July 18, 2014

Cuban Poster - Comida Cubana Subway Art - A Giveaway

July 18, 2014/ Marta M. Darby

My kitchen is, along with the rest of my house, freakishly small cozy and cottage-like. There's barely enough room for one person to turn around in. Having two people in there trying to get a hot meal on the table necessitates some intricate choreography.

I'm truly not complaining. I am glad it's not very big. If it were, I know the messes I make while cooking would be proportional to the space I have, so I'm grateful I have my little kitchen.

I haven't quite yet mastered the art of 'cleaning up as you go.' I must have skipped that particular life skill class, but that's not important right now.

I (boldly) chose to paint my freakishly small cozy and cottage-like kitchen a Tiffany blue, which has a lovely Caribbean feel to it and my accents are black, red, and white. And I had the cabinet doors removed because being easily distracted I like to see what is where at all times.

Anyway, I wanted to put up my own Comida Cubana Cuban Poster in subway art style in the kitchen, but lack of wall space made it quite impossible. What to do?

I came to the realization, kind of in a slow-motion-hey-wait-a-minute moment, that I could just have the same Cuban poster printed a little smaller. In fact, a 16 x 20 size would be ideal for that one corner. (By the way, mine is not framed, although it is very suitable for framing. It is "plaqued." A process that mounts it flush to a stiff wooden backing and covers it with a UV coating, hence the use of the name "plaque." Ask your local frame shop if they offer this.)

Then I thought that maybe those of you who would want to display this type of Cuban poster in your kitchens may have the same that-20x30-size-is-too-big-for-my-kitchen problem. I apologize that it took me so long to realize this.

As my mom would say, "Las cosas del palacio van despacio." (Loosely translated, "you sure took a long time to figure this out for yourself.")

Feeling contrite and generous all at once, I've decided to host my own giveaway today.

If you've been putting off buying this Cuban poster because the 20 x 30 size is a little too big for your kitchen, today's your lucky day. (Well, it's someone's lucky day...)

I'll be giving away three of these 16 x 20 Comida Cubana Subway Art Cuban posters this weekend.

To enter this giveaway, please leave a comment on this post and answer this question:

What's your favorite Cuban food?

How easy is that? I'll pick all 3 winners on Monday, July 21st, 2014 at 8pm PST.

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However, if you're impatient (like me) and just want to order your own or send some out as gifts, here's a link for you to do just that. Gracias!

July 12, 2014

Cuban Poster: Comida Cubana Subway Art

July 12, 2014/ Marta M. Darby

Words + Cuban Food = Comida Cubana on a subway style Cuban poster!

I know. The whole thing kind of blows your mind, right?

I've designed a beautiful Cuban poster in a "subway art" style in 2 popular sizes.

(Note: The red water mark at the bottom is not on the finished Cuban poster.)

I have 2 poster sizes available.

• Large - 20" x 30" Comida Cubana Subway Art Poster $38.00 + tax, shipping and handling.

• Small - 16" x 20" Comida Cubana Subway Art Poster $24.00 + tax, shipping and handling.

May 20, 2014

A One-of-a-Kind Gift

May 20, 2014/ Marta M. Darby

It's been so exciting and busy around here! I've been creating custom subway posters for some really fun people and today I've asked one of them to share their experience and how the poster was received.

First, this is the poster I created for her husband's 50th birthday. Very cool, no?

Romero Subway Art

I'll let Liliana Romero describe the process and the poster in her own words:

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Since the day you posted the Subway Art Posters with the Cuban food names I printed the info and placed it in my “Mami’s Wish List” Folder (I also have your Cookbook there.)

Don’t laugh! I started that folders many years ago and add clippings, torn magazine pages, etc. in it of things I absolutely love (and would love to have for myself one day) although most of the time I end up getting them for someone else, as was the case this time.

This folder also helps my boys (MDE and my two boys) with what they can get Mami. Then the idea came to me that MDE was celebrating his 50th (aka The Big One) in a few weeks and that a personal Subway Art Poster would be a great gift for his office.

I called our boys (one in Atlanta and one in Tallahassee) and together we started working on what would go on his poster. They had to be things that represented MDE and his life. Then the fun part began.

The boys and I went back and forth with ideas on the many words and things we wanted to add to the poster. It was truly inspiring to see all the words the boys would come up to describe their father. I always knew they felt that way, but to actually hear them say it and see it on paper, was very emotional (reaching 50 will do this to you.)

When we finalized the list I placed the order for the poster through your site My Big Fat Cuban Family (painless and effortless). When it came to the space you gave me to fill in what we wanted on the poster, we hit a roadblock. There wasn’t enough space in the section to write everything. Fingers crossed I wrote you a message and hoped you contact me by e-mail so that I can provide you with my full list -and boy was it a list!

You immediately e-mailed me and started working on it.

From the moment I received your e-mail you confirmed what I had felt the first time I found your site My Big Fat Cuban Family and you - I felt I had known you forever. You took a personal interest (somehow I feel this is second nature to you) in making this poster the best gift we could have created for the Birthday Boy, from the content to the symbols to making sure it all worked out on the poster, there was no detail too small for you.

I was also very grateful that you listened to our input when we requested small changes or tweaks. We were really doing this together and that made it even more special. The finished product was perfect and all it needed was a frame, some gift wrapping and a bow, and we were ready!

Subway-art-poster

The night of the surprise both of our boys flew into town and they, along with our family and a few of his closest friends were waiting for us at his favorite restaurant. It was truly a huge surprise for MDE and an unforgettable night for all there.

The highlight of the night was when he tore through the wrapping and saw the poster, and then the boys and I proceeded to tell him why we had chosen those things and what they meant to us. Yes, there were some tears, but all worth it.

Among our top favorites on the poster (too many to name them all) were:

The coordinates which represent the location of La Carreta Restaurant, where we met almost 26 years ago at 2am (yes, I do believe in fate and in love at first sight);
The S with the Cross, not only represents Southern Cross, his favorite song by Crosby Stills and Nash, but also his eternal and strong grounded faith in God;
The Bat Signal represents what the boys have named a prominent area that is slowly clearing up on top of his head (yes, we went there);
The sun and the clouds symbolizing “our” favorite song Night and Day by Cole Porter (yes, we are still hopeless romantics too);
A list of his nicknames by family members such as Tata, Romero, Mi Negrito and Sparky;
Then from a previous poster you had created I got the idea of adding one of our favorite scriptures Phil 1:3(I thank my God every time I remember you) because we really do;
We also included our Church’s name, Prince de Paz, because it has played such an important part in our lives since the day we met;
Lastly, I had to add MDE, which stands for My Darling Esposito.

In one word: Espectacular. MDE said he couldn’t have asked for anything more on this special memorable night.

Un millon de gracias Marta.

Sincerely,

Liliana, your Cuban Sister from another Cuban Mister and #1 Fan from South Florida

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I feel so privileged to have been a part of her MDE's big day. Thank you, Liliana for trusting me with creating your special gift! (Also, now I've got the song, "Night and Day" playing in a loop in my head, but that's not important right now.)

If you're looking for a unique one-of-a-kind gift, I'd love to create a Subway Poster for you! I think it would be a very cool Father's Day gift, too.

Here's the link:

Marta Darby Designs - Word Art To Make You Happy

Or if you're not feeling particularly creative, I also have the "Comida Cubana" Cuban Poster.

Cuban food subway art

Because who knows more about WORDS and Cuban Food than us Cubans? I know. We can't help it. It's in our DNA.

December 09, 2013

A Cuban Poster & Your Own Custom Subway Art!

December 09, 2013/ Marta M. Darby

I have often described myself as a Lover of Words. Just as often, I self-describe as a Lover of Cuban Food. Also, I'm a Serial List Maker.

Just recently, all those worlds collided in my creative brain and the resulting explosion was this Cuban poster...

Words + Cuban Food = Comida Cubana to create a subway style Cuban poster! I know. The whole thing kind of blows your mind, right? The finished poster is 20" x 30" and it's quite suitable for framing. (Note: The red water mark at the bottom is not on the finished poster.)

And, yes, I made it myself. *insert self-congratulations here*

I'm selling this beauty for just $38 + shipping & handling.

If you're interested in a more unique one-of-a-kind gift, consider a custom subway art piece, like the following.

I made this one for my husband, Eric. These are his very favorite surf spots in California. Pretty sweet, no? I just casually asked him "So, Honey... what are your favorite surf spots?" and I made this piece with the information he gave me. It hangs at the top of the stairs in our home and he totally loves me for it. (Win!)

A friend and her husband recently celebrated their 37th wedding anniversary and I created this one based on words and places that are meaningful to the two of them. I especially love the map coordinates at the top which signified a place where they used to meet when they were courting. Don't you love it?

This is a gift from one sister to another. It doesn't make much sense to me, but really, that's the point. I'm particularly curious about the stealing rhubarb line, but that's not important right now. She also mentioned to me that their mom had a thing for owls, so I created one and included it in the finished piece. They both fell in love with it.

If you'd like a custom subway art poster created by me, especially for you, with your own special words, I charge $87. plus shipping & handling.

It works like this:

1) The Design. You come up with about 12 -15 personal words or phrases that represent that special thing, event, anniversary, relationship, etc.

For example:

Your favorite places to vacation.
The things you love to do together.
The pet names you have for each other.
The addresses of all the places you've lived in your life.
Your family's favorite things.
Special places you visit regularly.
All the birthdays and anniversaries in your family. (Numbers add an especially compelling look and feel to the design.)
The possibilities are endless!

2) Payment. I prefer to be paid via Paypal. It's the best and most secure way for both of us. There's a "notes" box in the payment form where you can type in your special words for the art.

3) The Comp. I will come up with a creative way of putting those words together - it's kind of like a puzzle - and email you a comp. Comp is design talk for "a preview of what the finished thing will look like."

3) Your One-of-a-Kind Subway Art by Marta Original. I'll ship the finished 20" x 30" custom poster, suitable for framing in a mailing tube to the address of your choice in the U.S. only. (Sorry, rest of the world.)So, what are you waiting for?

Comida Cubana Subway Style Cuban Poster by Marta - $38.00 (+shipping & handling)