one year ago i took a big step. i opened my own business and called it the elegant elliephant {thanks to my brobie’s endearing nickname for yours truly}. i started small, and with what made perfect sense – etsy. ever since, my steps have increased, gradually gotten bigger, and i decided the sky truly was the limit.

three-hundred-sixty-five days later, my coasters can be found on etsy, but now they’re in celebrate local and pk paper, my race bib sets were a feature article in columbus alive, i was a featured designer on 20 best twenty for two months, and i’ve been approached by countless non-profit organizations asking me to donate to their event.

i’ve been busy, and so, so blessed. 

but that means nothing without people to share it with – and i count my lucky stars that i have such supportive family and friends. the people i’ve connected with, the opportunities that have been shared with me, absolutely could not have happened without so many wonderful people. it’s been an incredible ride and i’m loving every single moment.

i have big things in store for elegant elliephant. i have some partnerships brewing and if those become reality, i’ll be introducing some killer sets in the future.

we’ll go beyond coasters someday, not yet – but in the future. i’m playing with some ideas and since i love ceramic tile so much, i’ll stick with what i know, but we’ll see what else i can pull off that meets my vintage and funky requirement. i can promise you  one thing – i go big, or stay home.

so, to each of you who have spread the word, bought a set, liked EE on facebook, shared opportunities, RTed my links, given me constructive criticism, had ideas for new designs, challenged me to work harder, or introduced me to things i never would’ve thought of on my own…

i humbly thank you from the bottom of my heart.

what began as a hobby is now much, much more than that. i truly have a love affair with these silly tiles. i love them. i want them to be perfectly imperfect. and i want you to be proud to welcome them into your home.

now, to put my money where my mouth is…
any purchases through etsy are 20% off through march 17
when you use the code ONEYEAR at checkout.
and yes, that includes custom orders.

i’m extremely humbled, completely inspired, and seriously excited to see what the future holds for the elegant elliephant. i hope you’re enjoying the adventure as much as i am.

{ps} don’t forget to enter to win cookies from yellow duck cookies!

elliephant-sized hugs…

lemme just say i hope you didn’t decide to pass on cookies until easter. because if you did, you’re going to haaaate me for this. actually, you might want to stop reading, right now, just to avoid the temptation i’m throwing your way with the next item up for grabs in my things i love giveaway!

i have a sweet tooth. i get it honest from my nana and i fully blame her – and she knows it. she can’t ever turn down anything made with sugar, even if she claims her belly is full. so, it’s no wonder when the plate of cookies passes my face, i have to swipe one. when a plate of yellow duck cookies comes my way, i’m grabbing two. true story.

yellow duck cookies is owned by melissa linton and she runs the biz outta her digs in clintonville. the girl is constantly baking and she’s smart about her marketing and getting the yellow duck name out in central ohio. i first encountered her cut out cookies at the holiday hop in the short north. i picked up a swag bag when i swung into amy clark studios and lo and behold, one of missy’s iced candy cane cookies was waiting for me. yummo. she had my attention at the first bite and i knew i had to know more about the bakery. so i did what any social media fiend would do, i started creeping. how this lil lady got her start is bittersweet but endearing and it makes me love her even more.

 

it’s you, chelsea…er, masher52!

woot woot! DM me your address and i’ll get the bag in the mail to you tomorrow or tuesday. once you get the bag and stuff in all your running gear, you’ll have to take a pic and send it to me so i can share it on the blog {and make everyone jealous}.

if you didn’t win but are still jonesing for your own whatever bag, get ahold of jess. and remember, if you use EllieSentMe at checkout in her etsy shop, you get 20% off through the end of february. holler.

now, before i get back to my cup o’ tea, and reading trading up by candace bushnell, lemme tell you about my day, because i know you care so much. i’ve been cleaning all morning, the kitchen, cleaning out the fridge {ugh}, sweeping, taking out the trash, and of course messing with coasters {big surprise there, right?}.

thanks to spotify, i’ve been bumping while i clean. here are two of my favorites from the breaking dawn soundtrack {yes, i’m a twi-hard AND a potterhead, shut it}.

i love the lyrics in christina perri’s a thousand years. i sing it, a lot, and wouldn’t mind listening to it on repeat. can the lyrics can any more perfect and heartfelt? all along i believed i would find you / time has brought your heart to me / i have loved you for a thousand years / love you for a thousand more.

not so much the lyrics on this one as i’ve been a fan of iron and wine since a friend introduced me to their tunes in college. flightless bird american mouth is amazeballs. so pretty.

i’m hitting the books. catch you tomorrow with another giveaway, peeps!

i’m looking for options. clearly, i know i can always go back to my optometrist and have them order the suckers for me, but i’m hoping to save a little jack. has anyone used 1.800.contacts or any other online provider? i need input.

i wear biofinity and biofinity toric {my lefty has astigmatism}. one box costs $55 and the other costs $73 at the doc’s. pretty sure there’s a cheaper option out there. can you help me find it?

one more thing! you’re running out to time to win the whatever bag from rowehouse! enter before noon tomorrow or you’re, well, not winning the loot!

nighty night,

lucky for you, this week’s gift wasn’t made by me, or you wouldn’t want it. so, let’s get to it and see what prezzy is in store for one lucky ducky!

have i mentioned how i love making friends through mutual friends, blogging and tweeting? that’s how i met jess that owns rowehouse. she’s a cbusr, runner, knitter and sewer extraordinaire. and she’s one of those peeps with sewing skills that impress me. plus, this gal is super sweet, so genuine, and hardcore – she met up to bring me the bag {and meet in real life finally – yeeeeeay!} when she had been feeling like total horse shit. {excuse the potty mouth, but the girl was draaaaaging}

anywhoodle {stole your word, kimi!} jess has a pretty cool story of how she first started sewing. when she was super young, she and her sis went to grandmas in the summer while mom and dad were at work. jess was bored one day so gma showed her the sewing machine and offered to show her the basics if she could learn to thread it. no easy task. it took her weeks, but she kept after it and finally figured it. 20 – count ‘em – 20 years later, she can’t get away from it. today she sews quilts, bags, clothes, pillows…basically, anything she wants.

in september 2010 jess opened rowehouse on etsy, and a month later she made her first sale to a mutual friend of ours. when you snoop through her shop you’ll find all kinds of stuff. lately, she’s been sewing t-shirt quilts, which she has a blast with because it’s super fun to open a box of shirts to what she gets to put together. she’s made military, sorority/fraternity, college/high school quilts and everything in between. but every now and then, she gets the creative itch and sews something new, and throws it in the shop because she doesn’t have the room to keep it. plus, like me, she’s addicted to pinterest and keeps pinning things to her diy board, so her project list is constantly growing.

you’re not getting a quilt. or a cowl-neck scarf. or a pillow. count your lucky stars and you just might get…this incredible bag so aptly named the “whatever bag.“

you have six chances to win. but you only get those chances if you post a comment after you check something off the list {you know the drill by now!}. you don’t comment, i don’t know you did your homework, and it doesn’t count. so comment, dang it!

1. post a comment about how you’d use the bag {everyday bag, overnight bag, beach bag, travel tote, knitting caddy?}
2. like rowehouse on facebook
3. follow @jess_rowland on twitter
4. tweet “i wanna win @jess_rowland’s whatever bag from @elliehempleman” with a link to this post {link up, dangit!}
5. post a link to your personal facebook page
6. check out rowehouse on etsy and see all the other awesomeness jess whips up because she’s giving you free shipping through the end of the month if you use the code “EllieSentMe” at checkout. fabuloso!

that’s it, kiddos. the giveaway is open until noon on sunday, feb. 19. i’ll use the random generator again to pick a winner, and then i’ll let you know that evening. good luck!

peace out.

not valentiMe’s day. don’t say that to me. i’ll cringe or maybe correct you.

on this day in 1916, i think, my late papa, clarence valentine hempleman, was born.

today, his wife, my gaga {not to be confused with lady gaga} is in the hospital. please pray for her to be strong and to get home soon. we’re staying positive.

i’m single.

but i got valentine’s from some crazy wonderful people.

and my neighbor just brought me over hand-dipped chocolate covered strawberries.

i’m a big fan of love. i think it’s awesome. i’m just not in it right now.

i wore yellow today. not because i’m a v-day hater, but because yellow is the color of friendship. and i’m celebrating all the incredible friendships i’ve made over the past year.

i’m real pumped that froyo is 50% off for singles at josie’s today {don’t worry love birds, your dessert is BOGO}. and yes, i’m taking myself on a date this evening. maybe i’ll run into mr. right.

a guy won the turquoise bracelet giveaway from designs by mandi boutique. get this ladies, he entered the giveaway for his leading lady.

three cheers for you, raymond!
your lady is gonna get a nice spring-y surprise
that neither of you expected.

i’ll get you connected with mandi and she’ll send the bracelet your way. congrats!

thanks again to the rest of y’all for entering. if you aren’t as lucky as courtney, stephanie and raymond, don’t give up. there are still goodies coming your way – the three i promise – plus one more in the works. i don’t mess around when it comes to hooking you guys up, because quite frankly, you rock.

another giveaway’s coming up tomorrow…if i can actually peel myself away from it. i’m attached and it’s not even mine!

hope you’ve felt loved in your corner of the world today.

hugs+kisses,

i think it goes without saying that he grabbed my heart {and every other female with a pulse} when he played noah calhoun in the notebook. that story melts me to pieces, and he played the role perfectly.

this evening i finally got around to watching crazy, stupid, love and was impressed, as always, with his performance. i loved his swagger, laughed at his objectification of women {c’mon, it was funny}, drooled over his shirt-less body, and thoroughly enjoyed him falling for emma stone. if you haven’t seen it, go get it. it’s super entertaining.

the bottom line is, if i ever find myself face-to-face with this mouthwatering canadian, i promise you i will approach and say, “hey, you, come over here and be my boyfriend.” think i’m kidding? he’s a candy aficionado, dog lover, is a modern-day romantic, and he {seems to be} a genuinely nice guy. we’d get along jusssst fine.

that body is intimidating, but i wouldn’t mind seeing it up close. {sorry if you’re reading this mom and that’s TMI}.

anyone else feeling the love for this man? please, say no, that gives me a much better unrealistic shot at making him love me.

who doesn't love a stache? seriously. these are fantastic.

passport stamps because i'm stoked for italy

doilies because they're pretty and the bright colors will look awesome against darker wood.

loving the old school, decorative banner flags

bring the night sky into your living room & study constellations

learn to say welcome in a ton of languages

calling all you sewing fanatics - the pattern is thread

have a favorite new design?

sorry about the silly lens flare, clearly i’m not using my new camera yet.

oh, and don’t forget to enter to win the turquoise bracelet from designs by mandi boutique!

xoxo

so far, courtney’s walked away with a valentine’s day stationary package from lilly pea designs and stephanie’s going to be in a sugar coma thanks to the dozen mocha caramel cupcakes she won from polka dot cupcakery. exciting stuff!

this next giveaway is for the ladies. sorry gents, unless you want to win this for your leading lady, then by all means, keep reading. who likes jewelry? oh, you? great. then chances all you’ll love what designs by mandi boutique wants to add to your jewelry box.

mandi started DBMB around three years ago. she’s always loved jewelry, is a self-proclaimed tech geek, and had dreams of owning a business, so the lovely lady decided to put the two together and open an online accessories boutique. it’s been a match made in heaven ever since.

the girl’s all about bringing you incredible, trendy pieces at truly affordable prices. she has everything you want, ladies…rings, bracelets, earrings, necklaces…it’s all there, and it’s super cute. don’t say i didn’t warn you though, browse at your own peril. i already have a wish list – last time we met up i nearly tried to jack the necklace she was wearing {girl had the audacity to wear a blinged out elliephant around me!}.

mandi’s going to add some style to one lucky lady’s jewelry collection with this turquoise bracelet:

are you in love? i kinda am. i’m a big fan of turquoise jewelry, i only wear silver, and i like the braided rope look, too. it’s a great piece and will make any outfit look fab. right?

if you do your homework, you’ll get entered into the drawing six times. here’s how:

1. leave a comment and tell me which accessory you won’t leave home without {wedding rings don’t count – you can be more creative than that}
2. like designs by mandi boutique on facebook
3. follow @designsbymandi on twitter
4. tweet “i want @elliehempleman to hook me up with a bracelet from @designsbymandi” with a link to this post {don’t forget the link!}
5. share this post on your personal facebook page
6. visit designs by mandi boutique, shop around and tell me which piece is going on your wish list

you have until noon EST on valentine’s day to enter {that’s tuesday, feb. 14, just to clarify}.

wondering which pieces i’m jonesing for? i’m obsessed with post earrings and love chunky rings. i especially enjoy things that look expensive, but aren’t, like…

have a good weekend, sweets!

HOMAGE is the official outfitter of the nuthouse. almost every single student can be seen rocking scarlet, grey & white zubaz, a buckeye nuthouse tee, a we’re nuts hat, and throwing around a rah rag. it’s just how we roll.

i’ve been dying to have my own pair of zubs since my brother rocked them at the osu/duke game. i just hadn’t bought them yet.

turns out that lack of a decision, err laziness, was a good thing. HOMAGE tweeted about a buckeye nuthouse swag giveaway and all you had to do was send out a RT to enter. hella easy. i RTed that bad boy the moment i saw it.

sweet mother mary, would you believe it, i won. i never-ever-ever win anything. like, seriously, neverrrrr. until now. and not only did i win, but my fellow cool kids club member, marky-mark, won a prize pack, too…and he started following them because of moi. can i get a woot woot for hooking up a friend?!

seeing this puppy on my doorstep when i got home from work put some pep in my step!

check out my loot! pretty sure i need tickets to a game now so i can rep my favorite local threads and show my endless devotion to the o-h-i-o.

me? excited? not at all…

thanks HOMAGE, i now love you more than i did before, which was already a lot. matt & ben…you rock my face off.

and now there’s proof – i’m nuts!