I'm blushing...

Karla from My Serendipity Home gave Sugar Mama Bakeshop an award!!

Liebster is German and means 'dearest' or 'beloved' but it can also mean 'favorite'. The idea of the Liebster award is to bring attention to blogs with less than 200 followers.

The RULES are:
1. Show your thanks to the blogger who gave you the award by linking back to them.
2. Reveal your five picks for the award and let them know.
3. Post the award on your blog.
4. Enjoy the love from the award brings to your blog.
5. Have fun and spread the love!

So check out 5 of my faves:

Natalie at Take the Canoli
Alyson at Eisley Rae
Mary at Mary in Marriedland
Skye at Neathering our Fest
Brooke at From Under HIs Feathers

These blogs are seriously wonderful. I know you'll just love them! Thanks for thinking of me Karla :) I'm honored.

New Year Blog Party

I stumbled upon this great blog party the other day and I decided to go for it.
I've never done a blog/ gift exchange before and it sounded so fun!

so I sent in my email & just like that I'm paired with Brooke...who has this GREAT vintage etsy shop, Clementine & Nellie!!
Hello! I LOVE that!

Anyway, Brooke & I exchanged gifts from our shops
& now I get to introduce her to you!
First of all, I believe I may be hooked on this kind of thing.
It was SO fun getting a little surprise package!

And is was SOOOOOO fun opening up these sweet vintage goodies :)

Isn't that hand towel the cutest? And the yellow apron is really precious...

(My camera is broken so I had to use photobooth on my mac book to get the shot of me in the apron. So I apologize for the quality, but dang it's cute, huh!?)

I just think it was so thoughtful of her to send baking gear :)

Also, Brooke used to be a baker herself AND has a gluten free son.

Nice job with the match up!!!

Anyway, Brooke came up with a few get-to-know-you questions that we exchanged.
I would love for you all to get to know her too.
So here are a few of my fave questions:

favorite time of day and why: I gotta say, I love the feeling after my kids are in bed, the kitchen is clean, and it's time to grab a glass of wine and sit in the bed with my honey and snuggle up, watch TV, work on the blog... when my mommy responsibilities are done and I can just be myself...

you're kid and husband free for four hours - what do you do? Head to Kennesaw Mountain for a short hike, then grab a coffee, and hit the thrift store or Classy Flea (an indoor "permanent" flea market near my house - eeep!).
favorite season: Fall - hands down.

you have $150 to go shopping with - what do you buy? That's tough. I always think I will go thrifting with it... then I think about my business and buying new inventory for it... then I think I might like an Ipod, or an Iphone, or I don't know. I'd probably go thrifting.
if you could live anywhere else in the US, where would it be and why? I would love to live in the Pacific Northwest... the mountains and the ocean within such a short distance of each other... what could be better?

Isn't she great?!
Head over and check out her blog & shop.

Pretty cake +recipe

I made a CAKE!!!
What I actually mean to say is I made a pretty cake.
I'm pretty proud of my cupcake decorating skills & I make a decent looking cookie if I do say so myself :)
But I've always been intimidated to try a pretty cake.
Not anymore :)

It's far from perfect. I get that.

But I'm definitely proud of it!

Next I'll be recruiting my friend, Nina to teach me some tricks of the trade :)

I made this cake for a wedding shower for some friends on Friday...

So I didn't get to take a picture of the pretty inside.

I'll probably just have to make another one soon. Hurray!

I used my tried & true vanilla cake recipe because that way I knew it would be delicious even if it turned out ugly and I had to eat it all myself ;)

This recipe about drove me crazy when it was in the development stages,

But I survived and this cake is GREAT!

I usually use it for cupcakes and it makes 14.

For this cake I split the batter and baked two 7 inchers.

Twas perfect!

Sugar Mama's Vanilla Cake

{so good no one will know it gluten free & vegan!}

ingredients:

3/4 cup sorghum flour (or organic brown rice flour)

3/4 cup tapioca flour

1/2 cup organic coconut flour

1 cup organic cane sugar (I really love this one. It's fair trade!)

1/2 tsp sea salt

1 tsp baking powder

1 tsp baking soda

1 tsp xanthan gum

1/2 cup plain coconut milk (or soy, almond, whatever you're into)

1 cup warm water

3 TBSP grapeseed oil (or coconut, organic canola, again it's your call)

1 TBSP GOOD vanilla (no artificial ok? splurge. I'm serious.)

1 tsp lemon juice

1/4 cup unsweetened applesauce

instructions:

-preheat oven to 375 degrees

-measure milk into a liquid measuring cup & add lemon juice (set aside for now)

-whisk together all dry ingredients

-add all liquid ingredients to dry ingredients and mix with electric mixer until smooth

-fill cupcake wrappers or greased cake pans

-bake cupcakes for 15-2o minutes or cake for 30ish minutes

-when cake is ready it will be light brown on top and spring back when you press it lightly

enjoy!

(ps- I'm linking up all over the place)

And the winner is........

Sheryl B

Congrats :) I just emailed you! Yay!

Thanks to everyone who entered.

I believe I promised a little something for everyone.

Use HAPPYHEARTDAY for 20% off anything in the shop :)

Because I love you all & I think we're all winners.

Happy Saturday :)

Fiesta Friday {baby "shower"}

**Last day to enter the GIVEAWAY**

Today's party is a baby shower idea that I can't get over.

It's a baby shower :)

Source: fiskars.com via Ashley on Pinterest

Ha! So perfect!

I found the party on the Fiskars website.

Honestly, everything about it is so great.

Source: fiskars.com via Ashley on Pinterest

From the soft colors

to the whimsical snacks

Source: fiskars.com via Ashley on Pinterest

And the lemon drop party favors.

Source: fiskars.com via Ashley on Pinterest

It's simple but wonderful.

Come on friends, start having babies.

I've got a "shower" to throw!

Today.

I'm going to be real honest with you for a second.

Yesterday sucked.

Tuesday was even worse.

And Monday was pretty terrible too!

See, I've got a precious 7 month old who has somehow learned NOT to sleep.

She would get all cranky & fussy and not nap which led to more crankiness & fussiness etc.

Also we took an idealistic approach to parenting that we've recently begun to reconsider.

But I won't get into that because it could be controversial and today I'm not in the mood for that.

Nope. Not today.

Because today is a good good day.

The kind of day that makes you forget that you cried yourself to sleep last night (at 8 o'clock) while your husband comforted the screaming baby while wearing noise canceling headphones.

(Not a joke.)

Yes today the sun is shining, and I have a sassy new haircut.

I'm enjoying an iced coffee & a vegan, fair trade peanut butter cup.

Oh yeah, and today I baked for an hour and half uninterrupted!

Glory, hallelujah. The girl slept!

Before becoming a mama I had no idea how refreshing 90 minutes alone in the kitchen could be.

I'm making a cake and hoping it turns out as pretty as this one.

Source: sprinklebakes.com via Ashley on Pinterest

I'm like a new woman.

And today. Today is a good GOOD day.

"Cheesecake"

**Don't forget to enter the giveaway!**

Remember those gorgeous desserts from Sunday?
And how I told you I would be sharing the recipe for vegan cheesecake?
Well, canI get a drum roll please? .....


I found this Vegan/ Raw "Cheesecake" at Manifest Vegan.
I have to admit I was pretty dang skeptical.
I mean the filling is made with cashews?!
Yes! Cashews. You wont believe how great it is!
Also, you won't believe how similar it is to actual cheesecake.
Or how guilt free!

PS I had some technical difficulties photographing these bad boys.
The out takes crack me up.... well now they do :)
When I was trying out my newly researched techniques (aka poster board) and the wind blew over my gorgeous mini cheesecake and destroyed my white background I was not laughing.

Manifest Vegan's Fabulous Cheesecake
Ingredients:

Crust
2 cups almonds
1 cup dried Medjool dates

Filling
3 1/2 cups raw cashews -soaked for at least one hour
3/4 cup fresh lemon juice
3/4 cup agave *
1 cup organic, unrefined coconut oil- liquefied (see below)
1/2 cup water
1 vanilla bean or 2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon celtic sea salt

Berry sauce
Handful of mixed berries
4 large dried Medjool dates
2 hefty squirts agave

Directions:

To melt coconut oil, if solid:
Measure out 1 cup of solid coconut oil and place in shallow bowl of warm water. As it softens, stir. Replace the water in the shallow bowl with fresh warm water and repeat until all is melted. I needed to change the water about 4 times to make it reach a fully liquid state.

To make crust:
Blend almonds and dates in a food processor until finely chopped. Press mixture very compactly into the bottom of a spring-form pan. I used the bottom of a glass to press the crust down, and it worked perfectly.

To make filling:
Take all filling ingredients and blend in food processor until smooth. Just let it go for a few minutes…. the texture should be nice and creamy.

To assemble:
Pour filling on top of crust and spread out until smooth. Cover with foil and freeze overnight. The freezing process will re-harden the coconut oil and set up the cake. After it is frozen you can refrigerate and it will be ready to serve after about one hour. Even though you have to freeze this cake to set it up, it is not a frozen cake… once refrigerated, it takes on an extremely similar texture to a regular ol’ cheesecake.

To make topping:

Whiz berries, dates & agave together in a food processor.

Yep. That's it!

By the way, my very un-vegan husband highly recommends this recipe.
In fact, he's already begging for more :)

Enjoy!

Gluten Free Wednesday

Giveaway!! Hurray!

I'm so excited!
It's giveaway day!!!
I'm in love with these sweet little cupcake flags that are in the shop.


So in love that I'm giving a set away!!
They are so fun & perfect for a valentine's party.

One lucky winner will get a dozen valentine cupcake flags.

But don't worry, everyone's a winner around here!

I'll announce the winner Saturday + a surprise for everyone else. Hurray!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

7 Pretty Desserts

Today I'm link partying with Gussy Sews, Matchstick Molly, Much Love, Illy & The Letter 4!
Their "7 Pretty Things on Sunday" party was too fun to resist :)
So of course I pick pretty desserts... I just love them.

Source: french-knot.tumblr.com via Ashley on Pinterest

Source: glorioustreats.blogspot.com via Ashley on Pinterest

Source: ashleys-heartoflife.blogspot.com via Ashley on Pinterest

Source: sprinklebakes.com via Ashley on Pinterest

Source: reasonstobreathe.tumblr.com via Ashley on Pinterest

Source: juliausher.com via Ashley on Pinterest

Source: sugarmamabakeshop.com via Ashley on Pinterest

PS The mini cheesecake up there is yours truly's!
I'll be sharing the recipe this week. It's vegan gluten free & raw! WHAT?!
Yep, it's also husband approved and fabulous. Get ready :)

Fiesta Friday {Candy Party!}

So... is it embarrassing that I've already started planning my 7-month-old's first birthday?
I've tried to hold out.
Especially since I'm positive I'll be up until 3am the night before the party hot gluing crafts & frosting cupcakes, no matter how early I start planning.
There are just so many fun party ideas!
Right now I'm really thinking a candy bar.
How cute is this!?!

Source: blog.koyalwholesale.com via Ashley on Pinterest

And this one with the striped background and the banners!
I'm in love :)

Source: cachicdesign.com via Ashley on Pinterest

My husband gets confused every time I talk about it.
It makes no sense to him to have a huge party with tons of candy for a baby... who doesn't care about any of it and can't even eat candy.
He's right I know.
But I doubt it would be as fun to throw myself a candy themed 27th birthday party ya know?

Source: thetomkatstudio.com via Ashley on Pinterest

I never actually get the cute invites sent out...
But since I'm planning 5 months ahead on this one, maybe I'll do these :)

Source: thetomkatstudio.com via Ashley on Pinterest

And these I'll be making, party or not.
I even found some cute $1 supplies on my kick butt Goodwill trip this week.
I feel a DIY post coming on. Stay tuned!

Source: ohdeedoh.com via Ashley on Pinterest

Anyone else dreaming of summer parties?

Feelin' Fancy

So I've never really participated in a "what I wore" post yet.

Mostly because I feel really silly taking self portraits.

Um... also I look ridiculous.

Oh, and because I never really wear anything worth documenting.

I mean how exciting is a jeans & a t-shirt post?

That's right. Not exciting.

But today I'm making an exception because I'm so proud of my thrifting trip yesterday.

Yep, so proud that I'm embracing the camera and showing you what I wore.

Yes ma'am. I found this CUTE Banana Republic dress for $6 at Goodwill!!

And a pair of Gap pants with the tags still on.

(I'm so pumped I even brushed my hair today!)

AND wore heels... because I'm fancy.

Lily's impressed, can't you tell? :)

Have a happy Thursday my friends.

Here's to feeling fancy!

Favorite Chocolate Chip Cookies

Hey there! Ok so let's don't beat around the bush.

I'm in a cookie mood today.

Which isn't that different than most days... anyway...

Here is the Sugar Mama recipe for killer chocolate chip cookies.

Gluten free. Vegan. Organic. Fair Trade. MY FAVORITE! Enjoy :)

Sugar Mama’s Chocolate Chip Cookies

• 2½ C Bob’s Red Mill Gluten Free Baking Mix
• ½ tsp sea salt
• 1 tsp xanthum gum
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 1 C Spectrum organic shortening
• ½ C Wholesome Sweeteners brown sugar (organic, fair trade & certified gluten free)
• ½ C Wholesome Sweeteners cane sugar (organic, fair trade & certified gluten free)
• ¼ C Wholesome Sweeteners agave nectar (organic, fair trade & certified gluten free)
• 1 tsp vanilla
• 1 TBSP flax meal
• ¼ C coconut milk (soy & rice milk also work great!)
• ¾ -1 C Sweet Earth chocolate chips (fair trade, vegan, organic & gluten free!)

o Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
o Whisk together baking mix, salt, xanthum gum & soda.
o In separate bowl mix shortening, sugars, agave,
vanilla, flax & coconut milk until creamy.
o Slowly mix in dry ingredients until fully combined.
o Stir in chocolate chips.
o Drop by TBSP onto cookie sheets.
o Bake 10-12 minutes.
o Enjoy ☺

(Linking up here & here.)

February 14th

How do you feel about Valentine's Day?

Is it sweet & fun?

Or just commercialism at its finest?

I find myself right in the middle.

I love love & any reason to celebrate it!

But I like it in a "bake cupcakes for someone you love and snuggle up" kind of way.

(You know, versus "buy me expensive jewelry and flowers or we're in a big fight".)

I do have a few new love themed gifts in the shop that I'm pretty excited about!
Like these pretty little cupcake flags.

Or brand new DIY Cupcakes for Two!
You just add a couple ingredients and in a few minutes you've got 2 pretty cupcakes..... one for you and one for your honey :) Or one great big cupcakes if you like to share.
(Or if you like to eat great big cupcakes, cause that's how I roll.)

They're all up in the Sugar Mama Bakeshop etsy shop.

Perfect little looooooove gifts......

Whether you're into Valentine's Day or not, everyone loves cupcakes and love.

Am I right?

(ps. I'm in love with these new pictures so I'm sharing them at lifemadelovelymonday & sweetshottuesday)