OneSmartCookie Jar

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

2011-04-08T08:42:00.000-07:00

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

2011-04-02T21:47:00.000-07:00

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!

2010-12-01T12:47:00.000-08:00

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...

2010-09-16T10:57:00.000-07:00

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

2010-05-06T22:58:00.000-07:00

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

2010-05-06T22:46:00.000-07:00

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!

2010-05-06T22:33:00.000-07:00

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!

Mom's Birthday

2010-01-31T21:18:00.000-08:00

Mom turned 70 last week... My brothers and I (with our spouses) all met in Princeton to celebrate with her and Dad. It was great to have everyone together again; it's been a REALLY long time. Although we missed the kids, it was good to be a kid again and fete Mom without having to "fetch" for a kid.

My Godmother Reggie; who is one of Mom's oldest and dearest friends (not old in that way!), wanted to give Mom a token gift for her birthday; some way to celebrate without fuss or fanfare...what to give, what to give?

Ah ha! A OneSmartCookie bouquet delivered in person, across country, via airplane.
Cookies: $50.00
RT Airfare: $350.00
Seeing my mother for her 70th: Priceless.
Happy Birthday Mom!

Baby Boy Huterer Gets a Name (and a birth date)!

2010-01-31T20:41:00.000-08:00

Charlie's first grade teacher announced on Curriculum Night she was expecting her first child. She held up like a trouper pretty much right up until her due date - I would have been toast. Anyway, word came today that Christopher arrived safe and sound weighing in at a classic weight of 8lb 8oz. Congratulations to the newly exhausted parents!

Naturally before Mrs. Huterer left school, the class held a baby shower for her. They played games, shared baby pictures and ate yummy snacks. Bowtied Baby Bears were the favor...We'll miss Mrs. huterer and can't wait to meet Christopher!

Valentine's Day Orders

2010-01-31T19:42:00.000-08:00

It's that time of the year...Valentine's Day. In my little corner of the world that means two things...Annie's birthday AND cookie orders! This year it's Annie's GOLDEN birthday - 14 on the 14th. SO exciting (I remember when I liked birthdays...barely). Besides preparing for Annie's big day, I'm also working on what could be in the top three of highest of all holy cookie days.

I sent out my ad a couple weeks ago and orders are steadily coming in...all that LOVE arriving via email and shooting back out via sugar and butter. It's enough to make this SmartCookie cry!

My ad follows below...

Valentine Cookies by OneSmartCookie

An alternative to chocolates and roses…and sweeter too!
The perfect “little something” for your spouse, kids, coworker, teacher, coach or friend…

A variety of cute and tasty home baked cookie hearts baked on a stick; give one “stem” or an entire bouquet!
Or
“Love Bites”
(small heart shaped cookies by the dozen)

Cookie hearts are $2.50 each Love Bites are $10.00 per dozen
Cookies vary in style depending on my wit and lots of whimsy. They are bagged and tied with coordinating raffia.
Cookies will be available for pick up by Saturday, February 13th.
Please place orders by Saturday, February 7, 2009

For questions call or email:
Stacy Heller
425.785.1814
onesmartcookie@comcast.net

My New Design!

2010-01-31T19:35:00.000-08:00

Don't you love my new Blog deign!!? Jessica from ThisAndThatYourBlog (now, The Frilly Coconut) did it! She was awesome, SO patient and receptive and very creative. It was a ball going from nothing at all to something fun. Next up I'm working on "Tabs" so I can add information on Cutters, Prices, Types of Cookies, etc. So much to do, so little time! Look for Jessica's button on my page and check out her stuff....

Genie in a Bottle...

2010-01-12T18:05:00.000-08:00

Remember that order I got when I thought I had nothing on the books? Well here it is...they were for Amy and Dean Wisler for Dean's work party. They did a wine tasting at a winery in Woodenville (don't ask, I can't remember which one). These were the favors. Since Dean works for Genie, he came up with this "vinatge"... clever. I used the beer bottle cookie cutter since I didn't have the wine bottle cutter - I have since gotten it and it would have been WAY to small. This is a perfect cutter for champagne bottles...and I know who will be first to crack open the cookie bubbly!
Next on the agenda...Valentine's Day!

Fa la la la la - Holiday Cookies!

2010-01-02T16:44:00.000-08:00

December was a crazy month this year; even more so than usual. Between a trip east, visiting in-laws, cookie craziness (OSC orders AND the annual cookie exchange) and general holiday MAYHEM...it was a busy time. As a friend said recently, all that preparation and build up and by the time you've slowed enough to enjoy it, it's over!

I sent out an ad this year to remind people to order their holiday cookies; what I got instead was an invitation to be in a Home Show (my first), a football helmet order for our local high school and a baby shower order...weird huh? I did get some holiday orders and that always puts me in a festive mood - Christmas carols are key.

Now the holidays are over. I was complaining to Pete I have no new orders on the books...no sooner did I say it and PRESTO! an order for next week.

If I have a "professional" resolution this year, it's to try to be inspired, not tired by what I do.

Orange You Glad Cookies Can be SO Fun!?

2009-11-08T22:45:00.000-08:00

These were so fun to do! They were for Creighton and Edward's nephew who LOVES the color orange and since it's his birthday, he gets what he wants. To create the dimpled effect, I had to make some "pimples" on the orange instead. If I used fondant, I could texturize; but - I hate fondant!

Too Busy To Blog!

2009-11-04T16:43:00.001-08:00

The bad news is I'm too busy to blog, the good news is it's because I have SO MANY orders to fill (plus the kids are home from school)! It's been crazy lately: so many sports seasons are ending which means season-end parties for me. It's great! I am good with football helmets and jerseys, but I'm struggling with a soccer ball design - piping hexagon shapes onto a circle is tricky! With Noreen's nagging (oops, I mean encouragement), I'm going to buckle down and try. In the meantime, I continue to bake in the wee hours.

I started my blog!

2009-10-27T23:14:00.001-07:00

Thanks to Noreen, and Bridget from Bake at 350; both served as inspiration to get going with this blog. I have high hopes for this process because it marries my love of baking cookies with my love of writing/journaling. This is gonna be fun!