First time here? Read this!

I've seen a bit of a surge in traffic on my humble little blog since this news story ran last night on 5news.

Here's a quick rundown about me, Lesley Manning. 

1. Wife to Chase for 8 years and counting!

2. Mom to Milo (4), Griffin (2) & Sage (8 months). They are a full time job to say the least.

3. Former elementary school teacher. I taught summer art classes for three years when the boys were little but after the little girl was born, I thought it wiser to take the summer off. 

4. Oklahoma Native. Born, raised(besides a brief stint in Georgia) and planting roots in the land of the Cherokees. That's me and my friend since practically birth, Amanda.

5. Bible Journaler. I paint and draw in my bible and some may find that weird but I think God is ok with it.

6.  Small house dweller. After kicking around the idea of minimalism for many years, my husband and I dove head first in it and cut our square footage in half when we moved. Five people in 1020 sq feet is an adventure that I am enjoying!

7. Art dropper. When things start going crazy in the world, I put out art to change up the dialog and infuse some love in the community. My three sidekicks also enjoy it.

8. Mixed media artist. Collage, glue, washi tape, paint, stencils, spray, inks, pens, stamps and anything else I can get my hands on. 

9.  Child of God. 

#ArtdropSallisaw

Am I the only one that feels like the world is going crazy? Earlier this summer I couldn't take all the negative news and gloom and doom small talk, so I decided to do something. My kids and I hid a painting at the 14 Flags Museum, posted it on Facebook and went home hoping to release some positivity into the world and change up the dialog going on. Within 30 minutes it was found and over the next week people were asking when the next round was!

Round 2!

Around the time of the Sallisaw rodeo, we hid some more paintings in downtown Sallisaw and posted this picture. Nothing priceless, just examples from classes I had taught and things I'd made for my house that I had enjoyed but was ready to pass on. 

The response this time was even more exciting because there were families racing all over our little downtown in search of them! All were found that same day!

Round 3

With even more people excited about #artdropsallisaw my kids and I dug through some more of our canvases and waited for the perfect time to do the third round. We didn't have to wait long because the second presidential debate provided breeding ground for social media craziness. This time, we put them in city parks and encouraged everyone to set their party differences aside and get some fresh air.

Of the six paintings, three were found the first day and the other three within a few days. 

Such a fun way to infuse a little adventure into our little town!