Mexico...the wedding

So, I would be remiss if I didn't post photos of the precise reason for our Mexico vacation: my Baby Brother's wedding! Unfortunately, because of all the rain, they didn't get married on the beach, but it was still a beautiful ceremony.

They each wrote their own vows, and my brother started crying right away, which started his mom & step-mom crying, and before you knew it all the ladies in the room (and some gents) were tearing up as well.

After the ceremony, each guest got a glass of champagne and we headed out to the front of the resort to get a big group shot. I can't wait to see what Sherry ended up with (p.s. she was awesome...)

She also got a bunch of family shots. I really can't wait to get my hands on those!

And then we had dinner (yum!), and speeches (short!), and dancing (partay!)

Congrats Shane & Jill...it was a beautiful day.

later loves

Clever Instagrammers!

Sometimes I wonder what I would do without Instagram. That may seem dramatic to some (most), but for me it is a wonderful tool! I get to see what my best pals are up to, and share in their small joys of everyday life. And I in turn get to share with them, and document all those moments that are forgotten as easily as they come.

My cousin got married in October, and his wife is herself an Instagrammer. She created a wedding hashtag to be used by her guests, so we could all share in each other's small wedding moments!

She's a clever lady! It's fun to do a little search and look through other people's pictures. I've got a couple of my cousin's on this layout, that I just couldn't do without.....they have cooler filters than I do! (wink)

I have been using my Instagrams quite heavily in my Project Life binder (yes...I'm at it again). And it has really helped me to anchor each day with a doodle/deep thought in my moleskine. Most of the time I don't have my official camera with me, and if I want to "capture a moment" I do it with the (gigantic, cumbersome, stupid-looking) iPad....and share it on Instagram.

I document waiting, and funny news, and beer loves, and work woes, and sushi kisses.

Instagram suits me just fine!

If you're on Instagram you can follow me @formerlylisas

My profile is private, because I just can't stand the thought of random creepers checking out pictures of me, and dude, and my fabulous scrapbooking!

later loves

So...Hi there....

That was awkward, eh? Me spilling my guts out a little bit. Oh well. I feel it was kind of due, and I don't mind getting a little real on this here blog. And thanks for all the lovely - and supportive - comments. You guys are the best!

And now, I would say back to regularly scheduled programming BUT I left my camera at work, and all of my "What to Wear on Halloween" pictures are on there! ACK! So that will have to wait until tomorrow...

And instead I will make myself another mojito and talk about something else. Like that wedding I went to a couple of weekends back. That's as good as anything.....

 

 

This was a fun wedding!....and of course after we left all the cousins got out on the dance floor. Sigh. Where were you when I was stuck out there with the under-10 crowd?!

I promise to be back tomorrow with my What to Wear photos, and some Halloween tales! Until then.....

later loves

Work + Wedding Wear

Yes yes yes...even though I told myself I was absolutely NOT going to buy a new dress to wear to this wedding, I totally made a liar out of myself. But I made (damn) sure that I bought a dress that I could wear to work as well, and really get my $40 worth...hello H&M!

I bought the "edgiest" accessories I could find there. The pink florals were sort of giving me an old lady at and old lady funeral vibe...don't ask!

And two days later...

Yep...with the simple addition of a cardigan and a NEON BELT I have taken this fancy dress, and made it office-appropriate!

Please note the "nude pantyhose" (and now I even sound like an old lady!) vs the cozy tights for taking it from fancy to casual. So, cardigan + NEON belt + cozy tights = casual Friday. Or Monday, as I believe was the actual case.

This is my "Hi! I am so fricken happy to be at this awesome wedding, but it's effin cold out here and I just want to get back inside to the bar!" face.

And there you have it folks...a dress that can go from Wedding-Fancy to Monday-Morning with a couple of simple additions. H&M had a blouse & trousers to match, but I think that might just be a little too overwhelming...challenge accepted!!

And a couple of housekeeping details...

And that is all!

later loves

Jill + James

Here is a nice little photo dump of Genyn wedding pics. I know there are a couple of you out there who have been waiting to see these!

 All of the details were quite spectacular.

 Skyping with Victoria in Australia during the ceremony.

 Jill pretty much looked this happy the whole night! Happy and beautiful!

 Kirsten thought it was funny we would want her photo! I like the blur of the prof photographer in the background. She got a funny pic of all of us laughing!

 Jill took Victoria around the whole room, and they shared a drink. That was a pretty sweet moment!

later loves

Webster's Pages...for TM

I had forgotten about this layout! I started it ages ago, then forget to print the photo. So I put it aside on my table, and it got moved, and shuffled and stored, and not lost (miracle). Well, I finally printed the photos for it last week, and finally finished this bad boy.

This was my "challenge" product last month, so these layouts will start showing up on the TM Inspiration blog soon. Webster's Pages isn't your typical-Lisa fare, but it was fun playing with something different, something that I might not have picked for myself.

For all your Webster's Pages needs, check out this link. I used the "All About Me" line on this page.

What's gotten in to me?

Even after we have learned so much about ourselves, made mistakes and moved on, we still go back to old patterns and frack up every now and again.

In other words, I have no idea what got into  me on Monday! That post was a little bit harsh...so I deleted most of it.

And now I'm moving on.

Here are some photos I took downtown on the weekend, my "looking through a tourist's eyes" moment.

Clockwise from left: Muttart Conservatory in the foreground and Gallagher Hill full of Folk Festers in the background. The Telus building, you can see the strands of Christmas lights criss-crossing upwards. The Crowne Plaza, aka Chateau Lacombe (Russ & I wonder what the rooms look like, shaped like that). McDougall Church puts up funny signs to "advertise" their weekly sermons, which makes me laugh considering how historic this church is! (This week it read: Friends, Enemies, Frenemies)

I have been "busy" reading the Harry Potter Series this week, and not doing much else! I am looking at the books in a whole new way, reading them over again as an older (and wiser?) adult. They are still good, like really good. Lucas is in camp in the mornings, and I only had to work two days. I'm kind of bored-slash-exhausted!

In the creative department, I haven't up to much other than the usual...TM layouts, designing Make & Takes for the Crops, and filling up my Smash book. I bought some more Copic markers and have been playing with those guys (where have they been all my life!?) and I started a fairly informal "art journal". I wanted to have something artsy that I could work on everyday with no pressure and no expectations.

This week I am moving upwards and onwards. I am seeing things through my eyes, and I am enjoying every minute of it! I'm thinking of more creative things to do, as I feel sort of lost without them. Maybe do some painting, or a Week in My Life project, or something equally wonderful. Did I ever tell you I cleaned up my studio? Unfortunately, every time I go in there, it gets a little messier, so a terrible side effect of the clean up has been my inability, or lack of desire to go in there and get some art done!

So blah blah blah...I'm done here.

Sketches 2 Scrapbook...awesome!

I love my Sketches 2 Scrapbook app! It's no surprise really, based on how much I loved the Twisted Sketches DT job. Every time I sit down to scrapbook, I put my iPod on the speaker dock, turn my tunes up to an appropriate level based on the fact I have a sleeping kid in the next room, and open up the S2S app.

I created these two fab layouts awhile back using the app, and I can safely say that it made the whole experience much more satisfying, and go much quicker! I can choose a sketch, get the basics down, then add my flair to it!
*****

Sketch #41...Romance

Supplies List

Pattern paper: My Mind's Eye, The Girl's Paperie     Word sticker: Crate Paper

Ribbon: May Arts and Value Village lace     Pearl: Zva Creations      Badge: Pink Paislee

Stamp: Tim Holtz's Stampers Anonymous     Ink: Distress Ink (Fired Brick) and Stampin' Up (Going Gray)

*****

Sketch #37...Let It Snow

Supplies List

Pattern paper: Making Memories, Sassafraslass and Basic Grey

Brads: My Mind's Eye           Bling: Doodlebug

Stickers: American Crafts (snowflakes) and Jenni Bowlin (stars)

Letters: My Little Shoebox (stickers), Stampin' Up (stamps w/ Buckaroo Blue ink)

*****

And now that you've got a taste of all the wondrous-ness of this app, I'm going to up the ante and make the sweetness even sweeter...I'm giving away a copy of the app so you too can have this awesomeness on your mobile device of choice! Hazaa!!

Leave a comment here with your name, email address, and your favourite number (mine is a tie between 17 and 23). I'll draw a name in one week, on the 1st of March.

And to the winner will also go these two ATCs that match the layouts...a little extra inspiration when you go to use the app!

later skater alligator