broken poet

#SaintJohnCut4 reveal day

2013-04-14T17:44:00.000-04:00

This afternoon was the last meeting of all 7 teams involved in the #SaintJohnCut4 photoshoot and all the photo submissions were presented. Each team had to narrow down all their photos to one for each of the three themes: Grit, Real, and Drive.

Here are the submissions for some of the teams I was involved in:

REAL:

GRIT:

DRIVE:

Photographer for the above photos: Glen MacLean. model: Apryll Stansfield.
hair and fashion stylist: Adam Donnelly. makeup: me. clothing: Colwells.

REAL:

GRIT:

DRIVE:

Photographer for above 3 photos Mike Capson. models: Maryanne Delaney, Jon Quinn.
hair: Element5. makeup: me. clothing & shoes: Exchange On Germain

REAL:

GRIT:

DRIVE:

Photographer for above 3 photos: Audreyrose McBay. model: Erin Caines.
hair, makeup, nails: me. clothing: Silver Daisy Designs. shoes & bags: The Urban Shoe Myth.

Photoshoots...whirlwind week

2013-04-12T12:00:00.002-04:00

This week I have been participating in a series of photoshoots for a creative event call #SaintJohnCut. This is #SaintJohnCut4 and the first one I have been a part of.

This year it's a week long challenge of sorts: teams of photographers, models, makeup artists, hairstylists, retailers and helping hands are all working to come up with photo submissions for 3 themes. The themes are the same for every group and they are #Real, #Grit, and #Drive.

I've been a busy bee this week as I've been involved on 4 teams! Here is some of the behind the scenes photos and videos so far.

This video was created by hairstylist Adam Donnelly.

It features model Apryll Stansfield and photographer Glen MacLean. Clothing & shoes featured were from Collwells.

Here are some great shots from that team:

Me at work giving Apryll some finishing touches.
Don't you just love her hair?
Thanks to Glen MacLean for this picture

Here I'm touching up Apryll's lips and that's our photographer Glen MacLean setting up the shot. Thanks to Adam for getting this behind the scenes look!

Here is Adam tweaking Apryll's hair before heading out to the shoot location.

Thanks to Glen MacLean for this picture

This is the last look from the photoshoot.
I absolutely love this!

Thanks to Glen MacLean for this picture

Here is a video I created on location with another #SaintJohnCut4 team. Photographer Mike Capson, Models Maryanne Delaney & Jon Quinn, photography assistant Brandon Sabean. Our helper was Fran Menton, our clothing & shoes came from Exchange on Germain and our location was Harbourfront Residence. Hair by Element 5 and makeup by yours truly.

ps. I love this little video app thingy: Magisto !

The following behind the scenes photos are from Mike's website

Me & Jon on location. See? Men can wear makeup too!

Hot Tip: a lesson in lighting. Obviously the model is the subject so the light is on her and she looks bright and soft and flawless. I'm in the shadow and look at my harsh mouth line and weird cheeks! In the second shot I'm in the exact same place but the camera angle is different and I look way better! Photographers are magic, be nice to them!

Here's me texting and emailing with my 3 other teams while Maryanne & I wait for the clothing to arrive. This might be the nicest my hair has ever looked in a photograph

Also, Isn't this room to die for?! It wasn't even staged for the shoot.

I'll keep you posted, I'm sure there are many more photos to come...

How to wear Colour when you're wearing all black...

2013-03-28T18:42:00.001-04:00

It's Easter weekend!
Wearing all black at work on holidays can be a downer sometimes so I choose to be colourful with fun accessories.

Today I wore a vintage broach in my hair. It's a Scottish Thistle so it has both green and purple.

My chandelier earrings have lots of 'Eastery' colours in them.

My cross pendant has beautiful purple stones...they are not an amethysts...I need to check with my dad and ask him again. This was a gift from him for my birthday this year.

And of course, a girl's best accessory, nail polish! I gave myself an Easter Egg Mani. I know it's tacky and 'childish' even, but I don't mind being tacky for the sake of fun. It makes me smile.

Happy (colourful) Easter Everyone!

perfume...a schpeal and a how to

2013-03-21T19:19:00.000-04:00

Apparently today is National Fragrance Day. Who knew?

So, at work I made this little video which includes a few tips on how apply your fragrance.

Enjoy

Road trip

2013-02-16T14:39:00.001-05:00

I'm over 3 hours into a road trip and the roads are becoming not nice. The destination I really was hoping to visit on the way closes in 30 minutes...with these roads I don't think it's going to happen.
Sigh
Also, I have to pee

Sigh

Here's some ransom photos from my phone.

Snow with Style

2013-02-09T18:31:00.001-05:00

It's snowing in a major way in my neck of the woods. It's important to have the proper snow gear. Tiffy knows the importance of function and style

Arm-knitting Up A Storm

2013-01-29T16:36:00.001-05:00

I've made a few creations so far. I have to say, my favourite part about arm-knitting is how quick it is! You can can have a new scarf, start to finish, in under 30 minutes!

This first pic is a wrap thingy. I plan on draping it over my shoulders when I wear a a plain dress to jazz it up a bit.

Excuse the blurriness is this pic. I was trying to take an iphone pic one-handed...it's tricky!

\If I remember right I used a whole ball of yarn for this one... same yarn as the shawl above. It's nice and long, in this pic it's looped around my neck three times before tied in a knot.

Arm Knitting - this is life changing

2013-01-26T10:53:00.002-05:00

Where has this been my whole life?!

Arm Knitting - this is life changing stuff people

A big thank you to my friend P who introduced this concept to me! The original video she send me was this:

After watching that I was enthralled and youtubed some more. That's when I found the simpler version shown in the first video.

AMAZING

Layering with Deb {The Fashionista}

2012-12-05T19:45:00.003-05:00

Dressing during winter in Canada is a retailer's dream...we have to dress in layers, it's not just a fashion statement, it's essential for survival!

I was inspired by my mum's layering skills this past Sunday. Not only did she look great, but she also pulled off that mid-calf boot with dresses trend that I just cannot do.

Here's her response to "do a fashion blogger pose".

I'd say she's got it down!

She was not impressed I stopped her after church in the foyer for this mini photo shoot, but how could I not?

Outfit deets: Long Sleeve Shirt - Tabi

Dress - Faded Glory [gift - you know who you are lovely lady!]

Boots - www.sheplers.com/

Silk [polka dot] Scarf - Mono Prix, PARIS!

peaking out of the bottom corner of the first picture is her Fossil purse [gift - I know who I am ;) ]

She did not give me the deets on her opaque tights/leggings....I guess some information must be held sacred.

Do you layer for Fashion or for Survival?

What are your tips or favourite layering items?

Caution: Pirates with Candy

2012-10-27T14:12:00.000-04:00

I decided to dress up for Halloween at work this Saturday. Since CHANEL now has both a nail polish and lipstick called Pirate I took my inspiration from that and became a CHANEL Pirate!

We got candy for the store and people really enjoyed meeting the pirate and getting a treat.

It's fun to put a smile on someone's face.

I wore lots of pearls, a thirfted blouse, my old Steve Madden over-the-knee boots (my husband called them pirate boots anyway), and double C decal on my cheek, and topped it off with the scarf my mum brought me back from France.

My nails were done in CHANEL Black Satin with the Pirate as an accent colour.

One needs properly pirate-y hands to dole out treats :)

Are you doing anything to celebrate Halloween?

Halloween Ideas I'm Loving

2012-10-21T21:36:00.000-04:00

Source: repinly.com via S on Pinterest

A charming take on Holly Golightly!

How cute would my dogs look with mini jet-packs for Halloween?!

This is incredible!

Wednesday Rehash

2012-10-17T06:00:00.000-04:00

Last night hubby and I hosted our first bible study, a young adults group, in our home. For our first night we discussed the words behind what we sing in church and this was the song we focused on.

This is a song that's been rolling around in my head for a while and I wanted to talk about what it means for our love to grow cold and how we prevent our love growing cold.

I decided to post the scripture references for the lyrics of this song I found in case they'd be helpful to any of you. We used these as launching off points for discussion.

Light the Fire Again by Brian Doerksen

Don't let our love grow cold

Matt 24: 12 Because of the increase of wickedness, the love of most will grow cold, but he who stands firm to the end will be saved.

Rev 2:4 yet I hold this against you: You have forsaken your first love.

Cause I'm calling out

Psalm 130, Psalm 141: 1-2

Light the fire again

Matt 3:11b He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and with fire.

Don't let our vision die

I'm calling out

Light the fire again

You know my heart, my deeds

1Kings 8:39b for you alone know the hearts of all men

Jer 17:9 the heart is deceitful above all things.

Luke 16:15 You are the ones who justify yourselves in the eyes of men, but God knows your hearts. What is highly valued among men is detestable in God’s sight.

Acts 15:8 God, who knows the heart, showed that he accepted them by giving the Holy Spirit to them, just as he did to us. He made no distinction between us and them, for he purified their hearts by faith.

I'm calling out

Joel 2:32 And everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.

Light the fire again

I need Your discipline

Psalm 94:12 – 15 Blessed is the man you discipline, O Lord, the man you teach from your law; you grant him relief from days of trouble, till a pit is dug for the wicked. For the Lord will not reject his people; he will never forsake his inheritance. Judgement will again be founded on righteousness, and all the upright in heart will follow it.

1 John 2:3 We know that we have come to know him if we obey his commands.

I'm calling out

Psalms 106:44- 45 But he took note of their distress when he heard their cry; for their sake he remembered his covenant and out of his great love he relented.

Light the fire again

I am here to buy gold

Refined in the fire

Job 23:10 when he has tested me, I will come forth as gold.

1 Cor. 3:13 his work will be shown for what it is, because the Day will bring it to light. It will be revealed with Fire, and the fire will test the quality of each man’s work.

Naked and poor

Wretched and blind I come

Clothe me in white

Rev 3:4-5 Yet you have a few people in Sardis who have not soiled their clothes. They will walk with me, dressed in white, for they are worthy. He who overcomes will, like them, be dressed in white.

Isaiah 1:18 “Come now, let us reason together,” says the Lord. “though your sins are like scarlet, they shall be as white as snow;”

So I won't be ashamed

Lord, light the fire again

Visible Monday ~ Rainy Sunday

2012-10-14T16:51:00.000-04:00

First of all, how cute are these little faces?!

It was cold and rainy today so I felt the need to layer.

And to incorporate the colour brown.

And to wear a wig - it keeps my neck and head very warm and means I can sleep in,

instead of styling my own hair.

I wore a thin brown turtle neck underneath a thrifted navy blouse from Value Village for about $7.00

I like the ruffle details. I also prefer it with nothing underneath but fall is here so what's a gal to do?

I found this dark denim skirt at Winners. I love the pocket detail!

My sis-in-law gave me these tights, she bought them in France. I like the black and brown together! It lets me get away with black footwear :)

I'm linked up with Not Dead Yet Style for Visible Monday.

Check it out!

Faith in the Everyday

2012-10-12T09:02:00.000-04:00

Join me today on Fringe Girl's blog !
This October she and some other bloggers are discussing "Living By Faith".
Today is Faith in the Everyday.

Super Cute Teddy Bear S'mores!

2012-10-08T14:50:00.000-04:00

A few months ago I was chatting with a co-worker about ideas for a baby shower I was hosting for my sis-in-law and her first child. Food ideas were the topic and I wanted something cute and 'mini' or bite sized. I can't remember what led us to s'mores but we ended up dreaming up the cutest little Teddy Bear S'mores ever!

Last weekend I set out to make them and I thought I'd document the process to share here. I'll give some tips that I figured out the hard way and I'm sure you can take them make them even better!

Here's what you will need:

*1 box of Teddy Grahams (or no name version, aka Honey Crunchy Cubs, I also found penguin graham crackers, or of course you could use classic "Amimal Crackers")

1 Bag Mini Marshmallows (I chose the pastel multi-coloured bag - I was going to pick out just the pink ones but decided to go for the rainbow)

1 can of Chocolate Icing (You could also use Nutella, or make your own). I didn't even use 1/2 of the can of icing....I may even be eating it right out of the can with a spoon this very minute....

Baking Sheet

Parchment Paper

Butter Knife

*if you want to make a large batch I would buy 2 boxes to account for the broken ones - It`s amazing how many are missing 1 if not 2 paws...or ears...

How To:

Place parchment paper on your baking sheet.

Spread your icing on the flat side of each bear and lay them icing-side up on the parchment paper.

just gob it on, it doesn`t need to be perfect!

Next, place a mini marshmallow length-wise on 1/2 of the bears you have iced.

Place the other half of iced bears on top of the marshmallows to make a bear sandwich.

The first batch I only iced the bottom half, but found that the top bear would keep falling off!

Turn your oven to 200 (F) and put them right in, don't wait for it to pre-heat. Leave them for about 30 seconds. You want to see the marshmallow swell a bit, but not explode!

Et Voila!

Super Cute Teddy Bear S'mores!

These were a big hit at the shower! No one had seen anything like them before.

I made them the night before, put plastic wrap over the baking sheet and left them out. At the shower I put them in the oven again at 200 for 30 seconds to warm them up.

They are also good at room temperature!

enojoy!

Stop It!

2012-09-22T11:30:00.000-04:00

I discovered a new form of therapy...granted it was a MadTV skit via youtube but don't let that fool you...there is wisdom to be mined from this.

You know when you get stressed and it's like your thoughts just kind of build on whatever the stressful issue is? You start thinking about it, and then you think of more scenarios, and it's all that you think about it until you're all worked up...well, I think this will help.

In the words of Bob Newhart "Stop It!". Actively choose to think about something else. Thoughts might pop into your head and you can't control that, but you can choose not to dwell on them. When the stressful thoughts come, force your mind away to another topic. Often thinking about other people is a good way or, if you pray, pray for others and keep your mind busy and off yourself. It's simple, but it's not easy.

What do you think of the Stop It technique? Genius or too harsh. Like the chick in the video I too am scared of driving. It stressed me out and while I have a permit I do not have my licence. Maybe it's time I should Stop It!

Who knew MadTV could be so thought provoking?!

1st Time Home Owner { That's Me!}

2012-09-01T21:34:00.002-04:00

(Sept. 8, 2009)

Hubby and I have bought our first house. It's the location of our wedding, the only threshold I've been carried over, the only place we've lived in together, and now almost five years later it's officially ours.

Sounds all romantic "and meant to be" doesn't it....

Well it's absolute chaos at the moment!

Uptown Girl

2012-07-26T20:22:00.002-04:00

I realized today that my entire outfit (accessories and all) were sourced from uptown retailers in my area. Supporting local businesses is something I try to do whenever possible...today I just happened to display that support without even planning to!

Blouse, Skirt, & Necklace: Suzy Shier (in Brunswick Square)

Cardigan: Collectables (in Brunswick Square)

Earrings & Hosiery: Baubles

Purse: The Butterfly Shoppe

Shoes: Manchester Shoe Salon

I love working uptown, and the ladies love their daily lunchtime walks uptown!

And now, I'll encourage you to watch Billy Joel`s Uptown Girl (go on, sing along!)

just click the link to watch it via youtube...for some reason I can't embed it...

summer maxi dress

2012-07-22T13:09:00.001-04:00

I love maxi dresses.

They are easy to wear and don't require leg shaving!

Today I pulled out a maxi dress I bought 2 seasons ago from Giant Tiger (for those not familiar it's like

Wal-Mart's low end cousin). I grabbed my sunnies (generic no name brand) and my sun hat from Joe Fresh.

Easy summer style!

Head over to Visible Monday and get some outfit inspiration for the week.

Stella, part 2.

2012-07-15T20:16:00.002-04:00

Finally, a girl in the family!!

Hubby's sister had her first child on Friday the 13th (dun, dun, dun) and she had a little baby girl. With 2 nephews, one on each side of the family, I was very ready to have a niece!

Here's the precious girl snuggled on her mommy.

Here she is sticking her tongue out at Uncle :)

Stella!!!!

2012-07-14T20:27:00.001-04:00

Meet my new niece!

vacation + babies?

2012-07-13T10:55:00.001-04:00

off to the big city!

Hubby and I are enjoying a mini vacation. We are stating with his sister who is about to give birth any day now. Excited & hope we meet the new little one!

shoe love

2012-07-06T17:21:00.000-04:00

It's no secret; I love shoes. I met a cat this week that loves shoes too.

Meet Kano, he likes to cuddle shoes, and really, who am I to judge?

cute storage box tutorial

2012-06-29T22:02:00.001-04:00

Hi Peeps!
It's been a while I know. I keep taking pictures and have blog posts in my head, but never seem to have the time to actually upload pictures or write...alas.

This DIY project I came up with a few weeks ago. My dogs both had to have some major dental work done so they could only eat soft food for two weeks.

The previous owner had fed them Beneful brand wet food, so we decided to continue with that until we could switch them back to a dry food.

By the end of the two weeks I had 3 Beneful boxes and thought they were a perfect size for a small storage box....

I started by cutting off the top flaps.

Then I went through old magazines and found a pages I thought we pretty.

Applied stick glue to the box, pressed on the magazine page, and then cut out around the handle.

Here are the 3 boxes done in a jewelry motif.

I would seal the magazine pages on with a clear decoupage sealant or varnish.

I did the ends in a totally different look and will do the sides in different shades again so that I can have different looks depending on how I place them.

Here is the jewelry end on display in the bookcase.

This is a super fun and very easy DIY project, I think it would be great for a kid's room.

hot tip: save the plastic dog food containers that the food actually is packaged in and wash them. They stack perfectly inside the box and are clear. Great for storing little craft or hair doo-dads.

Graduation

2012-06-22T10:32:00.000-04:00

It's that time of year....proms and graduations...I'm in my element

This is my 13 year old cousin and her grade 8 grad.

I did her makeup...it was so much fun.

Congratulations Pretty Lady!