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?