Noteworthy Instagrams

I’ve had at least one photo shoot booked each week for about a month now, and due to the continuous photo editing, taking photos from my every day life with the “big girl camera” has become a little less enticing. I looove taking and editing pictures, but sometimes it’s nice to just snap an Instagram shot instead, ya feel me? A little less work.

There have been lots of projects going on around here, most notably the completion of our master bedroom decor, which took a mere two and a half years. I can’t wait to officially unveil the room (with photos from the big girl camera), but for now, here’s a little peek into what’s been going down. I came home from a shoot on Saturday morning and Matthew “surprised” me with the white ram as the latest addition to our gallery wall. Le sigh. (it is pretty though…)

The next photo is a shot from the kitchen dining nook, where we finally (just this weekend) found a great antique cabinet and shelf to fill the space. I can’t wait to find more antique doo-dads for inside the cabinet!

The cursory pup shots…

And last but not least, Matthew also surprised me with some new Potter paraphernalia this weekend, to include a Gryffindor scarf, a Platform 9 3/4 plaque, a framed Diagon Alley map, and J.K. Rowling’s supplemental HP books, The Tales of Beedle the Bard, Quidditch Through the Ages, and Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them. Needless to say, I was beside myself. It was like Christmas in June! Clear evidence that A) my husband really loves me a lot and/or B) he's coming up with more creative ways to get laid these days.

Happy Tuesday! :)

Printing your Instragrams

I love Instagram!

I love that an ordinary photo tweaked becomes something special, 

the every day memorable, the memorable shareable. 

And now finally its all printable!

Enter Prinstagr.am developed by fellow Instagramer enthusiasts who are helping us get the photos out of the iworld and into the real world.

There are several products to choose from.  I have just ordered a tinybook and a set of miniprints, I can't wait to get them and I will let you know how they turn out.  But there are also T-shirts, stickers, a minibook and a really cool poster option. 

image of something similar via Apartment Therapy below

Instagram projects I am planning for the future:

• Later this year we are going to a family wedding.  I am planning on using Instagram to make minibooks for the bride and groom, and other members of the family, as a memory of this happiest of celebrations.
• A family mini book for my girls with photos of all the family who are far away. It can be theirs to look at as often as they like.  And its not super precious so if its over loved its not the end of the world, we can have fun making another.

Also love this Photo a Day project from one of my favourite bloggers Fat Mum Slim.

Each day you shoot a photo according to the list for that month, and then you share the results with friends or other enthusiasts.  Love it! I am going to play next month.

In every way Instagram is such a fun and easy way of keeping in touch with loved ones, especially those far away.

Are you as addicted as I am?

Best of Instagram, week 12

Hey, are you guys watching all the Titanic specials going on this weekend?  Matthew and I have been watching them on and off, and my terror of all things water related is pretty much nailed in now.  Cruise ships, tsunamis, flying over the ocean, wading out farther than knee deep at the beach, jellyfish… all the stuff of my nightmares, I kid you not.  This is not helping.

Anyway, here’s best of Instagram this week.  Feel free to link up with your own pictures below! :)

1. Pizza at Home Slice.  Best I’ve ever had, by a long shot!
2. Yellow dress, red lips.

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3. & 4. A morning out at Boggy Creek Farm.

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5. New shoes from Target
6. SoCo, Austin

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 7. & 8. Best muffins everrrr from Central Market

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 9. Favorite time of the day
10. Chocolate dream pie!

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11. Found this photo in a drawer and smiled.  And then cried. A lot.
12. My beautiful grandma stirring up some Hungarian Beef and Cabbage… recipe coming soon!

Happy Sunday!

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Easter thoughts + Instagram Dump (B.O.I. Week 11)

Happy Easter, my friends… how was your weekend? Restful, I hope. Ours was eventful, as you may have already caught wind of in yesterday’s post? Oy!  And I should also add that the giraffe was not the only shipment to arrive from Africa.  My house really is a zoo now…  I could charge admission just to visit.

Anyway, this morning we had a lovely brunch at my mom’s, where we enjoyed a feast of pancakes, eggs, sausage, melon, and coffee cake, alongside some good conversation and, of course, the cursory Easter peeps.  We paid our respects to Edd at the beautiful wooden urn that contains his ashes, and there was something strangely comforting about that.  His presence is still felt.  I couldn’t help but think back to my Easter post last year, and when I looked it up, the tears flowed.  That smile on Edd’s face!  Damn his staggering ability to be happy, right up through the end. It makes me feel deeply ashamed of my own pathetic ability to have a consistently shitty attitude.  For real.

Grace.  We talked a little today about how the grace with which Edd handled his disease was truly astounding, and though watching someone suffer like Edd did can certainly cause you to have some issues with your God and your faith, the grace… it’s hard to attribute it to anything but God working within him, despite the cancer. 

We also talked about how suffering has a purpose, and that’s to strip you of every single thing that’s not important, leaving only what is.  Of course, it’s still hard to embrace suffering—damn near impossible.  But it’s also near impossible to ignore the beauty I saw in the love and caring and stripped-down-ness of my mom and Edd’s relationship.

Just food for thought. 

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After a short sabbatical, I am back on board with Best of Instagram! Here’s a few recent pictures… (username jenniSOML on Instagram)

1. A new favorite dress from Ruche and a lovely bracelet by Miss Jenna!
2. My outfit for Easter today. Necklace by Stella & Dot.

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3. This tea is supposed to help my PMS.  We’ll see. (nailpolish here in “now you sea me”)
4. Beautiful tulips from the incredibly kind Kristin. :)

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5. Gracie and the water hose. More obsessed Gracie photos here.
6. Tuckered out. :)

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7. Spooning!
8. Keeping watch.

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9. I have named it Martin.
10. Never thought I’d see the day I put one of these in my office, but it actually looks pretty darn cool.

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11. Flowers clipped from the yard to keep me company while I work.
12. Cosmetics.

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13. My loves.
14. New favorite necklace courtesy of my blestie (blog bestie, not sure who coined that) Megan.  Its official name is the “Edinburgh,” but I have renamed it the “Edd-inburgh.”  :)  Tonight’s the last night to get a major discount in the Across The Pond shop, so get on that!

Add your links below, if you’d like!

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Best of Instagram, week 10

Hello loves!  I TOTALLY dropped the ball on my Best of Instagram post last week, but we’re back at it this Sunday! :)  Here are a few fun phone pictures from the last couple weeks… link up below if you’d like!

1. An incredibly sweet reader sent my mom and Edd a Chili’s giftcard, and here they were about to order. :) 
2. A few pictures from our couple’s shoot—more to come next week!!

3. Does this really need a caption?
4. Kicking off Matthew’s spring break right!

5. Seriously?!  A pet poop picker-upper service?!
6. Sweet lil’ baby girl.

 
7, 8, 9, & 10. Scenes from happy hour with a few lovely bloggers around town!  WAY too much fun! In bottom left picture, from left: Nikol, Brittany, Mallorie, Amanda, Ruthie, Leah, Ketrin, and Shalyn! :) Love you girls!

Happy Sunday!!

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Best of Instagram, Week 9

1. Received a bonus Birchbox in the mail this week!
2. In the makeup mirror. 

3. & 4. Went back to Commons Ford Park for a perfect afternoon.

5. & 6. Sleeping Beauty.

7. & 8. Cooper being Cooper.

 
9. I’m obsessed with the little Matthew pictures I found this week.
10. Also quite intrigued by this Earl GREEN tea I bought.  The flavor is definitely different, but it smells so similar!

Have a happy Sunday :)

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