honored

hoo hooo!!  i'm so honored!  my "Our House" print is hanging in shelley & cason's entryway!  it's featured in their entryway closet makeover!!!!!

check out this transformation!  it's GENIUS!  i'm in love.  so chic.  so crisp, clean, yet cozy.  so shelley.

thanks again shelley for showcasing my print!  it looks beautiful!

see more here

purchase prints here

pictures courtesy of house of smiths

feelin' groovy!

i needed a new little project.  adding a splash of red to his room seemed like a good idea.  it was time to swap out j man's newborn pictures and add some bright flare!  

he's growing up way too fast.  wanting to capture his littleness, simon & garfunkle's "feelin' groovy" song popped into my head.  that was it!  that's the song i must re-work for a child's print.  i vacillated over the looks & layout of it, but this is what i kept coming back to.  super simple and very bold with a childlike touch.  i also wanted this print to grow with the child, so it would be groovy in a nursery or "big kid" room :)

this print (above) is shown framed in fire 20x30"and also offered in bubblegum and any other color shown on our custom color chart at no additional cost!   

we are also offering our small homes, meet me in the middle, let's think, think to pray, quick to kneel, slow down & that is home prints in ALL COLORS shown on our custom color chart at no extra cost!  

you'll have to bust on over to the shop and see all our new possibilities!

i would also like to say THANK YOU so much for all your business!  i'm feelin' some MAJOR love!!  i would have never dreamed these prints would be so well received!  

i'm extremely grateful for all your interest and purchases!  

don't forget! i'm still offering BUY 2 get ONE free to all my facebook followers!

have a great night!

©2012 brightsides, all rights reserved.

sunday delight

waking up to a sore back every morning is getting old fast.  this little man is heavy.  scooping him up, toting him around... i'm exhausted. 

fortunately for me, bright white light streamed through our bedroom windows this morning and soaked me with warmth and feel-goodness :)  somehow i didn't mind my back so much, but rather relished in the coziness of a soft bed & the sun reflecting off a blanket of fresh fallen snow.  life's simple pleasures.

here's the duder having a bob and chillin' with the iPad.  can life get much better than this?  

©2012 brightsides, all rights reserved.

tickled tangerine

just found out that my tangerine "Quick to Kneel" is being featured in adriana's CALIENTE TANGO CRUSH treasury!  i'm honored!  thanks for showing off my work!
  love all these brights together!

i want that piece of wire knit jewelry!  happy thursday!

seven brides for seven brothers & more prenatal pictures

it's snowing and tonight will be our chicken pot pie dinner instead of last.  sam surprised me & came home with long stemmed red roses, a new attic tv antenna (we're ditching cable) and took the whole family out for bbq!  we had such a fun night!  Livie said it was the best day ever!  i concurred.  maybe sam read yesterday's post.  i never asked :)  

oh my gosh, while we were there (at the restaurant), we saw a family come in with seven boys.  yes, i said 7 boys.  i couldn't stop starring at them.  they were all so darling, well dressed and the olders were equipped with cell phones, laughing and getting along so well.  the oldest must have been about 14, and i think they either had twins or triplets on the end.  yep, i said i couldn't stop starring at them.  i wonder how much it would cost each month to keep all those boys clothed, fed and electron-i-sized!  a lot!  good for them!  i kept thinking of millie from seven brides for seven brothers lol.  i can't even begin to imagine what it must be like to be that mom.  she looked tired.  she was beautiful.  she will be blessed.

finally, i gave sam his love tank card... he, well, let's just say we filled each other's tanks! 

it's good to love and be loved. 

i finished up melissa & brian's prenatal pictures and here are a few more to share!  

©2012 brightsides, all rights reserved.

candy hearts & chicken pot pies

mmm, aren't candy hearts so divine when they're soft?
happy valentine's day friends!

we just got back from costco, mr. jack is taking a nap, annie has destroyed the family room with soccer cones, blankets, couch cushions and toys. and guess what?  we're having chicken pot pies for dinner! romantic, isn't it?  next weekend comes the real love!  can't wait!
how will you celebrate?  you're probably headed out to a fancy dinner downtown, or serving festive pink & red gourmet food or something like that :)

oh yes, i have some exciting news!  i am very close to adding a new nursery print to my shop!  i can't wait to show you!  it's super groovy!  

be sure to check back and go enter my giveaway if you haven't already :) 

have a fabuloso day!

©2012 brightsides, all rights reserved.

the ultimate sugar cookie

okay natalie & natalee, your sugar cookies are to DIE for!  these are so incredibly delicious.

i followed your recipe exactly and voila!  they are so fluffy, moist and flavorful!

they are definitely the best sugar cookie i've baked!  i have to admit i was a bit nervous about the almond extract.  i am usually not a fan, but i tried it anyway and i'm so glad i did!  i'm sure you could replace it with more vanilla extract if you didn't want to add it, but i thought it was just the right amount- definitely not too over powering.

and it was SO fun to use my new scalloped cutters!  this was the perfect recipe for my silly nostalgic moment!  thank you so much for sharing!  here is the recipe again:

Sugar Cookie Recipe

2 cups butter
2 cups sugar
6 eggs
6 tsp. baking powder
2 tsp. vanilla extract
2 tsp. almond extract
7 cups flour
LOVE – lots & lots of love

Cream butter & sugar. Add eggs, baking powder, vanilla and almond extracts. Add flour. Roll dough @ 1/3” thick – bake at 375 degrees for 6-7 minutes.  Add the LOVE from start to finish… :-)

Frosting

2 lbs powdered sugar
1 1/2 sticks butter
1/4-1/2 cup milk
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 tsp almond extract

©2012 brightsides, all rights reserved.

scalloped hearts

i found some!  i found some!

scalloped heart-shaped cookie cutters!  i have been waiting years for these beauties!  

my first recollection & realization of true sugar cookie love was when i bit into a perfectly baked, scalloped edged, pale pink frosted sugar cookie.  i was about 8 or 9 years old and i had met my match.

since then, i have been on the lookout for scalloped hearts.  i'm sure i could have gone into any specialty shop and tracked some down, but come on, i barely make it to target & walmart these days.  speaking of walmart, that is where i found them last night!  they came in a pack with two other red regulars.

i grabbed them and jumped for joy!  sam laughed, i cried.  okay, i didn't really cry, but almost!  happy tears!  my nostalgic pale pink cookie is soon to make it's glorious return!

you probably think i'm crazy.  i get it.  however, when it comes to nostalgia, i get passionate.  i get that from my dad i think.

so, here's what's gonna happen:  my friend natalie learned that we both share a deep connection with sugar cookies and she sent me her sugar cookie roundup along with her friend's favorite recipe.  

i have used the same sc recipe for years, so this is huge for me to be trying a new one.  the ones i usually make are pretty darn good! 

but, i am going to go out on a very skinny limb here and put her recipes to the test.  they will be carefully cut with my scalloped cutters and then iced with her pale pink frosting.  this is big time!  i am so excited!  i am putting some major faith in nat & her friend natalee today!  

Sugar Cookie Recipe

2 cups butter
2 cups sugar
6 eggs
6 tsp. baking powder
2 tsp. vanilla extract
2 tsp. almond extract
7 cups flour
LOVE – lots & lots of love

Cream butter & sugar. Add eggs, baking powder, vanilla and almond extracts. Add flour. Roll dough @ 1/3” thick – bake at 375 degrees for 6-7 minutes.  Add the LOVE from start to finish… :-)

Frosting

Powdered sugar
Butter
Milk
Vanilla extract
Almond extract

stay tuned as i unveil quite possibly, the best sugar cookie ever!

p.s. have you enter my shop giveaway yet?  if not, hurry and enter before it's over!

©2012 brightsides, all rights reserved.

brightsides designs giveaway

guess what?!?  today the ever-so-amazing house of smiths is hosting a brightsides designs $50 shop credit giveaway!  

be sure to enter here!

i am also offering a discount right now ***buy 2 get ONE FREE*** to all house of smith's readers and those who "like" me on facebook

simply specify the free print of your choice (equal or lesser value) in the 'comment to seller' box.

be sure to include size, color, customizations, etc.

and as usual, shipping is free for any additional items after the first!  so fill up your cart & save!

yeah, yeah, yeah, i know this is a little last minute, but if you're anything like me, you just realized february 14th is next tuesday!  wow!  it was freakin' just Christmas!  time to get on it!  
here's the latest addition to my shop & the card sam will be receiving!  anyone read the five love languages?  

A sweet little valentine card for that special someone! What fills your love tank?

Simple & quick... no need to head to the drug store for a last minute sweetheart card! Simply print right at home! This has been digitally formatted as a 4x6" image, perfect for printing on a card or tag. 

get this download here!

©2012 brightsides, all rights reserved.

prenatal pictures

mrs. jacob's high school english class is where melissa and i first met.  totally sidetracking, but speaking of mrs. jacobs for a sec, she would probably shake her tiny, curly-haired little head with disgust if she saw this blog.  written in all lowercase letters and housing far too many grammatically incorrect sentences, it's gotta be a teacher's worst nightmare!  yikes!

hahaha, not only do i remember melissa being so darling and fun, but she had thee raddest backpack ever.  i wanted one baaaad!  and of all the years we ran around together, i never once swam in her fabulous indoor pool!  how did that happen/not happen?  duhhh! 


melissa has always been such a great friend to me and i'm so happy i was able to do this for her!  she has always had a highly gravitating & contagious personality- it's giddy & adorable.  she's a little firecracker- so full of life and charisma!  isn't she so gorgeous in these pictures?  dang! 

pregnant with her first baby,  documenting her darling belly was a must!
i had a blast being with her again and getting to know her awesome hubs a little bit better! they are going to make amazing parents!


congrats you two!  can't wait to see that baby boy!  he's going to be beautiful!


and a big squeeze & thank you to my sister kate for letting us come use her stunning home for the shoot!  

©2012 brightsides, all rights reserved.