Our newest Stick Of The Week! is Hilary Lovell. Hilary is in the NOW as founder and creator of A Lovelly Design, an online shop that specializes in custom made mommy and best friend jewelry. Hilary prides herself in making A Lovelly Design the perfect place for customers to connect with the designer and artist behind their custom piece. She loves being able to make the perfect gift for someone special and knowing that it will be a treasured keepsake always.
Hilary Lovell and family
Hilary Lovell is "a mom to the greatest kid, wife to a wonderful husband, artist, firefighter and the “Lovell” behind A Lovelly Design. I love to create with any tool I can get my hands on and am currently immersed in creating pea pod jewelry for moms and friends around the globe."
Sweet Peas in a Pod Necklace
Tell us about your NOW (Noodle On the Wall)
My current NOW is my Sweet Peas in a Pod Necklaces. I started designing the necklace while pregnant with my son. Not able to find the perfect "mommy necklace," I decided to make my own. After weeks of planning and with my sweet pea also on the way, the Sweet Peas in a Pod Necklace was born. Just shortly afterward, so was Gavin. Since then, both of my sweet peas have grown and gotten more worldly.
My current NOW is my Sweet Peas in a Pod Necklaces. I started designing the necklace while pregnant with my son. Not able to find the perfect "mommy necklace," I decided to make my own. After weeks of planning and with my sweet pea also on the way, the Sweet Peas in a Pod Necklace was born. Just shortly afterward, so was Gavin. Since then, both of my sweet peas have grown and gotten more worldly.
Gavin
Is your NOW simmering, al dente or fully cooked and why?
My kitchen must always look like a disaster area. I think my noodles are cooked on a very uneven stove top with uneven heating. Some of my noodles are fully cooked, while the rest are overflowing the pot and are usually al dente....Just waiting for me to tweak them a little or to change my initial recipe all together.
What recipes can you give other Creative Moms Taking On The Creative?
My favorite recipes always begin with me thinking, “Just Go For It”! When you go for it and give it all you have, you will always be surprised by the end result and the way the recipe changes. When I get going, I may not have all of the ingredients that I need right there on the counter at my fingertips, but with a little rummaging and trial and error, I usually end up with a new fun recipe. Also, I learn what ingredients I can mix together to create a new dish and what technique I like or need to play around with more. The knowledge and experience I gain while testing out a new recipe, is worth every moment of frustration or self-doubt.........and all the dirty dishes too.
My kitchen must always look like a disaster area. I think my noodles are cooked on a very uneven stove top with uneven heating. Some of my noodles are fully cooked, while the rest are overflowing the pot and are usually al dente....Just waiting for me to tweak them a little or to change my initial recipe all together.
What recipes can you give other Creative Moms Taking On The Creative?
My favorite recipes always begin with me thinking, “Just Go For It”! When you go for it and give it all you have, you will always be surprised by the end result and the way the recipe changes. When I get going, I may not have all of the ingredients that I need right there on the counter at my fingertips, but with a little rummaging and trial and error, I usually end up with a new fun recipe. Also, I learn what ingredients I can mix together to create a new dish and what technique I like or need to play around with more. The knowledge and experience I gain while testing out a new recipe, is worth every moment of frustration or self-doubt.........and all the dirty dishes too.
Pea Pod Necklaces
What motivated you to throw your noodle?
My mom. She is a master gardener, artist, small business owner and the reason that the arts are such a big part of my life. She always had tools and materials for us to use and create with. A gift I could never repay her for. She is the person who suggested and encouraged me to start selling the jewelry I've been making. My mom encouraged me to sell online and she also sold my jewelry in her shop. The Pea Pod Necklaces are also a tribute to her love of gardening and my love of the flowers and plants that she grows.
My mom. She is a master gardener, artist, small business owner and the reason that the arts are such a big part of my life. She always had tools and materials for us to use and create with. A gift I could never repay her for. She is the person who suggested and encouraged me to start selling the jewelry I've been making. My mom encouraged me to sell online and she also sold my jewelry in her shop. The Pea Pod Necklaces are also a tribute to her love of gardening and my love of the flowers and plants that she grows.
Gavin
What inspires you as a Mom and as a creative person?
I find most of my inspiration in the small things, especially from my five year old. I like to start every day with my “morning boost”. No, it isn’t a coffee or a leftover pasta dish. It is the very first thing to come out of my son's mouth in the morning. His innocence, imagination, humor and abandon for life make it hard to start the day in a funk. So, no matter how late I am up the night before, or how much earlier than him I got up, I always try to be right there in the morning to see the first smile and hear those first words.
I find most of my inspiration in the small things, especially from my five year old. I like to start every day with my “morning boost”. No, it isn’t a coffee or a leftover pasta dish. It is the very first thing to come out of my son's mouth in the morning. His innocence, imagination, humor and abandon for life make it hard to start the day in a funk. So, no matter how late I am up the night before, or how much earlier than him I got up, I always try to be right there in the morning to see the first smile and hear those first words.
Concept art for Pea Pod Necklace
I also like to surround myself with tools, materials and a lot of notepads. A simple thing like the lighting on the bedroom wall at nap time can spark an idea for a new piece. I want to be able to jot down the image, idea and the feeling I had at that moment in time. I may not be able to use the idea in any recipe right way, but given enough time to simmer away, the ideas in the book can be a great start to a great meal.
Finished Piece
How do you juggle Mamahood and your NOW?
I involve, incorporate and I stay flexible. I stay up super late at night and try to get up early before my little guy is up to work on my NOW. That way, I can work without any distractions or without feeling like I’m not “there” for him. If I’ve got a lot to do, I juggle our time between kid stuff and my stuff and incorporate him into what I have to get done. Having him be my helper has been great for both of us. I get to teach him things he wouldn’t otherwise learn and he gets to be mommy's best helper. He is my box getter, label sticker, ribbon cutter and delivery man.
When there isn’t anything he can help me with, he is usually close by playing with his cars or doing crafts of his own. I don’t have a very rigid schedule because things in our house are always subject to change. But we try to do everything we can together.
I involve, incorporate and I stay flexible. I stay up super late at night and try to get up early before my little guy is up to work on my NOW. That way, I can work without any distractions or without feeling like I’m not “there” for him. If I’ve got a lot to do, I juggle our time between kid stuff and my stuff and incorporate him into what I have to get done. Having him be my helper has been great for both of us. I get to teach him things he wouldn’t otherwise learn and he gets to be mommy's best helper. He is my box getter, label sticker, ribbon cutter and delivery man.
When there isn’t anything he can help me with, he is usually close by playing with his cars or doing crafts of his own. I don’t have a very rigid schedule because things in our house are always subject to change. But we try to do everything we can together.
Hilary, Matthew and Gavin
My husband and I are both firefighters, so on drill nights, we wait until daddy is home from work, eat a quick meal and then go up and drill. Gavin is there with us, so he has been learning the trade. At five years old, he can already instruct others how to do CPR correctly! Being firefighters and serving our community has always been important to both my husband and I. So sharing and involving our son in that is what came naturally. By doing as much as we can together (even if it is just work), it keeps us all unified and mostly sane.
A Lovelly Design Hand Stamp Necklace
What is your ultimate pasta dish?
I LOVE making lasagna and my husband makes the most divine chicken with penne in a white wine cream sauce. But, italian wedding soup is the one that I could eat every day. I love recipes that can be as simple or complex to make as you’d like, or that your time will allow. I also like ones that are easy to freeze or reheat on a busy night.
I LOVE making lasagna and my husband makes the most divine chicken with penne in a white wine cream sauce. But, italian wedding soup is the one that I could eat every day. I love recipes that can be as simple or complex to make as you’d like, or that your time will allow. I also like ones that are easy to freeze or reheat on a busy night.
Hilary's Tree Stump Cake
I also love cake. I make the craziest cakes for my family. I don’t know who enjoys it more, me or them!
RSS Feed
