You are currently browsing the monthly archive for April, 2008.
I finished my first baby shower gift tonight. I just need to package it up all pretty and wrap it up and it will be set to go. The baby’s nursery is going to have polka dots painted on the wall so I decided to play on that theme. The burp cloths are made out of cloth diapers – one is backed with light pink chenille and the other one is backed in 100% cotton fabric.
The blanket is the perfect size to get E through toddlerhood. It has the polka dots on one side, high loft batting in the middle and the light pink chenille on the back. It is quite possibly the coziest blanket I’ve ever made! It will be perfect to get E through her first Wisconsin winter.
I took this picture on a very early Sunday morning flight to Corpus Christi, TX. I was on my way to a Sunday meeting which I wasn’t thrilled about at the time but as I sipped on my skim, vanilla latte from Caribou and looked out the window, I couldn’t help but feel at peace. There are times when I am absolutely awe struck by how beautiful the world is and how lucky I am.
I went to National Camera Exchange to compare Nikon and Canon SLR cameras. I consider myself a “canon girl” since both my 35mm and point & shoot are Canons. That was until I went to Breckenridge for a girl’s weekend with two “Nikon girls”. I couldn’t quite put my finger on what I loved about the Nikon until I went to National Camera. The Nikon was more intuitive, lighter and prettier. 
I shot duplicate pictures with the Canon Rebel Xti and Nikon D80. Boy was I surprised! Not only was the color better on the Nikon but the lighting was amazing with no flash. It only took me 15 minutes to decide that I was moving over to the dark side – I’m going to become a Nikon girl. That is as soon as I can come up with an extra $1000. Maybe that is where my economic stimulus check with go! Here she is, the Nikon D80, isn’t she pretty? I can’t wait until I can call her my very own! Until then, my Canon A80 point & shoot that is 6 years old will have to do.
On other fronts, my I have decided to turn our guest bedroom into a sewing room. It’s been set up as a pretty guest bedroom for about a year now and today it finally dawned on me that we don’t really use the room. So, after talking to my mom and batting my eyelashes at my dad as best as I could over IM, I’m “borrowing” my mom’s old sewing table that she is no longer using. In return, my parents will be storing my hope chest {surprise dad – more stuff!}.
I have all these ideas in my head and I’m itching to start sewing but I need a “spot”. Some place where I don’t have to put all my stuff away each night. I’m going to turn a very small corner of the room into a place where I can go and do my thing. I already have a list going for my next Joann’s run!
Right now I’m sitting on the floor in the guest room, imagining, dreaming and placing furniture in my head. I’m surrounded by my latest purchases at Hancock Fabrics that are just waiting to be turned into something soft and cuddly.
OH I almost forgot! I decided that I am going to shoot Anne’s wedding on June 21! I’m sure it will be a beautiful wedding, I can’t wait to help capture the night! Even more reason why that pretty D80 should be mine…don’t you think?
-E
I’m rethinking the wedding that I was asked to take pictures at. Should I go to my 10 year reunion and talk to people I haven’t thought about or talked to in 10 years or should I go to the wedding, have fun and take some awesome pictures that I can come back and share?? I’m so indecisive tonight!
I’m pretty sure the bride is reading this…HI ANNE!!
Between now and the end of October 2008, there will be 6 new babies entering my life and that doesn’t include my niece that was born in March. Seven babies is a lot of babies and a lot of sewing! I have fallen 100% in love with sewing. I love finishing a cuddly baby blanket and imagining wrapping up my nieces or nephews to cuddle before they doze off to sleep. I’ve also started making customized burp clothes and changing pads. These are a work in progress so I don’t have any photos just yet but check back, I’m sure that I will soon! For the mamas, I’ve been making sleep masks, in an effort to help them squeeze in every extra second of sleep during daylight hours.
This is the last baby blanket I made and it turned out to be one of my favorites! I made it last fall for the arrival of a very special little girl, named Paisley Rian who was born on Christmas Day! It was a fun blanket to make! When I found out that she was a girl, I wandered up and down the aisles at JoAnn Fabrics putting every pink fabric that I could find into my cart. Her mom and dad waited along time for her so I had to get the blanket just right!
Be sure to check back here and at our Etsy store often, I have a lot of sewing to do so I’m sure I will have lots of pictures and inventory up in the coming weeks. With one baby due in June, two due in July, one due in August, one due in September and one due in October, I’m going to be a busy girl!
One of my sorority sisters contacted me tonight to see if I would be willing to take some pictures at her wedding from dinner until the dance started. She said she had heard that I take great photos and would love to have me shoot at her wedding. I was SO excited when I read her e-mail. I mean what an amazing opportunity to build up my portfolio and practice taking pictures of people (I’m better with inanimate objects). I literally pulled up my calendar as fast as I could…only to see that her wedding is the night of my 10 year high school reunion. Bummer.
As much as I would love to take her up on this amazing opportunity, I’m going to have to pass so I can re-live 1998.
I created the W monogram (based on the Regent Hill Designs logo) for the return address labels I made for my friend Erin, as a house warming gift. She loved them so much that she decided to incorporate them into her wedding invitations. We slaved away all afternoon on Saturday and this is what we came up with! Isn’t it beautiful?? It will be printed on a creamy colored linen paper and backed in Mars Stardream paper. I hope she loves them as much as I do!
After we finished up the invitation design, I started on the program design. This will be printed on the Mars Stardream paper as well and will be fastened at the top with a black ribbon so the pages will fold up.
Overall it was a very productive weekend. We layed out the invitations and programs, figured out the cost of the paper and how she was going to print everything and then rewarded ourselves with a BBQ and cold beer! I would say it was a pretty successful weekend!
-E
It’s 1:15pm and I’ve already been to the airport and back to drop Erin off, sucked down a giant cup of coffee, ran to Target and helped JD clean out our stand up freezer in the garage.
I’ve been hoping that it would stop snowing around here long enough for things to green up. Taking pictures of brown, dirty snow is not my idea of fun. JD and I are flying to Chicago this weekend for a Friday afternoon Cubs game. We’re staying here…I cannot wait! I hope the weather cooperates so we can enjoy the the game! I’m also hoping to get in lots of new shots to add to our store. Did I mention we’re on Etsy? 
I’m just a little bit excited about this if you can’t tell.
I spent the weekend designing wedding invitations, programs and other miscellaneous wedding stuff for my friend Erin. I think the invites turned out amazing! I don’t have pictures of the finished product yet but when I do, I will be sure to post them!
Lots to take care of to get ready for the week so I’m off to vacuum and clean…
-E
I’ve been kicking around the idea of starting my own part-time business since…well since college. My roommate Sarah and I had it all figured out. We would graduate, we would move to Minneapolis and we would start an event planning company named “Regent Hill”. Why Regent Hill? Because my parent’s live on Timber Hill Road and hers live on Regent Lane. It was only logical that we combine the two. Sarah moved to Milwaukee, WI after graduation and is now expecting her first baby with her husband, Matt and I moved to Minneapolis with my husband, Jason.
So here I am 8 years later actually contemplating whether I can make a run at this and start using the creative side of my brain again. I’m hoping to focus on two things that I love to do – sewing and photography. I know they seem like an odd combination but photography is my true passion and sewing is quickly gaining ground. So, welcome to Regent Hill Designs. I have a feeling it’s going to be a slow and bumpy ride but I can’t wait.
-E
