piles and piles...

...of new things in the shop! :)
It's been a while since a pile of new greeting cards have been in the shop, so I am feeling so happy that Mommy Holly looks very full right now. Lots and lots of fun greeting cards for those upcoming weddings, graduations, and birthdays that may be coming up in your lives very soon.

1. Cheery Happy Birthday Card
2. Sweet Deer Congrats Card
3. Sweet Trees Thank You Card
4. Bright & Cheery Hello Sunshine Card

Take a peek!
And do you receive my newsletter yet?
It's got coupons every month for you, so don't miss out!
Happy Thursday, xo! :)

martha's snickerdoodles.

This week is Teacher Appreciation at Andrew's school, so we thought a batch of homemade cookies would be a nice treat for his kindergarten teacher tomorrow. Out came Martha Stewart's Cookie Book, and Andrew set off to find a recipe he wanted to make with me.

Snickerdoodles

From Martha Stewart's Cookies

{& recently blogged about over here at one of my favorite blogs!}

2 3/4 cups all-purpose flour

2 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp coarse salt

1 cups (2 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature

1 1/2 cups sugar

2 large eggs

-

2 tbsp sugar

2 tsp ground cinnamon

Preheat oven to 350F. Sift together flour, baking powder and salt into a bowl. Put butter and 1 1/2 cups sugar in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. Mix on medium speed until pale and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Mix in eggs. Reduce speed to low; gradually mix in flour mixture.
Stir together cinnamon and remaining 2 tablespoons sugar in a small bowl. Shape dough into 1 3/4-inch balls; roll in cinnamon sugar. Space 3 inches apart on baking sheets lined with parchment paper.
Bake cookies, rotating sheets halfway through, until edges are golden, 12 to 15 minutes. Let cool on sheets on wire racks.

*Martha says this recipe makes 20.

I made 36.

You be the judge on how many this recipe makes for you. :)

Happy baking, xo! :)

he's just so pretty!

I am listing new items on Etsy..
but
I can't stop watching/listening to this.

I love Adam Lambert.
And I am wishing someone this year
on American Idol would be this amazing.
{Not gonna happen, unfortunately.}
So I will continue to drool over the prettiness of Adam. :)
xo!

shop love no.6

I had such a hard time deciding which shop to feature this week.

With the Queen Bee Market this past weekend,

I had an abundance of shop inspiration to choose from!

SO...

I chose two!

I did a little shopping there and want to share two of my fab finds with you. :)

Onto the yummy Etsy goods....

1. Stacey Winters' Fabric and Paper Brooch

{Bought one for my momma for Mother's Day and it is oh-so-darling. And you know I love the bits of dictionary pages in this brooch. Genius!}

2. Emily Sparks Blooming Headband

{Comes in a variety of colors. I love love love my slate grey one and have had a serious problem taking it off my head. :) }

Let's just say...

These Queen Bees were extra-talented.

Happy shopping, xo! :)

a fantastic event.

Finally getting around to posting pictures.

The Queen Bee Market was such a success!

It was gorgeous & so much fun to be a part of.

Jessica & Mique did a fantastic job!!

And guess what?!

Another one will be happening this fall!! :)

You know that makes me extra excited!

Here are the only photos I got of the event...

{I am kicking myself for not taking more pictures!}

My booth from the night of set-up...

There's my mom's booth, Heidi Devlin Design, next to me! You can also see the booths of A Stone's Throw and Brixton Lane here as well! :)

My mom's gorgeous pillows!

All in all,

a spectacular event and one that will hopefully only grow in the future!!

It was so great to finally meet some blogger-friends,

and shop among friends & talented women!

And for those of you who missed the Queen Bee Market...
what were you thinking?! ;)
{Just kidding...!}
But you can shop now at Mommy Holly..
LOTS of new & exciting items in the shop...

I will be listing items like a crazy person, so keep checking in, my friends!!
And thank you again to everyone who came to the Queen Bee!

xo!

excitement!!

To everyone within driving distance of Carlsbad, California...
Come out and visit me at the
Queen Bee Market!
{Saturday, May 1st from 10am to 6pm}

The vendors are amazing,
The merchandise is incredible,
and we had the best time setting up our booths tonite!!
Can't wait to shop, shop, shop tomorrow!!!
And with Mother's Day coming up next week,
this is the perfect event to pick up something special!
LOTS of photos coming soon....

xo! :)

things that are making me happy.

- My sweet little dictionary birdies made it to the front page of Etsy this evening! Yay! Go birdies! :)

-T minus two days until this fabulous event! Who's going to be at the Queen Bee Market on Saturday?! I can't wait to show off all of the fun items I've been working so hard on.

-Parenthood. Anyone else watching this hilarious and wonderful new show?

-An awesome blogger event is coming up for all of us girls here in Southern California. Heard about Blog Sugar yet?! I am so happy to be able to make it to this one at the end of May!

-Possibly being able to see the new J.Lo movie on Sunday! Anyone seen The Back Up Plan yet? I can't wait for a much needed {and oh-so-relaxing} day off. :)

-My new necklace. So cute and the color is perfect for spring. I love Forever 21!

-I am on a baking streak and am dying to try this recipe from the most beautiful food blog. If you have a seriously yummy recipe, feel free to let me know. I am determined to become a better cook/baker/eater/etc. :)

-Knowing that as soon as I post this blog, I have a cozy bed to snuggle up in and I'll fall asleep watching old Friends dvds. :)

And on a not so happy note...

-What is WITH the voters on American Idol this year? And tonight's show.... Michael Lynche is still in?? And Siobhan got kicked out tonight?! BOO. Anyone else think the show is slightly dull this year?

OK!

Ranting done, I am now off to sleep. :)

xo!

shop love no. 5

This shop is so cute, I could eat it all up!
{Literally!!}
SugarRobot is the most fanciful shop on Etsy,
stocked full with edible decorations for your next party treat!
Or if you just want to make extra-fancy cupcakes for yourself,
which I personally think is a fantastic idea.
I mean,
who wouldn't want to sit down and devour one of these?! :)





OK, now I want a cupcake. :)
SugarRobot is amazing.
Happy Tuesday, xo!

lemon bars and a sneak peak!

Ok, baker-girls! Get your ingredients and mixing spoons at the ready. Here's another fab-tastic recipe that I whipped up the other evening! And PS. Notice there are no great after photos. Yes, we ate them that quickly. :) Onto the recipe...

Lemon Bars
From Get Togethers Cookbook

Ingredients:
2 cups flour, divided
1/2 cup powdered sugar
1/4 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup butter, softened
4 eggs
1 1/2 cups sugar
1/2 cup lemon juice
Garnish: powdered sugar

For crust, combine 1 1/2 cups flour, powdered sugar and salt in a medium bowl. Cut in butter with a fork until mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Press into a 9x9-ish baking pan in an even layer. Bake at 350 degrees for 15 to 18 minutes, until just golden at edges. To make filling, whisk together eggs and sugar in a medium bowl until smooth. Stir in lemon juice, then remaining flour. Pour filling over baked crust. Reduce heat to 325 degrees; bake 25 to 30 minutes, until filling has just set. Let cool for at least 30 minutes, then dust with powdered sugar and you've got a dream dessert ready for you! :)


And...
To keep with this lemon and yellow and happy theme, here's a sneak peak for you as to what's going on behind the scenes while I get ready for the Queen Bee Market this Saturday!

There's going to be piles of cute things.
I hope you can come visit me & shop, shop, shop! :)
xo!

a thrift store find and a very frightened cat.

Max is under the impression that a large cheetah has taken up residence in our home. :) The cheetah has made Andrew very happy. Seven dollars very well spent at the local thrift shop!
And PS.
My house smells mouth-watering.
Lemon bars just out of the oven...
recipe to follow on Monday!
Enjoy the rest of your weekend, xo!

happy weekend sale! :)

This weekend I am:
cutting
gluing
stamping
creating
etc
etc
etc
rinse&repeat!
{Notice I am not shopping like I'd like to.}

SO...
If you are shopping this weekend,
enjoy 20% off in my shop!
Just include the code "weekend20" in the message to seller section
and pay like normal!
I'll refund you your 20% through PayPal! :)
{Discount given before shipping & not available on custom orders!}
Happy weekend!!
xo!

dear orianthi,

I love your song.
I can't stop listening to it!
You are addicting.
Your video is super cute.
So are you!
I adore your hair and bangs.
Where did you buy your cute clothes?
Oh yes, and I'm painting my nails purple tonight.
Love, Holly :)

And for those of you who have not been blessed with listening to Orianthi,
please enjoy!
{Although since I am a complete music idiot lately, you've all probably already heard it. I don't listen to the radio anymore. Ever. So I am not aware of pop music anymore. Sigh. Things were easier when all I had to love were NSync and Britney.}

And one more thing while I'm on the popular music topic....
do girls really think this little tool is sexy?!

I hadn't heard Justin Bieber's name until recently and now he is all I ever hear about. So I finally got with the program and googled him. I have to admit, his song is annoyingly catchy and now I can't stop humming it. So I decided to add it to my playlist as well.
Now you all can be singing along to his girlie song like me!
You are so welcome. ;)
Your world, is myworld!
My fight, is your fight!
My breath, is your breath!
OK, I'm done.
xo!

raindrops make me happy.

Rain makes me so happy.

I feel cozy and inspired when the rain is falling outside.

Maybe this is nature's way of telling me to stay inside

and get to work with all of my items for the Queen Bee Market?

Yes, I think so.

I will sip my cup of coffee, get Andrew off to school and then off to work I go!

Thank you, rain. :)

xo!

ps. {print found here.}

rocky road bites.

Andrew helped me make this fantastic recipe the other evening.

{And excuse his odd "hat" in this photo. He got "how to train your dragon" pajamas and has not wanted to remove the cape that goes with them yet haha!}

This is one of those recipes that is 100% kid-friendly, fool-proof, and you will have so much fun tossing chocolate chips onto the graham crackers together! :)

Crispy Rocky Road Bites

from Get Togethers Cookbook

Ingredients:

24 chocolate graham cracker squares

{However, I used regular graham crackers and it was amazing!}

1/2 cup butter, melted

12 oz. package semi-sweet chocolate chips, divided

1 cup white chocolate chips

1 cup toffee chips

{I am not a fan of toffee, so I used those yummy Reese's chips instead, which I highly recommend!}

2 cups mini marshmallows

{We had extra bunny-mallows left over from Easter, so ours are pastel colored haha!}

Arrange graham crackers on a jelly roll pan or cookie sheet, sides touching. Pour melted butter over crackers; sprinkle with 1 1/2 cups of chocolate chips and white chocolate chips. Bake for 8 to 10 minutes at 350 degrees, until butter is absorbed. Using a spatula, spread melted chips over crackers; sprinkle with toffee {or peanut butter chips} and marshmallows. Return to oven for 3 minutes, or until marshmallows begin to soften. Set aside. Place remaining chocolate chips in a small ziploc bag. Microwave on medium setting until chips melt, about 2 1/2 to 3 minutes. Snip a small hole in one corner of bag and drizzle chocolate over crackers. Let cool for at least 30 minutes until set.

And here is my warning to you all...

These are so hard to stop eating.

Proceed with caution. :)

xo!

shop love no. 4

If you have been a recent customer of my shop, you will notice the cute birdie label stickers I use on a lot of my merchandise! I purchased them from the amazing & talented Cindy of Letter C Design!! Her shop is so lovely. You will want sticker after sticker. And print after print. And her items are so well-priced that you can shop like crazy with her and not feel bad about it!
Please visit Letter C and say hello for me! :)


heart in the middle address labels


follow your bliss bike print


woodland return address labels


spread your wings butterfly print

Happy Tuesday, xo! :)
PS.
Stop in tomorrow for a killer recipe {again}!