This song makes me smile and the kids and I love dancing to it....so I wanted to share it with you!

Happy weekend, friends!

Cheers,

Open For Business!

I hope you all enjoyed a wonderful long weekend!

And finally, I'm happy to announce that the shop is now open!  Thank you SO much for your patience and for sticking with me during the summer break.  It was nice to enjoy the summer with the family but I'm happy to be back!

Please note, although the shop is open, I will not be shipping any orders out until Sept 9th.  So any orders placed between now and Thursday, Sept 8th will be shipped the morning of Sept 9th.  Also, you can save 20% on your entire purchase with Coupon Code: CELEBRATE

Woot!

With that, I've added a few new clutches to the shop.  Here's a peek:

 

I think that this is perhaps my favourite colour combo to date, was tempted to keep it for myself!

There will be a slight delay in new listings.  I have to make a trip to the fabric store to stock up on a few supplies.

Also, you can expect to see a few new Holiday Ruffled Fabric Notecards in the shop soon too!

Cheers,

Shop Update.....

I want to give you a wee bit of a shop update.  First, the shop will be re-opening at the end of next week, after the beginning of the school year.  We have enjoyed a wonderful summer, full of family time.  I think that this is the longest that I've kept my shop closed since I opened it up, wild!  It allowed me to really and truly relax.

With that, September will be a "test" month for me.  This break allowed me to realize the true amount of work it takes to keep the shop running.  I feel as though perhaps it's taking me away a little too much from my family.  The kids are still young and these years will be gone before I know it, I really feel that I need to cherish these next few years.

I've mentioned this before, I believe it was at the beginning of the year, so it's definitely been something that I've been contemplating for a while now.  Sooo, we'll see how things go in September and I will make a decision as to what to do then.  Be it keeping the shop open, going for a temporary closure at the end of the month, only listing items periodically or perhaps I'll only have a small selection of items and will re-list as they sell.

I'm having a tough time finding the right balance....

If I do decide to close the shop temporarily, I plan to continue to sew and to continue to sketch out designs because this is truly something that I absolutely love to do.  I will just have to wait until I have a little more time to put towards the shop.

I have so much admiration and respect for those who take care of their little ones while running a successful business, it's more than a lot of work, I bow to you!

If you were wondering, I do plan to continue blogging if the shop does end up closing next month....

Cheers,

Great Talents Coming Together

Sometimes a group of amazing people get together and combine their talents to create a spectacular product.  That is exactly what has happened behind the scenes of the gorgeous e-mag (soon to be available in print as well) Pure Green Magazine.

Issue 6 was just released yesterday and it is stunning.  The photography, the interviews, the recipes all fantastic, you will not be disappointed, it's a true labor of love.

You can read Pure Green Magazine here.  And as if that wasn't enough, Pure Green Magazine also has an shop on Etsy where you can purchase prints from the magazine! Yes, it's true.  The shop can be found here.

Want more Pure Green?  blog : facebook : twitter

Cheers and enjoy!

Mini Recap

This week was our first "back to reality" week with my husband returning to work after a four week vacation.  It feels good to slowly regain a bit of a routine, but I'm nowhere near ready to jump in 100%....I plan to drag this out just a little bit.

Our eldest is playing football this year for the first time (finally old enough).  He's been wanting to play for a while now, so to say that he's pretty excited would be a huge understatement.....he's ready to go!  His first game is this weekend, can't wait!

I also shared a photo on twitter of what I found on my doorstep mid week.......

And so it begins....

Oh, and this post by Sydney....just love her!

I hope you all enjoy a lovely weekend!

Cheers,

Summer Vacation!

Hello friends!

So, how is summer treating you so far?  As you know, I've closed the shop for the month of August to relax and enjoy the lovely weather with my family. We just returned home after a week and a bit visiting our families back home.  We had a great trip and I thought I'd share a few pics from the drive (two 12 hour days each way...yes, 12 hrs!) and such with you!

My plan is to re-open the shop in September.  I have to admit that I haven't even stepped foot into my sewing room for a few weeks now, yup, I'm really taking a break.  Once I get back into the swing of things, you can expect some new clutches made with gorgeous fall coloured fabrics and a few new sizes.  I'm also going to see if I can get into a local craft show.  I love craft shows and this one was fun last year, so I'd love to do it again.  We'll see!

I will be posting every now and then during my break, I hope you stick with me!

Cheers,

Summer Newness!

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

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!!!!

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!

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

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!

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:

Large clutch available here!

Cheers,

Summer Clutch Giveaway!

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!

Photo from OMHG

Good luck!
Cheers,

Summer Time!

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!

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!

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 

Love, Me Boutique 

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!

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.

click here to go to the elliven facebook fanpage!

Cheers,

So Long, Farewell....

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....

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,