License Plate Art

Above is a picture of the very special and unique art piece that I received from my best friend Karen for Christmas. Last year, the piece was displayed at one of my favorite boutiques in downtown Princeton (near Green Lake) called Daiseye (which appropriately touts itself as "an eclectic marketplace offering earth-friendly products.") I loved the piece made from recycled Wisconsin license plates, truly a one-of-a-kind, but couldn't justify the price.

In early August, I saw the piece again, but this time at the Green Lake Art Fair. My parents were in town that weekend to celebrate my birthday, and I excitedly explained to them how much I loved and wanted the piece. The artist talked to us more about his thoughful creation of the piece, and how many of the license plate pieces corresponded to particular counties and Wisconsin themes. For example, Brown County is represented by a piece of brown plate on the right side of the map. I came so close to buying it that afternoon, because I knew that if I didn't, someone else would, and the beloved masterpiece would be lost to me forever. But again, I just couldn't justify the purchase, especially when I knew I would soon be shelling out $400 to register for the 2008 Ironman Triathlon. And I am sure that having the extremely frugal combination of my dad and Karen didn't help matters either. Or did it?

Luckily, my always scheming best friend had a plan of her own. Under the guise of "going to the vegetable market" to pick up corn and other veggies for a barbecue we were having that night, Karen went back to the art fair and purchased the piece for me. She hid it under one of the beds at the lake and picked it up in December to bring to Madison.

I love it and can't wait to find the perfect place to hang the piece. It's a very unique and thoughtful gift that I will treasure forever.