Free Hugs... Pass it on!

http://www.freehugscampaign.org/

Check out the video from the above site.... what a wonderfully simple concept of spreading some love... they played this video at church on Sunday... it has really stuck with me (thanks Thom!)... I just love it!!! Hug one person today that you might not usually hug... it might change someone's day more than you would ever realize. Hugs to you all!!!! :)

"The Plant Project"

So here we have a picture of a piece of the"The Plant Project". Alex and her classmates were given a project to "Design a Plant". So here's my dilemma as the parent... how much is too much help? So when she was trying to get started and thinking what she could make it out of... she was thinking basic construction paper... but i thought... OO!!! Ive been saving all of the toilet roll and paper towel rolls for some sort of craft project... this is perfect... so I gave her that... then I had another OO!! moment... I have a bunch of scrap fabric left over from making skirts... "You can use that!" I told her... so from there... she took over... she figured out how she wanted to cover the rolls... the pattern that she wanted... she found some green floral tape and insisted to cover the stem portion with this tape... so she had all of the pieces put together and then it was time to figure out how to keep all the pieces together as one flower/plant.... thats where the glue gun had to come into play... so we pulled out some popsicle sticks and i hot glued the sticks to the middle and peddles and then Alex added little designs to each stick... so anyhow... to make a long story a little longer... we put it all together... and Daddio comes in and sees it and says "Wow... the teacher's never going to believe she did that by herself"... so here I am now... fretting over this poor project... "did I do too much?... no, i only gave her the materials and handled the scolding hot glue... but was that too much?... should i have let her do whatever she was going to do with the construction paper?... naaaaa... I was just teaching her that she can use other mediums other than paper... and to try and think 3 dimensional... but is this her idea now, or my idea?.... blah, blah, blah.... " It's that little battle between the angel/backer on one shoulder and devil's advocate on the other shoulder, ya know? Anyhooo... I will be starring at this 3 foot flower until Friday when it's due... and probably continue to torment myself until then... can we say "LET IT GO ALREADY!!!!" :)~

Ahhhh... the joys of being a parent... this whole "getting older" thing has me a little perplexed this year... its a new phase in letting her take on more responsibility and has me trying to figure out where Im suppose to take a step back and where I'm still suppose to take a part... didn't I just give birth to this child yesturday? Surely she can't be 8 already!!! Final note for the day... give your kids an extra special hug today and look them in the eyes and tell them how much you love them!!! :) Hugs to all of you!!! OO!! Hugs!! That gives me an idea for my next post!

Cats and Plants... and Kids Teeth...?!@#

Ok, so the 2 subjects on this header have nothing to do with one another... but that's whats on my mind right now...

So 1st... cats... this is Boots... aka "Bootsie" when she's being sweet.. or "CAT!" when she's being mischievous. This is our first cat... adopted her from a stray kitten about a year ago... we've been dog people all of our lives, but we love all animals and she stole our daughter's heart, so what were we to do? Well, obviously, bring her home! :) So she has adapted well... the dogs get along with her quite well... our younger dog, Allie loves to play with her sometimes... and Bootsie loves to play chase with Allie... she knows that Allie is suppose to stay inside the baby gate in the kitchen and family room... so she'll zoom right past Allie getting her all wound up... and get her chasing her, then she'll go straight for the gate... hilarious to watch!! Anyhoooo... so our only obstacle that we have not overcome with Boots is the plant thing... she has killed every living plant in the house except for our last 3... we have 1 tree left that is on the floor in the kitchen, and then 2 potted plants that we have had to put up on the top of the fridge to keep them safe... now, you might say... "Well my cat can get up on the fridge!"... yeah, yeah, yeah... ours can too... but she doesnt like to because we've surrounded the top edge with inside out strips of duct tape!!!! Its the only way she'll leave them alone!! So that brings us back to the 1 last tree that has survived... we have put chili pepper on the top of the soil... tin foil around the edge, saran wrap, skewers poking out the top, even this spiky rubber stuff that you wrap around the trunk.... and NOTHING HAS WORKED!!!! HELP!!!! Please, please, please, I beg for some good insight on this one!!!! Its a matter of tree life or tree death!!!

Ok, so on to our next subject... children's teeth! Our daughter is 8 and is a pretty disciplined morning brusher... we're not very good about brushing at night... we do sometimes, but forget other times... my husband and I both grew up morning brushers, so that is just what sticks with us... anyhow, she brushes with good effort every morning... however, her big teeth are coming in pretty crooked on top... so when she brushes, it just doesnt get in some of those tough areas where her teeth are overlapping and crooked... so my question is... do children get braces now'a'days before all of their adult teeth are in? I dont know the answer to this, but my daughter has been noticing kids the same age with braces on... so it makes me wonder... should this be something I look into? I hate to think of the cavities we will be accumulating because she can't get into those tough places very well while we are waiting for the rest of our big girl teeth to come in... I suppose this is a question for our dentist... our next cleaning is coming up soon... just thought I'd throw that out there though... surely someone else has experiences this as well... maybe you can help shed some light on the situation...

Ok, back to work... today is Monday... and its starting off to be our first beautiful Fall week... after 2 weeks of rain, rain, rain... aaaaaaahhhhhhhhhhh.... I LOVE Fall!!!! :) Enjoy your week everyone!!!

Market Square in Knoxville

So I just wanted to remind everyone to stop down at Market Square this Wednesday, Sept.23rd if you find yourself around downtown Knoxville between 10-2pm! The Market Square Farmer's Market is going on... and it is not your traditional Farmer's Market... yes, it has wonderfully fresh organic produce, baked goods, jams and honey... but it has so much more... there is a whole arts & crafts section with wonderful jewelry designers, artist/photographers, handbag designers, tie-dye clothing designers, gourmet coffee suppliers, children's clothing designers (that would be me... heehee!!), and much, much more... and then, of course, there's just the wonderful peaceful atmosphere that Market Square magically creates... especially on a day with beautiful weather... there's just no better place to be!! So!! Speaking of weather... I need everyone to do the reverse rain dance Tuesday night, K? The rain MUST stop by Tuesday evening... it just has to... this will only be my 2nd show... I can have a rained out show already!!!! :{ So, all of my friends and followers... do a little jig for me, ok? I would be so very grateful to you'all!!! Ok, well, I suppose I do have to get some sewing done today... I have 2 new designs in full size sets to complete before Wednesday... Eek!!!! I hope everyone makes the best of this wonderfully rainy Monday... curl up on a couch with a book if you can.. forget about the house cleaning and responsibilities for just a day! or if you work full time, order pizza and curl up on the couch with your kids and catch a movie when you get home this evening... who says Movie Night has to be on Fridays?!! :) Oh! and by the way, this is a picture of our little "Samantha" Skirt... a beautiful asian inspired print with wonderful Fall colors, like oranges, red, turqs, and browns... I'll be switching all of my listings over to actual inventory in the next day or 2... so be sure to check it out later in the week for all the new styles and sizes!!! www.snigglefritz.etsy.com

Snigglefritz Photo Shoot 2

So here we have our beautiful little friends from Atlanta... Livi and Issy, and then Alex too. They were such little troopers... modeling is not all fun and games... they were quite patient with all the change-out of accessories, shoes, outfits, props... and then of course, there was Tif... my wonderful photo shoot assistant/mommy... I wish I had that kind of help every time!!! Made things so much smoother to have a 2nd set of hands and eyes... especially one that has such good fashion sense!! Thanks Tif! :) You girls are the greatest!!! We always adore our time with you'all!! We already can't wait for the next reunion!!

Snigglefritz Photo Shoot 1

Well, this weekend has been very busy!!! We did a little photo shoot with our neighborhood friends on Thursday, then had some dear friends come into town for the weekend on Friday, did another photo shoot with those little girls on Saturday, and then went to go see another dear friend dance at the Greekfest on Sunday. So today, I seem to be moving a bit slow... its a rainy Monday after a busy weekend... what can I say?!! Sometimes, you just have to cut yourself some slack, right? :) For now, trying to post a quick blog update will be my priority for this rainy morning... can't quite think of a better way to spend it (blocking out my long to-do list)!! So our super models here are Carley, Whitney and Alex... they seemed to have a great time and they were wonderfully patient!! We really wanted to do the photo shoot outside, but all we've seen here for the past week is rain, rain and more rain... so indoors it was! So thank you my generous neighbor model agent friends... for loaning me your beautiful children!! :)

Still going... Skirts, skirts, skirts!!!

Ok, I've just had a sewing marathon over the weekend. My husband and daughter went to Paducah, KY to visit Grandpa again.... he is doing GREAT!!! It's amazing to hear how well he is doing, considering where he was when we first got to the hospital

last weekend. A wonderful reason to celebrate and say our thanks for sure!!

Meanwhile, I stayed home to take care of the Carter Zoo and make skirts, skirts, and more skirts!!!! My first show is coming up next weekend and I want to premiere the collection with a bang! So I'm working really hard on getting my inventory up... I figure I need to abandon this idea that everyone will place custom orders... we are an immediate gratification society (myself included), so I need to have skirts ready to roll off the rack... and boy do I hope they roll off the rack!!! I sure struggle with the whole confidence thing... one part of me says... "YES! This is the time... its now... you can do this... give it your all... and don't let a few failures stop you... learn by them... and make it better... you can do this!!!" And then the other part of me says.. "I am such a horrible sales person... what makes me think I can go out and sell my product?!.. I'm sure there are plenty of others trying to do this... what makes me different from them... what makes me any better... any more deserving?" Why can't I be one of those ubber confident women that can have that confidence, paired with humility? There is such a fine line, ya know? It annoys me so much when people portray confidence and come across pompus and stuck on themselves... I feel like the little train that is chanting "I think I can... I think I can... I think I can..." I know I can do this... I've wanted it all my life (well, since I was 13!)... this is what every job (good and bad) and experience has lead me to... I know it is. I still firmly believe that I need will eventually need to expand and recruite a good team though... I know my strenghths, and I know my weaknesses... I will eventually need someone who has a good business sense to manage the financials and planning... a sales rep to go around and sell the line to specialty retailers... and I will also need a graphic designer... I really want to do a line of tshirts that coordinate back to the skirts but in a very non matchy-matchy way... and at a very reasonable price point... I will also need a few sewers too... so anyone who would like to start out pro-bono, let me know!!! :) A percentage of sales is the best I can offer right now... I have 8 shows booked and another 2 shows in the works between now and the new year.

I can see it... I can smell it.... I can taste it... I will work like a dog for it... its what I love to do.. its in my blood... nothing makes me happier (except my family of course... nothing compares there!! :) Ok, so the first show is coming... down at Market Square... yeah, yeah, its just the Market Square Farmer's Market... but lots of cool arts and craft vendors down there... this is the produce/food section, and then an arts and crafts section... if you find yourself around downtown Knoxville this Saturday, please, please, please stop by and say hi... and do a little "no-rain" dance for me, k?

Ok, back to work... and for those friends and family that I have neglected horribly over the past 2 weeks, I am so sorry... I still love you dearly... just trying to stay focused and off the phone until I have met my inventory goal for this weekend... I promise to catch back up with everyone after this first show!!! I hope you are all well and have had a great, restful, long holiday weekend!!! :)

The Snigglefritz collection - pumping out inventory!!!

Ok, This is the beginning of a new chapter for Snigglefritz... shows, shows and more shows! Very exciting... and very nerve racking at the same time... so much I want to get done, but so little time!!! I have 8 shows lined up between now and the holidays... a couple more in the works but not confirmed yet... here's the schedule so far:

Market Square - Saturday, Sept.12

Market Square - Wednesday, Sept.23

Market Square - Saturday, Oct.10

Market Square - Wednesday, Oct.28

KCHST Holiday Show - West Town Mall - Saturday, Nov.7

Market Square - Saturday, Nov.14

Picky Chic Boutique Show- Fountain City Lions Club - November (TBA)

So, with that said, not much time to blog... time to sew, sew, sew!!!!! So many designs sworming in my head, yet so little time!!!! Fun, Fun, Fun!!!!! Ok, back to work! Have an awesome day everyone!!!! :)

Grandpa Carter

This is a picture of our "unofficial" god child, beautiful little Alyssa (ahhhh.. the Catholic church and their "rules")... this was taken during one of our days visiting Grandpa Carter at the hospital.

So its been a bit of a rough couple of weeks in the Carter family... Grandpa Carter has been in the hospital with congestive heart failure... there was a stretch of 5-6 days where we thought we were going to lose him. The family, especially all the grandkids and great grandkids, came in from allover... close and far... it was a moving thing to watch as a married-into member of the family. The spirit that was lifted when they were all there was unbelievable... and the spirit that seemed to drain away when they told him they had to leave for a couple days was overwhelmingly saddening. But prayers came from all over and the grandchildren figured out how to visit in shifts and never let a day go by without cheerful faces coming into his room... we received a text picture yesturday of him sitting and eating in his recliner and have been told that he was moved out of ICU and into a regular room.... unbelievable!!! God is good!!! You could see it in his eyes... he just wasnt ready... and I think the good Lord knew it. His time may still be around the corner, but for now, we feel like we have atleast secured "tomorrow" and feel like there is some sort of hope that he will be with us for just a little while longer. So for all of you who have been sending prayers his way, Thank you! They truelly do mean so much... I know, without a doubt, he hears our calls. We love you Grandpa!!

The Everett Theatre - To Be or Not To Be... A Pirate

Ok, so this is one of those things where we were waaaaaaaaaay hesitant to send our daughter to her Mom-Mom and Pop-Pop's house, over 600 miles away in Delaware, to attend a 3 week theater camp over the summer.

Well, to our pleasant surprise, I think it may have been one of the greatest highlights of her childhood that she will remember the rest of her life. The Everett Theatre is in Middletown, Delaware... the teeny, tiny town that I grew up in (well, I suppose its not so teeny tiny anymore). This is a beautiful old historical theatre that has been kept afloat by dedicated volunteers over years and years and year... some of those volunteers being my brother, mom and dad. They do everything from heading up the volunteer organization (brother), to planning and organizing (mom & brother), to working the candy counter during shows (mom and dad). The children's theatre workshop has been going on forever (atleast since my childhood anyway)... it seems to be a tradition kind of thing... I, personally, was never involved... although my brother popped in and out of it... but many of the ones that attended, continue attending, getting better, getting bigger parts, helping with sets, lighting, production, etc... to eventually come back and volunteer in directing or production or costumes... it is a wonderful life cycle that goes on at this beautiful place. I found myself taken back and the new "family" that my daughter was adopted into over those 3 weeks... so much so... that on the day of the final production... the first thing she said was "I can't wait to come back next year!" What a wonderful bunch of people... very professional... very dedicated... very welcoming! She absolutely loved it... so here we go... making plans for 3 more weeks next summer... ahhhhh... when will the summer running ever stop! I guess when it becomes not-so-much fun! ;)