inspiration: red, white and blue

ahoy necklace by urban legend

original ink drawing on vintage sewing print by metzy pants

vintage 1960's ked grasshoppers

flour sack pillow from catnap cottage

1960's mod whimsy dress from small earth vintage

pincushion by tootsytwo

vintage polka dot hat from studio 1950

vintage charm pendant from smelly shoes vintage

America Rocks- set of three felted rocks by fairyfolk

vintage coin purse from frenzy finds

abstract painting- fine art print by kla art

ming coral jade and porcelain necklace with pottery shard by polished two

vintage 1960's Nelly Don dress from fuzzy lizzie

oven baked s'mores

Maybe its because I have lived at the beach for much of my life but nothing says 4th of July or "summer is here" like s'mores! S'mores are one of my favorite treats and I can remember sitting on the beach around a bon fire, assembling graham crackers, marshmallows and chocolate while watching fireworks. To this day every time I eat them I am transported to summer, to memories, to childhood. A bon fire or camp fire is not always accessible but you can still enjoy this mouthwatering treat by baking them in the oven- thank goodness!

I will be serving them this weekend on a platter, as dessert for the 4th of July festivities at our house.

Start by laying out graham crackers on a cookie sheet and place 1-2 marshmallows on top of each.

Place into the oven set at 400 degrees and bake until the marshmallows are crispy brown- around 3-5 minutes.

Place pieces of chocolate on top of the hot marshmallows- the heat will melt the chocolate.

Top with another graham cracker.

Stack on a plate and serve warm.

And enjoy every single second gobbling up this warm and gooey treat- YUM-YUM-YUM!

A few TOO MANY s'mores were consumed while making this post :)

Stars and Stripes Wreath Tutorial

Is is just me or did the month of June completely speed by us?!?! Well, whether I like it or not the month of July is starting and Independence Day is this weekend- YIKES! So I am dedicating the rest of the week to fun, easy and creative last minute ideas for your holiday celebrations! I wanted a creative and fun wreath for the door to welcome company and so far I've had no time to run to the store so I made use of what I had on hand.

I started with the inside of an old embroidery hoop to use as the frame for my wreath.

I created all kinds of stars from old bits and pieces of fabric and paper that I free motion stitched with different colors of thread.

A variation for those who don't sew could be drawn, painted or even stamped stars.

Once I was done sewing I cut out all of the stars

and with craft glue, I glued them to the surface of the hoop.

The last step was to create a little striped loop to add the back of the wreath for a hanger.

And voilà!!!! A simple, creative and patriotic wreath to add a little charm to the front door (with no money spent).

Color Your World-New Online Class

Color Your World

July 19th-August 20th

$50.00

I am finally ready to open pre registration for my next online class- Color Your World and it's about time!! I am SO PASSIONATE about his topic because at the core of everything in my life (food, travel, art, clothing, makeup, photography, etc) color is always by my side challenging me, making me grow as an artist, blowing my mind and always inspiring me! While my art and creations are often impulsive and expressive- I am very intentional with my use of color- I believe that a good understanding of color makes all the difference in any creative project.

This class is going to be different from the rest of my classes because it is less about techniques and projects and more about theory, inspiration, finding your voice and setting yourself free with color. There will be homework (YIKES!!) but it will be fun homework, videos, photos, discussions and the opportunity to share, connect and SO MUCH MORE!

Whether you draw, paint, sew, scrapbook, take pictures, love fashion or even decor- this class will challenge you to look at color in a different way. We will start with the basics and then I will push you to work through simple exercises, color theory, inspiration, establishing a palette and developing your own unique voice with color. Get ready to COLOR YOUR WORLD!

I am offering a special pre registration rate- $40.00 until the first day of class- July 19th

(After July 19th the price will be $50.00)

Color Your World

$50.00

QUICK FACTS

Class will be held on a private blog.

You will receive an email with a registration confirmation and additional class details within 48 hours.


*****Class is offered for a limited time July 19- August 20 (different from my unlimited access classes).*****

The class will stay up 1 month after the last day- until September 20th so you will have plenty of time to access information.

You will be able to register up until the last day of class.

This class is on a five week structure with a different lesson that will be posted at the beginning of each week.

Information is set up as "work at your own pace" and access everything when you have time (day, night, etc).

Crescendoh

This week I am honored to be a guest curator on Crescendoh! Head over to Crescendoh to read my art saves story, find fabulous links to some of my favorite inspiration, tons of stories from amazing artists and so much more!

farewell colorado

Farewell Colorado,

Despite your 100 degree weather, prairie grass that makes me sneeze, altitude that causes my heart to race and my head to spin and lightning storms that delayed my plane- as always, your ever changing landscape and beauty took my breath away and filled me with inspiration. I couldn't think of a better place to launch this new adventure that I have in front of me! Once again I must say thanks for being you!

xo Alisa

photo shoot- DONE!

I am finished with the photo shoot in Fort Collins and back in the Denver area with my mother in law and I am exhausted but OH SO EXCITED!! The strange thing about this whole book process is that at this stage I really can't share much (which is hard for me because I really like to share!) but what I can say is that the last few days exceeded all of my expectations. The whole team at Interweave Press was beyond amazing and the process was incredibly collaborative and creative. We spent three days in Joe Coca's studio (which was the coolest studio-in an old brick building, complete with a garden out back, two friendly dogs and really good music to keep us going all day!) I will be sharing more details and information when I get the green light but for now I will say that while there is still tons of work to be done- I am walking away from this week and this experience inspired, motivated, confident and so excited about the things to come.

yes, I'm a hotel snob

Can I just rave for a second about the hotel that I stayed at in Fort Collins? I hate to admit it but I am a hotel snob and while I don't need to stay at a "fancy" hotel I want a super clean room with lots of character. The Armstrong Hotel was everything I look for in a hotel experience and one of the best places I have stayed at! A historic building full of vintage details, right on the main street, a coffee shop below, a cozy vintage iron bed, wood floors and tons of character- the perfect place to lay my head after 3 days full of creative hard work :)