When we began brainstorming our Spring Collection theme, Blooming Beautifully, little did we know we'd find inspiration in our morning cup of tea. Part of our daily ritual (since discovering coffee just isn't a fit for us, despite loving it so) is starting a kettle of hot water on our stove top and pouring it over the beautiful blends of tea from Elmwood Inn. 

When we scoop a spoonful of their Ayurvedic herbs and green teas from its jar, we never cease to be astonished by the subtle range of hue and texture in each assortment, notably from the dried blooms that are found scattered through the mix. Whether the Yoga Blend (pictured above) with its chrysanthemum blossoms and marigold petals, or the Temple Garden blend that shows off the prettiest pink rosebuds, we find such delight and joy in the flowers that frequent our cup.

It occurred to us that spring, with its emphasis on fresh starts and new beginnings, might be just the time to share how we commence each day, opening up to possibility and presence, encouraged by the beautiful blooms in our beverage to find beauty in every moment along the way.

*A special thanks to Bruce and Shelley Richardson, dear friends, (who were kind and brave enough to offer me a job serving tea as a student when they operated their beautiful tea room in historic Perryville, Kentucky) tea experts and wonderful people, for creating and passing along these beautiful blends. Follow along their tea journey on Instagram--it's a delight!

• - Follow us at elvaawesome on Instagram.

• - We'll offer one-of-a-kind goodness (jewelry, vintage finds, maybe even occasional artwork) in daily-ish auctions listed with a description on our account.

• - Prices, as the name suggests, will be awesome.

• - The first person to post with the comment SOLD and their email address wins the item pictured.

• - An invoice will be sent to the winning email address and the item shipped following payment.

• - The winner receives the item and a bit of Elva Awesome in their life.  Pretty fantastic.

* the long version / full story:

We have lots of onesies floating around the studio.  Not the baby clothes variety (though it's highly likely a Barbie shoe or unicorn is hiding in the studio somewhere thanks to our favorite two little ladies who like to frequent this joint), but the one-of-a-kind jewelry type of onesie. 

You know, we'll discover a really great pair of beads, turn them into earrings, but because we only have one pair, we don't spend the time to list them on the site with our full collections.  And so they sit.  For a really long time.  And they take up space in our tiny spot.  And then we forget about them.  Until we find them again months later when, perhaps, we're looking for a lost Barbie shoe for one of the aforementioned little ladies.  And we think, "Aw, man. These earrings are so great. Someone should enjoy them. It stinks that they're just hanging out on a shelf when they could be hanging from someone's ears having a really good time."

Share the love and feel the love, friends--we're celebrating Valentine's Day here at Elva with a fun #vintagevalentine giveaway on Instagram! 

Here's the scoop:

• follow us on Instagram
• like this photo on our feed
• tag two friends in the comments
• share this photo on your feed and tag us in it
• find out next week if you and your peeps won these old-school vintage heart lockets to wear in time for your own #vintagevalentine fun!

Announcing our latest line-up of studio fun! Classes are such a happy way to enjoy an afternoon or evening of creativity.  Browse our workshop offerings and join us for some jewelry goodness in our cozy Louisville, Kentucky spot in the heart of Crescent Hill!

[See the class listings here.]