Phoenix and Brat Packs and Mashups, Oh My!

Yesterday, I watched the cutest YouTube video from the lovely Lori's Pretty Things blog, and it made my day.

The band Phoenix is very dear to my heart, as their Alphabetical album, was the first cd that Will and I ever shared a lovin' for. That was a Very. Big. Deal, as Will is a music snob and prior to Alphabetical, believed that my taste in music was inferior to his (whatta pain in the butt, seriously).

But their new song Lisztomania is worthy of awesome YouTube mashups (and tributes of mashups) so here you go. Because they are so flippin' fabulous, I'm just going to post BOTH the Brat Pack Mashup and the Brooklyn Brat Pack Mashup Tribute.

Watch 'em. Seriously. Both of them. Go.


And then also....

Aren't those the cutest things? Thank you Lori for posting the Brooklyn tribute!

And Brooklyn Brat Pack, can I be your friend, please? Because we'd get along famously.

Actually, I'm feeling a little guilty posting these for you, my dear readers. If you are anything like me, you can kiss your long To-Do list goodbye, as it will be impossible to get anything accomplished when you are shaking it like a Polaroid picture.

And if you are still in your seat after watching these, what the heck are you waiting for? Get on up and 80s dance your way to heart happiness.

Go on. No one is watching. And if someone is, just grab their hand and have them shake it with you.

Enjoy!

xoxo,

Frog Princes and Fairy Tales

Poof! Portion of a large painting of mine, done in 2006.

Okay, so here are a couple of things you probably already know about me:

1.) I have a thing for frogs. I love 'em. They are like slippery, slimy little bundles of adorableness and are the #1 best creatures (aside from my girls, obviously) to roam this Earth.

2.) Fairy tales and all that encompass them (ie fairies, mermaids, frog princes, fairy tale romances, castles, knights in shining armor, glass slippers, magic wands, magic mirrors, pumpkins that turn into carriages, mice that turn into coachmen, ect...) are on my ultimate list of Things that Make Marisa's Heart Very, Very Happy.

But here is something you might not know about me... I'm totally psychic.

Actually, that one is still debatable. But let me just tell you, for years I've been saying that if Disney wants to make a comeback with their cute and funny animated fairy tale musicals (for heaven's sake, its been like 10 years since their last one... what have they been thinking!?), then making The Frog Prince would be their best way to go.

Ordinarily, I avoid kids movies, especially cartoons, at all costs. But seriously, how awesome is this one going to be!? The frog prince story set in New Orleans... be still my heart. Where the heck are the previews? I haven't seen a single one.

*okay, later I found out that all you have to do is YouTube the lil' sucker and here is the preview (click here)* I guess everything is on YouTube.

Since this post is all fairy tales and fabulousness, let me just make sure that you've seen Folk and Fairy (click this link!), which is one of my ultimate favorite blogs. If you haven't seen it before, you will LOVE it, trust me. It is an entire blog devoted to 'clever finds for the faerie inclined' and everything will make you all happy and dreamy and itching for a fairy godmother to bring you everything Elva Undine has to show you.

The latest post featured one of Sarah Haskin's Target Women segments, which had me completely cracking up. I love those Target Women segments, but this one is by far my favorite:

Click it! You won't be disappointed.

Sparkles!

xoxo,

Giveaway Winners and an Artsy Tutorial

My 'I Heart You' give away is over and my winners have been chosen.

That's right... winners, plural. I figured that four winners is better than one winner, so.... ta-da! Four winners it is.

Thank you everyone who entered to win! I was honored to have Cinderella herself choose my winners.


Drumroll, please... Congrats to Leslie, Little Pink Plum, Froggy, and Alisa! I'll be posting their custom illustrations for all of you to ooooh and aaaaaaw over, soon!

And one last thing before I'm off for the day (I'm sick today, so I'm going to be resting on the couch while the kids tear up the house around me): Here is an artsy tutorial I posted over at The Mama Dramalogues (click here).

Sisters Are Different Flowers from the Same Garden
by Gracie and Marisa Hopkins

Enjoy!
xoxo,

I've Been Duped!

*cross posted from The Mama Dramalogues
Crying, biting, being forced awake all night, temper-tantrums, messes that never ever go away no matter how much I clean them... this wasn't what I signed up for, and I'm feeling like I've been duped.

Let me explain. You see, I took that class in high school, the one where we learn just how hard it is to take care of a baby. For one hellish week, everyone in Senior year Psychology had a baby. That's right, a baby.

A 5-lb sack of flour that went with us everywhere, just like real babies.

They needed to be swaddled in blankets, they had to go from class to class with us, they had to come home and go with us to our jobs. They had to sit up at the dinner table with us, and be tucked into bed. Right next to us. It was hell.

Do you know how tough it is to go to the grocery store with a 5-lb sack of flour baby? Do you understand just how hard it is to walk the halls at school, toting a 5-lb sack of flour baby? I did. Oh yes, I lived through it for one entire week, and let me tell you, after living through that, I was prepared for anything.

Thank you high school, for preparing me for the real world.


... and then I had kids. Real kids.

I had crying, biting, awake-all-night, temper-tantrum throwing, messes-that-never-ever-go-away-no matter-how-much-I-clean-them making kinds of kids.

I want to know... Where is my sweet little 5-lb baby? Where is the tiny little thing, swaddled in a pink blanket who goes with me everywhere and sits happily in the shopping cart without making one little peep? Where is the silent little thing that allows me to sleep through the night, completely uninterrupted? Where?

And who the heck is this screaming little 8-lb thing who eats round the clock, doesn't give me a second of peace, refuses to sleep for even a second, and who needs her diaper changed every 45 seconds?

I think I've been duped.

xoxo,

Absolutely Adorable ACEOs

Yay, I'm excited!

I've wanted to have ACEO* prints of my favorite illustrations in my shop for ages now, but I only just figured out how to size my images to a 2.5 inch by 3.5 inch file to be printed (I am sooo not computer savvy, let me just tell you).

* If you aren't sure what an ACEO is, read this:

An ACEO (Art Card Edition and Original) is an art trading card. They measure 2.5 x 3.5 inches, which is traditional ACEO size. They are wonderful little collectibles, and the perfect way to own awesome art and prints without breaking the bank. Think baseball card, only waaaay cooler.

So, I figured it all out and sent my images off to into the big bad world of internet photo services and BAM! today my lovely little ACEO prints arrived! They are SO CUTE!

Take a peek at the tiny little things, and oooh and awwww with me for a moment...




Okay, I know... nothing you haven't already seen before... but seriously, these tiny little trading card sized prints are ADORABLE!

I printed up 6 of them, just to see if they'd work (I didn't trust my image-sizing skills) and love them so much I'm going to order more soon. But all of these will be editions of only 24, so if you love 'em, grab 'em.

And more good news:

June's Very AWESOME Deals section of my shop has been filled with many favorite prints at very awesome prices. Come on by and see what will be on sale all month long!

Enjoy!
xoxo,

The Mama Dramalogues

The Mama Dramalogues:
All the Drama Fit to Print... and Then Some

There's a new blog in town and I'm quite excited about it: The Mama Dramalogues. Like the logo? You might recognize it from my post a few days ago. This blog has been a work-in-progress, but now it is up and ready to share with the world.

I got the idea for it after posting, posting and posting some more about what lil' stinkers my girls are (I'm talking about YOU specifically, Annelie!). And, as I love knowing that I'm not the only mom who has more than enough drama on a daily basis, I thought a blog to share stories would be a lot of fun.

There is an awesome group of moms contributing weekly and I'm excited to read the stories they have to share. Besides the hilarious, dramatic, and sugary-sweet posts about being a mom that will be posted each week, we also have Natalie from Perry's Plate on board to share mom and kid-friendly recipes.

Fridays will be an artsy-craftsy tutorial to share, for those crafty moms who are looking for great projects to do with their kids/for their kids/for themselves.

And Saturdays are Show and Tell, a time for readers to share their own drama.

Interested in contributing to this week's Most Embarrassing Kid stories? Just shoot an email to TheMamaDramalogues@hotmail.com, with your story, your name and your blog url, so everyone can laugh, groan, and cry along with you.

Come on by The Mama Dramalogues to read today's hilarious post by Holly of Winklepots and Random Thoughts and I hope you love our blog!

xoxo,

By the Sea, By the Sea, By the Beautiful Sea...

I'm feeling ocean-sick today.

I can't say home-sick for the ocean, as I've never actually lived in one. But my name, Marisa (pronounced Mer-ree-sa), is Latin for 'Of the Sea,' and therefore, I'm supposed to be a mermaid. That sounds logical, right? I think so, too. The ocean is home.

Now that I live waaaaay far from the sea, out here in West Texas, I miss it like crazy. I grew up in the Bay Area of California, only a short drive from Santa Cruz and Capitola. And driving an hour and a half to visit Carmel and Monterrey was just another weekend pastime for me and Will.

As much as I loved the ocean, and spent as much time there as possible, I took it all for granted. I just never expected to be away from it.

I was spoiled by Holly when I went to visit her in April. Seaside, the adorable little beach resort town along the Oregon coast, is only an hour drive from her home, and she was more than happy to pack me in her car and drive off for an afternoon. I hadn't seen the ocean in two years, and wow... it was fantastic being back.

After a lunch of fish and chips and clam chowder, we walked along the beach. The roar of the crashing waves, the smell of the salty air, the seagulls crying out as they fight over the leftover Doritos spilled in the sand -- those are sounds that you just never forget. Once they get into your blood, they are there forever.

Holly certainly knows how to sucker punch me into moving to Oregon.

The last time my girls saw the ocean, they were only babies. Gracie had just turned two and Annelie was only 6 months, when we flew to California and spent our vacation in Santa Cruz and Carmel. The Pacific Ocean might be absolutely, bloody freezing... but in my biased opinion, it is the most beautiful ocean in the world.

Its a beautiful, sunny day today, and though I should be spending it in the sand, listening to the waves crashing, I have to make-do with taking the girls to the swimming pool. They'll have a good time.

But somehow, being splashed by cannon-balling college kids, who blast their boom boxes with hardcore rap music, and swear too much, doesn't sound nearly as good to me as spending the day on a beach towel in the sand.

*sigh*

Here is a little ocean tribute, featuring some of my favorite Etsy items.

Divinity Necklace
www.ohmandie.etsy.com

Ocean Blue Flower #1
by Karen Faulkner
www.karenfaulknerart.etsy.com

A Mermaid Out of Water
by Kathy Jeffords
www.thedreamygiraffe.etsy.com

Ocean-lovers out there, enjoy! And if you are headed to the sea on this fine weekend day, have a blast and know that I'm hideously jealous of you.

xoxo,