Lisa Leonard

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i’ve got a batman and a superman and they are both super fast and super strong!

have a wonderful weekend and eats lots of candy!!

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all week i’ve been craving mexican food and chips and salsa and a big soda.  i think tonight is the night!  yum!

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i was completely inspired by this post via pretty good.  i’ve been creating all sorts of paper flowers this week.  I looked at a tutorial online, but ended up using the method i remember from elementary school.  here’s how it works…

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1. begin with at least 6 sheets of tissue paper, cut to 8″x16″.  accordian fold the entire length of the sheets.

2. wrap a wire around the middle of the folded tissue paper leaving about 8″ of wire for the stem.

3. let tissue paper unfold a bit.

4. begin to separate each sheet of tissue paper giving lots of depth and texture.  this part isn’t hard, it just requires patience and gentle fingers.

5. wrap stems with floral tape, if you’d like.  place in a vase with real leaves or use as a gift topper.

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get creative!

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a little bit of happiness brought to you by way of the color yellow.

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a field of the sweetest yellow flowers.  i took this pic on a trip to cambria.

oh i wish we were going this weekend!

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a yellow boho bag from target.  have i ever mentioned how much a i love target?  $16.  yes, i love it.

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the perfect butter yellow in the perfect light-weight scarf.  this is a yellow i can actually wear with my peachy skin tone, and it’s neutral enough to mix with other colors. do you wear yellow?

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yellow lemons.  beautiful all year round.  and this yellow door belongs to fiona bleu gallery in morro bay.

isn’t paint amazing?

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vintage, yellow rose candle holders to be a christmas gift for someone dear.  and a new knitting project (not mine).

won’t that be a darling yellow scarf??

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a yellow paper flower (look for a tutorial soon!) and the sweetest yellow sandals.

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isn’t yellow a little bit of sunshine??

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saturday we spent some time at the park.  it was supposed to be 85 degrees but it was 65 and a little windy.  which was fine with us!

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matthias and daddy practiced hitting and catching.  matthias is starting to get the hang of it. he’s got the hand/eye coordination–he’s just a little silly!

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my job?  chase david around. and let me tell you, that kid is fast!

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the seagulls were coasting on the wind above the lake.  i love this shot with seagull and the sun.

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other activities this weekend?  a hoedown with our church college group (think square dancing and burgers), date night, mexican food and even a nap!  oh and big news, david lost his first tooth this weekend!  so exciting.

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how was your weekend?  give us the highlights!

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make a little quiet. make a little coffee.

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sit for a bit. take a long walk.

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put away my computer.  grab a pencil and sketchbook.

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take a good look at the box.  then think outside of it.

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let ideas wash over me.  let thoughts swirl in my head and start to take shape.

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dream big.  then dream a little bigger.

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until it hits…inspiration.

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sometimes it’s easy to find.  sometimes i can’t find seem to find it anywhere.

but i’ve found this process helps me.  how do you find inspiration??

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our new banner cuff can be found here (and it’s on sale this weekend!).

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you’ve heard the phrase, ‘easy as pie’? well, this is even easier than pie!

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How to…

step 1. peel, core, slice apples.  i used 10 gala apples. well we munched while we worked, so, 9 1/2 apples.

step 2. place apples in bottom of greased baking dish (this is where my little helpers hop in).

step 3. sprinkle white cake mix (straight from the box) and cinnamon until top is covered. used about 3/4 of the box.

step 4. place butter slices here and there.  i used 1 1/2 cubes of butter.

step 5. bake at 350 for about 40 minutes–or until apples are soft and crumb topping is crumbly–not very scientific, but it’s hard to mess up!

step 6. serve with ice cream and hot caramel–or alone.  oh yum!

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you can also use canned peaches, frozen berries–any fruit. and it makes the whole house smell like fall!  what’s cookin’ in your kitchen?

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doesn’t this look like sooo much fun?  i love melanie renee’s designs. i’ll be dropping by on friday.  you can check out her website here.

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we’re taking in fall, even if it is in the high 70’s.  the days are getting shorter and the mornings are sprinkled with dew.   i’ve been wearing boots and skirts, we’re crunching fallen leaves, and yesterday we made the yummiest (and easiest) apple crisp.  the days are getting shorter, but they’re still full.

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the boys are doing great in school.  yesterday david climbed three steps on the playground.  there was a teacher spotting him, but he climbed independently.  amazing.  and matthias was the ’special helper’ in his class monday.  which means he is the line leader, helps with morning activities, etc.  it’s a big, big honor.

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a couple goals for today…fold all clean laundry and put it away (this is a very lofty goal) and capture some beauty and inspiration in a short photo shoot.  there is more on my list, but these are the must-do’s.

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i’m loving your comments-each one puts a smile on my face.

so, share with us one or two of your goals for today.

we bought the boys bunk beds a couple years ago but kept them separate.  we used the top bunk with its railing all the way around to keep david safe after we moved him out of a crib.  but now he’s ready for the next step.  so exciting!

karen sapp hand-painted these darling signs for the boys.  i hung them with ribbon threaded through the wood slates, so i wouldn’t have to nail into the beds.

oh, the view from the top!  can i just tell you how excited matthias is to have a top bunk??

here’s the white mesh railing we put on to keep david from climbing/falling out.  some friends gave us this one and we love to use it in hotels and on trips.  i can’t find another one any where.  any ideas??

and on the other side of the room we have a leather chair we got from some friends who were moving.  i found the dresser (it has two rows of drawers) at a garage sale for $20 and painted it red.  that was a happy day! the rug is from the ikea–it had been used in a display and was half off.  the baskets under the bed are from target.

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it’s a simple room, but it’s clean (at least for the moment) and the boys love it.

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nana, grandma and grandpa were in town, so it seemed like a good idea to take in avila valley barn.  it felt very fall-ish–except for the 85 degree heat.  piles and piles of pumpkins, a hayride, ice cream and fresh pies made for a perfect afternoon.  well almost perfect.  sweaters and scarves would have made it perfect {and a little chill in the air}.  but then again, the ice cream tasted reeeeally good.

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warm, cold, windy…what’s your idea of perfect fall weather?

i am so, so thrilled to be featured at ‘artists who blog’.  come on over and visit!

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david discovered slime this week.  he looooves it.  it’s gooey and messy and so fun.

his teacher made it with equal parts white glue and corn starch.

(pics taken with my phone)

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guess who matthias is going to be for halloween?  or i should say, guess who matthias is going to be everyday from now until halloween?  and i love this family portrait drawn by matthias.  no need to have professional pictures taken for our christmas card this year, we’ll just use this drawing!

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love these pics i re-discovered of the boys wrestling with daddy.  and that huge grin on david’s face.  is there anything better??

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and keychains are on sale this weekend. perfect for daddy or grandpa

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we are ready for the weekend and some time to play.  and maybe a little sleeping in.  enjoy yourselves!!

a little inspiration today, brought to you by way of the color gray.

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the skies are gray and cloudy and stormy today.  it’s such a refreshing change.

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i think blue heron should be called gray heron-or at least blue-gray heron.  i love these birds.  and this gray, weathered rock at the tide pools has so much texture and history.

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i have been thrilled about the response to our new ornament.  hurry, they are on sale through thursday.

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boots inspired by this post and found at kohl’s (40% off).  and gray knit toastys–a gift from this gal.  perfect.

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tree trunks in faded brown-gray and garden statues worn and weathered over time.

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and a soft, gray feather found at the beach.

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sometimes gray is thought of as cold or dreary, but i’d like to stand behind gray and argue that it can be stable and warm and full of texture and light.  who will stand with me??