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DALMATION WALL STENCIL | BEFORE & AFTER

      We recently purchased a fixer upper of our own, and have big plans for it. However, we are having to start small. One thing we did not have that I felt was an immediate need was a place to hang our jackets and bags and put our shoes. Our laundry room is the room we enter into from our garage, so I decided to make a small utility wall in there. The entire room is getting a makeover… new floors, cabinets, countertop, light fixture…. the works. Until then, I just needed a space to hang all of the crap that would make its way onto our sofa and living room floor. No Bueno!
    
 I recently became obsessed with all things dalmatian, and wondered how I could incorporate this print into my home. I just wanted that one scene stealing wall in my home. I toyed with doing removable wallpaper, but truthfully, it was a bit pricey for a laundry room. Also, what if I want something different in the future? I just didn’t want to deal with removing wallpaper. With stencils, you can use paint and just paint right over it and even use the stencil on a different wall if you want. The more research I did, I felt confident that I could handle doing a stencil… on my own….for the first time. Well, I was at least going to try. 
     
I came across the amazing stencils from Gypsy Mint, and fell. in. love! They were kind enough to send me their dalmatian pattern to try, and I could NOT wait to get it up on my wall. The best part was that they let me customize my stencil. They have such great designs ready for purchase, but customizing is their specialty, and it allowed me to get my stencil just the way I wanted it. I also really love this one for a little kids’ room as well as this one. They are just all so good friends!
 First, I had to pick the colors that I wanted to use. White is not just white, and black is not just black guys. I wanted a specific warm white with a softer black shade. I ended up going with BM’s White Dove and Space Black. Space Black actually looks like a true navy when it is put up against something black, but on the wall…. it is “black” and perfect! This was my wall before ( kind of). I may have gotten a little paint happy before snapping this photo. It was just a dark grey room with no windows that needed some serious brightening. 
The stencil comes with clear cut instructions on how to transform a wall in no time. I altered those instructions a tad so that I could work with what I had on hand rather than buying more supplies. For instance, I used painter’s tape to hold my stencil up rather than spray adhesive. It worked just fine. There was a little bleeding here and there, but I am such a perfectionist, that I was planning on doing touching up afterwards anyway. The stencil was extremely sturdy and such great quality!! I was really impressed!
From left to right: I placed my stencil in the center of my wall as instructed. Then, I got the paint on my mini roller. I used a mini roller cover for a roller handle I already owned. I used a knit roller, NOT a foam roller. I rolled over the stencil after getting as much excess paint off as possible. I didn’t want it to bleed underneath the stencil. It is really really important to go slow and not get impatient. SO. HARD for me. I left the stencil on while the first (very thin) layer dried enough for me to add a second coat. Then, I removed the stencil and just laid it down until I was ready to place it in the next space. The great thing about this pattern is that you can’t really mess up! There are arrows on the stencil to help you with placement, but if there were spaces that had less spots, I just went back and added them at the end. I did the edges of the wall very last. I got as many full stencil coverings as possible first. 
Here is what this tiny little Gypsy Mint box allowed me to create in my own home. I am obsessed with it, and it is by far my favorite thing to look at around my house. I can’t thank them enough!

For our coat hooks, we simply took 2 1×4 planks, stained them with our stain of choice, and after searching, purchasing, hating, returning, and searching some more for the perfect brass hooks…. Target saves me. Have you guys seen their new brass hardware? Sigh…. I love you Target!! I cannot wait to reveal the entire room with you guys here in the next few weeks. Sad to say, I spend a lot of time doing laundry. An efficient room that is pretty to look at is just a must!
Sources:
Stencil – be sure and check these ladies out! | Basket | Brass Hooks | Mirror  

KID’S EASTER TABLESCAPE | UNDER $20

Hey guys! Happy Friday! We are ending the week with a suuuuuuper simple kids’ table setting for Easter brunch. It is usually a gloomy day on Easter, and the lighting for this table shoot is no different. ha! It has been raining here in Nashville, and that beautiful natural lighting is hiding out.
We got most everything you see here at…. wait for it…. Target!! Surprise, right? Honestly, when I came across these UUUUHMAAAZING paper plates that Design Love Fest did for Cheeky Home, I knew I had to do something with them. We scored in the dollar section, which is always so great for projects like this. Kids tend to destroy things, so you want the table to look great, but don’t want to break the bank. Of course we had to add in some of our custom tattoos (here in our Etsy shop) because they are just so fun! My daughter wanted to put all of these on, and didn’t understand that we needed them for the table as well. She is a huge supporter of the biz! 😉
What are your Easter plans? We always do our church service then head to brunch as a family. It is truly one of my MOST favorite holidays. I love getting the family dressed up, eating good food and just enjoying such a happy day.

xo!

ROOM TOUR: LAUNDRY ROOM + MINTED ART

I finally finished my laundry room!! This project was my baby. The project that my husband definitely didn’t understand at first but who now thinks it’s the best room in the house! Anyone else feel like they spend half of their life in the laundry room? Well I did, and mine was a sparse, sad, blah, beige room with no window. Luckily I was able to bring the outdoors in with a partnership with MINTED! Their art became my own little window. 
Scroll down for all links

We LOVE Minted! Their art is curated from independent artists which is SO cool. Minted prints the art in every size and even frames it for you. It’s incredibly easy to pick your art. You can search by color, style, medium, theme, etc. and make an art board to just try out the pieces you like together. I wanted cheery pieces with bright greens, pinks, and yellows. A mix of photography, paint, and prints give the gallery wall an eclectic look, but the color palette keeps it cohesive.


I chose standard art paper, and I opted to have the artists’ signatures on the prints. The frames are all Natural Premium Wood to give the room a little warmth.
 I got the cabinets and countertop from The Home Depot, who installed it as well. If there’s one thing we’re not, it’s handy. I wanted a totally clear counter for folding and drying but for some ease I have one basket for detergent and dryer sheets. Everything else is stowed away in the cabinets. 
 This was a robe/coat hanger that was peeeeerfect for the ironing board and other drying items! It’s always good to think outside the box and look for pieces that have multiple uses.
 I had my (very confused) handyman instal an L-shaped pipe in the wall to use as hanging space. It gives it an industrial look that I wanted and takes up no space so that I have full hanging for dresses, shirts, sheets, etc.
 I got these soft baskets to transport clean clothes. I’m a little OCD and using the same basket for dirty and clean clothes is not an option. No no no no no. Scroll down to see where the dirty clothes hide!
The sink is clutch in a laundry room. Eventually I’d like to get a sprayer faucet…more OCD tendencies here.
 One of my favorite parts of the laundry room are the hidden laundry baskets in the drawers! It is not okay in my book to mix dirty and clean clothes in the same basket. #issues. I had my handy man convert two cabinets closest to the mudroom to pull-out drawers. I found narrow trash bins for the dirty clothes! Even my kids like to put their clothes in there.. they think the secret bins are cool. Anything to help out, right?
LINKS:
Rug- sold out but similar here
MINTED ART LINKS left to right:
Landscape, 11 x 11″
Abstract, 18 x 24″
Glass Bottles, 11 x 14″
Hexagons, 11 x 14″
Green Woodshed, 16 x 16″
My little “window” in my laundry room! If anyone needs me, I’ll be hiding in here 🙂
xo
-L

HEAD TO TOE | PLAYING IT GREY

We hope you guys had a fabulous weekend! Mine was packed full of birthday celebrations. Unlike last weekend, we enjoyed some Spring-like weather this weekend. I decided to break out my grey suede heels with a simple sheer button up. The wind was cray cray hence me holding my hair in every. single. pic. Also, I am SO obsessed with this crossbody bag that I scored at none other than Target. I just couldn’t resist the nude color and the tassels…. gets me every time. 

suede heels – sold out, but almost identical here | denim | shirt – sold out, but love this one | bag | rings – no longer available. 

HEAD TO TOE | ALL ABOUT THE FUR

Happy Monday friends! Tennessee weather really showed off over the weekend. We got several inches of snow, which is such a big deal for us. Considering that it felt like Spring during Christmas this past year, we gladly welcomed all of the beautiful white stuff that kept us snowed in for a couple of days. I purchased this extremely warm faux fur vest just before Christmas, but it just has not been cold enough to wear it without looking ridiculous. However, a snow day makes for the perfect day to do so.
We are girls on a budget over here at L&L. We shop sales, so the items that are currently sold out are linked to similar or even better options :). 
Leah and I both have these earrings, and LOVE them!
We are huge fans of Just Black denim. They hug our donut eating bodies just right. Seriously, they are so comfy!!

Hat | Earrings | Button Up sold out, but loving this similar one. | Vest sold out, same length here | Denim | Backpack- Target last year, but wanting to purchase this one also… hello tassels! | Sneakers

NEW YEAR’S EVE LOOKS| ALL UNDER $100

Who is going out on NYE? Raise your hand if you wish you were…(I am totally raising my hand right now). There is something so fun, comfortable and sweet about staying in and sipping mocktails with your kiddos in your pjs while garnished in all of the tacky New Year’s $1 bin items. However, it has been quite a while (basically since our baby boy was born, which was 7 months ago) since my husband and I have been out on an actual date. You can imagine how much I am fantasizing about the one night where wearing sequins head to toe is acceptable. Here are a few looks that I would definitely feel comfortable wearing out. Somewhat sexy, but something that my “mom bod” would feel comfortable in.
ASOS
 This beauty of a playsuit would look stunning with a sleek black (or navy) blazer. I think it would class up a piece that is on the short side and shows a little more cleavage than normal. 😉
I have been DYING for an ostrich feather skirt, or even a fringe skirt (loving this one), and this one seems to fit the bill. Can’t get enough white, ya’ll!  ðŸ˜‰
If you have a little girl, this is just too cute to pass up!
Happy New Year everyone! We hope it is a fun and safe one for you!! We are definitely looking forward to 2016!
BTW, have you purchased your NYE tats from our shop yet? Hurry!!

FALL FASHION FAVES

It’s Fall, Ya’ll!! We love high fashion just as much as the next girl, but we are also moms on the go…. like all the time… does it ever stop? Therefore, wearing accessories that can withstand kids, keep us cozy AND still make us feel on top of our style game is an absolute MUST.  We threw together a few  quality staple pieces that are either sitting in our online shopping carts, in our closets ooooor maybe in our dreams. I am all about sneakers right now. They are the absolute perfect way to add a cool, laid back feel to even some of your feminine pieces. Either way, these are our fall favorites that will pair perfectly with your pumpkin spice latte! Btw, have you guys seen the new fall pattern on the Starbucks’ cups? In. love.
Scarves 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5    Hats 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5    Shoes 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5
XO,

DIY PLANT CONTAINERS + DINING ROOM UPDATE

Succulents remind me of Pacific Grove, CA where my husband and I used to live. We got engaged and married out there before moving to Nashville, and sometimes I just need a little reminder of our old home town. I went to Home Depot yesterday and picked up these little beauties, but didn’t like any of their planters. Solution: spray paint. Isn’t spray paint always the solution? This DIY is incredible simple.
All you need is flat spray paint, terra cotta pots, potting soil, and plants! Simply spray and you’re done. The flat paint on the terra cotta gives it an almost cement look which was exactly what I was looking for in the first place!
 I’m OBSESSED with Target’s new fall home line! How cool are these gold knick knacks?!
Dining room update! I sold my seagrass chairs on Craigslist and bought these mod molded plastic little guys. I know it’s dark but picture this with a colorful rug underneath… should I keep these??
Nashville marquee sign is from the Nashville flea market! That was a steal!
In the end I moved these mini ones in my kitchen to add some happy color. Happy planting!
-L

ROCKSBOX: ONE MONTH FREE

 Hey ladies!! Please tell me you have heard of Rocksbox!! Leah and I are newbies to the club, but man, oh man…. what have we been missing? We signed up, and Leah and I got our first month of FREE  jewelry. Such gorgeous pieces too!! I don’t know about you, but Leah and I trade jewelry and clutches like nobody’s biz. We just get tired of what we have, so whenever we have an event we call each other first for a closet raid. It just allows you to try something new without breaking the bank. Consider Rocksbox your personal GF that you borrow things from. If only she offered us chocolate also… hmmm.
We are so happy to bring you all a code for ONE FREE MONTH OF ROCKBOX!!! Trust me, it will have you hooked and begging for more. I am already like a 5 year old waiting on Christmas morning to receive her next box. You simply set up your account, add pieces that you love to your wishlist and wait to receive them in the mail. Can we say “Happy Mail!”? These pieces are so great for a date night, a girl’s night out, or just a day running errands with your kiddos and you want to wear something to make you just feel good. My daughter loved opening the box up with me and drooling over each piece. Code at the end of post…

It is impossible to see the jewelry in this pic above, but can we talk about these sandals?? Leah and I are both obsessed and own a pair. Purchase them here! I am considering going back for the black pair aaaaand maybe this pair. Thank you Target.
Be sure and sign up for your FREE ONE MONTH today friends!!
Use code loveandlionxoxo

XO!

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!!

A FEW OF MY FAVORITE THINGS

These are some of my favorite things for summer! I am pretty low maintenance and ease is my #1 requirement for most things. Cuteness is my #2 🙂
Click item names for links:
I loooove this Loreal tinted lip balm in Rose Elixer. It is the prettiest pink, sheer, and slightly shiny. Just enough color for day and even a casual date night! 
I wear tinted moisturizer daily, and I love Laura Mercier’s because it has SPF in it! I’m bad about putting on sunscreen just to run out of the house for an errand, and when I put this on at least I know my face is covered. It also gives me just the right amount of coverage while looking completely natural. 
I wandered into American Eagle a couple weeks ago and was blown away by all the cute not-so-teen stuff! I got this fun swingy dress that works well as a swimsuit coverup or dress up for a date night! You guys seriously need to venture in. Just ask for the “non-booty shorts” like I did, and be pleasantly surprised. They have some pretty earring sets for $12 too. I walked out of there with a good haul!
Jenni and I are coveting these Let’s Playground mats HARD CORE. I have a fold up picnic blanket tote from Target, but I can’t find it online anywhere! So you can just drool all over this one. You’ve gotta check out their site- soooo cute! Easy clean up and cute patterns. 
These are my daily sandals. Cute, comfy and they zip up on the sides so they’re super easy to get on and off when you’re holding 50 things in your hands including a squirmy toddler! I’ve gotten so many compliments on these and everyone is surprised when I tell them they’re from Target! 
Spray, people. Spray. I don’t care so much that it’s all natural (which it is) or smells good (which it does). I care that it’s ridiculously easy to apply on the go and doesn’t drip off my kiddos’ hands onto their shirts. 
If you know me, you know I love me some backpacks. You’ve gotta have your arms free, ladies! I constantly have a child and tons of stuff in my arms while pushing a stroller, etc. Target has a million different colors, they’re all light (faux leather y’all), and they’re all around $30! So you wont care if sippy cups spill and make the mashed up crackers in the bottom of your bag congeal into a mystery substance. This served me so well in Disney and traveling for week in San Diego. 
I have super sensitive skin and this is the only shaving cream that doesn’t irritate my skin! Love it.
This turns my winter feet into summer feet if ya know what I’m sayin’. It makes my feet super soft and has aloe that feels so good on tired feet. Necessary for summer sandals! 
Again, spray is the easiest for squirmy kiddos! They actually don’t mind the spray and giggle when it “tickles” them! My kids and I all have sensitive skin, so CeraVe products are best for us, or so my dermatologist tells me! 
Any summer time favs we need to know about?
xo
-L

ROOM TOUR: LIVING ROOM

I had to capture the one moment in time my house was clean by photographing it! This is my living room which opens up to the kitchen (not clean enough to photograph). It’s not particularly “styled” with design pieces and plants (I wish) since my 1.5 year old would destroy it, but it’s just enough so it feels like home. 
We love this room for two main reasons: the rug and the beams! The oriental rug was passed down to us from Jeffrey’s Nanaw (she truly was a fabulously glamorous lady), and I love every little detail on there. It makes the room warm and cozy, and we love thinking of Nanaw each time we look at it! 
This room, being a double story felt a little too open and cold, so we added beams a couple months ago. It’s changed the whole feel of the house to us- we are obsessed! The Tenneessee Barn Project found these 100-year-old hand hewn beams in an old barn. We love all the beautiful inconsistencies in these beams and the iron supports that hold them up. Industrial chic at it’s finest! I still have plans for a laundry room makeover and a new kitchen table from them eventually!
Thanks for taking a peak! Click links below for sources.
-L
SOURCES:
Fan – Lumens
TV console – Restoration Hardware
Leather club chair – Restoration Hardware
Coffee table – Crate & Barrel
Glass jugs – Haven
Couch – Havertys
All throw pillows – Ikea
Blanket – Jonathan Adler
Glass lamp – Ikea
USA map print – Alison Hardcastle
Nashville print – Rock Paper Scissors
Buffalo print – Animal Print Shop
Entry way light fixture – Joss & Main
Door wreath – Target
Kitchen bar stools – Restoration Hardware
Metal orbs (similar) – Target