a creative mint

Friday Flowers

Hello Friends,

Have a great weekend and a Happy Thanksgiving to my fellow Canadians!

xoleslie

Violet and A Little Silver

Hello Friends,

How are you? I am sitting here watching the rain drops fall and the fog move past my window. It feels like I am home on Vancouver Island, but no, this is LA. It was 107 degrees a week and a half ago and now I am transported to the Pacific Northwest. I love it.

I have my Color Me Pretty photos here today. Lots of lavender and violet tones mixed with white and silver grey. It seems like everywhere I turn this palette keeps showing up. As you can see, I used lots of tear outs in my photographs from the JCrew catalog (hard to resist), the beautiful Himla catalogs I picked up in Stockholm and from an older dreamy Noa Noa catalog.

I had fun painting on the kraft/butcher paper to make some gift wrap. The inexpensive paper works very differently from watercolor paper but I kind of like the haphazard way it turned out. I want to try using some watered down silver acrylic paint on it next time for some special holiday wrapping. Maybe some big circles or stripes, the key is to do it quickly as the paper absorbs the moisture like a sponge. 

The last image shows some small watercolor studies I did to get me in a violet purple kind of mood. Sometimes I need to start with a small gesture in order to get myself moving and feeling creative. You know how that is? The small steps are easier to manage and then they usually lead to something larger. Similarly, I cut a few small sprigs from my garden and popped them into some tiny bottles. No elaborate flower arranging, just a simple, pretty display for my kitchen window sill. 

Thank you for stopping by here to visit. I know how busy life gets and I appreciate you taking time out of your day. xo leslie

Color Me Pretty Time

Hello Friends,

Happy Monday to you. Please join me over on decor8 today for a purple hued color story. I will be back here later in the week, until then, take care.

xoleslie

A Short Trip

Hello Friends,

Last week I returned home from a short trip to Japan. I met my mother and three aunts there to show them around Tokyo. Yes, I guess you could say I was an unofficial tour guide. I showed them the trains, took them to some of the major areas of the city and then left them there to fend for themselves for a few more days. By the sounds of it they did just fine without me! I had a lot of fun, even if trying to get them all off the train in rush hour was a little stressful. We could not see one of my aunts who was caught behind an entire softball team who were standing in our train car. I had to almost drag her over a few of their equipment bags to free her from the crowd. It is funny to think about now, but boy was I sweating. Of course I managed to take them to a few stationary stores and a bookstore or two, oops, and a craft store! They are such troopers. Thank goodness they like that kind of thing or I would be in trouble. I brought back some inspiring treasures that I have been pouring over and contemplating what to use first.

More importantly though, I am in awe of these four women, all retired in their late sixties and early seventies. Two of whom lost their dear husbands in the last couple years. And one who left a relationship of almost twenty years last year. These inspiring women are out there living their lives, redefining themselves, seeing new places, being challenged in a foreign country, not once complaining that it is 90 degrees and about 100 percent humidity. It is never too late to be that person you want to be. They are living proof and I love them.

I am sure you know women like this? Amazing women.

xoleslie 

Salmon and Stripes

Hello Friends,

I am sorry I have been missing from this little space! The last month got away from me with travel, teaching and family priorities. You know how life is? It can be a juggling act right? Anyways, I am back! I am posting my images from my August Color Me Pretty column on decor8. I like to always put up my photographs here as a record and in case any of you missed them. I will be back with some new work very soon.

I hope you have a lovely weekend.

xoleslie 

*Please note that the catalog tear outs in the first image are from Madewell and Noa Noa. The artwork on my desk is by Catherine Campbell. I framed a series of little pieces together with a gridded mat. The card file is from lovelydesign. There is also a tear out from a JCrew catalog on my tac board. If you have any other questions about items in my photos please do not hesitate to ask in the comments. Thanks!