headbands and sea animals!

It amazes me how awesome and creative people are on Etsy! I am obsessed with checking out other people's items... I found this GORGEOUS headband and am so in love with it!!!! Would it be inappropraite to wear this every day?????? :)

Andrew and I spent a lovely day at Sea World with our playgroup friends... we had so much fun, even though it was super hot! Shamu splashed us and cooled us off a bit though :) Andrew is so into all kinds of sea animals, so this was quite the day for him. I have lots of cute pictures and wanted to post them tonite, but frankly, I am too freakin' lazy to go get my camera. So they will have to wait until tomorrow! Good night, bloggers!


PS. Anyone watch The Bachelor???? Here is to hoping he proposes to Shayne.. she is awesome! And I bet she would love that headband!! :)

exercise is the enemy.

I have been trying my hardest to lose weight lately. I have been eating much healthier, I gave up Diet Coke three whole days this week (I am in serious withdraw!!!!) and I have been reluctantly attempting to exercise. The past two days I have been running and swimming and am actually very proud of myself!

But usually it is such a struggle to get my big butt onto the treadmill... so I have decided to have a goal "look" in my mind to help me get to my goal weight. I was watching Gossip Girl today (Yes, I love that show, I am not ashamed to admit it!) and I cannot even express how much I love Blake Lively on that show, and her CUTE outfits. How seriously cool is she?!! I might have to bust the sewing machine out and make some cute clothes!

I do already have the boots covered- I saw her wearing those ridiculously awesome over-the-knee boots and purchased the same pair in brown immediately. Now I just need to lose the rest of my weight and make some new clothes for myself!! I am down 15 pounds total, so let's all hope I can keep up the good work! ;)

Also, I was watching a movie that we got from NetFlix last night. I don't think it came out in theatres, but it was actually much better than I thought it was going to be. It was called "Suburban Girl" and starred Sarah Michelle Gellar and Alec Baldwin. It was a good romantic-ish kind of movie, but the best part was Sarah's wardrobe!!! I have been google-ing all evening, but can't find the pictures I am looking for. This one is the best I could find, but I cannot stress how freakin' cute she was in this movie! It is worth renting just for the style inspirations, seriously!





And in completely unrelated news, I added more items to my Etsy shop! I am so proud of the cute tags I have been creating, and am looking forward to sewing some things to put up for sale as soon as I can. With finals looming ahead, I am so looking forward to summer when I can relax and do lots of sewing, scrapbooking, crafting, etc, etc, etc!! Oh yes, and exercising......

in need of some inspiration..

I am in serious need of some inspiration regarding my bedroom's sad decor. I have a beautiful space to decorate, but for some reason, I am having a creative "block"... so I started to Google pretty rooms and ended up at Domino. I love that magazine and was shocked that I had never been to the website. But I was happily surprised because there were so many pictures to draw inspiration from... this pink room below was one of my favorites!

While I couldn't handle living in the "pink" of that room, I love the feel the room has. It is simple, which I have problems achieving. I always clutter up extra space, and maybe that is my problem... maybe I should scale back my decorating plans and then possibly I would end up with the perfect room????

Well I have gotten out my summery white flowers and my bedroom is clean and ready to be decorated.. now it is just a matter of getting off the computer and getting to it!! :) I have such procrastination problems when it comes to things like this....

Although it is a very nice day today, maybe I'll take Andrew outside and go lay by the pool for a bit.... ;)

my etsy store is OPEN!

It took me a while, but I finally have items listed on my Etsy store!!! I have been working so hard the past few days at getting some things for sale, and I finally did it. If you have a few spare moments, pop over to Etsy and check out my new items. I will be posting more this next week, so make sure you keep me as a favorite! I am so excited and proud to have handmade things for sale on such an amazing website! xo!!

Those are the items listed so far.. they are so darling!! :) I can't wait to get more up later...

I will post an actual blog later this evening... something besides my crazy Etsy rambling!! Stay tuned! :)

creating... !!

I have been busy all evening working on my first Etsy store collection! Stamping, cutting, pasting, glittering, etc, etc...!! My camera is not too adept at taking close-ups, so I am working on the photography for my items more tomorrow. But I was just so pleased with the outcome of all the tags I have been making that I decided to post some of the not-so-good pictures anyway! My first grouping of items should be for sale by tomorrow evening, so check back soon!!

I know, the pictures are total crap.

But the tags are f-a-b-u-l-o-u-s.. !!

Goodnight!

The little one is having a sleepover with his dad tonite, so I am missing him tonite! But they made a little message and emailed it to me so I could see it when I got home from school. So sweet! :)

the urge to bake has returned!

I absolutely love to bake! Cookies, cake, cupcakes, pies, etc.... anything yummy and sweet! I think I like to bake because sweets are my serious downfall. I love anything sugary and delicious and I love to actually bake them even more!

Lately, I haven't baked anything at all because I have been trying to watch my sugar intake and I've been trying to eat much healthier. But I suddenly have a serious urge to bake something! Perusing the Martha Stewart website, I have been bookmarking recipes that I can't wait to try. How amazing does that shortbread look up there???

And I always love chocolate-y, peanut butter-y, nutty, yummy little cookie balls! Can't wait to whip up a batch...

And ok, ok.. I know this is not a dessert, but it is a great looking recipe from Martha that is a more "gourmet" take on macaroni and cheese. Can't wait to try all of these!!! I will keep you posted with my kitchen endeavors... although I'm guessing mine won't turn out perfect like these pictures haha!

Now I just need to get myself to the grocery store......... :)

PS. I threw a Play-Doh party for Andrew and all the kids and moms in my playgroup earlier today. It was such a success and we had so much fun making Play-Doh art!! Andrew is still playing with it... :) BUT.. I forgot to take pictures today at the party, which I seriously regret. Those kids were so cute crowded around the table with the masses of Play-Doh!! :)

i just love you..

The little one often gives me the sweetest little look and says to me.. "Mommy.. I just love you." And those few tiny words make my heart flutter. Who needs a boyfriend/husband/significant other/etc when you have such an important man in your life already?!! :)

I have been seriously collecting photos of Andrew the past couple days, meaning to post them on here. But life has gotten in the way and I haven't had a spare moment to blog. Anyway, here is a sprinkling of darling little pictures of the most adored little child in my life.. enjoy!

My OCD child, who must line his toys up in perfect patterns and have me document the "line-ups" with photos that he must see and approve... :) (Oh! And notice the "ba" in his mouth that we can't quite seem to give up yet!)

I go to school two afternoons/nights per week, and my lovely parents watch Andrew while I am gone. My mom, or "Ni-Ni" as Andrew calls her, snapped a few tub-time shots earlier tonite which I quite enjoyed!!

Each night when I go up to bed, I creep into Andrew's room to check on him... a habit from when he was a tiny baby I guess! Tonight he looked especially cozy with all of his pillows that I have made him, his blankie that he refers to as his "Blue" and his Tinkerbell blanket that my sister made him. :) I had to sneak a picture in... what a little sweet-pea!

"I just love you" too, little one! <3

blooms!

Anyone that knows me understands that I am NOT into gardening. What-so-everrrr. But, my mom and my son love it. Andrew can't figure out why I don't like sitting out in the dirt and digging... I'm sure it stems back to the painstaking days that my sister and I spent weeding the slope in front of our old house in the blazing hot sun. NOT cool, especially when cute boys in the neighborhood are driving by and we were sweating bullets doing awful manual labor..!! (ie. chores!)

However, I do appreciate pretty flowers and plants, I just don't like to actually plant and take care of them. My mom has been planting roses and this year they bloomed and are so pretty! So while I sort of stole this photo from her blog (sorry, Momma!!)... I was actually the photographer for this particular picture and figured I, too, have the right to blog about it! :) The roses are in our front yard and it makes me happy when I drive up to the house and see them!

martha = amazing.

I am one of those girls who checks the Martha Stewart website almost every single day. I have a mild obsession with her, which I'm sure stems back to when my mother watched Martha alllll the time. Back then, I didn't get why she did... but now as an adult who loves to craft and sew, I get it. I totally get it. In fact, one of my secret life goals is to be on the Martha show.. seriously, I LOVE HER. :)

I have one page in particular on her website that I go to quite a bit. She has a craft of the day page, and I love looking at all of her ideas! Here are a few pictures I saved that I love, love, love.

She made this awesome "flower" arrangement out of paper! How cool can Martha get???? I really want to make these exact flowers, but it will probably take me about sixteen hours to finish them, so I have yet to attempt them.

Is this reason enough to have some sort of dinner party??? I cannot even express to you how much I love this little place card idea... how freakin' pretty, I can't even stand it.

OK, so my sister makes fun of me because I love little birdie paraphernalia.... but in reality, real birds scare the crap out of me. Birds that are framed or made out of ceramics?? I love them. Yes, weird I know... but how cute is this little framed birdie business?? I love frames, and these ones are made using beans to decorate them. BEANS! Martha, you are killing me, you are so clever.

So enough of my Martha love-fest. It is safe to say I love her way too much and aspire to be just like her. :) It's a good thing.

I want to live my life inside "brocade" ...

I always have ideas concerning my decorating style. Am I the "shabby-chic" kind of girl, with lots of ruffles and frill and white walls and cute prints? Or am I the "bo-ho" look, with mis-matched bright pop fabrics and funky accessories??? Am I city chic, with streamlined furniture and minimal clutter??? Or do I want the clutter? What it boils down to is.... I don't know.

But what I do know is, is that I would love my life to take place inside a Brocade catalog. Every time I receive this catalog in the mail, I drool over it!! I mean, drooooooool over it. Move me in!!! It is amazing. Gorgeous beds, gorgeous chandeliers hung in bizarre places, gorgeous mirrors that would look perfect with my mercury glass obsession....... drool, drool, drool.

The only problem is, this room will never happen to me. Why? Because it would drive me absolutely crazy to exist in a room with no color and no clutter and no coziness. So there it is, is that my decorating style??? Cluttered, cozy and colorful?? Yes, when I hear those three words I immediately feel cheerful and I can envision the type of room and type of house I want to exist in. And unfortunately, it actually is not the one pictured above.

...I think tomorrow I am going to work very hard at making my space something that truly makes me feel cozy and happy, something I seriously love.

But for tonight, I will still imagine that I live in the metallic Brocade bedroom.... A girl can dream, can't she???? :)

my current obsession???

DAVID COOK from American Idol!! I believe he and I might be meant to be. He was absolutely amazing tonite singing Mariah Carey! Wow..... :)

do ducks eat pasta??

This morning I got quite a lot of sewing accomplished... which of course makes me very, very ecstatic!!! Two aprons have been completed and they are oh-so-adorable. They will be up on Etsy as soon as I finish a few more and can post a whole batch of them! :)

I asked Andrew if he would like me to make him some pasta and he then asked me... "Do ducks eat pasta?" He has been playing with a few little stuffed animals (the famous "pin cushions" from my previous blog!) and two rubber snakes for days now. He needed to make sure that I would fix them some lunch as well! The duck asked for pasta just like Andrew likes it... "tube" pasta with lots of parmesan cheese. One snake and the dog just wanted parmesan cheese in a bowl. And the second snake, along with Mr. Frog, needed pasta very plain. So there I was, making lunch for six.

I think it turned out quite well, and now everyone is fed and happy... ;)

Off to get the little one down for a nap, and then I am off for an evening at school. Anatomy until 10:30pm is not sounding too pleasant at the moment.....

"I wish I liked anything as much as my kids like bubbles."

Andrew got a new bubble blower. It is super tiny, but boy does it produce a mass of beautiful bubbles!!! He had so much fun outside this afternoon... that child could play outside all day if I let him. :)

PS. Anyone recognize the quote from "Knocked Up" in my title?????!

pin cushion???

The little one was napping while I was stitchin' like a mad woman on my aprons! And when he woke up, he decided to help me a bit by picking up all of my pins and sticking them into these new "pin cushions" that he fashioned out of his small stuffed animals. Clever! :)

strawberry fields... !!

Andrew and I spent a wonderful little morning together. We went strawberry picking at a field over by the coast and picked so many scrumptious strawberries... and of course, Andrew sneaked quite a few while we were there!! (As you can see by the red strawberry juice on his chin in the photo!)

We also stopped by a new park today, and Andrew has now named it "Great Day Park" because he said had such a great day.. :) It really was a beautiful park... huge trees hanging over the playground provided lots of shade so I didn't have to worry about the sun burning the little one's cheeks!

Off to do some sewing as he takes his nap.. I am making an adorable little apron that will soon be gracing Etsy with it's presence... xo!

I would LOVE a venetian mirror in my wardrobe!

I came across this photo on one of my favorite blogs, absolutely beautiful things. Anna Spiro posts such gorgeous things on her blog and it always inspires me so much! This picture in particular is of a venetian mirror in her wardrobe.. how seriously awesome is that?! I would kill for that mirror. I need it. Just a tad bit of pretty-ness before my head hits the pillow...

My "Glamour" arrived a few days ago..

...and I was seriously excited that Fergie was on the front!!! I love her, I admit it. I think she is awesome and stunning and she has very addictive songs that I sing to at an incredibly loud volume in my car.

Anyways.... this picture is in this issue of Glamour. How slammin' is her bod?! My sister and I implemented our so-called "Slammin' Bod Routines" to get in shape for summer. Having packed on the pounds in recent months, I felt it was time to ditch the extra baggage and get sexy again! And Fergie is my inspiration!

And really, Fergie and I do look quite similar. I mean, take this next photo of myself a few weeks ago. Twins, you might say, right???? ;)

.... so I don't think I'll have any problem looking exactly like Fergie in a few months time. I'll keep you posted on my progress. :)

there is hope !!

This one small picture represents my one sliver of "decorating" hope as of now... Having been so overwhelmed lately with school, the little one, running a playgroup, and life in general, my housekeeping has slacked quite a bit I'm afraid! But this picture gives me much needed hope that I can pull myself together soon and get everything looking dazzling again!!!

This picture above is in my bedroom and is what I did on top of a cabinet full of little glass and silver pieces. So needless to say, I am very proud! Pretty spring flowers, my mercury glass which I am seriously obsessed with, a couple photos of New York City bridges (can't get enough of that city!!!!) and an awesome mirror that a friend generously gave to me! Ahhh..... what beautiful-ness. :)

splish, splash !

Our front yard was full of fun this afternoon after Andrew's nap. He got a hold of the hose and went nuts. :)

Toes in the water.. !

I just now got Andrew to sleep. Wayyyy late I know, but he was having such an unbelievably lovely evening that it was hard for me to make him cut it short and go to sleep. And he was surfin' the net quite a bit, and in particular, Etsy! That's right, my 3 year old loves Etsy as much as I do! He was looking at these plush stuffed animal monsters. How stinkin' cute is that?!!

Off to watch The Biggest Loser that I recorded days ago... I am going to need that little bit of inspiration to get myself back on the treadmill tomorrow. :)

Chit-chat soon! xo!

etsy shop is up!

.... although no items are for sale yet. :) But the shop itself is so cute, I had to post about it! Here is a link to Mommy-Holly Designs.

the little one..

When I chit-chat about "the little one," I am referring to my darling son, Andrew. He will turn 4 in May... how does time fly so incredibly fast??! Here are a few photos of him over the past few years. <3

At Oceanside Pier last year.. a chilly day at the beach and Andrew couldn't stop watching the seagulls.

A trip to the Wild Animal Park we took recently. Andrew is doing his little "pose" for the camera!

An older picture.. I believe he was about 1 and a half here. But how sweet is this little photo?!

My little bug who loves everything pink. He is holding his "Angelina Ballerina" stuffed animals. This was also a while back, I am guessing right before he turned two. And check out the hair!!!! :)

So there are a few little snapshots of the most important person in my life!! He and I spend almost everyday together, and we sure do have fun.

I will post a bit more about myself soon.. I am in the middle of trying to get an Etsy account established for myself. I will be posting some aprons and handmade goodies up there as soon as I can get it together to sew them.

Chit-chat soon! xo!

Holly has a blog?!!?

And why did I decide to become part of the ever-popular "blog-world"? The answer is because of my mom! My sister and I have been endlessly teasing her about being obsessed with reading blogs and she finally decided to start her own. Needing my help with the computer aspect of the blog, I helped her design and write her first blog. And you know what?? I was hooked!

So here I am, blogging! Please keep up with me and the little one and all our adventures. :)