A {all time FaVoRiTe!!} GiVEAWAY!!

1.31.11-

Ta-da-da-daaaa-
it's time for a H&H GiVEAWAY! 

This time I decided to giveaway one of my ALL-TiME favorite things to have in my home. 

{not to mention it's one of H&H's all time best sellers- I have been making them

regularly since I opened shop in 2000}

I use it for almost every holiday, display it up on my mantle, or in my daughter's rooms just here, there & everywhere

{it is Dr. Seuss month by the way ;) }

Here it is all wrapped up & ready to give away!!

The Hollyhocks & Honeybees 5x7 w/ molding frame in red

{a $26 value}

-More about all this yummy sweet candy, behind the frame, later tomorrow!-

So all you have to do to enter is leave a comment telling me what you LOVE best about Valentines Day or one of your families favorite traditions. {I will be sharing one of our families tomorrow}  I will pick the winner on Thursday morning so GooD LuCK!!

{can't wait to read all your responses!}

 p.s. all my long distant friends can enter this one too &

if you win I'll ship it to you!

{Idaho, Oregon, Oklahoma & Maryland are you listening??}

{BONUS- if you win & come to the H&H show to pick it up I will give you a little extra treat to go along with it- wa-hoo!!}

{M}

-A quick shout out to my friend Keylee, who came up to me today, & wanted me to know that she reads my blog but just doesn't know how to comment!  Thanks Keylee & many more of you out there that has told me the same thing.  Thanks for following along & I'll try to show you one of these days how to leave a comment-

Snowflakes & such

1.30.11-

 I think it's time for all the snowflakes to melt & go away! {at least the decorative ones in my house anyway} Does anyone feel the same?   

I love when a new month is approaching & I start to put away all the decor from the previous month & look forward to change & NeW things to surround my family with.  I love my snowflake collection but it's time to put it away until next year.  Speaking of snowflakes I did have the pleasure of going to Gourmet Club this past week at my friend Erika's home & dined under giant tree branches with lots of glittery snowflakes dangling from them & piles of pillowy white snow & white candles on the table top. It was gorgeous & an amazing wintery scene not to mention all the  yummy comfort food we had & LOTS of chocolate.  {I mean... Smores hot chocolate- delicious!} Can't wait to share pictures & recipes with you soon from our Gourmet blog.

{I'll let you know when it all posts!} 

-My snowflake collection photographed by my friend Courtney-

Although I have been very busy getting ready for H&H's show this week I got to go experience something close to home with my husband & kids on Friday & enjoy a little snow before it's all gone - SNoWBaSiN Ski Resort!  Yeah, we finally made it up to ski & had a fabulous day on the slopes, not a snowflake in sight, just a gorgeous sunshiney blue ski day.  I was so proud of my girls {their 1st time skiing} they tried, & tried again & had a great time & can't wait to go back again.

OKAY- enough talk about snowflakes & such.  I wanted to announce that I will be posting info. about a

 H&H giveaway

tomorrow- so please check back to enter! 

{so excited to give this away!! }

Happy day of Rest!

{lots to do tomorrow}

{M}

I told you.....

1.25.11-

Just a quick peek at what I am working on today-

lots of reds & pinks!

It's making me feel very ready for Valentines Day & all the fun that comes along with that holiday.

{I'm going to share a couple of my families favorite Valentine traditions with you soon & oh, we LOVE to celebrate V-Day around here!}

-Love my Turquoise {color of 2010} trays that I got from the DI for $1 each-

What will all this turn into?? Hmmmm.... You'll have to come to the

H&H SWeeT show to find out!

{Next Thurs. 6-8 & Friday 10-NooN}

Happy {working} Day!

{M}

CHeeRS to Honeysuckle & all things PiNK!

1.24.11-

Okay, I'm taking a second to update the blog in between painting, staining, sanding & creating some H&H things, to share some exciting news with you!

Maybe you already know this {but since my finger nails are all shades of this color right now} I thought I would tell you all anyway ;)

Each year Pantone picks a CoLoR of the Year, that influences fashion, home decor & is usually the "it" color to have in the year ahead.  Last years was- Turquoise &
I loved having that color around.
But the CoLoR hue of 2011 {the must color} is -

-Honeysuckle!  A sherbety pink with a little bit of red & orange mixed in- WOW!

So in honor of the Color of the year I am making lots of pinkish things to have for sale at the H&H Sweet show next week. 
{Feb. 3rd & 4th- info on the side bar}

I think an H&H frame {wink, wink} would be the perfect way to introduce some Honeysuckle into your life.
{if you are like me & not really that big of a pink person} 
You would think I would be with 3 girls running around but not really & either are they- go figure?!

I'm curious- are you a pink person??So this year I am going to look for ways to embrace this color into my life- whether it be a new shirt, a necklace or a great new hair accessory or a pillow or something. 
It does make me feel happy seeing the color- it's very cheery.
Plus, I wouldn't mind having this centerpiece either on my kitchen table- so pretty!

-I'm painting things for H&H in ALL these shades- by the way!-

Well back to work!  Sorry, but the blog posts seem to go the way of the world for a bit when I'm getting ready for a show. {too much to do} 
I will be back with a sneak peek or 2 soon & I do appreciate all the comments lately- thanks!

*by the way I had the hardest time typing Honeysuckle & not Honeybee

through out this whole post, haha!

Have a wonderful night!

{M}

  

Wa-hoo!

1.19.11-

{Thanks to my Sister Becca for downloading some cute fonts for me to play with & showing me how to use Picassa!! Maybe I will actually go buy photo shop one of these days & play around with that too, it's so fun!}

ANYWAY-  Dates & times for the H&H SWeeT Show-

Thurs. Feb. 3rd 6:00-8:00 p.m.

&

Fri. Feb. 4th from 10:00 a.m.- NooN

{My home- 4011 Lilac Lane in Mt. Green}

- All H&H fabulous word boards & lovely frames will be for sale as well as some sweet treats to give your loved one all packed up in cute little containers & boxes.

{or you can buy it by the pound if you would rather ;)

Hope you can come & don't forget to bring a friend or 2

along with you.

Have a wonderful day {I better get to work!!}

{M}

**p.s. I may just have to do a giveaway or something too, we'll see if I feel the love.

{hint, hint, leave a comment! ;) }

A day of Announcements! {happy & sad}

1.18.11-

It's that time of year again when I start becoming fascinated with baby pink, hot pink, magenta, red & everything else Valentiney & in between- oh, Bliss!! 

So it must be time to announce the dates for

Hollyhocks & Honeybees

SWeeT show 2011. 

-just a sampling- more pics to come!-

-So Mark your Calenders & tell all your friends-

Thursday February 3rd from 6-8:00 p.m.

&

Friday February 4th 10:00 - NooN

at my home in Mt. Green

Okay, glad I told you all the dates for the show now I'm off to create, run errands, take care of 2 little girls with colds, figure out what to make for dinner & worry about who will try to fill Regis' shoes every morning!  So sad to hear his announcement this morning that he is retiring :(  I have watched him forever! 

{I even planned my college courses so I wouldn't miss the host chat between he & Kathie Lee. Only 9:30 class starts for me!}

I know some people drink coffee every morning to get them going {and since I don't drink coffee} I watch Regis every morning to start my day.  Oh, he will be missed!!

{I need to get back to NYC to see him before he is done or at least get up the courage to send in a trivia postcard in hopes that he & Kelly will call me one day!}

{M}

 

Everyday {household items} inspiration

1.14.11-

  Today I have a little sickie home with a fever so I'm not accomplishing too much. As I was looking at my computer {considering cleaning the luandry room} & I came across these pictures of some Anthropologie windows on FB.

How clever is this- CLOTHESPINS!

I don't know if you remember seeing these growing up or maybe they were just in Utah {a R.S. thing} but in my house growing up we had a little rocking chair, that my Mom made, entirely out of clothes pins.  She would take them apart & then glue them back together in a certain way to make a little chair out of them. 

Does anyone out there remember what I'm talking about? 

I wonder if my Mom still has that little chair tucked away somewhere?

Anyway that is what this picture reminds me of.  I think I get some of my desire to create things from my Mom, she did alot of things when I was younger- Calligraphy, tole painting, sewing & clothes pin art  :)

-Hard to tell but the circles on the dress are zippers wrapped around & around!-



-HANGERS & ribbon!  I feel like I am looking at a sunset with little fying birds all around. So cute!-

Thanks for the inspiration Anthropologie- I think I can now go tackle cleaning my Laundry room & appreciate all the clothespins & hangers in there & see them in a new light!
{I'm off to clean have a wonderful long weekend!}

{M}

*I'll be back soon to announce the dates for the upcoming Hollyhocks & Honeybees SWeeT show- just in time for VaLeNTiNeS Day!

A reason to CeLeBRaTe!

1.12.11-

 I love having a reason to clean off the island, put a fun centerpiece together & of coarse make a garland  {even if it's a mini one}  this time placed on top of some yummy Carmel Chocolate Oatmeal bars to celebrate my Dad being awarded the

 Utah High School Athletic Director of the Year.

wa-hoo!!

{I love when good things happen to good people!}

 I got out our collection of vintage trophies {wish it was more I need to be on the lookout} & grabbed every kind of sports ball that we have lying around the house.  Thanks to my Dad & his job I have quite the collection of old worn out baseballs & footballs, LOVE them!



Sure do love my Dad & the example of hard work, integrity & accountability he has been to me my whole life. He is the hardest worker that I know!

-The mini banner all done up in Sky View blue & gold-

Don't these look tasty- they are & soooo easy to make!

{M}

Creative Collages for the NeW YeaR!

1.11.11-

- I'm back to tell about my fun inspiring weekend -

{It all started with a stack of magazines, alot of glue sticks, lots of scissors & of coarse cupcakes!} 

This has been a NeW YeaRS tradition {introduced to me years ago by my Schmoopy}  for me & I got my 3 sisters &  girls involved.  This year was A&E's first time making a magazine collage & they had a BLaST!  {they loved it so much they made 2 each} The idea behind it is to just look through a wide variety of magazines & rip out anything that speaks to your heart or inspires you. It can be a photographs, quotes, colors ANYTHING.  Then once you have a stack of torn out pages the fun really begins.  You cut out the picture or words that you were drawn to & glue them on a piece of card stock {choose a color that you like} 

How you do this is completely up to you & then Voila- you have a creative inspirational piece of artwork to inspire you for the year ahead!
{I keep mine in the front cover of a binder that I see EVERYDAY!}
The point is to put these pages somewhere you will see them each & every day!

 One word of advice- Don't put a time limit on this project.  We started at 7:00 at night & soon realized by 10:00 that we were all getting tired & didn't want to rush & cram it all together to finish.
So we decided to just carry it over to the next day- good idea!

-The beginning of the night- everything is nicely organized & tidy {it didn't stay that way for long} -

-loved this little ADORABLE Hot Cocoa Cupcake my sister got from Dippidee in A.F.-

-Let the creative process begin!-

-ooh, I LOVE to see the word parties!-

-The end of the Night {a little messer & untidy!} be prepared for LOTS of garbage & scraps to throw away in the end-



-My finished project!! Loved all the colors & every little saying on this page.  Can you find the little Flourish I added to my page to remind me of my OLW for 2011? -




-Em & her pages- love her creatvity!-




-Miss Mace & her pages.  She put hers in school binders. Such a great idea!  I'm glad she looks at them each & everytime she is in class during the day or stuffing them in her locker ;) -




-Audji's pages, she ReaLLY wants a dog!!-



- A happy group of girls!  Thanks to A,B & V for spending 2 days with us Quigley girls. Loved every minute of being creative & positive with them. Love this project!!-

The best part about this project is once you are done & you take a look at what you have created, you can really learn a lot about yourself & what really inspires you. 
{maybe its a color you are drawn to, sayings, or a word that has power to you}
I love looking back at the ones I have created the last 6 years- each year is different & unique.

I truly enjoyed watching my girls do this & loved learning something new about each one of them & each of my sisters too.
It is a simple amazing  & beautiful thing to do!

{M}

Simple & sweet!

1.10.11-

How sweet are these delightful little pom pom flowers!  I'm going to have to make me a whole bunch to put on the mantle to get through dreary January.

Love the simplicity of them.

You KNOW how much I love to look at magazines - inspiration on every page!

{anyone out there thrown your own Magazine Monday party yet? If so I would LOVE to hear about it}

-photo from Country Living Feb. 2011-



I love getting together with friends for lunch.  I met up with my Cultivate friends today to talk, laugh & eat some yummy pizza at Arella Pizzeria in Bountiful.{right next to Lowe's in Bountiful} 

We had the Buffalo Chicken, The Classic & The Arella pizzas & all shared a slice.  I may be taking Ty back to get the Arella- pears, arugula, blue cheese & white sauce- DELICIOUS!  Thanks N & H for a great lunch & for sharing with me your one little word for 2011.  Looking forward to planning a few 365 Swaps during the year too- I'm excited!!

To top it all off I had to go to Costco to get some things & picked up a bag of Dark Chocolate Pomegranates to munch on on the way home.

Good for me right? 

Dark Choc. + Pomegranates = somewhat healthy heavenly snack

{at least that's how I'm looking at it! :) } 

{M}

**I'll be back tomorrow to share what I made this weekend.
-Like my newest song to my playlist. I saw her sing it a couple of years ago on Oprah & liked the message of the song.  {So you act, so you feel, so you are- There's hope, it doesn't cost a thing to smile, you don't have to pay to laugh :) } So True, Be happy everyone!

Chilly cuteness!

1.7.11-

  You know me & the fun bulletin board in our family room that I like to change out each month. Well Merry January!
{just bringing a little bit of the outside indoors} 
Look at these darling little
doilie snowflakes that my daughter, Em, & I 
made last night. 

I just love the way they turned out!

Step 1- buy a pack of paper doilies

Step 2- Fold the doilie in half & then half again

{be careful not to rip the outer edge when folding} 

Step 3- Grab your scissors & paper punches & start crafting

Step 4- Unfold & hang them up & enjoy! 

A different spin on the traditional paper snowflakes.
{I can't wait for the snowflakes that are made at school each year start coming home w/ my girls.  I'll have to put them in there too- It's going to be a little blizzard before long!}

So cute & super easy to make. Happy weekend everyone!

{M}

Dressy day

1.5.11-

I learned something today- Playing dress-up is not just for Sundays-{wink, wink}

I started off the day getting dressed up to go here, went out to lunch w/ Ty, came home & then picked up Miss Mace from the bus stop to go get me a Diet Coke & her an after school treat! Then I chatted with my Sis Vaness in my kitchen while making Vegetable Tortellini soup- yummy!

-Such a great day! Maybe I should dress up more often ;) -

{Love my turquoise flower pin that I got from Leila Bird}

-My 1st self portrait. taken in our closet . Notice my window pane/bulletin board full of inspiring pictures & love notes from my girls.  I love looking at this everyday.  I need to write the word FLOURISH up on top!!

{M}

My OLW {one little word}

1.5.11-

 Drum roll please..........  my one little word for 2011 is-

Flourish!

Definition: vb.

1. to thrive, prosper

2. to be in a state of activity or production

3. to reach a height of development or influence

4. to make a bold and sweeping gestures {this one not so much}

Yeah!  I wanted a word that could carry on the way I felt & was inspired in 2010 by Stretch & I think I found it.  I am going to take everything I learned about myself last year & run with it!!  Make it bigger,  bolder & grander {It makes me feel like dancing & throwing in a big Flourish at the end}  I'm glad I chose another verb or action word so it requires me TO DO something.  I still want to keep keep stretching & growing as I learn new things & continue to work hard to accomplish goals. I want to not only flourish in my life but have it affect my children's lives, my marriage & my associations with others. 

Wa-hoo, I'm excited! {can you tell?? ;)}

Did you pick a word for the new year?  I'd love to hear if you did, be sure to tell me.

My whole family picked a word for themselves this year & here they are all written down on the white board for all to see & encourage one another throughout the year.  



-I liked how the girls just couldn't decide on 1 word so had to have a couple- lots to do in 2011-

 

I had a great day today going to a special place with my husband & running into one of my dearest friends, Becky, & her husband.  What a wonderful place to be able to go, I love it! 

{M}



-A quick picture from my goal planning lunch date with my guy that I mentioned on Monday-
It was a great way to start off the month & the NeW YeaR!!
{I really should get a littler planner so I don't have to haul around my big calender ;) }



Monday, Monday!

1.3.11-

Yeah, for a new start to the week & a new month

{kids back in school, house put together, laundry going & watching Regis is peace & quiet this morning!}

Just wanted to share a quick picture of my Mantles on this Monday all put together for the month of January. 

I love to change out the decor of our home each month.

I'm such a seasonal person! 



-The upstairs mantle. I love when the light streams in from the windows & shines on the snowflakes & glass glittery #1-




-Downstairs mantle, all colorful as usual & full of retro sweetness!-



Hope you are off to a good start to the NeW YeaR!

One thing I look forward to the 1st week of each New Year is a lunch date with Ty to discuss our goals for this year.

{our personal goals, for our family, marriage, vacations, home etc.} 

It's a GREAT way to start the year! 

FYI-The best way to accomplish something is to WRITE it down! 

So off to Chili's I go with my notebook & pen :)

{M}

* P.S.- I know what my one little word for 2011 is I'll share it with you after I share it with my family tonight- excited!!*



"One"-derful day!

1.1.11-
 

Enjoy today 1-1-11

-How fun is that-Celebrate it, embrace it & remember it!

{it will never happen on the 1st day of the year again, at least in my lifetime}

-Thanks to Hy, Audj, Em & Eli for helping show 1-1-11-

 I am finally packing up all the Christmas stuff & putting it away {what a chore!} 

 I do like it when it is all cleaned up & put away- ahhhh, kind of a fresh start to the New Year!

Time to winterize the house & mantles with old ice skates, my Snowman collection, hanging snowflakes off the chandelier & of coarse more SNoWFLaKEs here & there.

Bring on the NeW YeaR!!

-Hope it is a "One"derful one for you-

{M}