A Creative Life: Lisa Fontaine

Designing Mom Jackie has graciously accepted being the first guest blogger for me this week. As you already know, Jackie always has such creative posts and ideas so you're all in for a treat!

I am so excited to introduce my friend Lisa Fontaine, crafter extraordinaire and founder of the lovely lifestyle blog, Picnic. She is also mama to Graham's pal, Bijou, lives in the most amazing mid-century house in the Berkeley Hills (major house envy), and loves going to the dentist. Without further ado...

What inspired you to start Picnic? It seemed like a place where I could exercise all of my interests- sewing, cooking, entertaining, photography, design, and traveling. Plus, it didn't hurt that I would be able to work around my own schedule. Being a mother is always my first priority.


Is life as a blogger what you had in mind? In many ways, yes. It's so much fun! I love that it forces me to do the things I love everyday. I know it seems weird that we wouldn't do the things we love naturally, but its so easy to get sucked into doing chores or wasting time on the Internet.

Blogging is definitely harder than I expected in terms of the work load. I'm not very technically savvy so figuring out how to change the font on my blog can sometimes turn into a hour-long project. I am also trying to post original craft ideas or projects or recipes I have tried first-hand so each post takes a few hours to execute.

What are a few of your favorite things? Swimming in warm water, Polaroids, traveling to places that are nothing like home, mid-century design, buying something I love at a flea market for a dollar.

What are your guilty pleasures?
I'm not going to lie, I won't set foot on an airplane without a current issue of US Magazine in my hands. Chocolate chips, right out of the bag.

What are your pet peeves? Snotty noses, uncomfortable silence, road rage.


What are some of your favorite projects to do with Bijou?

1. Making "coffees." I bought a beautifully illustrated coloring book at Anthropologie for her but it's too nice to actually let her color in it so I'll photocopy a page and we'll color it in with colored pencils. The illustrations have a ton of detail so it's a good afternoon project.


2. Baking. We were on a banana bread kick for awhile after I scored the recipe for Bakesale Betty's famed banana bread. This week we made bran muffins and for Valentine's Day we made cupcakes. The first few baking projects were a bit stressful with a 3-year-old but now we have a system down, I measure, she dumps, she gets to turn on the mixer. I can see the little endorphins going off in her brain when she gets to turn on the mixer. I think she'll be an engineer when she grows up. My husband is still hoping for an architect.

Thank you Lisa!