Lisa Leonard

one definition of tool is

‘anything used as a means of accomplishing a task or purpose’

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i have tools i use every day.

like sterling silver, pearls, carving tools, hammers and pliers.

and then i have other {not so obvious} tools.

like sunshine (i need it to warm my shoulders and give me energy)

and my camera

and my sketchpad.

oh and my iphone. what an amazing tool.

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tell me about your favorite tools-

obvious or otherwise.

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i am linking up with lindsey’s what i wore wednesday.

i love looking at the fun outfits people put together,

so i thought i’d share some of mine from last week.

so here’s a BUNCH of pics of me (in case you care!)

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top is from forever 21 (last summer)

black polka dot cardigan from target (a couple years ago)

black skinny jeans from target

gold, open toe flats from resale shop.

petite crest necklace

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deep aqua bib top (on sale) from anthropolgie

favorite gray cardigan from target

skinny jeans from banana republic

gray ankle boots from kohls

red ripe cherries necklace for a splash of color.

(and just a side note, if you want a red cherries necklace-get one quick.

they’ll won’t be available after july 31!)

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navy and gray striped dress from gap (on sale $20!)

aqua cardigan from target

silver flip flops from bass

family tree necklace (a fave!!)

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striped dress from anthropologie

belt from target

skinny jeans from banana republic

red flats from target

gray petal pusher from pleated poppy

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ruffled top from cheap boutique in santa barbara

rolled up jeans from gap

fave gray cardigan from target

chunky espadrilles from walmart (four years ago!)

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well, have you had enough?

link up with lindsey and let’s see what you’re wearing!

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we are getting more and more settled

and loving our new home!

remember that aqua cabinet above?

such a fun punch of color.

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my mom let me choose one piece of her furniture when i was in high school

(to save for when i got married)

and i chose this handmade wood sideboard.

i just switched out the knobs for glass.

and hung ocean artwork above.

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we found these super cheap aqua leather chairs

at a discount store and we have one at each end of the dining room table.

then i hung a bunch of frames on that huge wall.

it still might need more, but it’s a start!

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these tall lanterns are from cost plus.

only $10 each. yikes!

and i filled them with shells and a pillar candle.

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we have a few cutouts around the house.

in this one i stacked some books and globes

and hung a vintage print.

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and this painting is one of my fave thrift store finds.

those flowers are from bed bath & beyond by umbra and they are seriously cute!

so affordable and i love that they add dimension.

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what’s your next home project??

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1. a flower outside my favorite thrift shop

2. a hummingbird who visits us every morning.

3. a bumblebee at a bridal shower

4. a backyard flower.

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hello friends!

i managed to grocery shop and wash the car and do laundry yesterday-

which puts me in a good position for monday morning!

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matthias starts zoo camp today.

it’s called ‘If I Ran the Zoo’. and he is so excited.

{but just between us, if he ran the zoo, the animals wouldn’t get fed

on time and there would be toys everywhere!}

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david has a really nasty cold…

which is bad, because we have a heart catheterization scheduled at ucla, august 11.

and i am hoping he’ll be well so we won’t have to delay his open heart surgery.

if you don’t mind, would you take a moment to pray for his health?

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i so appreciate each of you!

thank you for sharing this {crazy} journey with us.

please, tell me about your monday!

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fred always thought he was just a little bit better than the other birdies.

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i took this picture the other day and it totally just makes me laugh.

those little bird whistles have a lot of personality.

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feeling really random and a little lazy today.

so share something fun (or random) with me!

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it seems that once david turned eight

he decided to try a bunch of new things

and to assert his independence.

we have been watching him, wide-eyed with wonder

while he explores his world in new ways

and communicates more and more.

within the last couple weeks he has…

decided he likes drinking out of regular cups better than straw cups (messy)

he is going to decide his own bedtime (tiring!)

he wants to check out what food is in the pantry (and throw it all over the kitchen)

if he wants a snuggle he’ll just start to climb up on your lap (melt my heart)

and he’s decided tofutti cuties from trader joe’s make the best snack!

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david, you have exceeded our expectations with your sweet personality and determined spirit,

but more than that you bring so much joy to every day.

and i love you!

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i love {seriously love} this key to my heart necklace.

a vintage key in hand-cast

and NOW we’ve added a sterling heart.

you can also add a sterling disc and/or skinny tag.

it’s so cute. so dang cute.

you’ll find it here.

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and if you want one of our ripe red cherries necklaces

you’d better hop over and pick (ha!) one up.

they are limited edition and about to go bye-bye!

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happy wednesday, sweet friends!

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every summer grandma gets all the cousins together for ‘cousins camp’

where they do games, crafts and water activities.

and the kids look forward to it all year!

i’m pretty sure the slip and slide was the highlight this year.

ah, summer! i am really starting to get into summer mode-

and then i looked at the calendar and it said july 20.

whaaaat?

august is 10 days away? is that possible?

it’s almost time to start thinking about backpacks and school clothes.

yikes!! the summer is slipping and sliding past!

i still want to picnic in the park, visit avila valley barn and sign matthias up for zoo camp.

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what do you want to do before summer is over?

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i spotted this dragonfly while we were sitting and chatting with friends.

and i slowly crept over so i could try to snap a picture before it flew away.

but i really didn’t need to be in a hurry.

i snapped a bunch of pictures on him, and he wasn’t worried about me being nearby at all.

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we’ve had such a wonderful time away.

and i am ready to jump back into ‘real life’.

right now, real life includes

slow summer mornings

unpacking the rest of the boxes

finding a coffee table for the living room

wrapping up a few new jewelry designs

catching up on email

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what’s on your to-do list today?

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and i’m over at (in)courage today–so stop by and say hi!

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i love the ’shake it photo’ app for iphones.

here are a few pics from around town.

we are back from the lake and seriously lazy

with mounds of laundry to do!

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here’s a thought provoking question for your friday…

if you could have dinner with one celebrity (past or present)

who would it be??

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we had such a good time at the lake

and with 11 adults and 10 kids–that’s saying a lot!

highlights…

catching lizards (or trying really hard!)

ice cream + nachos + chocolate chip pancakes

getting tossed by uncles into the pool

movie night

beach-ball-volleyball

lots and lots and glee

sandcastles

rook and staying up too late.

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what’s one of your favorite childhood memories from summer?

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we are playing at lake arrowhead for a few days.

lots of cousins, aunties, uncles, grandma and grandpa.

we hit the pool this morning

and the we’ll play at the lake this afternoon.

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it’s so good to be together.

the cousins have been playing from sun up to sun down.

swimming, collecting rocks, catching lizards, eating ice cream…

this lake trip will be a forever memory for them.

pretty mexican tile.

wearing rainboots in june.

banana cream pie at tony’s.

a yellow ring inside a daisy.

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there are little bits of happiness everywhere.

just waiting to be noticed.

and since i wouldn’t want to overlook them,

i’ve been trying to SEE

and capture those little bits of happiness.

and sometimes it’s so easy.

and sometimes it feels really hard.

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do you see a random bit of happiness around you?

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we are on vacation this week.

with lots of sleeping in, snuggles, sunshine and more than our share of syrup.

but to tell you the truth, i’ve been feeling anxious.

so i’m trying to let go of unpacking the house

and worrying about david’s upcoming heart surgery.

and i’m trying to be present and enjoy each moment.

and let go of my plan and being productive.

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because one of the most important things to me is soaking up

time with my family and just being together.

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how do you let go?

how do you vacation {and really relax}?

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seems like every day we’ve been getting ice cream or frozen yogurt.

it’s just part of our summer routine.

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and i always think i’ll just have a few bites.

{yeah, right!}

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at foster’s freeze i had a chocolate oreo shake.

yuuuum.

what’s your favorite flavor?