Merry Christmas (and Happy Holidays) From Chloe Pink and Pete

Copyright © Sharna Fulton 2010. All Rights Reserved.

Hey Snowflake Girl. Something you need to know...

Copyright © Sharna Fulton 2010. All Rights Reserved.

Hey girls! Camp out for the holidays with Chloe Pink™

Chloe Pink is heading over to Good Tree Coaching's Winter Break Art Camp and you can too.

During the three day session of your choice, you'll get to do fun art projects to learn more about YOU and your own unique talents. OMG! One of those fab activities includes doodling, journaling, coloring and sketching inside The Chloe Pink™ Doodle & Dream Book by Sharna Fulton.

Good Tree is offering their camps on December 28-30 from 10 am to 2 pm OR January 4-6 from 10 am to 2 pm. To sign-up & get more info, call 770-344-7077 or click here. Good Tree Coaching was established by Melinda Runkle and is an organization "that's committed to growing strong confident girls from the inside out." Seriously. How cool is that?

If you're a girls organization, afterschool group or educator and want to find out more about how Chloe Pink can help your group, please contact SharnaFulton @ deskofchloepink@gmail.com

Copyright © Sharna Fulton 2010. All Rights Reserved.

Can you help Chloe Pink™ and Pete decorate the Christmas tree?

Thanks to Abby Liddell, Chloe Pink™ and Pete have been challenged to get that star on top of that tree.

Just what happens next is up to you! Can you help Pete and Chloe Pink™ finish decorating the tree? Simply print out the free Chloe Pink coloring page. (Hint. To get it big, print it out at 180%.)

Next, grab your crayons and markers and what-have-you to color it in and write a word caption in the bubble...or even add more captions. Be creative and have fun. This is your chance to show Chloe Pink your creative mojo! She's not sure what mojo means, but it sounds important, doesn't it?

Next email your completed coloring sheet by December 17 to: deskofchloepink@gmail.com You may also snail mail it to: Desk of Chloe Pink c/o 1131 Baltic Court, Loganville, GA 30052 (Don't forget to sign your name!)

Then, stay posted to see if your picture is posted on the Chloe Pink blog! Hint: CP's looking for the most mojoey original, creative and colorful submissions!

The grand prize winner will receive her (or his) very own Chloe Pink Doodle & Dream Coloring Book filled with tons more places to color, doodle, dream, sketch and journal all of your other great ideas. This Christmas tree decorating thing is only the beginning, now. You know that right?

No purchase necessary. One entry per person. Must be age 3-103.

Copyright © Sharna Fulton 2010. All Rights Reserved.

Announcing "Doodle & Dream Tour Stop #10" (Pssst...This venue is a dream come true for Chloe Pink.)

Back in the summer of 2006, when I began creating and developing my dream, Chloe Pink,™ I often took my sketchbook over to the Starbucks in Snellville, GA

So, the other day, when I was meeting Kelly Liddell, Chloe Pink's National Director of Sales & Development there, I wanted to give Starbuck's employees, Sofia and Jerri a "Doodle & Dream" book.

Sofia has known my coffee drink for years and is a beautiful Greek woman with a wonderful soul. You should get to know her.

Jerri, the manager is one of the hardest workers you'll ever see. She always has a mop in her hand, is filling creamers or greeting a customer. She's an inspiration to me to always give it your all.

So, imagine my thrill when Jerri invited me to do a book signing at one of my most favorite places in the whole wide world. I say "one of" for two reasons. #1 My home is my favorite place. #2 Starbucks has hundreds more locations -- I've been to MANY of them by the way. (Actually, the Loganville Starbucks, closest to home is my "home away from home. Seriously."

Anyways, I can't think of a more magical place for children of all ages to be on the Saturday morning after Thanksgiving. With its massive sunfilled windows and its tasty Gingerbread Lattes and Peppermint Mochas and yummy hot chocolates and Cranberry Bliss Bars and blueberry scones and cinnamon...Did I mention, it's all now holiday bedazzled with tons of chic and funky decorations and gift items..Why, even the cups are red. And if that's not enough, just know we'll also be holding crayons in one hand and candy canes in the other. We'll be coloring our hearts out and dreaming BIG!!

So, if you'd like to get your"Doodle & Dream" book signed or pick one up for a stocking stuffer (Hint. Hint. Santa! It goes great with a box of Binney & Smiths!) -- I'll have my giant pink Sharpie on me that day. I hope to see you there...dreaming big with me and Chloe Pink™ in the place where she was practically born and continues to be inspired each and every day. (See. Dreams really do come true.)

Copyright © Sharna Fulton 2010. All Rights Reserved.

Chloe Pink's Halloween Week Countdown

Happy Sunday, October 31. Zero more days 'til Halloween!






































Copyright © Sharna Fulton 2010. All Rights Reserved.

S'il vous plait. Join us at our next "Doodle and Dream Tour" stop this Saturday, October 23

Dear mon amie: As you may know, Chloe Pink™ adores everything French. The Eye-ful tower, baguettes, berets, her pink scarf, the sound of the language, Monet and Matisse, french onion soup, lavender and on and on and on....So it's no wonder she'll be hanging out at one of her favorite french cafes (la Madeleine) this Saturday sipping a cappuccino and nibbling on a mini lemon tart. Stop by to meet her creator, Sharna Fulton and get your signed copy of The Chloe Pink Doodle and Dream Coloring Book. We'll also have a fun art activity and a few other surprises. Just click on the la Madeleine logo for more details. Then, stop by! And we'll show you how to hold a croissant in one hand and a crayon in the other.

A CEO, football player, artist and more. Students at Hope School of Excellence have high hopes

A few weeks ago, I had the opportunity to do a Chloe Pink book signing event at Hope School of Excellence, a private school in Conyers, GA.

The event was arranged by Beth Ogle, a kinder-
garten teacher at Hope and sister of Russell Bingham, my barista friend at Loganville Starbucks.

When I launched The Chloe Pink Doodle & Dream Coloring Book at the Decatur Book Festival, Russell brought his sister, Beth to meet me. They each bought a few books and Beth (Ms. Ogle) invited me to come to her school with my book. How is that for support? Amazing!

The day was truly special as Ms. Ogle and her fellow K-5 teachers had sent home a note with their students to prepare them for the book day. Each student had also received a blank template of "What's My Dream?" to create a drawing on and bring that day.

As you can see by the work posted here (only a sampling), Hope's students are talented in their ability to express themselves with words and pictures. Even more exciting to me though was that every student I met at book day knew exactly what their dream was. Some even had two or three!

I wrote the Chloe Pink book to inspire and encourage girls and boys to believe in themselves and to follow their dreams. But with so many arms in the air after I asked who had a dream to share, I think it was me who was truly inspired!

Thank you, Ms. Ogle and fellow teachers at Hope School of Excellence for all you do to educate and encourage tomorrow's business leaders, athletes, artists, parents, teachers, designers, merchants, etc. And thank you for letting Chloe Pink and I be a part of it!

Press Kit "To Do" List by Chloe Pink

Dear Sharn': I see you over there picking lint off your sweater and finishing off a bag of potato chips. We need to get the word out about my "Doodle and Dream Book Tour" asap to book stores, retailers, girls orgs, schools and afterschool programs asap. As you know, this tour is essential in order to promote self confidence and creativity to girls and boys. In just one month's time, The Chloe Pink Doodle and Dream Coloring Book has already been to the Decatur Book Festival, Borders Book Store in Snellville, Learning Express in Buckhead, Sparkles and Hope School of Excellence. But this is only the beginning, cartoonist woman/girl or whatever you call yourself. Oops. I see your sharpie leaked in your shirt pocket. That's permanent ink. Ouch. But as I was saying, more kids need to know how to doodle and dream. Yes. I said kids. That includes boys, too. Owen Green and I had a talk about it. And he's on board, too. So let's roll-up those shirt sleeves and get to work. Once you get these pieces ready for the press kit, we can put them into a PDF file and load them onto our new website that's coming soon. Remember. Baby steps. That's all it takes. If anyone can do it, you can. XOXOXO, Chloe Pink, the cartoon spokesperson for girls aged 3-103. P.S. I've cc'd Kelly, your art rep and Peeblet, your PR advisor on this, so you really have no choice but to follow through.
Copyright © Sharna Fulton 2010. All Rights Reserved.

"There's no such thing as a bad hat day," says Chloe Pink

Chloe Pink is the cartoon spokesperson for girls aged 3-103. She wants every girl to be happy. And she believes that the key to finding happiness is in following your dreams. Not your mom's dreams. Not your dad's dreams. Not your brother, Ralphie's dreams. Not your Aunt Margo's dreams. YOUR dreams.

So how do you do that? Good question. Well first, you gotta' have some guts. That's why CP will tell you to believe in yourself. One way to do this is to know exactly who you are and what's important to you. If that sounds a little tough, it is. You are a very special and unique individual and there's a lot for you to know about "you."

It requires a little thinking, a little investigation, a little soul searching and listening to your heart. Yes. Your heart really will tell you. You just have to stop and listen to it.

Chloe Pink advises girls like you to be curious about life. It's the only way to find out what truly makes you happy (and gets your heart to talk to you.) For instance, just imagine what a great ballerina would have been if she had not laced up a pair of ballet slippers just one time. Or what about someone who is a really good artist? What if she never picked up a paint brush? Or what about a girl who grows up to be scientist who comes up with cure for a disease? What if she had never had a chance to look through a microscope? The list goes on and on and on.

Chances are you may have an inkling -- that's a funny word for "idea" -- what you want to do in life. It sort of comes out of knowing what you are good at and what makes you happy. There's that happy word again.

Anyways, one thing's for sure. Chloe Pink has a zest for life. But not everyday is perfect for her. No way, Josie...or ____________ (insert your name here if it's not Josie.) It's not that way for anybody. Thankfully, she knows that Pete's got her back. Always. A scottish terrier mutt, Pete is CP's faithful and loyal supporter through thick and thin. She doesn't really know what that saying, "thick and thin" means. She only knows that it sounds very definite and official. Even when Chloe gets cranky, Pete doesn't take it personally. He knows Chloe Pink adores him and he feels that way, too. It will never change. Never ever ever ever ever ever ever ever ever ever. Never.

Here's a mini bio on Chloe Pink:

Favorite clothing item: Pink hat.

Favorite color: Need you ask?

Why the scarf: Chloe Pink loves everything French and French girls wear scarves. Wala!

Favorite activities: Hanging out with Pete, going on nature hikes, being kind to animals, playing sports, rooting for girls like you to succeed and being creative.

Favorite art supply: Magenta crayon

Her philosophy: "There's no such thing as a bad hat day."

Stay tuned for more about Chloe Pink and Pete and their new friend, Owen Green.

Copyright © Sharna Fulton 2010. All Rights Reserved. Owen Green™

Meet total prepster, Owen Green

Owen Green is the ying to Chloe Pink's yang. When she says tomato, he says "toe motto." But they actually get along pretty well. Wearing khakis, penny loafers and his tortoise shell retro 60's eyewear, Owen is stylish and preppy. He's also extremely organized and has a highly developed system for packing his messenger bag for school each day. Constantly worrying about global warming, the fact that his last name is "Green" is merely coincidental. Owen is theatrical and pretends he lives on Martha's Vineyard. He even plans to go to an Ivy League college like Harvard or Yale on a croquet, tennis or running scholarship. He'll probably be an architect or a fashion designer when he grows up. He's also an expert on pop culture. He can tell you every show on Broadway and what book titles are on the "New Day Times" bestseller list. In fact, he reads the "New Day Times" every morning. His favorite TV shows are Project Runway, Glee, Morning Joe, Top Chef and Meet the Press. He refers to things he likes as "vintage." For instance, he'll say things like "this organic peanut butter is so vintage!" Owen can be a bit temperamental and moody sometimes. He's been known to throw little fits like the time he found a fruit roll-up with high fructose corn syrup in his lunch bag in the school cafeteria. (It was packed by his mother, Brooke.) He even lashes out at "The Brookster," as he refers to her fondly and sometimes not. Most recently, it was when he found one of his 53 assorted colors of "Rocket" brand pique knit polo shirts folded incorrectly. Still, all the girls love Owen. He's their go-to guy to find out what shoes to wear with a new party dress, the best place to go for ice cream and how to design cool paper airplanes.

Copyright © Sharna Fulton 2010. All Rights Reserved. Owen Green™

The Chloe Pink "What's Your Dream Contest." And the winners are.....

Hello everyone. I'm thrilled to be here with you to announce the winners of my "What's Your Dream Contest" at the Decatur Book Festival. We had over 100 entries and it was tough to narrow it down what with so many excellent doodlers and dreamers out there. Nonetheless, Pete and me and our own in-house creative bee judge, Bailey Buzzlebee (daughter of Beatrice and mother of Bennett) put our heads together and chose the ones that spoke to us from the heart and brain, not to mention showed a bit of creative talent and artistic ability.

I wish we could award every child aged 3-13 -- many who stood in line with their parents just to enter CP's booth and take a seat at my coloring table. It was so much fun to see everyone choosing their favorite magic markers, crayons and colored pencils from my sweet little recycled french honey and jam jars. Yes. You fine young artists went to work and then handed in your finished pieces to hang on lines of pink grosgrain ribbon with laundry pins. A few of you were even so proud of your accomplishment, you took your work home with you. Why not I say?!!!

Out of the 100+ entrants, three of you dream of flying, seven want to be an artist, four hope to model and sing, six want to save animals, have a pet or become a vet and two imagine themselves being a chef. One girl wants to be famous and another plans to be a rock star. Some dreams were highly specific and unusual such as wanting to "meet Anne Frank" or "be the best soccer player in Norway." Speaking of athletes, Kiari Robey wants to be a triathlete. And 2nd place winner, Khadir Curry, a 10 year old self described football player was a little reluctant to enter the contest at first. But then, he he came up with was a well-drawn picture of himself as a football player which he already is! Some entries were career minded such as "become a lawyer, marine biologist, math or ballet teacher." Several were adventurous like travel the world, go to a volcano, pilot a hot air balloon and star gaze. A few kids want to become something other than a person such as a cat, the rain or a sunny day. Then, there was McKenzie Turcott, who simply wants to grow her own garden. There were even inventors like George Hersman who wants to develop the first jet car. And little Sean John's like Montarius Mauren who want to be a skateboard, running clothes and shoe designer.

So without further ado, here are the winners of the contest. Thanks everyone for entering the contest and stopping by to say hi last weekend. And here's to always, always, always following your dreams!

Grand Prize: $10 gift certificate for art supplies, a Chloe Pink Doodle & Dream Coloring Book and an awards certificate. Girl: Isis Harrison (First Woman President) 9. Boy: George Hersman, (Inventor of First Jet Car) 10 First place: Each one of you to receive a copy of The Chloe Pink Doodle & Dream Coloring Book and an awards certificate. Winners: Erin Rosemond (Chef) 8, Lori Olivia Smith (Marine Biologist) 8, Abby White (Vet) 9. Second place: Each to receive a $5 gift card for art supplies and an awards certificate. Winners: Kate Drueke (Balloon) 6, Mckenzie Turcott (Garden) 9, Khadir Curry (Football) 10, Macie (World) 10. Third place (honorable mention): Each to receive a Chloe Pink awards certificate: Chevelle Lane (Math Teacher) 8, India Sayers (Save Baby Animals) 11, Montarius Mauren (Skateboard designer) 12

Cartoon artist finally following her dream  | accessAtlanta

Cartoon artist finally following her dream  | accessAtlanta

Just what could Chloe Pink and Salvador Dali possibly have in common?

Chloe Pink (2006-) the cartoon spokes-person for girls wants you to follow your dreams. Salvador Dali (1904-1989) the most famous surrealist of all time, liked to paint dreams.

So, I guess that makes them a "dream team."

In his best known piece, "Persistence of Memory," Dali painted a landscape with realistic looking time pieces melting over a table and a tree branch. This composition, along with many of his works, looked like a dream brought to life.

What a coincidence! In Chloe Pink's new "Doodle & Dream" book, that's exactly what she wants you to do: Bring your own dreams to life by coloring, sketching, journaling and building your self-confidence along the way. What a surprise that Dali's and Chloe's dream worlds are colliding at the same time.

Thanks to Art Access, the "All Mixed Up Art Class for Kids" I teach in Snellville, GA is heading to the High Art Museum on September 9, to see the Salvador Dali exhibit! In fact, when I opened the email saying our class would receive free admission for 20 children, I thought I was dreaming!

Coincidentally, another "dreamy" character will be at the Decatur Book Festival on September 4 & 5. You can start following your dreams at the Chloe Pink booth #134 with The Chloe Pink Doodle & Dream Coloring Book signing and "What's Your Dream?" coloring contest.

For more information on the Decatur Book Festival or the next "All Mixed Up Art Class for Kids," contact yours truly, sharnafulton@gmail.com. Don't Dilly Dali!

Presenting My Pen Pal, Peeblet and Chloe Pink's Perfect Part-Time Pro Bono Publicist

Alliteration just happens to be my favorite literary device. It's relatively simple, but fun word play. You just repeat the same consonant as much as possible in the same sentence like the nine words that start with the letter "P" in the headline of this blog.

But just when I think I'm getting crafty with my writing, along comes a snappy email, blog post or Facebook update from my favorite pen pal, Pamme Boutselis (Peeblet is her nickname) to put me in my place. You see, "Peeblet" is a gifted, speedy and prolific writer, researcher, PR person, artist, poet and all around great "girl" cheerleader for people in general. (I just happened to luck out and meet her.)

It was a chilly November day in New Hampshire. Actually. I was sitting at my computer in Loganville, GA when a note from a perfect stranger in New England landed in my Outlook Express. This person had an impressive title: Director of Programs and Content. She worked for a credible social network known as Trackahead that helps people further themselves in their education and career. And she was asking little old me for permission to reprint one of my articles on her Trackahead.com blog.

Since that day almost a year ago, Peeblet and I have become steadfast pen pals. If we used the same writing tools that Thomas Jefferson and Ben Franklin did, we'd have gone through gallons of ink and a few feather pens by now. Thank goodness for the internet that's helped PB and I save a few trees. Both Sagittarians', about the same age, Celtics fans (Pamme was born in Boston (one of my all-time favorite towns), both artsy and writer types, lovers of animals and on an on and on. Although, I must say, Pamme has full-grown kids and a tat and I have neither. What can I say. She's always full of great surprises (the tat--not the kids) and stories to boot...Just what a pen pal should be, right?

In fact, the more I've gotten to know Pamme, (pronounced Pam, but spelled with flair!), the more I appreciate having her support and editorial advice. How great to have a former B&N Community Relations manager as my part-time publicist to help me fix Chloe Pink press releases and plan-out my book launch at the Decatur Book Festival...to help me fine tune the name of my first book. IE: If you like the title, The Chloe Pink Doodle & Dream Book, versus The Chloe Pink Dream & Doodle Book, you have only Peeblet to thank. And if anyone can find a typo in the sentence, "See Jane run," it's Pamme. Pamme is virtually the female George Plimpton. If that name is familiar and George was before your time, he was a man who could do everything and did. Just like Pamme with a career that includes Marketing and PR to owning her own wine store. And while, her family is nearly all grown-up, Pamme is a Big Sister to Hannah. With so much going on, I never understand where that girls finds the time. Yet, she sat down with me recently for a Q&A. Me in the deep south and she, in the upper northeast. Go Sox!

Q: So Peeblet, tell me about your work with Trackahead?
PB: Hmm. . .you could say that I am the Director of Programs and Content at TrackAhead.com, and as such, I work with contributors, nonprofit organizations, potential collaborators and write original content as well. I particularly like the interaction with TA members and working with contributors and collaborators. What I like best about Track Ahead is the opportunity to help others develop their talents and work toward positive life goals.

Q: What else do you do?
PB: As for the rest of my work life, I'm a marketing and PR consultant as well as a writer. I've also been a community volunteer for the past 20 years or so. My past jobs included marketing director for a NH restaurant chain, community relations manager for BN and VP of Sales for a consumer products company that worked with inventors to bring new products to market. I also owned two businesses, a wine shop and a children's theme party service.

Q: Tell us a little bit about your Little Sister, Hannah.
PB: Do you mean Big Brothers Big Sisters? BBBS? I've been a Big Sister for over 2 years to an extraordinary 8 year old named Hannah and the experience has been fulfilling in so many ways. The real bonus is that I get to do all kinds of fun things that 8 year olds especially enjoy, many of which I haven't done in a while. BBBS is such a great organization, and it has made such a difference in so many lives, for both Bigs and Littles.

Q: And what about the rest of your family?
PB: Well, there's Sean, 28, Marissa, 25 (did I ever tell you that her name is Marissa Skye, which I particularly love?), Michael, 22, and Andrew, 17. Then there's Becky, Sean's long time girlfriend, who I consider to be another of my children at this point as well as Justin, Marissa's husband, who I think of as a fourth son. The summary of us: We are extremely close and genuinely like each other and enjoy hanging out together (hence the full-family vacation!) and my mom, of course, too. She's 82 and an integral part of the gang. We're currently planning a family trip to DC in the fall and possibly Mexico early next year.

A little bit about them --- Sean is a field engineer for a company called Office Environments of New England, and Marissa works for the same company but in the Manchester, NH office (Sean's in Massachusetts) as a sales coordinator in their furniture division. Sean works for the audio-visual division (AV). Michael is a brand new English teacher at Campbell High School here in Litchfield, where Andrew is a senior this year. They are kind of excited because they never had an opportunity to go to school together so now they are! Michael taught history for summer school throughout July at Bedford High School (a neighboring town), where he student taught and also was a permanent sub for the remainder of the school year.

Q: Um..aren't you forgetting someone?
PB: Of course, there's also Gus, our 9 year old standard red smooth-haired dachshund and Sophie, a five year old silver dapple miniature dachshund as well as our three cats, Puffy, Bella and Muffin.

Thank you, Peeblet for taking the time to sit down and chat and for sharing an appreciation of the written word with me. And now, if you'll excuse me, I need to proof this blog post before you find all the typos!

Meet Kelly Liddell, Chloe Pink's™ New Artist Representative

If you have dreams (as me and Chloe Pink) do, you know that support is like a gem. It's genuine. It's rare. And it must be treasured, valued and never taken for granted. Which is why I'm still pinching myself because Kelly Liddell has offered to be Chloe Pink's new Artist Representative.

Kelly's "had CP's back" on numerous occasions and now, with this blog post, it's official. Just a few weeks ago, she inked CP's first signature retail opportunity at tres chic children's boutique, The Purple Ladybug. (Details to come.) She's also been supportive to CP through social media and served as Snellville and Grayson's town art mom-- chauffering numerous young artists to a class I teach, "All Mixed Up Art Class for Kids" at Snellville Framing & Fine Art. Just how she gets every child and their freshly painted masterpieces home week after week without a Jackson Pollack all over the back of her SUV is just another one of Kelly's feats.

In fact, Jackson is her son's name and how I met Kelly. Her kids, Abby and Jackson are regulars at "All Mixed Up." Brave Jackson is often outnumbered by 6,7 or 8 girls -- each one just as headstrong as Chloe Pink wants them to be. They are curious. They are creative. They follow their dreams. And they believe in themselves! Hurray girls! His younger sister, Abby, is the quintessential Chloe Pink. (By the way, that's Abby with her mom in the picture.) But more on Abby later. This post is a shout-out to her mom.

Aside from the fact that Kelly takes pride and joy in raising her children, she has an impressive professional background as well. Kelly's been an account exec for Brighton (handbags) and Russell Stover (yeah, the chocolate company!) With her experience, it's no wonder her biz etiquette is creme de la creme and she has so many great ideas.

Kelly also has a strong appreciation and ties to the arts. At the New World School Montessori (headed by Susan Gabbard) in Oklahoma City, there were only 8 students in her 8th grade graduating class, but the whole building was dedicated to art according to Kelly.

What's more. Abby and Jackson's Mom learned to appreciate art through her own mom, too. Kelly's mother was an annual volunteer at the Festival of the Arts. Her mom's friend, Donna Berryhill was a famous artist in Oklahoma who died of cancer in 97. An art collector of sorts, Kelly's mom has several of her pieces. Kelly's good friend (and bridesmaid) Krista (Straka) Costilow's mom, Gloria Straka was also a close friend of Donna Berryhill.

Kelly, herself is an artist, also. "I only took one art class from Mr. McConnell in high school and had to pull an all-nighter to finish it." The charcoal drawing of her grandpa's fiddle is now in her closet at home after proudly hanging in her grandmother's house for years until she died. (Why is that? Get it out of the closet, Kelly!!!!) She has two good "art" friends as well: Laura who does art restoration and now teaches at a Montessori school in Tulsa; and Tracey, a college roommate at The University of Oklahoma in Norman, OK, who "was always painting something or going to a pottery class," is now doing PR work in Oklahoma.

As for now, Kelly is a mom encouraging her kids to do art because it's a great release and self expression. "A person can work through a life problem or at least gain a bit of perspective by creating….whether in art, writing, music or dance. The more opportunities my children have to use art for learning, for creative expression and for joy…the more they are allowed to “soak up” the beauty of life."

And on that note, Chloe Pink and I say, "Thanks Kelly for helping us out with your experience and talent. You're a gem."

Chloe Pink "Bound" For The Decatur Book Festival September 4, 5. A live interview with the cartoon spokesperson, herself.

Get it? "Bound" as in the pages within a book? That's right. Chloe Pink is now appearing in her first book ever. The Chloe Pink Doodle & Dream Coloring Book. So I, Mr. Microphone, Mikey, for short...sat down with Chloe Pink to find out more.

Mr. Mikey: So Chloe Pink...Did I pronounce your name correctly?

Chloe Pink: Word, Mr. Mikey.

Mr. Mikey: Tell us, then (ahem) Chloe Pink, why a book? Why now?

Chloe Pink: Because, Mr. Mikey....my peeps were going to be at the Decatur Book Festival on September 4 and 5. So I figured the best way I'd get to see them would be by looking up at their nose stuck inside a very good book. Makes sense, dontcha think?

Mr Mikey: And who are these "peeps" you refer to? Little chickens?

Chloe Pink: You funny, Mr. Mikey. Seriously. You don't know my peeps? Why, it's every girl aged 3-103!

Mr. Mikey: What about boys?

Chloe Pink: Oh, Mr. Mikey. I see I've hurt your feelings a little. You are certainly invited to follow your dreams with Chloe Pink, too. Just a lot of boys won't admit they like the color pink, which happens to be my last name and the color of my baseball cap and scarf.

Mr. Mikey: Yes. I can see that. Nice hat, by the way...And why aged 3-103?

Chloe Pink: Because that's the average age span of a girl who can have a happy and fulfilled life.

Mr. Mikey: So what you're saying is that in order to be happy, a girl simply has to follow her dreams.

Chloe Pink: Exactly! And that's why I've got a new 48 page Chloe Pink Doodle & Dream Coloring Book.

Mr. Mikey: I notice you refer to yourself in the 3rd person a lot...

Chloe Pink: It is what it is Mr. Mikey...What's a cartoon character to do?

Mr. Mikey: Point taken CP. Now about the book?

Chloe Pink: Oh right, right...the book. I look at it as a road map that enables girls get to their dreams.

Mr. Mikey: A road map?

Chloe Pink: Well, not literally, Mr. Mikey. Figuratively. You do know the difference right? Just nod. Right. You see, it's impossible to follow a dream if you don't know what or where it is!

Mr. Mikey: Touche' Chloe Pink.

Chloe Pink: But if you can write your dreams down and color fun pictures of me rooting for your success... you're able to draw them (those dreams) out of you...no pun intended. Well maybe a little pun intended...The Chloe Pink Doodle & Draw Coloring Book is all about letting girls express themselves creatively.

Mr. Mikey: Hmmm. Deep.

Chloe Pink: Ohhh. It's deep alright, Mr. Mikey. But sometimes a girl needs to do a little soul searching to find out what her dreams are so she can follow them...

Mr. Mikey: uh huh...

Chloe Pink: The Chloe Pink Doodle & Dream Coloring Book let's girls do just that in a fun, easy and never ever ever ever ever ever ever ever ever ever ever ever ever ever ever done before way!

Mr. Mikey: Phew! I was worried you were never going to finish that sentence! We'll be right back with Chloe Pink after these words from our sponsor, the Craftymatic Spoonforkspaghetti Eater.

(Audience applause)

Chloe Pink Slide Show by Trackahead.com

Thank you, TrackAhead.com for the wonderful story and slide show you did on behalf of Chloe Pink this week! TrackAhead is a social media site dedicated to helping you succeed in your education and career. "What's not to like about that!" says Chloe Pink. Here's the slide show. To read the story, click here.

Chloe Pink here with an announcement to make...

Chloe Pink has an exciting announcement to make...but will wait a day or two. Today is Lebron's day! Stay tuned!

Copyright © Sharna Fulton 2010. All Rights Reserved.

Father daughter inspiration

On this Father's Day, I'm thinking about my Dad, now in his 70's who's always been there for me, listened to me and encouraged me.

He's also an inspiration to me to this day as he continues to put his heart and soul into things that matter to him: local politics, college football, community service. He's also my go to guy to discuss movies, books, current events. To this day, I still seek his council and bounce ideas off of him.

When I was younger, he was my tennis coach starting at the age of nine. (A Chris Evert wanna-be, I picked up my first wood racquet in the late 60's and haven't put it down since-- although now it's made of graphite.) We had our ups and downs as most "tennis fathers" and their daughters do. But I am thankful to him for instilling a competitive and tenacious attitude in me on the tennis court which I believe has served me well in all other aspects of my life.

Because my Dad helped me take up tennis, athletics has always been a part of my life. I believe every girl should have some sport they do to empower herself emotionally. It doesn't matter what the sport is as long as she enjoys it.

But I digress. My dad has also always been supportive of my creative aspirations. It's his artistic traits that I'm sure I've always looked up to and made me want to be a writer and artist myself. (When I was very little, my dad wrote a children's book called Shelbylove. It was about a star. And while it was never published, that creative "dream" of his was somehow transferred to me. My dad was in a movie called the Big Carnival with Kirk Douglas when he was a teenager. Check him out on IMDB. He also starred in a local production of "Our Town" when I was growing up. He was a reporter in New Mexico, a PR man for a cement company and spent most of his career in sales at Dunn and Bradstreet. In addition to helping out with political campaigns in Colorado, my dad is also a big college football fan. Hook 'em Horns! I grew up with him ringing a cowbell during University of Texas games. So committed to college football, he writes and manages a website about it. He has always had many friends that look to him for wisdom and just great company. He can also be a great curmudgeon at times, too.

I love you Dad! Thanks for all that you do and continue to do for me.
Copyright © Sharna Fulton 2010. All Rights Reserved.

Chloe Pink & Pete & Darla & Kim & Co. at the new Snellville Farmer's Market

To get to midtown Atlanta from Snellville, GA, drive 40 minutes west on Hwy 78 past Stone Mountain. Keep going until you hit Piedmont Park, Atlanta's oasis and the finish line for Peachtree Road Racers each year.) But head east for 40 minutes the other way and you'll be in quaint and charming Athens, GA, the home of the UGA Dawgs, R.E.M. and my good friend, Joan Curtis, the Total Communications Coach. That's because Snellville, GA is in between these two eclectic, artistic and foodie-ish places. In fact, there's even a town called "Between" not too far from Snellville.

But now, it looks as though I may not have to travel down Hwy 78 nearly as often in order to get a taste of culture and find inspiration for Chloe Pink!

For instance, just yesterday, I had the fortune to be invited to paint at the second Saturday of the brand new Snellville Farmers' Market. Darla Dixon, the queen of all things Snellville is not only a successful portrait artist locally and nationally, she's also a savvy marketer. Knowing city council members like Tom Witts who helped put the new market together, Darla had another idea. Why not have local artists paint at the market? They could have a silent auction during each Saturday event and the painting would go to the highest bidder. The proceeds would then go to a great charity, the local food bank. There are many reasons why being part of this event was special to me. I teach art to kids at Snellville Framing & Fine Art just a few blocks away from city hall where the event is. So it was really fun for me to hand the paintbrush off to young artists who stopped by yesterday. Check out the funky puffy clouds and caterpillar on Chloe's painting all done by the little Picassos. I couldn't help thinking that Eric who owns the shop where I teach "All Mixed Up Art Class for Kids" also paints and will want to be a part of this event soon, too.
The first thing I did after I set-up was walk around to discover mother nature's beauty and craftsmanship everywhere I turned. But it was Kim Gates of "Gates by the Creek" who totally inspired me. Her booth was just the kind of place Chloe Pink and Pete would want to be. With her French bistro red and white checked apron, Kim displayed her yummy fresh baked baguettes and home grown zucchinis even bigger than the bread! Her Provincial orange table cloth covering a shabby chic farm table is what first caught my eye. But upon closer observation, Kim's artistry was everywhere. Even her husband Martin is a folk artist and musician. He created the logo for their bakery/produce stand. I just nibbled on a piece of Kim's sourdough toast and let me tell you, I'll be giving her a buzz to put in my order soon at 770-658-9284. You can too.
Of course, thank you Patti Tyson for buying my painting and contributing to the Southeast Gwinnett Food Bank. With enthusiastic volunteers like Laura Drake who promoted the 501(c)3 food charity to shoppers at the market, how can you go wrong? She encouraged everyone to give canned foods to those less fortunate and to bid on our paintings. Together, Darla and my creations fetched $110.00. How 'bout 'dem apples, Joe Waters, my cause marketing mentor?
Speaking of mentors, Damon Ladd-Thomas stopped by with Emma, Madeline and D.J. en route to their canine literacy support group. Damon and his fab partner Taty who stayed home to watch World Cup are the giant ball of yarn that connects so many, many small business people in our community like Jamie Dempsey and Mike Morton of Mike's Ad Shop.) Together they created the Georgia Commerce Club with 760 members already in just a few months.
Next week, I'm looking forward to being a patron at Snellville's newest event. It's the height of food and culture between Athens and Atlanta. And I know that Pete and Chloe don't want to miss it for the world.

Chloe Pink Flip-Flop Survey

What's the best thing about flip-flops?

a) the slapping sound they make when you walk
b) the variety of colors and styles they come in
c) they just scream "summer!"
d) "I love to show off my toes."
e) No shoelaces or buckling required
e) they are oh so tres chic
f) other: ____________________________

Two Chloe Pinks. Two different looks. Which do you like best?