Friday (Almost) Thursday Favorites

So I've gone and done it again folks. In my late night blogging delirium, I hit publish by accident without meaning to (whoops!) So we'll be having Thursday favorites this week and my scheduled post for Thursday will now officially air on Friday (unless I accidentally publish that too).

Without further ado, here are a few of my favorite things from around the world wide web this week:

Have you seen the new botanical notebook collections from Chronicle Books and Rifle Paper Co.? I swear they can do no wrong.

I love this mom's mother's take on how blogging has transformed motherhood.

I must admit, I'm a little bit obsessed with this dinner/kitchenware. I wish it was for sale in the U.S.

Bryn's new favorite artist is one of my new favorite artists! A collection of shark's teeth? Yes please!

Perfect stripey shoes for your little girl on the Fourth (or anytime!).

I so respect bloggers who aren't afraid to put it all out there. I'm always afraid of offending my family or of my students tracking me down on the interwebz lol, so I'm a little more cautious than I'd sometimes like to be. (E.G. one, two, three)

I love both of these simple, serene, yet happy spaces. (one, two)

Nautical Style: Mama + Baby

Don't you love the whole nautical trend? So fun and chic all at the same time. Here are a couple of my favorite pics for mama and baby:

Mama: one, two

Baby: one, two

Kate's Living Room Part II

You recently saw my idea board for Kate's living room. Well, her husband wasn't quite sold on a couple of things, one being the key piece for the entire space. So I came up with an alternative board for Kate using her inspiration photos on Pinterest:

Having inspiration photos is so helpful with creating an idea board. From the Pinterest board I gathered that Kate was looking for bold, geometric patterns, botanicals framed in a modern way, and pops of coral. Here's what I came up with:

Sources:

Paint - Behr Sparkling Spring
Drapery Fabric Option 2 - Fabric.com
Striped Rug - Dash & Albert
Persimmon Pillow - Crate & Barrel
Lumbar Pillow - Beth Daniel Designs at Home on Etsy
Arc Lamp - Pottery Barn
Diamond Pillow - West Elm
Coffee Tables - JCPenney
Grouping of Botanicals - Natural Collection on Etsy

I Paid a Visit to Random.org

Congratulations Shannon on your win! And thank you so much to Honey & Fitz for the amazing giveaway - I can't wait to see what Dina adds next to her Art for Boys series.

Thank you to all who entered - and don't fret if you didn't win, we have another fabulous giveaway lined up for next week!

A Tiny Botanist

I swear my child is a botanist in the making. You take that girl outside and bam! Two minutes later you have a serious stick collection going on. The kid is addicted to all things Mother Nature - sticks, leaves, rocks, and yes, even bird poop. Thank goodness she is slowly growing out of her I-must-shove-everything-I-touch-into-my-mouth phase. I can't tell you how many rocks I've had to dig out of that little mouth.

And I am totally kicking myself for not buying her the mini botanist kit from Romp. One of my favorite kids' stores, I'm totally bummed that they are closing up shop. They were offering an amazing thirty-five percent off of EVERYTHING (including the kit) and I hesitated. I mean the kid isn't really ready for it yet - she's got a few years before any flower pressing is going to occur. But seriously - this kit is so adorable, and she is SO into plants at the moment that I kind of feel she must have it. So anyway, I hesitated and yeah, they're all gone. Sure, you can find them on other sites but with the sale I could've snagged one for like forty-some bucks instead of a whopping seventy. Oh well, hindsight is 20/20.


On a completely unrelated note, we've 'upgraded' to a big girl car seat. We got the Britax Marathon. Chosen because of the great reviews and the fact that it can be rear facing up to forty pounds. What I don't get is how a forty pound child would sit in this seat in a rear-facing position. When we installed it the seat is right up against the backrest of the car - effectively leaving no space for dangling legs. Please, tell me, are we doing something wrong here? I just don't get it.

As much as I know we HAD to switch seats (she is rapidly approaching the weight limit for her infant seat), I really do miss that thing. Now when Violet falls asleep in the car I have to take her out and carry her the whole way upstairs, whereas before I could just carry the seat up and quickly transfer her to the crib. So far she has woken up every. time. and thinks it's time to play again. Anyone have any tricks for getting kids from the car seat to the crib? I'm all ears!

Oh yeah, and Charlie says yawn hi!

Last Chance!

It's your last chance to enter the giveaway from Honey & Fitz - the contest closes Sunday at midnight.

Best of luck to all entrants!

In Case You Missed It...

For Your Wee Ones: Stars & Stripes for Spearmint Baby:

Sources.

Fireworks

Have you seen this book? It blew me away! (Pun intended). We're wondering how Violet will react to fireworks this year. We're going to a baseball game and I'm pretty certain they will have a few. Do you remember your kids' first fireworks? Did they squeal with joy or scream in fear? Any tips?

Thanks!

Friday Favorites

Oh how I dream of having a pretty bike like this to ride around on barefoot all summer.

The perfect bouncer - too bad it's out of stock.

Not to be upstaged by the perfect throw - too bad it's completely and utterly out of my price range (I'm striking out left and right here!)

This 'mustache and bows party' looks like so much fun! Maybe we'll do something similar for the next baby.

Such a pretty lady, that Miss James - and her little Gemma bird is such a sweetheart.

I wish every room in my home could be as perfect as Jordan Ferney's San Francisco home.

Have a festive summer weekend!

For Your Wee Ones: Neon Pop

 

Clockwise from top left: one . two . three . four

New Sponsor Space for July!

Our little corner of the internet is growing! With gigs at Spearmint Baby, Babiekins Magazine, and Houzz, not to mention guest posting here and there, we're gaining new followers daily. If you'd like to gain a little exposure for your small business, Etsy shop, or blog, consider advertising with us!

Ad rates start for as little as $10 (USD) per month, with a discounted rate given to ads placed 3 months or longer. For details please visit the advertising page and/or email withtwocats@gmail.com

Etsy Love

Clockwise from top left: one . two . three . four

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Chopped

I may be getting my hair cut. Chopped really. I may regret it afterward, but it'll grow back, right?

 

Oh to have these curls...

Thanks for the Feedback + More Art for Boys!

Thanks for the feedback on my art conondrum! I'm going to purchase the Elijah Andrus painting that I think I knew all along was my favorite - number one. Most of you were drawn to that one as well, so I know that it's the right choice (although the other ones are beautiful as well). I love the coral undertones and I should have known by the fact that I placed it first in the post that it was the one (I've noticed that I usually post my favorite images first).

Also I'm excited to report that Honey & Fitz has recently made available a new series in its Art for Boys project - bugs! Don't worry, these are actually some pretty gorgeous critters:

Perfect for the bug-loving boy in your life. And don't forget to enter to win your choice of six prints in the vintage airplane series - you have until Sunday to enter!

Bailie's Nursery

I was recently contacted by Sarah about her daughter Bailie's nursery:

Hi Lauren,

I just love to keep up on your blog! You have a wonderful sense of design. I have recently found myself in a design dilemma with our nursery and I need your help. We just had a beautiful baby girl, Bailie, but had not found out the sex of the baby and were totally expecting a boy. We still tried to keep the nursery neutral with bright primary colors, but the walls were blue to begin with (long story) and we really want to re-do the nursery to suit our little girl. 

My mom and myself have taken it on as a summer project, but we are having a really hard time picking out something without breaking the bank. We want to find really great bedding and accessories before we choose a paint color. We are looking for something ultra feminine and shabby chic that will grow with her. We are totally in love with Glenna Jean's Isabella line (see link) but at around $400 just for the 4 piece crib set, our budget would be totally spent without finishing the room. Please help! We have a blank canvas except for the espresso colored furniture.

Thanks!

Sarah 

Finding bedding as fabulous as Sarah's inspiration on a budget was tricky, but I think we found the perfect pieces in the end. Here's what I came up with:

Sources:


Bumper - Carousel Designs
Skirt - Carousel Designs
Sheet - Carousel Designs
Butterfly Specimen Poster - Urban Outfitters
Curtains - Urban Outfitters
Florence the Linen Rabbit - Etsy seller LeilaLou
Flower Hook - Urban Outfitters
Linen Stripe Storage Basket - Etsy seller polkadots + blooms
Petit Beaded Chandelier - Little Kids' Bedrooms
Scalloped Raw Cotton Banner - 31 Vintage Road

Art Conondrum

I have been trying to decide for months which original painting to purchase from one of my favorite artists, Elijah Andrus and I just about had my mind made up when he released a bunch of new work! Now I'm back at square one. Please help - which would you choose?

1.

2.

3.

4.

1, 2, 3, or 4? Thanks for your help!

(To see more of Andrus' work visit his website - http://www.eliandrus.com)

Parlez-vous Français?

Any French speakers out there? I'd love to know what this says!

Giveaway: Honey & Fitz

- This giveaway is no longer accepting entries -   

This week I'm excited to be partnering with Honey & Fitz to offer you a series of six vintage bomber airplane paintings, perfect for your little guy's nursery, bedroom, or play space!

It's part of a little project shop owner, Dina is calling 'Art for Boys'. Dina says, "It's my way of helping moms of boys out there find cute, boy-appropriate and not overly baby-ish art to decorate their little mens' rooms." She was originally inspired to create the bomber series by this image from Domino Magazine:

I think it is a fantastic idea and am so excited that she is partnering with us on this great giveaway! The series of six is a 79 dollar value and one lucky reader will get his or her choice of your favorite six vintage planes.

To enter the contest, simply leave a comment telling us what other types of artwork you'd like to see for your little men and like Honey & Fitz on Facebook.

Bonus entries:
(Please leave a separate comment for each)

Become a follower of with two cats via Google Friend Connect
Share this giveaway with your readers

How is the Winner Chosen?
The winner will be chosen randomly using random.org

How Long Do I Have to Enter?
Entries will be accepted until 11:59 PM EDT on Sunday, June 25th.

Best of luck to each of you, and thanks to Honey & Fitz for the fabulous giveaway!







[And by the way, if you like what you see check out Dina's blog as well - Honey & Fitz. It's full of inspiration (I featured her son Knox's amazing nursery a little while back) and some truly awesome DIY projects.]

- This giveaway is no longer accepting entries -   

Dear Daddy

Violet is a little young to know that it's Father's Day, but I imagine if she could, this is what she would say to her daddy today:

Dear Daddy,

Thank you for being the best daddy a little girl could ask for. Thank you for giving me love and snuggles when I need them most.

e

Thank you for getting up in the middle of the night to change my diaper. Thank you for refilling Mommy's water bottle a billion times when only she could feed me. Thank you for holding me while I slept and spending time with me while I was awake, even when I couldn't do much. Thank you for taking care of my needs and keeping me safe.

 

Thank you, Daddy, for comforting me when I didn't feel well and for taking me to the doctor when I needed to go. Even though I was afraid sometimes at the doctor I felt better having your calming presence and strength nearby. 

Thank you for helping me to get through bouts of teething when I couldn't have any pain medication and for walking me around in my carrier when it's the only thing that would give me comfort. Daddy, thank you for taking me to fun places where I could see new things and meet new people, even when it would've been easier to go without me.

Thanks for talking Mommy into making me a fun witch costume instead of one of the usual cutesy baby costumes like a duck or a ladybug. I'm sure someday I will like zombies and vampires just as much as you do.

Thank you for playing with me and being so much fun. You let me do great things like crawl on you and pull your hair that Mommy won't let me do. Thank you for always giving me kisses and telling me how pretty I am. Daddy, thank you for thinking that I'm a smart little girl and for teaching me new things.

You helped me learn to walk and you've taken me on countless wagon, horsey, and stroller rides. I love when we go outside to exciting places like the neighbor's yard, the park, and to see parades. 

 

Daddy, thank you for being you - the very best daddy a girl could ever ask for. Happy Father's Day, Daddy. I love you.

Love,

Your Violet.