My friend Dondi {and her sweet family} helped us with a photo shoot for the fall line. Her favorite piece this fall is the family tree necklace. It’s our classic family tree necklace  but now it’s hand-stamped on a gorgeous hand-cast pendant. Love!

I thought it would be fun to let you get to know Dondi a little–I mean she is gorgeous and her sweet family is pictured around the website. Here are some questions she answered for us!

1.     What does your family like to do together?
Go to the beach, walks, and hikes- anything to enjoy the beautiful central coast. We love to eat out, play UNO attack, watch movies, and have dance parties to Pandora’s 80s station.

2.     What do you like to buy fresh at the farmer’s market?
When asking my kiddos, it’s strawberries! For me, it’s fresh flowers! I am obsessed with beautiful fresh flowers. Right now I am on a sunflower kick!

3.     What is your favorite fall food or treat?
I am obsessed with butternut squash. After years of making it, I have perfected my butternut squash soup. I crave it fortnightly! On special occasions Mike and I make butternut squash ravioli from scratch- to die for – good! I also love to cube and roast it with a little olive oil and herbs de provence- or pair it with my other favorite veg- brussel sprouts!

4.     What do you like to do to relax?
Read, read, read, and take walks with my family.

5.     What is your favorite lisa leonard designs piece?
I adore my new family tree necklace from the fall line, I love the size, I love
what it represents- not just motherhood- but being a family. It’s all 5 of us! Mike and I often say to each other, “Can you beliece we made all those kids?” We really believe our family is a miracle in so many ways. The necklace is a great reminder of that.
As a matter of fact, Mike and I were just recently in NYC for a family reunion. At our hotel, my sister-in-law noticed the necklace on me in the elevator of our hotel. “I love your necklace, is that new? I Haven’t seen you wear it before.” She asked.
“yes,” I said. “I just got it. I have a friend who has a booming business making this handstamped jewelry. She asked us to be models for her website and she GAVE me this necklace and a few others as a gift.” A random woman on the elevator interrupted and said, “Oh, is that Lisa Leonard Design?”
Flabbergasted, I replied, “It sure is, do you know her?”
“no, I read her blog everday. I’m a huge fan.. you KNOW her?”
“I do, yeah, she’s my friend.”
“Oh, I love Lisa Leonard.”
“yeah, me too!” I said.
I mean, how awesome and random is that! – NEW YORK CITY ELEVATOR!!!

6.     What do you love most about the fall?
Before living in SLO my answer would have been, “the Fall colors and the trees”. But, after a lifetime of raking, I am thrilled to live where we don’t have a whole love of the traditional fall tree action.
I actually love getting back into routine- school, bedtimes, fall sports for the boys. Don’t get me wrong, I LIVE  for summer, but if you don’t have the other seasons, you can’t really enjoy the Summer, right?

7.     Where do you and your husband like to get away to?
Our favorite-go-back-to-over-and-over-again spot is the Lodge in Sonoma. The suites are reasonable and awesome, the breakfast is just fantastic and Sonoma- well it has it all— wine, food, shopping, walking, beauty, romance…
But, we moved to SLO 2 years ago to LIVE where we want to get away to. My favorite part of my week is dropping all 3 kiddos off at school and heading straight to Avila with Mike. We go to Hula Hut, split a breakfast burrito, drink way too many cups of coffee, and then walk our little dog, Maggie, with all the other super lucky Avila doggies until Mike has to get to work.  It’s a good gig.

8.     What are you excited to get out of your closet that you haven’t worn all summer?
Is it too horrifc to admit—my sweats? I love do dress up. I love clothes, I really do. But I LOVE my sweats, too! It sadly is my Mommy uniform. That’s another reason I love this town, I think I can get away with it here…

Thank you, Dondi! We love the new family tree necklace and we love you.

Tell me friends, what is something your family loves to do together?

among cakes, enjoy cupcakes make some of the best out there!
they made the little beauties below…

our five lucky winners of the $100 gift certificates are:

kristin – who thinks there is nothing better than red velvet cake with cream cheese frosting

meghan – who loves anything chocolate

catherine – said it’s got to be four layer chocolate cake

lori – who likes homemade chocolate cake with frosting from the hershey’s cocoa box

amanda – strawberry cake is her very favorite

we have emailed you to get your gift certificate to you!

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thanks for all your comments about your favorite cakes {or other yummy treats}

you might want to use your gift certificate tomorrow
i will be showing you some fun stuff

{hint: you will be able to find it all here!}