Little Shop of ElleSee Is 3!

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It's hard to believe that Little Shop of ElleSee will be 3-years-old as of tomorrow. It has evolved and grown into so much more than I could have imagined when I first opened those virtual doors three years ago -- just last week I sold my 200th item. I have enjoyed sharing every minute of it all with you, and can't wait to share so many more ideas that I have for the shop. My birthday wish is to continue to grow and learn in a direction that will make the shop even sweeter and more delicious -- excuse the food references as I am staring at this amazing cake while writing this post.

To show my love and appreciation for everything you have done in support of my shop -- whether it be through inspiring me, making a purchase, or showing the love by spreading the world about Little Shop of ElleSee -- I'd like to give you 25% off your purchases all weekend long with the coupon code: SHOPBIRTHDAY 

Party on!

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Poetry: Shel Silverstein's "Masks"

I have always loved the simplicity of Shel Silverstein's work. His messages are always right there in front of you, but they also so very subtle. Don't confuse his poems and books as just for children, there are messages that we adults can learn from his work too, especially in light of what's been going on recently in this world of ours.

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Listen, Look, Love: February

Listen

My husband just linked me to his Rdio account -- which I loooove -- and I've been having a lot of fun looking through all of the music that they have available. I had listened to Childish Gambino before after seeing an interview with him on George Stroumboulopoulos -- check out Freaks and Geeks -- but this song has really sucked me in. Just a warning, his work is explicit.

Look

Eerie. Stunning. Beautiful. So many words can describe this enchanting photo and I can't make myself look away. I am drawn towards the eyes...

Love

I recently bought this sweater from Boden, and I absolutely love it. It is so warm and cozy, and just the pop of colour I need to start putting into my wardrobe -- I have too many navy shirts.

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Bake It: The Perfect Strawberry Shortcake Recipe

Ever since I was a little girl, I have been in love with this white cake. It makes a perfect strawberry shortcake, but it also tastes incredibly delicious on its own.

 The Recipe

1/2 c. Butter

1 c. White Sugar

2 Eggs

1 c. Milk

1/2 tsp. Salt

4 tsp. Baking Powder

1 1/2 c. Flour

2 tsp. Almond Extract

Cream together the butter and sugar. Then add the 2 eggs and beat well.

Add the milk. Then the dry ingredients and the almond extract and beat 100 strokes. Spread into a greased 8" square pan and bake at 350F for 40 minutes. Delicious!

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Valentine's Day 2014: Spread the Love + Giveaway Winner

I always have so much fun on Valentine's Day with the children at work. I love seeing them get so excited over putting their valentines in each individual person's bag/mailbox, and then opening up their own bag to look at each valentine that they received. I got so many goodies and cute cards -- both handmade and store bought -- from my little Valentines this year, and I even received a rose from a little boy whose parents dressed him up in a little suit.

In the morning we shared the love with patients in a local hospital by singing love songs and reciting poems to them, and then we participated in the Healing Arts Program where we each got our own canvas to colour and paint on. They are now dry and we plan on hanging them up around the centre for parents and other visitors to see when they come in. In the afternoon we decorated a circle and a square cake that we made into the shape of a heart. We ate it at snack time along with some cookies that another child had made with his mother.

But Valentine's Day is more than the goodies and cards that we receive. When it comes down to it, Valentine's Day is what we did at the hospital where we sang to the patients and spread the love around to everyone. The children were unbelievably excited as we prepared our songs and poems. They had so much love and compassion for those patients and wanted to share everything with them. It was such a fantastic experience, and one that I hope to do again and again.



And now for the winner of the little art print Valentine's Day giveaway:

Congratulations to Karlee Lisafeld!

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Blossoms: Inside the Flower Shop

Blossoms was the shop where we found the flowers for the centrepieces for our mother's birthday. I had been to the shop a couple of times before around the time I was planning my wedding, and this was the first time I was stepping foot inside in almost 10 years. As soon as we opened the door to the shop we were greeted with the most ravishing smell of flowers. I was taken in by the smell of the Eucalyptus branches that they have available, and was quite surprised by it because it not a smell that I am most fond of. We were quickly greeted and a lot of help was given to choose the right flowers for the tables. There was so much to smell, and equally as much to look at. It was a beautiful shop, and one that I will be visiting again and again.

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Putting It All Together: Our Mom's 60th Birthday Party

On each table we had a small vase with a floral arrangement in it. We picked out the flowers at a local floral shop -- which smelled absolutely amazing -- and grabbed some greens and leaves as well. The green flower hiding behind the big white one is actually a carnation that we picked out in celebration of our Mom's birth month.  

Also, as part of the centrepieces, I had my mom pick out a couple of photographs from each decade that she has been alive, and then I had her dictate to me what was happening in each photograph. I typed each little story up and placed them next to the corresponding photos. A lot of people said it sounded exactly like she was talking to them herself.

On the party invitations I requested that guests bring along a favourite desert to share at the party. Along with all of the deserts on the table, we placed a large vase with sticks and pussy-willows where guests could hang a small paper circle that they had written birthday wishes on for our Mom.

These days, it wouldn't be a proper party without a photo booth with some fun props. I got a lot of inspiration for the photo booth decorations from Pinterest, including a tutorial for making the paper fans.

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