eeek! a Bellevue Newport giveaway!!!

 

 

Good morning Sunshine! I have a giveaway for you today!

 

 

Have you heard about Bellevue Newport yet? It's a fashion jewelry flashsale via facebook auctions! Monday and Wednesday evenings, beginning at 8pm, EST.

It's so much fun- they will post the picture, description, quantity and price of the item. To bid on the item, you comment on the picture with "SOLD" and your email address.

 

They send an invoice via paypal and payment is due within 24 hours.

Payment is done via paypal only. Shipping is ALWAYS free! 

 

 

These are a few of the goodies I've picked up, all under $20!

Glam earrings (they also come in green!).

Both bracelets, though two different times!

 



Starfish bangle (center) in turquoise with the bow bracelet, also in turquoise.

 

On the far right is a hair tie from Scarlet Threads new Wired {He}arts collection ;)

 

 

Serpeant bracelet!

 

My sister has this one too, so she and I are twinsies!

 

Sometimes there are even crazy sales!

 

 

How to buy:

Bellevue Newport was so kind to offer us a giveaway! These new monogram necklaces come in your choice of navy blue or hot pink, and also a choice of script or block.

 

 

Aren't they terrific?!

 

 

Here's how to enter:

 

 

 

 



a Rafflecopter giveaway

vodka l'orange?

Errr, just the best idea ever! Why didn't I ever think of this!?

Upside Down Orange:

1 large orange 1 small bottle vodka

Remove top stem part of the orange.

With a knife, gently poke insides of the orange to open up the pulps.

Open vodka bottle and insert into the hole.

Rest orange in a small bowl, vodka bottle side up.

Put in the chiller. Wait for 6-8 hours.

When orange has absorbed vodka, remove bottle.

Slice into wedges and enjoy.

Perfect for concerts/drive in movies/football games

Via pinterest, of course. I'm so creative these days, eh?  ;)



nail polish love. again.

In the past year or so, I've been really into nail polish and painting my nails. This must be from birchbox (are you a member? $10 a month and a box filled with beauty samples!) because they've sent several nail polishes over the months. So, in turn, I've been painting my nails, and keeping them painted most of the time! I do try to let my nails go natural for a day or two between colors...that seems like a good idea, right?

Well, thanks to MMS who let me know about a fabulous deal from Zoya, I am now adding a color called LEXI to my collection. It's my name, I had to have it! Look how pretty it is!

 Also! Right now, get THREE Zoya polishes for $10 shipped with code ZOYA2013!!!!


I ordered Lexi, of course, and two others that I won't mention yet, because they are for my sister, and she occasionally reads this  ;)


Also, I recently joined Julep, which is similar to birchbox, but just nail polish! I received my first shipment yesterday, so I will post about that later. 



Do you paint your nails much these days? What are your favorite colors?

hey! that's pin-tastic! garlic pull-apart bread.

As you know, I am very often posting about things I've seen on pinterest, and today I decided to link up with AP's Hey! That's Pin-tastic! I thought this might be fun! I love reading AP's blog, though I don't seem to comment there as often as I should!  If you don't read her blog, you should - her boys are just the cutest. For real. 

One night last week (New Years Eve, in fact), Steve and I roasted a chicken for dinner- one of my favorite meals. He had to work during the day, but I was off, and spent some time on pinterest, natch. I found this recipe for garlic pull-apart bread, and it sounded like the perfect thing to go along with the chicken! 

It wasn't a terribly difficult recipe, though I'd make a few tweaks, I think. Here's the original:

Ingredients:

1 can of refrigerated Grands biscuits (not the flaky layers)
1/2 stick of butter
3 cloves of garlic, minced
1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1 tsp Italian Seasoning 

Instructions:

1-  Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Throw the cold stick of butter in a bundt pan and let it melt in the preheating oven.

2- While the butter melts, cut the Grands biscuits into quarters. In a bowl, toss the biscuit pieces, garlic, Italian Seasoning, and Parmesan cheese together.

3- Once the butter is melted, add the biscuit mixture, sprinkling with any cheese and garlic that gets let behind in the bowl.

4- Bake at 350 degrees for 20- 22 minutes until golden brown. Turn out on a dish and enjoy!

My notes:

I might use less than a full stick of butter next time. It was a lot. 

I didn't use the Italian seasoning either. Steve isn't hugely wild about it. 

Since I had a chicken in the oven, I couldn't melt the butter in the pan while preheating, so I melted it in the microwave. After the butter was melted, I used pre-minced garlic, as I realized I didn't have any full cloves in the house. For shame! Also, I was quite low on parmesan cheese....clearly I did not think this through carefully before I decided to make it! 

So I added the minced garlic and the parmesan cheese to the small bowl of melted butter and as I cut up the biscuits (and I DID use the flaky kind, despite the recipe saying not to!), and I'd "marinate" them in the mix for a few seconds before putting them into the pan. 

Most of the butter mix was soaked up to an extent, but the little bit that I had leftover, I poured over it afterwards. What I didn't realize, was that while baking, it would sink! So, when they came out, the bottom layer was somewhat sopping in butter, while the top layer was just about perfect! So, less butter would be ideal for the next time, I think. 

Before baking photo:

After baking photo: 

Overall, this was a great recipe, and so easy. You could also try other spices too, to switch things up. Maybe rosemary and thyme? I do love rosemary! Another cheese would be fun too. Maybe add some olives and feta, for a Greek take on this? 

How might you change this up?

the best gift

I must confess. I've been a bit out of sorts this Christmas season. At first, I blamed my sister's wedding...since that was Thanksgiving weekend, I never really had a chance to relax before it was suddenly December and I had to be ready for the holidays and all that come with it, but that really wasn't fair of me. I knew her wedding date all year, and of course the date of Christmas doesn't change...so I had plenty of time to prepare. I just didn't.

 

 

So, by saying I've been a bit overwhelmed this month would be an understatement. 

 

 

 

We were in Iowa this year with Steve's family, meaning this was the first year that I wasn't with mine. More on that later.

 

 

 

After my sister's wedding (which I never blogged about, did I?), I had an extra day at home in NH, to relax. There is an antique shop downtown that I love, and try to pop into each time I am home. Steve and I went in Sunday afternoon. I spotted these, and my heart stopped-

 

Chiko and Elena.

 

 



 

My grandmother has a set of these prints on her wall, and has had them forever. She and my grandfather received them as a wedding gift more than 60 years ago. Apparently in the 40's, these were very fashionable, and the "in" thing to have. She has always loved them. In their house, they hung at the bottom of the staircase, and as a little girl, my mother would sit on the bottom of the stairs and talk to them.

 

 

A few years ago, my mother found a set at an antique shop and bought them for herself, and my aunt has a set as well. When I saw them, I think they were marked $12 each. I took this photo, but never bought them. A few days later, I saw the photo again, and wished that I had bought them. I tweeted and instagrammed about them too, and people said to call the store and see if they were still there. I emailed my mother and asked her to stop by and grab them for me. She replied saying that she went to look, but they were gone. Sadface.

 

 

 

This afternoon, after spending the day in yoga pants watching a Law and Order: SVU marathon (Steve and I got back at 2am last night!), we opened a few gifts that my parents sent to us. In doing so, I found this-

 

 

 

Chiko and Elena!

Yes, the very ones. As it turned out, my mother went down to that antique shop the very next day to get them for me, and I couldn't be happier about it.

Now I just need to find the perfect place for them to live in the house!

What was your best gift this year?


Hope you had a most happy Christmas and New Years!

 

 

 

 



and I quote

Well this is awfully lovely.

From pinterest, of course.

Happy New Year, to you and yours!

Wordless Wednesday: Santa!

Merry happy holly jolly!










- Posted using BlogPress from iLexi

'tis

I've seen this floating around a few places, so I'm not sure its source...but have a happy happy holly jolly celebration this week!








- Posted using BlogPress from iLexi

ornament swap!

A few weeks ago, I posted about the ornament swap that I signed up for. Such a sweet thing to do, I think. I love new ornaments, and love meeting new friends, so this seemed like a spectacular idea for the holidays.

I was paired up with the lovely Allison of Nestful of Love, and she is the sweetest thing. She loves burlap! I love burlap! She makes lovely buntings too, and has an etsy shop called Simply Burlap filled with her creations! She also seems to love the Pioneer Woman as much as I do. Remember when I met Ree? Best day ever. 

Anyway. I digress.  

Allison sent me these two ornaments. An extraordinarily sparkly snowflake, and the most darling little birdie! Apologies for the poor quality iphone photo! I love them both, and I love that I can keep them up all winter! I think the snowflake will hang in the window over my kitchen sink. When the sun hits it, the sparkles will send beams all over the kitchen! I'm thinking also that the bird will live in my sewing room. I have a few little similar items hanging there, and I love it. 

Allison, thank you so much for these, they're wonderful! 

I forgot to take a photo of what I sent to Allison, but I think she will be posting them on her blog soon too  :)   Thanks to Mackey Madness and The Smitten Mintons for hosting such a fun little swap! 

Did you participate in any holiday swaps this year? Tell me about them!

********************

Also. I don't want it to appear that I am posting in vain, and ignoring the tragedy in CT last week. It's unspeakable, hard to comprehend, and because of that, I've felt that there is not much that I could say that hasn't already been said, and I have been keeping these families in my thoughts and prayers this holiday season. 

The 26 Acts Campaign has been an inspiration. Please look at it if you haven't already. 

stationary giveaway with English Tea Paperie and Scarlet Threads!

 

This was posted to Scarlet Threads blog this week, but wanted to share it here too, as I know many of you love stationary and all things monogrammed- we're having a giveaway featuring Chloe of English Tea Paperie, and she does the most gorgeous designs. Please have a look!

 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

 

 

 

Several years ago, I discovered the most delightful company and today I am sharing it with you! Chloe of English Tea Paperie is such a doll to work with. Chloe, her husband Joe, and their darling daughter Emma live nearby Richmond, VA, though Chloe is originally from England! That is actually how her company began!

In her own words, from her website-

English Tea Paperie is run by me, Chloe  - a modern day mommy entrepreneur with a love of paper products and all things pretty. Living the ultimate American dream, I moved to the US from England in 2006, having just married my wonderful husband Joe. Waiting for my green card to arrive in the mail, I sat at home with a million ideas and a pot of color pencils. 2 years of sketching, creating and planning and English Tea Paperie was born! I am a Christian and believe in spreading the positive message of God's word in a modern, chic and pretty way. 10% of my business income will go to my local church in Midlothian, VA.

I just love this story, don't you?  Women creating their own business is just the sort of thing Scarlet Threads loves so much, and supporting small business owners is such an important part of our mission. Chloe has the most adorable designs you've ever seen.

Just look at some of my favorites from her site-

Luke 2:11 Christmas Tree cards

Teacups (I have these, and adore them!)

Whales! 

Pineapples (I have these too!)



Sand Dollars

Don't you just love them? I know I do. Also, Chloe will do customized designs for you, and you can also suggest designs for her site! If you decide on a design from her site, you can customize it to your liking. You can use your full name, your initial, your full monogram or whatever you like best. You can also choose the colors for the printing as well. Chloe is so much fun to work with!

Chloe can be found online, on facebook and on twitter. 

Along with being fun to work with, Chloe is extraordinarily generous. She sent me a set of note cards to share with one of our readers! Yes, a little giveaway!

This set of notecards has a lovely scripture-

The Lord bless you and keep you

The Lord make His face shine on you

and be gracious to you;

the Lord turn His face toward you

and give you peace

-Numbers 6:24-26

Seriously, Chloe is the sweetest, eh? Each package is wrapped up like this, with a bow. Bows make everything better, don't they? 

Please see below, to enter the giveaway. We'd love you to leave a comment on this post with your favorite item from Chloe's shop. Also, a tweet would be terrific. Use both handles @ScarletThreadFT and @ETPaperie in your tweet! 

If you enter, go HERE to leave a comment and enter please!

In addition to this, Chloe is offering you all a discount at her site! Use the code STBLOG15 for 15% off your order. Also, there is free shipping the entire month of December, and the code will work on top of that! If you order by December 17 (next Monday!), you will have your order in time for Christmas!

The winner will be announced next week!

A big, big thank you to Chloe for her kindness and generosity in sending along these marvelous notecards to share with one of you.

event- Scarlet Threads in Old Town, Alexandria, VA!

DC area friends! All friends with friends in DC  :) 

 

I posted this to Scarlet Threads blog last week, but wanted to share the news here too.

 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Good morning friends! I am SO thrilled to share this news with you, and I hope that you will be as excited as I am about this! Scarlet Threads will be taking part in a Holiday Benefit Shopping Night at the Ten Thousand Villages store in Alexandria, VA (Old Town, for those of you familiar with the area) next Sunday, December 16!

I'm sure you're familiar with Ten Thousand Villages, but in brief, from their site- 

With 60 years of experience, Ten Thousand Villages is a global network of social entrepreneurs working to empower and provide economic opportunities to artisans in developing countries. A founding member of the International Fair Trade Association (IFAT), Ten Thousand Villages sees fair trade as an alternative approach to conventional international trade.

Ten Thousand Villages is now a global network of more than 130 artisan groups in 37 countries and sells products in more than 150 retail outlets throughout the United States.

Ten Thousand Villages always has the most unique gifts, and is definitely one of my go-to places to find things for certain people. I love that when you shop there, not only are you empowering a family elsewhere, you can read their story. Each item comes with the story behind the person that made it, and these artisan stories really help you learn more about the community that you are now supporting. When buying something in the store, you can take the story with you, and the stories are also available on the website too. This is just the sort of thing that Scarlet Threads loves so much; really knowing where your money is going, so that you can see the positive changes that are taking place. 

I did most of my Christmas shopping here a few years ago, and I know I'll be doing some here this year as well!

Here are a few items I'm eyeing- 

Peacock Tea Light Lantern, from Bali

I've been a bit obsessed with peacocks recently, and I think this would be so much fun. If my sister is reading this, it's on my Christmas list  ;) 

Sheep Wall Art - made in Haiti 

I love this! It would be cute in a kitchen, I think. 

Children of Hope coin purse, from Guatemala 

I think this might be cute to send to Majlinda, the little girl I sponsor in Albania with World Vision! 

Om bracelet from Tibet.

LOVE this. 

Bountiful Grove bamboo bowl from Vietnam

Maybe for salads? Or fruit? Or pinecones? I love having a big bowl like this on the kitchen table, as a catch-all sort of thing, you know? 

 Sturdy stripes shoulder bag from India.

Cute for weekends! 

Floral Jute shopping bag from Bangladesh

This would be perfect for those weekend trips to the farmers market! 

So! As you can see, Ten Thousand Villages has some really lovely gift ideas. Next weekend, I will be there in the store with some Scarlet Threads items for you to see in person! It will be an open house of sorts. I'll be there at 6pm. We will have some fair trade wine to try, some snacks, perhaps some fair trade chocolate as well. You can do some holiday shopping for your loved ones. I'll have lots of information about Scarlet Threads to share with you. Also, Scarlet Threads will receive a percentage of anything purchased from Ten Thousand Villages that night as well! 

I, of course, will be sporting one of our aprons....just need to decide which one!  

Details:

Ten Thousand Villages, Old Town Alexandria 

915 King Street

Alexandria, VA

(703) 684-1435

Sunday, December 16

6-8pm 

We're so honored that Ten Thousand Villages is hosting us, and are thrilled for this opportunity to share our mission with their supporters as well. 

I realize that many of you are not in the Washington, DC area, but please share this with your friends and family, and ask them to do the same! We'd love a big turnout of support, and we need your help to make this happen! 

Scarlet Threads apron blitz!



 

 

We posted this to Scarlet Threads last week, but I wanted to share it here too, since there is just one more day to grab this amazing deal!

 

Perhaps you are like me, and have not started any of your Christmas shopping yet? Perhaps there is a domestic goddess or two on your list? Perhaps you need a hostess gift?

 



Introducing the Apron Blitz from Scarlet Threads! Until Thursday (tomorrow!), we are offering a set of FIVE (yes, FIVE!) of our aprons for $55. The retail price of the set is $118, so you are getting a steal of a deal!

 

That is $11 per apron, each of which retails for more than $20.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Ava ($22), Mommy & Me Betsy Combination ($24 + $26), Daphne ($22),

and Xiao Talia ($24)

 

 

Scarlet Threads also now accepts paypal, and you can be invoiced if you wish!

 

 

Find here in the shop!

 

 

Also, use the code lex10 - since I am sending you along  ;)

 

 

 

 



holiday doors!

A few Christmas decorations came out yesterday, and here's the front door!

The wreath is made from Virginia grapevines that I acquired a few years ago on a winery wreath tour, and the star, I picked up at Joann Fabrics for about $4 a few weeks ago! The ribbon was the perfect thing to add to them both! 



We still have to put our tree up, but it's a good start!

Any holiday decorations at your house yet? 



Bellevue Newport jewelry!

Are you familiar with Bellevue Newport jewelry? I've just recently found it (thanks to Miss Whale Flip Flops!), and her jewelry is just so much fun! She has flash sales on facebook every Monday and Wednesday evening at 8pm, and I have bought a gorgeous pair of earrings, and a bracelet, both under $20. Also? Shipping is always free! 

Today she is doing a fun giveaway on instagram...I know many of you are instagrammers too, so go over and check it out, and you could be the lucky winner of this gorgeous necklace! It would be so fun for holiday parties, or, give it to someone else as a gift!

Here's what you must do- 

Go to instgram and follow Sarah at @bellevuenewport and comment on this picture saying that I (@lexilooo) sent you over. Then, tell your friends too! 

Here's my current instagram post-  

;) 

gorgeous necklace and today's giveaway from @bellevuenewport - go over to her instagram page (@bellevuenewport) and say that I (@lexilooo) sent you there! ps. she also does amazing flash sales Monday and Wednesday nights on facebook!

Happy Monday, y'all!