Archives for April 2014

April 30, 2014

MOTHER’S DAY GIFT GUIDE

Kids!! ( I am talking to you dads!) Mother’s Day will be here before you know it. We have once again assembled a gift guide to help you pick the PERFECT gift for the special mom(s) in your life, no matter what her lifestyle may be. We absolutely cannot get enough of these goodies. We would be happy to receive any of these from our littles….. hint hint.

Leah and I are fond of the sentimental (me) and super thoughtful (Leah) gifts on these special occasions, however, who doesn’t love a fab handbag, jewels to wear on a date night or girls’ night out, or a box of gourmet chocolates?? They pair perfectly with our DIY tea towel, beautifully framed artwork from your little or an instagram photo book.

On – the – go: Iphone case / sunglasses / handbag / tassel keychain

Foodie: tumbler / planter / cookies / chocolates

Stylish: tee / shorts / scarf / sandals

Glam: earrings / stacks / necklace / watch

If you want to see more of what we are loving for Mother’s Day and why, just follow our Pinterest board! We will be happily pinning leading up to that day.

Enjoy your day, friends!! We sure do appreciate you!

April 28, 2014

MOTHER’S DAY CRAFT – TEA TOWELS

Mother’s day is quickly approaching…grab your kid and let’s get crafting!

We’re making hand print embroidered tea towels- WAIT! Don’t leave the page! I swear it’s a lot easier than it sounds. You don’t need to know how to embroider or sew to make this project. Just a little practice. Another option- use a fabric marker. That’s easier, right?

Jenni and I made these for our moms and mothers-in-laws 2 years ago and they were a hit!

Here’s what you need:

– Tea towel (Any will work. I got mine from Hobby Lobby)
– Embroidery hoop
– Embroidery floss and needle
– Teeny hand

Instructions:

1. Trace child’s hand on paper and cut out the traced shape

2. Stretch tea towel and fasten tightly in embroidery hoop

3. Trace hand shape on the towel with a pencil (easier for wriggly kiddos than to trace directly on towel)

4. Embroider: for the hand and name use a split stitch (tutorial HERE). For the heart, draw a little heart outline with pencil then use a satin stitch (tutorial HERE). To make the heart puffed up like I did, do a split stitch outline of the heart FIRST then cover those stitches with the satin stitch.

5. Give to your deserving mama and tell her now you know how it feels to love your kid more than life itself. Oh and sorry for all the teenage years.

Love & Lion Mother’s Day circa 2012! Look at our little babies!!

April 22, 2014

ARI’S TODDLER ROOM

We’re putting our house on the market this week which forced me to go through all of our junk and clean it to perfection. I’ve been wanting to post Ari’s big boy room transformation from his nursery for some time now and thought… it’s now or never! So, disclaimer… it’s never this tidy!

I wanted to do a room that would grow with Ari from baby to little boy, so I chose a more mature paint color but paired it with bright colorful accents that can be easily changed. We had a double mattress already in a guest room, so we just put it in Ari’s room when we gave his crib to Max. Having the larger size has been extremely helpful lately, as Ari has been going through a ‘sleep in my bed’ phase which I only indulge in extreme cases out of desperation. I know, I know, terrible parenting! It’s one of those things that I always judged other parents on, and now I’m that parent. Gah!

I’m in love with this paint color – Martha Stewart Brook Trout – which in person looks a bit more gray than brown. It’s the perfect background for artwork. Really makes colors pop!

The “a” wall letter was a vintage find from my sister- love it!

Bed and sheets from Pottery Barn Kids, striped comforter and lamp from Target, garland by Oeuf.

Ari’s little spot to ~~read~~ zoom cars all over the chair. Usually just in his skivvies.

I found this old printers box in my Nana’s garage and turns out it’s the perfect size for matchbox cars.

LOVE this felt garland from The Bannerie, graciously given by Gilit of Shoes Off Please– love her!

The print was given to Ari from his Aunt Lauren of Rock Paper Scissors.

If you peek to the right, that’s Ari’s closet! We took the door off and created a little playroom in there in addition to his clothes.

My favorite spot. Books upon books, fav toys hidden in the baskets, and plenty of natural light.

Love these alphabet flashcards from Tweed.

Toddler-height dress up spot.

Coolest growth chart ever, also from Tweed. Looking forward to adding Max’s stats on there too!

What’s on a three-year-old’s nightstand you ask….

…pics of his BFFs, magic rock and crystal to keep away bad dreams, and a huge stack of fav bedtime books. Especially loving “Hank Finds an Egg”, and “What Does the Fox Say” lately.

Jelly bean jar used for potty training only! Or if I need a secret treat.

Loving Ari’s new wiener dog pillow by Kate Durkin. Max got a teeny raccoon pillow and is OBSESSED with it! Ugly doll and crazy chicken given to Ari from our non-ugly and very crazy friend, Carlye, of Awkward City. She always gets the boys the coolest toys! Kitty and Watson by BlaBla Kids.

DIY- I made Ari’s pennant from his 1st birthday party out of felt and the polka dot picture from leftover garland from my baby shower.

That’s it! Now time to pack all of it up and re-do in our new pad… oy.

-L

April 19, 2014

MADE BY GIRL: BEAUTY FEATURE

Hey friends!! I am sharing my morning beauty routine and favorite products over at Made By Girl today! If you haven’t visited Jen’s blog, you are missing out! Be sure to head on over and see what all the fuss is about. Thanks for having me, Jen. You are a gem!

Have a super weekend!! Happy Easter!!

-J

April 17, 2014

PIPER’S BUNNY THEMED 2ND BIRTHDAY

You are officially invited to the most fabulous 2nd birthday party for the cutest little bunny lover we know. When Lauren of Rock Paper Scissors was deciding on a theme for her sweet girl, Piper, there was no question that Floppy ( her little bunny) would need to be the guest of honor. Piper and Floppy are BFFs for sure! We love how Lauren took something so meaningful to Piper and created a party around that.

We are so excited to share this with you all…. especially during this Easter season. The touches are all so sweet and the details are nothing short of perfection!

^^ Lauren is our girl when it comes to invites! We are just swooning over this beautiful invite she custom designed for the party. Who wouldn’t want to come after seeing this!?! ^^

^^ Honestly, our absolute favorite detail were these pink painted carrots! SO creative!! ^^

^^ Right when you entered, there was a little coloring station where each party guest could color their own “floppy”…. after you put your bunny ears on of course. ^^

^^ Can we just talk about this for a second?! Each flower was handmade by the fab mama herself to create a garland along the mantel. Definitely time consuming, but absolutely worth it all we think! ^^

^^ The celebration wouldn’t be complete without this incredible cake to blow candles out on.

Beautiful! ^^

^^ We love that there was a little something there for the adults to do. A little bunny origami

anyone? ^^

^^ There were actually REAL bunnies there for the party guests ( adults included) to snuggle on! They were a huge hit, and seriously the “cherry on top” of this big ole fat, delicious cupcake of a party! ^^

^^ Lastly, each little party guest left with their very own finger puppet attached to a custom designed card showing little Miss Piper herself. ^^

Lauren! We adore it all!! Thank you for letting us share your party. It is clear that so much love and thought went into making this day so special for your little.

April 15, 2014

EASTER WARDROBE PICKS

I can’t believe that Easter is this week!! It is one of my favorite holidays. I love dressing up, going to church and celebrating Jesus, and enjoying an amazing meal with family/friends. It is usually rainy here in Tennessee and cold even. However, it is calling for a beautiful day this year, and that alone makes me ALMOST more excited than eating my weight in Reese’s Pieces eggs. ALMOST! This will be Amara’s first year hunting for eggs also, so that is pretty special.

Here are some of my favorite picks for the little ladies and gents. I totally believe in buying an outfit that my child will wear beyond Easter. We don’t splurge too much on Easter clothes, but it is still fun to buy a special outfit for the occasion, don’t you agree?

Look one: dress shoes / Look two: dress shoes / Look three: dress shoes

Look one: shirt tie pants shoes / Look two: shirt shorts boots / Look three: shirt pants sandals

Any special plans for Easter or special traditions you have with your friends/family?

April 10, 2014

DOUBLE FEATURE!

So so so incredibly honored to have Ari’s Animal Party AND Max’s nursery featured over on

Red Tricycle, the go-to blog for stylish, awesome, busy mamas. They take the work out of scouring the internet to find cool crafts, unique nurseries, creative parties, and recipes your kids will actually eat. We read the baby/bump pages but for you all in Atlanta, Chicago, New York, LA, Portland, San Francisco, Seattle, SoCal, and DC, you have your very own section of fun things to do around your town, fav children’s boutiques, monthly event calendars, kid-friendly food trucks, and more…

how perfect is this if you’re traveling with your littles to any of these cities?! We love it!

See THIS post for Ari’s 2nd Birthday feature

See THIS post for 13 inspirational nurseries- including Max’s!

And see ALL posts for just general awesomeness 🙂 Thanks, Red Tricycle!

April 8, 2014

A WEDDING SHOWER: PARTY UNDER THE LIGHTS!

Hi Friends!! I know it probably seems like we have forgotten how to blog here, but I can assure you we have not just been sitting on the couch eating bon bons. Although, that sounds nice. One half of us is about to put a house on the market ( we all know how stressful that is in itself) while the other is in the thick of wedding celebration planning and styling for a sweet sweet couple. Exciting stuff, right!?!

I just wanted to share a few photos from a wedding shower that I helped throw with some other lovely ladies! The engaged couple are such dear friends of ours, and we were all so thrilled and honored to host such a sweet night for them. It was a “Party Under the Lights” theme, so we just wanted candles and garden lights galore. Oh! And LOTS of dancing. It helps when there is a beautiful home as a backdrop! I was in crazy party mode, so my sweet hubby took these photos. Btw, it is so interesting to see what details draw him in vs. what draws me in. There were a few detailed shots that we missed, but I am grateful to him for getting these shots. It will help you get a feel for the party.

^^ My favorite thing about the shower was the “balloon chandelier” over the dining table. I attached photos of the couple with baker’s twine to each balloon. The pics were all different sizes and the twine was cut at different lengths just to add some dimension. I couldn’t stop looking at it all night. ^^

^^ the not completely set up dessert table 😉 ^^

^^ Jerk chicken anyone? Our friend, Damien, knows how to do it right you guys!”^^

^^ We had several chairs set up around a fire pit so the groom – to – be could enjoy some cigars with his buddies! ^^

^^ Another one of my favorite touches was filling these planters with living moss and candles. So simple and so beautiful. It was a great way to fill the planters that have yet to be “springified” 😉 ^^

^^ We set up a guestbook table for everyone to come in and snap their photo and write a little note of encouragement to the happy couple. ^^

Such a lovely night. Friends, family and good food make for a perfect party!

-J

April 4, 2014

SHOP CRUSH: DABNEY LEE

The first in our Store Crush series is Dabney Lee in Brooklyn, New York. One of our fav things is supporting small businesses, especially ones owned by women and mamas. Oh and Dabney is a mama to THREE. Triplets. Count ’em. Dabney manages to somehow balance motherhood to her cuties AND run a successful design business AND own an adorable retail shop. This colorful gem is located in the charming Brooklyn borough, Dumbo (and this summer she’s taking over Shelter Island!). Filled to the brim with beautiful paper, cheeky cards, unique party supplies, personalized goods, not to mention her custom stationery and invitation lines. Modern preppy chic at it’s best.

Okay, can we talk about this custom wallpaper for a second? Dabney, you genius!

Comprehensive New York / Brooklyn section of course!

Dabney’s shop is so cheery and happy! Colors and patterns (literally) wall to wall.

Party supplies up the wazoo!

Dabney even designs wrapping paper. Yes please.

Pup friendly of course.

We asked Dabney for a peak into her noggin and here’s what she had to say:

1. What has been your favorite thing about opening your shop?

Getting to know everyone in my little neighborhood. I love seeing clients come in when pregnant and then meeting their little ones after they arrive, or helping engaged couples with their wedding days! It’s been really fun to grow with the neighborhood and become a part of the community.

2. How do you balance being a mommy and a business owner?

I try really hard to balance being a mommy + a business owner. However, I know that I fall short from time to time, but that is just part of being who I am and what I do. I’d be lying if I said it was perfect all of the time. I purposely opened my shop 2 blocks from our home so that my kiddos can pop in to see me during the day for a quick hug and kiss!

3. What is your guilty pleasure?

Definitely fried chicken. My grandmother makes the best fried chicken in the world, and I am so happy she taught me her recipe!

4. What’s up next for Dabney Lee?

The launch of our tech line and pet line- due in stores this summer! Our planners and calendars will be in Target again this summer, and we are super excited about our designs. I think our clients will fall in love with the lines, we definitely have!

5. If you could be anyone else for a day, who would it be?

It would definitely have to be my son Bennett. That kid is a wacko. I’d love to know what goes on in that little head of his, like why he thinks he absolutely needs to have pirate booty for breakfast or why he thinks running around naked is the best thing ever!

You’ve gotta go visit Dabney Lee, people! Your brain will explode from the awesomeness.

If you can’t make it to Brooklyn or Shelter Island, be sure to check out Dabney’s ONLINE SHOP and BLOG. Keep up with Dabney on INSTAGRAM, TWITTER, FACEBOOK, and PINTEREST.

Dabney, we want it all!