Resolution's...shmaybe...

I am one never to set myself up for disappointment, so I have in the past never done a New Year's resolution. 
Quit smoking? Don't smoke...
Quit drinking? I don't drink that much and I have 3 kid's.... I NEED a glass of wine sometimes!!!
Work out more? Well yes that would be good.
Eat healthy? We already are gluten free and organic in the house so I am not going to go all out and eat only raw food's...
So here are my "shmaybe" resolution's.
* Craft more. 
There is so much inspiration going around right now. Project Re-style over at "A Beautiful Mess" has got my creative wheel's a- turning in my head. 
I did this great craft the other night with one of my old track and field t-shirt's.


I have been really inspired by a blogger friend, Lauren that is doing a great thing called the 30 day challenge. I think I may do one in Feb. -  28 days of crafting! Find fun, cool things to make, re-style, vamp up around the house!


*Wear more skirt's and dresses. (preferably with my beloved Hunter gumboot's)
I am trying to thrift shop more girly dresses and skirt's. i just adore the old 40's-50's dress silhouette's. Yes, I am a house wife, I might as well look like one! 
That is all...
No, wait.
*I am going to go through the house and pull a MAJOR spring cleaning NOW. Once a week I am going through each room of the house and de-clutter the room. Clean it up realllly nice and put thing's in 3 type pile's . Keep, trash, donate. Like they do on those TV show's for hoarder's, but I am not a hoarder, I swear!


I feel the house is in need of a good de-clutter. With the 3 little ones and all their "stuff" around I am losing my mental focus of having a clean and clutter free space. They have to many toy's and I want to downsize to just the beautiful, the handmade, the wooden or natural toy's. Toy's that inspire them with creative play. I am so very inspired by Bluebirdbaby and her beautiful and simple waldorf inspired living.
I am not perfect either, I need to go through my "stuff" too.
So this month I am hosting a clothing swap with a bunch of girlfriend's. Getting rid of all the clothes that I don't fit/want and letting a lovely lady get more use out of it! I am really excited to tackle my closet. Well, not really. I am dreading it and have procrastinated enough, BUT I know I will be so happy after!  


Oh, I forgot to share a random piece of picture information of the day!
For my Christmas present Neal/hubby did a good old job trading with the antique store owner and surprised me Christmas morn with this beauty!

It is a old railway cart, that is now gracing my living room as a coffee table! I LOVE it. It suit's the country charm that I got going on in the house. Such a sweet hubby I have.


That is all for real. I am off to tackle the closet of DOOM.
PS....
I made new button's for you to put on your blog, to show your LYB love!

New Year's, new blog!

So I had decided to retire Mad Times and blog fully on this little blog!
It will still has my amazing wit, rambling's, wise thought's and lighting bolt moments... Don't fret, I will not bombard you with cheese.
So I will kick off the New Year showing and sharing how it spent New Years eve!
I love theme parties, so this one was going to be the black and white "American in Paris"!!!

 These were the delicious drink's we were drinking all night long... Champagne lemon Yumminess from Rachel Ray.

Ingredients

• 4 scoops lemon sorbet
• 2 ounces chilled vodka, citrus vodka or limoncello (Italian lemon liqueur)
• 2 ounces prosecco or other sparkling wine or Champagne
• 2 sprigs fresh mint

Directions

Blend lemon sorbet on low speed and pour in vodka or lemon liqueur in a slow stream. Add prosecco or Champagne. Pour cocktails into a chilled martini glass and serve, garnished with a sprig of mint.

The end of the "kiddies" countdown at 9pm. They reallllly liked the horn's.

Yeah, London didn't go the bed for a long while. Look at those crazed eyes?! Full of sparkling apple juice. Evil juice....

A dottie craft

I just love the blogger Dottie Angel. Her rambling, the craft's she does, the country/vintage surroundings, her picture's she takes.... I could go on and on, but please just go check her little place out!
She just posted a great how-to of decorating jar's in various cozies. I loved the look of them so I thought I would do my own version!

I went around the house collecting various jar's or sizes. Got all my left over  doilies, some white yarn and a fat needle. 

I decided to use white yarn instead of red, as then I can use it all year round! The key is to make it tight around the neck of the jar so it hold the shape nicely. Work your way down and them back up half way and fasten off with a pretty bow!

Put some tea light's in, cluster together and voila!

Beautiful glowing light's, perfect for a table centerpiece!

Here is a new picture of moi, I have gone back to the blonde.... What can I say?! They do have fun!

xoxo Lexylou

Deck the halls

I have always loved decorating at Christmas. It brings out the Martha in me as I have said before.
Here is our new house decorated for the first country Christmas! And yes I have two tree's, one is fake and it is "my" tree for decorating (the white/silver and black ornament's) and the real tree (the big red and gold one) which the kid's decorate and can have free range. It is over 9 feet tall?! It is so special and amazing to me that I finally get my dream of having a beautiful old banister to decorate at Christmas, and.... a 9 ft. tree...

Here are some recent photo's of the munchkins!

 xoxo Lexylou

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

What is in a name?

Many ask where the name of my company came from, as some do not know the song sung by Ella Fitzgerald that is my business's name sake.
Well pop on over HERE and see the great Ella sing this cute tune that stole my heart and made me dream.

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!