Waking Up in the Land of Glitter (36 page)

E17 loaded and began to play. It was Rose Royce’s falsetto love ballad, “Wishing on a Star.”

Theo danced with her for a minute and then led her out back. They walked to the edge of the property, and floodlights lit
up along the wall of the studio. He had painted a mural over the fuchsia base coat she had painted. It was a wedding cake
topper with a dark-haired couple. Above it was an outline of a ribbon banner held up by a pretty bluebird on each side. Inside
the ribbon read in perfect script: “Estrella, will you marry me?—Te amo, Theo.”

“Wow, your artistic vandalism sure beats mine—”

Theo didn’t let her finish her sentence. He put his hands on her cheeks, and kissed her hard, so intensely she lifted a foot
and balanced on the other, just like in the movies. He broke his lips away from hers. “Do you still mean it? The shrine you
made me?”

Star couldn’t say yes fast enough. “Every bit of it, and more.”

He put his hands at the small of her back, and they swayed to the classic lowrider oldie that had since been cranked up a
few notches in volume.

I feel it’s time we should make up, baby
.

I feel it’s time for us to get back together
.

He hugged her head, and leaned in to her ear and sucked in, sending a chill across her already-shivering body. “I love you,
Estrella. Will you answer my question on the mural?”

“Do you even have to ask?”

“I want to hear it from your juicy lips.”

“We all want to hear it from your juicy lips!” Benecio shouted. Everyone started to whistle and howl.

“YES!” Star threw her arms in the air. “I want to be your wife! I can’t wait! Especially for the honeymoon,” she said with
a naughty nod. At last, Star had her love shine moment, just like her mom hoped she would.

“We can take care of that tonight…,” he said, pecking up and down her shoulder. “Want to hear something funny?”

“Go for it.”

“You were right about the wedding brochures. I had too much pride to say so before, but I really did plan to ask you to marry
me that night.”

“Want to hear something funny, too?” Star asked.

“Go for it.”

“I had planned to spray paint ‘I love you, Theo’ on the wall, but chickened out, and did happy faces instead.”

“Hey, you two,” Al interrupted. “Now that your business is all straightened out, can I change the subject? I found something
while setting up I don’t understand. What’s this about three hundred and fifty pounds of glitter?”

Ofie led him away to fill him in and give him a sample. The others came out of hiding and a few new guests arrived.

“Star, I want to introduce you to my former remote cameraman from KPDM,” Chloe said. “I bumped into him in the restaurant
tonight and he has something he wants to tell you.”

The burly Ving Rhames lookalike Star remembered from her mural TV segment stepped in and nudged her elbow. “I want you to
know, I learned to knit thanks to you!”

They all gathered around him and howled with laughter as he reenacted Star’s actions from that day.

After a few more rounds of hugs and “I’m so happy for you!” conversations, Theo and Star coerced everyone inside to escape
the cold. Gustavo began to play a samba-tinged version of Bob Marley’s “Waiting in Vain,” which made all the guests stand
up and dance. Even the mariachis played along while Las Bandidas del Fuego rolled around on their skates and boogied.

The lights dimmed, and a disco ball sparkled all over the walls.

Star walked to the center of the dance floor and watched her friends and family sway to the tunes. She opened her arms over
her head, twirled, and let the light’s reflections dance on her skin. This was it. The love shine.

And no amount of glitter in the world could top it.

Waking Up in the Land of Glitter
has Spanish (and Spanglish) terms sprinkled throughout the book. Many of these words have multiple meanings that vary by
region. However, this glossary features the translations as presented by the characters in the book.

amigas:
female friends

ay, pobrecito:
aw, poor thing

barrio:
neighborhood

borincano:
Puerto Rican man

borracha:
drunken girl

cabrón:
brat

café con leche:
coffee with milk

cajita:
small box

cariño:
endearing affection

casita:
small house

cerveza:
beer

champurrado:
Mexican hot chocolate

chicle:
gum

chiquita:
little girl

chola:
A tough chick who represents her barrio. Usually wears a lot of makeup—thick liquid eyeliner, dark brown or red lipstick,
and arched eyebrows drawn on really thin.

chonies:
underwear

cojones:
courage

corazón:
heart

craftista:
female crafter, as in
artista
(female artist)

Día de los Muertos:
Day of the Dead

egotista:
egotistical

El Solitario:
Jinete Sin Fronteras: The Solo One: Rider Without Borders

esa:
homegirl

estrella:
star

familia:
family

flauta:
corn tortilla rolled up like a flute, filled with beef or chicken and then deep fried

gracias:
thank you

grito:
a hearty shout

hombre:
man

huevos:
the nerve; the balls or guts

la cocina fina:
the fine kitchen

La Isla del Encanto:
The Charmed Island

la pachanga:
the party

Las Banditas del Fuego:
The (female) Bandits of Fire

loca:
crazy

lucha libre:
Mexican wrestler

mamacita:
little mama

menudo:
Mexican soup made with hominy and beef tripe

mi hija:
my daughter, often written as a contraction,
m’ija

mi hijo:
my son, often written as a contraction,
m’ijo

mi loca artista:
my crazy artist

mi tierra:
my land

mota:
marijuana

muchacha:
little girl

mucho:
very much

mujer:
woman

nada:
nothing

nalgas:
butt cheeks

novia:
girlfriend

ofrenda de amor:
offering of love

pan dulce:
sweet bread, Mexican pastries

pasión:
passion

pero:
but

pinche pendejo:
crude way of saying “stupid idiot”

por favor:
please

prima:
cousin

puta:
hootchie

que linda:
how beautiful

qué pasa:
what’s up?

quinceañera:
celebration for a girl who turns fifteen

si:
yes

ruco:
boyfriend

siéntese:
sit down

talavera:
a type of pottery painted with vivid colors

te amo:
I love you

uno mas:
one more

vato:
dude

veté:
go!—as in “Get out of here!”

Warning—excessive exclamation points ahead!

I owe 350 pounds (times a million!) of imported green glass glitter to my husband, Patrick Murillo, for his love and patience
with me while I wrote this book. Every time I doubted myself, he made me push on. My kids, DeAngelo and Maya too! Some of
my favorite memories are of all of them sitting on the bed while I read my chapters aloud. They offered so much insight, quips,
and great tips—this book is theirs as well as mine!

Many prayers to my dad and grandparents in heaven for being my guardian angels. A tray of homemade cupcakes goes to my mom,
Norma Cano, and my Nana Jauregui, for being so supportive. To my mother-in-law, Susie Murillo, for helping me with the house,
kids, cooking, and chores so I could meet my book deadlines! Much love to the Cano, Hadley, Hidalgo, Christensen, Jauregui,
and Garcia families for always asking for status updates with my writing.

I would also like to thank my friends who listened to me go on and on about the outline, plot, title, cover, and everything
else involved: Valerie Marderosian, Alyson Dias, Lauren Binci, Cheryl Ball, Debbie Hines, Lindy Selnick, Jennifer Perkins,
Alexa Westerfield, Margot Potter, Laurie Notaro, Michelle Savoy, Carrie Wheeler, Randy Cordova, Sarah Hodsdon, Nancy Marmolejo,
and the Phoenix Fridas. Special gracias goes to my early readers, Kathya Hildalgo, Yoli Manzo, Belén Rodriguez, and Deborah
Muller. A jar of sequins to everyone in the chica lit genre for paving the way for Latina writers! Thank you to Vickie Howell
and Lisa Gentry for help with my speed crochet facts. Gracias to Terri Oulette and The Craft and Hubby Association.

A double-deluxe group hug to my agents, Erin Malone, Scott Wachs, and Bethany Dick at the William Morris Agency. Triple-thick
thanks to Selina McLemore, my superhero editor, who coached me through the process and didn’t get too upset when I had “Ofie”
moments of my own! And to Latoya Smith and the staff at Grand Central Publishing—thank you for making my dream come true!

Glitter glue to Natalie, Jenny, and Rachel, and the crew at
CraftZine.com
for all the love.

A huge shout-out goes to the craft community and the Crafty Chica Cruises. I have met so many wonderful people in workshops,
book signings, meet-ups, craft fairs, online networks, at conventions and other gatherings. Thank you for being just as
loca
for paint, paper, glitter, and glue and fabric as I am!

And a hand-over-my-heart thanks to YOU for reading this book. I hope it inspires you to live an artful life, or at least get
crafty now and then. Remember—

Life is art.

Art is love!

You know what kind of magic Star’s shrine worked on Theo; now it’s time for you to break out the glitter and glue and make
one too!

This type of art is called assemblage. It’s all about arranging objects in a random yet balanced manner. Because of this,
no two shrines will ever look the same. Your masterpiece will be one-of-a-kind!

A shrine can be used for a variety of purposes. Create one to dress up a corner in your home, your desk at work, or give it
as a gift to a friend or loved one. Theme it toward something you adore or hope to do—like a travel adventure, a wild date,
or anything else that triggers happy emotions. If you have a loved one who passed on, make one in honor of them.

Here is what you’ll need:

Music!
Background music helps set the mood. Why not check out some of the artists mentioned in the book? Foreign movie soundtracks,
Yerba Buena, Manu Chao, Amy Winehouse, Rufus Wainwright, Dusty Springfield, Girl in a Coma, Lola Beltran, The Pinker Tones,
Rose Royce, and Ozomatli are great discs to start with.

A shallow box or container.
Cigar boxes (Star’s favorite), matchboxes, cake pans, dresser drawers, suitcases, and jewelry boxes work great. And don’t
worry—you don’t need to have a bad habit to make art. You can find cigar boxes at any smoke shop.

A focal point.
Star used an image from a Mexican comic, but you can use a family snapshot, a postcard, a small painting—anything that visually
anchors the theme.

Decorative papers.
Visit the scrapbook section of the craft store to find a treasure trove of options. You can also use vintage newsprint for
an antique look.

Embellishments.
Sequins, crystals, glitter, mini mirrors, stickers, old jewelry pieces—anything small that will give your box character.

Ribbons and trims.
These are great for livening up the sides of your box and can be readily found at any craft, gift, or drug store.

Letter beads.
Use these to spell out a name for your love shrine. Most craft stores carry a great variety.

Thick white craft glue
(a glue stick or a hot-glue gun will work also),
scissors,
and
dimensional squeeze paint
(found at your favorite craft shop or any art supply store.)

Here’s how to make it:

1. Line the inside and outside of your container with the decorative paper by using the white craft glue, a glue stick, or
hot-glue gun.

2. Arrange your objects in the box. Start with the focal point image, and then build out. Don’t glue anything yet! Move the
items around until you like the layout and then glue it all in place.