Love and Lion

CANDY PILLOW BOXES: ANOTHER VALENTINE DIY

Hope everyone’s week is going well! Just wanted to share what we did for Amara’s Valentines this year for her sweet little friends. She wasn’t allowed to actually help, unfortunately, because she is a little under the weather. Germs! So, I assembled these little candy boxes during 45 minutes of her calling my name from her room nap time.
It is no secret that we are in love with the Target dollar section. It served me so well for this holiday! I picked up a few chipboard letters, heart pillow boxes and some sprinkle tape. 
^^ Things you need: candies of your choice, foam mounting tape, chipboard letters, pillow boxes, sprinkle tape… ^^
^^ and some FABULOUS chocolates (from Olive Sinclair) – check! ^^
^^ For the non-kid chocolate lover, I just wrapped a few chocolate pieces in wax paper and tied it with twine. Perfect small treat! ^^
 ^^ Can we just talk about this sprinkle tape?! ^^
 ^^ I cut a few tiny pieces of the ‘foam tape’ for the back of the chipboard letters just to give it a “lifted” look on the pillow box. ^^

Hope you have a Happy Valentine’s Day…
xoxo!
-J

NEXT LEVEL OREO RICE KRISPIE TREAT COOKIES

We’ll explain…
Have you seen these little babies?
We saw these and thought… what can we do to make these even more fat-tastic? Hmmm let’s scrape the good stuff out, mix it with rice krispie treats, slap it back in between the cookie parts, dip it in chocolate, and drench it in sprinkles. OKAY!
 Here’s the hardest part… try not to eat the oreo middles with your hands a spoon.
 Cut circles out *while rice krispie treats are still warm and pliable* and smoosh in between oreo cookie halves
 Dip in melting chocolate
Add sprinkles while chocolate is still soft if you want to make them festive!
Package these yummies up and spread the love!
YUM
RECIPE
NEXT LEVEL OREO RICE KRISPIE TREAT COOKIES
6 C Rice Krispie cereal
5 C mini marshmallows
3 TBSP unsalted butter
1 package Marshmallow Crispy Oreos
1 package candy making chocolate – we used Ghiradelli White Melting Wafers
Sprinkles
1. Scrape the cream centers out of the Oreos and set aside- they peel right out! Save the cookie halves.
2. Make rice krispie treats: melt butter and marshmallows. Stir in cereal and Oreo cream centers.
3. Press mixture evenly into greased baking tray with greased spatula or parchment paper. 
4. While treats are still a little warm and pliable, cut circle shapes out and set aside. We used an empty sprinkle container.
5. Smoosh rice krispie treat circles in between the Oreo cookie halves.
6. Melt chocolate in a double broiler/microwave and dip oreos. The cookies really don’t stay together well without the chocolate part! Dip the cookie in sprinkles while the chocolate is still warm and let cool completely. 
7. Devour.

AMARA’S FIRST BIRTHDAY

For our “throw back thursday” series, we are revisiting my daughter’s first birthday party. I had ideas and color schemes running through my head since before her birth. The party was held in September, which makes for such lovely weather here in TN….usually. It is also my birthday month, so it is just an all around happy time of celebration for us. I knew I wanted to hand make the invite rather than get something printed, create a pinwheel photo booth backdrop, and use peach and mint in my color scheme. Thats it! 

^^ The invites were my FAVORITE part of the celebration. I ordered mini chalkboards, painted and cut each envelope out of watercolor paper and did a peach ombre water color, and sweet Leah did beautiful hand lettering on every. single. invite! Then, we finished it off with a photo envelope liner. I believe we did that for 28 or so. Then, I attached a chalkboard tag with some gold and cream yarn. The most special part, for me, was that they were each hand delivered. I just feel like your invite sets the tone for the entire party, and I wanted it to be special, and for each of our guests to know just how much it meant for them to be there, and how much time was taken to make their invitation a beautiful one. ^^
^^ I found doilies in the dollar section at a local craft store, and folded them over a piece of yarn, and voila. I didn’t want to take them down after the party because they made my yard look so pretty! ^^
^^ My sweet friend, Lori, covered an “A” in moss. I just wanted a little something to set outside of the door. ^^
^^ Yarn wrapped letters are a favorite of mine. I set out some of Amara’s favorite books with a pair of her baby shoes to add some sweet touches. I finished off the mantle with a ribbon – esque garland. Mine were just strips of fabric from Wal-Mart. Believe it or not….it was the only place where I could find the perfect shades of peach and mint. ^^
^^ This pinwheel backdrop was such a labor of love for me. It was a LOT of work, but I absolutely loved how all of the photo booth shots turned out. I think I cried when I was forced to break it down and throw it out. I need a studio so I can hoard all of my labors of love, right? haha! ^^

^^ My husband put together a one year video to show at the party, and to hand out as party favors. We took our cake outside and sat around some hay bales that we bought for the party ( which stayed in our yard for a good two months after the party). It was perfect. We just hung a white sheet off the side of our pergola, and borrowed a projector from our neighbor. ^^
^^Leah and I with our littles!^^

R&R… VILLA STYLE

Last week, my husband and I had the amazing opportunity to go on a vacation with some of our favorite people at Rivendell Villa in Jamaica. For amazing photos of this place, click here. It was truly a time of rest, relaxation and pure restoration. I have never experienced anything like it. I had an incredible amount of anxiety ( over flying and leaving my daughter) before leaving, and it felt insanely good to feel that weight lift off of me as soon as I pulled into the gates of heaven. Yep, I like to call it heaven on earth. 
^^ Welcome goodies are always a good sign, right? ^^
^^ We spent many of the evenings playing croquet at sunset ( fancy, right?) as we sipped tea and ate pastries…. like a lot of pastries…..well, maybe that was just me. ^^
^^ I am actually quite scared of the ocean and everything underneath the surface, but this trip managed to host a lot of “firsts” for me. It helps to have friends cheering you on shoving you into the water. I had been snorkeling once before, but it had been so long that this might as well have been my first time. ^^ 
^^ A couple of our guy friends went about 12 miles out into the ocean with this fisherman and his wife, and caught some amazing tuna ( SO proud of them) that we were later served during a game of croquet while sipping wine…. I know….not real life. ^^
 ^^ There was truly nothing more peaceful on this trip than paddling out into the ocean and just sitting.^^
^^ We went on a Black River Safari where we saw crocs, devoured fresh crab and white wine at a REAL crab shack, jumped off of a bridge into a “croc free” part of the river ( I was skeptical and felt the urge to throw up several times as I don’t like heights or the possibility of rubbing elbows with a crocodile), and listened to Robin Thicke’s “Blurred Lines” more than once. The tour guide seemed to like that song.
^^ An amazing tablescape for our last night’s dinner.^^
This house was staffed, and I felt like I was leaving family by the end of the trip. They were SO serving, humble, gracious and amazing at their jobs. I am so grateful to them for taking this experience to the ultimate level for us. I must admit…it was a wake up call for me on my first morning back home. No fresh fruit for breakfast, anyone to make my bed, a toddler tugging at my pant leg…. oh how quickly we adjust to luxury, huh?  
What is your dream vacation that you had the chance to go on or still dream of going on?
-Jenni

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