lealou

it's all for the kids

noreply@blogger.com (Stephanie Fazio (aka lealou)) — Thu, 09 Feb 2012 17:00:00 +0000

I've been seeing the cutest kids clothes around the 'nets over the past little while. Here are a few things that really caught my eye:

Adorable coat

Source: zara.com via Samantha on Pinterest

black and grey goodness

Source: oldnavy.gap.com via Candice on Pinterest

Sweet grey garb

Source: nellystella.com via Hannah on Pinterest

cozy stripes

Source: hm.com via Shay on Pinterest

there are no words for this cuteness

Source: theamericanlegacy.tumblr.com via erin on Pinterest

winter wonderland wear

Source: idigdenim.se via Abigail on Pinterest

sweet gold slippers

Source: trumpette.com via Kevi @ Twig Home on Pinterest

10 things

noreply@blogger.com (Stephanie Fazio (aka lealou)) — Tue, 07 Feb 2012 02:55:00 +0000

Just for fun, I decided today was a good day to share 10 things about myself here on this little 'ol blog that you may not have known about me:

1. I lived on a dairy farm until I was nine (and then again on a different dairy farm for a year when I was 15) and now don't really drink milk (I drink the odd latte because, well, they're good even though they make me feel a bit icky after...).

2. I have a serious soft spot for chips, popcorn, candy and buttered toast.

3. I probably eat about two huge bowls of popcorn a week. I air pop it and eat it with olive oil and salt.

4. I haven't owned a microwave for about five years - I do miss it sometimes, but when it comes down to it, it hasn't been bad at all.

5. I have to make my bed every day.

6. Reading a book is a bit like being on drugs for me (not that I was ever on drugs!!!) - I always have to have a book on the go, otherwise I feel like I'm going into withdrawal.

7. According to my husband, I like things "a certain way." This is true I guess. I always have to rearrange the dishwasher and I kind of like things in straight lines and angles.

8. I was born with a cleft lip and worry about my babies having one as well (or cleft palate!).

9. I watched too many action movies as a child and frequently expect crazy things to happen when I'm out. I expect bombs to go off, banks to be robbed, cars to crash... you know, that kind of stuff.

10. The day I met my husband, I was dressed like Sporty Spice for a scavenger hunt during frosh week. We didn't start dating until two years later (I think he was a bit scarred by my outfit).

Ok that's it! And just because I like to have photos around here, I thought I'd share a super-cute photo of a reading nook I found today:

Source: jenloveskev.com via Stephanie on Pinterest

Happy Monday!

around the house - new stuff in the basement

noreply@blogger.com (Stephanie Fazio (aka lealou)) — Thu, 02 Feb 2012 17:00:00 +0000

Slowly but surely we've been adding things here and there to the basement to make it feel a bit more homey. (It's so tough to take pics in the basement - even with all the lights on and using a tripod! My camera is a bit sick right now though too so that might have something to do with the darkness... I digress.)

We started a little gallery wall with a framed photo gift of my sister-in-law and her family (these are the best gifts!) and some Goodwill frames I picked up and sprayed black...

My little desk nook is getting it together. I found a chair at Homesense that I liked - simple but comfy and perfect for the space. Come to think of it, I found the lamp and the bulletin board there too!

I picked up the little cups at Chapters for my pens, rulers and odds 'n sodds. I put some chalk in the crystal mini-vase for the chalkboard on the other side of the room. I'm also sewing in the basement so I'm keeping my scissors and pins here too!

I think I'm going to put this fabric on the bulletin board. And see that weird framed thing under the bulletin board? It's some sort of old metal stencil we found during renos of our house so I framed it!

Finally, the biggest reveal of all - Leo's play area! It has kind of taken over this side of the basement which is fine. I like having a spot that Leo can go to to hang out and it's been a great spot for all the kids we know. I try to have colouring pages on the table so anytime kids come over, they have something to do.

That's it for now y'all! Happy Thursday!

a word on customer service

noreply@blogger.com (Stephanie Fazio (aka lealou)) — Tue, 31 Jan 2012 14:00:00 +0000

You won't find any argument from me about the fact that customer service in the past several years has gone down the toilet. Cashiers talk about other cashiers in front of customers, or yell over to so-and-so about when they're taking their break.

Two weeks ago, I brought a tub of yogurt back to the grocery store because it was overdue when I bought it and mentioned to the guy in the dairy department that it was the second time I purchased something overdue (the first was over Christmas when my husband unknowingly bought a tub of ricotta that was a month overdue - we didn't realize until we were eating our lasagna) - and he just looked at me with a blank face like he was staring at a wall. Hello? Are ya there? I'm speaking to you??

I know I should check the dates but come on - I'm in a hurry!

All that being said, in the weeks since my yogurt debacle, I've had some pretty great customer service that I wanted to share.

Spoonflower

When I bought the orange fabric for my living room pillows, I also bought a darker fabric to use for a smaller accent pillow, only when I washed it, it came out with creases and lines all through the fabic and I couldn't really use it. I let it go just because I tend to forget about things like that.

Time went on. I wanted to get sewing again and ordered a bunch of fabric again as I mentioned here. But after I washed it, the fabric came out creased and lined again. I was pretty frustrated because I wanted to use this fabric for my etsy shop and I felt I couldn't really use it on something I wanted to sell.

I decided to take a chance and email them about my issue to see if there had been other complaints. There had and the woman who emailed me back suggested I take my fabric out of the dryer asap to prevent the creases as much as possible. Then she offered to ship me some new fabric, no questions asked. Really? Wow. I'm not talking about $5 of fabric either.

I couldn't believe how generous they were and how fast the turn-around was for getting the new fabric. This was an A+ for customer service in my books.

Zoli

I bought this sippy cup after a woman at my local diaper/children place told me it was the best thing since sliced bread. It was a pretty cool cup - Leo could drink from it upside down and still get milk. Plus it was pretty cute. Problems began however when he started to chew the straw. It started to leak all over the place and then it became a choking hazard when the top of the straw was close to falling off.

I emailed the company about my issue and they got back to me right away to let me know they would send me a new straw for the cup. Wow, thanks! Two-for-two!

I've decided to try three-for-three and contacted another company about a product I bought at the One of a Kind Show that broke before I used it so I'm waiting for the response still.

The lesson learned - just ask - you never know what you'll get!

pin-moi

noreply@blogger.com (Stephanie Fazio (aka lealou)) — Mon, 30 Jan 2012 17:00:00 +0000

I've been on the Pinterest bandwagon for a bit, but I thought I would let you know about it here. Have the Pin Bug too? Find my pins here.

...and then there were four.

noreply@blogger.com (Stephanie Fazio (aka lealou)) — Sun, 29 Jan 2012 15:41:00 +0000

Yep - Leo is going to be a big bro (well not sure how big - Leo's a bit on the tiny side ;)). Things are going to get a whole lot more crazy around here! Happy Sunday!

kitchen inspiration

noreply@blogger.com (Stephanie Fazio (aka lealou)) — Fri, 13 Jan 2012 17:49:00 +0000

It's lunchtime here in real-job world, so I thought I would post a pic I just found that has inspired me to think more about my kitchen.

I have to say, my kitchen isn't bad, but it's not my dream kitchen - that is for sure. I found this kitchen via Isabella and Max Rooms the other day and I love it.

Source: 2.bp.blogspot.com via Stephanie on Pinterest

To be honest, it's not entirely different from my kitchen. Ok this is a massive overstatement. I have white cupboards (from 1960), dark grey walls, tumbled stone backsplash and wood floors.

This kitchen is like a grown-up version of mine. The millwork is gorgeous. It has an island. It has a gas stove and marble counters. Yummy.

A new kitchen is definitely on our list, but it's about 10 years down the road I think. I'll just keep this photo in my back pocket for now ;).

Happy Weekend!

the chair games

noreply@blogger.com (Stephanie Fazio (aka lealou)) — Tue, 10 Jan 2012 02:35:00 +0000

I came over to my desk to pack up my computer for the office tomorrow and of course I got flipping around through the net, wasting more time when I should really be curled up on my couch reading The Hunger Games. The more I moved from site to site, the more my neck began to strain because the chair I'm using is too high and I'm hunched over. I need a new chair girls and boys (are there boys here?).

This is still my favourite office shot.

Source: bhg.com via Jennifer on Pinterest

I love this chair and would love to find something comfy like it to add to my little desk nook (pics coming soon - I'm almost done adding fixing it up!).

This one is pretty but since the rest of the room is kind of rustic it's likely a bit much

Source: restorationhardware.com via Nevalee on Pinterest

How fun would this be?! (I'm a bit over the chevron thing though...)

Source: urbanoutfitters.com via Rachel on Pinterest

Kind of cool and would go with the playroom part of the room (Leo could paint on it and you wouldn't be able to tell! ;))

Source: theglitterguide.tumblr.com via Lisa on Pinterest

This one is perfect!

Source: wanelo.com via Janie on Pinterest

Just kidding...

This is such a pretty chair - but not for the office (see how I get distracted?)

Source: countryliving.com via Motoko on Pinterest

Ok time to follow-up on what Katniss is up to...

fabric sneak peek

noreply@blogger.com (Stephanie Fazio (aka lealou)) — Mon, 02 Jan 2012 02:17:00 +0000

Happy New Year!

I was supposed to go to the movies tonight, but my babysitter (aka Auntie Kaite) was a bit, um hungover today, so I decided to give her a break and catch a matinee tomorrow instead (can't wait to see Mission Impossible 4!).

So instead of going to the movies, I decided to tackle something for one of my 2012 projects - order fabric for my etsy relaunch. What better day to start than January 1st? It takes about three weeks to get the fabric so here's a sneak peek of what I ordered. What do ya think?

Snowy Feathers, by Needlebook (the best part about this one is that the designer is from Toronto!)

Cameo Nursery Grey Dots, by Natitys

Plus One Linen, by Holli Zollinger

Diamond Circles, by Holli Zollinger

Nursery Cameo WP, by Natitys

Stay tuned!

project 2012

noreply@blogger.com (Stephanie Fazio (aka lealou)) — Thu, 29 Dec 2011 03:12:00 +0000

I've been a little MIA the past month and a bit -- I just haven't been too inspired to blog about much! Christmas was fun and it's not over (going to my Dad's and then Mom's for two more dinners!). I'm not going to lie to you - I'm full. I've never been one of these people to gain weight over the holidays, but this year I feel like I've been packing on the pounds. Too many sweets around these parts!

Since 2012 is around the corner, I thought I would share with you my project list for the New Year. I don't typically make resolutions, but I do like to get things down on 'paper' to get the ideas ingrained in my brain. So here it goes:

1. Finish our main floor bathroom.

(source)

Source: southernhospitalityblog.com via Ashley on Pinterest

I wrote earlier this year that it's a bit boring and I'd like to add some molding and stenciling to the walls. I think it will really cozy up the room.

2. Add the finishing touches to our bedroom (hmmm I just realized this was part of 2011's list of projects! DOH!)

We've got the curtains up and I've added a bit of colour, but haven't done much else! Still do do: reupholster Mark's grandmother's chair (the nice flowery chair in the corner there), finish the little photo vignette wall, get a new mirror (I don't have a pic of it but I haven't liked it ever since we put it up over our dresser! It's oval and doesn't look right), figure out what to do with the wall behind our bed, consider a new duvet cover and pillows - ok this seems like more than finishing touches! But really it's not that much. I don't think. :|

3. Get framing.

Source: architect-theif.tumblr.com via Gaile on Pinterest

I love the look of walls full of framed photos and I've been slowly collecting frames from Goodwill and prints of photos to use around the house. I would like to get a few more photos along the stairway and downstairs in the basement.

4. Relaunch my etsy shop.

This is something I've been thinking about, but wasn't quite sure what I wanted to do with it. I have some ideas for projects using Spoonflower fabric since I can find fun and different fabrics to work with. A few things have changed around Etsy and I'm excited to try some of the ideas they offer to promote shops.

One thing that isn't really a project, but more of a mental resolution is to get off my butt. I used to get a lot of shit done around here and I find I'm spending way too much time surfing the 'net. Once I find something fun on Pinterest or blogland that I want to try, I want to do it instead of just pin it.

That's it so far!

Have a great New Year's Eve everyone and see you back here in the big '12!

-Steph

Merry Christmas!

noreply@blogger.com (Stephanie Fazio (aka lealou)) — Sun, 25 Dec 2011 04:21:00 +0000

one

noreply@blogger.com (Stephanie Fazio (aka lealou)) — Tue, 22 Nov 2011 15:00:00 +0000

One year ago today, at 4:07 am, the coolest little guy on the planet was born (ok I'm a tad biased). It has been an interesting year learning the ins and outs of what it takes to raise a little being.

This past weekend, we had Leo's big birthday bash. The theme: safari. I ordered a little lion shirt from etsy, but it didn't come in time, so I improvised and dressed him up as safarish as possible. Here are some shots of the day...

We gave Leo a gluten free and vegan cupcake which may or may not be why he freaked out when we gave it to him ;). He didn't touch it and was quite happy with his blueberries and pancakes I made him earlier that day.

We saved the gift opening until after most of the guests left since the cake presentation was so dramatic and I couldn't believe how attentive Leo was while we opened up each gift.

Thanks to everyone for making this day such a great one for us. Happy Birthday Leo!

on the walls

noreply@blogger.com (Stephanie Fazio (aka lealou)) — Tue, 08 Nov 2011 18:55:00 +0000

A few months ago, we ordered a Toronto poster from Ork Posters out of Chicago and we finally got around to framing it and getting it up on the wall in the basement.

First I would like to get this off my chest: framing is such a rip off! I made sure to get to Michael's for the "60% off sale" and even with this discount the stupid thing was more than $200. Ridiculous.

That being said we do love it :)

It even has our neck of the woods: Mimico! Can you see it down there? Please visit our little neighbourhood. It's quite lovely with the lake and swans and such.

ps- I just learned that there are three NHL players from Mimico! Wow! I had better get those hockey skates for Leo pronto!

cozy [clothing edition]

noreply@blogger.com (Stephanie Fazio (aka lealou)) — Fri, 04 Nov 2011 14:00:00 +0000

Yesterday I wrote about making your home cozy, but equally important is making your clothing cozy. Here are my cozy clothing options via Pinterest:

Source: etsy.com via Terri on Pinterest

Source: ae.com via Natalie on Pinterest

Source: jcrew.com via Katherine on Pinterest

Source: jcrew.com via Christine on Pinterest

Source: gap.com via Veronica on Pinterest

Gotta make the boy cozy! So cute!

Source: carlynnvictoria.tumblr.com via Lexy on Pinterest

Source: zara.com via Gayan on Pinterest

Source: crushculdesac.tumblr.com via Renee on Pinterest

cozy [home edition]

noreply@blogger.com (Stephanie Fazio (aka lealou)) — Thu, 03 Nov 2011 18:05:00 +0000

This afternoon during nap time, I was over at Susan's blog where she was writing about nesting and getting cozified for the winter. I am not a winter person by any stretch of the imagination, so I too will be looking to make our place as cozy as possible. I did a little search for cozy on Pinterest and found some rooms I'd love to find myself in this season:

Source: emmas.blogg.se via Miriam on Pinterest

Source: sweethomestyle.tumblr.com via Jada on Pinterest

Source: decor8blog.com via Kathryn on Pinterest

Source: imgfave.com via Beth Ann on Pinterest

Yes I know this is outside but it's so cozy looking!

Source: traditionalhome.com via Aline on Pinterest

Source: seenandsaid.blogspot.com via Miquette on Pinterest

Source: imgfave.com via Molly on Pinterest

Ok this pic makes me want to keep my front porch in use for the winter -- so cozy to be outside with ho-cho & blankets when it's snowing!

lark

noreply@blogger.com (Stephanie Fazio (aka lealou)) — Wed, 02 Nov 2011 14:20:00 +0000

I was just checking out the fabric shoppe on facebook and noticed some new Amy Butler fabrics. They're so bright and cheerful! Here are some of my favourites:

I'm picturing a pillow for this one! I would love this for the basement to add some colour.

This would be so pretty as a headboard for the bed in my sewing room.

The blue version of the first fabric. Would love to see a pillow our of this too (or perhaps a pin board cover??)

You can never go wrong with some cream and black. Not sure what I would do with this one since I'm trying to add some colour into my house!

Check out more beautiful fabrics on the fabric shoppe and amy butler's website.

halloween happiness

noreply@blogger.com (Stephanie Fazio (aka lealou)) — Mon, 31 Oct 2011 01:06:00 +0000

This past weekend we went to Leo's first Halloween party. It was with the group of girls from the baby bootcamp class I go to every week in High Park. For some reason, we decided it would be a good idea to get the kids on the couch for a picture. This is the result. It's fuzzy, but hilarious. I can't stop laughing at the tigger on the right. Leo is the spider. So cute.

I'm sorry pardon?

noreply@blogger.com (Stephanie Fazio (aka lealou)) — Fri, 28 Oct 2011 13:53:00 +0000

I'm currently looking for a basket to put beside the fireplace in the basement and I found one on Crate and Barrel that I really like. Since C&B delivers to Canada now, I thought I would see how much it would cost to ship it here instead of getting my lazy bum in the car to go to Yorkdale to check it out for myself (I love online shopping and once ordered a pair of Birks from Get Outside on Queen Street when it would have taken me 15 mins to drive there...).

Anyway, I went through the process of checking out to see what the shipping would be and did a quadruple take at the total. Check out it in the screen shot I snapped below. I thought I did something wrong but I don't think so?!

family shots

noreply@blogger.com (Stephanie Fazio (aka lealou)) — Thu, 27 Oct 2011 14:40:00 +0000

When we got married in Italy three and a half years ago, we were fortunate to have a family friend travel with us to take our photos. Jennifer Kirk did a great job capturing the wedding week with most of our friends and family. Jenn now lives in BC and made a quick trip to the Toronto area a few weeks ago, so we took her up on her offer to snap a few family shots for us.

I'll be honest, the weather was crap with a capital C, but Jenn is used to crappy weather so she knew what to do. One of the solutions was to focus on shooting in our home. We were able to take a few shots outside in the yard (somehow I don't mind our poor garden in these pics!) and along the street.

Overall we are pretty happy with the outcome and can't wait to see more shots on the CD that is on its way to us now.

Happy Thursday y'all!

chalkboard thingamabob border - done!

noreply@blogger.com (Stephanie Fazio (aka lealou)) — Fri, 21 Oct 2011 14:36:00 +0000

Well I did it! I spent an hour painting my new chalkboard in the basement while watching Charlie's Angels last night after dinner (I was excited for this show but I kind of get while it was cancelled last week)...

Can I just take a moment to say this is a big deal for me. You should know that I'm afraid of doing things that involve walls. My husband paints (or we hire a painter), and my husband hangs things on walls for me because I don't have patience to find studs in a wall and add plugs so that a picture holds up properly (I usually use tacks or two sided tape!). This may be the reason why I haven't done this project yet!

So the other day I thought Ok I'm just going to do it.

Again, here are my inspiration photos:

Source: littlegreennotebook.blogspot.com via Stephanie on Pinterest

And here's my version as it stands now:

It's a bit wonky, but over all I'm pretty happy with it. Mark doesn't think it's practical for kids because he thinks they'll write on the wall, but I figure if that's the case then we'll just paint out the entire wall down the road. Also, I'd like to jazz up the border a bit, so last night I ordered some chalk markers online and with those I'd like to add a bit of a design of some sort.

ps--I was going to fold up the drop cloth for the pic, but look at my cat! He's so comfortable there! I think he discovered the in-floor heating and likely won't move from this spot for awhile.

blackboard borders

noreply@blogger.com (Stephanie Fazio (aka lealou)) — Tue, 18 Oct 2011 19:06:00 +0000

So there's a little area in the basement I don't think I showed you and that's our little desk/play area. It's not finished yet and I'm excited to get it done because when I start work again in a couple months, I'll likely be working down here a lot of the time.

One of the projects I want to get started on is the chalkboard wall. Originally I thought I wanted to paint the whole wall on the left side of the bulk head in chalkboard paint, but then I got thinking it would be fun to try something different. I started poking around on Pinterest to see if I could find some fun chalkboard border ideas.

Source: sweethomestyle.tumblr.com via Stephanie on Pinterest

I love this over all look, especially because it's an office setting.

Source: None via Stephanie on Pinterest

This is cute for the play look and feel I'm going for.

But then I found this...

Source: littlegreennotebook.blogspot.com via Stephanie on Pinterest

...and I fell in love with the shape. So my idea now is to paint this shape onto the wall. I was looking around the 'net for border ideas and found this:

...and then I was on gap.ca and found this!

This is turning into quite the run on post! Anyway so you get the idea now so stay tuned for the final project!

orange you glad I made this pillow?

noreply@blogger.com (Stephanie Fazio (aka lealou)) — Thu, 13 Oct 2011 13:00:00 +0000

har har

So I took advantage of naptime and made a pillow out of my new fabric. But guess what? I didn't get enough for two pillows, which is so strange for me because I always buy way too much fabric...waaah waaah.

I ended up getting a yard only which didn't take into account the fact that I wanted the circles to be in the middle of the pillow. I played around with the idea of cutting out a circle and sewing it on some other fabric, but I really wanted a fully-orange pillow. So I went ahead and made one with a beige backing and I'll just order more fabric for the other pillow later.

I quite like it! It adds a punch of much-needed colour to the room. I still need to make the pillow with the shells, so that will be next up.

apple picking

noreply@blogger.com (Stephanie Fazio (aka lealou)) — Wed, 12 Oct 2011 14:15:00 +0000

This past weekend, we took a drive down to my home town to spend Thanksgiving with my parents. My mom had a great idea to go apple picking, so off we went!

We even got to take some pumpkin shots while we were there!

The one and only downside to the apple picking is that we didn't end up getting the apples we picked! You have to get them weighed and then go inside to pay for them. When we came out, our apples were gone and we were left with someone else's apples. We were all pretty disappointed because we took such care in selecting the best apples we could find. But what can you do?!

the bug

noreply@blogger.com (Stephanie Fazio (aka lealou)) — Thu, 06 Oct 2011 18:48:00 +0000

Ya I know I'm supposed to be sewing pillows (not to mention stuff from that summer sewing series I had blogged about awhile back) but I've got a weird bug right now - an organizing bug. I have this need to get house stuff done. So far this week I've organized my front closet and tidied my back mud room. Next up is my sewing room (finally!) and I have a little labels project I want to get started on pronto.

I'm even doing stuff for Leo's birthday which is still a month and a half away. Here's a little hint:

Ok better get back at it before the little one wakes up!

Happy Thursday y'all (and if you live in Ontario, I hope you all are getting out to vote!!)

-Steph

pillow fabric is in!

noreply@blogger.com (Stephanie Fazio (aka lealou)) — Sat, 01 Oct 2011 01:54:00 +0000

The fabric I ordered from Spoonflower for the livingroom pillows came in and way sooner than I expected. I got a note late last week saying it was going to be another three weeks, so I'm pretty happy.

I chose the tribal orange fabric along with a fun nautilus orange and grey fabric. I'll be honest, the orange on the first fabric is a bit too bright for me, but I think I'm getting used to it.

Stay tuned for the pillow project to be completed next week!

Have a great weekend!

ps - I just realized there is some nice cat hair on the couch already -- I love that my cat chooses the new furniture for his naps...