Eye (Have Been) Spied....by CakeSpy!!!

The world of baked goods is very small and very connected too it would seem - remember that old shampoo commercial where the girl told a friend and then she told a friend and so on and so on and so on... Well, I baked a cookie for one friend for her softball-loving daughter (Karen!), and she gave a sample to her cookie-loving neighbor (Jill!!) and then Jill spread the word faster then I can spread icing on one of my cookies! Next thing I know, I'm featured in the 'Batter Chatter' section of Cakespy.com. An awesome blog based here in Seattle that is dedicated to "Seeking Sweetness in Everyday Life".
Check it out: http://www.cakespy.com/blog/2011/4/7/batter-chatter-interview-with-stacy-heller-of-onesmartcookie.html

Above are the softballs heard 'round the world...
and it's a small word (after all).

Dream Big

It's been forever since I last posted...I know, I know - Catholic guilt even works with blog entries. Kids and cookies have taken over my life of late. Now I realize that these are the very types of things that I'm supposed to be blogging about with reckless abandon, but I don't seem to be inspired lately to talk about me or my cookies. Bad I know...I'm shy? No? Okay, how about I'm humble? Fine, I'm lazy. Happy!?

Recently at a lunch with some girlfriends celebrating my 41st birthday we discussed my goals for the second half of my life. This was after I announced I had woken up on my birthday morning realizing that the first half of my life is over - DONE. I was wondering aloud how you top being born, learning to walk and talk, getting married and having kids?!?! Apparently you can top these things - it's called following your dreams. Now I'm old enough to realize them.

Huh.

In the meantime, I'm working on making other people's dream cookies a reality.

A Semi-Precious Cookie Design!

My friend Alene has a sister Jane that designs beautiful beaded jewelry. Alene was hosting a Trunk Show for her and asked me to bake some cookies for the show. I have to say, I was REALLY nervous! I scoured the web looking for inspiration, but there's not many "jewelry" cookies out there. Ultimately, I found my greatest inspiration from Jane and her Lily Bead Jewelry designs. Her gallery was a trove of ideas that made me giddy with greed. Check out her website: www.lilybeadjewelry.com

Why I fell for Fall...

Fall is my favorite time of year. Every year I break apart a little in the beginning (loose a few leaves so to speak) and then I re-group and re-energize feeling more creative and aware. I always think of it as the start of a new year...even more so than January 1 (when there's too much pressure to perform)! Besides the obvious (kids are gone -yay!), fall is truly a full-on sensory experience: the air gradually cools to brisk, colors are sharper, more rich; the haze of summer gone. Scents are everywhere - back-to-school new shoe smell, ripened apples, Sunday afternoon fires, rain and of course, baking. Mostly I love that food becomes more complex after a summer of simple fare, there are layers of taste in autumn foods that comfort your soul and palate. It's time for molasses cookies...

Boats for a New baby Boy

My girlfriend Karen back east has a sister, Katie, who is pregnant with her first child...and it's a boy!! Katie and her husband are "boat" people so for the baby shower I created Baby Boy Boats. They came out super cute and I was thrilled they shipped across country with no problems. I am SO excited for Katie and Robbie; they will be awesome parents. I love being a part of such fun events - this is a great job!

Cinco de Mayo: Sombreros

This is where I'm supposed to start writing in Spanish...pero no hablas Espanol (clearly)! Even though I don't speak the language, I have come to LOVE Cinco de Mayo. For the past couple years it has been an opportunity to hang with friends, drink cervesa (that's beer, folks) and eat copious amounts of Mexican food.

These cookies are for a client who was hosting a Cinco de Mayo party...feliz Cinco de Mayo!

Cheers to Starbucks!

I was asked by a client to create "Coffee" cookies for her husband's assistant for Administrtive Assistant Day in April. She was planning on a Starbucks gift card and wanted some cookies to go with it...afterall, what's better than cookies with coffee?! I was anxious about how to marry the Starbucks brand with my personal vision. I'm happy with the outcome; I kept it simple. My client sent a picture and they looked so cute with the carrier, cups and card!