WICKED PORTRAIT PARTY

Please check out the frames from my very own Wicked Portrait Party... FIRST EVER!
A night devoted to hair, make-up, fashion and wicked portraits! Hair by Alyssa Davis and Stacy Buck. Make-up by Sally Benson and Ashley Nelson. Wicked Portraits by A. Capra Production. Prints and Photo Gifts by Imprevio Studios.

The Portraits

Behind the scenes


Interested in booking a Wicked Portrait Party for you and your friends. Contact me at capraproductions@gmail.com

Wicked!
-Ali

Hot ~ Hot~ Hot!

Ok, I am obsessed with spicy stuff!
If you know me... then you know I go through a container of red pepper flakes a week.
I love the way it makes your lips burn ever so mightly, the tongue tingles... and the nose starts a RUNNIN!
Thai food, oh yes! Please. Hot! Indian food, even better... HOT!
Anyone who loves firey food knows there are different kinds of hot.
For Instance, Wasabi hot is different than red pepper flake hot.
Recently I came across a local Kansas City company that offers some hot~hot products.
Original Juan Specialty foods.
Love!
http://www.originaljuan.com/ I tried their Firery Popcorn.... just the right kind of hot!
Also, stop by and check out their "WHAT IS HOT?" PAGE... VERY INFORMATIVE!

Settling for the Stories They Told You - An Excerpt

An excerpt from my upcoming book:

Settling for the Stories They Told You
Why are we protecting principles over people? Why can’t we teach principles without basting them with FEAR? Why are we afraid to let young people question the truth? If the truth is the truth… why are we so afraid that harboring pieces of doubt and question will make the truth crumble at its core...?
-Alison Capra

A Party to Remember

My favorite baby boy turned two! No longer a baby... :(
My nephew Joaquin had his party last Saturday. I wanted to share.


Looking through the pics, all I can think is... how glad I am that I didn't miss it. In a world of schedules, chaos an disappointments... Nothing is more special than getting away from it all and celebrating special occasions with people you love. Watching two-year-olds eat way toooo much candy, blow bubbles, and chase each other around the back yard until they pass out!


Mom and Dad, Joaquin confused about what is expected...?
But he's getting more excited by the moment!My brother Neil, and his little man with James the TrainJoaquin and his mom, Paola.Bubble Junkies.Joaquin and Lilly, do not disturb.Hunter, bubbles.Gabe with apple dippers.The girl with the green balloon.Joaquin, Tee Ball!
My girl Jo, my nephew's mom Paola, and Me!

The Girl with the Red Balloon

Bright lights, new people, large moving machines.

Big stuffed animals, pink fluffy clouds, something from her dreams.

Dust on her sandals but she doesn’t care.

Her mama put purple bows in her hair.

Everyone is laughing and smiles are really big.

Songs are getting louder… her brother dances a jig.

Her little heart is pumping more with every step

So much about this night she hopes she won’t forget

The longest line she sees is the one for red balloons.

The thing she always wanted and never quite pursued.

She turns her big green eyes to daddy; he knows just what she wants.

Not even a word is spoken immediate response.

She waits and waits and waits in line for this new treat.

Tied to her hand, perfect apple red, looks good enough to eat.

All she can think about the rest of the night…

Protecting her new possession… impending fright!

I love my balloon; it is all that I desire

A night full of excitement, only IT lit my fire!

Clenching so tightly to the little white string…

All of these people, not sure what they’ll bring.

Each element proposes feelings of eminent doom.

“Even wind could take my perfect, red balloon!”

Fear swallows her once excited, childish heart.

Anxiety fills her up, every single part.

“I must find a way to keep my precious gift

NEVER, NEVER, NEVER, I cannot ever let it drift”

Little hands climb up the string to pull it in her lap

Hugging it tightly to her chest her arms a little trap.

“I don’t ever want to lose you, you mean so much to me.

You’re mine forever and ever, I cannot set you free.”

With each twinge of fear her grip gets a little tighter.

No space between the two, suddenly something bites her…

A big loud noise, POP… her love affair is shattered.

SHE LOST HER RED BALLOON, THE ONLY THING THAT MATTERED!

Her daddy picks her up, “Baby, I’m so sorry that happened!”

Tears roll down her rosy cheeks, she is oh-so saddened

“Daddy, I just didn’t want to lose it… I loved it so very much!”

“Baby I must tell you something you may not fully touch…

The wind is not your enemy, its fear that you should hate.

It’s the one that stole your fun, the joy it would create.

Let’s get one more balloon but this time keep in mind,

Enjoying every moment is your only job this time.”

by Alison Capra

10-08-09

Newly Nesting

Okay, I am turning into a girl.... never one to care about dishes or shopping... I am finding myself nesting. But not in the last trimester of pregnancy sense... In the creating-my-own-new-life sense. Making my house into a home. Don't get me wrong... I will always be the traveling artist, music-loving, free spirited hippie... But after 8 moves in 6 yrs, I am finally settling in. And the fun part is... I am doing it by myself, for myself.

I am yet to be domesticated. But, I DO HAVE NEW DISHES!

My mom teased me on our latest trip to TJ Maxx... I was going crazy rummaging through aisles, lifting up mounds of junk to find a perfect little tea cup with matching saucer. "I've never seen you like this, you are in full TJ Maxx mode... you ARE my daughter" she said
My mother cracks up at herself... telling her friends that I was scarred by shopping. She used to put me in the shopping cart with my blanket and tell me to take a nap... "Mommy's got shopping to do." She is a creative genius, a bargain finder, and woman with a heart of cashmere! :) who needs gold? She will always be the envy of so many women she knows because... She just doesn't care what anyone thinks...
ANYWAY... To her dismay... I was the daughter who she begged to wear mascara and "just a little lipstick, please... you need some color" My dad and my brother were wrestlers... I loved competitive sports... And I still wear my Harley boots at least three days a week.
So, as you can imagine, her eyes sparkled as she sat back and watched me "get in TJ Maxx mode" And here they are... the infamous girly dishes!

A Fall Day...

Our day at the Louisburg Cider Mill....
This weekend my mom, brother, and I took my nephew Joaquin to the Cider Mill for the first time.
A beautiful Kansas Day. Hundreds of people standing in line for cinnamon donuts and cider.
All of the nostalgia set in immediately. My grade school frequented the mill for field trips. My eyes would bug open as I watched "so many apples" being washed and smushed by big steel machines to make delicious jams, juices, and spreads.

The Mill was hosting Cider Days...
Complete with a live music, petting zoo, hay rides, pumpkin patch and a corn maze. Quite the little festival... interesting arts booths, water softening brochures, and of course a country store with carmel apples. Stand in line for fried pickles, corn dogs, or fresh brewed tea.My nephew Joaquin is only two. Everything is a brand new experience. Somethings proved toooo much for the little guy. Including a cold muddy pumpkin on his lap! But, all in all we had a fantastic time.
He shoveled corn, fed a goat, walked the patch... and got a hay ride.
Autumn is my favorite time of year. The smells, the bonfires, the jackets, and perfect fall days like this one!








I think our mission was accomplished! My little buddy fell asleep in his daddy's arms to the tractor sounds and the fall breeze on his beautiful little face.

One Way to Go from Here.

Experienced love and all of its power
More than emotion, it came as a shower

Rain as it covers; Love as it speaks....
The path of life has interesting curves and peaks

No way to end this shortened verse
A big red bow just leaves it cursed

Reason only leaves more questions
Advice and Perspective are mostly suggestions

Only one way to go from here….
The uncertainty often causes fear.

Refusing to let that get the best of me.
Doing more than just "waiting to see"

Taking action with my soul
Never again will my bag have a hole.

Cruzing ahead minimal at speed.
Never again making selections just out of need.

Alison Capra
August 08, 2008

In My Cubby, Creating

This morning at hot yoga, I put all of my belongings into a small cubby hole. My eyes scanned all the personal belongings of other participants stashed in side by side. I found myself wondering what stories each pair of shoes had behind them.

This afternoon I walked down the sidewalk in front of my studio and looked in at the chiropractor in the office next to me, sitting at her desk with her granny glasses on the edge of her nose… I smiled at her, she waved and smiled back. I walked past the other little shops, the Korean-owned dry cleaners... full of hanging shirts… the tobacco shop that seems almost abandoned… And I thought, “Man, we are all filed away in little cubbies.” On days like today, when its raining cats and dogs outside, we don’t get much business. And there we sit, all filed away in our little cubbies.

My business is to create. I find joy in my wedding photography. It might not seem very artistic to some… but it touches me to know, I shared in their story. I documented a special day in their lives… and when they open their wedding book, they will have memories that last forever as they watch their smiles and fun dance across each page.

If I can’t change the entire world and make everyone happy libertarians… la la la puppies, rainbows, and unicorns… All I can do is create. Create relationships worth having, love worth sharing, music worth experiencing, and art that touches the soul.

I DUG UP AN OLD POEM...

My Bag Has A Hole

Just When I Think It's All in the Bag...
I Realize the Bag Has a Hole...

I thought I patched the hole last time things were leaking.
But all I did was check the floor to see it needed sweeping.

Disheartened is the word that best describes this state.
A constant dripping in your spirit only God can placate.

Mendacity droplets in my ears a perfect dose for faking.
But I'm the one who let them in, MY decision making.

Four years I gave myself to this poorly painted peice.
All along thinking, someday the hurt would cease.

Only one thing to do right now, and that's the hardest part.
Patching up that good ole' bag with a fresh new start.

-Alison Capra
4-08-08

An excerpt from: Settling for the Stories They Told You

An excerpt from my upcoming book: Settling for the Stories They Told You

Why are we protecting principles over people? Why can’t we teach principles without basting them with FEAR? Why are we afraid to let young people question the truth? If the truth is the truth… why are we so afraid that harboring pieces of doubt and question will make the truth crumble at its core...?

-Alison Capra

Bringing My Wall to Life

Bringing life to my wall. I wanted something really gentle and life-giving added to the room, but I wanted to stay within my Asian-Fusion theme. The thing I really like about this tree branch, is that to an outside eye... the tree looks like it is dying, black and bare. But, the truth is, it's the beginning of Spring the tree is budding with new life after a long winter. Each blossom is covered with gold leaf or metallic paint to symbolize TALIA. Talia is the Hebrew word for dew from heaven. Talia is a name that I feel like God gave me, If I ever have a daughter someday... that is what I will name her.

To begin, I am sure you would like to see the before photos of the blank canvas.
My Asian themed living room with hardwoods I refinished myself... Thank you very much :)

As you can see, this space needed a boost!

I started with the cherry blossoms. I went to Hobby Lobby to find a fake flower that resembled a cherry blossom. I found these simple white blossoms and plucked them from their branch.

Check out my new workspace! It isn't fancy... but its coming along!

I applied gold leaf with paint brush and a simple gold leaf adhesive spray from the craft store. I also spray painted a few blossoms with a silver metallic color for more TALIA.

Here are a few of the blossoms before I smoothed out the gold leaf with the back of my paint brush...
Next came the branch! This was Tracie's brilliant idea, because my friend Tracie is brilliant! She even picked the branch. She brought it from her back yard and we pulled off the leaves. It has a dark rich chocolate brown color that we just loved, because it was raining all day!
We hung the beautiful branch from some twine in my living room.
Then, we set up a light to cast a nice shadow on the wall for us to paint. Brilliant!

And Away we go with the painting. I really loved doing short wispy strokes. I felt like they looked more Asian. I don't really think that there was a wrong way to do this. Every stroke contained its own character. With every turn or shift of my wrist... it added character, even if it wasn't perfect.






Next came the blossoms! I hot glued each one to the wall... and there you go! My cherry blossom branch, covered with dew from heaven.

THE ANT AND THE GRASSHOPPER
Author: Unknown

The one is a little different.
Two Different Versions!

... Two Different Morals!

OLD VERSION: The ant works hard in the withering heat all summer long, building his house and laying up supplies for the winter.

The grasshopper thinks the ant is a fool and laughs and dances and plays the summer away. Come winter, the ant is warm and well fed.
The grasshopper has no food or shelter, so he dies out in the cold.
MORAL OF THE STORY:Be responsible for yourself

MODERN VERSION:

The ant works hard in the withering heat all summer long, building his house and laying up supplies for the winter.

The grasshopper thinks the ant is a fool and laughs and dances and plays the summer away.

Come winter, the shivering grasshopper calls a press conference and demands to know why the ant should be allowed to be warm and well fed while others are cold and starving.

CBS, NBC , PBS, CNN, and ABC show up to provide pictures of the shivering grasshopper next to a video of the ant in his comfortable home with a table filled with food. America is stunned by the sharp contrast.

How can this be, that in a country of such wealth, this poor grasshopper is allowed to suffer so?

Kermit the Frog appears on Oprah with the grasshopper and everybody cries when they sing, 'It's Not Easy Being Green.'

Acorn stages a demonstration in front of the ant 's house where the news stations film the group singing, 'We shall overcome.' Rev. Jeremiah Wright then has the group kneel down to pray to God for the grasshopper's sake.

Nancy Pelosi & Harry Reid exclaim in an interview with Larry King that the ant has gotten rich off the back of the grasshopper, and both call for an immediate tax hike on the ant to make him pay his fair share.

Finally, the EEOC drafts the Economic Equity & Anti-Grasshopper Act retroactive to the beginning of the summer.

The ant is fined for failing to hire a proportionate number of green bugs and, having nothing left to pay his retroactive taxes, his home is confiscated by theGovernment GreenCzar.
The story ends as we see the grasshopper finishing up the last bits of the ants food while the government house he is in, which just happens to be the ant's old house, crumbles around him because he doesn't maintain it.

The ant has disappeared in the snow.

The grasshopper is found dead in a drug related incident and the house, now abandoned, is taken over by a gang of spiders who terrorize the once peaceful neighborhood.
MORAL OF THE STORY:

Be VERY careful how you vote!

BOOK IN THE WORKS

I just though that everyone should know...
I am in the process of writing a book.
TITLED Settling for the Stories They Told You
A book about marriage, divorce, and letting the right one in.
I am pretty excited about this book.
I will keep everyone posted for updates!

Actresses that Pop

A Quiz I wrote for the for the female film junkie.
Grab a pen and paper... write down your answers...
Good Luck... Hit me up if you want the answers!


1. Name the actress who played Vianne Rocher in the film "Chocolat."

___________________







2. This 5'2" sizzling actress re-created Mexican art in 2002...
a.) Penelope Cruz
b.) Salma Hayek
c.) Valeria Golino
d.) America Ferrera

3.What emmy-award winning Actress believe that Real Women Have Curves?
a.)Kirstie Alley
b.) Sara Ramirez
c.)America Ferrera

4. Name the 1998 movie starring Catherine McCormack that was based on the book The Honest Courtesan.

_________________







5.Which hilarious actress was the voice of Jessie the cowgirl in Toy Story 2?
a.) Ellen DeGeneres
b.)Kathy Griffin
c.) Cameron Diaz
d.) Joan Cusack

6. Which actress hasn't played as a superhero's love interest?
a.)Kristen Dunst
b.)Jennifer Garner
c.)Jessica Alba
d.) Katie Holmes
e.) Halle Berry

7.This stunning actress won 2 oscars, is credited in over 42 movies, and was married to Ted Turner....
a.) Jane Shirley Smith
b.) Jane Fonda
c.) Lilly Tomlin
d.) Annette Bening

8. This savvy actress has played a meat butcher,a mother and lived with 3 men and a baby... :)
a.) Nancy Travis
b.) Michelle Pfeiffer
c.)Renee Zellweger
d.) Catherine Zeta-Jones

9.Which poised actress played lawyer and mother of 6 unique children in Brooklyn, New York.
a.) Meredith Baxter
b.) Phylicia Rashad
c.) Joanna Kerns
d.) Janet Hubert-Whitten

10. Name this actress

• 
• 
  
• 
  
• 
  
• 
  
• 
  

My Little Niece.
Okay, quick little history lesson.
My brother Neil has a daughter Maliyah who lives in Chicago.
She is 2 years old. He goes to Chicago once a month to spend time with her.
This weekend she made her first airplane trip to Kansas City. Neil went and traveled with her. We were so blessed to have her visit!

You learn so much when you spend time with a 2 year old. I am sure everyone with kids knows this very well... But I don't have any, so bare with me as I talk about my enjoyment. Life is about such simpler things. No stress of clients and emails. Just how many fun things can we get into before I fall asleep!
My mom brought down a box from her closet, and Maliyah noticed it from across the room. It had pictures of kids on it... and bright colors. "WHAT'S THAT?!" "GMA I WANT THAT!"
She started clapping in excitement immediately when she saw it! A TENT!
We spent the next hour incorrectly puting together a tent for two excited toddlers! "DADDY LOOK I'M IN A TENT!" Hours of enjoyment followed soon after. Nothing to do in the tent.... but man how exciting it was to be in a tent! On to swings, and puppies, and pizza, and even Minnie Mouse jammies. Time with my niece was a blast! Just what I needed in a life of self-centeredness... a break from myself!