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Q and A with Laura Dostillo, Owner of Life Story

They say that a picture is one thousand words, so I think that a video is essentially priceless. Life Story knows the value of those stories. The company, which was started by Laura Dostillo and her husband when they themselves were looking for a way to tell the story of Dostillo’s own grandmother.

I had the wonderful opportunity to chat with Dostillo about Life Story’s wonder inception as well as the impact that it currently has. As someone that has lost a loved one an incredibly young age, I cannot underscore the value of maintaining someone’s story, not only for purposes of family tree, but also of lineage. Read on to learn more about the wonderful business that Life Story is.

What inspired you to start Life Story?

My grandma inspired me. She was 98 when my husband, a TV producer, had the idea to film her and I am so grateful that we have a beautiful video keepsake of her now that she has passed. I miss her every day and we are so grateful to have her laugh, smile, voice, and the look in her eye when she says our name to cherish forever and share with future generations.

What is the process of getting a video done through Life Story? How do people get the final product?

1. Fill out the intake form so we can tailor questions to your needs.2. We schedule an interview with your loved one and travel to them to film them. 3. We edit the video and send it to you. We want you to be completely satisfied with your video so you have the ability to let us know what edits you want. You will receive an unlisted youtube link and digital download link to have forever.

How do you come up with questions for loved ones?

I send you an intake form of what areas the video should focus on (family history, childhood, love, career, traditions, advice). I tailor the questions based on what the family or person wants to talk about.

The Life Story interview is a conversation — your loved one can share whatever they want, and we engage them about their happiest memories to inspire more stories about their past. Clients feel comfortable and at ease during our interview process.

How much does it cost to get a video done?

We have 3 packages (Bronze, Silver, Gold) for filming 1 person and couples and they are priced based on the length of filming and the length of the final video.

Why do you believe it is so important to preserve the memories of loved ones?

Family stories communicate traditions, values, and experiences. We learn so much about ourselves and our family when listening to unique life stories, especially when shared by our older loved ones. They have deep, rich experiences and carry wisdom that is so valuable. However, our lives are busy, and we don’t often get to simply sit, listen, and enjoy.

Life Story leaves your family’s next generations with a video they will get to watch, learn from, and treasure. But it’s more than just a video — it’s a legacy that lives on.

Alden and Mara: The New Jewelry Brand That You Need to Know About

It seems like jewelry brands are popping out of the woodwork these days, especially the tarnish free ones that could be worn in all kinds of elements. However, only some of them stand out as being a produce that is true to its word.

That brand is Alden and Mara.

Alden and Mara is a new jewelry brands that offers pieces in sterling silver, gold plated, and 14k gold. They have a wide selection of earrings at all price points.

According to their website, the name “tells a story.” The site says Alden means “old comfort and familiarity,” while the name Mara means “calm” and “peaceful.” The brand has an old money focus, but honestly, I can see the brand becoming a go-to that is accessible to all.

The brand kindly reached out to me to see if they could send me a few of their new pieces, and after looking at their website, I couldn’t resist! I was sent the sterling silver tube hoops in the 4 x 40 mm size and the double channel set CZ Huggies in gold plated. Both of these pieces were absolutely gorgeous and made wonderful additions to my ear stack.

The sterling silver tube hoops made the perfect statement piece if you ask me. I love hoops, but I don’t love when they are on the heavy side. Despite their size, they were not heavy in my earlobe whatsoever. I wore them to work, and I felt so fierce when I had them in.

The huggie hoops were also a great addition to my stack as well. I have multiple piercings, so I enjoyed that I was able to use these in both my first and second piercings. These were easy to put in, and they didn’t bother me for the entire day.

Both pairs of earrings did not bother this sensitive skin girly whatsoever, which is a major plus. They also are a sustainable and ethically sourced brand, which is a major plus if you ask me.

If you’re in the market for some new staple pieces or if you want to just treat yourself to a little sparkle, Alden and Mara is your girl.

*In full transparency, I was sent these pieces in exchange for my honest review. All opinions are 100 percent my own.

Friday Faves: August 15, 2025

TGIF! There are a few weeks left of summer, and I am soaking in every minute of sunshine, the pool weather, and time spent doing outdoors. That being said, I wanted to take the time before we entered the weekend to share some of my favorites of the week.

The Rumor by Elin Hilderbrand: I finally picked up one of Hilderbrand’s books, which have become my go-to summer reads. I have been so invested with this story, which is about two best friends whose children are dating. But there are so many more layers that make this story oh so juicy and I just can’t put this down.

Lavender Necklace: My husband, mother in law, and I went to the lavender farm last weekend, and I could not resist this necklace. It has been my go-to piece for the past week, and I’m so happy that I grabbed it. The calming energy alone was so worth it.

Olivia Engel Jewelry: I have also found another go-to jewelry designer — Olivia Engel. I saw her pieces on another local blogger, and I knew I had to add one of her pieces to my own collection. I grabbed a charm necklace and bracelet, and am eagerly awaiting one of her fishes. She was amazing to talk to, and I can’t wait to add another piece to my collection soon.

Olivia Dade Books: Over the past weekend, I finished All The Feels and Shipwrecked, which were books on my TBR for what it seems like forever — probably when I read Spoiler Alert back in 2021. I am so happy to cross these off of my TBR this year.

Kindle Colorsoft: Last but certainly not least, I want to chat about my newest toy, the Kindle Colorsoft. I grabbed this guy after Best Buy had a sale that was too good to pass up, and I’m obsessed. I’m looking forward to binging magazines in pure color on this device, but I have Ben reading regular novels on it as well.

Sunshine Ceramics Is A Ray of Sunshine

The shops at Downtown Milford have been undergoing a major transformation. One of those shops that has done so was Sunshine Ceramics.

That being said, Sunshine Ceramics is not new to the Downtown Milford area. The shop arrived to the downtown scene a few years ago, but in 2025, it had expanded into the former S.V. Decker space that was once their neighbor.

Sunshine Ceramics is the perfect place to be to create something. And there is so many ways that you can do so there. They offer walk in paint your own, classes, open studio, parties, and workshops. There are date nights, themed nights, and more — something that I truly enjoyed seeing, making creativity something that is a part of all aspects of life.

According to the about page on their website, the studio is owned by Marie, a special ed teacher who left education to pursue her love for art and ceramics. Her goal for the space was to create “artists to come and gather; share creativity, inspiration, and passion; and to make facilities accessible to any and everyone who has an interest in clay, from beginners to experts.”

And I’d like to think that Marie succeeded in doing so. I had recently taken a class at Sunshine Ceramics, and I felt instant joy the second that I walked into the door. I’m not the most artistic person in the world when it comes to painting. However, Marie was still there for support and encouragement, but she gave the class enough creative freedom to follow every student’s vision without micromanagement. Furthermore, I found her to be both informative and entertaining when it comes to explaining things. I was able to leave class creating a mug and a jewelry dish that came out pretty good for someone who doesn’t do well holding a paintbrush.

The decor reminds me of everything you may need to inspire cozy creativity. As someone who is not the best when holding a paintbrush, I felt joy, inspired, and safe when walking through the doors. The mural on the wall is bright and colorful, which of course was painted by Marie herself. What I liked was that space paid tribute to its past occupants, there was sweets to honor Wanda’s Sugar Shack and crystals in tribute to S.V. Decker.

While I went there for just a class, I truly enjoyed visiting Sunshine Ceramics. Art is therapy, and I found the space to be a true ray of sunshine in a sometimes stormy world, between the aesthetic, and hanging out with Marie. Creating is encouraged there, and being able to do so in such a safe space has made me want to return for me.

However, I can’t leave you without mentioning my favorite part of my visits to Sunshine Ceramics, which is her dog, who is always hanging out the shop with Marie as well.

Art and dogs? I can’t think of anything else that is sunnier than that.

Pleasant Bay by Emily Wakeman Cyr Is the Ultimate Pleasant Beach Read

Pleasant Bay is the debut novel by Emily Wakeman Cyr, an author who left teaching to become a stay at home mom. She rediscovered writing, which then led her to open Colchester’s Folklore and Fable in 2024. When visiting the adorable bookstore a while ago, I decided that I needed to pick up Cyr’s novel.

Pleasant Bay takes place over the span of two decades. The first half of the story is told in alternative POVs between Sarah and her daughter Madelyn. Sarah’s chapters take place on Cape Cod in 2002, as she deals with post 9/11 life: her brother’s enlistment, her recent breakup, and her father’s illness. She visits her aunt for the summer, and she meets Luke, who is on the Cape playing baseball. The two have an instant connection. Madelyn’s chapters take place in Connecticut and Cape Cod in 2019. The first start out talking about Madelyn’s relationship with her mother, her boyfriend, and her constant curiosity about her father.

Both sides of the story create an intimate portrait of a family with secrets and how the relationships between members can change over time. I truly enjoyed this about the book. At the beginning of the book, the relationship between Sarah and Madelyn were strained. The same could be said about Sarah and her mother at the beginning of the novel as well. The one family member that everyone seemed comfortable with confiding in was Aunt Claire, the owner of the house that both women seemed to flock to.

Now, let’s talk about the romance. The main romance was between Sarah and Luke. They were truly my one true pair. In 2002, Luke took care of Sarah when she was sick, he can cook, and he was the perfect gentleman for Sarah. In 2019, he has an adorable dog named Wally, quickly adapts to being an amazing dad to his daughter, and is forgiving to Sarah.

This book was truly an amazing treat to read. Many of the times when I was reading, I was constantly saying to myself just one chapter and is the perfect read for a day at the beach and at the pool. It’s been a day since I’ve finished the novel, but I’m still thinking about the characters, the plot, and setting of it.

Cyr did a fantastic job with this novel, and I am very much looking forward to seeing what she does next.

Rating: 5 stars

July Favorites

I can’t believe that this is the first blog post of August. It seems like this year has flown by. I’m not ready for summer to end, so I am glad that I have one last month before the autumn chill hits.

Before Augusts slips away like a matter of time, I did want to take a moment to reflect on my favorites from this past month:

Free People Baby Emerson: I love this bag. I have used this pretty much for two and a half weeks straight, which if you’re a bag lover like me, you know that’s a long time to keep on using a bag. I love that this is just easy. It’s slouchy, it’s comfy, and it’s one of those bags that you can be carefree with. So far, the wear and tear have been pretty good. Some of the reviews online state that there’s a smell to it, but when I opened mine, I could not tell.

enewton: I’ve had these bracelets long before I was even married, and I’m still as obsessed. This month, mine have been on repeat with a few new additions to the collection. Yes, they are expensive. However, these are so durable and easy to wear. I have a larger collection, but considering my collection took me a few to accumulate, I think that’s okay.

Totally and Completely Fine by Elissa Sussman: I absolutely loved this book! Elissa Sussman has become one of my auto buy authors, and I enjoyed her latest release.

First Time Caller by B.K. Borison: This book was also another one that I devoured this month. I loved the concept of it. A single mom’s daughter called into a late night romance show, and agreed to go with a segment to update the audience on her dating life. So good.

Murder by Cheesecake by Rachel Elkstrom Courage: A Golden Girls cozy mystery was not on my bingo card for 2025, but something I truly enjoyed. You can read my review here.

July Fiber Faves

July has been a weird and long month for me between family things, my birthday and anniversary, and a staycation. Crocheting and knitting have come as a comfort but have also taken a backseat.

That said, I would still like to share my fiber faves for the month:

Embroidery: I got into embroidery a few years ago and made a few different pieces. However, I have been itching to pick it up again. I got this little guy from Hobby Lobby and have been slowly making progress. I have been enjoying it though so I can’t wait to see how it turns out.

Scrap Yarn Projects: This month has been a month of scrap pieces such as this blanket. I made two of these this past month and am planning to make more once we hit fall.

Granny Square Bag: Last but certainly not least, I crocheted this to stash bust. I love this kind of bag, but will definitely make improvements next time, such as making it larger and using cotton yarn. To make this, all you need to is make three granny squares and put them together. I can see myself making a ton of these especially in fall.

A Look Behind the Scenes of Coastal Creations’ Gorgeous Artwork

Photo Credit: Alexa Confrancesco

When I first saw a post from Alexa, the owner of Coastal Creations, on a local Facebook group, I fell in love with the gorgeous artwork that she was sharing. Her items are all made from shells that were from local Connecticut beaches and painted with gorgeous designs. Her artwork is so beautiful that I’m going to let the pictures speak for themselves, but I am lucky to have gotten a chance to chat with her about pieces and her business!

What inspired you to start Coastal Creations, Ct?

My friends and family kept telling me I should sell the shells I was gifting or start an event planning business so I decided to post some photos of the shells and from there it took off! It’s such a nice outlet for me to relax and destress after long days working my full time job as a Pediatric ICU nurse.

How did you get into making artwork from sea shells?

I hosted a backyard hibachi party last summer and wanted to send my guests home with a fun homemade favor. I saw the prettiest shells on tik tok and decided to try them out myself. I loved making them and all my friends loved their favors. After that I took a break from them since life got busy but then needed something little to tie into a gift this year. So I headed to the beach and started creating again. I forgot how much I enjoyed it. Now that I live on the water I’ve fallen more and more in love with coastal decor. I decided I wanted to keep creating things with shells and found ways to expand!

What does Coastal Creations, CT sell?

Lots of coastal homemade things!

Shell trinket dishes (oysters, clams, scallops)

Oyster wine stoppers

Shell decorated frames

Decorated celebration bottles

DIY scallop shell candle kits

Coming soon….coastal coasters and wine glass charms!

Flower arrangements and bouquets (I used to work for a florist in high school and ever since I haven’t been able to stop arranging fresh flowers every week so I just knew I had to throw these in)

What is the process of making the items?

For my trinket dishes…

collect the shells

clean, soak, dry the shells

paint the base coat

apply the glue

create /apply the design

seal the design

finish with a gold paint

seal the design again

finish with resin!

wrap them up and send them off for customers to enjoy!

What kinds of shells do you use?

I collect my shells from local beaches! I create mostly with clam, oyster and scallop shells! However, the frames feature a very wide variety of smaller shells!

How does one purchase an item from your shop?

Since i’m still getting started I’ve kept Coastal Creations, CT small! Hopefully it’ll expand soon. As of right now, orders can be placed through instagram @coastalcreations.ct or by text @ 203-907-8966!

Murder by Cheesecake Blends Cozy Nostalgia and Cozy Mysteries into One Excellent Read

Picture it: the ladies of the lanai in a cozy mystery novel. As a Golden Girls fan, I couldn’t believe my eyes when I saw Murder by Cheesecake by Rachel Elkstrom Courage at a bookstore and knew this was something that I needed to read.

This first installment of the Golden Girls series finds Rose struggling to plan a traditional St. Olaf wedding for her niece, and Dorothy experimenting with a VHS dating service in the attempts to get a date for the wedding. The date gets bad when her date leaves Dorothy right at the table, only to be found a few days later in the freezer. The police have their sights set on none other than Dorothy Zbornak, as he has her information stored in his pocket when he was found.

The girls put on their detective hats to figure out who the true killer is to prove Dorothy’s innocence, all while helping Rose pull of a traditional St. Olaf wedding right in Miami.

This book was definitely enjoyable to read. I’ve been a fan of the Golden Girls since I was 10 years old and watching that with my grandparents. So needless to say, I went in with high hopes. That being said, there were moments when I was reading this book that I can hear the voices of characters saying the dialogue. There were times that I was literally laughing out loud while reading this book.

I want to add that I’m sure that the writing for this was challenging, because if you’re using such a cult class show like the Golden Girls as the stage for a cozy mystery scene, then it is definitely challenging to do it justice. However, Courage did an excellent job with the characters and trying to do a plot was believable to how they were on the show.

Like many of these murder mystery novels, the story all wrapped up by the end of the book. The novel was cheesy at points, but I honestly think for something like this it worked.

I also think like many cozy mystery series, the books will get better and better as time goes on. This is challenging to say, because this book was already so good and hard to put down because it was exactly as comforting as watching an episode of Golden Girls.

I can’t wait for the next installment of this series.

Rating: 9.5 out of 10

Best of Milford Awards and Imposter Syndrome

Dress: Thrifted Lilly Pulitzer; Sandals: Target; Bag; Marshalls Hair: Hairvana CT

Last night, Milford’s Stonebridge was crowded with people of all different careers and interests but with two things in common. The first was to make their community a better place. The second was that they were all winners of the 2025 Best of Milford Awards from the Milford Chamber of Commerce.

I was one of their winners. I had the honor of taking home not one but two awards: best local website, and best Instagram/TikToker. I was in disbelief of the fact that I won from the moment that I received the news a few weeks ago to the moment that I stepped foot into the restaurant to accept my certificate.

The July heat was muggy and the skies were cloudy — clear that there was a thunderstorm on its way. Wow Radio was there being the emcee, and drinks were being served by Stonebridge.

During the event, I was able to sample some of the delicious catering from a ton of different restaurants in the Milford area. This included: pizza from Jimmy’s Pizza, sweet cupcakes from Sunshine Sweets, delicious Nutella crepes from Cafe Atlantique, and pulled pork from Big Wigs. Bin 100, Gusto Trattoria, and Harbor Eats were also present with mouthwatering treats as well.

Being in the crowd of so many different people who, like me, began their businesses with a single dream, was overwhelming for me. I felt a huge wave of imposter syndrome from the second that I won until that night and felt as though I did not deserve this award.

I’d like to say that it went away the second that I stepped foot, but it did not. I did, however, want to say that winning this award made me realize how much my little corner of the world (if you’re an OG here than you know) has grown to be not so little. Blogging has become something that I do just because I love to write. Everything that I have written on this page is something that I am passionate about, and wants to share with everyone who is reading this blog.

Needless to say, I’m honored to have won these awards this year.

That being said, I would like to thank my husband for not only reading my blog but always being a pillar of unwavering support from the very beginning. I appreciate every single time you’ve read my posts, shared them, and for always standing by my side. I also would like to thank my mother in law for not only reading my blog, but also for providing me with many different ideas for posts and making sure that everything sounds the way that it should. In addition, I would like to thank the community that I’ve built on this blog — whether it’s a subject of a post, the many different people on Instagram I’ve connected with, or those who read my posts. I also want to thank my friends who have stood by my side and supported my crazy dream of being a writer. Without all of you, this would not have been even close to possible.

However, last but certainly not least, I want to thank my mother who was my biggest supporter everyday of her life. Before her death, my mom would go up to people and say that her daughter was going to be the next big author. She shared every single article that I’ve written from high school newspapers to my first local paper with her coworkers. Her pride, her confidence, and her funding my education will always serve as the base of the person that I am today.

Again, thank you Milford Chamber of Commerce. It was truly an honor to be there last night.