Curious George and The Lady With The Yellow Hat

October 30, 2013


He is so excited to be Curious George for Halloween this year, and I'm so happy that I have a couple more years left of being able to dress in fun costumes with my son -- one of the perks of him coming to work with me. Have a safe and happy Halloween with your little ones!



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A Walk Across The Train Bridge

October 28, 2013






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Hawaii and Back

October 23, 2013


Do you know how hard it is to share an entire vacation in 10 photographs? I could share so many more with you, but I know that it would become a bit much and you don't really want to see all of the different bathing suits that I brought with me anyway.

We had an amazing time in Hawaii. During the trip we were already talking about what we were going to do the next time that we were there, or how we would do things when we brought our son with us. Hawaii had us hooked. I do wish that we had explored the North Shore a lot more, but that is a lesson learned for next time. It was such a vastly different experience from the city.

What I enjoyed most about the trip was waking up, putting on our suits and sunscreen -- you gotta live in that stuff -- and heading to the beach. I learned so much from the ocean in the short time that I was there, and I can still feel the energy of the waves as I lay in bed paying attention to my breathing. I love it!


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Shop Update: Christmas 2013

October 21, 2013
I am so excited to share with you the new Christmas cards and Hanukkah card that I have created for 2013. It's been a lot of fun coming up with new ideas and new ways of writing the words that I put on the cards. I can see how my style has changed a bit from the previous years, but I always like to keep the simplicity.






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Halloween Activities: Pumpkin Faces

October 18, 2013
I have always struggled with trying to figure out some Halloween related games and activities for my preschool class -- this was before Pinterest really took off -- but last year I came up with the idea of making some different mouths, and shapes for eyes and noses that the children could stick to a pumpkin shape. As always, they didn't use the shapes as I imagined in my mind -- or like my adult brain put them together -- and they came up with some fantastic Jack-o'-Lantern faces that I could never have even dreamed up myself. That's one of the things that I like best about working with children.



I used mac-tac -- or a laminator -- to protect the pumpkins and the face pieces from wear-and-tear, and sticky-tack to make it easier for the kids to stick the pieces down and remove them too.



*Please forgive me! This was one of those moment when I needed to use my camera phone because I was working on this project at work. It also happened to be during quiet time so the lights were all out...please don't tell my boss :)



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The Best Way For Me To Turn 30

October 16, 2013
I am so lucky to have been able to celebrate my 30th birthday in a beautiful place such as Hawaii. We took a tour up to the North Shore of Oahu with a group called Epic Hawaii to swim in Waimea Falls and hike through the beautiful valley that is filled with lots of tropical flowers and trees. We then walked to Waimea Bay and swam in the ocean. It was an amazing time, and after swimming in the fantastic waves at Waimea, we were a little sad to have to go back to Waikiki.



Elliott, our tour guide from Epic Hawaii, then picked us up and took us to look at the sea turtles that were hiding amongst the waves and munching on the deliciousness on the coral that encroaches on the beach -- I circled one that I managed to snap a photo of as a wave came in. Both us and the other couple that went on the tour decided to stop at the Waialua Bakery instead of the Hawaiian Shaved Ice shop or the shrimp trucks, and we were not disappointed. The bakery is family owned and operated and uses ingredients that they grow on their farm, and the cookies are only $1 -- now that's my kind of shop!

After such a busy day, my husband and I had a nap and then began our journey to find a special place to eat my birthday dinner. We ended up at the restaurant called House Without A Key where I ate a delicious steak dinner while listening to beautiful Hawaiian music. I was very excited to be at that restaurant because the entire time we were in Hawaii we would open up our patio door to listen to the sounds of the ocean as well as some music that wafted up from one of the hotels across from ours. I was so happy to find out that I was actually eating in the restaurant where the music originated from. It just felt so right, and it was the best way for me to turn 30.



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DIY Galaxy Sweater

October 11, 2013
I saw this DIY for making your own galaxy clothing items in the early days of my using Pinterest. I knew that it was something that I would eventually do, and a little while ago I was inspired to make a galaxy sweater of my very own.



What I learned while making the sweater:

1. Pay attention to the spray on the bottle you are using, and figure out which way to turn the nozzle before you direct it towards your article of clothing so you get galaxies instead of a nebula -- although I quite like my nebula sweater.

2. If you are making something like a sweater, open it up before you get started so that you can also get bleach and paint where the buttons get covered up, otherwise you might have black dots where the buttons were when you unbutton the sweater.

3. If you bleach both sides of the article of clothing, but a protective layer between them when you paint both sides of it -- whereas I only did it when I painted the back of the sweater after noticing that the paint leaked through to the back in a couple of spots.

4. Pay attention to the fabric paint that you are purchasing. I ended up buying red glitter paint, but I actually kind of like the effect that it makes -- like real stars :)


Overall, the tutorial on Pinterest is really well done, and I had no trouble following it. I had a lot of fun putting my flavour into the sweater, and I'm glad I have something that is unlike any other. The first day I wore it to work, the girls were all over it and I was proud to say that I made it myself.


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On Turning 30

October 07, 2013
Tomorrow I will be 30-years-old. 

It's a strange thing to think about, but I don't feel anxious or upset at entering my third decade of life. I remember when I turned 10 that I was excited to have entered the double digit years -- although those are going to last me the rest of my life -- and when I turned 20 I was exited to enter the world of adulthood and make important decisions about adult-type things. Now turning 30 I am a wife, mother, home owner and business woman. My 20's gave me some amazing life stories and I can't wait to see what my 30's will bring me, but I have to say that I haven't really put any thought into what I'm excited for upon turning 30. Is there anything exciting about turning 30? Right now it just seems like another number, but maybe that's a good thing.


At my 7th birthday party




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Shop Update: Behind the Scenes Part II

October 03, 2013
A couple of weeks ago I shared a behind the scenes look at what I do when taking photos of the items that go into the shop. That same day I took some photos of the prep-work that is involved in running my shop, and getting an order ready to be shipped out.



I recently stopped buying business cards and decided to make my own with a stamp from the shop Hello Donna -- it's where I've bought all of my shop stamps. After I print off an art print or a card, I write a personal note and then get my packaging ready -- including a business card and a small sticker made with another stamp from Hello Donna. It's simple, but I love it. That's what The Little Shop of ElleSee is all about!



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At Two and One Half

October 02, 2013


The time that I spend with my son is precious to me. Sometimes it might not feel like it at the moment, but I love being around him and hearing him giggle or seeing him smile. He has such a positive energy about him, and it's something that I want to keep alive. We really enjoy taking trips to the bookstore where he plays with the Thomas trains, and, now that he can peddle his bike, he loves going for bike rides up and down the street.

As of yesterday he is now 2 1/2 years old. He constantly amazes me with the words that he says and what he can do physically, but I love most of all is what kinds of actions he makes. The other day I came home from work to find out that he had made my burger for me so that I could sit down and eat with him. Yesterday a friend of his fell and he asked if he was alright, and he was so polite when asking his aunt and uncle if they would help him take off his shoes and jacket.

Although there are times where he frustrates the patience right out of me, it's good to see that he is becoming a wonderful little human being that is aware of the feelings of others, that is helpful, considerate and polite. I want to help him continue to grow in that direction. The seeds have been planted, and now we need to keep watering them.






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