Chrisanne Robertson sticks the "fun" back in functional with her latest creation, a glass plate called "City Scene: Milwaukee," that's one of the hottest wedding gifts this summer.

Retailing at $75 and only available at George Watts & Sons, it's classy enough to display as an art piece yet practical enough to pile high with bratwursts. (Yes, it's microwave and dishwasher safe.)

"I love this city, the approachability of it, the little alleyways, the history, the layers of ethnicities," says Robertson, a 17-year veteran at Watts & Sons, writer and fine artist originally from Ann Arbor, Mich.

The 14-inch, rectangular plate, handmade by Peggy Karr Glass, features Robertson's playful watercolor of sparkling Lake Michigan and a montage of Milwaukee's crown jewels, including the Basilica of St. Josaphat, "The Domes," the Hoan Bridge, U.S. Bank Center, the orange sunburst sculpture, the Wisconsin Gas Light Building, the new Quadracci Pavilion and Burke Brise Soleil at The Milwaukee Art Museum, Cudahy Tower and the North Point Lighthouse.

Robertson's whimsical style playfully mocks reality yet also reflects a very honest, true-to-life perspective.

"When you're in an unfamiliar city, you see everything in a fresh way; I took that same kind of perspective, like I'd never been here before and mixed all of our best-loved landmarks together," says the artist, who has shown her pen-and-ink sketches in numerous local galleries.

Robertson also performs her written material under the name "Sister Cash Box." She is best-known for her work with "Street Beat," alternative fashion shows of the '90s held in the now-defunct "Survival Revival" thrift shop.

At 39, she was diagnosed with breast cancer and says surviving the illness has inspired her to share her work.

"There is a sort of residual pressure, like the clock is ticking, and I need to serve up my stuff to the world at large," she says. "There are far too few voices of optimism these days, so here's the plate, enjoy it."

For more information about the "City Scene: Milwaukee" glass art plate, sold exclusively at George Watts, 761 N. Jefferson St., call (414) 290-5704.