Lauren Mancke had me singing the Flintstones last night. And that was just the beginning. A scroll through her Instagram was a stroll down memory lane. I believe I actually shrieked when I came upon Laverne and Shirley. How could she know them? Her profile pic looked so young! I couldn’t stop myself. I flipped through every image and was instantly hooked on #manckemonthofcostumes.
It made me happy. And that’s her goal.
Lauren’s instagram shots of her son in homemade Halloween costumes garnered a following among family and friends a couple of years ago. Now, this year she has twin 9-month-old girls to include in the creativity. And, after her sister tagged a reporter or two – well, she’s going viral as we say. And I for one, think this happiness should be contagious.
This time she’s highlighting lots of dynamic duos as she clothes those girls in simple outfits that she often puts together the same day they appear on Instagram.
Lauren was willing to take a few questions from us over here at Columbia SC Moms Blog, and the first thing we asked her was how she became so prolific with pop culture.
“Nick at Nite,” she said. “I watched a lot of Nick at Nite.”
And just like that, I was back in my childhood home reliving long summer days of television and reruns.
I imagined what she might have looked like as a child, and I asked about her Halloween memories. She had one to share.
“When I was seven years old, I was a pirate. But not just any pirate. I was a boy pirate. I took mascara and drew in some stubble on my face. You know, for a beard. And I made a giant moustache.”
I could see it as she described, that little girl playing with clothes and makeup, creating a world of make believe, spending her days in fun and happiness. Lauren Mancke is still doing that today. Her images clearly show some photography expertise, but at their heart, they are simple. Two kids who can’t yet walk just sitting there in front of a solid background or leaned up against a couple of props.
There’s an approachability to #manckemonthofcostumes that you need to discover for yourself. Lauren usually shares her wardrobe secrets in her last instagram shot. There you’ll often see the solid color fabrics that are modified with her secret weapons – “colored duct tape and peel/stick felt.”
So, basically, mamas, Lauren is telling us – you can do this, too. Although, you may need to meet up with her at Lexington’s Hobby Lobby. (She says she goes most every day!)