Summer Newness!

Monday, July 18, 2011

It's so hard to believe that it's almost time for me to close up the shop for the summer vacation.  I've said it a million times, but gosh this year is going by quickly!  We will be taking time to enjoy what summer has left to offer by going to the beach, having some lazy days and perhaps indulging in a few sweet treats!

While the shop is closed, I'll begin plugging away on the fall line.  I'm such a huge fan of all and can't wait to assemble clutches inspired by the crisp, warm colours of the season.

But, before we jump to that, here is a peek of a few of the new summer clutches that I will be listing this week:




Don't forget that you can still save 20% on your entire Elliven purchase by using the coupon code: CELEBRATE during Etsy checkout. Head on over to the shop to save!

Cheers,
 

What's Happening

Monday, July 11, 2011

As you've probably noticed, I've been slightly mia lately.  I will explain why in the coming days, but I want to thank you so much for sticking with me.  Things in the shop have been slow going, but I do have some new summer clutches to list and am working on a new design, or two.

My plan for sometime has been to make a larger clutch, perhaps to use as a make up case, an organizer or just as a purse.  I've been toying with measurements and finally made a prototype the other day.  It measures 11 inches in width and 7 inches in height.  Here is a peek at it incase you didn't see it on facebook or twitter.


I am happy with the result and think that I will make at least one more size, in between this and the skinny clutch that you can currently find in the shop.  As for the sequin/ruffle placement of the one pictured....I may make a few limited editions for the shop, we'll see!

In other shop news, I've decided to extended the summer sale until the end of July!  You can save 20% on your entire purchase with coupon code: CELEBRATE  

Also, the shop will be closed for the month of August and will re-open September 6th.

One last thing, do you remember my previous post abut heels?  Well, I'm making good on my promise and bought these the other day.  Oh how I love them!


I hope you are all enjoying a wonderful July so far!

Cheers,

Happy Canada Day!!!!

Friday, July 1, 2011


Flying the flag in the backyard in true Canadiana style, on a hockey stick!  Enjoying a day celebrating the birth of our country!

Happy Canada Day!!!!


Cheers,

Let's Celebrate!

Wednesday, June 29, 2011

So there are quite a few things to celebrate this week here.  We have the Royal Visit starting on the 30th, Canada Day on the 1st and the oh so exciting return of our postal service.  Hooray!

I think that we should celebrate, don't you?  What better way to do so than with a sale?!



Use coupon code: CELEBRATE to save 20% on everything in the shop (sale will run from now until Sunday July 3rd).

Enjoy!

Peonies

Thursday, June 23, 2011

Many of you probably already saw this photo yesterday when I posted it on twitter, but I love it so much that I just had to share again!

I love peonies, love, love, love them!  Yesterday I was able to cut a few bunches from the garden and am really enjoying decorating the house with the beautiful flowers.


This beautiful group is sitting on our kitchen table.

How about you....are you a fan of peonies?

Cheers,

Large Clutch!

Monday, June 13, 2011

Hi all!

I'm in the process of adding some new clutches to the shop, exciting, yes!  I have quite a few more to put together and well, after they are done, I'll get working on another batch!

I'm contemplating offering a larger variation of the Skinny Clutch incase people were looking for something a tad bigger.  So I decided to make one to see if it was a hit or miss.  It's actually the same size as the Sequin and Ruffle Strap Clutch, I simply removed the strap:



Cheers,

Summer Clutch Giveaway!

Thursday, June 9, 2011

Have you had your eye on one or two, or maybe three of the new summer clutches? Well, here's your chance to win not one, not two, but three of them!

I'm so thrilled to have been interviewed by the lovely Jessika over at Oh My! Handmade Goodness.  Head on over to OMHG to learn a little about myself and what's in store for Elliven and for your chance to win these summer clutches!
Good luck!
Cheers,

Summer Time!

Wednesday, June 1, 2011

Well, here we go!  I'm finally posting my summer clutch line!  I've been talking a lot about it lately, so it's nice to finally be able to get these listings up.

The line includes bright, bold colours and a nautical theme.

Here you go!





Will there be more? Yes!  A few more colours will be introduced throughout the month and I will be changing the colour combos up a bit.  I will also be adding my signature ruffle & sequin combo to a few clutches.

I'm hoping to have most of these listed by the end of the week!

Cheers,
 

New Listings!

Sunday, May 29, 2011

It's been a while, hasn't it?  I shared a picture of some clutches that will be making their way to the shop this week on twitter, thought I'd share it on here as well.


I am now getting started on the summer line!

I hope you are all enjoying a wonderful weekend.  The sun is supposed to return here this week, I am excited about that!

Cheers,

Shop Announcement!

Wednesday, May 25, 2011

Remember these tags that I shared a peek of a little while ago?


Well, I'm finally sharing what they were for....I'm absolutely thrilled to share this news with you!

You can now purchase elliven accessories at the oh so lovely 
in Halifax, Nova Scotia!  

Chara, the owner of the boutique, which carries handmade goods and vintage finds has been an absolute pleasure to work with and I am just tickled pink to be working with her.

She is carrying almost all of the accessories that are available in the shop, including some of the discontinued items!  So if you're in the Halifax area, please be sure to check out the elliven accessories along with all of the other amazing talent at Love, Me Boutique!

Cheers,

Facebook!

Saturday, May 7, 2011

So I've done it!  I've gone ahead and created a facebook fanpage and I would absolutely love it if you would "like" me to stay up to date with elliven!

I am planning to post on there quite often about upcoming deals, sneak peeks and anything and everything shop related!

It's currently a work in progress, but I hope to have it all set up in the next few days.



Cheers,

So Long, Farewell....

Thursday, May 5, 2011

As you know, I've recently taken the time to re-evaluate all aspects of my little shop and as a result a few changes have been made and a few others are coming.  The changes are all in an effort to keep things manageable for me and to keep the shop running smoothly.

So, I wanted to let you know that I've decided to no longer make a few items that are currently available in the shop.  They include:


Also on the list, but not pictured above are the Receipt/Coupon Holders.

I do enjoy making these items, but I've decided (after a very, very, very long debate) that I'm really wanting to focus on the clutches and ruffled notecards.  It's slightly bittersweet as I've been making some of the items since the day I opened up a shop on Etsy.

As with most of us, my time to devote to the shop is limited.  I want to keep things fresh and new, so reducing the variety of items available will help me reach this goal.  It will also allow me to have a quicker turn around time and it will simplify things for me behind the scenes here at elliven.

So, with that being said, the items listed above will be in the shop until they sell, but once they are gone, that will be it.

To be very honest, I am unsure if this is a temporary change.  I may start making them once I have more time to devote to elliven and  I'm thinking that I may offer them during the Christmas Holidays, but I haven't committed to that yet.

Cheers,

Just For Now....

Friday, April 29, 2011

One thing that I love most about only selling my items on Etsy is that I have full control of my shop.

You may or may not have noticed that I've temporarily closed my shop as of today.  I'm hoping to re-open it's doors on Monday, but I have a feeling that it will be closed for a bit longer than that.

I have some much needed catching up to do in almost all aspects of the shop.  Sewing together some items, paperwork and such, this will give me the time to catch up on all of those things.

But most importantly, right now my kiddos need my full attention and the only way I can do this is to close the shop.

So all is fine and I hope to have the doors to the shop opened in the next couple of days!

Cheers,

Tag Them!

Monday, April 18, 2011

I'm a little slow going this morning.  Nothing that a nice hot cup of coffee won't cure, I'm sure.....but I will keep this post short.

I wanted to show you one of the things I was working on this weekend.  I've made some new product tags!  I shared them on twitter, but thought I'd mention them here incase you missed the tweet.


Why am I making these? Well, you'll have to wait a bit longer to find out....

Don't forget to enter the double sequin and ruffle clutch giveaway! Wowza!

I hope you enjoy a lovely Monday!

Cheers,

Double Clutch Giveaway!

Saturday, April 16, 2011

Have you seen that I'm giving away not one, but TWO Sequin and Ruffle Clutches to one lucky winner?  Yes, it's true!  A perfect way to accessorize any outfit.


The lovely K over at the fabulous (and by fabulous, I mean can't be missed and shouldn't be passed by) RikRak Studio blog is kindly hosting the giveaway for me. (thanks love!)

Head on over to K's blog for your chance to win! You can find the post here.


Thanks a bunch for the great feedback on my new business cards, I really love them!

Have an amazing weekend!

Cheers,

My Creative Process

Thursday, April 14, 2011

I thought I'd do a post sharing a little bit of how the elliven designs come to life!  I find it interesting to see how people get work done and such, since everyone does things so differently.

First off, I'm a very visual person.  I picture things and can see them clearly, but sometimes have a tough time trying to explain my vision to others....perhaps I need to learn how to do this.

I'm inspired by so many different things.  Pictures, nature, paintings, fashion....it's amazing where you can find inspiration don't you find?  And for that reason,  I always have a pen and paper nearby.  I have three notepads for the shop (yes, really).  One that I write my "to do" list on, and the other two are for sketching ideas and for jotting down measurements, etc.

My lists can be messy and probably only make sense to me.  Sometimes I'll look back on a list or sketch I've written and wonder what the heck I was thinking, but whatever works right?!

Here's a peek at the lists I have going right now....



I sometimes have a clear idea of what colours/fabrics I want to use before I begin sketching out a design.  Other times I sketch the design and then think of which colours I think would work best.

I'm beginning to use solid fabrics more and more.  For those I'll come up with the colour combos and then I'll begin searching for the fabrics either online or in local shops.  Crossing my fingers that I'll find what I'm looking for.  I'll sometimes find other shades/colours that I hadn't intended on using, but love them so much that I need to work them into my designs.

For printed fabrics, I usually choose the ones that catch my eye, ones that I absolutely love and want to work with.  So for those, I scour online shops and local stores to see what's new and available.  I sometimes have a main colour that I'm looking for, but for the most part, it's just whatever catches my eye.

Once I've done my searching I then pair the fabrics to make sure that the colour combos will work.  It's one thing to picture them in your head and another to have them in hand.  The shades may not work well together, or I may not be able to find the exact shade I'm looking for (that's never fun).

Here are a few of the combos I've recently put together:

you're already familiar with these combos

a peek at what's to come

it's not too early to think about fall is it?

Now, I can't show you everything...otherwise it wouldn't be a surprise!  I not only think about the fabrics I'll be using, but the embellishments and zippers are key factors in the overall look as well.  I have a slew of gorgeous zippers that I can't wait to put to use!  It's so awesome when you see everything side by side, and so fun when you're design ideas work just as you had hoped!

I'm really beginning to focus on having seasonal lines to make things easier.  The spring line was the beginning of my new design plan and I'm loving it!

The summer line is next and I can't wait to share it with you (I know, I keep saying this, but it's so true!).

I will only be offering a limited amount of each line, so make sure that you snatch the ones you like up before they are gone!

That's it! I hope you enjoyed this little peek at my creative process!

Cheers,

Shop Update - Upcoming Changes

Wednesday, April 13, 2011

Hello friends!

So yesterday I mentioned that I had some shop news to share with you, and so here it is.

After a very long debate and many calculations, I have come to realize that things in regards to pricing in my shop are going to have to change.  I've tried to figure out a way to not have to do this, but unfortunately, if I want my shop to succeed (which I do) and if I want it to grow (I do) and if I want to continue to make quality items (absolutely) there really is no other way to go.

This truly isn't easy for me, but I have come to accept that it is something that needs to be done.  Costs of supplies and materials have unfortunately increased over the past couple of months.

My goal has always been to make affordable pieces, and will continue to be, but I also want the shop to survive.

The price increase won't come into effect until May 1st.  I wanted to give you a heads up rather than one day just raising the prices out of the blue.

Cheers,

And.....Breathe

Tuesday, April 12, 2011

Wow, what a whirlwind last week and the beginning of this week has been!  I've been plugging away, trying to get all of the group listing colour combos made and listed.  I'm so excited to be listing the finally grouping today! although I think I will be making at least one more

So without further ado....here they are!






Look for single listings of these colour combos in the next little bit!

Time to put my feet up for a few minutes.....

In other shop news, I do have another bit of info to share with you.  Will probably post about it later this week or first thing next week.

Cheers,

Lovely Pink!

Wednesday, April 6, 2011

Just a quick post to show you the 2nd colour combo for the group listings!  I'm happy with how they turned out and have to say that I'm totally excited to see all of my design ideas come to life!



I just returned from the store with new shipping supplies, and stopped in at the post office yesterday to get accurate shipping costs.  Which means.....the first two group listings should be up either today or tomorrow!

There are three more colour combos to come....a little more hot pink and some lovely lavender!  Stay tuned, I'll be sure to show you a peek of them all here!

Incase you were wondering, I will be offering single listings of these colour combos once I have all of the group listings up.  

I'm anxiously awaiting putting together the summer colour combos, oh they are so fun!  Look for them sometime next month!

It's absolutely gorgeous out today!  I'm hoping to get out for a run and to get the kids out on their bikes!

Cheers,
 

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