happy weekend

supplies that I am excited to try!

Molotow One4All Acrylic Marker  Finetec Artist Mica Watercolors   Spectrum Noir Sparkle Glitter Brush Pens   Plaid Mod Podge Sparkle Finish   Utrecht 100% Cotton Duck Canvas Pad   Blick Illustrator Markers and Sets  Vallejo Pouring Medium   Masterpiece Tahoe Cotton Canvas Shapes   Uni-Ball Gel Pens   Art-C Waterbrush, Lime Green, Orange Yellow Set  American Easel Unprimed Wood Painting Panels, Oval  Higgins Ink Brush Tip Marker, Black Magic Ink

spiced cranberry mule mocktail

I don't drink alcohol but that doesn't mean I can't enjoy a fancy beverage! During the holidays I like to come up with non alcoholic drinks that feel fancy and are yummy! One of my recent favorites is a twist on a Moscow Mule.

INGREDIENTS and INSTRUCTIONS:

Fill a mule mug with ginger beer

Add 3Tbsp of cranberry juice

Add a handful of fresh cranberries.

Add a small squeeze of lemon, a pinch of cinnamon and 2tsp of honey.

Mix together.

Add crushed ice.

Last, add a cinnamon stick and rosemary for garnish.

home for the holidays

For the first time in a VERY long time I am not hustling and scrambling during the holiday season and it feels so good! For the last 9 years of self employment, I've worked around the clock, didn't take care of myself and have been totally distracted. I've also carried around a lot of guilt about the way that I work and this was the year I decided to change it! I've spent months planning, preparing and working super hard in the months leading up to December so I could simply be relaxed and a part of all the simple moments. And for the first time in a very long time I am present and it feels good!

merry christmas and happy holidays to you!

Today I just wanted to say thank you. So much of what I do depends on my customers, my students and my readers and I so appreciate the support for my crazy creative business. I want to wish everyone out there a joy filled holiday. From the bottom of my heart I want to say thank you for being a part of our life!

Merry Christmas!

xo Alisa, Andy and Lucy

happy weekend!

handmade wrapping paper

As we move into a weekend full of hustle and preparation for Christmas, I want to encourage you to forget about the pressure to go spend more money on gift wrap! Instead challenge yourself to find simple, fast and creative ways to make your own! Here is a roundup of inspiration for you!

1. stitched gift wrap  2. gingerbread present toppers  3. puff paint wrapping  4. wrapping with nature  5.marbleized wrapping  6. holiday wrapping with paper bags  7. using beads in your gift wrapping  8. using book pages in our wrapping 9. black and white wrapping paper 10. gift wrap from the hardware store 11. wood grain wrapping paper 12. ways to recycle your wrapping paper 

13. finger painted floral gift wrap 14. doodle ribbon  15. gingerbread wrapping paper 16. gelli print wrapping paper

support handmade!

1. Need a gift for a teacher, a sister, a mom, a coworker, a boss, or a bestie? Find fun and colorful mugs, notebooks, and more featuring original art and hand lettering. Each gift-able item is as unique and vibrant as the woman you are shopping for.  Head on over to Dashes of Happiness

2.Helen Hiebert Studio’s 2018 Twelve Months of Paper Calendar doubles as a how-to book and is filled with twelve fun paper projects for the whole family to create together. 12 months and 12 projects feature a list of materials and tools you’ll need to complete the project, plus step-by-step photos and easy-to-follow instructions. An additional Custom Paper Pack features a curated collection of decorative papers from around the world – no need to source your own supplies!

3. Orange Panda Designs creates Handmade Handbags, Accessories, and More.  The option for Hand Embroidered Personalization available on some items. Most items in my Etsy shop are Ready to Ship for the Holidays

4. Sun | Moon Design Co. helps busy moms effortlessly decorate their children's rooms. Whether you're looking for a unique painting or art ready to print & hang, we're here to help. Visit our Etsy shop or email us directly at sunmoondesignco@gmail.com to find out more.

5. Out of love for detail and perfection,out of love of drawing, we created an online shop with selection of wall prints of handdrawn, detailed mandalas and floral letters in A4 to B2 sizes. Out of love of watercolor magic we started adding posters  of  handpainted art, including art for nursery and kids rooms, as well as large, watercolor handpainted originals of flowers and greenery that turned to be bestseller, specially as a wedding gift!

6. Welcome to The Found Art Walk! Whether you're just beginning your artistic journey, working through a creative block or looking to try something new, my inspiration kits and Found Object Creativity Kits can help you see both your artwork and the world around you with fresh eyes. My goal is to provide inspiration to artists of all ages and levels and encourage everyone to not worry about being too precious with their materials, but instead to take the time to experiment with different tools, try new ways of getting started and just play. 

7. In the book, a grandfather ponders the question, Grandpa! Grandpa! What will I see? As one might expect, Grandpa answers by sharing memories of his own, events etched in history, lessons learned, and teachable tales. “What would you like to see?” he asks his granddaughter. Her response is filled with dreams and fantasies, whimsical, hopeful, and lighthearted.

8. The Good Co gets inspiration from vintage finds and turns them into modern day goodness for your home. We know your home is much more than an address and hope you love our handmade products as much as we love making them.

9. The Messy Palette Club is a fun and educational online watercolor painting club led by inspiring and award-winning instructor Vinita Pappas.  Messy Palette Club Members receive new content each week, such as painting demos and tutorials.  Join today to become a part of this interactive and supportive community of watercolor painters! 

10. My name is Lara. I design and sell stamps, stickers, and handmade journals. I love to use vintage ephemera and sewing pattern girls in my art. Both can be found in my handmade journals. I hope you will stop by my shop and see if there is anything Santa can place under your tree!

11. Lightning Laser Cuts is a growing home based family business that thrives on great customer service and word of mouth, located in Southern California. We offer high quality laser cut and engraved wood gifts, home decor and craft products for any occasion! 

wrapping with flowers

I know that it's not practical but I just don't care- fresh flowers are my favorite way to top a gift! And while this process doesn't work well for gifts that sit under the tree for days, I love topping hostess gifts, housewarming gifts and neighbor gifts with a fresh little bouquet that can be popped into water as soon as the package is opened.

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mini tapestry ornaments

I love the boho look of fiber weavings but I still haven't learned to weave (someday I will!) but I enjoy creating tapestry inspired decor out of simple materials. This year it would be fun to create mini tapestry ornaments that have the look and feel of a weaving but are way less time and work! 

I used canvas but just about anything could be used for this project- fabric, leather, denim, even thick paper. I started by cutting small pieces of canvas.

Then I sketched out my design. I used simple shapes and pattern.

Next, I painted everything. Since the shapes and designs are simple, I used vibrant color to add some POP! 

I continued to add more layers of color and simple shapes.

And then finished then off with some tiny dots, lines and details.

Once the paint dried, I cut fringe into the bottom of the canvas. 

I used little twigs that I collected from the yard as the hanger.

And sewed those twigs to the top of the canvas. The last step was to add string hanger.

The result is fun little ornaments to hang on the tree or even use as a present topper!

HAPPY WEEKEND

shop handmade

I am excited to be sharing more makers! My hope is to inspire you to shop handmade this holiday season.
1. Emily Caven is a scientist-turned-artist who sells personalized watercolor paintings, fine art prints, and greeting cards at her online shop, BlueJay Bay. Her art maps and other paintings are fun and vibrant celebrations of the subject matter, appealing to nature lovers, travelers, happiness seekers, and gift givers. Emily’s made-to-order paintings can be personalized to suit your tastes, and the result is a one-of-a-kind, meaningful piece of art. Visit Emily's shop HERE

2.  I am Viktoria Rodek, illustrator and surface pattern designer. I love painting folk and nature inspired watercolour patterns and illustrations. In my shop I mainly sell originals, prints, notebooks and stickers.

3. Becca & Mars is a natural body care company specializing in bath products, skin care and aromatherapy. Our goal is to create lovingly crafted products with only the highest quality all natural ingredients. 

All items are handmade in small batches using pure essential oils; no synthetic fragrances.

4.  Daylong Daydreams is a creative business owned and operated by Amanda Kritzberg to showcase her original artwork and artistic projects. You'll find paintings with whimsical forest creatures, rainbow-inspired abstracts, and cotton candy skies. During the holidays, the shop features hand-painted Christmas ornaments, Hanukkah dreidels, and mini acrylic paintings on canvas. 

5. I hope you will find my shop and my art a place to come back to time and time again. My style is "fusion" just like cooking a little of this and little of that. All my art is filled with vibrant color, and  in your face art, I believe in the saying bold and loud makes a room come alive.So hopefully you will stay awhile and browse and find something you cant do without.  

6. SeamstressErin Designs publishes sewing patterns for Every Day Dress Up in sizes 0-24, cup sizes A-F. Join us in sewing a handmade wardrobe and playing Dress Up Every Day.

7. Most of the jewelry that I design, create and sell is made of repurposed silver plate platters, jewelers' bronze and sterling silver.  Each piece is as unique as the women who wear them.  You'll find me selling at shows, on line and in Amiro Art & Found, a St. Augustine gallery of which I am a co-owner. You can visit my online shop HERE

8. My name is Tanja Zinkl, I am a painter based in Vienna, Austria. I make funky acrylic paintings in all sizes to adorn your walls! My colourful original paintings are made of many layers of paint and collage elements, featuring mandalas, the human figure and elements of nature. You can visit my online shop HERE

9. It’s easy to get overwhelmed during the Christmas season. You decorate, shop, wrap, bake, go to parties and concerts and parades and… it’s all so wonderfully overwhelming! Then on top of that you need to take beautiful photos and scrapbook it all too? Scrapbook Christmas in January is a class that was created to take the stress out of recording your Christmas so you can do the bare minimum now and scrapbook your Christmas memories in January when you have time!

10. Sharing bold color, sweet flowers, and encouraging words through painting. Bethany Joy Art offers a variety of vibrant home decor and gifts including original art, art prints, greeting cards, painted accessories, signs, and more

11. Find original watercolor art on your favorite items at Hand and Hart Designs.  Beautiful, heartfelt gifts and decor for the Holidays!

12. Offering whimsical, unique home decor items with a vintage focus. New items for this Christmas season include cloth gift bags made from various fabrics including vintage embroidery, wool sweaters, and vintage tablecloths. Investigate our adorable wooden chalkboard Christmas gift tags upcycled from vintage shutter slats and incorporating various vintage papers, stamps and other embellishments. Visit The Darling Shop HERE

13. Sew You Like It is a shop full of whimsical quilted keepsakes where one can find quilts for home decor, for gift giving and for warmth.  All of the creations in my shop portray my attention to detail, my attraction to color and my love for quilting.

14. Whimsy Forest is a place of make believe and magic. The small toys are created with all natural materials; wool felt, wool stuffing and cotton thread. Stop on by, the critters love to meet new people.

15. Give the gift of a fun new skill or spend a relaxing family day stitching together. Hand embroidery is easy to learn with a copy of ebook 120 Embroidery Stitches and a fresh, modern embroidery pattern. And here are four ways to turn a PDF pattern into a wrappable gift, along with some free printable gift tags.

16. We pride ourselves on creating individual, stylish homewares and accessories using high quality, beautiful fabrics that include our own exclusive designs. All products are lovingly handmade in England and feature unique fabric prints in each collection of handcrafted items. Our statement pieces showcasing designer fabrics will bring an artful style to your wardrobe and home. Visit our shop HERE

17. La Rue de Fleurs is a handmade quilt and soft goods business inspired by the wonders of nature and childhood.  Using a mix of current and vintage fabrics, we create unique modern heirlooms for your home and family.  Each item is individually handmade and infused with love by artisan owner Janice Bailor in her Pennsylvania home studio.

18. At Culture Aromatics, we are doing something innovative and yummy!  First, we select organic vegetables and herbs and gently dehydrate them.  

Once dehydrated, we mill and combine the aromatics in specific proportions to create delicious aromatic flavor builders for cooking. Our process allows the flavors and nutrition of the milled blends to infuse into the food thoroughly for a scrumptious outcome.