Today is the start of Labor Day weekend! Three days of bliss and fun in the sun. Today is date night - the kiddies are being picked up by Grandma and Papa! They are so excited! and so are we! I think we are going for a romantic boat ride and maybe hit a dockside restaurant along the way. As long as it's relaxing and not too much work. I want to relax tonight.

So the big news today is that Feed The Children wrote an article on Kaboodle Kids in their special projects area. They decided to add articles about small companies who contribute regularly and I was one of the first to be picked! I wonder how long it stays up there? I'll have to find out.

I am also very excited to be a part of something that Frances Jones feels so passionate about. The front page always has a link to the Abandoned Baby Center in Kenya. All of Kaboodle Kids contributions are sent specifically for this center as we feel a need to help them, as our kids clothes come from Africa.

So check it out and see what other small companies are doing out there too.

It's a great day! All my files are intact and life is good again. I have another added reason why I love him so much.

Yesterday morning started off like any other morning... until I go to open a file and it's not there. In fact, the folder containing all my company files are missing! What a shaky feeling as I call my hubby and ask why my stuff is gone. So I run a search on one of my files and luckily it sits in backup.

Right now, the computer has been working for over 24 hours to try to get back the files from what appears to be a dead drive. The back up plan is to retrieve everything from backup and manually figure out what I did in the past week that was not saved. So long story short, I haven't been able to work. Bummer! Hopefully this will be fixed by the end of the weekend.

It's been a wild couple of weeks getting my 1st grader ready for school. Today was her first day. I'll be picking her up in the next half hour. I teared up a little bit this morning, she's growing up so fast.

Hot Summer Sale - 35% off all merchandise, and many summer items already reduced! Use SUMMER code at checkout. This sale is coinciding with the Florida Sales Tax Holiday through August 13. So I sent out my newsletter late Friday and find out my 35% off code wasn't working. What a first impression! I fixed it immediately though and it works now. Hopefully that didn't deter anyone.

The Making of Hooligans Kids Clothing

Adri owns Hooligans along with her husband Wayne. She is a fascinating woman and I'd love to tell you a little bit about her and how she designs the Hooligans clothing. She is "extremely creative, crazy person who loves to paint" (her words not mine). Her home is filled with the art she paints and she's a gardening fanatic. Local publications have taken pics of her "garden blush". People ask her to landscape their homes but alas I am glad she'd rather be designing Hooligans Kids Clothing instead.

She and Wayne travel to London and Amsterdam to see the latest styling ideas and what is fashionable for kids. She picks up ideas in her travels like "the dye effects are in fashion, embellishments such as beads, etc..." Adri states, "I also see the top end shops carrying designer wear for kids and they are obviously highly detailed. I enjoy Amsterdam's independent stores for their daring and artistic approach to clothing. I also look what children wear on the streets, because our clothing has a worldwide market and it must be wearable in any country."

It seems to me that Adri has a flair for design and takes it to a new level, by adding the true South African spirit to each idea. She personally designs each garment from scratch, hand drawing every detail, sparing no costs on finishing touches and fabric qualities. Let's hear how she does this. Adri states, "First I sit and come up with a colour theme. Then I look at the different styles and may make use of that. I then draw animals from actual wildlife photos, sometimes I visit game farms to study animals. I then take the drawings and make the animals friendly, adding expression to them so they appeal to both parents and kids. A kid must get excited when he or she sees the happy animal face frolicking in the jungle."

Adri adds, "Kids in Africa have sunshine all year round, they are outdoor kids and exploration is encouraged. I am passionate about the wildlife in all parts of the world and the preservation thereof and we want to educate children about animals and how important they are to the world. For example, the Elephant Facts Shirt (closeup at right) make learning a fun experience."

Adri makes it seem so easy as she explains how the process works, "I draw the garment, add the graphics and then we cut out the fabric and make the samples. The images are either printed or embroidered and then we start growing the range. The whole story must work together and we often change things as we go along to fit in with the whole theme. I sit for hours thinking and changing, sometimes ideas come to me in the middle of the might and I quickly jot it down. It's very focused, creative process putting a range together and takes up all of me."

As Adri says it isn't a one-woman show. She has surrounded herself with a dedicated team, including her husband and mother. It seems she gets her artistic side from her mom.

Hooligans is the "safari story", bringing animals to life though our children.

It's been quite a while since I last posted. I'll blame it on my niece who came to visit for the week. We had a great time doing something every day of the week. She enjoyed driving the jetski (see her with my hubby), but not as much as tubing (tubing with my daughter)! We finally wore her out by the end of the day! We enjoyed having her and most likely will make this a yearly event.