The 2 ladies behind LOVE + LION are mamas to 2 kids each (though Jenni has a third on the way). They are one part tattoo designers and one part bloggers for the modern parent (though we imagine they wear many other "mom hats" as we all do!). Jenni and Leah love to inspire and empower moms to feel confident in raising their littles everyday by encouraging them through the trials, victories and (even) the mistakes of motherhood.
We are so thrilled to have them join our #TastemakerTribe!
Shop their #momstyle on sale this week only and don't miss our exclusive Q&A with them below.
Waking up everyday with little ones that count on you, and look to your for their happiness and well-being. Could there be a greater job? We think not! Even when it is hard, we still love being moms above all else, and really try to put that first…. Even before work. Also, we just LOVE all of the hugs and kisses that come our way.
Leah:
Ari (5 going on 50) He’s an old soul, sweet, thoughtful, and smart.
Max (2) or as I like to say, a professional 2 year old. He is the happiest kid (when not having a temper tantrum!) Funny, energetic, friendly and charming.
Jenni:
Amara (4) She is my caring one. She is so in touch with her emotions, and is always up for just about anything. She is a real “go with the flow” kind of girl.
Remy (10 months) He is just as much a lover as he is a fighter. He is our sensitive guy emotionally, but tough physically. He is most definitely attached to my hip right now, but I am trying to embrace it.
The day I became a mom, I felt so empowered and so much more secure in myself. It just gave me a fresh perspective on why I am here and what my role is…. To provide a great life for my children. I think becoming moms has taught us to be selfless, more patient, and to just live in each little moment with our kids. –J
Mom buns alllllll day! Haha. We both like to just be comfortable, but still on trend! When you are holding kids all day, a great pair of jeans is a must. We don’t like to tug at our clothes all day. Most days, we keep our clothing basic, but we love playing with accessories. Bags, sunnies, dainty jewelry pieces (studs are our thing), and the newest shoe trend…. We are all over it!
Yes! Bras were just about the most important thing I put on each day, but breastfeeding didn’t let it keep me from wearing fashionable pieces that I loved. I am a pretty modest feeding mama, so I always use a cover. Choosing tops wisely though or dresses that I could pull down from the top were key! -J
A black blazer is so chic and can be paired with jeans and sneakers or dressed up with heels for a date with the hubs.
Sweatshirts are our love language. This is just the SOFTEST!
Long sleeve tee black white stripe
We predominately own striped clothing I think. This is just a versatile, lightweight piece that we all need in our closet.
obsessed with all things off the shoulder right now! This dress is so playful, but still so gorgeous! We are in love!
The perfect cover up for our pool days this summer with the kids.
Love this for a summer date night or a day out shopping with girlfriends!
Leggings!! We live in leggings around the house.
We are totally into these for spring/summer! Loving the color!
Shop Jenni and Leah's tastemaker sale >
We started the blog as just two friends who loved party planning, and wanted to share what we did and things that we loved with the world. Leah is extremely talented when it comes to art and design, and out of this world thoughtful. So, she did a blog post about some tattoos she made to send her niece (and her cabin mates) at summer camp. People started asking how they could get them, so we started an Etsy shop just as an easy way for our 3 followers (haha) to purchase them. Then, honestly…. It just blew up for us! We just held on for dear life, and here we still are.
We worked together at our friend’s stationery boutique. I think we both thought that each of us didn’t like each other. We got to room together when we went on a business trip, and it was bff love at first sleepover.
We LOVE raising kids in Nashville! There is always something to do with kids! This summer is perfect for taking kiddos to our baseball stadium to root on The Sounds. Nearby Little Donkey is super family friendly and delish. The downtown Nashville Library has incredible story times filled with puppet shows, songs, books, and art projects. The facility was just redone with a full on downtown Nashville themed playscape. 12 south neighborhood is one of our fav places to take kids on the weekend. Sevier Park is gorgeous and has 2 playgrounds- one for littler kids. Food trucks will often visit, perfect for a combo play time/lunch time. We all love Las Paletas across the street for gourmet popsicles. Burger Up and Taqureia del sol are very family friendly as well as Five Daughter's Bakery (cronuts!!).
Step one is always coffee. If the kids aren't in school, we're on full time mommy mode and work when the kids are napping. When the kids are in school it's responding to emails, designing, printing, packaging, and shipping all day up until the minute we pick the kids up from school! Back on kiddo time. Once the kids are asleep, we're back at it again until we go to bed way too late!
I think we would both agree that sometimes that can be a slippery slope depending on the people, but from the beginning we both said that friendship is first no matter what! When things get stressful or tense, we are pretty good about coming together and hitting refresh before we let things get weird. We want the same things at the end of the day, and we know that. The busier we get, the harder it gets to work on every single thing together. Leah designs all of our tattoos, and will send me designs sometimes to get my thoughts, but I trust her. Design is her strength! She is extremely motivated, creative and loves to keep learning about how to grow this small business of ours. I am more of a “worker bee”. I am happy to do the labor and handle more of the business side of things. I can definitely shut down when I get overloaded with the Etsy shop or feel uninspired to blog. We have three women who work tirelessly for us, and they are all efficient and catch our mishaps and keep us in check. We would sink without them. I think hiring employees was one of the best things we did to alleviate stress. -J
Leah:
I'm not sure I have balance! My house is never clean and laundry is never done. I prioritize tattoo orders above house stuff or sleep, but my kids trump it all. Saturdays tend to be my day off since no orders are due the next day and my family is at home with me. It's a nice breather from the weeks work load.
Jenni:
What is balance? Haha. I work myself way too hard trying to keep up my house, get dinner on the table and make sure I brush my teeth everyday. I think it varies… some weeks, work trumps my house chores, and some weeks, I just need to pour into my family. My husband travels a lot, and I feel like a single mom most weeks. Saturdays are definitely days that I try to not even look at my phone or crack open my computer. Those are great days!!
Tip: We both are in favor for one solid day off every week! Everyone needs a day to recharge their battery.
Protective & Loving…. Just being there…. Being present.
Mother: Dedicated
Wife: Supportive
Friend: Understanding
Tat Designers: Jenni speaking about Leah – Perfectionist
Bedtime Story: Curious George – Patty Cake, the reaction from both of my kids the first time we read that book are unforgettable. George is a little finger puppet, and my kids talk to him like he is real. -J
Lullaby: Itsy Bitsy Spider has always been a fun one to do. It sounds more like “Icky Bicky Spider”, but it is the cutest to listen to. -J
Vacation Spot: Disneyworld! We have gone every year since our first was born, and it has been amazing memory after amazing memory. -J
Restaurant: Anywhere with a grilled cheese!
Children’s Brands: Lots of Gap kids, Target, H&M
How much my patience would truly be tested, and also how much I was going to love something -J
Our pediatrician (Leah and I both have the same one) told me early on that nobody will fight for your kid the way that you will. You are your kids’ biggest advocate. Don’t fear fighting for them! That has always stuck with me. I have seen that to be so true.
Also, It sounds so cliché, but time flies!!! Don’t ever be too busy for your family. Leah and I will be rooming with them in college before we know it. ;)
