mothers day

Mother’s Day Gift Guide

Mother’s Day ( and our birthdays) are the two days that Leah and I ask “off”. You know… “off” from adulting, mothering, cleaning, and maybe even wifey duties. You knooooooow! Anyway, we are dreaming up our perfect Mother’s Day and hoping our husbands read this post and follow it exactly. haha. Okay, ours won’t, but maybe YOURS will. How great would it be to have an extended pj morning followed by a nice brunch and any one of these items wrapped up? Pretty great, right? Anything that makes our lives easier, makes us feel pretty, relaxes us, helps us enjoy our hobbies more, or gives us all the feels came together in the form of this gift guide. We hope it helps!

 

ONE | NECKLACE | TOTE | FLOWERS | GIFT CARDS ( It is more than just a gift card. It is insured time alone with money that won’t get spent in a toy store.) Again…. you knooooooow!

TWO| ROBE | DIFFUSER | TEES | FACIAL | HEATING BRUSH

THREE | PHONE CASE | CHARGING STATION | LIST PAD | WATCH BLING

FOUR | DUTCH OVEN | SPRINKLES | FLEUR DE SEL | SLOW COOKER | MARKET BAG

 

xo

Leah & Jenni

 

 

TURN YOUR KID’S ARTWORK INTO ART

A perfect art project for Teacher’s Appreciation Day or Mother’s Day. By simply taping the edges of fold-over notes, it creates a clean border for the chaos within. Then write your sweet note inside and send! Or make a few and bundle them together with twine and give as custom stationery. Step-by-step tutorial below.
WHAT YOU NEED:
acrylic or oil paints
paint brushes
masking tape or painters tape
foldover notes or cardstock
willing children
STEP 1:
Line up all notecards so that the sides are touching
STEP 2: 
Put one piece of tape down in between two cards just to save yourself time and supplies. Tape ALL edges down so that you have a tape border around each card.
STEP 3:
Have your kids fill each card with paint edge to edge. I like to choose the paint colors myself so that they turn out sort of nice no matter what! Start with warm tones, then cool, then have them finish with a clean skinny brush for a metallic paint. 
STEP 4:
Carefully peel off the tape and voila! A nice clean boarder that looks pretty enough to gift!
xo

MOTHER OF DRAGONS (FREE PRINTABLE)

Even if you don’t watch Game of Thrones (ummm ya need to get on that btw) you’ll understand the meaning of “Mother of Dragons”!! Here’s a little 5×7″ print for yourself for Mother’s Day. Just a reminder of what a tough job you have, and what an amazing job you’re doing! Scroll down for the free download…
This is my office slash hoarding print gallery wall!
Mother of Dragons black and white print HERE
Mother of Dragons green print HERE
Yo Momma card HERE
Grammar card HERE
Gilmore Girls card HERE
Happy Mother’s Day to yourself!
xo

YO MOMMA! MOTHER’S DAY CARD (FREE PRINTABLE)

Let the “yo momma” jokes begin! We’re keeping this one sweet though… 
This is totally our moms!! Starting a business and having that fear of “what if no one likes what I’m doing??” and mom is always there to the rescue on instagram and blog posts! Ha! Thank goodness for moms, right?! 
Happy Mother’s Day!
xo

MOTHER’S DAY WISHLIST | BLACK, WHITE & NEON

Hey you guys!! I am squeezing in a last minute Mother’s day post before the weekend. I just thought I would share a couple of things that I am SERIOUSLY wanting, whether it be for MD or not! I am obviously getting the best gift in the world this year right around this sweet holiday, which is the birth of my SON!!! We are still anxiously awaiting his arrival, but when my hubby asked me what kind of prezzie I would like for Mother’s Day, I immediately asked for a bathing suit. It is super important for me to have a bathing suit that I feel more than comfortable in as I will be diving into the pool with the toddler weeks after giving birth. Ummm….. nightmare? Yes, I think so!
I can’t get my mind off of this one, so that usually means that it will be in my drawer soon! The scalloped edge has me swooning!! I will probably end up with black, although this tan one is soooo lovely!
Have you guys seen this closet DIY? I have had it pinned for quite some time on my personal Pinterest page, and have added to the hubby’s “to-do list”. They did SUCH a fantastic job AND it is super budget friendly. A Mother’s Day gift is made much sweeter when it is handmade, right? ha!
I always have a couple of expensive/time consuming ideas on hand when it comes to gifts for myself. For the more low-key/ budget-friendly requests…. these are mine..
These sandals look super mom friendly (buuuut still stylish), and for every pair purchased, they donate clean drinking water to children. Win Win! I also love this pair and this pair. What is even sweeter is that they make them for little kids too!! You know I love a good mommy/daughter dress alike day. 😉
 I NEED this bag from Target!! It is always good to have a breakaway from the diaper bag that you carry 90% of the time, right? It is so chic, and the quality is impressive! It would make a great date night bag! I am also loving this all white weekender ( for the small getaways I never take) yes, please!!
 I think key chains are super cheeseball ( despite my collection I assembled as a teenager), but truthfully, I need an easy way to actually FIND my keys in my bag. I always challenge myself to put my keys in the same pocket, but that never happens. This neon tassel key fob is perfect!!
I have been wanting a great pair of aviators for a while now, but these are kind of winning in my book right now!
Leah and I both love our Helen Ficalora necklaces! It is kind of a little tradition to add initial charms to my necklace! I am in need of another chain because it feels like a lot to wear all of the charms on the one that I have. I reeeeaaaallllly want this “R” in all diamonds 🙂 Since this is a pricier option, and it may be farther down the road… I would LOVE this one in the meantime to mix with my Helen necklace for summer! Love layering dainty gold pieces.
Gifts are FAB… don’t get me wrong, but just being loved on and served that day is the real winner. Leah and I love a super thoughtful card and a super delish brunch at the very least!! That is simple, right? We hope you all have a Happy Mother’s Day weekend! We love getting to know you all through blogging and Instagram. We truly love being mommies ourselves, and at the end of the day, we just want you to feel celebrated because you are freaking awesome!!!
XO!
  

GRAMMER LOVER MOTHER’S DAY CARD- FREE PRINTABLE

This one’s for the grammar nut in your life! I painted a similar card for my mom last year, and she loved it…she not so silently corrects my grammar on all blog posts and in every day life. Thought some of you might know a mom or yourself who needs this! Free printable HERE.
Happy Mother’s Day! Yes, there’s an apostrophe in there, MOM.
-L

SETTING A SIMPLE TABLE

We put our house on the market Sunday and it’s already under contract… keep your fingers crossed! When we were getting ready for pictures, our real estate agent suggested to set the table in the dining room. I wanted to share a super simple table setting with you. 
This would be perfect for a mother’s day brunch! Scroll down for the how-to. 
Here’s my dining room! Best room in the house. I’ll be sad to leave all this light. Though not sad to leave that green… I’m think I’m going gray or white in the next home… what do you think?
1. Ombre flowers: These are the cheapos you can find at any grocery store. I got these in pinks from dark to light to create an ombre effect. It would look awesome to get 4-5 different types of flowers but all in the same color scheme. I put these in different shape/size milk glass vases found at antique shops. Oh and add candles. Everyone looks better in candle light. They should make an iPhone candle light app and I’d just walk around with it projected on my face all day. 
2. Table setting: charger, dinner plate, napkin, silverware, and glass. That’s really all you need! Napkins and wine glasses from Anthropologie that I’m freaking obsessed with- a birthday gift- thanks, Lauren
3. Name cards: if you want to go one extra step for a sweet personalized touch, tie the silverware with twine and a simple name tag. I cut a rectangle out of kraft paper and used a silver Sharpie. 
4. Become the effortless hostess with the mostess. 
-L

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
Stylish: tee / shorts / scarf / sandals
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!

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!!