Falling off the blog wagon...

I having falling off the blog wagon, dropped the blogging ball, let down the blogging word, blah blah.
To tell you all the truth I have been busy. I am really concentrating on my little side business of making pretty hair accessories for women and little girl's, finishing up my website which I have painfully been designing myself. Christmas time is always my most busy with a bazillion craft fair's that I go to all over the place. I feel like I live out of a suitcase, and then when I am at home, I live in my craft room... But truth be told, I LOVE every minute. I have found a calling and I just love what I do! So let's hope that I can really make it happen into something more than just a side craft business?! 
But I am FINALLY done all the fair's and such and I can now relax! Well not too much as I am now in 5 new shop's!! Yeah! So I want to keep them happy and keep the stock up in them.
My last fair, which was last night, was actually at my house. I decided to do a "studio" style open house fair with 4 other super talented local artisan's that I admire their work. They are all stay at home Mama's, all are so creative, all are very cool and we  have decided to do a craft get together night once a month. A "stitch and bitch" so to speak a "craft and drink" a "get out of the house and away from the kiddies" night! I am very looking forward to all of the above.... Maybe we should do it twice a month?! 


Christmas time is also my most favorite time of year, I start decorating the house as soon as Nov.25th rolls around and I crack out all the decoration's and go all Martha Stewart on the house for 3 days straight with no sleep (it's a sickness, by the the way, I can't seem to stop myself) Luckily my hubby love's Christmas just as much, I would just die, really I would, if I was married to a scrooge or a Christmas Grinch!! 
I am just loading up all the pictures I took of the house and of the Open house that I will put up in the next couple of days.
Also I have been missing soooooo much from all my favorite blogging friends, they are doing some many fun and exciting things.
-some are pregnant -some moved into a new house -other's got Hunter Wellies!!! YOU KNOW WHAT????

                         SO DID I! 


After a good year of pulling a Wayne Campbell and saying "They will be mine, oh yes, they will be mine" They are MINE! 


They are a beautiful grey-ish  dark blue, and good golly do they ever make me happy!I had them right beside my bed the first week so when I woke up I saw them first thing in the morning and it is just pure love.... I am creating every outfit I will wear around them, "Would this look good with my Hunter's?" 
"Oh, if I bought this it would look amazing with my Wellies"
What can I say?! Lauren would know what I am talking about! Really I know spending $150 on gumboot's must seem silly to some, but I am now a believer that you can not put a price on happiness. And do they ever make me happy... 
I promise to be a better blogging blogger... I do miss it and I think of fun blog post I want to put up all the time, this is my solemn swear, I, Alexis aka Lexylou will blog at least once a week, that is my New year's resolution!


Well I have one last thought...
I have this blog, Mad Times, that is more my personal one, and my shop blog, Little Yellow Basket. I know a lot of people that have a business and just have one blog, not two. And look at me, I have a hard enough time for one!!?? So here is my question to you wise reader's...
Should I axe one and merge to the other?
Which one should I axe?
Would you prefer a shop that had a personal type blog, are just strictly business?
Thank-you for your input!
I hope you are all having a wonderful season so far! I look forward to reading all about it!
.

xoxo Lexylou

Decorating weekend

I have FINALLY put pictures up on my wall's. What?! It has only been 8 month's. 

My reason for not decorating the dining/kitchen area wall's is that I hated the greeny /brown color that took over the ENTIRE house.  I felt like I was inside of a diaper, seriously.

So we painted the wall's a nice slate gray and it lightens up everything so much and is so pretty with the white trim's. I went painting crazy on all the vintage frame's I have been collecting for a while. Painted them all white. There was a set of gold ones that I did have the heart to paint as they looked so good with the gold detail's over my fireplace in the master bedroom. I picked out pictures that had meaning, ones that I have held onto for year's looking for a special place, it look's good, but it is quite overwhelming. I am used to bare wall's and minimal that I feel a bit clausterphobic?! 

Well it took me all Saturday and I am very pleased with how it turned out. The kid's love walking up the stares and looking at everything on the "picture" wall.

The pretty picture-less frames on my mantle.

I just love this look of stacked frames

Dining room wall

Living room wall with the nice blue paint and my favorite piece of art. "The girl with the pearl earring" by Vermeer

I put all my Paris things and Eiffel Towers in on spot as a nice collection area, like I did with the milk glass

The "picture" WALL, going up the stairs.

Neal and I as little kiddies...

The creepy and hilarious Buster Brown paper doll

The country setting in the Kitchen

Hope all you Canadian reader's had a lovely Thanksgiving. I just LOVE Turkey, all the left over's, turkey soup, turkey sandwiches, turkey EVERYTHING....Heaven.
xoxo Lexylou

This hair post

I just read a totally rad post by Brandi over at mucho mucho bueno beuno all about different style way's to wear your hair. Now I am a bit of a hair changing junkie. I also love me some fancy product's too. I was looking back and laughing at how much I have changed my hair in the past 6 month's.... So I thought I would share and tell you about some of my new fav hair product!
I haven't decided which color/style I like most. But I have decided to grow my hair out for the time being. And let my natural curl's out instead of flat ironing it. Ever since my fabulous hair stylist Jen cut it a certain way my hair is so nice a curly!
Let's begin the hair tour de Lexy......

                                                  Straight haired  Blondie with bang's.....

                                                    Going for the curly effect with my bang's side swept......

                                      I woke up one morning and was sick of being a blondie and with a couple of    strongbow cider's I dyed my hair red/brown...... in a box

                                           Ran to my hair stylist to fix the greeny tinge I had in my hair......

                                Then I got sick of my long lock's and felt like going for the Russian spy look....

                                        Didn't like Russian spy look and went to a fav style, the Victoria Beckham inverted bob......

                                       Added in some nice highlight's and low light's.....

                                 Now for my hair product's of the moment...... I am a firm believer that nice hair product make you hair sooooo much nicer looking that drugstore stuff. When I can afford it I will stock my shelves with good stuff. Now that my new hair stylist is doing hair product trading for my hair accessories I am well stocked and very happy!

 My shampoo's and conditioner's are, Kevin Murphy Hydrate Me for ever other day and Maxi wash by Kevin Murphy for once a week Detox shampoo( I am on well water so product can build up)
Conditioner's are Hairtrition deep moisture and Organix Coconut Milk-which smell's soooo good.

          Hair styling product is Bumble and Bumble surf spray for beachy waves, My new best friend that smell's AMAZING- Moroccan Oil(just go buy it, K?!) And for finishing B&B's Spray de mode hairspray. If I am flat ironing I will put on a protector spray or something. I love my new flat iron, it is a Chi. I swear once you buy a really nice salon flat iron you will never go back.

                                                                

My pretty hair now with warm tone highlight's and more curly bedhead look.

Hope you enjoyed this post. Do you change your hair a lot too?! I love how Brandi showed different style's. I think it will be safer for me to wake up and try one of them out when I am in a hair rut instead of cutting it off or changing the color....hehe.

xoxo Lexylou

Hello Fall... and rain...

 I am thinking about packing up all the kiddies and my summer clothes.
I think it is safe to say that summer is done and fall is come to stay.
Truth be told I am actually really a bit happy about it. I love fall, and the heat wave we had was really hard on the kid's and I.
What do I love about fall so much?

Well I love ...

 ....wearing sweater's...

.... All the colors of the tree's and the smell of woodsmoke in the air...

....Going for nature walks and collecting think to put on our nature table.....

.... Sitting on the couch with a nice cup of warm tea and a blanket....

.... knitting project's for Christmas present's...

... Baking more as it not too hot to bake anymore....

.... Back to school for the kiddies and back to dance for me. I am so excited to find a great new dance studio.... 

....My 6th wedding anniversary was on the Labor day weekend. Six years of being married to my best friend and to a wonderful father. My, what great things we have done in 6 year's Hubby

           

       When we were dating, looking like we were 12 years old...

....Rainy day puddle jumping like this a couple of days ago....

..... The last farmer's market of the season with my most favorite flower, Dahlia's!

I hope you are all enjoying a good start to your fall. I know this sounds just ridiculously crazy but I can't wait for Christmas this year. Decorating my new house, having people come up here to visit, maybe even a white Christmas?! I know, sorry, it is only September...
xoxo Lexylou

Sunny Sangria

 I had a little dinner party the other night, we are meeting some pretty cool people up here. What is a summer dinner party without Sangria?! Not a very good one I tell you.

This Sangria recipe is perfect for big summer parties, by far the best I have found- you may consider doubling this recipe.... Or tripling it, you wino's you... 

 

Ingredients:

• 1 Bottle of red wine (Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Rioja, Zinfandel, Shiraz)
• 1 Lemon cut into wedges
• 1 Orange cut into wedges
• 1 Lime cut into wedges
• 2 Tbsp sugar
• Splash of orange juice or lemonade
• 2 Shots of gin or triple sec (optional)
• 1 Cup of raspberries or strawberries (may use thawed or frozen)
• 1 Small can of diced pineapples (with juice)
• 4 Cups ginger ale

Preparation:

Pour wine into a large pitcher and squeeze the juice wedges from the lemon, orange and lime into the wine. Toss in the fruit wedges (leaving out seeds if possible) and pineapple then add sugar, orange juice and gin. Chill overnight. Add ginger ale, berries and ice just before serving. If you'd like to serve right away, use chilled red wine and serve over lots of ice. However, remember that the best Sangrias are chilled around 24 hours in the frig. - allowing the flavors to really marinate into each other.

xoxo Lexylou

Long lost blog found....at the beach

Well I have been missing, MIA, absent, on vaca, just plain enjoying this amazing summer at the country home
What do you ask have I been doing for the past month? Well let's take a look-see k?

 I have been doing summer market's like crazy for my little crafty business. Almost every week I have a huge fair or summer market to set my booth up in. It is fun, crazy and oh so wonderful hearing all the positive feedback from everyone about Little Yellow Basket Designs. I am so excited for what it to come with my little "shop" and loving creating new things everyday! It has been very busy on top of that as I have gotten into two new store's that wanted to sell my product! 
I look forward to the Christmas market's to come too! (Especially after the last fair I did that was two day's outside in sweltering HOT weather)

Mango's on a stick have become a staple in our daily outing's!

I swore I would never put my children in tie-dye.. but hey, I live in the country now.

Curious and curiouser... Little one checking out the local bug's

Esme "modeling" for the huge Sandcastle Festival in Parksville.

Getting some sun, and enjoying the beautiful beach that are right in our backyard. We are at the beach so much that sand in always in the kiddies hair and they always smell like the ocean...

The kid's dancing and rocking out to some good oldies playing outside at the park.
London seriously look's like 3 year's old here, what the hay?! See what happens when I don't blog!!!???

Enjoying some fresh squeezed (by Roman) lemonade  in the awesome vintage score, a pitcher and 5 glass set!

I love having a little florist making flower arrangements everyday all around the house!

Especially when she pick's you a beautiful flower, just for you to brighten your day! Just because she love's you.
Hope you are all enjoying your summer's as much as we are here.


xoxo Lexylou