Hey… It’s Spencer again. Wendy asked if I would chime in and do a bit of a 2015 wrap up from my point-of-view.
Hey! Who would have thought that it has been seven months since Wendy wrote the first post on the Old Lake George blog?!? After 91 posts, we have all read so many fun stories, seen some DIY fails/wins and had fun reading about corndogs and Christmas trees. I can only wonder about what she will write about next.
I help Wendy run the technical side of Old Lake George and both of us have learned so much in the last few months as we try and make it a better blog for YOU! Here are a few things that have changed (for the better) in the last few months and where we are headed!
The look and feel saw a dramatic overhaul at the beginning of December… it was long overdue. We worked for weeks to ensure that the blog’s new design felt custom and unique, just like every pillow and project Wendy works on. (It also loads faster!)
The email newsletter was launched with the new site design. We wanted to ensure you knew right away when a new post was live. (We have also updated the popup to not be so pesky. If you don’t sign-up, you will see it far less often now.)
Photos, Photos, Photos… Have you noticed Old Lake George has a lot of photos? We have worked hard to make sure every post and project has great photos. Wendy is becoming a better photographer every day and you now see a lot more of her photos on the blog and Instagram all the time. We have lots more to come!
In 2016 Old Lake George is only going to continue to get better thanks to you! We hope to do more collaborations with other bloggers, we might include a little video here-or-there and of course we are working on even more projects and DIYs.
Is there anything you would like to see more of? Do you have any favorite posts? Are you having trouble with the site anywhere?? Please leave a comment or send us a note
Well, hello there. You’ve read my name roughly 100 times on this blog and probably know I take pictures but I have the honor of knowing about all the behind the scenes things that happen at Old Lake George. Wendy asked me to start helping with the shop about two years ago, back in the Pooh Pooh Pillow days and since then I have gotten to witness the dramatic transformation that this blog and business has done.
In the early days of the shop I would help design banners for the shop or take a few pictures when I was in town, I lived 4 hours away at that point. A year ago, I moved to Minneapolis and Wendy asked me if I wanted to take a larger role in helping create the face of the shop and what would become the blog. In the last year Old Lake George has gone through a dramatic transformation.
The Photos
The transformation really started with the renaming of the shop and with a focus on the product photography. Together, Wendy and I spent hours talking about a new name for the shop. (She covered the story here.) When “Old Lake George” was settled on and a new logo designed, it really started a whole new era for the shop.
We also started photography days. Wendy and I had long talked about how important the photos for the shop were. She took the plunge and had me do all of them. Once a month I make the trip to Wendy’s house and we spend the morning taking photos, laughing, rearranging her house, and usually breaking something. Yes you read that last one right. We have broken candle holders, decorations, and completely dissembled fake flower arrangements. Its all for the perfect picture.
Our photo shoots usually take over the whole living room area. We move couches, carry tables down stairs and just generally destroy the beautiful utopia you can see in the house tour photos. We take great care to create great pictures every time and the light in her living room is perfect for photos throughout the day. The photos below show the great length we went to make a fake bedroom within her living room.
The “set” in the middle of the livingroom.
The image we wanted but by my iPhone.
The final image from the big camera and with some gentle editing in Photoshop.
At this point we have taken over 10,000 photos. Many of these photos will never see the light of day, but they are part of the Old Lake George story. We are doing a big shoot this coming Friday. I can’t wait for everyone to see whats to come.
The Blog
I’ve always known Wendy as my Aunt but also never one to shy away from telling a good story or sharing her opinion. When she brought up the topic of a having a blog last spring, I knew she could do it well. She was nervous at first, like anyone would be when you start sharing your life with the internet. We talked on a daily basis during the first few months. She wanted to do it right, she wanted to make sure the blogs made sense… she cared that she was “doing it right.”
Now, after 50+ blogs I would say Wendy is doing it right. Wouldn’t you???? 🙂 Its been fun to see the progress the blog has made. (For the record she said I could write whatever I wanted in this guest post… so Wendy… take the compliments and enjoy them. I know you struggle taking positive feedback.)
As the blogs have been published, I have seen the writing become more fun to read but have you seen the pictures??? Sometimes I have caught myself thinking, “Did I take that photo?” Nope, Wendy has gotten 10000% better. I may be out of a job soon! 😉
What’s Next
I knew when I started working with Wendy that she would push me to help do great work. She is never sitting still and waiting for the day to just drift by. Her mind is always running and thinking about what’s next. We talk often about how to do bigger and better things. In the last few months I made the jump to working full-time for myself and helping small businesses like Wendy’s. I would never have been able to do that without her support and that of my friends and family. (If you’d like to work together… you can contact me here. Shameless plug!)
Old Lake George will always be trying new things. I look forward to what Wendy will dream up and pitch me. I know when a big idea is coming because I hear…. “Spence… what if we did this….”
I have always had an entrepreneurial spirit. Besides working full time and raising a family, I have attempted several small businesses, but they never felt quite right.
Then in the fall of 2012 all of my stars aligned and I opened an Etsy Shop. My love of fabric, sewing, selling and customer service came to fruition.
Wanting to connect more with customers, I teamed up with my nephew Spencer and we developed the blog OldLakeGeorge in the spring of 2015. The blog continues to grow and reach out to others with the hope of being inspiring, motivational and making you smile.
Get to know me…
The following are some of my current favorite posts that I think after reading you’ll have a good idea of my life. I love that you are here and following along… I have lot more to share.
You must be logged in to post a comment.