Hopefully your summer is off to a fun start! As we approach the end of June, no doubt you have or are looking forward so some kind of picnic or cookout celebration. From grad parties and get together to the upcoming 4th of July festivities…these cute festive picnic supplies are sure to be a quick and easy addition to all of your party plans!
First up, these paper straws come in three beautiful colors and, like all of the items on our list, are available on amazon! Use all three for a patriotic party or use one color at a time for a different color scheme.
Serving ice cones, ice cream cone cupcake treats, or just using cones as a festive delivery for other delectables? This cone stand will make for a lovely display or make filling all of those ice cream cones for your guests a little easier.
A beautiful and quality ice cream scoop can also make serving cool treats at your summer get together a little more fun. We love this one with a beautiful wooden handle and easy lever.
Last but not least…check out these beautiful colors! These long handled spoons are a great option for trifles, sundaes, puddings, and milkshakes!
Hopefully you found something to make your next picnic or social gathering this summer a little more festive!! Happy Entertaining!
Our Lily & Val Loves Series contains affiliate links. That means a little bit of your purchase through these posts helps us just a little too! This changes nothing about your purchase price, and we are not asked to feature these items. These are just things we carefully pic because we love them and think you will too! Thanks for helping spread the love! xo
As you have probably noticed, we are all in baby mode around here. With the recent release of the Nursery Print Collection, I have been very ready to decorate our little one’s special space.
Setting up a “nursery” can look different in every home. Hubby and I live in an old Pittsburgh home where we rent out our upper two floors as apartments. This means our living space is pretty small with only one bedroom but lot’s of high ceilings and character. To make space for baby we moved all of our rooms around and combine our dining and living areas together. This has made for a fun decorating challenge.
Our baby’s “room” is now where we previously had our room set up, and it has become one of my favorite places in our home. This is the space before…
With a coat of neutral paint on the walls and trim ( I went with Cameo White and Palais White by Behr), the room became a bright, blank slate for baby. We are waiting to be surprised by baby’s gender, so I stuck with a neutral color scheme with accents of grey-blue and peach. I plan to add in more color depending on the babies gender.
The colors were inspired by this photo that I took on my trip through Provence last summer. I love the contrast of the building for baby to look at just above their changing table.
The stork was a special addition from my dad. He made this wooden version of the stork that I drew for my baby shower invitation and I loved it so much I had to use it as decor.
Wooden elements are a part of our mid-century/ eclectic decor throughout our home, so since this space is open to the rest of the house, I wanted to keep the style consistent to help our home maintain a cohesive feel.
Having a small shelf just above the changing table gives us a place to keep some little distractions for baby and a few other special items on display.
In a small space it is so important to consider all of your furniture carefully. After considering many changing table options, I decided to use this cafe table, that I purchased years ago, that fit our changing pad perfectly. It is a foldable table that used to sit outside of a cafe in Paris…who would have ever thought it would be the perfect thing to change dirty diapers on. I love a piece with a story.
Using architectural details in an old home is always a good way to save space as well. I chose to use our radiator as a place to keep some changing supplies on hand and this cute little bunny tray keeps it all looking neat and tidy.
Instead of a large diaper pail, I opted for this small trash can that is less invasive in the space and simple enough to change out as needed.
Another small nursery tip is to go vertical as much as you can! These 6′ tall bowling alley lockers that my father restored for the nursery are the perfect storage solution for our small footprint. They have made it so easy to organize baby items…one for toys, one for clothes, one for blankets, one for diapering and feeding supplies. It will be a great piece to grow with baby as they get older too!
The light in this room is so beautiful! I can’t wait to sit in this cozy corner and feed baby as we watch the leaves blow and the squirrels play.
Adding in personal touches to a nursery is so important to make the space feel cozy. Some paintings and drawing that I have made for baby make the space feel extra special. I have a very sentimental landscape painting that I am working on as well to add to the decor, especially if baby is a little boy.
Another decor piece that I am so excited to add to the nursery is the Our Baby Birth Stats Print in 11×14″. This will be such a special way to document baby’s arrival and the perfect accent to our neutral decor!
A very practical way to decorate and add storage is to add some hooks. I love these green wall hooks to help keep my baby wrap and diaper bags off the floor and easy for everyone to find.
We are using a large antique buffet cabinet from our dining room as a room divider in the space. For now I simply painted the back white and am waiting to add some fun wallpaper to the back after baby arrives! Having this as a place to mount the diaper bag hooks basically gave us another “wall” to work with in this small space.
An antique record player that hubby selected for the nursery is another one of my favorite additions to the room and will be so perfect to play all of our favorite records for baby. This also gave us a spot for a small antique hobnail lamp and a few books.
For now our mini crib has a home in our bedroom. But when baby moves into their space full time, the wood of the crib and record player will match perfectly!
I hope you have enjoyed and found a little inspiration in my tiny nursery tour. We are so excited to add to and changed things around once life with our little one officially begins…but for now it is organized and homey. We find ourselves hanging out in this space all the time. I guess that’s a pretty good sign.
All things nursery around here lately. With so many babies on the way and our new Nursery Print Collection just releases, we have been looking at all of the beautiful baby and nursery decor items out there. We have put together a list of some of our favorite nursery decor items for every style from some great small businesses.
These lovely modern throw blankets come is some beautiful soft colors to go with any little one.
This beautiful nursery picture ledge is perfect for displaying your new Lily & Val Nursery Prints and other special items for baby. They come in a variety of finishes to customize your look.
You could always make your own nursery mobile with our recent DIY Nursery Mobile Tutorial…or you could purchase this adorable little honey bee mobile that is also handmade. Isn’t that little bee hive just darling.
Another great option to display your new nursery prints and other artwork are these print frame poster holders. They are easy to use and magnetic so they won’t damage your prints or pictures. They also come in a variety of finishes to match your decor.
My personal favorite color is mustard yellow. This mustard dandelion crib sheet is just darling and will match so many color schemes and styles with just a little vintage whimsy.
Last but not least, these beautiful linen play mats are perfect to have around the house. They grow with baby in style from infant comfort, to tummy time, to toddler play time. The beautiful colors are lovely for monthly baby pictures as well. Just watch how little one grows.
We hope you find some items to add to your little bundles special home. Gifting one of these items will being a smile to any mommas face.
Our Lily & Val Loves Series contains affiliate links. That means a little bit of your purchase through these posts helps us just a little too! This changes nothing about your purchase price, and we are not asked to feature these items. These are just things we carefully pic because we love them and think you will too! Thanks for helping spread the love! xo
Happy June, everyone! Lots of changes and good things are happening around here both personally and at Lily & Val! Plus, it’s the start of a new season, which always holds such anticipation. This little drawing seemed like the perfect one to welcome Summer and all the newness happening. I hope you enjoy!
To download for free during the month of June 2019 use coupon code: DDJUNE19
You know by now that we have lots of fun things for babies on the mind lately! There are just so many options our there for nursery decor that it is nice to add in some pieces that are special and unique to your babies special space.
This DIY nursery mobile will not only look lovely and entertain your little one, but it is a super fun and inexpensive project for anyone in the family to complete. Consider making one with some older siblings as they await the arrival of your newest family member.
For this project you will need:
-Embroidery hoops (wooden or metal depending on your taste, but wood is lighter and easier to work with)
-Embroidery floss (available at most craft stores in a wide range of colors)
-Scissors
-Hot glue gun (low temp is best for little helpers)
Optional:
-Paint (to make your wood embroidery hoop another color )
-Embroidery floss bobbins ( to make wrapping and storage easier)
Choose colors that best match your color scheme. Try using high contrast colors for a few of your selections, since this is what will be most stimulating for your babies developing vision.
When using the wooden embroidery hoops, only use the interior hoop that does not have the clasp. This will make it easier to balance your mobile.
The first step is to overlap the beginning of your embroidery floss in your first few wraps. Continue wrapping in one layer, tightly, for as wide of an area as you like.
Next, string your embroidery floss directly across the hoop. Continue wrapping your color in the opposite direction as you did on the previous side. this will allow for a “x” pattern to appear as your return to the side where your began.
Use a small dot of hot glue on the inside of the hoop to secure the cut end of your floss. Continue the same step with your next color selection perpendicular to your first. Continue this all the way around your hoop until you are happy with your colors and pattern.
From this stage, you could do so many things to complete your mobile. I chose to use a small wooden toy that is special to us as a couple (aviation is a big part of our family). This little wooden airplane was available on amazon, but you could use any little plush, wooden, wool, or other little toy or ornamentation. Even using wool felt balls in a playful pattern could be fun.
Find the center of your embroidery floss web and loop another piece of embroidery floss through to your desired length. Tie this piece to your toy and make sure it is balanced before tying and trimming.
Lastly, You will want to tie two perpendicular pieces of embroidery floss to the top side of the mobile. Use two equal length pieces of floss, spaced equally apart across each other. This will allow you to hang and level your nursery mobile.
If you make your mobile heavier with more decorative elements, be sure to add two or more top pieces from which to hang the mobile securely.
Just trim where you tied your knots and VOILA! you have a beautiful and completely custom mobile for your special little one to enjoy for years to come!
They will love looking through this colorful display as it moves gently overhead.
For this month’s Pretty Ordinary Friday #105, we’re documenting snapshots of our month. While our pictures may not be the prettiest or the most interesting, we enjoyed each instance and want to remember them! These are the behind-the-scenes, in-between moments – the small peeks that would otherwise be forgotten. Join us as we use this series to scrapbook the unedited, memorable happenings at Lily & Val and what is inspiring our team!
The team says:
1. “Had to snap a pic of this adorable plate at the Commoner Restaurant! Inspiration is everywhere!” – Valerie, Founder and Creative Director
2. “On a whim, Mak and I decided to drive and hour and 45 minutes to our favorite spot- Bedford Springs just for breakfast! The gluten free French toast was worth it! Snapped this pic, turned around and headed home!” – Valerie
3. “We love it at the Omni Bedford Springs so much! Grateful for the time with Mak before our little one arrives.” – Valerie
4. “Had a major antiquing and thrifting win with these adorable pink lamps for baby girl’s room! First I found the bases, but had a hard time finding the right size shade. Then, I happen to find these at Goodwill for $1! They are perfect. Love when things like that happen.” – Valerie
5. “Working on the dessert chalkboard for my baby shower! I haven’t done signage like this in a long time, so it was really fun to draw!” – Valerie
6. “The largest blueberries I’ve ever seen! I’ve been on quite the oatmeal + honey + blueberry kick lately!” – Valerie
7. “The prettiest pastel shades all together from our Baby Collection!” – Valerie
8. “Lots and lots of flower arranging for my baby shower…lots!” – Emily, Creative Coordinator
9. “Spring is just so beautiful!” – Emily
10. “If you have never visited Falling Water…do yourself a favor. Trust me you will go back over and over!” – Emily
11. “More baby shower prep. My dad made this stork from the one I drew for my invitation! We make a good team.” – Emily
12. “BTS our nursery shoot…and last one before babies arrive.”- Emily
13. “Bebe and I always get pics in the car…mostly because I’m bad at keeping up with my journal and use photo dates to remember.”- Emily
14. “Got some cool vintage pieces for the nursery!” – Emily
15. “One of the best things about Pittsburgh? The Gobbleritos from Mad Mex! Think Thanksgiving Dinner in a burrito. They are usually only available around Thanksgiving, but they had them for one day only this April. This is only 1/4 of the entire thing! Such a gluttonous meal, but soooooo delicious!” – Nicole, Operations Manager
16. “For Mother’s Day, I surprised my mom with a mini-makeover. But since it was also my 37th birthday, I had my hair done as well and went a little bold with the color. Loving my purple!” – Nicole
Is it any wonder that our houses look cluttered and messy once little ones come on the scene? So many supplies, and so many toys! The best way to combat this cluttered feeling is to look for toys that are beautiful enough to be left out or displayed in your home. The toys we have collected for this list are beautiful and functional and even handmade!
First on the list had to be these beautiful wooden avocado teether rattle toys. They are so simple and bound to be your baby’s favorite toy!
Have an outdoorsy little one? This adorable fishing set will give them hours of entertainment for years to come. What a great coordination building game!
Sound is so important for baby and early childhood development. A beautiful musical instrument like this wooden xylophone toy is the perfect addition to your little one’s toy collection. Who knows what love of music you will spark in them?!
Last but not least, these beautiful hand crochet baby rattle/teethers are as safe as they are stylish. The organic material will make you happy as you see your little one enjoy these cuties.
I hope you enjoyed this list of some of my favorite beautiful toy finds. It is so wonderful how many options are available from talented makers and creatives across the world for our little ones these days. I hope you find something perfect for yours or for your next gift.
Our Lily & Val Loves Series contains affiliate links. That means a little bit of your purchase through these posts helps us just a little too! This changes nothing about your purchase price, and we are not asked to feature these items. These are just things we carefully pic because we love them and think you will too! Thanks for helping spread the love! xo
To continue all things baby around here with the launch of our new Baby Collection and before my maternity leave, I wanted to share with you some photos from my “sweet as honey” themed baby shower!
It all went so fast and I wish I could do it all again! I’ve thought about this day for so long. It was filled with many of my favorite things- bees & honey, flowers, lace, lots of tea, amber glass, chalkboard signs, and vintage china, but most importantly, my incredible friends and family who made the day amazing and memorable.
Here are some details from the day…
One of my favorite parts was putting together the flower arrangements to go down the center of the long table! I went with faux flowers so I could make them far in advance. Most of the flowers came from Hobby Lobby and Michaels then I arranged them in vintage milk glass compotes, hobnail vases, and a thrifted white teapot.
I just love the look of mismatched china! For the past 6 months or so, my Mom, my friend Dana and I were on the hunt for vintage plates, saucers, and tea cups. It was so much fun to look for these pieces. We found such a pretty array of patterns and I thought they looked really nice on the table, especially with the beautiful amber water glasses that tied it all together!
It was a dreary, rainy Spring day, but we were nice and dry on the porch of Stonehenge Lodge in Acme, PA.
The dessert table spread included pink lemonade, raspberry almond, and banana cream pie cupcakes from Diana’s Heavenly Cupcakes and an assortment of gluten-free cupcakes from Gluuteny. My Mom made white chocolate dipped pretzel rods and pretty lemon raspberry cheesecake bars!
Chalkboard Signs
Of course, I had to have some chalkboard signage! I especially loved drawing the dessert sign because I fell in love with the chalkboard and frame from Michaels. I got a lot of questions on Instagram about what chalk I used to create the sign and how to prevent smudging. My signs were definitely smudge-able since I wanted to reuse the chalkboards in the nursery and I just love the dusty texture vs. a chalk marker. I used my favorite chalk – Crayola White Anti-Dust and was extremely careful transporting the signs.
Little tip: If you are in need of a chalkboard sign that won’t smudge, I would recommend using a chalk marker on the lettering and important parts, but then supplementing with regular chalk to add in some of that dusty texture! For example, you could create outlines of flowers with a chalk marker, but then smudge in some shadows on top with regular chalk. 🙂
The donut hole beehive!! Ahh! Being gluten free, I could not eat these amazing donut holes from Dunkin’ Donuts, but I certainly thought it was the cutest thing! My Mom baked a dome-shaped cake for the base and covered it in icing. Then, she added the donut holes on top and the little icing bumblebees.
The Tea & Coffee Station
You can’t have a tea party with teas, of course, and I went a little crazy with having lots of options! All of the teas were by my favorite, Harney & Sons. Not only do I love their tea, but I am obsessed with the pretty tins they come in!
We had: Hot Cinnamon Spice, English Breakfast, Earl Grey Supreme, Paris, Peppermint Herbal and Vanilla Comoro.
I even used one of their tea tins to create this little extra flower arrangement. (Vanilla Comoro has been a favorite throughout my pregnancy because it is decaf!)
Everyone got to take home a little hexagon jar filled with honey! The tags closely resembled my invitation, which closely resembles this print!
Instead of playing games, I made up these “wishes for Baby McKeehan” cards. After everyone filled them out, we chose random cards to win the flower arrangements from the tables.
The two Grandma’s got to pick their arrangements first though! 🙂
One last detail – my Mom made this adorable honeycomb backdrop! She cut each piece from foam core and spray painted them gold. She is amazing!!!
My sister flew in for the shower too!
What an amazing day. I’m so happy to get to relive it through these beautiful photos from my friend Lindsey Zern Photography. Thank you, Lindsey!
(And you could definitely tell I was inspired by the tea & honey theme in the midst of anticipating my baby shower with these prints we released earlier this Spring!)
Friends, I can’t tell you how excited I am to share the Lily & Val Baby Print & Canvas Collection with you. Creating a nursery collection has always been on my dream list, but when I found out I was expecting a little one myself this past Fall, I knew the time was now. It’s a crazy feeling because this will be the last launch before I take my first break in almost seven years for maternity leave! Ahhh! I can’t wait for you to see everything.
Dreaming up and drawing this collection while carrying my own little baby girl has been such a pleasure and joy. In fact, this collection means a lot to all of us here at L&V because we’ll be welcoming THREE new little ones to the team in 2019. Yep, all three of the women of L&V (myself, Emily our Creative Coordinator, and Nicole our Operations Manager) are also expecting! So to say we have had babies on the brain is an understatement. It’s such an exciting time and definitely makes for fun team meetings! 🙂
On a side note:
Thank you for following along with all the different chapters of L&V. This business and work have always been a piece of my heart. I love creating things that I would want to have and put in my home. Thank you for letting me share it with all of you and coming along for the journey. It means the world!
So…I introduce you to you the new designs…
This sweet woodland print was the very first piece I drew. I wanted it to feel whimsical & fairytale, like a page out of a storybook! I also love the little “deer” play on words. It comes in three colors for a girl, boy, or gender neutral!
I can’t help but get this song stuck in my head every time I see it! The little clementines were so fun to draw. I love the lettering mixed into the illustrations -I just think it’s fun, child-like, and pretty!
Another design with a storybook feel! I love the pencil-sketched partial “tree branch” border and the message.
I’ve had such a thing for gingham lately and there’s something especially cute about this small scale, hand-drawn gingham for baby’s room. But deeper than that, this verse really hits me and I knew I wanted to incorporate it into the collection as well as my own baby’s room.
Earlier this year I read the book “Without Rival” by Lisa Bevere and it was excellent. I wanted to share just a little excerpt from the book. These words were shared with me when I needed to hear them most and I thought maybe there was someone that needed to hear them too…
“You are the only example of you! You are the beginning and the end of you. There is not a designer sample scheduled for mass production. In his lineage, there are no copies, or same, and no equal.
…God uniquely created your DNA and knit your frame in secret so he could surprise the world. He authored how your heart expresses itself; he was the architect of your smile and the melody of your voice; he made all your features with the fondest thoughts of only you in mind. He celebrated along with your parents your first smile and watched with affection your first steps.
Because of his tender, intentional care, there are multiple facets of your life that express and reflect his love uniquely. He wove all these exceptional aspects and specific talents into the package of you, his daughter. He knew each attribute would be expressed best through your feminine form… Marvelously loved one, there is absolutely nothing accidental about you.”
I realize Lisa was speaking to women here, but this truth is for every human being. We are chosen and loved. I can’t get enough of that life-giving message, something we all need to hear.
The look of embroidery really gets me! It’s cozy and cute. Although I can’t embroider myself, I thought I would draw up two designs that would have the same look and feel! I love how fluffy the lambs look in this one.
This one I drew especially for my own tiny miracle…
These next two prints have the cutest vintage feel to them! You guys know I love that pencil sketched texture! The little clothes, soft lettering, pretty border, nursery rhyme….I just can’t get enough of this pair.
Another design inspired by a song! A few months ago, Mak and I put together a playlist for our baby – songs that we want her to know (got all the classics in there like Billy Joel, The Beatles and Queen), but also songs that remind us of her and this precious time in our lives. “Your song” (the Moulin Rouge) version made it on the list and I just love this phrase for a baby’s room so much. Again, we included two color options!
This next print is minimalist, but very detailed when you get up close! With the other illustrated storybook-esque prints, I wanted to also include a simpler, hand lettered design that could work for both a boy or a girl and have that same feel. To me, this looks like it could have been torn out of a children’s fairytale book. And isn’t this quote one of the sweetest for a baby’s room?
Cute blocks in a cute color palette. Another important reminder for the littlest children to the children at heart.
This one is feminine and elegant! Right now I’m in the midst of working on baby girl’s nursery and it has developed into a Parisian theme! I was inspired by the book “Paris in Bloom” by my friend Georgianna Lane.
Lots of flowers, pretty ornate details…I love seeing it all come together! This design will definitely be a part of it!
Fill-In-The-Blank Prints!
Ok, guys! I am SO excited for these.
Create your own custom, heirloom piece of art! They come in four different styles with space to record all your baby’s birth stats, date, location etc. along with two little footprints.
Each style comes in two sizes (8×10 or 11×14). You can see the size difference below. Also, for your peace of mind, two prints are automatically included in your chosen size in the event of a mistake when filling out! It happens!
Any of the birth stat prints will pair beautifully with other prints in the collection for a coordinated display in your nursery.
Thank you again, everyone, for the support! I hope these designs make you smile and warm the spaces of your precious bundles. xoxo
I love this deliciously indulgent Vintage Cheesy Macaroni Recipe from a very old newspaper article. The Retro Pyrex washi was all I needed to bring this yummy recipe spread to life.
Here are some crafting tips from this spread…
Consider using your washi tapes in different ways.
You can always use washi tape as a nice border, but here I used the Pyrex Washi cut apart. The individual baking dish elements were the perfect accent to use throughout the spread.
The Made With Love Washi is also a great option to use as individual pieces for a nice accent.
Since this comfort food recipe is one that has been used in families for years, the Our Family Traditions Stamp was a great addition to the spread. I like to add these to the notes area to specify what I write in that space.
Sometimes you don’t know the specific dates for the memories you have of classic recipes like these. Here I used a little pyrex bowl from the washi tape as an accent before adding some special memories associated with this creamy pasta.
Add some family photos that you associate with the person who taught you the recipe or made it for you. This will make your Keepsake Kitchen Diary a true family heirloom.
I hope you enjoyed these tips and can’t wait to see how you make the pages of the Keepsake Kitchen Diary your own!
1. “Had to snap a pic of this adorable plate at the 
4. “Had a major antiquing and thrifting win with these adorable pink lamps for baby girl’s room! First I found the bases, but had a hard time finding the right size shade. Then, I happen to find these at Goodwill for $1! They are perfect. Love when things like that happen.” – Valerie
10. “If you have never visited 
13. “Bebe and I always get pics in the car…mostly because I’m bad at keeping up with my journal and use photo dates to remember.”- Emily
