:: Blissful Sugar ::

photography: spring fever!

2010-05-11T21:24:00.005-04:00

these little lovelys are popping up all over town - i just love the vibrant color! we have pink & purple ones as well - i just haven't found a perfect one to snap yet!

Style: If I Only Had a Heart

2010-05-07T13:39:00.009-04:00

The second I saw this beautiful garment, I fell in love. How incredibly perfect would this be for engagement pictures?? I can see it now... boy + girl sitting on a big oversized wooden swing hanging from the most gorgeous, colossal looking tree. Girl leans head on boys shoulder. Photo of course would be taken from behind... *sigh* can I get my engagement pictures taken again?!

from etsy seller:alexandragrecco

blog

:: simply scrumptious for mom! ::

2010-05-04T21:17:00.015-04:00

credit

I'm not sure if you know... but I'm a little obsessed with cupcakes and yummy treats! Oh, you did? Glad we got that out of the way... Anyway, my mom is very much like myself! We simply just cannot resist! She used to stop and get ice cream on the way home from work every night, sadly her work route changed & she no longer drives by the store... but I'm sure she re-routes every once in awhile!

I stumbled upon some scrumptious treats to send your mum on Mother's Day! I hope this inspires a little blissful sugar into your (and your mama's) life!!

Adorable Cupcake Kit

sweet nostalgia gift box & macaroons

cupcakes made to order from:
here, here & here

of course, the post would not be complete without a picture of my mommy :)
Happy Mother's Day, Mom!

days go by..

2010-04-20T20:45:00.004-04:00

"time is making fools of us again" - j.k. rowling

i've been a bad blogger! from my normal forty-hour work week, to fulfilling orders, to trying to be the best wife in the world, to endless house hunting, to playing hair extraordinaire, trying to become a mommy to a teeny tiny prim & proper bulldog (more about that later), constant travels & do it yourself goodness - i have just lost track of time! there are many things in the works right now; they are just not photo worthy just yet! stay tuned, my friends! xo m

:: baking: Easter Treat ::

2010-04-05T20:05:00.004-04:00

I got this adorable idea from Ms. Martha Stewart and just had to try it out. They were a huge hit at our Easter dinner! They were incredibly easy to make & will make an appearance again, I'm sure!

I also made some yellow melt chocolate covered oreo chickies... they just weren't photograph worthy though. I haven't mastered the chocolate covered anything yet... What types of treats did you make for Easter?

:: Happy Easter ::

2010-04-04T08:09:00.000-04:00

Remembering the reason for the season. Happy Easter!

in You I find my peace
in You I find my strength
in You I live and move and breathe
let everything I say and do
be founded by my faith in You
i lift up holy hands and sing
let the praises ring!

Easter Bliss

2010-03-31T18:07:00.005-04:00

I *borrowed* this idea from the Room to Inspire blog. Instead of the burlap used in the original tutorial; I used some extra minky fabric as well as a patterned fabric I had leftover from a previous project. Funny enough, the fabric actually has little bunnies on it as well - it was meant to be!

This was a quick and easy project that you and your children can create together. I plan on attaching the bunny to my niece's Easter basket. This would also be really cute as a name "place card" at your Easter brunch!

PS: Can you spot the bunny in the fabric?!

Happy Easter!!

*craft :: more frames!

2010-03-24T23:10:00.003-04:00

* craft:: initial hook

2010-03-22T22:37:00.009-04:00

These little hooks are perfect for any entry way, closet, bathroom, children's room... basically anywhere in your home or office! I made one for my closet to hold all of my fun, costume jewelry as well as one for the entry way for the Mr's keys!

photography: Tiffany's

2010-03-14T21:39:00.006-04:00

Ms. Holly Golightly could not have said it any better... "That's right. I'm just *crazy* about Tiffany's!" Well... what girl isn't?! My wonderful, ever-so-loving husband, surprised me with not one, but TWO of those little blue boxes. My eyes widened like saucers! For ME?!!! I slowly opened the first box & to my surprise... a cupcake bracelet!!! Cupcakes & Tiffany's?!! NOT POSSIBLE! Oh, but it is! He surprised me with the cupcake charm to either put on a necklace or a bracelet. ::sigh:: pure bliss!

featuring: cupcakes in teacups!

2010-03-04T07:30:00.002-05:00

i saw kristy & brandon's wedding featured on style me pretty which also featured their marvelous wedding cupcakes in vintage teacups! what an incredible idea! i cannot wait for one of my friends to get married or have a baby so i can incorporate this adorable idea into an event!!

check out the vintage deliciousness below:
photo by cara garbarino

photo by anita jamal

via only cupcakes

::inspiration:: st. patrick's day decor

2010-03-03T20:09:00.008-05:00

being half irish, st. patrick's day was always a fun, festive holiday in my house! our neighbors growing up were irish as well & our mom's would buy us fun green corsages to wear to school each year. i love everything spring!

just a little decor inspiration:

via etsy seller gongyandsquish

via etsy seller lulustiles

via etsy seller barnowlprimitives

via martha stewart

via etsy seller TheLavenderRoad

:: Beautiful Blogger Award ::

2010-02-16T11:23:00.002-05:00

Thank you so much Jennifer from Books, Recipes & Life, Oh My! for the Beautiful Blogger Award! According to the rules of the award I must enumerate seven interesting things about myself:

I have known my husband since I was 6 years old - he is my brother's best friend. My grandparents share the same story as my husband and I & said they have known for years that we would get married! (Which is so strange since we never, ever, showed any interest until the past couple of years)
I was brought up to know, understand & love my heritage. My father is 100% Italian & my mother 100% Irish. Sometimes I get sad for my children that they are going to be muts.
I have been playing golf since I was 3 years old - none of the men (husband, dad, brother) in my life play golf (seriously) and I can whoop every single one of them. My mom taught me how to play & people call us the "deadly duo".
I was 100% certain that I was going to be a Dallas Cowboys Cheerleader from ages 4-12. Every Monday during Monday Night Football I would dress up in my Cowboys gear & do a routine to the MNF song at the beginning with my pom pons. I always wonder if my parents thought I was crazy...
I have always dreamed about living in Florida & feel very accomplished for actually making the move.
I absolutely love baking/cooking but will rarely feature anything I make on my blog... although it tastes *amazing*, I have a very hard time making it look appealing! My husband gets very worried sometimes when I plop something in front of him to try!
I hate jeans - I hate the feeling of them and the idea of putting on a pair of jeans! I am starting to get better though... I recently bought a pair of jeans (and then returned them). ;)

Thank you so much for this award, Jen! I am so flattered! :)

photography: denver.

2010-02-11T18:35:00.006-05:00

but the colorado rocky mountain high
i've seen it rainin' fire in the sky
the shadow from the starlight is softer than a lullabye
rocky mountain high

*craft:: decoupage frames

2010-01-31T21:14:00.009-05:00

I have always had a huge influence & passion towards crafts. My mother put a crayon in my hand at 6 months old & let me go to town. Ever since I can remember, I was painting, drawing, sewing, embossing... anything craft related-ing!

My cupcake obsession has taken a seat on the back burner as I embark on a journey of sewing & crafting.

Here's a preview of my current project, decoupage frames. The first one I made for my niece, Edan's, room.

These are on their way to becoming finished - just waiting for a cute little boy's room to be hung in!

Valentine's Day Bliss

2010-01-29T09:04:00.005-05:00

Valentine's Day is right around the corner. What am I baking you ask? Well... cupcakes of course! I found the best cupcake recipe over at the Food Network - seriously... THE BEST!

Along with the cupcakes, I wanted to "make" (I'm going to use that term loosely) some other goodies for my lovely husband. Here are some of my ideas:

Sweetie Pies from Williams-Sonoma

Or - for a more of a homemade feel...

(courtesy of Bakerella)

These are Oreo Cakesters - All you have to do is use a heart shape cookie cutter less than 1.75 " wide

Love Cookie Letters from Dancing Deer Baking Co.

Organic Cookies from Beautiful Sweets

And only because hubs *loves, loves, LOVES* pizza - for the past few years Papa John's has offered heart shaped pizzas on Valentine's Day - I think I would get best wife award for this one!

xo happy valentine's day, loves! xo

good luck - little miss b!

2010-01-18T08:07:00.013-05:00

I'm sure you all remember little miss b! Well this fabulous girl is headed to Miami to try out for So You Think You Can Dance today!! Please send all of your *thoughts, prayers & wishes* her way! She truly is a *star* just waiting to get her big break!

::spotight: PaperFrosting::

2010-01-17T10:41:00.010-05:00

I stumbled upon Paper Frosting when I was looking for somebody to create wedding invitations for my wedding. I took one look at the name & thought"this is right up my alley!" Melinda, the owner of Paper Frosting, was so kind and accommodating throughout the entire invitation process. Even though she is located 1,000+ miles away, she was so efficient with sending me samples, pictures, and communicating with me on a daily basis. She really understood the feel that I was going for and created it perfectly. And do I dare mention how reasonably priced she is!?Although I don't have any pictures of my own wedding invitations (I know, right?! I really dropped the ball on that one!), I wanted to share some of Melinda's gorgeous work!

On top of the handmade items, Paper Frosting also makes digital announcements & invitations. Go check out some more Paper Frosting *bliss*!

* craft:: DIY coasters *

2010-01-04T19:33:00.005-05:00

I got this idea from the wonderful Style Me Pretty blog while wedding planning. Such a cute and cost efficient idea for favors! Each set costs about a dollar! Ever since I saw these, I have been itching to try it out for myself! My brother and his lovely girlfriend, Nina, (follow her, she's the best!) recently (about a year ago... so I'm a little late!) bought a house, so I figured I could give it a whirl for a little home gift.

They were very simple - yet, I think next time I'd bypass the pictures on the coaster; the glue tends to get stuck in the little holes. Happy Crafting!! xo

::inspiration:: Holiday Treats

2009-12-23T09:05:00.007-05:00

courtesy of bakerella

courtesy of a baked creation

cute little holiday baby shower cake topper - courtesy of pink cake box

photography: winter wind.

2009-12-07T20:35:00.006-05:00

freeze, freeze, thou bitter sky,

thou dost not bite so nigh as benefits forgot:
though thou the waters warp,
thy sting is not so sharp
as friend remember'd not.
-William Shakespeare

::spotlight: cupcake ornaments::

2009-12-04T08:20:00.000-05:00

While taking a stroll through Sur La Table, I stumbled across these little pieces of heaven. I *wish* we had enough room for another themed tree; these are just so adorable!

our very married christmas*

2009-12-03T19:30:00.000-05:00

It's really hard to get in the spirit of the holidays when it's 80º every day. I know people spend a fortune to have this weather for only a week, so I don't want to sound unappreciative - I really *love* living here, but I just wish for one day I could trek around downtown in a cozy winter jacket, some cute boots, tights, a warm cup o' joe & my snuggly husband by my side.

My husband knows how much I adore the holiday season & wanted to make it extra special for me & our first very married Christmas together. I walked in the door one evening & immediately smelled evergreen; I raced up the stairs to find a perfectly shaped Christmas tree already lit waiting for me!

Here are some pictures - after some intense shopping (& shipping). I wish we had enough room in our little condo for two different themed trees!! I had so much fun decorating this year! I still haven't found the perfect stockings though... off to the fabric store I go!

our cute little monogrammed tree skirt :)

the day i married my best friend

2009-12-02T09:34:00.007-05:00

I have been anxiously waiting to get my wedding pictures back for the past 2 1/2 months! When I received an email from our photographer telling me they were ready, I couldn't wait to share my joy! The day couldn't have been any more perfect, from the weather, to my husband's expression when first seeing me, to the love, warmth & emotion that our friends & family shared.

And some silly ones...

SeniorSunday

2009-11-22T21:24:00.003-05:00

For my birthday, my dear husband bought me a new camera (that I have been obsessing over for years!). I have been *dying* to hit the town & put it to good use. I asked little Miss B if she'd like to take some senior pictures, so off we went roaming around Sarasota & Bradenton to test the waters. Nonetheless, waters were tested (literally, & they were quite chilly!) - but we had a blast!! I am so excited to learn & grow and am incredibly thankful that my husband supports all of my dreams & ambitions.

B was a great model (seriously, just wait until you see her in my wedding pictures!! She is definitely meant to be in the spotlight!) Here's a little preview of her senior picture goodies:

* Congratulations! *

2009-11-22T19:42:00.000-05:00

Congratulations to my fellow knottie, Taryn (of Mr. Jones & Me), and her husband Brian on tying the knot yesterday! I have been following Taryn's blog for quite some time and have had some serious do-it-yourself envy! She is wonderfully creative and is as sweet as ever! I cannot wait to see the details of their special day!

Blissful Wishes to you!!

:: spotlight: EatCakeBeMerry ::

2009-11-17T08:26:00.000-05:00

As I am *still* obsessed with all things wedding, I often find myself roaming the streets (i.e.: Internet) in search for the most fabulous items (for my fellow knotties of course). I recently stumbled across EatCakeBeMerry & about had a heart attack - I am completely in love! Their designs are so clean & original, I couldn't help sharing. Here are a few of my favorites:

They also have an EatCupcake section that is coming soon!! I can't wait!

xo m

blissful beginnings

2009-11-13T22:19:00.001-05:00

I originally created this to blog about my one true passion... cupcakes! But the more and more I dig into the cupcake industry, the more I realize that there is more to "life" than just cupcakes. I truly believe that in order to succeed, one must get involved with a little bit of everything (I recently found this ever so true when my dear husband's boss - who is in the dirt hauling industry - started his own cupcake shop!)

I am surrounded by the most inspiring people this world can offer; from my mother who is approaching her mid-50's, who just opened yet another salon while full on planning my wedding; to my husband who always finds the good in people & encourages me to follow my dreams; to my teenage cousin who recently moved to Sarasota to dance at the SRQballet; to my besties who are shaping the minds of our youth & doing a heck of a job doing so; to my new cousins who fly planes & work for what they believe in; to my soontobe sister in law who is into everything imaginable & is amazing at whatevershe does; to my new friends in Sarasota who are living their dreams through fashion & hunting (who would have thought we would be such great friends with that combo!?). I owe my thoughts and creatitivity to all of you!

xo m