Happy Anniversary

David and I celebrated our 5th wedding anniversary yesterday, although we each think of June 26th, the day we first met, as our real anniversary. We've been together much longer than the official 5 years and often joke that we've been together for a third of our lives...okay, in my case it's more like half.

Because he has been so supportive of my passion for art, I decided to make a special piece just for him. So, this is what I came up with. He teaches computer technology to sixth grade students and is a total techie. This collage took me a little out of my element, but I was happy to use some of the wonderful ephemera that I normally shove to the side because it is "not vintage enough".

The piece was done using bits of ephemera...monopoly money, a flash card, a vintage playing card that used to belong to David when he was a kid, some of Ella's handwritting, bits of an envelope and graph paper. Then I added a transferred image of an old computer, used some colored pencil, charcoal and black acrylic paint and finally embellished with black thread. The piece is on a 6"x6" deep edge gallery wrapped canvas and the sides are painted black, so there is no need for a frame.


Enjoy...oh and the anniversary gift was a big hit and will most likely find its way into that sixth grade classroom I mentioned earlier.


~Alisa

Interview with a 4 year old

When I saw this fun little interview on Marisa's blog, Elegant Bloggery, I knew I just had to see what my own 4 year old would come up with. Here's what Ella had to say...

1) What is something mom always says to you?
I love you

2) What makes Mom happy?
When mommy goes to ma & pa's house and swims with me.
(Ma & Pa are what Ella calls my mom and dad, short for grandMA and grandPA.)

3) What makes mom sad?
If I be mean to her.

4) How does your mom make you laugh?
When she makes funny faces at me.

5) What was your mom like as a child?
Like a girl that always wanted to have all my stuff.

6) How old is your mom?
50
(Um, not quite yet. I'm 29.)

7) How tall is your mom?
This high.

8) What does your mom do when you're not around?
Go to work.

9) What is her favorite thing to do?
Go to work to get money.

10) What is your Mom very good at?
Painting

11) If Mom became famous what would it be for?
For telling the weather.

12) What is your mom not very good at?
Remembering things.
(I'm afraid this is true.)

13) What does your mom do for her job?
Go to the post office and send something.

14) What is your mom's favorite food?
Lettuce and sandwiches

15) What makes you proud of your mom?
When she lets me go outside and play in the sandbox.

16) If your mom were a cartoon character, who would she be?
Laurie Berkner
(Not a cartoon character, but a fabulous singer of children's songs...I'll take it.)

17) What do you and your mom do together?
Wait until Eva goes to sleep then go outside and play.
(This is true...we often wait to Eva takes her nap, then we sneak outside for awhile.)

18) How are you and your mom the same?
We have the same socks.

19) How are you and your mom different?
Because our hair is different. Mom's is short and mine is long.

20) How do you know you mom loves you?
I always ask her.

I highly recommend interviewing your own little one...
you're guaranteed more than a few laughs.

Enjoy!
~Alisa

An etsy Garden treasury

GloriousGlassGarden put together this beautiful treasury on one of my absolutely favorite subjects...Spring is finally here!

Coffee anyone?

Is it wrong that my girls LOVE their coffee? My two year old knows all the steps necessary to brew espresso. My oldest has her own special mug to drink her favorite warm beverages out of. What exactly does this say about me as their mom? lol.

Okay, I'll admit that they don't necessarily care for the black stuff. They prefer fluffy frothed milk flavored with vanilla syrup and sprinkled with cinnamon and would probably gag if they tasted "the real stuff". In fact, Ella often orders her coffee with a specific request..."don't put any that black stuff in there, okay Mom?" So you see…I'm not such a bad mom. Giving my girls coffee would stunt their growth (does anyone know if this is really true?). And the house is crazy enough without a caffeine-induced frenzy aiding the girls in their mess-making...I mean creative play.

So in the mornings and sometimes in the afternoons, we have coffee parties where all of us girls gather around the table with mugs of all sizes and down a few cups of delicious coffee. I remember doing the same thing with my mom when I was small, only she gave me watered down "black stuff". Maybe that's why I love my coffee to this day.

~Alisa