it's a wonderful life.

merry christmas everyone!

if you get a chance today, sit down and watch it's a wonderful life. regardless of your beliefs, it should help remind you what the holidays are all about... spending time with the people you love the most, taking a step back and being grateful for everything you have.

i hope you all have a truly wonderful holiday. i'll be spending christmas with my amazing husband and family at my parents' home... then we'll all be flying off to sunny puerto rico for some more quality time :)

see you in the new year!

xoxo,

lesley

you are beautiful.

if you haven't yet seen the you are beautiful project, please, please go visit the site today. i promise it will make your day better.

here are some words from the project's statement:

the intention behind this project is to reach beyond ourselves as individuals to make a difference by creating moments of positive self realization. we're just attempting to make the world a little better.

intention is the most important aspect of the you are beautiful project in its idea of purity. nothing is sacred. everything that has a perceived value becomes commodified. we work extremely hard that this message is received as a simple act of kindness, and nothing more.

basically, the idea behind the project is a group of anonymous people who go around putting up installations with the message "you are beautiful" in public places. and i have to say, this is one of the most beautiful things i've seen in a long time. here are some of my favorite images of the you are beautiful project in action...

click here to see more beautiful photos.

xoxo,

lesley

pay it forward philadelphia

xoxo,

lesley

shopping season

it's that time of year, folks... the time when the idea of setting foot in a shopping mall gives you a migraine.

braving the crowds to hunt for the perfect gift or a festive party dress can be super stressful... so the other day i decided to leave some encouragement for frazzled shoppers.

hopefully my notes helped make someone's holiday shopping experience just a little more bearable :)

xoxo,

lesley

found encouragement... don't worry.

found on olly moss's flickr stream.

xoxo,

lesley

the most wonderful time of the year...

we put our little tinsel christmas tree up last weekend... i love the holidays :)

xoxo,

lesley

a note from my hubby

check out this note my hubby left me on the inside of my car window the other day... isn't he sweet?

xoxo,

lesley

thanksgiving.

happy thanksgiving everyone!

today, take a moment to remember what this day is really all about. it's not about turkey or pumpkin pie or football... it's about giving thanks. let your thanksgiving dinner be a symbol for the abundance in your life, and be thankful for all that you have!

xoxo,

lesley

a note from steph

a while back, my good friend steph sent me a couple cell phone photos of a post-it she left on a train in new york. before tell you about her note, i want to tell you a little bit about my friend.

steph is honestly one of the most amazing people i know. she has had a lot of struggles with her health in the past, but she has managed to turn her life around by committing to a healthy lifestyle and a positive attitude. last year, she was chosen as a national spokesperson for the american heart association's go red for women campaign. you may have seen her face on a billboard, or heard her speaking out about the dangers of heart disease on tv! click here to read her inspiring story.

in addition to being an inspiration for women all over the country, steph also happens to be one of the most hilarious people i know. now on to her post-it...

it reads... "2 men walk into a bar. the 3rd one ducks. hahahaha. smile! and have a great day!"

steph - your positivity and sense of humor have brightened many of my days, and i'm sure this little pink post-it helped brighten a stranger's day! thanks for being awesome.

xoxo,

lesley

found encouragement... a love letter for you

according to the city of philadelphia's mural arts project's mission statement, the program aims to "unite artists and communities through a collaborative process... to create art that transforms public spaces and individual lives."

i recently discovered their latest public art project, called love letter, and i am head over heels. the project features a series of murals by stephen powers, which "collectively express a love letter from a guy to a girl, from an artist to his hometown, and from local residents to their west philadelphia neighborhood."

how perfect is that? i can really feel the love that was put into each one of these works of art. the murals are best viewed from the market-frankford elevated transit line... surely they provide a huge dose of encouragement for weary commuters every day!

and of course i couldn't resist this post-it mural...

click here to see more of the love letters murals.

xoxo,

lesley

a note from sara

i recently received an email from sara, who was nice enough to send me a photo of this lovely pink post-it she left at her local library...

it reads, "we are here to laugh at the odds and live our lives so well that death will tremble to take us." - charles bukowski

i love this quote... it makes me want to try to really live each day to the fullest, and seek out the best life possible.  the placement below the shelf of old books is just perfect... it makes me think they are surely filled with thousands more words of wisdom :)

thanks sara!

xoxo,

lesley

sweet as candy

when i saw this act of "guerrilla goodness" on kindness girl, i nearly melted with the sweetness of it all.  ms. kindness and her adorable kids spent an afternoon filling up candy machines with quarters for passersby to find.  isn't that just a fantastic idea?  

i did it myself the other day, and of course it wouldn't be complete without a little yellow post-it note...

this one was a lot of fun... i hope it helped sweeten someone's day!

xoxo,

lesley

found encouragement... u. of chicago library

quinn.anya's flickr page has a whole set of photos of graffiti from the university of chicago library.  while many of the images offer up standard graffiti fare, others reveal uplifting and inspiring messages.  here are some of my favorites... wouldn't you love to look up and see one of these while cramming for a big exam?

xoxo,

lesley

ily @ adventure aquarium

left in the rainforest section of adventure aquarium in camden, new jersey.

xoxo,

lesley

ily

my i love you cards are here!  stay tuned to see where they'll end up...

xoxo,

lesley

the best medicine

xoxo,

lesley

you are awesome!

here is a note i left in my shopping cart at the grocery store last night.  this was actually one of my favorite submissions from the free encouragement project, and i thought it would be a fun message for a disgruntled cart boy or stressed out shopper to find.

xoxo,

lesley

no one belongs here more than you.

{photo by cobalt123}

i found this passage from miranda july's book no one belongs here more than you on the blog positively present.  i started reading this book (which is actually a series of short stories) a while back, but never got into it.  i guess i didn't get to this part...

"do you have doubts about life?  are you unsure if it is worth the trouble?  look at the sky: that is for you.  look at each person's face as you pass on the street: those faces are for you.  and the street itself, and the ground under the street, and the ball of fire beneath the ground: all these things are for you.  they are as much for you as they are for other people.  remember this when you wake up in the morning and think you have nothing." 

beautiful words, and an important thing to remember.  the world is yours... no one belongs here more than you.

have a lovely weekend, and don't forget to look at the sky.

xoxo,

lesley

spotted in paris!

click here to see jason-nicholas's photo of my "you are falafel for the soul" post-it in paris.  yay!!

thank you google alerts :)

xoxo,

lesley

raindrops from your eyes

{photo by the bonnie blues, found on kind over matter}

i came across this lovely photo today, and it reminded me of a song from "free to be you and me," which my sisters and i used to watch all the time when we were kids.  even though it was written for children, i think it's a nice reminder for adults too...

it's alright to cry

crying takes the sad out of you

it's alright to cry

it might make you feel better

raindrops from your eyes 

washing all the mad out of you

raindrops from your eyes

it's gonna make you feel better

it's alright to know

feelings come and feelings go

it's alright to cry

it might make you feel better...

xoxo,

lesley

found encouragement... mlle. 2nuit

while my husband and i were in paris, we kept seeing these french sayings written in chalk on various sidewalks and streets, signed by the mysterious "mlle. 2nuit."

this one reads, "la vie est belle, et nous sommes comme elle," which translates (roughly) to, "life is beautiful, and so are we."

how lovely :)

xoxo,

lesley

l'as du fallafel

a lot of people might not know this, but paris - specifically the marais district (and even more specifically rue des rosiers) - is known for serving up some amazing falafel.  and since i'm (obviously) mildly obsessed with falafel, my hubby and i were determined to find out who made it best.

we sampled many delicious pitas filled with the crispy, golden-fried chickpea fritters, each one overflowing with accoutrements like freshly made hummus, tahini, roasted eggplant, spicy red sauce, and vinegary cabbage slaw... but we found the king of all falafel at the famous l'as du fallafel.  just to make your mouth water a little bit before i get to the point, here is what their falafel looks like:

can you say, yum?

anyway... after discovering the greatest falafel in the land, i was on a mission.  with my post-its and sharpie in hand and armed with a remedial knowledge of the french language, i ventured back to l'as du fallafel to leave the note i'd been waiting to post...

you are falafel for the soul.

- - -

tu es comme le falafel pour l'âme.

they might be hard to spot at first in this shot... see those two little tiny yellowish squares on the lower left-hand side?  i was actually kind of nervous to post them because i was in a foreign country and i don't know what type of rules they have about posting signs and whatnot... plus l'as du fallafel was super crowded (as always), so i did it hastily and ran off to hide.  

later that night, we came back to eat our final falafel dinner, and i realized that someone had moved my english post-it right onto the middle of the menu board!  i was so excited.

a couple days later, nichole (the amazing writer and frequent paris-traveller behind the blog littlebrownpen) sent me this photo via twitter:

she said, "your post-it note is still at l'as du fallafel!  the owner is very proud of it."

how cool is that?  it just makes me feel all warm and fuzzy inside :)

xoxo,

lesley

found encouragement... love, paris.

paris is known as one of the most romantic cities in the world, so it's no surprise that i was feeling the love during our visit!  everywhere i looked, there was another little reminder... 

oh paris, i love you too!

xoxo,

lesley

i'm back!

hello lovelies!

it's true... i'm back from an absolutely amazing two-week trip to paris.  the photo above shows the view from our 6th-floor studio window... so beautiful!  i've only been back for a few days, and i miss paris already.  everything was fabulous... our apartment, our neighborhood, the food, the wine, the museums, the shopping, the music...!  i could go on and on...

this week i'll definitely be sharing more photos and stories from the trip, so keep checking back!

xoxo,

lesley

{paris rooftops... photo by kmsf}

after months of anticipation, the day has finally come... my husband and i are leaving for paris tonight!

sadly i won't be able to blog from abroad, but i'm taking my post-its with me!  i'll be back on the 16th and i'm sure i'll have lots of stories (and photos) to share :)

until then... au revoir!

xoxo,

lesley

pocket door

"i wish i could keep you in my pocket."

sorry for the lack of falafel lately... i've been super busy getting ready for my trip to paris!  just wanted to do a quick post to show this note i left in philadelphia recently... now i have to get back to packing!

xoxo,

lesley

found encouragement... make it happen

here's another great tidbit from my parents' road trip.  they spotted a girl named josie wearing this encouraging t-shirt...

it reads, "don't make excuses... make it happen."  josie was a summer intern at plymouth plantation, and the saying on the t-shirt is the motto of her missouri school's sports program.  

personally, i think it's a great motto for every day!  a reminder that we are responsible for our own destiny and happiness.  so often we sit around worrying and making excuses and letting our insecurities keep us from doing what we really want... get up and make it happen today!

xoxo,

lesley

falafel spotted in bar harbor!

if you've been following my blog, you know that my mom and dad have been spreading falafel all over the united states and canada on their three week long road trip.  you also might have noticed that my mom decided to start writing my blog address on her post-its so people could come check out the site if they were so inclined.  

well, i just got an email from a sweet lady named margie (hi margie!) who actually spotted one of the post-its they left in bar harbor, maine!  how cool is that?

this is the note she left... posted outside of a ver popular (and very delicious) ice cream shop called cj's big dipper.

it reads, "be yourself!  everyone else is taken."

:)

xoxo,

lesley

philly falafel

my sister donica and i had some fun falafel-ing all over center city philadelphia this weekend!  it was fun to have a partner in crime this time around :)  here are a couple of my favorite post-its my sister and i put up...

never underestimate the power of your dreams.

posted on a sign outside a parking garage.

i love your hair!

posted on the bathroom mirror in a pub.

hopefully our notes helped spread some encouragement and positivity to the city of brotherly love!

xoxo,

lesley