The topic for next week is LUCK.

You know how some people are very lucky and they always get things going for them. I sometimes wonder if we are making our own luck. Maybe it's the attitude and the way we approach things and people.

I know this must be true, they also call it KARMA, I like that word, although I don't really understand the full extent of what it means.

I like to see people having good luck, it's always nice to find a 50 dlls bill on the street, or winning something, but there are other kinds of luck. The good luck of being ALIVE for example. Of having the opportunity of stepping outside to stand in the sunlight, to have food on our table, to be healthy, to have family closeby. We sometimes forget about all the good things we have, of how lucky we are... I know it sounds so much like a cliché, but it is important to remember this once in a while.

 And how lucky the person who finds a little found art next Tuesday! how lucky they will feel to have a chance to participate in this!

I've just learned how to do these little boxes, and I think they are such a good way of sharing inspiration.

These are a few new (to me) artists I've discovered at Etsy and oh, how I LOVE what they do....

Hi y'all (that's what living in the South will do to you!) I've received a few emails asking about what kind of papers I use for my paintings, so this post is only to share my basic supplies for collage.

You can use anything for a collage, paper, textile, thread, 3d objects, etc...

First, for collages with PAPER, here are a few of the things I almost always use:

Vintage (I hate that word!, I prefer OLD, they are, after all, OLD!) Tarot cards and playing cards. 

A checkbook from Mexico, circa 1950's (courtesy of my husband's grandfather) 

Postal stamps. I try to find rare stamps, I will only use one, max two for a painting and I try to find one that complements the story and color scheme of the painting 

Old legal documents from 1865. The paper is hadwritten with brown india ink! 

Banknotes from all over. Mostly old ones from Mexico, and no, I am NOT rich, Sadly, these are worth almost nothing if you take them to a bank.

How do you make it all stick together??

LIQUITEX Acrylic Medium. I use the matte medium because I like the finish. Do not, I repeat, DO NOT use a brush to apply it, you will ruin your brush! Just use your finger to spread it on the surface you want to collage and rub it in.Rub and rub and rub, and make sure it's all soaked. Make sure to use a good amount of it on top as well, this will seal the paper and make it impossible to unglue itself with time.

I do not like to use GOLDEN brand because it's just very thick and cannot be spread as easily. Although there are a lot of collage artist who will not use anything else. (Claudine Hellmuth is one of them) It just rubs me the wrong way (wait... did I just said that?... I didn't mean Claudine rubs me the wrong way, I meant the golden medium)

If you want an opportunity to practice your Spanish, come read Etsy en Español, {a blog created for the Spanish speaking community within Etsy, It's a whole new and fun sub-culture, the best part is all the dancing and salsa music!} 

I've been recently interviewed for the blog by the very talented Emma Alegre. The questions were really good and I enjoyed thinking about my creation process, the hard part was trying to explain it, AND in Spanish! It's been a long time since I've had to talk about art in Spanish. Must do it more often! Found Art Tuesday is also mentioned! yay!

If you really prefer English, you can read it translated, courtesy of Google Translate. Although there's a lot that is lost in translation, not to mention that it all sounds really funny. Now that I think of it, it'll be more interesting to read it with the translation!

Come take a look!

I was inspired by Christina at My topography today, She always writes so beautifully, today she wrote about how she went to see the circus and had all these thoughts, and how it would be if she could follow them around and document their life. I remember thinking about that too when I was growing up, the circus had such an interesting aura to me. And for some reason gypsies were always around when we went to the circus. I loved gypsies. They were all very beautiful with green eyes and dark hair. So misterious, with this weird accent I couldn't quite place. And yet they always looked at you right in the eye. My mom always told me not to talk to them because they kidnapped little kids. Did they really? At night I sometimes wished they had.

When I was a kid I definitely thought it would be a matter of time before I ran away with the circus. Maybe I did. My mom surely thinks I have.

So the topic for this week is CIRCUS. Do with it what you may or feel.

Have a great weekend!