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

Foodie: tumbler / planter / cookies / chocolates 

Stylish: tee / shorts / scarf / sandals

Glam: earrings / stacks / necklace / watch

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!!

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

MADE BY GIRL: BEAUTY FEATURE

Hey friends!! I am sharing my morning beauty routine and favorite products over at Made By Girl today! If you haven't visited Jen's blog, you are missing out! Be sure to head on over and see what all the fuss is about. Thanks for having me, Jen. You are a gem! 

Have a super weekend!! Happy Easter!!

XO

-J

#TBT: PIPER'S BUNNY THEMED 2ND BIRTHDAY

You are officially invited to the most fabulous 2nd birthday party for the cutest little bunny lover we know. When Lauren of Rock Paper Scissors was deciding on a theme for her sweet girl, Piper, there was no question that Floppy ( her little bunny) would need to be the guest of honor. Piper and Floppy are BFFs for sure! We love how Lauren took something so meaningful to Piper and created a party around that.

We are so excited to share this with you all.... especially during this Easter season. The touches are all so sweet and the details are nothing short of perfection!

^^ Lauren is our girl when it comes to invites! We are just swooning over this beautiful invite she custom designed for the party. Who wouldn't want to come after seeing this!?! ^^

^^ Honestly, our absolute favorite detail were these pink painted carrots! SO creative!! ^^

^^ Right when you entered, there was a little coloring station where each party guest could color their own "floppy".... after you put your bunny ears on of course. ^^

^^ Can we just talk about this for a second?! Each flower was handmade by the fab mama herself to create a garland along the mantel. Definitely time consuming, but absolutely worth it all we think! ^^

^^ The celebration wouldn't be complete without this incredible cake to blow candles out on. 

Beautiful! ^^

^^ We love that there was a little something there for the adults to do. A little bunny origami 

anyone? ^^

^^ There were actually REAL bunnies there for the party guests ( adults included) to snuggle on! They were a huge hit, and seriously the "cherry on top" of this big ole fat, delicious cupcake of a party! ^^

^^ Lastly, each little party guest left with their very own finger puppet attached to a custom designed card showing little Miss Piper herself. ^^ 

Lauren! We adore it all!! Thank you for letting us share your party. It is clear that so much love and thought went into making this day so special for your little.