Pretty Little Pendant

It's been awhile...

2011-07-28T05:44:00.000-07:00

The Beach (in blue), 4"x4.5"

My poor blog is feeling sadly neglected...and I completely understand why. The poor thing hasn't been updated since in 6 months! Do you ever feel like life just gets in the way sometimes? We just registered little Ella for first grade and Eva will start her last year of preschool in the Fall...I just can't believe that my babies are growing up! Ella will be 7 in a month and I just don't know how that is possible. It seems like just yesterday we were bringing her home from the hospital, she was learning to walk, beginning preschool...geez, how do I slow time down a bit?

Water Baby, 3"x4"

I won't bore you with details of the last 6 months, but in a nutshell here goes....

2 kids in school, David coaching track, a last minute decision for David to start his master's program, a family vacation to Disney World and a lovely visit with Florida family members, a crazy summer, softball, gymnastics...you get the idea.

Track Star, 3"x4.5"

So now as summer is winding down, I find myself secretly happy and welcoming the return of school, cooler weather (hopefully), and settling into a normal routine (albeit hectic at times).

Ruth with Pink Bubbles, 5"x7"

September will also bring about my first attempt as an art fair vendor. This is a baby step...my way of testing the water...and something that I've avoided doing for several years now. I decided to start small...with a small outdoor art fair on a Saturday morning. I have no tables, no tent, no table coverings, and no idea how in the world I'll display my work...I'm looking forward to it. If any seasoned art show vets have advice on anything...please leave me a comment. I need all the help I can get!

Happy Valentine's Day!

2011-02-15T14:13:00.001-08:00

Hubby and I generally don't celebrate Valentine's Day, but I decided to gift him this piece for V-Day after he made the comment that he really liked it. His actual comment was more like, "I really LOVE that new one...the people look like zombies!" How romantic!

Hope you and your sweetheart had a wonderful Valentine's Day!

Giveaway!

2011-01-05T17:14:00.000-08:00

One of my very favorite artists, Shelley Kommers Luna is offering an amazing giveaway on her blog!

Be sure to stop by Oiseaux and leave a comment before midnight on January 9th for your chance to win a free spot is Tara Sophia Mohr's online workshop: Quieting Your Inner Critic & Reclaiming the Driver's Seat in Your Work and Your Life.

Tara is a poet, coach, and inspiration, and author. Her new ebook, The Real Life is also available for free download on Shelley's blog...AND Shelley's amazing work is featured on the cover!

Sold!

2010-12-29T14:14:00.001-08:00

Marching, 4x4 mixed media

This little piece sold today and is off to its new home.

I've been trying to add at least one new piece to my etsy shop each day, so check in often. Today I uploaded one of my favorites...Picture Day! Check it out here.

New glasses

2010-12-29T05:13:00.000-08:00

I finished these just before Christmas...Eva had the flu and I had a little extra time on my hands.

Eyeglasses 1, 2 & 3, mixed media on 4x8 matboard

Ella, my 6-year old helper, solidly positioned herself next to me and got busy creating her very own art.

Ella's masterpiece

It was fun to work side-by-side...but a little nerve-wracking as well. Think acrylic paint-loaded paintbrushes soaring through the air right above my work and blue chalk pastel dust filling the air and you've pretty much got it.

I made it to etsy's front page!

2010-12-29T05:08:00.000-08:00

And here is the screenshot...

AND I sold two pieces (including the eyeglasses piece pictured here)! I'm very excited if you can't tell ;)

New mixed media...and leotards?!?

2010-10-18T10:20:00.000-07:00

I have a couple new mixed media pieces to show off. These are the first pieces I've done in MONTHS!

The Snowmakers, 5"x7"

Eyeglasses, 8"x20"

As you may or may not know...I have a short attention span. I tend to pour my whole heart and soul into something (soldered jewelry, art, sewing, cooking)...for about 5 minutes, then I'm ready to move on to the next thing :)

So, one of my latest passions is making gymnastics leotards for my girls. I've made them each so many leotards, that I opened a new etsy shop as an outlet. It all began one day about a year ago...the girls needed new leos and I didn't want to pay $30+ for a leo they would grow out of in 6 months...so I did a little research (a LOT of research actually). I discovered several patterns that had positive reviews, read up on some sewing tips for spandex fabrics, bought some fabric, and the rest is history.

If you're looking for a leo for your little lady, visit my etsy shop here and check out leos. I have tons of fabrics to choose from, so if you don't see anything you like, I can work with you to create a custom leo. Your little lady will stand out in the gym with a custom leo.

Have a great week!

~Alisa

My baby is 6!

2010-09-09T08:05:00.000-07:00

I don't know how it happened...I swear it was just a couple years ago that my little Ella was born. How could it be that she started kindergarten a few weeks ago? Not only is she going to school all-day, but she is in gymnastics, went to cheer camp and is starting piano lessons soon. I still can't believe that she is 6 years old!

Ella age 2.

Ella turned 6 over Labor Day weekend, so I gave her a choice..."do you want a Chuck E. Cheese party (she always does) or do you want a themed party at home?" I was a little shocked and happy to hear that she wanted a princess/cooking/make-over party at home this year. After I assured her that we wouldn't have time to do all of the themes she wanted, she settled on a princess party.

The invitation - yes each "girl" had on a different party dress!

The thought of it was secretly flooding my head...we'll have a few people over, we can do it on the cheap, it will be fun! We can make the invitations, party decorations, food (we had lots of snacks, princess punch, princess parfaits and pink lemonade), etc. to cut costs...haha!

The food!

Well, my ideal small-cheap party quickly grew into a big, all-out princess bash! Could we really have it any other way? I quickly started assembling pink tutus (used to decorated the chairs and then handed out at the end of the party) and making giant pink and white puff balls.

The tutus!

Puff balls made from tissue paper!

The girls decorated magic wands and treat bags.

Eva is in the blue Cinderella dress and Ella is in the gorgeous white flower girl dress.

They slayed a dragon pinata and hunted for the king's missing treasure. Yes, I dressed like a princess too!

Then they had cake...but not just any old cake. The kiddos got to decorate their own individual 4" cakes any way they wanted.

Then Ella blew out the candles on her 3-tier princess cake and opened all of those wonderful presents.

That was a re-cap of the two-hour party in a nutshell. They girls stayed busy and seemed to have a great time! Yes, it was a TON of work and I had to take two days off to accomplish it, but the look on her face at the end of the day was priceless. Chuck E. Cheese has nothing on me!

Now...I wonder what kind of party Eva will want...

Microfilm anyone?

2010-03-21T09:11:00.000-07:00

A couple weeks ago I was very fortunate to be gifted with a HUGE box full of microfilm and another HUGE box full of microfiche that the library was getting rid of. Lets just say if rolls of microfilm & envelopes of microfiche were money, I'd be off living it up on a beach in the Caribbean right about now.

The Looker, 4x8 on cradled hardboard

Here is my first attempt at using some of my new acquired materials in a collage. I was worried at first that the gel medium wouldn't work with the film or that my spray fixativ wouldn't stay put, but I'm happy to say that I didn't have any problems with the film at all.

So I'll definitely use it in future collages...probably every collage...for the rest of my life. Did I mention that I have a LOT of microfilm & microfiche at my house?

If you'd like to take some of it off of my hands, I'd be happy to send it out and spread the wealth a bit. Just shoot me an e-mail at lislis32@hotmail.com and let me know your name and address.

~Alisa

A couple new pieces

2010-02-26T09:23:00.000-08:00

Yesterday I finally got around to finishing these two small pieces...the second piece is similar to the one I donated to Hearts for Haiti. I ended up shipping that one off to Germany, so I thought I'd make another.

Barbie!

2010-02-18T17:01:00.000-08:00

I haven't felt much like creating art lately...maybe I've got the February blahs. The recent snow certainly hasn't helped matters much.

So, instead of posting about art today I'm going to share a few pics from our weekend visit to the Children's Museum of Indianapolis...and the new Barbie exhibit.

Now, let me start off by saying that I'm not the biggest Barbie fan on the planet. I may have owned one or two barbies as a kid, but I was much more interested in building birdhouses and working in the garage with my dad than playing with dolls. My sister was the barbie girl. She had the super cool barbie house with the elevator that really moved (when you pulled the string).

And when Ella was born I swore that she would never play with barbies...after all should little girls really play with super skinny, scantily clad little women? I know they have doctor barbie now and veterinarian barbie now, but these dolls can't possibly be good for a girl's self-esteem. Of course that philosophy went out the door in about 5 minutes...right after a very kind relative picked up a trunk-load of barbies at a garage sale and lovingly gifted them to Ella. I was fighting a losing battle...I conceded defeat.

Okay, now that I've said that...I absolutely LOVED the Barbie exhibit. Maybe it was the nostalgia...maybe it was all the cool activities...maybe it was barbie vault full of priceless dolls...maybe it was just me, but it was awesome!

Oh and the girls enjoyed it too! There were life-size barbies, barbies from the 50s through today. Who knew they made so many different barbies! Then of course there were Skippers and Ken dolls and god knows who else. They also had a runway where you could dress in the latest fashions, mix the music and take photos...and you could design your own fashions too.

So we spent a fun-filled Saturday with Barbie and her pals...what a great day!

~Alisa

My beautiful new book

2010-01-27T05:44:00.000-08:00

Okay I'll admit it...I enjoy reading. I was one of those kids who actually did the readings for high school and college literature classes...and enjoyed them. At the time I would never admit it...I had a reputation to protect after all and would complain along with my classmates that I just didn't have time to read Homer's Odyssey or Dickens' Great Expectations. But I did read them...and enjoyed them.

Years later, I don't have to hide my addiction anymore. Although my free time has been drastically reduced by two little demanding girls, when they are in bed my books come out. One book in particular of late...a lovely book containing 7 Jane Austen novels.

When I stumbled upon this gorgeous book at Barnes and Noble last week, I knew immediatlely that I had to have it. Cracking the cover open, I was instantly transported to another world. This is what EVERY book should look like...beautiful, leather bound with golden pages. Nevermind the it is completely impractical. You can't very well tuck it into your bag and pull it out to read during your lunch break, but who cares! Everytime I open it I get this wonderful giddy feeling...pure joy! I'm currently re-reading Sense and Sensibility, but when I'm finished with Jane, I'll have to pick up another of these amazing books...Shakespeare or maybe Poe...I really don't care which, the books are so gorgeous!

On a side note...this book was a wonderful distraction and has allowed me to successfully fight this wierd urge I have to re-read the Twilight series. Am I crazy? Maybe...my brain is telling me not to re-read the series, but yet the crazy urge remains. Anyone else read the series and struggle with this?

What are you currently reading?

Little Girls

2010-01-26T10:11:00.000-08:00

Aren't they the best? Okay I'll admit that I'm a little biased. Our household is made up of me (a girl), Ella and Eva (both girls), Dave (not a girl) and two little kitties (both girls), so please excuse me for being voicing my opinion that girls are the absolute bestest! Now, give the girls a few years and I'm sure I'll change my mind completely and wish to the heavens that I'd had boys instead...but for now I'll take the girls.

Here are a couple new girlie pieces of art...

Baby 6"x10"

Little Angel #2 6"x10"

I just recently got a few pieces back from a local coffee shop, so look for new art in my ANDstudio shop soon!

Check out my new etsy shop!!!!!

2010-01-03T12:30:00.000-08:00

Yep, that's right...after much internal debate, I decided to transition away from soldered jewelry and focus more on my true passion mixed media collage art. So, I'm listing new pieces in my new shop ANDstudio and will eventually close prettylittlependant. It was a tough choice, but now that I'm working full-time, I need to focus my energy in one direction and not be so scatter-brained.

My new shop is called ANDstudio (my initials+studio) and I hope to have the first batch of new stuff listed there this afternoon.

Wish me luck!

~Alisa

Somerset Studio Aubergine

2010-01-01T06:52:00.000-08:00

One of my pieces is in the current issue (Jan/Feb 2010) of Somerset Studio...and imagine my elation when I discovered that I shared the page with a dear friend and talented artist, Nancy Lefko! This was my first attempt at submitting something (solo) for publication...it wasn't as hard as I'd imagined. I'm glad I took the plunge and encourage you to do the same.

Find the current submission calls for the Somerset publications HERE.

Also check out the Cloth Paper Scissors challenges HERE.

A couple special Christmas pieces

2009-12-30T16:59:00.001-08:00

I wanted to share a couple pieces I've been working on for the last couple months. These were Christmas gifts for my parents and my in-laws. Both are BIG...for me at least. And both gifts went over very well.

My parents - 18"x24"

Dave's parents - 16"x20"

We had a wonderful Christmas at our house. My sister and her family came all the way from the Florida Keys to spend the week with us. I don't know what the girls are going to do now that they've gone home. They had such a wonderful time playing with my sis's twin boys.

Oh and a big thank you to my sis who gave me the Twilight series to read. I did absolutely nothing constructive for a week...I just couldn't pull myself away from the books long enough to get anything accomplished. So...thanks sis!

My father-in-law made me some really amazing cradled artist panels, so look for new work coming soon. I can't wait to test them out!

~Alisa

Little Angel

2009-12-06T11:09:00.001-08:00

Here's a piece I recently completed. I've been playing around with larger transfers...and am very happy with the outcome. This piece is 10"x20" and is currently hanging on the wall in my studio.

Vintage Photo Freebies

2009-12-01T07:23:00.000-08:00

These images come from my personal collection...feel free to use them in your art, but please don't re-sell them.

Hope you enjoy the images. If you do decide to use any of these in your art, I'd love to see it...just leave a comment with a link to your creation.

~Alisa

It's Fall!

2009-11-15T09:14:00.000-08:00

You'll have to excuse me for not blogging the past few weeks. You see, it's Fall at our house and we've been playing outside, soaking up the gorgeous weather.

And of course the best part about Fall (besides caramel apples and pumpkin pies) is playing in the leaves! We have some really giant trees in our yard that produce an abundance of crisp jump-worthy leaves of all colors. The girls take full advantage of the gi-normous piles of leaves I rake...and rake...and rake. They do help out with their minuscule blue rake...or at least they try. But it's all worth it when you get lovely photos like these.

And since I haven't blogged for quite some time, I thought I'd post a couple Halloween pics too. Ella was a zombie nurse. She wanted to be a zombie fairy nurse, but hubby wouldn't let her add the wings to her costume. He was afraid people wouldn't "get it" :) Eva was the cutest little candy corn witch and both girls came home with the candy mother-load (yea for mommy)!

Happy Fall!

~Alisa

$5 ART SALE!!!!

2009-10-18T10:56:00.000-07:00

In an effort to make some room in my studio space for new artwork, I'm having a $5 ART SALE in my etsy shop.

That means you can own an original piece of art (not a reproduction print) for only $5!

Visit my etsy shop to take advantage of the sale!

~Alisa

My art is up at Strange Brew Coffee Shop

2009-10-11T17:34:00.000-07:00

Friday night Dave and I hung about 25 of my pieces at Strange Brew Coffee Shop in Greenwood, Indiana. The pieces ranged in size from small art cards (2.5"x3.5") up to a giant 22"x30" piece.

The shots are horrible...not much light around here at 7:30 p.m. any more, so I'll have to stop by and take a few photos during the day. At least you'll get the general idea.

Rumor has it that at least two pieces have sold aready, although I haven't been back by to confirm that rumor.

So if you're around Greenwood, be sure to stop in, have a cuppa coffee, enjoy the funky atmosphere and take in some art!

~Alisa

This is your chance to help out with a community mural!

2009-10-10T11:33:00.000-07:00

Thanks to a grant from the Christel DeHaan Family Foundation, the Eiteljorg has connected students at the Christel House Academy on the city's south side with Native American photographer and installation artist Will Wilson (Diné) for a mural project that not only introduces young people to art and indigenous cultures, but also helps them to give back to the Indianapolis community by beautifying a neighborhood building.

Beginning this week, students will assist Wilson, a 2007 recipient of the Eiteljorg Fellowship for Native American Fine Art, in tracing and filling in a mural celebrating the Indians of Indiana. The mural, which will be placed on an empty building at 1201 S. Meridian, is being created as part of Christel House Academy's efforts to bring a multicultural education to their students.

Due to the recent rain, we are looking for volunteers to help out...yep, this is your oppurtunity to make your mark (in paint) on the city of Indianapolis. We're going to have beautiful weather this weekend, so if you're available please come out to the mural site (at the corner of Morris & Meridian Streets) and help Will! We are looking for ANYONE who can hold a paintbrush! This is your chance to work with an internationally known artist!

The mural will be dedicated during a ceremony and press conference at the site on Thursday, Oct. 15 at 2:30 p.m.

A snapshot of life...the series

2009-09-27T17:55:00.000-07:00

I've been so busy with work, art and life in general that I've completely neglected my blog for the last few weeks.

I just finished up a series of eleven 4"x4" pieces last week that I'd been working on for the past month or so. I'm hoping to add one more, but used up all my 4"x4" canvases so I have to re-order before I can add any more.

This is one of my favorites of the series. I call it "Bathing Beauties"

The theme of the series is a snapshot of everyday life. Each piece can stand on it's own, but the grouping looks amazing together. I think I'll hang a set of nine and keep two very special pieces just for me. You see, two of the pieces include old family photos that my grandma let me scan several years ago. One is a photo of my grandpa as a young man. He looks so confident and relaxed, traits I didn't see much of in the last few years of his life.

The other is a picture of my grandma and grandpa together relaxing on the pier at the lake. They look so young and happy in the photo...I just love it!

You can see more close-up images on my flickr photostream here.

And right after I finished the series I found out the my work will hang in a local coffee shop called Strange Brew in October. So, I've been busily cutting mats and framing pieces...which is soooo much work! No wonder frame shops charge big bucks for custom framing!

I'll hang the work on October 8th, so if you're planning to be around Greenwood, Indiana anytime soon stop by Strange Brew, have a cuppa coffee and see my work!

~Alisa

My little girl is 5!

2009-09-10T18:08:00.001-07:00

2004 was a year of change for Dave and me. We got married, had a baby girl, and Dave got his education degree and got a real-life paying job. It was a crazy time...especially having a new little baby in our lives. Ella was born on Labor Day weekend on a beautiful Saturday morning after an exhausting 12 hours of labor. She was the tiniest thing I'd ever seen, weighing in at only 5 lb. 14 oz. All the cute clothes we brought to the hospital were way too big for her. She was the cutest little baby and at the time I couldn't even imagine her being anything other than my tiny little baby. I still can't...even though she is the tallest kid (boy or girl) in her class at school.

On Friday night we celebrated her 5th birthday. We dropped off little sis at Nana's house, then went to school with Ella for her "special day". She got to show off some pictures that she brought, fielded questions about her favorite things and had a special snack. She was also supposed to bring one special thing in to show the class, so she chose her autograph book from Disney World. The kids in her class couldn't believe she got autographs from Buzz Lightyear, green army man or Donald Duck. They thought it was the coolest thing. After school we took her to build-a-bear and to lunch. She commented on several occasions that she really liked it when little sis wasn't around and it was just us...and to be honest, so did I. The girls fight constantly when they are together and it was really nice to spend time with Ella when she wasn't screaming at her sister. The perfect birthday culminated in a trip to The Incredible Pizza company where she opened presents, had cake and played games.

Oh and the cake she picked out had to be the weirdest one ever. As we browsed through the Disney characters and movie cakes, she knew instantly what she wanted the moment we saw it...an Indiana Jones cake. It was definitely an odd choice for a 5 year old girl.

So happy birthday to my little girl! I hope you had a wonderful day!

Henry and Betty

2009-08-31T14:57:00.000-07:00

Betty

Henry and Betty are a couple of my newest pieces. Each one is 5x7 on 140 lb. watercolor paper. Now if only I could stop with these silly black circles...they've ended up on everything lately!

Henry