Wednesday, July 31, 2013

Rustic Memo Board


I found this old, shabby window frame at my favorite antique mall in Birmingham. I negotiated the price down to $7 (not kidding!!) and took it home with me. We added the chicken wire and burlap bow to turn it into the most perfect rustic memo board. I love it. It makes me happy every time I walk past it and glance at my instas.

What's making you happy in your home!? Follow along (even better, participate!!) with me on Instagram (stricklinds). Snap photos of your favorite spaces/things in your home and tag #instahometour! Come onnn and join the fun...

Tuesday, July 30, 2013

Take Note Tuesday {Three Things}



1. These fab polka-dot TOMS for fall
2. This multi-pocket tote that's wipable and cute
3. Adorable jeans/braces combo for my Chunk

Monday, July 29, 2013

Fabric Garland Tutorial {Crafternoon Delight}



I love banners/garland. Fabric banners. Felt garland. Tissue banners. Something about a strand of garland that just screams FESTIVE to me. Loud and clear. I have different types of banners/garland throughout our home. A pom-pom garland in Jonah's nursery as well as a plaid pennant banner. A burlap banner in our living room. They're easy to make + cheap. What's not to love about that?!

Today we're discussing the cute fabric banners I made for Jonah's First Birthday Party. You can't go wrong with this garland. You just cut + tie. That's it!!

I used the following items for Jonah's garland:
1. Various ribbon (purchased at Hobby Lobby at 50% off)
2. One yard of fabric
3. Scrap of Burlap I had laying around
3. Twine
4. Hot glue (only used this to glue the number "1" onto the burlap, and to glue the burlap 1 accent piece to the twine)

Tips + Details:
Play around with your knots. I tied my strands onto the twine at the top and let the ends of my knots stick up. You really can't mess this up. The more strands you have squished together, the fuller/better it looks!

Friday, July 26, 2013

Friday Faves {Etsy Crushin'}

Me and Etsy have a thing. Thankfully my Husband is aware of our thing so I'm not having a secret affair on the side. And, this is a full blown thing. Big. HUGE. I love me some Etsy. I thought it would be fun to do a round-up of my current Etsy crushes and give you a sneak peek at the items currently in my cart.

Happy FRIDAY, party peeps! Hope y'all have grand plans and lovely things in store for the weekend..


1. Hand painted Polka Dot Sweatshirt. How adorable is this?! Love that its casual and unique!
2. Adorable striped leggings for Chunky. I bought these and they shipped this week. Can't wait to get them on his chunky little legs. I'm obsessed with leggings right now.
3. Whitney English Day Designer + Organizing Note pads. Love me some organization. I need this in my life in a bad, bad way!!
4. Ruffled + Chevron + Monogrammed Bolsters. What's NOT to love?! I want one of these for our sofa. Love the monogram and the ruffles!
5. I want to paint this and hang it over our bed. Stay tuned for project photos.
6. Washi Tape. I mean. It's addicting. Makes me wanna tape everything in sight.
7. Whatever is Lovely print by Lindsay. Think on that.





Thursday, July 25, 2013

Happy Birthday Balloon Wreath {Crafternoon Delight}




I saw this idea on Pinterest. I mean, how many of you guys can relate to THAT statement. What do we not see on Pinterest?!?  Exactly.  Anyhow, months and months ago (like six or seven months ago) when I started planning Jonah's birthday party I came across a balloon wreath and fell in love. I already knew I wanted his first birthday to include balloons. Somehow. Someway. Balloons just equal happiness in my book. So, I set out to make it on my own.

(Go here to see Jonah's Party)

Balloon Wreath Tutorial

1. Lots of balloons (I bought mine at the dollar store in bulk. Probably 10 packages would do it.)
2. Floral pins (I purchased these at Wal-Mart for $1 per pack. I needed 4 packs)
3. Straw wreath form (Hobby Lobby, use your 50% off coupon!)

This is seriously the easiest wreath to make. There is only one step- push the floral pins into the wreath form. Keep going. And going. Until your wreath is positively BURSTING from happy. Rearrange as you see fit.

Delight in it.


Details+ Tips: 
-I left the plastic on my wreath form. Just less messy. 
-I straddled the balloons rather than puncture them. No reason for this, just what I ended up doing.

There are ENDLESS variations of this. You could make a July 4th Balloon wreath with red + white + blue balloons. A halloween wreath. Ohhh, goodness. Get to pinning (literally. get it?! ack, I made myself laugh with that one.) those wreaths!!


Wednesday, July 24, 2013

Living Colorfully + Be Brave



For as long as I can remember I've loved kitchen ceramics. Pretty bowls. Fun plates. Mugs. Cake Stands. China. Milk glass. Kitchen accessories and doodads. Long before I married Jeremy I had (quite) the collection of breakable knick-knacks. When Jeremy moved us into this little townhouse, he swore never to be the unlucky one that unpacks my kitchen boxes. I'm pretty sure he spent more than one day JUST unwrapping plate after plate...after plate...after plate. I have this thing for pretty plates. And bowls. And I collect rolling pins. You can bet your bottom that I put them to good use baking tasty treats!!

In my opinion items don't have to be expensive to be beautiful!



Almost every single one of the plates on my wall were from the sale section at Anthropologie. I love living in a colorful home. A home that feels collected and tells a story. I use my cake stands for our keys and mail. Footed milk glass bowls in our bathrooms for hair accessories and soap. Anywhere you can add a pretty, do it. You won't regret it. Each time I walk past my owls, I smile. It's about taking what you have and using it in a new, unexpected way. 

Living in this little townhouse is teaching me to find beauty in unexpected places. I have vanilla walls (obviously not by choice, I would never want to be categorized as a vanilla girl, y'all). I'm adding colorful touches throughout the house without the use of paint. Don't be scared of color. Or mixing textures, patterns and prints. Be brave. Purchase items you love and would love to live with in your home.

(I printed & framed this poster from a blog that I've followed for years. Take Heart. It's sitting in my bathroom as a daily reminder to be brave. Take chances. Forget the naysayers. Live peacefully. Unafraid of public opinion. You can print it too as a daily reminder!)

I want our house to feel comfy and cheerful. It is my greatest wish that our guests feel at home. Like they can pick up their feet and stay awhile. Take a load off. And, yes. You do spy a wingback in the dining area. I stuck him there because he doesn't fit anywhere else. And, no. I haven't gotten around to having them reupholstered yet. They're (still) that ugly green color. Ah, well. It's on one of my lists. 


So, point of this post? Create a home you love, EVEN if it is NOT the home of your dreams (living proof right here). Find items in your home that you can re-purpose. Buy items you truly love.

Be brave.

Tuesday, July 23, 2013

Insta-album {Project Life}

I am over the moon excited about this little craft I started Sunday night!!

Since Jonah was born last June I've been snappity-snapping photo after photo of him. I can't stop. He's the cutest little nugget. Almost every month my iPhone gives me the little "storage full" alert and I do a monthly photo dump. The thing that has been nagging me is not knowing what to DO with all of these photos. I've taken them...now what?!....

I've heard a lot of amazing things about Project Life the last couple of months but wasn't sure if I was brave enough to take the plunge. And, by brave I mean- I wasn't sure if I wanted the time commitment of scrapbooking again. Did you ever scrapbook? Like the obsessive kind that took over your life? Uhm-mm. Me too. And right now, night/weekend scrapbook sessions are not my priority. So, I was really skeptical!!

Sunday afternoon I took Jonah to Michael's (always an adventure with Chunky along for the ride) to see what we could find. I had heard that they now carried limited stock of Project Life! Jackpot. I came home with lots of new treasures.

If you're not familiar with Project Life, it's basically a simplified way to scrapbook:



Purchase a Project Life Core Kit (I chose the Honey Edition, and I also found a Holiday mini-kit)
Purchase a 12" x 12" Binder to hold your project pages


Organize your stash! The Core Kit I purchased came with over 500 reversible cards. Most include a space to write your memories and thoughts. Some have catchy sayings, or even a little calendar to record a special date or memory. The Honey Kit is cheerful and bright! Love it!!


Print your Instagram photos and other 4" x 6" photos. Both regular and instas fit into the plastic page protectors. You can purchase your instagram photos on a nifty Walgreens app, or Persnickety prints has a Project Life size available for purchase (lots of other printing options available not for insta prints!)

And, finally- assemble your pages by slipping the photos and cute cards into little pockets. DONE. 


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I haven't started making my pages yet, I ordered the plastic page protectors on Amazon and I'm (SO ANXIOUS) still waiting for them to arrive. I promise to keep you posted and blog the rest of the process just as soon as my pages arrive on the front steps!!

If you want to see a Project Life project in action, head over to Emily's blog and check out her Instagram album. So adorable.

Have a super day, y'all!

Monday, July 22, 2013

Jonah's Big ONE

Three short weeks ago my Jonah Knox turned ONE. Insanely hard to believe because I feel like we just brought him home from the hospital yesterday. Everyone told me that time flies when you have a baby, but I didn't really understand until now. Time is measured by Jonah's growth. He's literally turning into a toddler in front of my eyes. It's truly one of the most bittersweet feelings. I miss the infant Jonah so much, but I'm delighted to see the toddler Jonah emerging. He is such a sweet little scamp. Rotten mess.

I thought it would be fun to show photos of his party and then do an additional post later in the week with the details and a few DIY craft tutorials. I crafted most of his decor in the months leading up to his party. I had a really hard time deciding on a "theme" because I didn't want it to have a "themey" feeling. Just a happy, cheerful party that celebrated our little man turning a year old.

Once I decided on the paper goods, everything was a breeze. They were the starting point for the overall design. We hosted the part at our local Children's Museum (best idea ever, hardly any clean up- and the kids got to play!). It was a wonderful Saturday afternoon affair. Cheerful. Happy. Fun. Joyful. I will cherish the fun memories!














Party details, sources, DIY tutorials (I made the balloon wreath, all garlands, the large pom number one, and the favorite things poster & table runner) to come later in the week. Happy Monday, bloggity peeps!



Friday, July 19, 2013

Lay, Baby, Lay

I'm in the market for a new rug, y'all. We have (fake) wood floors in our town-home and I need something that meets our needs of the moment.

I would prefer a rug that does not need a rug pad because they are higher maintenance in my opinion and I'm semi-OCD about keeping things unwrinkled and straight. Especially rugs. In a perfect would I would just have fab jute rugs and vintage kilims everywhere. But, I need something that Chunky can crawl on without tearing up his little knees (jute is out). And, I don't want him to trip (fab vintage kilims are out). See?? Not exactly an easy feat, this rug shopping business.

And, let's have a bit of real talk. Like most, we are on a budget. Have you guys seen the ugly, cheap rug options out there? Yelch. I need something stylish AND affordable.

Sooo, I've been rug shopping after Jonah goes to sleep. Before I crash. Which leaves me approximately 15 minutes to rug shop because he goes to bed at 9pm and I follow at 9:30. I'm only partially kidding about the bed times, y'all. Momma needs her sleep! Here are a few rugs that I've found that ARE affordable, AND stylish. (I threw in cute Etsy pillow cover combos to to jazz things up a bit)..


All of the rugs can be found on Overstock. All Pillow Covers can be found here (This shop has great prices for fun pillow covers, which makes changing your decor easy peasy!!).

I haven't made a decision yet about a rug for our home. I will keep y'all posted. Happy Weekending!!

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Speaking of my title, LayBabyLay, have you ever checked out Joni's blog!? Do it. I love reading it!!

Thursday, July 18, 2013

Diaper Bag Transition {Momma Must Haves}

Jonah Knox turned the big ONE a couple of weeks ago. Broke my heart a little. He is the most precious thing in the world to this Momma!

As he gets older, I realize that our needs in regards to what we carry + take places is changing. No longer do I make sure I have 5 formula dispensers full and ready to save the day (not quite exaggerating). Now I take snacks. Toys. Less gear. He throws his paci and his sippy cup when we're in the car. I feed him snacks when he's hungry. Completely different game than when he was an infant so I feel like our diaper bag needs have changed.

Here are items that need to jump in my bag, so to speak..


1. Etsy
2. Etsy
3. Local Grocery Store
5. & 7. Baggu

Wednesday, July 17, 2013

Ahhhhmazing Fish Tacos

Y'all. I made amazing Mahi Mahi fish tacos the other night and they're all I've been thinking about.

Lit-trah-lee. I picked up a package of Mahi fillets at HEB last week and stuck them in the freezer after googling "is it okay to freeze Mahi Mahi" (Yes, I did really google that. No. I am not ashamed to admit that I google the heck out of everything). Regardless, I was quite the skeptic because I haven't really cooked fish that much. Soo, the other day I defrosted the fillets in the fridge and prepped the rest of the ingredients.

(Forgot to mention that HEB was running one of those you buy this, you get that free, so we scored a bag of Dole shredded cabbage and Cilantro Cotija dressing FREE. Holllaaa.) Okay, so here's the line up of the crew...


Mahi Mahi Fish Tacos
1 pks Mahi Mahi Fillets (fresh or frozen)
2 Tbsp Olive Oil
1 clove garlic minced (fresh is best)
Cumin, Chili Powder, Salt & Pepper to taste (we like a lot of chili powder, and a little cumin)
*Brown in skillet or grill until white and flaky

Slaw:
1 pkg shredded cabbage (I used Dole)
1/2 small red onion thinly sliced
*I left this dry as I knew I had the dressing/and salsa to go on the tacos. You could add lime juice, or make a simple mayo sauce.

Avacado-Mango Salsa:
1 large avacado chopped
1 large mango chopped
1 clove garlic minced (fresh is again, best)
1/4 cup cilantro
1 tomato chopped (Hubs hates tomatoes so I left this one out)
1 lime squeezed over ingredients

Warm corn tortillas and layer fish, slaw and salsa on your taco. Top with Cilantro Cotija Dressing (or make your own!!). Eat. Delight in it.

And, if you have leftover slaw/salsa make yourself a delicious salad for lunch the next day!! I added a fresh peach to the mix and it was so. stinkin. good.

Overall I would rate these a 10. These are really, really good. Promise. These hips don't lie.

Tuesday, July 16, 2013

Tissue Tassel Garland {Crafternoon Delight}

Lindsay is my name, crafting is my game. No. But seriously. Who doesn't love making a good craft?! Getting out my supplies and doing a little crafty crafting is just downright therapeutic. I lerv it, y'all.

My sweet Momma turned the beautiful 50 recently and we surprised her with a beach weekend getaway. It was tons of fun and the first family vacation with all of my married siblings. We stayed at an adorable house in the beach town of Pointe West (20 miles west of Galveston) and spent the days beachin', eatin' and playing yard games. The house had a ping pong table and we got mad competitive with it. You know how families trash talk and keep score. That's us.

I said alllll of that to show you how I crafted several little fun things to decorate the house with. One of which was TISSUE TASSEL GARLAND. My fave. Here's how you can work it UP for your next party or gathering (or hey, why not tonight?! just for fun?!)...


It's as easy as pie:
Grab a package of tissue (one piece of tissue = a single garland strand). Lay the tissue out, and fold over once (hamburger, not hot-dog). Cut strips towards your folded edge (leaving about 3" from folded edge). Open tissue. Twist center into a loop. Glue or tape the loop closed. Hang on string. PARRRRTAY.

(If you want to take the lazy way out- you don't have to glue or tape, you can just tie your string in the middle of your tassels & they will stay put. I'm not sayin' that's what I did....Ahem...)

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Here's the garland in action this past weekend and our cute little beach house.





Monday, July 15, 2013

Ready. Set. Blog. {Meet Strickland + Company}

Hi Y'all! I'm not exactly new to the blogging world, I started my first blog when I turned 18 (anyone remember zanga!?), however, this shiny new blog space IS the newbie on the blog block. I've been blogging for several years at The Bow-Tie and The Skirt and since our sweet Jonah Knox was born, I've kept up with his one-year blog as well. I felt it was time for a new blog-start for our family.

You know, like opening a new notebook. Or a freshly sharpened pencil. New shoes. The possibilities are endless. I just love that fresh/new feeling. So here we are.

Meet Strickland + Company.

Our new family blog. Adventures and tales of the three Strickland's (Jeremy + Lindsay + Jonah). A little design will be thrown in for good measure. Cooking + Baking. Making messes. Chasing after Jonah. The fun stuff. 

If you're a new reader, here is a quick update to give you a bit of background:
  • Jeremy and I are both originally from Texas. The last three years we've lived in Birmingham, Alabama and we've just moved back to our home state. We now reside in the Houston area.
  • Jonah turned the big ONE on June 26th, 2013.
  • I design + develop + manage products for The Royal Standard (I work from home and LOVE my job!)
I've got lots to update you guys on. Fun products I'm obsessed with and a TON of new posts for ya! Stick around and adventure with us!!