Friday, April 25, 2008
freckle face joins Harry W. Schwartz for a Green Weekend!
Celebrate Earth Day at the Harry W. Schwartz Green Weekend!
The festivities started yesterday and will last through Sunday with inspiring speakers, and lots of "green" shopping.
freckle face will be there for the Green Boutique on Sunday from 1:00- 5:00pm showing off our environmentally friendly products (clothing, furniture, toys, bottles & more). Come see the introduction of our latest item -
The Planet Baby recyclable stroller.
Click here or call the Harry W. Schwartz in Mequon at 262 241 6220 for more information on the entire weekend's events and a list of other participating retailers.
It's Easy Being Green!
Thursday, April 17, 2008
Healthy Snacks DO Taste Good!
I know that healthy snacks can taste good.
I am sure a lot of you know this too.
But...do kids know this? or shall I say, do kids believe this?
Sometimes just the word healthy generates an automatic response of "I don't like it".
Well, this past Saturday at freckle face, perhaps initially skeptical, the kids agreed to enjoying the Banana Energy Sundae.
Suzanne Monroe, food coach and founder of Real Life Food, taught a hands-on snack class that was well informed, fun, and quite tasty.
All the children made their own banana sundaes. The ingredients used were bananas, nuts, cereal, almond butter, fresh fruit, and yogurt.
It was funny to see the expressions on the childrens' faces when they heard "almond butter" - I believe they all immediately followed up with "No, thank you." But, upon Suzanne's description of the similarity to peanut butter most of them tried it, and LIKED it too.
Suzanne introduced us all to a natural sweetener called Agave Nectar. It looks like honey, and it comes from the agave plant. Unlike white sugar, natural sweeteners still contain the original nutrients and fiber from the plants they come from. So we get the sweet flavor with the health benefits included.
I really like how this class combined knowledgeable information for the parents while also creating a fun activity for the kids.
I will admit that we did have one charming boy who was very happy to prepare the sundae and upon its completion immediately turn it over for mom to eat.
I also realize the kids may not go home and ask for almond butter tomorrow. However, if mom decides to slip some of these healthy ingredients into their snacks once in awhile, well..the kids just might not notice either.
Every little step we can take to provide healthier lives for our children and ourselves makes a difference.
I am already looking forward to planning another class and learning a new recipe.
Thursday, April 3, 2008
freckle face internship
As many of you may already know, freckle face often participates in internship programs with fashion colleges.
The way most internships work is the student works a certain amount of hours (often unpaid) for a company and earns college credits. In exchange, the company provides the opportunity to gain hands-on experience outside the classroom.
At freckle face, I work directly with the students to give them an understanding of how a small retail business operates. We review everything from customer service to merchandising, marketing, and buying.
Prior to opening freckle face, I worked in the fashion industry for ten years for much larger corporations. For many students, the related knowledge I can share with them is invaluable.
I also prepare a customized project for the student to complete by the end of the semester. This gets submitted to their professor for a grade at the end of the program. I work closely with the student throughout the program, ensuring deadlines are met and they are getting the direction needed to complete the assignment.
I greatly enjoy sharing my knowledge and helping to educate the students. I also benefit from the help they provide on the day-to-day duties of running the shop. The students often bring fresh ideas to the business too …freckle face always welcomes fresh ideas!
My current intern, Jessica Jimerson, is a fashion design student at Mount Mary College. Jessica’s project is to design a childrenswear collection for freckle face. This is a typical project at freckle face for a design student, with many steps and deadlines throughout the process. In the final stages, the student makes one of the outfits and we sell it at freckle face.
Jessica has shown such talent and enthusiasm with the project this season that we have decided to have her make the entire collection – 3 boys outfits and 3 girls outfits. This is no easy task, but Jessica is up for the challenge, and we are excited to see the outcome.
We will be showing the collection at the upcoming Gallery Night & Day on April 18th & 19th and hope you will come and see it.
Stay tuned for more details!
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