Christmas Fairs are coming!

You may not have thought about it, but Christmas is just right around the corner. Not waiting for December 1st to come and pounce on unknowing individual's.... It is here in my world already, well I have been consumed with the thought of preparing for the season for awhile.
I have 3 big Christmas fairs this November starting this weekend. Life has been at "little" stressful to say the least and I seem to always be covered in feather's or fabric strings. I think I may have even developed a tad bit of an allergy to the feather's working with them so much lately?! I seem to be sneezing a lot. Hilarious, I know.
Well here is the crazy schedule so far, I may or may not be able to eat or sleep in between. But I assure you good people that I am happy while doing it!

Whewf.... What a great line up!
I am wishing for a nice relaxing break after all that, as I am a stay/work at home Mommy of 3 little one's 4 and under. They are wondering if Mommy EVER comes out of the craft room?! So am I!
Hope to see all you local's of Victoria and Vancouver out!

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