i n v i t a t i o n s

Above: Nephew Deacon

Last year all three of my sisters-in-law were pregnant at the same time! That was very exciting and it has been a very fun year! They all three came in the Spring and Summer of 2008. So, this year calls for lots of celebrating 1st birthdays. These are the invitations designed for the baby showers last year...

...Design inspiration came from baby bedding for the nursery - Land of Nod

Gertrude Bird is the first baby on my husbands side, she 'hatched' in April...the day after my husband's birthday, which was really neat. Her middle name, Bird, was the design inspiration for the invitations...

This card features rubber stamping-birds nest in chocolate, torn edges, patterned paper, mounted on chocolate cardstock

This cutie is my niece Kenlee...sister-in-law, Jessica's, baby girl - Photography by Erin Ivie Photography No baby shower invitation for her but, here are some other designs from the past...

Simple damask print, inked in black with vellum text overlay-single silver brad attachment, mounted on black cardstock for cousin, Kristen's bridal shower

Recent baby shower invitation design, again for Kristen :) Charcoal print on white cardstock, patterned paper-stripe, elephant and ball. Baby Isaac arrived last weekend and is so adorable :)

One of the first invitations I ever put together. It was for a fall, pumpkin themed 1st birthday. I love this design! You can't see the true color in this photo but, there is purple, orange, green, yellow and black in the patterned paper. The ribbon over the orange strip is purple and I love the combination of fonts and also, the fonts together with this single pumpkin.

"cute as a button"

baby boy mix button embellishments and all kinds of other button cuteness at http://www.evalicious.etsy.com/

I seriously love the saying "cute as a button" because I do think they are so CUTE! I collect them now to use on my cards and scrapbooks but, someday I would love to attempt to make a piece of jewelry using buttons! Check out this necklace using buttons and crochet found on ETSY...i'm just learning crochet but, I hope to have it down by Christmas this year!?!?

Buttercup Buttercup stiched flower button necklace from ETSY

This is a sneak peak of the color palette for a scrapbook I have started. It is for my niece Gerty...using lots of buttons! Hope to have it finished to show sometime soon.

a favorite handmade card using buttonsanother project using BUTTONS :) This is a memory board put together last year for my cousin, Amy's, new babies barnyard themed nursery. Materials used: red check fabric, white ribbon, white buttons, and barnwood frame.

Just one of the many jars from my collection. My friend Melodie picked this up for me on our shopping trip a few weeks back. I love the quilted top. I know i'm not the only one out there that thinks buttons are the cuttest things. What kind of unique projects have you used buttons for?

Resale shopping

Pretty much one of my favorite things to do is shop resale. My BFF, Melodie, came for a visit from Nashville, TN and we found the best little resale shop in little ol Wayne City, IL. We had arm loads of $1/$2 and less items. Here are a few of my finds:

Glass napkin rings, tiny owl trivet, butterfly salt and pepper shakers, tiny tea pot pin cushion {my favorite find of the day} It is so little and so CUTE! We also found buttons, trunk/chest, pottery, etc.

Oh, one more thing...

I'm doing alot of stopping into these resale shops on a hunt for trunks/chests...i'm collecting them for the underwater themed kids event coming up at church-i'm working as the design coordinator for the event ;) If you have one we could borrow or you'd like to donate, let me know, I need lots more.

kristen { maternity }

This is my first cousin, Kristen, alot like a sister to me - which explains how excited I am for this baby to come ~ any day now!!!! It was her baby shower I helped throw ~ blogged here a short time ago.

She looks so beautiful. It is a good thing we got these shots when we did because the poor girl is going to deliver any day! She and Tyler were good sports getting in and out of the vehicle, getting up and down, walking lots, plus wardrobe changes in the back seat...that should have helped wiggle him down, right ;)

I love the look of this pretty dress against the old rustic truck...love the contrast :) see more www.flickr.com/photos/brandiwhite

baby india

see more from this photo session at www.flickr.com/photos/brandiwhite

Mary Kay Color

I was really excited when asked to do make-up {and hair} for a wedding last weekend! I always enjoy helping & seeing the ladies get all dolled up for a big event. This June bride, Deann, wanted a very natural look for her outdoor afternoon wedding. It was so much fun doing hair and make-up for these girls on Deann's big day! I loosely pinned back curled hair for a natural look on all the girls. For eyes I used Mary Kay Mineral Eye colors in Moonstone, Hazelnut, and Vintage Gold {THE go to colors for a neural look} Eye liner in Deep Brown and Ultimate Mascara in Black. On lips I used Neutral lip liner, Tanned lipstick, and Beach Bronze lip gloss. Same colors used on Alana below...

A few months back I did Mary Kay color for these girls, Elizabeth and Jennifer, for prom. Both with bold eyes and neutral lips. Elizabeth went for fun blues and greens to blend with her teal dress {Coastal Colors-Limited time only!} Jennifer stayed neutral with Granite eye color and had a red dress to compliment her beautiful brown eyes. Finishing touch...false lashes :) Hair on these two girls by Brooke Taylor...Hair Twisters-Wayne City, IL

I'm very excited to have a new Mary Kay consultant signed up. Heading out Thursday afternoon to host an open house with her in Marshall, IL. This trip is a start to a very busy weekend...lots to blog about next week.

Have a great weekend :)

White Oak Resources Office

My latest interior design project was an executive office space. I made all selections however, layout and lighting had already been decided when I came on the project. I started from stud walls...these are the finished photos....see lots more of this space on my flickr website.I like the gray blues next to the vanilla color...also, love the pop of dark walnut stained doors trimmed in off white on these vanilla walls. Natural slate, carpet, wood laminate and area rugs where used for flooring. Natural/organic/abstract art and accessories transformed this into a transitional space.

All custom vanities, mirrors, and office furniture by Rapp's Custom Cabinets in Dahlgren, IL Area rugs - Pottery Barn Artwork and accessories: Pier1, Kohls, Hobby Lobby, Target, Trees and Trends, JCPenney, and Crate and Barrel