The Crystal Lake

I'm totally missing the lake this year. It's funny how nostalgia settles in when you least expect it. My nephew (by the way he's 8) posted a picture of himself and two of his siblings on the paddle board at the lake and I was so completely and utterly envious. I want to be at the lake!

I always want to be there... Playing kick the can, watching lightening bugs. Canoeing through the other side to the Bowen Mill. I miss it... But alas, apparently this is what is like to be an adult (rotten).

So anyway despite the fact that I'm incredibly sad that I can't be at the lake this year (cue listening to granddaddy's the crystal lake now)...I figured it's just as good a time as any to talk about an outfit that my mom recently got into altered couture. The theme was "Marilyn Monroe," and I got to help inspire this outfit (last summer... When I was visiting her at the lake... I think I've adequately conveyed how much I miss the lake... But just in case... I miss being at the lake). This is the magazine cover that we are featured in... Although please note that the cover is not our design.

At first my mom thought this would be a difficult challenge but I assured her it would be easy. We quickly went to salvation army and I found the perfect outfits to alter (don't you just get a vision of what could be with these... No!?

So anyway... I saw those dresses and was inspired... And conveyed said inspiration to my mom about how it should be a 50's beach theme that Marilyn Monroe would've worn... With my words alone... She didn't have any clue where I was going. So I had to draw a picture.

Anyhow... This is what we ended up with.

In the meantime... This was me at the lake last summer... I made myself a flower crown with the abundant Queens Anne lace that grows wild everywhere (love it!) Which reminds me I forgot to mention picking wildflowers, picking fruit, and lily pads and lotus flowers as other favorites from being at the lake. Sigh of sadness.

Hashtag by request

A friend and coworker recently came to me with a request. This particular friend has a side business of selling chocolate... She's a chocolatier... No scratch that... She's a dream maker!

Regardless... This past week she was in Chicago at a convention where she was presenting about how to use social media to help market and make sales (which is awesome by the way... And obviously I'm not the person to do that... I'm writing a blog instead of using snapchat... Clearly not hip in this area... But that's okay.)

So her request was simple. Could I make her a skirt with a hashtag on it... Also... I had less than a week... And she was presenting with a friend and could I make her one too... And me the person with a full time job that often works well over 40 hours a week said... Yeah of course. This is child's play, give me a real challenge! (And just to clarify... The conversation did not happen anything close to that...I said yes).

So this is what she got... And secretly (but less so now) I begged her to say something cheesy about how marketing via social media is even easier than clicking your Ruby red heels three times to get home. Hopefully that will make sense when you see the picture (and even more so if you know that I just might be one of the cheesiest people in the world... It works for me... Or at least it humors me!)

Love chocolate... Then check out her site. The peanut butter chocolate smoothie is a personal favorite... Although smoothie, the name itself, lends the idea that it's healthy. I'm going to stick with that assumption because it makes me feel better (even if I'm wrong!) www.mydcdsite.com/aschuler