Like a deflated balloon

I won't lie, when I opened my sample box this month for Birchbox, I felt like a deflated balloon. I wanted fun, shiny stuff, not lotion, a tiny gloss and some breath mints. Humph. I left it on the kitchen table.

Later in the week, I threw the lotion and mints in my center console with disregard, and the gloss on my shelf.

I haven't circled back to the lip gloss or other items yet, but I have to tell you... I ration out that lotion now, and I LoVe my new mints. A) They're tea mints for fitness, ok? ok. B) I don't like super minty mints, so these are perfect for me. You can taste just enough green tea and mint, sort of like a Zen tea from Starbucks in a mint form.

There you have it. I promised an unbiased review. It passes with a B. I'm not sure what would have given it an A+. Maybe next month...

Still...after all this time...

This wedding is still one of favorites, two whole years later. Wanted to share. See more of this small, intimate wedding on Meg Baisden's blog.

Another Change in my life...

Meet Lilley.



And because one photo isn't enough...



Or just one photo shoot...



Oh heck, here's a few for ya.



At the Golden Gate Bridge.


Her Dad came home recently.

Me & Lilley.

Ever heard of Birchbox?

I hadn't, until I clicked on one of the Daily Candy links that show up in my In-Box each morning. BAH-Rilliant idea. Each month, for just 10 bones, you get a box of super fantastic samples. Automatic renewal by month or sign up for a year, build up points to spend on full size products, beauty on my doorstep--and I don't have to do a thing! And I could give these sample boxes as a gift for 3, 6 or 12 months. Sold!



Uh, literally, I meant Sold. I'm signed up and ready for my delivery. I'll keep you posted on what arrives and how I like the products they send. If you decide to sign up, I'd love to hear from you! (No one ever leaves comments on my blog, so come on over to the Two Fishes Facebook Page and let me know if you've done this before, what you loved, what you didn't!)

As if I didn't have overflowing drawers of makeup. This is different, though. In the name of Research, I say. All 5 of my blog readers will want to know this very important information, I say. And That is worth $10 a month, for sure.

Change

It's been a year(ish) since I made a life-changing decision regarding Two Fishes.

Have you ever made a decision you knew would give you freedom and improve the quality of your work-life, but at the same time make you miss all the things you used to complain about? It's ok, I realize that sounds completely irrational. I'm of sound, mind and body, promise. It's just that my concept and business grew way too fast, and left me wearing all the hats necessary to get through the day.

There comes a point in a creative person's life, where the craft loses out to the daily business tasks, leaving said business person to regret doing the craft in the first place. That's when you have re-evaluate, re-calculate and re-wind to start over.

A year later, I know I am in the right place and doing exactly what I'm supposed to be doing. Previously, we had 4 teams of hair & makeup girls (including me) who traveled almost every Saturday of every month. That's a lot of brides, moms and bridesmaids. I remember every Saturday, finishing makeup at a wedding, and on the drive home, I would check in with Connie to make sure all the artists were at their assignments. Then I'd call the girls to check on how everything went at each of their events. I had notepads on my passenger seat in an attempt to capture all of my random thoughts and to-do list additions. With so many moving parts (and people), you have to stay on top of the details. I remember going all day without stopping --drive & talk, makeup, drive, more makeup, return calls, and on and on. I remember being so thirsty by the time I sat down in my car at the end of the day, I'd guzzle a Dasani Water Bottle in seconds--hot. (isn't that gross?)

During a random conversation, a very wise friend of mine in the wedding business explained what life was like when you revise your business plan to be meaningful and focused on what you do best instead of trying to be "Large & In-Charge."

So, in May of last year, I wrote to all the girls that I was moving forward in a new direction. Two Fishes was going to just be Renee Armour. That's all. A one woman show now. I secretly hoped that with this change, my Friday nights would morph into a calm, relaxing time at home instead of me worrying that everything would go ok for the 5 weddings the following Saturday morning.

The bottom line was that I wanted a more meaningful connection with my clients. I didn't want to be so busy and distracted that the day didn't mean anything to me other than my appointment time to show up and work.

Earlier this year, there was a moment when it all sort of came together--when I was thankful I had slowed down enough to enjoy my work and the people around me. Gwyne of GwyneMark Photography caught it on film.

Looking forward to a fantastic Fall Wedding Season with lots of these hugs ahead.

Watercolor Weddings

We're always thankful to have a Watercolor Wedding on the books. As a vendor, I could fill your ears with lots of reasons why this is a great place to get married (vendor list is A+++, Cheryl rocks, customer service is AL-ways great, the boat house alone, and there's just good energy), but in this case...the pictures do it justice!

Rae & Wes of Rae Leytham Photography shot Kara's wedding. I'm only including a few pictures of the bride and groom--there are so many more great shots over on their blog. They also include a full vendor list.

I couldn't resist...

I love this shot of Kara's mom, and Kara's short dress wardrobe change for the reception.

Here are a few pics from Kelly's wedding. You can see more of the venue, flowers, etc. in the video by Joanna Banks-Morgan at Diva Productions and of course, Amanda Suanne's blog post.

A Watercolor Wedding... Coming Soon: Kelley + Matthew from Diva Productions on Vimeo.

Ok, last one (for now). Paige will always go down in history as the bride whose false individual lashes blew off her eyes just as her photog, Ryan from Pure 7 Studios, showed up to start shooting. Oh yeah.

My workday persona has been described in the past as calm, soft voice (ie, monotone and could possibly put you to sleep), chilled out, handle what's thrown your way--but not at Paige's wedding. No. We decided that since it was such a gorgeous day, Ashley and I would work out on the screened-in porch overlooking the Watercolor downtown area. It was so nice outside---and the fresh air was just what everyone needed. However. (Long Pause.) Later in the day, as I was finishing up Paige and somewhat concerned about time, the wind kicked up. I don't lie when I say as soon as I laid down her tiny individual lashes, they would blow off. The whole scenario had me wound up--mainly because the glue is black, if it hits the skin, it has to dry before you peel it off or else there's a huge mess, then there's a spot where it takes off the color I've already applied, then you have to cover the spot, re-apply the lash, hope it didn't fall in anyone's drink, and all the while I feel like the photog needs her to get in her dress. So, then Ryan says to me in his 'teacher-dad' voice, "calm down, it's fine." Shew. I calmed down, we finished and as you can see, she's a stunning bride with plenty of lashes.

And one more that just makes my heart sing.

P.S. Not all of the fabulous vendors are listed in this post, but they are on some of the photographers blogs. Watercolor provides a well-edited vendor list for their brides.

Jamie at Carillon

I was told once, by a mega-blogger, to never apologize for delayed blogging. Maybe this mega-blogger was thinking like...2 weeks, 1 month, maybe 3 months with no blog entries. It's been a good 6 months friends. I'll just say...Sorry I'm totally late, but I do have some goodies to share.

Here are a few pics from Jamie's wedding out at Carillon Beach.

Las Vegas Baby!

Emily and I were invited to come out to Las Vegas for a little dice rolling, hair rolling, to paint the town--and to paint a certain face! Her name is Susie. She's the Programmer over at the Wedding Chicks. We love Susie for so many reasons, and they have nothing to do with her ability to mind-read, or code a site or patience when designing marketing materials! She's helped give a voice to my style, to the way I wanted certain things branded, and I swear sometimes she beamed herself into my head, Star Trek style, to deliver just what I wanted, but didn't know I wanted. Yeah. That good.

If you love a super retro theme, be sure to check out the full feature on the WC. Ok, but way more important, if you love free downloads for invitation suites (hello!), then click here. Susie put her ultra cute invites on the site for you to customize with your own info AND your own colors. See, I told you. She's pretty amazing!

P.S. Before I sign off, you'll find a complete list of vendors for Susie's wedding on WC, but these photos are from Julie at Julie Harmsen Photography. If her blog isn't on your favorites list, well...you might want to add it.