INTRODUCING ALEXA JEAN CUSTOM PRESETS

You guys have been asking, so I am FINALLY giving you access to my custom filters/presets through the free mobile version of Lightroom AND your desktop as well. You'll be able to have a fully themed and branded social page (cue the angels singing) using my custom presets on your mobile device or computer. 

After your purchase, you'll receive a download link via email with 8 custom presets that are perfect for your indoor and outdoor photos to add that touch of warm vintage pop. Don't have a fancy camera? Not to worry, you can apply the filter/preset to your photos taken right from your phone.

To shop the presets, click HERE. <3

We launched the presets just a week and a half ago and I'm LOVING all the beautiful photos you all are sharing with my presets. Keep sharing with the hashtag #alexajeanpresets

WE GOT A PUPPY! - MEET MOOSE

We got a dog1 Lo has been asking for a dog foreverrrr! She jumped through some hoops to show us that she was ready and could be responsible for a new dog so we went and got her one. 

I've been searching for months what type of dog to get and where to get one. We've always had big dogs and I LOVE big dogs, but they typically shed. Golden Doodles have been everywhere lately and they're so friendly. I researched a TON about them and while I'd love to be able to adopt a dog from a shelter, with young kids, Troy and I felt that it was a risk we weren't willing to take. 

I stumbled across Lodestar Doodles out of Weatherford, TX right outside of Dallas and I loved their approach to breeding. Their goal was to constantly be bettering the breed and to breed gentle, loving and playful family pets so we decided to go with them! 

Troy is such a saint. I don't know how we convinced him to get a dog in the first place, but we also managed to convince him to drive our little family across 3 states to go get one! Hahaha we rented an RV, loaded it up with our favorite snacks, dinners and drinks and hit the road! It took us about 2 days to get there and about a day to get back. We had a few hiccups with the heater and New Mexico was COLD! We decided that instead of worrying about carbon monoxide poisoning that it would be best to drive straight home. It was tough and we got home at 3 am but we were all so happy to sleep in our own beds!

Moose is our new little family member. The kids adore him. He's a baby with sharp little teeth and we're all looking forward to him getting past the teething stage. But he sleeps GREAT! A few accidents but that's to be expected. 

In the first week, he already knows how to sit, shake, and hi-five! He's so so smart! We love him so much that we're considering getting him a sister in a few months!

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ALL YOU NEED IS LOVE

This guy is literally life. I don't know if I've ever shared, but there was a time when Troy was the last person on the planet that I wanted to ever see or talk to. We met in high school, I was 14, he was 16, and we were SO. IN. LOVE. You know, that first love kinda thing. Wild and crazy and...crazy. We were young, he was a butt-head and we parted ways. This was in 2007, the last time we saw each other. Then Troy joined the U.S. Marines and moved to Carlsbad, CA. A few years later, in 2012, I ran into his best friend at a restaurant and he happened to be face timing with Troy. I rolled my eyes and tried to avoid the conversation, but Rj, Troy's best friend, was good.  Rj and Troy had a conversation about who their "Great White Buffalo" was (aka the one that got away). Troy said that I was his Great White Buffalo. Rj, being the great friend that he is, asked if he could give Troy my number. I can't remember what I said exactly, I know it was a hard 'No', but somehow he managed to convince me to give Troy my number. And every timeTroy was in town, he would ask if he could take me to dinner. After a few weeks, I finally agreed to lunch. We went to this horrible sushi place in Scottsdale on my lunch break and I was super cold towards him. In my defense, it was super awkward sitting across from someone I hadn't seen in 5 years. But Troy is Troy and he is so charming and this 5 years did him well. He had matured into a kind and gentle man. Somehow he swooped me off my feet and next thing I know, we were a thing. 

Looking back at our history together and seeing where our life is now, I'm so happy and so thankful it was Troy. We both went through some heart wrenching things in those 5 years we spent apart but they all had to happen for us to end up where we are now. We still say to each other from time to time, "Can you believe that we're married.... AND we have two kids!? It's so crazy!"

I hope that if you're still searching for your guy that you focus on what's important and don't settle because it's easier. Know that there is someone for you, that will love you and treat you the way you should be treated. Someone who will pursue you until you are old and wrinkly. Believe that is out there for you and while you're waiting, become who the person you're looking for, is looking for. 

I love, love. 

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TEETHING

Blakey has been teething SO bad. I'm pretty sure she's getting her 2-year molars in right now because she's had a fever, been the grumpiest Gus ever, and she isn't eating or sleeping much. It was super rainy and cold the other day so we stayed in, lounged around and baked cookies. It seemed to keep Blake happy because that was the first time she let me put her down in almost 3-days. Poor baby friend. 

I'm working on decor posts for each corner of my home. It's been harder to find each accessory and decor item than I anticipated. And I need my hunky photographer, Troy, so snap some pretty photos of everything. Thanks for hanging with me!

Tomorrow, I'm shooting a couple hair tutorials for a braid round up. And I'm washing my hair tomorrow so I can show you the start to finish hair you've been asking for. 

My dress can be found HERE, Blake's romper dress can be found HERE or you can click the images below. Bye friends!

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GALLERY WALL

I was finally able to finish my gallery wall today! I've had these frames for about a month and never got around to getting my photos printed, so in my office they sat. I ordered my prints online from Costco Photo Center and am so pleased with the quality, especially with these being large prints.

The frames are from IKEA - they're the 16x20 Lomviken Frame, link HERE. They were only $12.99 which is the least expensive I was able to find. I checked Target, Amazon and Home Goods and either wasn't able to find enough of what I needed or the right sizing and color I wanted. 

Troy and I mapped it out for a little longer than I'd like to admit, but we decided that a 2' spacing between each frame would be best. I still think I need to add 1 more row, this room has a 24 ft ceiling and the gallery just looks teeny on this wall. 

We used a this Stanely Self-Leveling Wall Line Generator, link HERE, to make sure we had them exactly right. This tool was a life-saver and I'm confident that it would have taken 3x as long to put it up. The total time to hang all 12 frames was about 30 minutes. 

The frames are aluminum so they're super light weight and are hung by a small nail. I'm so happy with how it turned out!

I was also getting a TON of questions about the filter I'm using for my photos. The answer is, Troy uses Lightroom to edit our photos that he takes on his camera, which is a Cannon Mark 5, link HERE. For a mini video-tutorial, visit my instagram page HERE, and click on the home decor collection from my instagram stories. XX

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EASY MESSY BUN

Blake was in the best mood when she woke up from her nap so I had Troy snap a couple photos of us. And, her outfit is adorable. <3 After I shared this photo I got lots of questions about my bun! I haven't shared this video in FOREVER, so I've posted it here. I also have a how-to on my usual wavy hair coming next week! 

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