Love and Lion

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

VALENTINES DAY CRAFT: CONVERSATION HEARTS

We ran out of play-doh at our house and apparently to a three-year-old, that’s a tragedy. We needed a quick fix. The answer? Salt dough! Three ingredients: salt, flour, and water. After Ari made his own masterpieces, Mama needed a turn! I’ve been dying to use my new Martha Stewart glitter set, so I decided to make gift tags for Valentine’s Day. Martha Stewart, you crafty minx, you have so many different types of glorious glitter! Have you guys seen the tinsel glitter? And the heart glitter?? Want it. Need it.
The colors are so vibrant! Eek!
Salt dough is super simple to make:
1 cup salt
1 cup water
2 cups flour
Mix until consistency is like play-doh
Roll dough out on a floured surface, cut into shapes, use a toothpick for the holes, and stamp letters.
Bake at 200 degrees for 3 hours and cool completely on a wire rack. I left mine out overnight to make sure the dough was completely dry. You could probably bake them longer!
Here are my pretties! Paint glue on the heart and sprinkle away! Tap off extra glitter and let dry. If you want to use these tags over and over again, cover completely with decoupage or a clear sealant. 

These worked best as gift tags. Originally I thought these would be cute as garland but they were super heavy! What are you making for Valentine’s Day?

-L

WINTER WHITE BABY SHOWER FOR LAUREN

As part our #TBT Party Series, we’re sharing Lauren’s baby shower today! Lauren is our bestie and the owner of Rock Paper Scissors, where Jenni and I met and worked pre-babies. It’s quite possibly the cutest and most creative paper boutique… we’re planning a comprehensive post on this later, but for now, here is her baby shower for little Piper (who is turning 2 next week!). She and husband, Tim, wanted a party that wasn’t too girly since it was a couple’s shower, so we decided on a winter white theme. The party was in January and the weather certainly fit the theme. Lauren’s good friends Pauline (who’s gorgeous home you see here), Randi, and  sister-in-law Gretchen were the gracious co-hostesses.

We hung parasols from the ceiling using fishing line and clear 3M Command hooks.
All white dessert table with vanilla cupcakes, macarons, meringues, sparkling sugar cookies, and white candy covered oreo truffle pops to match the winter white theme. The middle… is a diaper cake! 
Most of the guys were truly disappointed to find out this was a diaper cake and not a real cake. I’ll share the tutorial with you soon! It’s pretty easy and is a great gift for the parents-to-be.

My favorite project to make was this “family tree”. I asked Lauren and Tim’s parents to secretly send me three generations of family photos. I scanned in the photos and made them the same size, mounted them on sparkly white paper to match the theme and hung on a branch spray-painted white. On the bottom level, I hung a blank card that said “Baby Rauter”. Oh, and Maggie, their sweet dog, is on there too! She’s the big sis after all.  
Little babies Lauren and Tim! 
Instead of a traditional guest book I tied 12 envelopes together, one for each month of Piper’s first year. Then we asked the guests to write advice or encouragement on the cards and place it in the corresponding envelope. Lauren and Tim opened an envelope each month and got to read what their family and friends wrote throughout the year!
Gorgeous letterpress invitation designed by Lauren’s BFF, Dabney of Dabney Lee. The back was covered in a silver snowflake pattern. Perfection.
Lauren and Tim sipped hot chocolate with homemade marshmallows and opened gifts in style in the all white indoor tent. 
Party favors were tiny milk jars and mini pumpkin donuts from Ellie’s Donuts– everyone’s fav in Franklin, Tennessee. Drooling right now.
Pauline’s insanely beautiful home with projected snowflakes and faux snow lining the walk way. That’s how you enter a party, am I right?
*Photographs by Twinkle Twinkle Images
-L

NEWBORN / SECOND CHILD ESSENTIALS

If you’re a preggie, a new mom, or a mom of two like me, you’re going to need some of these essentials! I could not function without the following… and I neglected to add an extra large cup of coffee, but that’s an obvious one, right? 
(click on the numbers below for the links)
HANDS-FREE
1. This is the perfect place to plop your baby down wherever you are. It has a little handle on top so it’s easy to carry in one hand while you carry your baby in the other. The best part- you can throw the whole thing in the washing machine! Jenni actually lent me hers that she used with Amara. Life saver! That’s what friends are for!
2. I LOVE the Ergo baby. How else do you get stuff done when your baby needs to be held? You have to get the infant insert as well so the baby is comfy. When they’re a little bigger, you can just use the seat pad so the baby is the right height. This carrier is so comfy that I wore this with Ari from birth (acid reflux baby… omg) up until he was 2.5 years old. 
3. We have a play mat at our house, but Max isn’t a huge fan. My parents keep this play mat at their house, and he is just mesmerized by the black and white shapes! He would stay on the mat kicking and smiling for an hour. You can even reverse the mat for different stimulation during tummy time. 
BABY COMFORTS
1. This is the easiest swaddle. Ever. Mom, dad, grandparents, and babysitters can all keep the baby swaddled the exact same way. This just zips up from the bottom (so easy for diaper changes) and has velcro to put baby’s arms in. Once Max gets in the swaddle, he’s asleep in seconds. Really. 
2. These pacifiers are the same ones you get at the hospital. They’re super soft and most like a nipple. Another thing I love about these is the hole in the middle. Ari loves to “help” and hold the pacifier in Max’s mouth with his finger. So sweet. 
3. Aden and Anais make the best burp cloths! They’re super absorbent, shaped perfectly to fit over your shoulder, they can snap around baby’s neck like a bib, and of course I love the stylish patterns. 
FOR MAMA
1. What in the world did I do before I had a backpack diaper bag?? When I’m getting the kids into the car, closing the stroller, schleping the grocery bags, etc., the last thing I need is my diaper bag falling off my shoulder or swinging around to hit me in the face. This backpack has pockets upon pockets and comes with a changing pad, wet sack, clutch for all of my stuff, a bottle cooler, stroller straps, and a strap to convert this to a shoulder bag. It really makes me feel stylish and organized. Also a bit like Felicity which obviously is amazing.  
2. Jenni gave me this lip gloss when I was in the hospital after having Max. It is the perfect shade of pink-nude and makes me feel a little glam even when I haven’t showered for three days. Isn’t she the best??
3. I adore this teething jewelry from Mama & Little. Made by a mom who wanted to look cute and give her baby the best- what a smarty! All totally safe, super stylish, and incredibly affordable!! They have necklaces you can layer in different lengths and colors all with a satin cord on your neck so it doesn’t pull out your hair! Max just started teething, so I know these will come in handy but also make me feel a little bit more put together. 
BIG BRO / SIS
1. I like to have special projects for Ari to do while I’ve got baby stuff going on. Love this mosaic kit for your older child. We did this over Thanksgiving, and it kept all 5 cousins busy, ages 3-10! 
2. A stool will make your older child feel part of the action at the changing table or crib. Ari feels very important standing on it, squishing Max’s cheeks while I do a diaper change. Anyone else’s kid enthralled with baby poop as much as mine? 
3. When I’m exhausted all the time sometimes I just need to sit, so a big floor puzzle is perfect for tired mamas and active toddlers. Much better than the Sleeping Beauty game I made up where I sleep until my prince kisses me to wake me up. So great when the prince gets distracted and let’s me sleep a little longer 🙂
I have to say the best thing we did for Ari to make him feel extra special was to have a “Big Brother Party”. It was as simple as hanging a few streamers and balloons and getting cupcakes from Kroger- you would have thought it was his birthday with how excited he was. We gave him a big brother gift and a present from Max. I highly recommend this for you mamas out there!!
Mr. Max at 3 months old
What are your favorite baby necessities I’m missing? I’d love to hear from you!
-L

HARRY POTTER VALENTINES CARD (FREE PRINTABLE)

If you’re a Harry Potter fan, you’ll enjoy this. If you’ve never read the books or seen the movies… um why not? Better get on that. I wanted to share the Valentine’s Day card I made for my husband this year (and hope he’s not reading this post!). You could totally use this for your kid’s class valentines too!
1. Click HERE to buy the glasses
2. Click HERE for the printable.
3. Print on card stock- you can find single sheets of red and gold at most craft stores, or purchase white card stock HERE
4. Cut using our fav easy cutting board HERE

5. Cut out holes as shown in the photo below with an x-acto knife or simply tape with washi tape.

And if you’re really feeling nerdy, grab our Harry Potter tattoos HERE and Harry Potter nail tattoos HERE!
 Cut 2 rectangles to poke the glasses through. I printed on a scrap piece of paper first to fiddle with where to cut. Below is what the back will look like.
If you don’t have glasses for the card, use THIS printable.
 I did mine in Gryffindor colors naturally, but just red works well for Valentine’s Day too!

 

Want to see what huge HP nerds my husband and I are? Here’s the costume I made for our then one-year-old, Ari! I cannot wait to start reading the books together (in about 6 years!).
Details about this costume and more DIY baby Halloween costumes HERE.
Anyone else LOVE Harry Potter as much as I do? I’m trying to get Jenni on the Hogwarts Express Harry Potter train! Won’t she love the books??
-L

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