Love Notes by Lauryn

Maternity Style//Changing up the Looks

2017-02-27T14:44:00.003-08:00

Just a few pics today featuring my pretty gray dress from SheIn.

Love being able to change up the look with a vest.

Have a wonderful week!

xo_lauryn

♥♥♥

Morning/Night Routine Charts Boy and Girl

2017-02-21T11:52:00.002-08:00

I love my little toddler,

but for the longest time we were really struggling to get him ready for bed at night.

He would fight us to clean his room, fight us to get in pajamas, and especially fight us to brush his teeth.

I was getting super bugged by it so I decided to make a checklist chart for him.

I was pleasantly surprised at the outcome.

He got so excited to do check each item off before bed. It made a big difference for us.

After the novelty wore off a little bit so he doesn't do it every day, but if I am ever struggling to get him to get ready for bed he goes to his chart and it works like a charm.

I decided to make one for the morning as well. Our mornings aren't so difficult especially since we don't leave the house bright and early. But if we have a problem he gets super excited to check off his chart.

Since it worked out so nicely for me I decided to share the graphic.

I also made some girly versions as well.

You may not have the same morning or night routine, but if you do...

then take advantage of this freebie!

Just right click and save the image.

I laminated ours and tacked them in our little one's room.

He checks them off with a dry erase marker,

but you do what works for you.

Happy Parenting everyone!

xo_Lauryn

♥

Maternity Style // SheIn Jersey Tee Maxi Dress

2017-02-18T22:48:00.000-08:00

Baby is definitely showing fast.

I'm about 22 weeks now, and looking like more.

Clothes are getting trickier and tricker, but this beautiful and comfortable

jersey tee dress from SheIn works perfectly.

I'm most excited that I'll be able to wear this when I'm not pregnant as well.

dress//shein

shoes//nordstrom rack

More pics of another SheIn pick coming later this week!

xo_lauryn

♥

What I'm Loving: Blue Beauty

2017-01-28T09:30:00.000-08:00

Remember when blue hair was a problem?

Now blue hair is super on trend.

In fact, hair from every color of the rainbow is seen and turned pretty, not clownish.

While I think its absolutely amazing what type of artwork people can create with hair,

I'd rather stick with blue in my beauty routine in a few other ways.

Here are some of my favorites:

Trending: Blue by laurynashli1 featuring NYX

Blue Lipstick, blue eyeliner, blue nails...I love it!
So if you're feeling blue, I say...Go for it!
xo_lauryn

♥♥♥♥♥

Ready for 2017- New Year Style by SheIn

2017-01-20T21:04:00.003-08:00

We are well in to 2017 now...

and I must say its going well!

Fashion posts are going to be on a slight hiatus...

I really should try to find super cute maternity outfits to accentuate my growing baby bump,

but let's be honest here...

I REALLY just want to find some comfort right now.

So I guess we'll see if my mood feels fancier than sweat pants and hubby's tees.

For now, enjoy this super pretty dress from SheIn.

LOVED the way this fit on me.

Go check out the lovelies they have for the new year.

xo_lauryn

♥

It's a BOY!

2017-01-20T20:56:00.003-08:00

We are so excited to welcome boy number TWO into our family.

I'm feeling a little overwhelmed about having two boys.

The first thing that popped into my head was...

THIS IS GOING TO BE WILD!!

So of course I thought of the "Where the Wild Things Are" book,

thus...

used it to make the announcement to our friends and family.

As Max says himself,

"Let the wild rumpus start!"

Can't wait to meet our little angel.

xo_lauryn

♥♥♥

Christmas Eve Style by SheIn

2016-12-24T08:57:00.000-08:00

Yesterday I posted a Christmas outfit with a sweater from SheIn.

Today I'm posting a similar but more casual style featuring

the same colors and a darling hoodie from SheIn.

I must say, it is SO comfy!

hat//cc beanie via love winnie james

hoodie//shein

belt and jeans//american eagle

boots//sorel

Merry Christmas everyone.

Enjoy your holiday!!

xo_lauryn

♥ ♥

Christmas Style by SheIn

2016-12-23T11:39:00.000-08:00

We're getting so excited for Christmas around here.

Thanks to SheIn I got some darling outfits to rock this holiday season.

Check out this beautiful sweater.

And visit SheIn for a great Christmas Sale still going!

sweater//shein

jeans//american eagle

shoes//toms

necklace//h&m

I've got another Christmas outfit coming tomorrow,

so stay tuned!

xo_lauryn

♥

StyleWe Cozy Gray Dress

2016-11-25T12:23:00.002-08:00

When I was approached by StyleWe to create a blog post,

I was super excited to check out this new brand.

What I did NOT know, was that it was going to take me FOREVER

to pick out something great....because I loved EVERYTHING!!

StyleWe has a huge collection of clothing items with high fashion style and casual wear.

I picked out this cute gray dress.

I was amazed when it arrived in the mail with really nice packaging and excellent quality.

Needless to say... I'm very impressed with this company, so go check them out!

And I LOVE these pockets!

Perfect dress for this colder weather.

scarf//modcloth
dress//stylewe
extender slip//twirl boutique
shoes//american eagle via vinted

Hope everyone had a lovely Thanksgiving!

xo_Lauryn

♥

Christmas Wish List Free Download

2016-11-16T08:58:00.000-08:00

With Christmas fast approaching,

we are getting A LOT of

"ask Santa that" from my two year old.

He is completely convinced that ANYTHING he wants he can just ask Santa for.

Which I love.

Yaay for believing.

I love his creativity and his mind.

He sees the simplest thing and is pretty sure he wants it.

He also see's a full size truck and is pretty sure he wants that too.

I didn't want to put a limit on his imagination and hopes so I created a little poem.

This way he can put as much as he wants on his Christmas list without feeling limited,

but he will also know that Santa won't get EVERYTHING.

So on the list I created stars for favorites.

I want my boy to grow up having what he needs,

but I definitely want to instill gratitude and humility in him.

At the end of the poem, the child tells Santa he knows he is blessed

and that he has a few things he'd like to donate.

The list has space to list toys/books/etc. to donate.

Way to stay organized. ;)

Read the poem and if you like it just right click and save,

it's FREE and yours to use! (For personal use only.)

POEM-INTRO LETTER:

WISH LIST

Super excited to begin this holiday season!

xo_Lauryn

♥

DIY Day of the Dead Sugar Skull Banner

2016-10-25T07:57:00.003-07:00

We're hosting a Dia de los Muertos (Day of the Dead) Halloween party this year.

I wasn't feeling like I wanted to do excessive crafting for this party and while looking for decorations,

I found a plain skull garland.

So I decided to jazz it up a bit for our party.

Keep reading for the details or just enjoy the pictures!

Y O U W I L L N E E D //

+ paper skull garland

I found this same banner/garland at Target and Wal-Mart.

Other options would be to print out skills and cut around them

or if you have a cutting machine-use that to cut out skull shapes.

+ brightly colored paint

+ papers

to make paper flowers-other options would be making felt flowers

or purchasing flowers from the dollar store

+ various embellishments

Definitely an optional part.

Just use whatever you've got lying around the house!

S I M P L E I N S T R U C T I O N S //

Use a q-tip to add paint then hot glue embellishments and flowers.

To make my paper flowers I just googled "paper flowers" and followed the pictures.

I just wanted to make this easy and quick.

There you have it!

xo_lauryn

♥

Sneaky Tricks to Fake Getting Ready.

2016-10-18T09:12:00.001-07:00

As much as I love glamming up and getting ready,

I'm not ALWAYS in the mood to spend a thousand years getting ready.

Shocking right?

And since motherhood has been upon me- comfort and movability is uber important.

(I mean who invented jeans. Sheesh.)

So since I don't always think I should show up to Target with my bedhead, leggings, and tee shirt;

I fancied myself a few easy tricks

... and I'm saying TRICKS cause its kinda magic...

to make the world and even yourself

believe you spent more time fancying up than you really did.

LIPSTICK

With lipstick, make sure you're using a BOLD, stand out color.

I'm wearing makeup in this picture, but when I'm not-the lipstick has to make a statement to help hide the "I'm too lazy to pretty myself up today" look.

SLICK BACKED HAIR

Here I braided my hair and sprayed back any fly aways and whispies.

Sometimes I'll slick it up into a high top knot bun.

Other times I'll part it and slick back the sides into a low ponytail.

Slicking back the whispies just makes you look more put together when you don't have the time to tame your mane.

ACCESSORIZE

With this outfit, I added this cute delicate lace vest, some bracelets, and dangle earrings.

Just imagine the outfit without them... the accessories totally hide the lazy look.

HEELS

And adding heels to ANY outfit is going to amp it up.

Put me in pajamas and heels and its gonna look like I made an effort. ;)

(totally kidding.)

Pretty sneaky, right!?

Have a lovely day peeps.

xo_lauryn

♥♥♥♥

Fire Themed Family Halloween Costumes

2016-10-06T21:00:00.000-07:00

I'm super excited to be working with my fellow blogger and sweet friend
Chelsea from Simply Pett for this post.
We are both sharing our family themed costumes for this year.
She's got a little girl and I have a little boy so be sure to check out her post
for a more girly family garden theme!

I love doing family themed costumes each year for Halloween.

Though, I know that the older my little one gets, the harder it will be.

Luckily, it worked out perfectly for us this year when my little guy

announced he would like to be a fire truck for Halloween.

I'd like to say it was an easy decision to do a fire themed family costume,

but for a good amount of time my husband was 100% set on being Ash from Pokemon.

Finally though he caved.

husbands...;)

I feel like there are a lot of options when doing a fire theme:

Firetruck

Fireman

Fire

Fire Hydrant

Dalmatian Puppy

Smoke

Smokey the Bear

probably a lot more...

We went with the Firetruck/Fireman, Fire, and Smokey the Bear.

F I R E T R U C K / F I R E M A N

You will need:

+ firetruck
Ours will not be pictured,
I fully intended to create one from a box-something like this.
But while meandering in Marshall's one day we found one ready to purchase
(I know... it went against everything I had to purchase a pre-made costume.)
our little boy was so excited when he saw that we couldn't resist.
Plus-we decided it will be much more comfortable for him.

+ fire hat
(cheaper and easier to purchase-
generally any dollar store will have them)

+ black jacket or hoodie
I purchased a Hanes version from Wal-Mart for about $5.

+ yellow duct tape

+ thin silver/reflective tape

Instructions:
This is insanely easy...
just wrap the yellow duct tape around the sleeves then place duct tape on the front.
Add the silver tape centered in the middle of the yellow.
Its amazing how instantly it turns to a fire coat!

We will likely put the "reflectors" on some khaki pants for him as well.
Just one stripe on the bottoms.
And if you're feeling real fancy, it would be super cute to add onto black rubber rain boots!

We also created a little "Volunteer Fireman" thermal to wear underneath (as pictured).
It requires a heat press, cutter of some sort (we have a silhouette), and transfer vinyl.
If you want more details on that feel free to shoot me an e-mail or leave a comment!

F I R E and C O A L

You will need:

+ all black attire

+ red, orange, and yellow tulle
How much you get depends on how long you want your skirt and your size.
I got 2 yards of each color and had to make the skirt shorter than I had planned because I didn't have enough.
So just keep that in mind!

+ string

+ makeup or face paint

+ accessories of your choice

Instructions:
Measure your waist (or where you intend to wear the skirt) with string.
Leave about 2 feet extra to tie together.
This can alternatively be done with elastic instead of string sewn together the size of your waist creating a pull on skirt.
I wanted to use string so I could just tie it around my waist like an apron.
Follow this link to an easy to follow tutorial from Simply Real Moms.
This is the method I used.
I just did yellow and orange every other, then added red randomly in between.

The majority of this costume is going to be accessories and makeup/face paint.
Come back around Halloween time to see it all come together!

S M O K E Y T H E B E A R

You will need:

+ a shovel

+ ranger hat

+ paint/alphabet stickers/vinyl cutouts

+ smokey the bear shirt

Instructions:
Get a ranger hat, add on the words "SMOKEY"
with black alphabet stickers, paint, or cut it out on vinyl.
DONE!
There really aren't many instructions for this.
If you want to look more like Smokey the Bear,
he wears no shirt so you could go for a brown sweater and jeans.
We opted for a Smokey the Bear shirt and brown pants.
Really the seller for this costume is the hat and the shovel.
So get a shovel from your garage and get in character to prevent forest fires!
Because... only YOU can. ;)

We can't wait to get these all put together for the big day.
Make sure you come back to see everything all together!
woot woot for HALLOWEEN!!
xo_lauryn

Family Minion Halloween Costumes 2K15

2016-10-05T15:30:00.000-07:00

Before tomorrow's Halloween Costume Post hits the blog,

I thought I'd share last year's Halloween costumes since they never made it up...

Like many other trick-or-treaters,

we followed the minion theme...

but you can't deny a (then) one year old's wishes.

He LOVED minions at the time.

Hubby and I went with the crazy purple minions...

I mean, that's what happens when you turn into parents..

you go crazy, right? ;)

Tomorrow I'll be sharing our costumes for this year as well as materials

instructions on how to put them together.

Can't wait for the big day. Halloween is my FAVORITE!!

xo_lauryn

♥ ♥ ♥

High Fiber Food Options for Toddlers and Kids

2016-10-02T19:06:00.000-07:00

Disclaimer: There is some subtle potty talk here

(and I don't mean swear words, just talking about kids and bathroom problems!!)

So continue at your own risk.. ;)

Unfortunately,

My little monkey struggled A TON when switching from formula/breast milk to cow's milk.

We are talking serious constipation, anal fissures, and with holding bowel movements for days and days at a time. Yes I know its TMI, but it's life guys.

Our doctor prescribed Miralax,

and I was sorely disappointed when after a year absolutely NOTHING had changed.

When returning to the doctor I expressed my intense concern for this seemingly unsolvable issue.

Well guess what..

He told me to keep up with the Miralax. :/

Also to make sure his diet was highly concentrated with fiber.

So trusting our incredible pediatritian, that's exactly what I did.

But finding high fiber options for a toddler took a lot of research on my part.

So much so that I hope no one ever has to do that for themselves.

I thought I would share some easy and toddler friendly high fiber options I found:

My little guy is currently two and a half, so the problem is not yet resolved.

However... it is HANDLED! Which makes me happy.

As long as I keep this high fiber diet in tact and use a small dose of Miralax daily,

my sweet baby has no more struggles going to the bathroom.

and THAT makes a momma happy.

xo_lauryn

♥

How to Transition outfits from Summer to Fall

2016-09-22T13:42:00.002-07:00

I love that fall is in the air!

Summer is definitely my favorite, but I'm really a four seasons kinda lady.

Sometimes the whole transitioning from summer to fall seems kinda tricky.

You gotta start slow, dip your toe in the water a little bit.

So here's my tip:

Transition outfits to fall by adding ONE fall item to summer outfit.

Here I added my favorite boots to a short sleeve shirt and pencil skirt.

Keeping the legs bare so I'm not completely "autumed" out.

My favorite thing about taking outfit pics now is hanging out with my man.

ME:

chambray top//shein

striped pencil skirt//gifted

boots//fly london via hip and humble

LITTLE MONKEY:

white polo//ross

gray joggers//h&m kids

shoes//josmo via amazon

have a lovely thursday!

xo_lauryn

♥ ♥

Simple Toddler Alphabet Curriculum/Schedule

2016-09-12T09:00:00.000-07:00

Hello Mommas!

I know this is a little off from my blogging theme, but my little guy is growing right up and super ready for learning.

I'm very passionate about education and want to share my thoughts and tips with other mommas out there.

Though I will generally stick to style and beauty, I'll throw in some education stuff here and there. :)

Quick backstory:

I taught at a private school before my little one was born.

The basis of the school was START EARLY!

I sooo truly believe that it works and saw it happen so many times.

Thus...

I wanted to instill the same belief on my son.

He is two years old so not yet old enough to go to preschool,

but he is definitely ready to learn...and in fact, so are many 2 year olds!

So I created a simple teaching schedule to follow with him for early learning.

Though I am doing this with my two year old, it's definitely applicable for older (maybe even younger) ages as well.

+ + + + + + +

Though this is detailed, it should be brief. The whole lesson should be no longer than 15 minutes.

Always be sure to judge the mood of your child.

Some days you can teach for longer while other days will have to be shorter.

Alphabet Song (30 seconds)

While you get out supplies or get your little one ready, sing the alphabet song.

This is mostly so they are exposed to the letter names daily.

Try to encourage them to sing or at least dance with you.

This should be an exciting time for them.

If you're not comfortable singing, look up a song on youtube.

Super easy.

Alphabet Chant Video (2 minutes)

The alphabet chant creates more focus on the letter sounds.

I created a video you are welcome to use.

ALPHABET CHANT-Letter Sounds and Pictures

The chant is catchy and memorable.

Even if they don't grasp the concept right away,

they will remember the rhythm and understand the connection of letters to sounds.

Letter of the Day (30 seconds)

Introduce the letter of the day.

Tell your child what letter you'll be learning today.

You can write it a few times on a board or piece of paper.

Get some pictures or objects that begin with the letter and have them name them or repeat after you.

Make sure to emphasize the letter sound (ie: "mmmmmmonkey").

If you don't want to use pictures just say words that begin with that letter.

Be sure to use words they know and add in words that will be personal to them.

My little guy loves firetrucks so I know if I say "fffffiretruck" it will keep his attention.

10-12 words is plenty.

Craft (5-7 minutes)

This simple craft will match the letter of the day.

I am using these printables from The Measured Mom,

but you can just as easily

write the letter on the page, cut it out with colored paper, or print out your own.

What you'll do is glue, stick, paint, or color objects that begin with the letter on the page.

Here is a list of ideas:

Make sure to keep talking about the letter and it's sound while you are crafting.

It is super important for them to repeat it so it sticks in their brain.

You don't want to get too pushy,

but saying the letter and the sound a few times while crafting will help them retain the information.

When we are done, I like to put the letter we learn on the fridge to dry so it's up for the whole day.

Then when we do the new letter the next day

I review the previous day letter, take it down, and put it in our alphabet book.

I just 3 hole punched all of our printables and put them in a binder.

When it is completed he will have his very own alphabet book.

Review Coloring Page (30 seconds)

Review the letter learned the previous day with a simple coloring page.

Here are a few good ones:

This Reading Mama

TONS of pages at Honking Donkey

Crayola

Mr.. Printables

MANY pages at Twisty Noodle

Easy Peasy Fun

Best Coloring Pages (love these ones)

The Measured Mom

Alphabet Book (1 minute)

Read a basic alphabet book to close the lesson with a simple review of all letters.

I love these ones:

Eric Carle's ABC

The Alphabet Book by P. D. Eastman

Alphablock

LMNO Peas by Keith Baker

Eating the Alphabet by Lois Ehlert

ABC's by Charley Harper

A to Z by Sandra Boynton

Paul Thurlby's Alphabet

Q&A (30 seconds)

Go visit your craft again.

Ask, "What letter is this?"

Encourage them to answer on their own.

If they struggle, remind them and ask them to repeat.

Then ask, "What sound does it make? or what does it say?"

Again, encourage independent answering,

but clarify and have them repeat if they don't answer on their own.

+ + + + + + +

I plan to teach a letter a day Tuesday through Friday.

You can do whichever schedule works for you and your family,

though I recommend no less than two days a week. Consistency is key!

Also do your best to review letters you've previously learned

by doing the Q&A portion of the curriculum daily.

GOOD LUCK!

Keep me updated with how it works for you.

We are just getting started,

but I'll post some pics and results when we finish the alphabet at our house.

xo_lauryn

♥

Just Remember

2016-09-08T10:32:00.001-07:00

hello.
you are b e a u t i f u l .

you have incredible worth.

you deserve the BEST.

you are special.

you are unique.

you are b r i l l i a n t .

you

are

Y O U.

♥

More SheIn Picks!

2016-07-25T13:37:00.000-07:00

Sharing some more of my favorite looks from Shein.com today..

Enjoy!!

Statement Jackets and Booties//

SheIn Scores #2 by laurynashli1 featuring beaded jewelry

Casual meets Classy//

SheIn Scores #3 by laurynashli1 featuring a wide brim hat

Super Trendy items carried at SheIn//

SheIn Scores #4 by laurynashli1 featuring a short sleeve tee

Romantic Favorites//

SheIn Scores #5 by laurynashli1 featuring a see through blouse

xo_lauryn

♥ ♥ ♥

Willow and Fern Rule Breaker Tee

2016-04-10T13:53:00.000-07:00

We purchased some darling shirts from Willow and Fern recently

Their tees are so cute and original,

when I took some pictures of our little guy the other day I couldn't resist posting some!

Plus, kiddo felt pretty dang cool in his shades.

Even if he was wearing them so they smashed down his ear. ;)

We love our new tees, if you're looking for something awesome and unique for you or your little hipster go check out willowandfernco.com!

xo_lauryn

♥

The Momma Challenge April

2016-03-28T21:24:00.001-07:00

Momming is hard.

I love it and it's worth every bit of stress...but it's TOUGH!

(If you don't agree... share your secret.)

As a mom, it is extremely difficult to find time

and/or motivation to do things for yourself.

That includes:

+putting on makeup

+doing your hair

+wearing cute outfits

+participating in hobbies

+etc.

Even if I set aside a day to get completely ready once a week I'm like...

cool.

Glad I put on my makeup so I could do the dishes.

At least the people at Target will really appreciate this.....NOT.

As a solution,

I created a calendar with daily challenges to complete that will hold me accountable.

BUT, I thought it would be so much more fun to do this as a group.

Much more accountability if we are in it together, right?

So here's how we do it:

Each day there is a certain challenge that must be completed THAT DAY.

Below you will find a calendar with all of the challenges, but I will post daily on my

instagram account (@lovenotesbylauryn) with more info about each challenge.

Take a picture of yourself

completing that challenge and send it in to me through:

+DM on instagram

+my Facebook Page

+email it to me

(lovenotesbylaurynblog at gmail)

If you don't want to send in pictures

but you still want to post that you are participating in the challenge,

a hashtag will be given for each day's challenge as well as a hashtag for the month which is: #themommachallengeapril.

Toward the end of the day I will post a collage

featuring all your beautiful faces participating in the challenge.

Sounds like fun, right!?

There are no requirements...

you don't have to do every day, you don't have to be a mom,

you don't have to send in pictures to participate, blah blah blah.

This is just an opportunity for us to stay motivated and have accountability!

Even though March is still going, we are starting TOMORROW.

So join in!!

I'm not sure how this will look in the upcoming months.

We will have to see how this month plays out and plan for the upcoming months.

Can't wait.

See you tomorrow on insta!

xo_lauryn

♥ ♥

Nursery Decor Checklist

2016-02-25T08:00:00.000-08:00

Morning!

I shared this post a bit ago on Positively Oakes
and thought I'd share it again on here.
ENJOY!
+++

I put my little guy's nursery together when I was about 6 months pregnant.

It turned out perfect in my eyes.

BUT...

then we moved, and upon moving into an apartment with new space and white walls,

I have since discovered items my baby just absolutely NEEDS in his space.

(Yes ladies, you can tell your husbands these things are needs.)

If you have not yet begun creating a fabulous space for your little,

it is true,

you do need things like linens, a cute throw blanket, curtains, a fancy rug, framed pics, etc.

So I suppose you can start there.

But this is the FUN part!

Here are the absolute (wink, wink)

N E C C E S S E T I E S

for decor in a nursery or kids room...

one ::: SHAPED PILLOWS

Cloud shaped, heart shaped, star shaped, animal shaped, whatever! Add some spunk with layering of shaped pillows on the rocking chair! I love this hello pillow from laura frisk.

two ::: CUSTOM ART

Custom artwork is really just special. It makes the little ones feel AMAZING to see their name actually printed on something in a frame! Check out the customizable girl from almost noelle (boys available too!)

three ::: MODERN DREAM CATCHER

No need to give up the tribal trend yet, throw in a dream catcher in the baby's room to catch their attention & add some fancy decor! It will be fun to talk to them about what dream catchers do when they get older. This modern raincloud dream catcher from golden bee shop is the bomb. Or make your own!

four ::: A TEEPEE

Is this not the childhood dream!? This is the perfect little play area, and it folds right up for easy storing! I might have to invest in this feather teepee from tnees tpees for my babe's first birthday.

five ::: AMIGURUMI (aka crocheted plushies)

I bet you didn't know these cute animals had a fancy name! Now you have to get one, or three, or seven. I love mister sweater rabbit from rosieok and this shop is stocked with many more cute animals!

six ::: WALL (or door) DECALS

I love the triangle or polka dot decals that can go right on the wall for a minimalist look. Upon searching for them I found haru the happy bear door decal from made of sundays. The options for vinyl cutouts in a kiddo's room are endless!

seven ::: FELT BALL POM GARLAND

I can't seem to get over my obsession of wool ball felt garland. I have a black, white, and gray garland headed my way for my little guy's room, but think I should probably just invest in a garland for each room-or wall. (am I right!?) There are so many beautiful garlands that can be created. I love the coral nursery garland from sheep farm felt. Plus, this shop has some fab color combinations!

See?

You need them all, right?

And bonus, all of these come from great handmade shops so there are many more options

for colors, shapes, and sizes available! And bonus bonus, usually handmade shops customize so really, you can create the absolute perfect room for your little loved one.

xo__lauryn

♥

Another Shabby Apple Contest!

2016-02-18T21:38:00.000-08:00

Just in the knick of time

I caught the Shabby Apple Dare to Design Contest

again this year.

(hooray!)

I had so much fun doing it last year.

You can see my post here featuring the three designs I submitted.

I couldn't wait to enter this year.

The only requirements were that that designs be blue!

I pulled my inspiration from Disney Princesses to create three modern looks:

This one is Alice in Wonderland...

This is Cinderella...

And lastly we have Merida.

Coolest part,

if your design gets chosen your dress gets to be made and sold by Shabby Apple.

SUCH A DREAM!

Go check out all the other entrants on instagram

searching with the hashtag #daretodesign.

Walk, Walk, Fashion Baby!

xo_lauryn

Let Them Know Movement

2015-12-20T13:46:00.000-08:00

In light of the holiday season

and recent events bringing people together around me,

I've had the opportunity to reflect and recognize the greatness in people.

I think a lot of times in this big scary world it is easy to see how many

wicked, bitter, mean, and confused people there are out there.

But do we take as much time to count

the selfless, genuine, friendly, and truly amazing people there are in this world?

I want to recognize the positive and praise the kindness.

So I've decided I don't want to sit back and think to myself how awesome these people are,

I want to #letthemknow!!!

People everywhere are incredible.

There is the sweetest lady at the Sephora where I live.

Every time I see her she is extremely kind and genuine.

She helped me remember that everyone is beautiful in their own special way

when I brought my sisters and she raved about their natural beauty

that I've just become accustomed to.

I'm going to let her know!

A darling teenager at my favorite drink shop exudes light.

Truly.

She is happy and friendly.

Always giggling and smiling.

I'm going to let her know.

The mother of one of my dancer students who waits for me to lock up every night, the nursery leader in my church who has taken care of the littles for 2 years, a beautiful woman I used to teach kindergarten with.... My list goes on and on and I am going to #letthemknow!

Now if you notice... I've said "going to".

I haven't done this yet. I'm going to be doing it with you!

We will #letthemknow together.

Trust me. It's going to seem weird and awkward.

People really don't accept praise well.

Shouldn't we change that? Shouldn't we be willing to accept our flaws AND our strengths?

Yes. This will take time. But I'm done making excuses.

There is greatness in this world that needs to be remembered.

So here's what we are going to do...

I've created a #letthemknow stationary.

There are two templates. Square and letter.

You can:

A. Download the square template

and with a photo editing app add text to share via Instagram, FB, text, etc.

B. Download the letter template

for you computer savvy peeps and type text in Photoshop or word and share via email or print.

C. Print out either template

and hand write your message to hand deliver or mail. :)

Just right click to save the images.

If you have problems with the download feel free to contact me and I will email you the templates!

You can let ANYONE know. A grandma, spouse, the mailman, teachers, grocery store clerks, your child, a neighbor, ANYONE!

If you feel so inclined, I would love to see if you have participated.

Write about your experience with #letthemknow on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, etc.

using the #letthemknow hashtag.

Feel free to tag my blog account @lovenotesbylauryn or my etsy account @almostnoelle.

Even if you don't use my templates and just use a sticky note or tell someone in person,

I want to hear about it!

Can't wait to see how it goes for everyone!

Happy Holidays to everyone!

xo_lauryn

♥ ♥ ♥

Casual Dress + Leggings + Lace-Up Booties = Perfect Fall Outfit

2015-11-12T20:46:00.001-08:00

Hello friends!

I LOVE today's outfit.

It is so cozy yet still stylish and cute.

Perfect for the momma life.

This top/dress is absolutely incredible.

It is SO comfortable and I love the way it flows.

I paired it with some

ponte leggings (which I don't think VS sells anymore {sad}.),

lace-up boots

and layered necklaces.

LOVE the way it turned out.

Thanks so much to SheIn for the fabulous top.

If you haven't already,

check out shein.com for INSANE deals on some of the cutest styles around.

You can almost always find exactly what you're looking for.

I love this pic of our mommy & me boots!

These are my FLY London boots.

I usually don't spend this kind of money on shoes,

but these are the most comfortable shoes EVER!

They're perfect for walking around

and they don't look like granny shoes.

SCORE!

d e t a i l s:

top//shein

leggings//victoria's secret

boots//fly london

necklaces//american eagle

Peace out lovelies.

xo_lauryn

♥