Wednesday, February 29, 2012

what i wore :: out and about

:: head to toe ::
headband :: vintage scarf
dress :: handmade by me
brooch :: thrifted
cardigan :: H&M
tights :: c/o We Love Colors
shoes :: F21

This was a casual, "we just got back from Florida and I'm upset that I have to wear warmer clothing" outfit. I seriously can't wait for Spring to get here! Although I do love layers, right now I'm ready for lighter layers.

I made this dress about a year ago and I keep debating on whether to hem it a bit more or make the bottom a bit more narrow so that it doesn't flare out. Any thoughts? I need to add it to my growing pile of "fix me" and "alter me" clothes.

♥elycia

Tuesday, February 28, 2012

vlog :: what's going on in your background?

Chantilly and I are at it again! This time we are chatting about things that are going on in the background during our day. I can't believe I mention the gross shows I watch. Don't judge me too harshly ;)
Make sure you leave a comment letting us know what is going on in your background!

♥elycia

PS. In case you missed our other videos here are the links...
1. How do I get more blog followers?
2. How to create quality content.

Monday, February 27, 2012

what i did :: florida trip

Ivan and I had a fantastic time in Florida and really appreciated the warm weather and sunshine. We are back in Hamilton now but here are some peeks into our little vacation.
We spent a tiny bit of time at the beach and spotted our first dolphin fin!
We went on a little sight-seeing cruise where we really got to see dolphins. They are just so adorable...and there were even little ones!
We admired some nature and saw lots of birds and an alligator!
We also admired some pretty vintage. The thrift stores we visited were nothing special (maybe just not good timing) but the antique stores had some great stuff! I got a silly pair of shoes that I love.
We ate the yummiest falafels ever and drank a bunch of different kinds of beer. Ontario doesn't have the most impressive beer selection (silly LCBO) so we always get excited to visit the stores in the States and see all the different yummy beers.
It was so nice to relax and enjoy some beautiful sunshine. We kind of want to move somewhere that is always warm but I guess we'll stay put for now ;)

♥elycia

Thursday, February 23, 2012

10 years together

Now, I'm not one to get too mushy gushy on the blog but 10 years ago today Ivan and I decided to officially become "boyfriend and girlfriend".  Even though we are now married and have a new anniversary, I still like to remember this one. Today I thought I would share a few silly little things that make me love Ivan so much.
1. Ivan is very considerate. He always:
- replaces the garbage bag if he takes out the garbage
- puts the toilet seat down
- waits for me to sit down before he starts eating (even though I tell him repeatedly he doesn't have to do this)
- keeps track of the toilet paper situation and makes sure we don't run out
2. Ivan is very neat. He always:
- makes the bed
- makes sure the speakers on the TV stand are lined up
- uses the lint roller on every piece of clothing he owns to remove cat hair (he says he doesn't do his pyjamas but he totally does)
3. Ivan has a great sense of humour. He always:
- laughs at my jokes
- tells me I am funny. Sometimes he does this by telling me I am an idiot, which might sound to you like he's being mean but I promise he's not. It's all in the delivery.
- tells me he is funny
- makes really hilarious "cute" faces that are also very cute
4. Ivan is very supportive. He always:
- tells me I'm doing a good job and that he is proud of me
- listens to my ideas and helps make them even better
- encourages me to do what I love
- supports my habit of watching the same shows over and over again
Basically I have found the perfect person for me and I am so lucky that he thinks I'm the perfect person for him too. We genuinely love spending as much time together as possible and I am so happy that Ivan is my husband and my best friend. Ugh, did I get too mushy? Sorry. Let me fix that...what I meant to say was that I guess Ivan's ok and I suppose I'll hang around him for a while longer.

♥elycia

Wednesday, February 22, 2012

thrift find :: for the office

Ok, so my office is not a typical "office". It is an office/studio/craft room and I love it. It is still very much in the process of being decorated and I have been grabbing all the kitty art that I can at the thrift stores. So far I only have these two thrifted pieces (plus a handful of non-thrifted ones) waiting to be hung. I am so in love with these two pictures...
Normally I don't like anything that involves an even remotely sad looking animal but I love this piece so much! I imagine that I am about to pick this kitty up and give him a big hug to cheer him up and it makes me happy. What? You think that's weird? Ya, I guess it is kind of weird. Moving on...
I really love the style of this and the girl reminds me a little of my Dolly Dears. So cute! I'm trying to decide if I want to paint the frames or leave them as is. Such a tough decision.

Something else I found for my office that isn't a picture is this amazing storage thing-y. In case you were wondering, that is the technical name for it.
This little beauty also came full of random bits and pieces that I may or may not find useful. She is definitely getting a paint job (maybe pink) and I think that she will look adorable hanging out in my studio full of my own things that I may or may not find useful.

Also! I hit the coat JACKPOT a while back and found the greatest winter coat I have ever laid eyes on. When I found it and showed Ivan he even said he liked it which is a big deal because usually he says something like "Yeah, it's ok" or "Don't you have a coat already?" or "Are you ready to go yet?" ;)

No photo of the coat for now but stay tuned. I'm sure it will pop in soon. Not this week though because we are in sunny Florida where winter coats are not necessary!

Have you found anything awesome lately?

♥elycia

Tuesday, February 21, 2012

DIY :: Film Baggies

I don't really love the word "baggie" but it was the working title of this project and I couldn't think of anything else to call them. Pouch...pouch would have been good.

Regardless of what this is called, I thought it would be a cute way to carry used and unused film around in your purse. Another idea is to use one side for regular film and the other side for Instax mini film. If you would like to make one for yourself you will need:

- cute fabric (you could even use an unwanted piece of clothing for the fabric!)
- 2 small pieces of fabric for embroidering on
- embroidery thread
- yarn or ribbon
- sewing needle and thicker yarn needle
- straight pins
- iron
- sewing machine

Let's get started!

1. Cut a piece of fabric that is 11.5" by 12.5".
2. Fold with right sides together. You are folding the longer (12.5") side so that the top edge measures 11.5".
3. Keeping right sides together, sew down both sides of your fabric.
4. Use pinking shears to cut the raw edges of the seams you just sewed.
5. Keeping your pouch inside out, turn down a small hem and iron. It doesn't need to be exact, but around 0.25" is good.
6.  Turn down another, larger hem (around 0.75" is what I did) and iron. This tucks in your raw edge and hides it from view.
7. Sew along the bottom edge of your hem. This creates a little tunnel at the top of your pouch that we will put a drawstring through later.
8. Turn your pouch right side out. Take a moment to pat yourself on the back for making it this far.
9. Next you are going to sew a line down the centre of your pouch starting at the line of stitching across the top. Meaning that above the stitch line will not be attached together while the bottom of your pouch will be divided into two sections.
10. Get out your embroidery thread and embroider yourself some labels that say "shoot" and "develop" or "instax" and "35mm" or whatever the heck you would like them to say. I embroidered my labels onto different pieces of fabric that I will sew on in the next step. Place your labels where you would like them to go and pin them down.
11. Stitch your labels on! I used a thin yarn and a yarn needle but you could also use embroidery thread and a regular needle.
12. Next we are going to add a drawstring. I used yarn threaded on a yarn needle again but you could use ribbon and put little slices in your fabric to feed it through. Insert the needle a little off from the centre front of your pouch. Carefully feed your needle through your tunnel and out the other side.
13. Tie little knots in your yarn right beside the holes so that your drawstring doesn't disappear into the tunnel.
You are all done! Put some film in your pouch and I will show you how to tie it up compactly.
Pull your drawstring and tie a knot. Then fold your pouch in half along the centre stitch line. Now you can wrap your drawstring around the top of the pouch and tie a bow.
I hope you found this idea handy! Let me know if you make one for yourself. I actually made this one as a gift so I will be making another one for myself soon!

♥elycia

Monday, February 20, 2012

call for sponsors :: march

I have been really lucky so far this year to have met so many great people through my blog and through sponsorship. If you think that you may be interested in being a part of my blog in March I would love to chat! There are going to be some more really fun collaborations with a few of my favourite ladies including tons more vlogs. Can you tell that vlogs are my favourite?

You can always find more information on sponsorship on this page or by emailing me at loveelycia[at]gmail[dot]com.

Well, I'm off to continue enjoying the Florida sunshine! Talk to you soon!

♥elycia

Sunday, February 19, 2012

photo an hour :: a friday

I took a photo an hour last Friday on just a regular day around the house. Normally I do these photo an hours on extra exciting days but I thought it would be fun to take photos of my day to day routine. Here it is!
:: 8 am ::
Exercised, showered, breakfast eaten and blog post for the day up! 
:: 9 am ::
Laundry is happening. At least it looks pretty.
:: 10 am :: 
My blog notebook is never far from my side on work days. February even gets some special pink sticky notes.
:: 11 am ::
Finishing up some vlog editing and spit laughing all over my computer because we are so silly!
:: 12 pm ::
Admiring my new phone case and finally remembering to send an important email. Because, you know, I'm a very important person with very important things to do and very important emails to send to very important people.
:: 1 pm ::
Ripped off Kaylah's colour scheme and painted some more zig zag nails
:: 2 pm ::
Anakin actually gets angry if I take too many photos of him, he's such a diva. He will complain, and then eventually leave. This is his "I dare you to take one more photo" face.
:: 3 pm ::
Started giving one of my suitcases a makeover.
:: 4 pm ::
Finishing up a gift for a friend.
:: 5 pm ::
Starting some yummy dinner.

And that's all! What does a typical day look like for you? Send me a link if you do a photo an hour post of one of your days!

♥elycia