giveaway winner!

the winner of the giveaway is...

Crystalyn

Congratulations!! thank you so much to everyone who entered :)

farva says happy halloween...anakin doesn't, sorry! hehe.

♥elycia

i ♥ halloween!

i'm a day late! but here it is...
halloween themed :)

1. The Rocky Horror Picture Show

ivan and i love this movie. we also own the soundtrack and cd and vinyl :) we have to watch it every halloween for sure!

2. bobbing for apples

last year at our halloween party we did a more hygenic version of bobbling for apples...trying to eat hanging apples. it was so funny to watch. ivan and i were super pros at it...we both bit it on our first try. maybe we just have big mouths, haha.

3. carved pumpkins

 i don't carve a pumpkin every year so when i do it is super fun. my friend carved the top 2, i did the bottom one a few years ago.  i love the puking pumpkin :)

2. halloween party snacks

 

 

people make the most creative treats for halloween parties! i love it!

1. my costume from a few years ago...

what are you being for halloween?

♥elycia

ps. thank you all so much for your halloween costume suggestions. very creative! i'm going to a party tonight...i still haven't decided on my costume but it will definitely be one of the suggestions :)

something fun

i have been playing in bands since highschool on and off. i really love it! ivan and i recently started playing with a new band called The Sitcom they have been around for a while and are releasing a cd in december! it is so fun to play again :) i am playing keyboard...which is strange. piano was the first instrument i learned but the only one i have never played in a band.

something else fun about being in a band...photoshoots :)

♥elycia

i ♥ etsy - All About Cats

hello!
this week has been so busy it is bonkers. i have my (probably) final craft show for the year on friday and i still have a lot to do, eeks!

for now here is my BESTeam feature for the week. All About Cats is a cute shop with tons of items for...cats! look at these catnip toys :)

 Petunia the Pink Pig

Jack the Jack-o-Lantern

Ed the Elephant

so many cute toys! i think my cats would like them...especially farva, he loves catnip.

All About Cats also has a blog that you can check out.

have a great day! i am going to be busy busy! why was i such a procrastinator?! haha, wish me luck :)

♥elycia

my veggie story part 2

i meant to share this sooner! but here it is now. you can read part one of my veggie story here. part two is the story of how i went vegan.

last year, sometime before christmas emma at from scratch posted about a book she had read. it was called Eating Animals by Jonathan Safran Foer. i love good book recommendations so the next time i was at the book store i picked it up.

ivan and i were in florida visiting my dad when i finished reading the book. right then i decided i had to start becoming vegan. i couldn't justify not eating chicken but then eating eggs. the book opened my eyes to a lot of things that i think i was kind of ignoring.

i was a bit too intimidated to instantly go vegan so each day/week i would decide to eliminate certain things. i stopped eating fish right away as well as straight up milk and eggs. i started really paying attention to the ingredients in my food.

right now i would say i am 'almost completely' vegan. i am always learning...and helping people who cook for me learn too :). sometimes i feel like a i'm being a pain but i am so happy with my decision i try not to worry about it. also, it is getting easier all the time to be vegan.

before this i thought i could NEVER go vegan. i just loved cheese so much. but you know what? i don't miss dairy and eggs like i thought i would. i find eating vegan very easy when i am at home cooking for myself. the only time it is difficult is when i am out somewhere and the vegan options are minimal and i am hungry! i am getting better at calling ahead. eating vegan definitely takes a bit more planning but so far i really love it.

that's my whole story! if you have posted anything veg out related leave me the link and i will stop by.

this is a super busy week, i kind of feel like i am going bonkers, haha. but...i'll talk to you soon!

♥elycia

giveaway

as a thank you to everyone who stops by here is the cute prize pack you could win...

1. a cute momiji doll!
2. adorable kitty and yarn notepad from boygirlparty
3. pretty ascot/scarf handknit by me :)
4. super pretty earrings from my lovely sponsor Zoe of Sealed with a Kiss

how to enter: *please leave your email so it is easy to get in touch if you win*
♥ visit Sealed with a Kiss and tell me your favourite item

extra entires: *please leave a seperate comment for each*
♥ give me a Halloween costume suggestion please!
♥ blog about this giveaway
♥ tweet about this giveaway, include my name @loveelycia so i know :) (if you tweet more than once you can enter more than once!)  
♥ follow my blog :)

thank you so much and i hope you enjoy the giveaway! it will stay open until the evening of Oct 30th.

♥elycia

november sponsors and a giveaway

hi everyone,

just a quick note to let you know that i am accepting sponsors for November :). my October sponsors were wonderful (check them out!) and I can't wait to introduce you to my new ones for November.

here is some basic info...

more detailed info can be found here and you can email me at loveelycia@hotmail.com if you have any questions. i still have some small and large spots available if anyone is interested :)

thank you to everyone for their support. i really appreciate all of you who stop by, it makes me so happy.

on that note...i have been wanting to have a 'you are all awesome' giveaway for a while now...so i will be posting it TOMORROW!

see you then :)

♥elycia

 5. guitar prints

art by chrysti

little types 

 boy girl party

den10studio

we are in the process of collecting art for behind our tv which also happens to be in our music room. we have the boy girl party print but some of the others would fit in nicely too!

4. david bowie paper doll !?

 claudia varosio

oh my goodness! i almost died of awesome overload when i found this. amazing.

 3. rosie music

i am absolutely crazy about these prints. the first one is perfect for ivan and i! a boy playing guitar (well, it's actually a bass...but he plays that too!), a girl knitting and 2 cats. yikes!! i need it :)

2. this pencil sharpener!

modcloth

so cool!

1. the pop cam

jsdesign

annieb

frannypack!!!

i found one of these a few days ago while thrifting for $3! i hope my film turns out. the camera was brand new in the package but i think it is kind of broken. the film advance doesn't stop moving so i can't use the shutter release. i think it is just taking the photos when the film advance gets to a certain point. it sounds like it anyways. fingers crossed! oh the mysteries of crazy plastic film cameras.

have a great day!

♥elycia

real post later...for now, this...

beautiful song.

ivan, our 2 friends and i are 'performing' during cocktails at our friends wedding on saturday. if we can get it sounding good we will do this song. it's not just for uncle jesse's wedding anymore. hehe.

please enjoy!

♥elycia

i ♥ etsy - Minkee Baby Gifts

hello :)

this week i am featuring BESTeam member Minkee Baby Gifts. take a peek at these super cute items!

Personalized Baby Gift Set

Baby Bib Set

Satin Ruffle Baby Blanket

i absolutely love the packaging on the bib set! adorable!

Minkee Baby Gifts also has a blog so pop over and say hello :)

have a great day!

♥elycia

ps. i hope to have the rest of my veggie story posted tonight :) stay tuned.

recipe roundup - beans!

before the recipes...here is a lovely lady who has shared her veggie story: Katie. stop by and say hello to this new vegetarian.

now the recipes...i love beans.

Black Bean Salad #1
dressing:
1/4 cup olive oil
2 limes juiced
1 tsp cumin
salt & pepper to taste 
salad:
1/2 cup chopped cilantro
19 oz can black beans (get the best quality beans you can find, organic if possible)
1 red pepper, diced
12 oz can corn (or 1 yellow pepper, diced)
1/3 cup chopped red onion
1 jalapeno, seeded & minced

Whisk together oil, lime juice and cumin in a large bowl. Add all other ingredients to the bowl.

super easy, right? and soooo delicious! i had this for dinner tonight :)

Black Bean Salad #2
1 ripe avocado
2 cups fresh cooked corn
1 cup black beans
1 small red onion, diced
chopped cilantro to taste
juice of 2 limes
1/2 cup olive oil
salt & pepper to taste

Place all ingredients in a bowl. Squeeze lime over ingredients and drizzle with olive oil. Stir gently.

i haven't tried this one but according to my dad it is even better than the first one.

Kale Chickpea Mash
i also had this for dinner tonight...recipe found here!

the first time i made this i used really really thick hummus instead of chickpeas and it was even more delicious than when i just used chickpeas. definitely good both ways though :)

let me know if you have posted any recipes so that i can link them here! keep vegging out!

and finally...my favourite kind of bean...

a farva bean!

♥elycia

photo an hour

inspired by the clothes horse. here is a photo for every hour of our day on friday. (ok so we did stay up later than 7pm...but that's when the party got started and the photos stopped, haha)

we had a great weekend with great friends. thanks for having us friends! we ♥ you.

tomorrow i will for sure post those black bean recipes and any veg out links so let me know if you have posted anything! i am super busy and so far behind on my blog visiting. yikes!

♥elycia