power within that guides me. My heart opens to the wisdom of God and the perfect order unfolding in my life. Each person I meet, each decision I make, each opportunity I encounter is in divine order. I embrace every development as a gift and move forward with confidence.

Right here, right now, is the perfect place for me. I complete what is mine to do and grow into my full potential through the divine order at work in my life.

(C) www.dailyword.com

   As I look back at my day I realize that I truly was at the right place at the right time today.  I received messages of faith and inspiration from many.  From the live music and playing the congas to the revelation from a very humble and wise woman whom I hope to be working with soon, God always has a way of answering our prayers when we least expect it.  The toughest part is to listen to the call and act upon it.   One of the things I have been struggling with the most is just knowing why certain things had to happen the way they did in my life, but those answers will come in God's timing.

Now I know only in part; then I will know fully, even as I have been fully known.—1 Corinthians 13:12

How quickly we forget...

     Last night I had a conversation with my best friend. We talked about many of the political issues that are currently taking place in this country. Its often complicated to discuss politics or religion with anyone. Its so easy to think that our opinions are the ones that should stand above all. It takes a lot to see beyond one's point of view and know that its okay to agree to disagree. The conversation was exactly what I felt I needed because lately I've been so consumed by my own personal feelings toward my own personal world. I needed to be taken outside of myself and realize there is so much going on in the world and in the place where we live in. There is so much work to be done out there. There is a force inside of me that has always wanted to serve others. However, how can I serve others without making sure that I am well myself. This was one of the important points my best friend pointed out in our conversation. We do have to make sure that all is well with ourselves and our families first before we try to step outside of ourselves. I do believe that being an example is the first step. In the process of helping ourselves we inspire others to do the same.

     However, when it comes to national politics it can get complicated. There are elections that have to take place and the candidates are not thinking about making changes, their priority is to get elected first.  It takes a really humble person to think about the issues of the world on a deeper level and to want the same for the world that he or she has for himself. When it comes to a president having to make decisions for the country he or she serves, to be humble is a sign of weakness. A lot has rested on the shoulders of our current president but many people forget that. Everyone wants their issues to be on the forefront of everything. However, our current president has been gracefully tackling the most pressing issues that he has had to face. He doesn't think about gaining political status, he thinks about the millions of people that will be affected by the decisions he makes. Its so surreal that many people choose not to support him because he has not placed their agenda as a priority.  He is much too real of a person that has not been tainted by the wraths of money and political power.  Yet he is in an environment where he can be easily consumed by those things.  I admire his ability to be true to himself, his family, and to the country he was chosen to serve.  To me that is a true servant leader and someone I can trust to make decisions not for quick political change, but for long and enduring change.*

    I challenge folks to pray for our current president that he may be blessed with the wisdom and courage to make the decisions that will benefit us all in the long run.  That he can be the voice to the voiceless and that he can focus on the most pressing issues that affect us all even if it may not be what we want him to tackle first. 

*Barack Obama

   

Visit from mom in NYC (day 2)

     It has been really great to have my mom come visit.  Even though its been raining since she arrived, we have been enjoying our time together.  Yesterday it rained heavily so we decided to make it a movie day.  We finally watched the Avengers together..WOW what an awesome movie!  Though we loved all the characters, my mom's favorite was Thor and mine was between the Hulk and Captain America.  I can't wait to watch it again when it comes on DVD.  After the movies, we went home to have dinner together and then went to Junction Blvd to do a little NYC shopping.  Then we went to Target to get some things and headed home.

     This morning we were planning to go out with my aunt but she had to work.  So we decided to visit Brooklyn and were delighted to have my dear friend Hilda join us in exploring the borough.  We went to Knickerbocker Ave. which is a shopping strip in Bushwick, Brooklyn.  I remembered that my soul sister Gigi took me there when I first arrived in NYC where we did a little shopping and I had my first Jamaican Beef Patty at Tony's Pizzeria.  So my mom, Hilda, and I checked out the cool stores, ate some italian ice cream, and they both had their first Jamaican Beef Patty at Tony's.  We had a great time and they loved the patties!  We still had the whole evening ahead of us so we decided to head on to Coney Island.  I was so excited for them to see the beautiful view of the Verrazano Bridge from the Belt Parkway, however it was so foggy all we can see was the very tip of the bridge.  It was pretty spooky to see it but pretty cool.  I wish they could have seen that view on a bright sunny day...its truly captivating!  We finally arrived at Coney Island and enjoyed some of the boardwalk, the flea market, and Luna Park.  Once we worked up an appetite we headed to Nathan's and scarfed down some famous hot dogs with cheesy fries, which is all part of the Coney Island experience.  There are tons of Nathan's Hot Dogs around the city but the one in Coney Island is the original and its been there since 1912.  I am glad I was able to take my mom and that Hilda was able to join us.  We had a great time!  Below are some photos of our adventures in Brooklyn!

At Tony's Pizzeria enjoying Jamaican Beef Patties

At Luna Park, Coney Island Brooklyn

With Hil at Luna Park, Coney Island Brooklyn

So beautiful my mom : )

The real deal..Nathan's Hot Dogs!

Happy Hilda..so pretty!

Hey, how did this get in here?

Heart attack in a box..Cheesy Fries!

The three musketeers enjoying our dinner!

The fog covering the Verrazano-Bridge..spooky!