Director Spotlight - Rachel Blankenship

The Little Black Dress Club could not be what it is without a long list of terrific directors. Challenged with the task of planning events, marketing sponsorships, organizing raffles and charity work as well as networking, LBDC directors take on these huge responsibilities, with a smile.

Our current Director Spotlight shines on 34 year old Rachel Blankenship from our Columbus, OH chapter. Leading up her chapter since January of 2012, Rachel is a “Jill of all trades” currently working as a corporate sales manager, mobile marketing area director, event planner and coordinator, business owner and entrepreneur. Her plate certainly stays full!

Along with running a successful chapter for the LBDC, Rachel also serves as a blog host for our national blog and has participated in several roundtable meetings with other LBDC directors as well as the Leadership team to help develop training and marketing tools for the club.

In her spare time Rachel enjoys a long list of hobbies, interests and fun activities. While she is certainly at the top of her class when it comes to fashion, beauty and modeling, she also loves to practice kickboxing, water sports or just check in on her favorite Atlanta Braves. While Rachel is a huge fan of Nicholas Sparks, coffee, wine, shopping, mushroom hunting and scrapbooking, she also loves to throw on a pair of naughty monkey heels and head out on the town for some girl time or to shop for a new little black dress!

Rachel’s most challenging accomplishment has been earning her PHD. After more than five years of tedious studying and hard work, she says she owes her success to her  ambition and discipline as well as endless support from her family and friends.

Humble and full of encouragement, strength and hefty goals for herself and life in general, Rachel never wants to stop learning, having fun and living with no regrets. She loves the diversity of the Little Black Dress Club and the friendships and memories they have made together. She is looking forward to a fun and adventurous summer with her chapter. 

Quoting Aristotle, Rachel says: “we are what we repeatedly do. Excellence, then, is not an act, but a habit.”

Well said, Rachel. Thanks so much for being in our director spotlight and for being a part of the LBDC family! 

~Shay Ashcraft
National Director, LBDC

Celebrate with Punch!

Technically, the holiday season is over, but we still find ourselves celebrating with our favorite girlfriends.  The holiday season is so busy with family visits, traveling, and work parties, that we usually end up extending the season with our friends.

So whatever you are celebrating and whoever you are with, this former holiday punch that we’ve given a new name is great for all occasions.

Celebratory Punch Recipe
Makes 14 Servings
Prep Time: 5 minutes
Ingredients:
1—750ml bottle of Martini Moscato d’Asti (or your preferred Moscato)
1—2-liter bottle of ginger ale, chilled
2—10-oz packages of frozen strawberries, partially thawed

Directions:
In a large punch bowl, combine Moscato, ginger ale, and strawberries.  Gently stir and serve in your glass of choice.
Per Serving:
102 calories
18 grams carbohydrates
Zero cholesterol
Zero fat
Zero protein
10mg sodium
*Recipe retrieved from Essence Magazine, December 2012, page 156.*


- Dr. Rachel Blankenship
Director, Columbus Chapter

Be Happy in 2013

Well, we made it through 2012.  Let’s make it a MUST to be happy in all we do during 2013 and beyond.  Reflect back to 2012 for a minute.  Who were you with?  When were you the happiest?  What were you doing?

Moving forward, practice these five things and just be happy:

Pay yourself first.
Don’t forget to treat yourself after you work hard.  Ladies, by yourself a flower every pay day or go out to dinner to celebrate.  Life can be challenging and you deserve recognition for all that you do.  Don’t wait for someone else to acknowledge this.

Find the silver lining.
Always look at the bright side and remember no matter what your situation is, it could always be worse.  And someone else has been through worse.  Learn from everything and be grateful for what you have.

Say ‘thank you’ a lot.
What a perfect time to have National Thank You Month during January.  It’s a great reminder to start the New Year right.  Count your blessings and compliments and say ‘thank you’ as often as you can.  Stop right now and give thanks for (fill in the blank).

Let go of the should haves.
Life is too short to dwell on what we should have done or should have said.  Don’t marinate in regret.  These two words invite guilt and stress into our lives.  Eliminate this and put your life on a ‘want to’ basis, not ‘have to.’  Free yourself from the word should.

Forgive.
Let go, let go, let go of all the hurt and anger from your past.  Turn these feelings into opportunities to build happiness.  Forgiving others will release yourself.

In all that you do this year, keep moving forward and be happy.  Smile more---it’s contagious!

- Dr. Rachel Blankenship
Director, Columbus Chapter

2012 Top Ten!

Top 10 Things Every Classy Woman Should Have

#10:       Chandelier earrings that shape your face.  The movement is enticing!

#9:         A signature scent.  People will recognize you. Don’t change it up—keep the same one and don’t bathe in it.  Put it on your body where you check for a pulse: neck, wrists, and elbows.

#8:         A pair of high heels you could sleep in.

#7:         A cause to support.  Stay active with your role and always strive to help others.

#6:         A small bag or clutch purse.  The size matters here – it will keep people guessing what is inside!

#5:         A great romance…..even if you find it in a book!

#4:         A wrist watch.  Timing is everything!

#3:         A competitive edge.  Being competitive keeps you on your toes and the passion alive.

#2:         A confident walk.  Need I say more?

#1:         A little black dress (of course).  Add some lace for extra femininity.

I could easily compile a list of the top 20, but you get the idea.  Keep it simple.  Keep it classy.  Less is more.  You know it when you see it, and more importantly, you know it when you don’t see it.  We can spot “her” a mile away!

 

~ Dr. Rachel Blankenship
Director, Columbus Chapter

 

          

Color Me This....

Compliment Your Eyes with Color

I was inspired to share this article that I read in Allure Magazine (November 2012).  Have you ever looked at someone’s eyes and wondered what color they are?  Is it an optical illusion?  Do our eyes change colors?  Our eyes do not necessarily change colors, but the perception of what color they truly are can change with just a little color.  What is the secret?  One answer…..eyeliner. 

Brown Eyes:        Warm and metallic tones will bring out the gold flecks in brown eyes, which adds richness and depth to your eyes.  Use your finger to apply a cream copper eye shadow along the upper lids—smudge it a little and finish with heaps of black mascara.

Hazel Eyes:          Hazel eyes are a combination of gold and green.  To play up the gold, cover the lids in a bronze shade.  To accentuate the green, swap the bronze for teal shadow or liner. 

Green Eyes:         Believe it or not, any variation of purple can transform green eyes.  Line the upper lashes with deep plum, dust purple lightly across the lids, and sweep lilac along the brow bones.  If it is too much for comfort, just try a plum mascara.

Blue Eyes:            Try a terra-cotta colored eyeliner.  The red undertones play off the blue eyes intensely. Finish with black pencil at the outer corners.

 
 

The holiday season is the best time to experiment with different shades and colors to liven up your outfit and holiday mood!  After you try it, take a picture and share it with us!!

~ Dr. Rachel Blankenship
Director, Columbus Chapter

 

 

 

 

 

 

Members Only Election Night Out

Here in Columbus, we LOVE our red, white, and blue…..and our shoes! To celebrate our right to vote, some of the Columbus members gathered for dinner. To lighten the tension and have some fun, we decided to have our own “election” so to speak. And what else are we going to vote on? SHOES!  We elected the member with the best pair of shoes on and gave a prize to her!

 

Heather was our lucky winner!!  She came all decked out in her patriotic accessories: red, white, and blue stars on her cheek; red and white feather boas; a red rosette clip in her hair; and the cutest sequined black dress!  BOOM!  She was representing in full effect tonight!  Not only was Heather elected our “best shoes” winner, she was also pinned tonight as an official Little Black Dress Club member.  I don’t know how she does it, but she wins all of the time! J

 

 

In addition to our first official “members only” event, we did a lot of brainstorming for 2013.  We are going to have a fantastic year filled with amazing events.  Now is a good time to start bringing your friends to events and inviting them to join our club!  Don’t miss out on all the fun!

 ~Rachel Blankenship
Director, Columbus Chapter

 

Gratitude

‘Tis the season to be grateful and appreciative of the special people and things in our lives.  Gratitude is defined as the state of being grateful; thankfulness.  During our first member meeting last night, the Columbus ladies shared and created a fun list of things we are thankful for.  (Keep in mind, this conversation would not have taken place if the LBDC did not exist in our great city ofColumbus.)  The following is a list of those items we hope we never have to do without:

 

Chocolate

     Tanning Beds

      Sparkly Fingernail Polish

       Retail Therapy

       Grilled Cheese and Pizza Rolls

      Cooking

       Crest White Strips

     Listerine Strips

      Hot Showers

      High Heels

    Camera Phone

        Lip Gloss

      Wine

     Great Friends

       Little Black Dress Club

 

While it is important to express your gratitude during this Thanksgiving season, we encourage you to express it daily.  It can be as simple as saying “thank you.” Whether it is trivial or not, share your gratitude with others – it’s contagious!  J 

“Gratitude is the best attitude.”  ~Author Unknown

"Gratitude helps you to grow and expand; gratitude brings joy and laughter into your life and into the lives of all those around you." ~Eileen Caddy

 

 

~ Rachel Blankenship

Director, Columbus Chapter

                           

Dancing Diva's

The Columbus Chapter recently took our town by storm as we donned 80's attire and headed out to Skully's Music Diner. Skully's hosted "Ladies 80's Night" and twelve TOTALLY RAD ladies from LBDC Columbus gathered for the event! 

Not only did we represent Columbus, we also represented the 1980s!  Whew, what a blast from the past!  Legwarmers, hairspray, blue eye shadow and lots of bangles completed the attire for these 12 "Dancing Diva's." And let's not forget the pixy stix! There were LOTS of pixy stix!

We went all out for this fun event. This was a great welcome for our new member, Grace, and an awesome way to show her how much fun this chapter can have! Grace was officially "pinned" as a new LBDC member and we all enjoyed the evening festivities. 

The constant reminder of what our 80's were all about made for a nostalgic and incredibly fun evening. We hope to see YOU at our next event!

Cheers!

~ Dr. Rachel Blankenship
Director, Columbus Chapter