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It's time for another round of #afternoonteawithellivenstudio!

A huge thank you for everyone who has participated so far (an extra huge shout out to Thalita for being ever so awesome with her support!).

I'm so excited to see so many of you taking a little break during the day to relax and unwind.  Here's this week's photos!

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Love them all!  Thanks everyone for participating!  I'll be sharing some more of your pics next week, so be sure to tag your photo with the hashtag #afternoonteawithellivenstudio

Cheers,

A Little Childhood Moment Frozen in Time

If you're a parent, there's a good chance that your little one (or one of your little ones) loves to collect rocks.  I've always loved to watch the kids carefully select which rocks are "good ones" and wonder what it is that makes a rock "good" or "bad".  I typically make the kids leave them outside (otherwise our house would be FULL of rocks), except for a few.

Little J continues to collect rocks and also takes the time to pick out a few here and there for his brothers, hubs and I.  I usually leave the ones he's chosen for me outside on the front step, but last week it hit me that I should cherish this act of his a little more than I do.

So I went to Micheals and bought a small wooden box, some beautiful paint and got to work.

I had been looking for a teal box for my office space for a while now, so I decided to paint the box in this gorgeous colour and to then glue one of the rocks that J had picked out for me on to the top.

I'm so thrilled with how it turned out and love that this hobby of his will forever be frozen in time.

Cheers,

Canadian Living May Recipe: Sesame Chicken With Fennel and Orange Salad

It's that time again! Time for another Canadian Living recipe!

I've got to be honest.  If you had told me a year ago that I'd be making a salad that called for fennel, I'd give you a very convincing (and polite) smile & nod without believing a word of it!  I think I've had fennel once in my life prior to this recipe, it's definitely not something that I would pick up from the grocery store on a frequent basis.  That's one of the reasons that I absolutely love these monthly recipes, they make me step outside of my comfort zone and try recipes that I typically wouldn't look twice at.

This month's recipe is Sesame Chicken with Fennel and Orange Salad, such a great meal to kick off the bbq season.  

What I loved about it....I'm a huge coleslaw fan, so the homemade mayo dressing & cabbage was right up my alley and bbq chicken is one of our favourite summer meals.  So good.  The honey glaze, oh goodness, did it ever smell absolutely delicious when it was brushed on the chicken.  I also think it's great how both the salad dressing and chicken glaze were made from scratch.

And another first: roasting sesame seeds.  I know,  I know,  that's not so extreme, but I'd never done it before and am quite surprised by how easy it is!  Sesame seeds are a really great way to add an extra touch of flavour to the chicken.

I was so surprised by how great the blend of ingredients tasted together.  This recipe was exactly what I needed to prove that my thoughts on how certain meals are going to taste couldn't be any further from the truth!

The meal itself was easy to prepare and cook.  Next time I think I'll try chopping the fennel into smaller pieces and I will most likely do the same for the chicken and cilantro (I didn't chop the cilantro finely enough).  But overall, it's definitely a light and flavourful summer meal that would be great to make after a day at the beach!  It would also be the perfect "go to" for when company is coming over or when you're asked to bring a salad to a summer get together.

Want to give it a try?! Of course you do.  You can find the recipe on the Canadian Living site, here.  You can also see what other bloggers thought about the meal here.

Cheers,

*sponsored post but opinions are completely my own. 

Workspace Update With The Help of Ornamental Mouldings!

A few weeks ago I decided it was definitely time to add an inspiration board to my workspace.  Conveniently enough, we already had a cork bulletin board tucked away, so I dug it out, gave the frame a coat of white paint (of course) and I got to tearing photos of inspiring spaces.  Once the board was up, I realized that a little something was missing.  I loved the height of the bulletin board, but I definitely needed to add a something above it.

I chose to go with a gorgeous ornamental moulding which I found at Home Depot.  It's made of embossed acanthus wood and had the exact look and detail I was going for.

These little gems are 1- fairly inexpensive and 2- work pretty much anywhere.  They also come in a variety of styles and sizes.  I gave it a coat of white gloss spray paint (again, of course).  To hang it, I used a 3M velcro command strip (honestly, I love these little buggers!).

The moulding was the perfect added touch to a rather dull space above the bulletin board, a quick and easy fix with large impact.

Here's another shot of how the moulding looked before I sprayed it:

And here it is in place:

I can't even begin to tell you how wonderful it is to be able to see all of these inspirational images, letters from lovely friends, fabrics, words of wisdom and such while plugging away at the computer.  It also allowed me to see a pattern that I didn't know was even there until all of the photos were up.  I definitely encourage everyone to create their own perfect version of an inspiration board if you can.  This bulletin board used to be hubs when he lived at home with his parents, it has definitely seen better days, but a quick coat of paint brought life back to the frame and the damage cork was covered up as soon as I added some photos.  You could also add some fabric to the back if you wanted to cover up the cork entirely!

Cheers,

Moody Florals

Floral fabrics and art are definitely coming back and strong.  I'm, of course, on board.

Last week I went back to the antique store looking for a couple of pieces that we need for the family room (more about the family room to come later in the week).  Though they didn't have what I went for, what I did spot was a breathtaking floral painting in the most exquisite gold frame.  I desperately wanted to take it home, but alas, there is a budget and I need the other items before this, plus, I already have quite a few floral prints in the house (that doesn't matter though, does it?!).

My word, it's so hard to leave great pieces behind even when you don't have an immediate use/spot for them.

Here's the gorgeousness:

The frame, the dark background, the pinks & blues, it's just lovely.

Are you all for moody florals?

Cheers,

Around Here Update!

Hey hey hey, it's Fri-i-i-day!

The past couple of weeks have seen some much needed progress around the house.  A little break did wonders and things are happening (sorry, they are all instagram photos).

First up, this glorious Degas Dancers canvas print from Anewall.  I mean, honestly, my heart skipped a beat or two when I saw it.  This beauty is going to grace one of the walls in the dining room.  I am hoping to send it to the framers next week, you'll be sure that there will be a post dedicated to this as soon as it's up on the wall.

HomeSense never disappoints when it comes to accessories.  It's definitely what I consider to be my "go to" store for this very reason.  New seashell votive holder = fabulous.

Speaking of HomeSense, welcome to the living room aka my HomeSense showroom, ha!  But really....the coffee table, the bench, the art, the mirror, the lamp, the sidetables, all HomeSense purchases.  And now, you can add this stunning Colin + Justin gold stool (meant for outdoors, but it's staying indoors here) to that list.  I've had my eye on this gorgeousness for at least a month, checking back every few days and hoping it was still there.  Why I didn't buy it at first, no clue, but it got to the point that I'd panic if it wasn't in the same spot that it was the previous time I visited the store.  So I finally bit the bullet and bought it....I luuuuuuuv it you guys, love!  I've since moved it onto the rug, slightly in front of the couch.  You see, I'm that person who loves to have a sidetable beside a chair/couch, this is basically how I choose where I'm going to sit in a room. I prefer to place my drink on the side vs the front of me.  Weird, I know, but true.

You know I have a huge love for Stephanie's prints, which are available in her shop, SSprintshop.  I've loved this "love" print forever and can finally call it mine!  It's perfect for this space and coordinates so well with kiddo 1's grade 1 masterpiece (behind it).

Now back to the living room.  That space behind the couch, I'm now wondering if I should take on the ever so popular ikea hack (as seen here in Jen's #rocktherental post) of the Vittsjo etagere?  I do love the look and it's the right height & width.  Thinking yes.  But do I go with the single one and have one here and another on the opposite wall or do I go with the wider one and only have the one on this wall?  Decisions.

And back to HomeSense.  This pot was just right for this spot.  A little moss and a beautiful faux bloom (also HomeSense) and tada, great spring pick me up!

Wishing you all a fantastic weekend!

Cheers,

Join In! Afternoon Tea With Elliven Studio

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My days usually start with me waking up 30 mins before the kids in the morning.  That way, I can ease into the day, enjoy a cup of coffee and watch the news in peace and quite.  I find it's really hard to get your feet on the ground when you're thrown right into it the minute you wake up.  That being said, this was definitely not something that I would have even considered when the kids were younger and I wasn't getting any sleep and I don't typically wake up earlier than the kiddos on the weekends, just when they have school.

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I recently started taking 10-15 mins in the afternoon to "recharge".  I typically sit in a quiet spot in the house (usually the living room or my office) and enjoy a hot cup of coffee or tea along with a sweet treat and relax.  Though it's only 10-15 mins, it makes a world of a difference and gives me the boost I need to get through the rest of the day.  It can be tricky to find those few minutes to yourself when you have kids at home, for sure, and this isn't something that I can always do, but I truly enjoy it and soak up every minute of the break whenever I can (plus, I'll take any excuse to use my super fun Chapters mugs).

Now, here's where you come in!  I decided to start tagging my afternoon break photos on instagram with the hashtag #afternoonteawithellivenstudio.  The idea is to encourage you to take a few minutes to yourself to recharge, to give yourself a break and to do something that makes you happy.  It doesn't have to be a cup of coffee or tea, it can be anything really, just as long as it allows you to clear your mind and relax.

Here is your first round!

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I'd absolutely love for you to join in on the fun!  Tag your instagram photos with #afternoonteawithellivenstudio and I'll share some of the photos here on the blog!

Thanks to everyone who took part!

Cheers,

Wake Up & Be Awesome mug c/o Chapters