land of nod

ROOM TOUR: ARI’S MODERN BIG BOY ROOM

You know when your kid gets to an age where all of a sudden they have super strong opinions on what their room should look like? Ari is 5 now and wanted rainbows and gold painted all over the walls with Harry Potter posters. This was not going to fly. BUT I think I pulled off a combination of rainbows, Harry Potter, and my love of black and white modern style. Now we’re both happy!! Scroll down for all sources and a free printable of the modern rainbow poster. 
Besides decoration ideas, the BIG problem to tackle was organization and storage. This is where Land of Nod came in big time! Jenni and I both fell in love with the acrylic bookcase! It’s just so clean and pretty and perfect for treasures. The Home Edit came over and styled with special books and toys to look like… you guessed it… a rainbow!
Land of Nod also came in clutch with these soft bins perfect for the abnormal amount of stuffed animals my son collects. I absolutely LOVE that they are soft. One or two actually live on my son’s bed so that he can sleep with all of his stuffed buddies without them constantly falling off the bed. 
I designed this abstract rainbow poster and have it for you as a FREE download! Yippee! I sent the file into Kinkos/FedEx and had them print it in an 18×24″ frame ready size. Scroll down for the link to download.
This might seem crazy, but I really wanted to make an art installation out of books. Ari loves books (and so do I!) but his old book shelf cubbies were getting a little crazy looking. I saw blogger, Freckles Chick‘s book shelves she used for her daughter’s room and knew that was the solution. I bought the 3.5″ deep shelves and installed them in rows. 6 of the 36″ and 3 of the 24″ shelves. Each row had one long, one short, one long to make three 96″ shelves. Then of course The Home Edit styled it for Ari so it looked like yet another rainbow!!
Our family is a BIT Harry Potter obsessed. Okay a lot obsessed. Luckily, we’ve passed our obsession to Ari. We came up with a “magic spell” to put him to sleep… and it really works! Dixie & Twine graciously made this “FALLIO ASLEEPO” sparkly banner for above his bed!  
SOURCES:
“A” wall letter – Ebay
“a” red letter – vintage
Gumball machine – vintage (my husband’s!)
Matchbox car holder – vintage printers box
Black paint – Behr Broadway
White paint – Behr pure white
FALLIO ASLEEPO!
-L

NURSERY REVEAL: WILDLIFE UNDER THE STARS

Is that really a theme? Wildlife under the stars?? Haha! I am not a super fan of nursery “themes”. I prefer to just create a room that is full of pieces I can’t live without… hoping that in the end, it all comes together and looks cohesive. To be honest, life was chaotic during my entire pregnancy. We were doing so much to our house because we thought we would be putting it on the market (and moving) before Remy got here. YEAH. FREAKING. RIGHT!! So glad that didn’t happen! Although it nearly killed me, I am glad we made so much headway ( painting the inside of our entire house) because there were things that should have been done to our home a long time ago just for US to live in and enjoy.
After working on our home so much and gratefully enduring the busiest season yet for Love & Lion’s Etsy shop, I looked up and realized about 4 weeks out that we had a tiny bit of paint on the wall and that was it! I immediately just started online shopping madness, and just hoped that everything would come together and look like what I was envisioning. I truly work best under “pressure”. We kept the walls neutral with Behr’s Chocolate Froth, which is also the color we have chosen for our entire house. I. LOVE. IT! I wanted a bold navy color somewhere in the room! We chose Behr’s Rush Hour
for the ceiling to create a “night sky” for the room. I truly love how it all came together! I think I even had more fun doing Remy’s nursery over Amara’s ( our first) simply because I didn’t think about it too much. My husband picked up a Petit Collage print on one of his work trips, and brought it home. I loved that he was already thinking of this baby before we even knew the gender! It meant so much to me that I immediately decided to build the nursery around the colors in that print!
So here are all the deets…

I really focused on keeping the room simple and clean! It isn’t a super large room, so filling it with clutter is senseless to me. I didn’t want things hanging on the wall or sitting on shelves just because! It is so much easier for baby no. 2, in my opinion, because you know what you actually put to use and what you don’t. 
I thoroughly enjoy walking down my hallway and peeking into this little gem in the corner of our home. Making a space for this little guy in a room that literally served as a storage room just solidifies his presence in our home and our family. It makes me happy to see my home lived in! When we bought our home 6 years ago, we thought 5 bedrooms sounded ridiculous for just the two of us. However, we envisioned filling these rooms with babies and having room to host friends and family. I could have never imagined that two of these rooms would be filled with two of the most perfect little humans on the planet! 😉
Sources:
Rocker / local baby store (purchased and used for Amara’s nursery)
Throw pillow / Dwell Studio
Accent table / Target (clearance)
Lamp / Land of Nod
Rug / Land of Nod
Ottoman / Land of Nod
Curtain Rod & Finials / Land of Nod)
Curtains / DIY ( don’t look too closely at my sewing skills) Fabric was a Nate Berkus print!
White Honeycomb shelf / Land of Nod
Crib Skirt / Land of Nod
White Dresser / Babyletto at Target
Changing Pad cover / Aden + Anais (also got this print)
Crib Sheet / Aiden + Anais (also got this print)
Triangle garland / DIY
Giraffe head / White Faux Taxidermy
Wonder Print / Petit Collage
Mobile / Petit Collage 
Gold Bear Print / Sycamore Street Press
Star decals (ceiling) / Fairy Dust Decals
Pendant / DIY 
Elephant blanket / Orla Kiely (Target)
Crib / Babies R Us
Book shelf / Ikea – can’t find online.
Collage wall / DIY – I used old frames and some new ones from Target. All prints (except ones sourced above) were free printable prints offline. Gold mirror was a thrift find. 
Hanging Letters / Michael’s find
Have a great week!!
XO!!

FEATURED: SWEET BIRDIE BIRTHDAY PARTY

We adore DIY parties- that’s our fav for our own kids, so we’re always on the lookout for new creative yet achievable ideas. That’s why we’re so thrilled to feature this Sweet Birdie Dessert Birthday Party by Shauna Younge! You’ll love her pastel and wood grain color palette, pretty dessert table, and simple touches that made this party memorable!
 
SHAUNA:
After I designed the hexagon and faux bois invites and found a great cake recipe, I planned a bash that was full of bright, spring-y colors offset by lots of white and gold accents. I created DIY faux bois color block placemats to bring color and warmth to my white desk for the girls to dine in style. 
Along with sliders, powdered donuts, and popcorn, the girls devoured vanilla ice cream and my strawberry cake. I customized labels with each girl’s name to decorate the paper ice cream cups from Sweet Party Shop. I also designed faux bois labels for the milk bottles to add a natural element to the all-white room. Land of Nod’s birdie garland and cupcake kit added a bit of whimsy to the dessert table that really kicked up the color a notch. 
CREDITS
Party concept, styling, and dessert table: Shauna Younge
Images: Sydnee Bickett
Birdie garland and cupcake kit: Land of Nod
Ice cream cups: Sweet Party Shop
DIY projects: DIY starburst birthday crown and DIY faux bois color block placemats


Check out more of Shauna’s ideas on her blog, Sweet Tooth, and contributor to Momtastic. Also do NOT miss her dessert table portfolio HERE!

FEATURED: DEVAN’S WINTER WOODLAND NURSERY

She did it again! Our dear friend Shara (remember her Shark Party HERE?!) is blowing our minds with her son’s dreamy gray and aqua nursery. It is styled. to. perfection. We’ve been stalking gently convincing her to let us show her whole house! One day, Shara, one day…. mwahahahaha!

SHARA:
When I was pregnant with my second, I was so sure I was having a girl that I went ahead and bought crib bedding and started planning out a perfect baby girl nursery. I was just SURE. Halfway through my pregnancy at the big ultrasound, the tech waved her magic wand, paused, and then asked me if I still had the receipt for that bedding… I was having another boy! I was shocked and kind of in denial, so I decided I didn’t need to do up another room for baby boy – he would just share a room with his big brother once he was old enough to move out of the bassinet in my room. 
Fast forward to a month before my due date. The urge to nest suddenly kicked in haaaaaaard and I just HAD to have a nursery. Jenni had thrown me the most perfect “snowy sprinkle” baby shower (see it HERE), and I worked from that idea to create a gender-neutral winter woodland nursery. The room was already painted grey (Valspar’s “Cement”), so I left it as is and used that as my starting point. Anyone who has been to my house knows how much I love the color aqua, so I (unsurprisingly) decided on a grey/aqua/white color theme, accented by warmer tones here and there to keep it from being too matchy-matchy or cold. It took more than a year to finish up the room – I had my hands kind of full with two little ones! – but I think that the extra time allowed the room to evolve into something even better than I had originally visualized. Now it’s one of my favorite rooms in the house!
PS. I never did return that girly bedding… it’s packed away carefully in hopes that maybe one day my pretty pink nursery will become a reality 😉

 

SOURCES:
Tree decals – WallDecorative
Arrows – Mineral and Matter
Feather mobile – DIY
Dreamcatchers – DIY
Bedding – skirt from Land of Nod, sheet & chevron knit throw from Target
Aqua book cart – Land of Nod
Rocking moose – Ikea
Chair and ottoman – Little Castle “Charleston”
Polar bear blanket – Land of Nod
Polar bear “skin” – eBay
Lamps – Target
Squirrel nightlight – Modcloth
Tree wood bead puzzle – Skip Hop
Bird mobile – Boon
Changing pad cover – Land of Nod
Curtains – Amazon (blackout lining added DIY)
Dresser, end table, book ledges – Ikea
“Things” organizer – Land of Nod
Grizzly bear wood block calendar – West Elm
Fox, raccoon and owl art – Sass and Peril
Antlers – White Faux Taxidermy
Clock – Target
Rocking bird – West Elm
Ceramic fox figurine and white fox speaker – Target
Moon globe – Urban Outfitters
Marquee arrow light – Target
Forest Love screen print – Sass and Peril
Young & Brave print – Billy and Scarlet
Paper deer – Template from French Melody
Name letters – DIY
Woven baskets – Walmart, spray painted teal
Owl vase – Target

BABY BOY NURSERY + VALENTINE GIVEAWAY (GIVEAWAY CLOSED)

My husband and I literally just dreamt up what we would like to see in our baby boy’s nursery a few days ago. We are in the process of getting our house ready to put on the market possibly, and since we are going through and taking things down, painting everything neutral and not really taking too many risks decor wise, I felt like I had NO freedom to do what I really wanted to do. 
It has actually occurred to me that what I love fits right in with our neutral colors and my husband’s ban on wallpaper. I love the idea of a woodland/under the stars kind of feel in the room. I also put my own personal ban on the use of gold….. silver tones have been calling my name.
My husband brought home a print that he picked up when he was traveling ( the Wonder print), so I kind of just started there. I love that he picked something out on his own and brought it home ;).
mobile / zinc monogram – Michael’s craft store / wonder print / moon print / giraffe / lamp / crib
arrows – found on etsy, but no longer available, so on the search for something similar / rug / accent table / dresser / ottoman / industrial bins
GIVEAWAY….
ALSO…… WE WANT TO SPREAD THE LOVE!! Leah and I are giving away goods from our Valentine’s Day party from this post. A party in a box if you will! Then, you can host your own little breakfast/ Valentine decorating soiree for your little and their friends!
Comment below and tell us your favorite Valentine’s Day memory or tradition. That. is. it! The box contains the following items:
– 2 mini mailing tubes (purchased at Michaels if you want to add more)
– custom mailing labels
– 4 children’s plates
– 8 red and white heart napkins
– 6 pink striped cups
– 4 hand painted mini scoops
– 8 mini ice cream cups (used for cereal)
– 6 paper straws with mini pink hearts
– “You’ve got Mail” banner
– 8 mini paper airplanes on twine
– fiber fill for clouds
– 3 handmade heart “globes”
Amanda!! You are our winner! Thanks for entering everyone! 
xo
                       

HOLIDAY GIFT GUIDE FOR GIRLS

Do you have most of your shopping done already? Well, good for you! 😉 If not, here are my top picks if you are looking for that perfect little something for the little ladie(s) in your life. 
1. Stocking stuffers: 
Tinkerbell Pez dispenser – I loooooved getting these as a child, so I can only hope that my child will enjoy it as well this year. 
Snow globe – This little guy is a perfect keepsake for this Christmas. We always love to give our daughter something to mark the year, whether it be a snow globe or an ornament. Even better, 25% of the purchase price goes directly to St. Jude’s. 
Frozen activities book – because which kid isn’t still singing “Let it Go!”???
Wind up mouse –  This mouse gives my daughter laughter for minutes at a time. He flips over and she thinks it is “super duper cool”. 
Finger puppets – they are just so cute!
2. Board Game – These are always fun to add to your board game collection. Whether it be educational or just plain fun.
3. Cape & Dress up Accessory Kit – It occurred to me the other day (when my 3 year old daughter asked to be a super hero for Halloween next year) that little girls need to save the world sometimes too. Ya know, take a break from being a princess! 😉
4. Educational goods – I love watching my toddler learn. Watching her figure things out and use her problem solving skills is just the best. I love the idea of mixing fun gifts with some educational gifts as well. Adding a few books to your library is always a good idea. We tried these hot dot cards at Leah’s, and Amara loved them!! 
5. Sleeping bag – Even if your child is not doing sleep overs yet, I think these are so fun for movie nights or pretend play. I am adoring this one with the big bow!!
6. Bunny slippers – duh!
7. Mini Mercedes – The thing we all wanted when we were little. If only Santa could bring me this in MY size?!
8. Little People Princess Castle – We bought this for Amara last year, but she is just starting to play with it a year later. Her imaginary play has taken off. She loves to make the princesses talk….. like all day long. Such a fun little gift, so I had to include it in my picks for this year. 

HOLIDAY GIFT GUIDE FOR THE BOYS

Heeeeere we go, people! T-minus 24 days (or 15 days if you celebrate Hannukah like me) ’til Christmas! Here are my picks for the little dudes in your life. 
Click the item names below for the links:
1. ALPHA POPS: These are genius. Combining a kid’s favorite food group and learning? Check. Match uppercase and lowercase letters, match colors, use for imaginative play. Yum- I mean- fun!
2. BROTHERS BANNER: Sweet little sign for bros bein’ bros. Cute for a playroom or a new big brother. Love this Etsy shop- lots of rad designs!
3. KIWI CRATE: Yet another genius idea! Monthly subscriptions (3, 6, or 12 months) of creative and educational projects for kids of all ages. AKA no work for you mamas to come up with something to battle the “I’m bored’s”.
4. SPY GLASSES: Because every little boy wants to be a spy!
6. SHARK AQUABOT: Swims in water! The only kind of pet I’m okay with right now.
7. HARRY POTTER BOOK SET: A special keepsake plus it comes in a cool trunk! You know me and my true love for Harry Potter. My husband and I passed that love onto our son. He’s not quite ready to read the books, but he’s seen the first movie about 50 times. This month.
8. KINETIC SAND: An OCD mother’s dream come true! Sand that isn’t messy! You can squeeze it, mold it, shape it, let your kiddo really experiment with it. Comes in lots of fun colors too.
9. TWIST AND DRILL: If your kid loves to pretend to play power tools as much as mine, they’ll love this! The drill actually works and twists the screws in to build cars and trucks. Good for hand eye coordination and pretend play.
10. HI/BYE HAT AND GLOVES: For friendly kids to say hi and bye to everyone they pass on the street. Warm and wooly but don’t put these in the dryer… been there, done that. Now Max wears them.
11. THE BOOK WITH NO PICTURES: Fun and silly and written by one of my fav comedians, B.J. Novak. I think any kiddo would get tons of giggles out of this one. 
12. STAR WARS COOKBOOK: Make ice saber popsicles. Enough said.
13. WOODEN CHESS SET: Chunky chess pieces perfect for chunky little hands with directions engraved at the bottom. A great first set for early learners.
Any gifts we missed? We’d love to know. Happy shopping!
-L

COZY CORNER FOR NOA

My friend, Amy, is having her second child soon (yippee!) and wanted to create a special space for her older daughter, Noa, since the baby will now have Noa’s rocking chair. 
Here are some ideas for a cozy corner perfect for reading and dreaming. 
TENT 1 / 2 / 3
COMFIES 1 / 2 / 3 / 4
FRIENDS 1 / 2 / 3 / 4
PILLOWS 1 / 2 / 3
MAKE IT PRETTY 1 / 2 / 3
READ AND EXPLORE 1 / 2 / 3
GOOD READS 1 / 2 / 3
We love doing inspiration boards- let us know if you have an idea for us!
-L

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

NYE AT HOME….WITH THE LITTLES

If you are planning on staying home this NYE, and maybe even have little ones join in the festivities, here are some fun goodies to make the most of your night in. 
{click on numbers below for links}
1 Lounge in style in this fabulous thermal set! They will still look great with a red lip 😉
2 We love Knot & Bow!!! They have a new metallic and white confetti bomb that will serve as a little party in your vacuum on New Years Day!
3 We weren’t on the up and up in time to order these, but personalized pjs for your kids?!?! LOVE!!
4 Confetti socks! Enough said.
5 It’s not a party without a noise maker, right? The prettiness of these outweigh the loud noise.
6 Let your littles get their drink on with a sparkling apple juice in a can. Add a festive straw for fun!
7 We are all about wearing some sort of NYE/2014 Head gear. This cute headband is an Etsy find.
8 Canned champs ladies!! Pop, Fizz, Clink Tsssss???
9 Photo props! A must at every party.
10 Confetti with color for your littles to make a giant mess with! yay!!!

MAX’S NAVY AND GOLD NURSERY

Very excited to show you all Max’s nursery! I had so much fun finding little details to personalize the room. Max loves looking at all of the animal-themed artwork and the shiny gold details, and I love the cozy retreat from the chaos of toddler-world. 
These wall letters were the first things I bought for the nursery… just a little excited when we finally picked a name!
Paint color is Valspar Mystified
 Pretty obsessed with Mr. Moose
The gold theme began with this lamp from Land of Nod.
Had to add this framed pic of big brother for Max to worship 🙂

Dog photograph by William Wegman
Wall shelves and toy bin from Land of Nod

This was a fun embroidery project! It comes as a DIY kit, but I added a little pompom to his hat.
1 / 3 / 5 / 6 / 7 / 9 / 10
2) I may have cut this out of my Picasso coffee table book!
4) Incredible paper cut made by my sister’s friend. Leave a comment if you’d like the artist’s info.
8) DIY inspired by this talented artist
Enchanting LED lights!
Mr. Max
-L

HOLIDAY GIFT GUIDE SERIES (FOR GIRLS)

1 / 2 / 3 / 4 / 5 / 6 / 7 / 8 / 9 / 10
(1) Every little girl can’t wait to get their hands on all of the kitchen gadgets that they see mommy use. This wooden baking mixer set will have you wanting to play with your kids’ kitchen gadgets! Adorable. We love the durability and classic gesture of wooden toys here at Love & Lion.
(2) Such a creative take on the classic memory game. Love the idea of putting family members’ faces on here!
(3) We are over the moon for this Oh Joy Pixie Dust camera from Twig Creative. Why can’t our Canons be this cute?
(4) Pottery Barn Kids anywhere chairs… enough said. We are swooning over the Sherpa!
(5) This is on Amara’s Gift list! A new take on the ole “fort”. We love the colors and patterns on all of the Land of Nod playhomes.
(6) Get your little ready for spring with some stylish boots just made for puddle splashing. Great in the snow also with the fleece lining socks.
(7) Meslissa and Doug never ceases to amaze us! Our kids already love “getting mail”, and this is the perfect gift! Again, wooden toys baby!!
(8) Top off her little holiday outfit with this fab headband. Sure to sparkle!!
(9) A scooter that grows with your toddler/little girl. Comes in such fun colors too.
(10) Take these on the go for restaurants or leave them at home on the dishwasher for endless entertainment. These wooden magnets are so lovely, and come in beautiful finishes.
Happy Shopping!
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