This post was originally published on June 11, 2013. After four years of dragging it in and out of storage, some of the shells went missing and others needed to be secured. We updated this post on our DIY Sea Shell Wreath with new photos. Lilies and Loafers has affiliate relationships, so we may get a small share of revenue from your purchases. Items are sold by the retailer, not…
This desk makeover (using chalk paint) was so much fun to do and stage. Lilies and Loafers has affiliate relationships, so we may get a small share of revenue from your purchases. Items are sold by the retailer, not by Lilies and Loafers. The desk we have in our apartment is the desk I used at my parents’ house. Growing up, it was the perfect size. It was wide enough…
Today, my parents are finally starting their next chapter in New Hampshire. While my mom has been up at the house for the last month, my dad’s last day at work is today. While it’s bittersweet, Fatima and I are so happy for them. When they bought their new house last year, we never got them a housewarming gift. Now that they’re officially New Hampshire residents, it is the perfect time…
Here are 5 DIY Projects to share you travel adventures. Where will your travel plans take you in 2017? Last year, we ended up in London. It was mostly Fatima on business with me tagging along. But in the 36 hours of free time we had to explore, we covered every inch of that city. We woke up early, put on our sneakers and began walking. This year, it’ll be Maui…
My mom kept everything we made for her. It could have been the ugliest school craft, but she kept it. She didn’t have to, but she cherished our handmade crafts. Now, I see how special a handmade craft from your kids can be. My niece is a new big sister and she’s helping out around the house, well as much as a two-year-old can. As we let her mom and dad…
Fatima and I started a tradition of making these DIY map ornaments from the places we visited. Since starting this project, we’ve grown quite a collection! Our latest ornament takes us across the pond. Here’s the story behind our London Map Ornament. In January, we traveled to London. We were there on business and only had 48 hours for sight-seeing. We woke up early, put on our sneakers and hit the…
Last Christmas, Fatima and I made these adorable Elf Ornaments for everyone in my family. We wanted to give them a handmade gift that they could display on their Christmas trees. The significance of giving the same ornament was to remind them that family is always connected. While most of our family is located in the northeast, we have family in the south and as far west as Hawaii! When…
In the next few weeks, many college students will begin to prep for finals. Back in undergrad, I loved opening my mailbox to find a package slip. It would turn out to be a finals care package from my parents stuffed with all the essentials. My parents would often send out a finals care package to my other cousins around the time of their finals, too. They would stuff these packages with…
We went a little overboard with the Polyjuice potion at our Harry Potter inspired Halloween Party. With so many Potterheads in attendance, this was our most engaging party yet! Our guests went all out with their Harry Potter themed costumes and we loved all of them! As you saw earlier this week, Fatima and I were Hedwig and Harry Potter: Here are more DIY Harry Potter themed costumes from our party…
Colleen, Fatima, and I are our family’s biggest Harry Potter fans. When the books launched in stores, my mom, Colleen, and I would wait outside for hours until midnight just so we could get a copy. Fatima said her family would just go the closest supermarket and they would have dozens of books. They would walk right in and be done. There were no lines to wait in since everyone…
Over the last two years, we slayed Halloween with our #TGIT themed Scandal and How to Get Away with Murder costumes. Our couples costume originated when we dressed up as Peter Pan and Tiger Lily when we first started dating. Since then, we’ve tried to keep the ‘couples’ thing’ going. This year, we made DIY Harry Potter costumes for Halloween. For my family’s annual Halloween Party that happened this past…
Father’s Day is right around the corner! If your dad is like mine, you know he’s a very difficult person to shop for. My sister and I have always tried to brainstorm a long list of Father’s Day gift ideas year after year to come up with the perfect gift. Growing up, my dad was there for everything cheering me on during little league and soccer games, the loudest clapper…
Did you know May was National Photo Month? Now that we’re settled into our new place (more on that soon!) we wanted to refresh our DIY Instagram Photo Collage we put together last year. Since then, we visited Cabo, London, Orlando, celebrated birthdays, and discovered new brunch places. Our favorite destination, by far, was Orlando because we explored Diagon Alley and Hogwarts/Hogsmeade in Universal Orlando’s The Wizarding World of Harry Potter! Refreshing…
Mother’s Day is right around the corner! Growing up, my mom didn’t make too much of a big deal about this annual day for moms. She always told us, “Every day is Mother’s Day.” With eight kids in the house (yes, eight!) I can only imagine the stress my mom felt every day with all of us running around. Now that I’m older, I see what a fantastic job she…
Last year, we made these beautiful DIY Map Ornaments from the places we traveled and important places we’ve been. To continue that trend, we made a Universal Studios Map Ornament. Why, you ask? We loved our adventure in Universal Studios/Islands of Adventure. We took a trip in September to celebrate our 1 year wedding anniversary in the Wizarding World of Harry Potter. It was so magical. Seriously. We felt like we…
What are you going to be for Halloween? For us, finding Halloween costumes is a stressful process. It’s not so much the making of the costume, it’s more about the idea. Either we’ve come up with an idea a month before and prep for it, or we turn up last-minute as salt and pepper – the literal version. We hate trying to pull something together last-minute and there’s only so…