Love and Lion

Archives for January 2016

VALENTINE’S DAY | MEN’S GIFT GUIDE

Travel Kit | Boost your man’s ego on the daily!
Prints | Leah and I are both married to Star Wars fanatics! These prints would look great in an office or media room.
Beard Maintenance Set | Our men need new beard care. We are hoping they might enjoy this peppermint scent.
 Cocktail Ice mold | For the cocktail lover in your life that likes an impressive looking glass.
Sneakers | duh! Anyone can wear these, no matter their style.
Beanie | For the baldy in your life. (raising my hand)
Mug | Obsessed! I may need to purchase a his and hers version. My husband wouldn’t even be mad if I woke up to Justin’s “mug” on my mug. Can we say Man Crush?
Marble Controller Skin | This is a game controller that would actually look sleek sitting out in your living room if need be.  MUCH cheaper version here. Great ratings also.
Wireless Speaker | Both of our guys work in the music industry, so music on repeat is a daily thing for us. How cool is this speaker?
Tee |  Fries… all day err day.
XO!

YODA BEST CLASS VALENTINES (FREE PRINTABLE)

 If your house is anything like mine, it’s Star Wars everything all the time! We found these mini glow sticks (light sabers!) and Yoda key chains at the Target dollar spot. You could really use any Yoda toy or our Yoda tattoos HERE.
Simply punch two holes for a light saber (glow stick) and thread through. Or if you’re tying a key chain, punch two small holes close to each other and use string to tie it on.
Download the Yoda Best free printable HERE
Cut using our favorite cutting board HERE
Glow sticks HERE
Find our Yoda tattoos HERE.

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

THE PERFECT CUPCAKE

Yes, you read that right! We have theeeee perfect cupcake recipe for you today. Leah may have “stolen” it from a NYC bakery. Shhh! These are our go to cakes for any grown up secret eating time after our kids go to bed and no one is watching celebration, but ESPECIALLY Valentine’s Day, right? I am not a box of chocolates girl myself, but put a piece of cake in front of me, and its gone in two seconds flat. What can I say? These cupcakes will eat any other cupcake for dinner. And the frosting….. Ohemmmmmgeeeeee! The lightest, fluffiest, not overdone buttercream frosting we have ever tasted! 
Our secret baking tip (well, I guess its not a secret) is to under bake. Even if it means cutting off the last few minutes. It makes such a difference in the moisture of the cake here. Promise!!
CUPCAKE:
(Makes 30 cupcakes)
-1 3/4 c cake flour
-1 1/4 c unbleached all-purpose flour
-2 c sugar
-1 T. baking powder
-3/4 tsp. salt
-1 c (2 sticks) unsalted butter
-4 large eggs
-1 c whole milk
-1 t. vanilla
Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Combine flour, sugar, baking powder & salt. Add butter, mixing just until coated. In a separate bowl, whisk together eggs, milk, vanilla. Add the wet mixture to the dry mixture in three parts. Bake 17-20 minutes. REMEMBER… We underbake. I am always checking mine around the 15 minute mark. I stick a toothpick in and take them out just before the toothpick comes out completely clean.
*rotate pan half way through cooking for even baking!*
BUTTERCREAM FROSTING: 
(Makes 4 1/2 cups)
1 c butter, softened (not melted)
1/4 tsp. salt
1 (32 oz.) package powdered sugar
6 to 7 T. milk
1 T. vanilla extract ( alter if you like. I love the frosting with or without the vanilla)
Beat butter and salt at medium speed with an electric mixer 1-2 minutes or until creamy; gradually add powdered sugar alternately with 6 Tbsp. of milk, beating at low speed until blended and smooth after each addition. Get it to your desired consistency and then stir in vanilla. 
* The one thing I adore most about this frosting is that it is perfectly spreadable right after its made. No refrigerating necessary!*
We promise you….. you will thank us!
XO!

FOOD ERASERS CLASS VALENTINES (FREE PRINTABLE)

More non-candy class valentines for ya! We both stumbled on these erasers in the dollar section at Target at HAD to use them somehow! What’s more fun than everything in miniature?
You can also use our food tattoos HERE, food key chains, charms, or stickers. Or you could tie to a box of donuts because – duh. We go together like… burgers and fries, milk and cookies, peas and carrots, peanut butter and jelly… you get the idea.
Scroll down for sources and the free download!
The erasers don’t really stick with tape well, so we just threw them in a bag and taped the back with washi tape. Easy peasy!
SOURCES:
VALENTINE CARD: Download HERE and print on card stock for best results.
BAGS: purchase HERE or at craft stores in size 3″ x 5″.
ERASERS: purchase HERE
CARD STOCK: THIS one prints with super bright colors!
WASHI TAPE: purchase HERE
CUTTING BOARD: THIS is the easiest, because you can see right where you’re cutting
Download our other class Valentine’s Day designs below by clicking on the titles:
1. JT/Jimmy Fallon
2. Gilmore Girls
3. Nose Pencil Sharpener
4. Yoda Best
5. Balloon Heart Pop
6. Food Erasers
7. Stuck On You
8. Harry Potter
9. Matchbox Cars
10. Emoji Bracelets
11. Pirates Booty

NOSE PENCIL SHARPENER CLASS VALENTINES (FREE PRINTABLE)

I have a five-year-old boy, so these were really a no-brainer. If I could have only found a toy that would have gone with a poop-pun, I would have won mom of the year for sure.  Butt but… this will do the trick until then.
INSTRUCTIONS
1. Purchase nose pencil sharpeners HERE on Amazon – only $6.50 for a pack of 12!
2. Download the free printable HERE FOR COLOR or HERE FOR BLACK AND WHITE .
3. Print on card stock (THIS lets you print super well) or heavy paper for best results.
for the color download and red/pink/kraft paper for the black and white download.
4. Cut out cards with THIS our favorite cutting board!
5. Punch a hole in the top left corner of your card and cut a small slit from the SIDE of the card to the hole. Slip the hole through the nostril (the side without the sharpener). If you don’t have the right size hole punch or it’s just not working for you, you could always use BAKERS TWINE
or CLEAR BAGS and seal with WASHI TAPE
6. Hand out to your pals and make booger jokes. Nice.
See our other free printables HERE!

OUR NEW YEAR’S RESOLUTIONS

Our 2016 outlook is a positive one.  Here are a few things that Leah and I would like to see happen for us this year. Can you believe it is already 2016?? I remember NYE 1999 like it was yesterday. Time flies when you are having fun… and kids 🙂
LEAH:
1. Take better care of myself – find my own doctor and get all of my annual checkups! I haven’t been to any since Max has been born two years ago… yikes! 
2. Have special one-on-one time with each of my kids. It’s hard to do age-appropriate activities and games when they are together being that they’re five and two. Ari (5) and I will start building an intricate tower and BOOM, Max (2) comes along and smashes it to pieces. They can concentrate better when there’s no sharing or fighting etc. I would love to focus on just them, make them feel special, and appreciate all of their eccentricities and qualities I love about them. 
3. Go on more date nights with my husband- not even with friends, just the two of us. It could be dressing up and going out to the hot new restaurant in town, or it could even be at home if it means putting up our computers and phones and not working after the kids are asleep. 
4. Work out – ugh.
5. Read more. This vacation when the shop has been closed, I’ve read two books and counting. I forgot how much I love to read! Every spare time I have that I’m not with the kids or doing housework, I’m working on Etsy orders and new designs. I will try to prioritize some relaxation time which will include just curling up with a good book and reading for a bit. 
JENNI:
1. Take better care of myself – this is at the VERY top of my list as well.  The biggest part of this is going to bed before midnight! yikes! I have so many little things “wrong” with me right now, that I need to go get checked out, but I just keep putting it off. I think a few checkups would result in a better quality of life ;).
2. Be a better planner – we don’t have a very typical work schedule. My husband or I. So, I usually just map out my plans day by day. I would love to start looking at my week as a whole, and plan our family meals ( to eat at home more and help save money), plan fun activities to do with or for my kids instead of just lugging them to Target with me all of the time. I feel like when I wake up “behind”, my kids pay the price and get less quality time with their mommy. Not good!!
3. Do something active at least once a week (to start out) – I am hoping the going to bed early thing will help this become a reality. I am tired all. of. the. time. We just recently moved into a new house that has a great park right in my backyard with a walking trail. I would love to just get out there a couple of times a week and get my heart rate up and clear my head.
4. Read A book – Yep, just ONE. Gah Jenni. Get with the grown up program.
5. Remodel our home – It is going to take patience, and I lack that. However, I really want to pay attention to detail, and make every little corner of this house be a well thought out one. 

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