IT ALL STARTED WHEN I WAS LITTLE.

They say you are today what you were when you were 5. There is no doubt that I am a prodigy of my 5 year old self! Born and raised with three other siblings in Illinois to parents Pat and Lucky, we lived happy and humble. We couldn’t afford to have a lot of toys growing up, but mom fostered and opened up a world of possibilities that afforded us a lifelong skill - creativity. She would come home from work with cardboard boxes, remnants of fabric and bags of mis-matched crafting supplies and paper. Our hours would be spent fashioning boxes into doll houses, complete with furniture and pet rocks. Who needed a jewelry box when I could make my very own with custom decorations! In our house, the Easter baskets were carefully woven together with strands of construction paper.

They both taught us the valuable lesson that joy and happiness is self-manifested. Unhinged to what the world can offer you, but what you can offer to the world and most importantly, to yourself. I am forever grateful to my parents and certainly have carried the torch well into my adulthood. I am 1/2 an explorer, curious to understand the world around me and the the other 1/2 is tinkerer (which is dad) creating, breaking, fixing and making.

As the adult 5 year old, I am *fully involved*.

I am a professional creative adventurer who sees and interprets the world through design and taste. Yes, I am judging! There are no fast qualifiers in being professional. This is earned over time and experience. Just a solid background in the principals of design and a strong aesthetic opinion. I call it superpowers…being able to see with a direct connection to the ability to elicit emotion. I am curious and have been known to observe, learn and then try it myself. Food. Furniture. Design. Photography. Sometimes I nailed it. Sometimes I really nailed it! Check out my pinterest boards and newly directed Instagram. I am the author and principal creator aka mom of @brooke.leitner and @littlemanmakes. They are the millennial version of me: design and photography for Lil’a (Brooke), jazz and 3D design for Bb/little man (Christian). My husband, Captain A, is my voice of reason. Occasionally, I need it.

Darling! welcome to my site, my world.

A generous and heartfelt thank you to all of the fellow creatives that I have directed, worked with, laughed with, cried with, made with. Many whom are partners in this body of work. Too many to list, but always grateful for their collaborative work and positive energy. I am forever honored to be a part of their career, development and artistic expression.