our gratitude

Today is Thanksgiving and I have a million things to be grateful for....

a beautiful and simple life, a husband that is my best friend and partner, a magical little girl who has changed our lives in the most wonderful of ways, family who are always here to love and support us, for the opportunity to live my childhood dream of being an artist, and so much more.

But what I am really grateful for...is all of you! 

We want to thank you from the bottom of our hearts for supporting this little creative business over here. For taking time everyday to stop by, for leaving the kindest comments, for believing in the things that I share and products that I sell, for giving me a place to be myself and for being part of this crazy and creative journey. My family and I want to say thank you! 

We hope you have a beautiful Thanksgiving day.

xo Alisa, Andy and Lucy

feel good

The internet isn't always the most uplifting place to spend your time but once in while there are things that I stumble upon that truly bring a smile to my face and make me feel good. Here are a few of my favorites.

I have a little obsession with flash mob videos- specifically symphony flash mob videos! I've watched this video of the Copenhagen Philharmonic play Edvard Grieg's Peer Gynt on a crowded train hundreds of times. It so perfectly captures the way that music or art is supposed to feel- like a magic!

This video has been making its way around the internet and when I stumbled upon it, I was incredibly inspired by photographer Richard Renaldi's series or portraits called "Touching Strangers". Such a beautiful reminder that maybe we are all not strangers in this world.

Lately Lucy has been obsessed with ballet videos and one of our favorites is this spotlight video with Misty Copeland from the Anaheim Ballet. While I am not a ballerina, Misty's description of ballet and its purity really hits home.

updates from the studio

Before the insanity of the holiday weekend starts, its time for a couple of updates!

I'm having a little Black Friday sale and I've decided to start early, in fact it will run for the rest of the week starting today! You can head on over to the shop HERE.

I've started planning my 2014 studio schedule and I have three really fun classes/retreats that are now open for registration. I am also offering an extra $20 off the early bird rate. You can view all the class details HERE!

Looking for a place to advertise? I've got a handful of ad space available. Head over to my sponsorship page HERE for more information.

5 last minute DIY projects: for your holiday table

Who needs a table cloth when you can create your own? I love using brown craft paper and pens or paint to create a surface filled with doodles and pattern. It is a great way to add a little handmade twist to your holiday table.

TIP: Keep your paper blank and keep supplies at the table and let your guests draw and scribble all over the paper at dinner.

Its no secret that I love finding ways to incorporate nature into my creative projects and one of my favorites materials is wood (branches, twigs, logs and driftwood). With a little paint and a few drilled holes, you instantly have a candle holder that is a perfect centerpiece for a holiday table.

TIP: Every year I like to pick a color scheme for my table that is non traditional. Not all Thanksgiving tables have to be decorated in orange and red! Try getting creative by selecting colors that inspire you.

I love using plants and flowers in my table decorations but I always run out of time to find cute vases and create arrangements. Lunch bags painted in gold are my fast and simple solution for adding a little shimmer to a holiday table. The best part is that they are the perfect size and shape to hold small plants or even fit over a short glass jar.

TIP: During this time of year I get a little bored with "the typical" plants and flowers for arrangements. I like to use things I already have around the house or yard (like my succulent collection) or even grab unexpected things at the grocery store or nursery.

There is no rule that says you must have formal dinnerware or table decor in traditional colors or patterns! I love breaking the rules and mixing all kinds of dishes in different patterns and colors. Things might not match or even feel like the holidays (hello hot pink and brown vintage 70's flowers) but it's a fun way to add a little whimsy to your table.

If I am going to be honest, I don't really understand the importance of napkin rings but they sure do add a touch of pizazz to a table setting! I can't bring myself to buy them so I always end up using cardboard tubes that I paint and decorate. It's a fast, easy and (best of all) free way to add a touch of creativity to your table setting.

Make sure to stop by tomorrow when I will be announcing my Black Friday SALE details and my 2014 studio class schedule!

heart to art remix makeup bags and another GIVEWAY!

Its is time for another preview and product from my Demdaco line- Heart to Art Remix! (I promise I am almost done!) Today I am sharing a little peek at the set of cosmetic bags. These are another favorite of mine because they so perfectly capture the essence of my hand made canvas bags. They are made from coated canvas and have some fun stitching around the edges. Perfect for carrying makeup, art supplies, or even for carrying as a clutch!

I am giving away four sets of makeup bags!

To enter leave me a comment.

Tell me your must have makeup or beauty product.

(mine is under eye concealer and A LOT of it!)

I'll randomly draw four names in the next few days and update this post with the winners!

p.s  We sold of the scarves really fast! Now we have the all styles of scarves back in the SHOP!

life with lucy- 25 months

lucy walk in the clouds from Alisa Burke on Vimeo.

lucy dance from Alisa Burke on Vimeo.

You can read my series of posts about Life With Lucy (dating all the way back to pregnancy!) HERE

chalkboard party favors

With the holidays kicking off next week I have been hard at work putting together all kinds of simple and creative projects to share this holiday season! First up, a simple project to add something special to those holiday tables.

This year I thought it would fun to make something that guests could take away with them from Thanksgiving dinner (or any party or event)- a little chalkboard inspired favor with uplifting quotes about gratitude!

Supplies-

Mini canvas

Mini easel- both typically sold at craft stores

Mod Podge

Acrylic paint

• I started by painting the canvas with black acrylic paint.

• Next I gathered a variety of quotes about gratitude and used photoshop to create a chalkboard inspired design. If I had time I would have loved to hand letter everything but lets be honest- that is A LOT of work. Using photoshop and my collection of cool fonts was really fast and easy. My favorite source for fonts is myfonts

• I cut out my design and using Mod Podge I glued it to the canvas. I finished it off with a good coat of Mod Podge over the top. TIP: using your finger on that top coat smooths everything out.

• The last step was to paint the little easels in a variety of colors.

a peek inside my sketchbook- pattern mash up

Last Friday I shared some photos of a recent runway show at Sao Paulo Fashion Week (you can see the post HERE). I was incredibly inspired by the clothing and not for the obvious reasons. You see, inspiration for my art and my creative process exists in everything- even fashion. And while I won't be wearing clothing like this any time soon, I was SUPER inspired and motivated to incorporate the elements that I loved (the mash up of crazy, wild pattern and color) into my sketching and doodling process! Here is a little peek into my sketchbook...

tissue paper lanterns

Tis the season for lighting candles and keeping cozy! And what better way to create one of kind lanterns and candles holders than with tissues paper and recycled glassware. I can remember as a kid, decorating bottles with colorful tissue paper and I used this process as my inspiration. 

1. Instead of colorful paper I kept it minimal with white tissue and permanent pens. 2. I filled the surface with doodles and drawings. 3. Then, using Mod Podge I covered recycled glass jars with the tissue paper. 

The result is a pretty little collection of lanterns ready for the holiday season!