Time to make Lemonade

Last week was just one of those weeks.  I was incredibly busy and felt rather scattered and stressed out.  This week may be just as busy too, but I am hoping to recharge and go into it with the best attitude possible.  

One thing that was particularly upsetting last week was that I lost a whole bunch of my photos....Pretty much every photo from Labor Day to now.  We had a lot backed up, and the boy had quite a few stored on his computer, but there was a good amount that have been lost forever.  

It brought up a particular flaw of mine that I really need to work on - I am digitally messy.  I don't properly label my photos, I am bad about organizing them and I take so many.  This little mishap of accidentally deleting my entire photo library, only emphasized that I need to be more  organized with my photos and I need to be better about limiting the ones I keep.  

It's so easy to take photos of everything, and believe me, I do.  I'm constantly taking photos for my blog, many of which I forget about and get lost in the shuffle.  I've been thinking more and more about the days when I would only use disposable cameras - before digital took off and back when I actually didn't own a camera.  24 exposures and that was it.  It a way, I miss having that preset limit on my photography.  

I am setting myself a new goal this month of reorganizing all the photos I currently have, getting more printed and limiting the new photos I keep.  I still plan on taking plenty of pictures, but I am going to try to be better about deleting the bad, or unimportant shots, especially if they've already been blogged.  

If anyone out there has any tips or tricks to organizing your digital photos please share!  I could definitely use some insight into the best ways to stay on top of this goal!  

Exploring the Senses E-Course

I am currently taking Susannah Conway's e-course Exploring the Senses and after only 12 days I completely love it!  It's like being on a large scale scavenger hunt!  And her challenges compel me to take more notice of all the details around me (clearly the point.)  

The photos above are all taken as part of the course - we were set with the challenge of finding certain colors around us in our daily lives.  I have been using my Camera+ app for all the images for the course, so hopefully at the end, I will have a nice cohesive collection that I can put into a journal.  I really love that app.  I have an older phone (3GS) and the camera isn't quite as clear as the newer versions, so having the Camera+ app really helps to clarify and sharpen my photos all right there on my phone.  

The course also has me falling in love with the look of Polaroids again!  They really are so dreamy!  

Life Lately...

Happy Saturday y'all!  I just adore lazy Saturday mornings don't you?  Having time to sip my coffee and catch up on all the blog posts I missed over the week - It's just splendid!

If you follow me on Twitter you have probably seen that the past few weeks have been really hard for me, work wise.  I've been under a lot of pressure and have so much work to do that I have been working 11 hour days lately and, as a result, I have generally been feeling overwhelmed and frustrated. 

The nice thing about a new week is, it can be a fresh start.  I'm going to try my darnedest to go into work next week and not allow the stress to get to me.  I am going to try to stay focused on one thing at a time and not try to multi-task myself into a frenzy (something I am always falling into.)  And I am going to try to not take it all so seriously...I am such a perfectionist, sometimes I let that trait overcome me and I go a bit mental and start giving value to things that I really shouldn't worry about.  I don't want my day-job to dictate my mood and become my whole focus, so this week I pledge to take it easy and leave work at work.

Here's a few details from the last few days...My attempts to stop and look at the little things!

Do you have any fun plans this weekend?  Hope you all have a good one!

Totally 90's and favorite new Ipad App

We interupt your Tuesday to bring you my absolute new favorite App on my ipad:


Pic Collage!!!

This handy app allows you to create photo collages with images from your photo library, your facebook, the web, you name it!  And you can change the backgrounds, add text, stickers and a whole host of other features.  

In playing around with it this weekend I had the boy take some snaps of me in an outfit that I deemed totally 1990's.  I can't totally explain why, but something about chiffon floral dresses always makes me think of my tween years.  Paired with some socks, lace up boots and a jean jacket?  Yeah, that to me is Drew Barrymore in Crazy Love and Winona Ryder in Reality Bites - aka: Totally 90's. 

Today is my Birthday...

Yes, yes it is.

Part of me wants to look back and write about all the things I did this year, what I accomplished from my 29 Before 29 list, and all the happy moments that made up this year.   

 But a bigger part of me doesn't want to look back.  This part is excited for the future - The beginning of my 30th year.  I can hardly believe how my 20's have flown by! Really, how scary!  But I'm also really motivated to accomplish some new goals this year and make some exciting changes in my life.  I'm definitely going to make a new list today of 30 things I want to do before I'm 30, which I promise to share soon.  It really helps me to be proactive and not put too many things off till "later." But I am also going to take a bit of time to quietly reflect on the year past and enjoy myself.   

Today I do have to go to work for a while, but then there will be vintage shopping, present opening and a special dinner at a fancy beverly hills restaurant called Bouchon!  I am so excited to spend the day with the Boy and celebrate this, the day of my birth...And it's my younger brother's birthday too, so I got to give a shout out to him too! 

Happy Birthday Tyler! 

Really, this has been a great year for the Lilac & Lace blog and I have all of you to thank for that.  I have made some great new bloggy friends, found some great new interests (burgers anyone) and reached 200 followers!  Woo hoo!  Thanks to Kate for being my 200th follower! 

I guess what I'm trying to say is thank you.  Thanks for reading my blog, for showing an interest in my life, for sharing your lives with me and for all the happiness you bring me.  And thanks to my friend Shani of Don't Smile Now for taking these lovely impromptu photos.  She's an awesome photographer, don't you think?  So here's to an amazing birthday!

We've only just begun....

Three is a Magic Number

Ok, so the August break is done for me because this week is Wedding Anniversary Week!  And thus all posts this week will be about me and the boy...This is the week of us!

The boy and I will be celebrating our 3 year wedding anniversary tomorrow and as part of my anniversary gift to him I made him this little video....This is one of the only times I can show the boy on this blog, so take a nice long gander people.  These photos and videos were all taken over the past year. 


Anniversary from Heather Toner on Vimeo.


Hope you liked that...I can only keep this up for this week, after that the boy's secrecy comes back into effect!   

Wedding Season: Pics Part 2 (image heavy)

 My sweet cousin Kaitlyn was married a couple weeks ago and here are some snaps from her wedding...

The wedding was held in the bride's family's backyard

Betsy Johnson bridesmaid dresses

my Uncle Wayne and Cousin Kaitlyn

Emily & Matt

the cake

Really Good Times!

two weddings and a funeral

This month has been nuts...I know I've said it a few times, but I guess I'm still reeling from all the goings on.  On a somber note, my grandmother passed and we had an official ceremony for both her and my grandfather out at sea.  It was beautiful and peaceful and sad.  I really miss my grandparents.  I miss their stories and their laughter.  And I'm just sad knowing that a piece of my childhood and a part of my family is gone.  This year there has been a lot of loss, and well, it's draining.

But even amongst sorrow there is still joy.  July also featured two very important weddings:  My cousin Kaitlyn's and my dear friend Kristen's.  They were both beautiful!  Here's a peak at McNally's wedding...

All the wedding photos were taken by Lisa Anderson

Walking in LA

I've done so much walking around Los Angeles lately and I gotta say, the boy and I do have a pretty fabulous city!  Can you tell where all the above photos were taken? 

Camp Ballet: Vintage Tutus

In case you haven't requested an invite to Pinterest (love how they try to make it seem super exclusive) here's my attempt to pursuade you to check it out.  Not only is it a great site to organize your photos and photos you love, but it also lends itself to providing fabulous photos that you were unlikely to find on your own.  

My current favorite pins are these vintage ballerina snaps~

Are you on Pinterest?  I'd love to see your pins if you are! 

New Favorite IPhone App

I got an email on Tuesday about a new iphone photography app called Fusioncam, which, in celebration of it's launch was free Tuesday.  I don't know how I got on the list for this email, but I am certainly grateful for it!  Fusioncam is now 99 cents in the app store but it will be soon going up to $1.99 and I have to say, were I not one of the fortunate chosen ones to have received the launch email, I still would have gladly paid the two bucks for this awesome app.  You can create cool, multi-layered images similar to a Diana camera in three different lenses.  Definitely a recommended addition to any iphone users photo apps arsenal.  Here are a few of my shots~ 

Let me know what you think if you end up getting this app too! 

Ballet Giveaway

Being that this blog is rather ballet-based, this next giveaway has a ballet theme!  Enter to win this gorgeous full-sized poster print c/o LolaStretch from Dane Shitagi's Ballerina Project.  

If you haven't seen the photos from this amazing collection, you definitely want to check them out.  But be prepared to lose several hours getting lost in his pictures! 

Additionally, this giveaway includes a tutu from Red Ribbon Fox!  The Red Fox Tutu features warm foxy colors and will fit ballerina's from about age 3 to 6.  This would be the perfect present for any little dancer (or soon to be dancers) you may know!  

Here's how to win:

Just leave a comment below and for every extra entry item you complete!

Extra Entries:

1.  Become a follower on google, facebook or bloglovin

2.  Tweet about this blog party on Twitter

3.  Blog about this giveaway/blog party on your blog

Boardwalk Life

It's been super hot, dry weather over here in Los Angeles and basically it feels like summer.  I always get excited at the thought of spending the summer on a beach-side boardwalk or pier.  Drinking coca-cola in the sun, wearing cut-offs and flip flops, riding the rides, kissing under the pier in the evening all to the soundtrack of Springsteen's Born to Run.  Ok, so that may be just a total idealization and will probably never happen.  But even so here's some inspiration for my boardwalk summer....

Had to throw a shot of Mr. Springsteen in there!  Hope you have a lovely Thursday!