In this episode, Lisa and Aaronica Cole discuss the upcoming Atlanta Frocktails event. They talk about the planning process, the decision to move the event to May, and the theme of the year: Secret Garden. This is Aaronica's first time hosting the event and she went all out! From amazing door prizes, to a fabulous caterer, you can expect to have ana amazing time in Atlanta! Lisa, and Aaronica also discuss other activities you can do during your time in Atlanta as well as the fabric shopping scene in the city. While Frocktails was typically a sewing event, Aaronica wants to emphasize that all makers are welcome! Crocheters, knitters, shoemakers, everyone is welcome to come show off their makes! Listen in to get the full scope of what the NEW Atlanta Frocktails is coming to be!

Get Your Tickets to Atlanta Frocktails 2024 NOW!

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Subscribe to the Atlanta Frocktails Newsletter and stay in the know!

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Aaronica Cole

Aaronica Cole is a full-time sustainable lifestyle, parenting blogger and entrepreneur still based in the Atlanta area. She's also a mom, wife, and host of Atlanta Frocktails 2024.

@aaronicabcole on Instagram

Aaronica's Website

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Lisa Woolfork is an associate professor of English specializing in African American literature and culture. Her teaching and research explore Black women writers, Black identity, trauma theory, and American slavery. She is the founder of Black Women Stitch, the sewing group where Black lives matter. She is also the host/producer of Stitch Please, a weekly audio podcast that centers on Black women, girls, and femmes in sewing. In the summer of 2017, she actively resisted the white supremacist marches in her community, Charlottesville, Virginia. The city became a symbol of lethal resurging white supremacist violence. She remains active in a variety of university and community initiatives, including the Community Engaged Scholars program. She believes in the power of creative liberation.

Instagram: Lisa Woolfork

Twitter: Lisa Woolfork

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Speaker: 00:00:00

Hey, friends, hey, it's Lisa from Black

Women's Stitch and the Stitch Please

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: 00:00:04

podcast.

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: 00:00:05

And like I say every week, this is a very

special episode, because this episode is

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: 00:00:11

none other than the hostess with the

mostest, the co -host of the Audace SOTY

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: 00:00:18

podcast with Julian Collins.

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: 00:00:21

She is a Bernina ambassador.

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: 00:00:24

She is a content, I wouldn't say content

creator, she's a content queen.

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: 00:00:28

She is...

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: 00:00:29

an advisor and a coach and a mom and a

beloved wife and all of those things.

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: 00:00:39

And as if that was not enough running her

own business, et cetera, having, having a

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: 00:00:45

TV show on plus size fashion.

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: 00:00:48

If that wasn't enough, she said, you know

what I want to do?

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: 00:00:52

I want to host Atlanta Frog Tales because

I have so much time in my schedule that

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: 00:00:58

I can throw this in and spend time making

a fantastic event for the Atlanta sewing

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: 00:01:05

community.

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: 00:01:06

So welcome, welcome to Veronica Cole, also

known as Needle in the Bell.

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: 00:01:11

And we are happy to welcome you to the

Stitch Please podcast to talk about

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: 00:01:19

Atlanta Frog Tales.

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: 00:01:21

And I am so excited to be here because

first of all, Lisa, anytime that you're

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: 00:01:25

like, hey girl, can you come on the

podcast?

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: 00:01:26

I'd be like, when?

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: 00:01:27

Just tell me the date and time.

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: 00:01:29

You said today?

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: 00:01:29

That's cool.

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: 00:01:30

We can make it work.

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: 00:01:31

Because one thing about me is I'm always

make time for my big sisters within the

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: 00:01:34

community, which is actually how I got

into planning Atlanta Frog Tales.

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: 00:01:38

Because of course, big sister Nikki said,

hey girl, I love this idea that you have

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: 00:01:44

about us changing the season in which

we're hosting.

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: 00:01:47

So I think you should plan it.

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: 00:01:48

And I was like, oh.

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: 00:01:52

Understood.

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: 00:01:53

Received.

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: 00:01:53

the suggestion box.

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: 00:01:54

It was supposed to go into the suggestion

box.

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: 00:01:57

I did that.

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: 00:01:57

I meant to put that in anonymously.

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: 00:02:00

I did not want that idea to be traced back

to me.

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: 00:02:02

But so we're talking here about Nikki

Griffin from Sewing My Style, Atlanta

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: 00:02:07

Sewing Style, and bra, you know, amazing

bra sewist.

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: 00:02:12

And she does all kinds of great sewing,

especially in the bra space.

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: 00:02:17

yes.

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: 00:02:18

you, what was Atlanta Frog Tales like

before?

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: 00:02:21

When was it in, when was it previously?

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: 00:02:23

And.

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: 00:02:24

question.

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: 00:02:25

So in fact, actually my very first Atlanta

Frog Tales was in October: 2019

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: 00:02:31

And it was fantastic.

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: 00:02:32

We had a great time.

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: 00:02:34

It was held at the time like Pont City

Market was brand spanking new.

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: 00:02:39

So it was held like in that area and it

was hosted by Top Stitch Atlanta.

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: 00:02:43

And it was fantastic, had a great time.

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: 00:02:46

And it was in the October timeframe.

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: 00:02:49

And now we're in Atlanta, of course, where

the number one HBCU, AKA my alma mater,

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: 00:02:56

Spelman College, is housed.

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: 00:02:59

And we have our homecoming season for the

AUC, so that's Spelman Morehouse as well

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: 00:03:07

as Clark, and the October timeframe.

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: 00:03:10

And every year I would be like, oh, so I

gotta choose between celebrating my makes

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: 00:03:15

and celebrating my school, right?

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: 00:03:19

And so I said to her, I said, listen, I

love showing up for Atlanta Frog Tales.

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: 00:03:24

Don't get me wrong.

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: 00:03:25

And I want to be here.

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: 00:03:26

But also, I feel like we're competing with

too many things locally in order for us to

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: 00:03:31

do that.

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: 00:03:32

In addition to the fact that I also felt

like we were also competing with New York

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: 00:03:37

Frog Tales.

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: 00:03:38

And if you are in the Frog Tale scene and

you like to travel, then you were having

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: 00:03:42

to kind of pick and choose depending upon

what your fraudulation situation was

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: 00:03:45

looking like.

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: 00:03:46

And I didn't like that.

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: 00:03:48

And also I feel like springtime in

Atlanta, while it is not fun for those of

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: 00:03:54

us who have allergies in the season, is so

beautiful, right?

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: 00:03:57

It is such a beautiful timeframe.

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: 00:03:59

And I was just like, well, maybe we should

move it so that it's in that May

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: 00:04:03

timeframe, because like April, May, I just

feel like it'll be really well received.

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: 00:04:09

The weather will be weathering.

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: 00:04:11

And I think that that'll be better.

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: 00:04:13

And then I, of course, I was also like, I

feel like a great theme would be Secret

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: 00:04:17

Garden.

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: 00:04:17

So of course that's when she was like,

excellent, I'm so happy that you have

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: 00:04:20

already started planning this.

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: 00:04:22

So keep going with this.

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Take that ball and you run girl, you run.

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: 00:04:27

And honestly, I have to say that I am

super excited about it, right?

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I love spring as a season and Secret

Garden was one of my favorite books as

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well as one of my favorite movies as a

kid.

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Hmmmm

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I'm excited to kind of bring sort of a

little bit of my past into my present.

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: 00:04:48

So of course, Frock Tales for me is kind

of personal this year because I love

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: 00:04:52

gardens.

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: 00:04:53

For those that don't know, I actually left

my corporate job so that I could become a

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: 00:04:57

sustainability blogger and I've won a

couple of awards doing that.

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: 00:05:00

So in my head, it's almost like...

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: 00:05:04

It's the marrying of two of my passions,

which of course is being green and living

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: 00:05:09

more sustainably in addition to, of

course, my love of sewing and creating.

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: 00:05:14

I really appreciate how in transitioning

from the fall, which is a lovely season,

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: 00:05:21

but incredibly busy for HBCU Homecomings.

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: 00:05:24

I think everyone's having their homecoming

in October, you know, between September

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: 00:05:30

and November.

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: 00:05:32

I can't imagine, I'm like, what are the

other times people do this?

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: 00:05:36

Right.

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: 00:05:37

to be, I don't know what it is, it tends

to be October.

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: 00:05:39

I think maybe it's because the school

semester has begun.

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: 00:05:42

It's kind of well underway.

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: 00:05:43

It's not just the start of semester.

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: 00:05:45

People get to come back to the college

itself and that's really exciting because

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: 00:05:48

it's open and students are around.

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: 00:05:51

But it does make it difficult to plan

events that are not homecoming related.

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: 00:05:55

And so by shifting it, by shifting it from

October to May,

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: 00:06:03

We are at this really interesting space

between the kind of end of spring and the

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start of summer.

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: 00:06:12

Can you tell me what is it about Atlanta

during that May season?

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: 00:06:18

What is the weather like?

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: 00:06:20

What are the plants doing that are making,

you know, people with allergies very

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: 00:06:25

miserable?

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: 00:06:27

And how does...

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: 00:06:27

definitely out here, right?

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: 00:06:29

The trees are just out here trying to

procreate and we are, we the people are

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: 00:06:33

getting in their way.

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: 00:06:34

What can we say?

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: 00:06:35

Right?

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: 00:06:36

But one of the things that I love about

Atlanta, right, is because we have so many

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: 00:06:41

festivals, right?

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: 00:06:42

There's so many outdoor things to do,

especially because you figure it's warm

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: 00:06:47

enough for you to not need a jacket.

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: 00:06:49

So you can leave extra layers at home,

right?

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: 00:06:52

You don't have to worry about it being too

cool, too cold and needing.

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: 00:06:56

the sweatshirts, the cardigans, the

sweaters, et cetera.

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: 00:06:59

Also, I love that we can do things like

going to the Atlanta Botanical Gardens.

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: 00:07:03

They're always doing these beautiful

installments that we can go out and enjoy.

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: 00:07:08

There's enough time to be, or there's

enough spaces at the parks for those that

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: 00:07:11

don't know.

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: 00:07:12

The same designer that did Central Park

also designed Piedmont Park.

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: 00:07:16

So going to spend some time at Piedmont

Park is so beautiful because there's so

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: 00:07:20

many different aspects of that park that

you can really enjoy.

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: 00:07:24

Yes.

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: 00:07:25

course, we've got the aquarium, we have

the Civil Rights Museum, we've got the

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: 00:07:31

World of Coca -Cola, we have the Museum of

Design and Art.

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: 00:07:35

So we have so many of these different

places to go.

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: 00:07:38

And of course, I did not mention the High

Museum, we also have the High Museum.

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: 00:07:42

But there's so many of these different

places that you can visit and you can get

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: 00:07:46

one of the city passes, which we will be

encouraging people to do and making a

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: 00:07:51

weekend out of it, right?

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: 00:07:52

In addition to that, of course, we've also

got our fabric shopping, right?

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: 00:07:57

So yeah, exactly.

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: 00:08:01

Let's go shopping.

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: 00:08:02

Now, I recently did a YouTube video where

I did share about Joanne's bankruptcy and

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: 00:08:08

people were trying to come and snatch my

edges as they were exclaiming that.

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: 00:08:12

said that they were closing stores.

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: 00:08:14

They actually have said, we don't want to

close stores and bankruptcy is a financial

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: 00:08:17

reorganization.

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: 00:08:18

It doesn't mean that they're liquidating.

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: 00:08:21

exactly, but literally everybody, not

everybody, let me amend that statement,

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: 00:08:25

but there have been so many people who are

like, oh, but they aren't closing.

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: 00:08:28

And I get it.

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: 00:08:29

They are not closing.

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: 00:08:30

Right.

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: 00:08:30

And I gave a detailed description about

what filing for chapter 11 means and what

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: 00:08:37

it specifically means for them because

they did something that was really

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: 00:08:40

specific to restructure their debts.

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: 00:08:42

But one of the other things that I did

share is that they are closing down some

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: 00:08:47

of the underperforming stores because

they've got to make sure that they're

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: 00:08:50

making wiser investments with their

fungulations.

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: 00:08:54

But not everybody has other places to shop

like we do.

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: 00:08:58

true.

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: 00:08:58

It's so true.

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: 00:08:59

Like I was talking with, well, I heard

someone who is based in New York City,

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: 00:09:05

like, you know, we don't have a Joanne's

here, so it doesn't really matter what

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: 00:09:08

happens to them.

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: 00:09:09

But no, it's true for her.

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: 00:09:11

It's true for LA, it's true for Miami,

it's true for Philadelphia, it's

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: 00:09:15

definitely true for Atlanta.

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: 00:09:16

It is not true for lots of other places.

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: 00:09:19

So I am definitely of the opinion that I

do not want my Joanne's to close because

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: 00:09:24

I'm...

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: 00:09:25

brain.

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: 00:09:25

an absolutely no holy lobby girl.

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: 00:09:27

I'm not going there.

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: 00:09:29

And so it means that I will miss, I'll be

missing out on some, you know, but also

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: 00:09:34

know how to shop in other ways and to even

travel for it.

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: 00:09:38

So you are encouraging us to really lean

into all that Atlanta has to offer.

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: 00:09:44

And you are saying, you're telling us now

that Atlanta, if those, those might not

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: 00:09:49

know has really interesting.

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: 00:09:54

fabric stores, some of which are

profoundly large.

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: 00:10:00

And with prices that are so low that,

yeah, it makes it certainly a destination

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: 00:10:12

to go there even if you aren't doing a

Frog Tales.

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: 00:10:15

So tell us more about the Atlanta fabric

shopping scene and what people who are

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: 00:10:19

going to Frog Tales might expect.

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: 00:10:21

so of course in Atlanta we have what

everyone has known and heard about is fine

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: 00:10:26

fabrics, right?

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: 00:10:27

We actually have two locations.

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: 00:10:28

We've got one that's in the North Cross

area and we have another one that's in

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: 00:10:32

like the Riverdale, Jonesboro area.

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: 00:10:34

And if I had to play favorites, I'm going

to say it's going to be in that Jonesboro,

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: 00:10:38

Riverdale area.

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: 00:10:40

I, oh my gosh.

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: 00:10:43

Lisa, Lisa.

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: 00:10:47

Girl.

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: 00:10:48

are ridiculously is amazing.

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: 00:10:50

First of all, it's better organized.

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: 00:10:51

There's more space.

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: 00:10:53

Like you know how the Norcross one, you

kind of feel like one false move.

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: 00:10:56

You never know.

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: 00:10:57

You might get toppled by a bolt of fabric.

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: 00:11:00

You don't feel that way.

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: 00:11:03

Yes.

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: 00:11:04

And we can't have that anymore, OK?

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: 00:11:06

But in Riverdale, you don't feel that way.

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: 00:11:09

And it's bigger.

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: 00:11:10

It's a bigger space, too.

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: 00:11:11

I know.

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: 00:11:12

How could you get bigger?

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: 00:11:13

It's a larger space.

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: 00:11:15

Their button inventory, and I don't know.

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: 00:11:17

I don't know why I've been really invested

in buttons lately, but they're buttons.

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: 00:11:21

They are.

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: 00:11:22

really cute buttons?

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: 00:11:23

Was it for, was it taco or it was donut

buttons?

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: 00:11:30

That's so cute.

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: 00:11:31

talking about this for one of my classes

that I was teaching over the weekend and

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: 00:11:35

they were like, what are you gonna do with

those?

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: 00:11:37

Aren't they kind of like childish?

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: 00:11:38

And I'm like, they are.

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: 00:11:39

And I'm gonna make something super serious

with it to add a bit of fun, a little bit

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: 00:11:43

of zhuzh, a little bit of extra, you know?

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: 00:11:46

As one does.

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: 00:11:51

Yeah.

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: 00:11:52

I'm gonna do it like a crisp white button

down.

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: 00:11:55

with like, with these donor buttons.

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: 00:11:59

think that'll be so cool.

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: 00:12:00

I love that kind of unexpected little fun.

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: 00:12:03

I love that.

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: 00:12:05

So they've got great buttons at this other

Fine Fabrics.

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: 00:12:08

cutting area is a lot easier to navigate,

I will say as well.

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: 00:12:11

Yeah.

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: 00:12:12

So I do love them.

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: 00:12:14

Now, also, I don't know how many people

have been to the fabric joint, which is

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: 00:12:17

local to the Decatur area.

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: 00:12:19

Now, I will say, going from fine fabrics

to the fabric joint, there's going to be

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: 00:12:26

some adjustments to expectations.

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: 00:12:28

Because literally, you're going to go from

like fabric Mecca to...

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: 00:12:32

Is this just on the floor?

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: 00:12:34

We just pick it up and buy it that way?

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: 00:12:36

So we're going to need to adjust some

expectations, but there will be some

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: 00:12:40

fabric shopping.

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: 00:12:41

But before you shop for fabrics, we are

also going to give you the opportunity to

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: 00:12:47

lighten your load.

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: 00:12:48

So on Friday, the Friday before Frog

Tales, we're going to be meeting up and

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: 00:12:52

having a meet and greet at Top Stitch

Atlanta.

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: 00:12:55

Top Stitch Atlanta is getting ready to

move.

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: 00:12:58

And the beautiful thing is that we can

meet there.

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: 00:13:01

And then we're going to do a fabric swap.

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: 00:13:03

So bring some fabric that you are not

using in your stash, take some new fabric,

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: 00:13:08

or just bring it to donate.

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: 00:13:10

Because we know that sometimes, of course,

stash busting and trying to get rid of it

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: 00:13:16

can be hard.

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: 00:13:17

So bring some of the fabric that you've

outgrown and take some fabric that you'd

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: 00:13:22

like to grow into.

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: 00:13:23

And anything extra will, of course, be

donated, which is fantastic.

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: 00:13:28

But yeah, we are working to make it the

opportunity for people to really just meet

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: 00:13:33

up and get to know each other, right?

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: 00:13:35

Like some of my nearest and dearest

friends, obviously Lisa, Nikki, et cetera,

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: 00:13:40

have been made via social media.

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: 00:13:44

And I know that I have, I've loved seeing

the people that I had the opportunity to

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: 00:13:49

connect with online in person, like

meeting you last year during QuiltCon in

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: 00:13:54

person, I was like, oh my gosh, like, oh,

I'm like.

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: 00:13:58

good.

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: 00:14:00

It was so good.

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: 00:14:02

It really made my heart smile.

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: 00:14:05

And your, your spouse, your husband gives

great hugs.

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: 00:14:07

And I told him, I said, you remind me of

my dad.

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: 00:14:09

That's like, I'm not trying to be weird,

but you really remind.

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: 00:14:12

And that was, and then he hugged me twice.

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: 00:14:13

And I was like, Oh my God, thank you.

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: 00:14:16

It just, you know, you know how it is.

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: 00:14:18

Like you just went exactly.

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: 00:14:20

It's something about that kind of that,

that.

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: 00:14:23

memory, that kind of sense memory, you

know what I mean?

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: 00:14:27

So, yeah, it's because I think his height

and his shape and just the strength of

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: 00:14:31

his...

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: 00:14:33

Yes, yes.

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: 00:14:35

make fun of him and I tease him and I call

him grandpa.

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: 00:14:37

He's deaf and he's younger than I am, but

he's like a grandpa.

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: 00:14:42

Yeah, I make fun of him.

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: 00:14:45

like this is true.

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: 00:14:46

So like so much, especially we're trying

to come back to this after the pandemic,

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: 00:14:50

things are starting to thaw, people are

starting to feel more comfortable.

288

: 00:14:53

So you do, and also it doesn't hurt that

Atlanta has one of the largest, busiest

289

: 00:14:58

airports in the country.

290

: 00:15:00

And so a lot of places come to Atlanta for

like connections.

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: 00:15:05

So in some ways you can, you know,

depending on where you are, you can get a

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: 00:15:09

low cost ticket.

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: 00:15:10

to Atlanta for this event too, especially

if you're shopping about a month ahead,

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: 00:15:16

which is where we are right now.

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: 00:15:18

So if you haven't made your reservations

yet, this is a great time to do it.

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: 00:15:25

Yeah.

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: 00:15:26

Come hang out with us really.

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: 00:15:29

Not only do we have, of course, great

fabrics that we want to share and implore

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: 00:15:34

you to take advantage of, but like in

planning this, I have had the opportunity

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: 00:15:40

and really the honor to be able to secure

some of the most amazing like door prizes

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: 00:15:45

that you got to come and get like must be

present to win.

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: 00:15:52

is a great way to talk about the sponsors.

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: 00:15:54

So tell us about like, now just as a bit

of a review, frocktails for those who

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: 00:15:59

don't know, I guess this is something I

should have mentioned at the top of the

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: 00:16:02

hour.

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: 00:16:02

But the frocktails is a party that

combines frocks or dresses and cocktails.

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: 00:16:10

So it's like a cocktail party where you

wear things that you make.

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: 00:16:14

And it started in New Zealand, I think,

was it: 2016

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: 00:16:19

Yeah, around then.

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: 00:16:20

And it is truly a global event.

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: 00:16:23

I mean, we think about Frog Tales as if it

is ours, but it really did begin in New

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: 00:16:30

Zealand.

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: 00:16:31

And so, but I think that they're not very

proprietary about it.

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: 00:16:35

They want it to grow and spread, and so no

one's complaining.

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: 00:16:39

I just wanted to acknowledge that, because

I think that that's important.

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: 00:16:43

And so you have...

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: 00:16:45

arrange some sponsors and some

collaborators that have some fun things

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: 00:16:50

for those who participate at Atlanta Frog

Tales.

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: 00:16:53

What can people look forward to from the

sponsors?

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: 00:16:57

Okay, good point.

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: 00:16:59

at Atlanta Frog Tales Instagram for when

we start to fully reveal everything.

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: 00:17:04

What I will do is actually reveal who our

top tiers, our secret garden sponsors.

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: 00:17:09

And so they actually came in at the

highest level of sponsorship, which means,

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: 00:17:14

yes, they paid the most money.

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: 00:17:16

So, right.

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: 00:17:18

And I am like,

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: 00:17:19

One, I'm geeked about all of these

sponsors, right?

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: 00:17:23

Because I do feel like I'm personally

attached to them all.

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: 00:17:26

But also, I'm really proud of these

businesses for making this investment in

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: 00:17:31

themselves.

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: 00:17:32

Of course, that's coming from my small

business coaching hat, right?

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: 00:17:35

Because we know that when it comes time to

market, when you market successfully,

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: 00:17:41

you're marketing to an audience that's

primed for you, right?

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: 00:17:45

And so these businesses have taken the

opportunity to do just that.

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: 00:17:49

So first up, of course we have Top Stitch

Atlanta.

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: 00:17:51

Top Stitch Atlanta was actually one of the

first hosts that we had for Atlanta Frog

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: 00:17:55

Tales.

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: 00:17:56

And of course I'm personally attached to

them because I teach for Lee at Top Stitch

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: 00:18:01

Atlanta, which is fun.

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: 00:18:04

Yeah, actually Nikki made that connection

for us and I have fallen in love with

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: 00:18:09

teaching and I'm just so geeked about it,

literally.

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: 00:18:12

glad.

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: 00:18:13

I'm so glad for that.

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: 00:18:15

Yes.

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: 00:18:15

me too.

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: 00:18:16

Then we have Nature's Fabric, again, tying

in two of my favorite things,

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: 00:18:21

sustainability, because they source

sustainable fabrics and they have

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: 00:18:26

beautiful fabrics, beautiful fabrics.

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: 00:18:30

The florals that they have, I promise you

guys are going to go and check them out

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: 00:18:34

and be like, yes, neat, thank you.

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: 00:18:37

Then, of course, we've got Copper Creek

Patterns and this is actually owned by my

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: 00:18:41

girlfriend, Amy, and I've actually coached

her.

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: 00:18:44

She is one of my coaching clients and she

has made this investment and she is doing

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: 00:18:48

such really amazing things with Copper

Creek.

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: 00:18:51

And Copper Creek is the new brand.

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: 00:18:53

It used to be the Do It Better Yourself

Club or an Ivy Club.

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: 00:18:57

So it was owned by someone else and she

has taken it over and is really out here

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: 00:19:01

thriving.

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: 00:19:01

And I'm really proud of the work that

she's doing.

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: 00:19:03

Yes.

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: 00:19:04

And then another dear friend of mine,

Jenny, she's also a podcaster.

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: 00:19:10

I have co -hosted some of her other

podcasts, but she and her daughter have

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: 00:19:14

just kicked off a new sewing -based

podcast called Insomniacs.

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: 00:19:20

Insomniacs.

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: 00:19:21

Yes.

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: 00:19:22

Yeah.

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: 00:19:23

And then, of course, our final sponsor at

this top tier is none other than, of

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: 00:19:29

course, the design group, AKA the Big

Five.

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: 00:19:33

So they are coming in.

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: 00:19:34

And y 'all, you want to talk about

somebody geeked because...

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: 00:19:39

to have the brand, a brand that you

represent or that you're associated with

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: 00:19:43

come in and say, we see what you're doing

and we also wanna be associated with what

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: 00:19:48

you're doing is fantastic to me because

what that says is it almost screams like,

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: 00:19:52

hey, we see you, we're rooting for you and

we're rooting for the success of this

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: 00:19:55

event.

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: 00:19:56

And I absolutely, absolutely love that.

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: 00:19:59

But y 'all, when I tell you that the door

prizes are door pricing, okay?

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: 00:20:05

The door prize, and so again,

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: 00:20:08

The theme is like secret garden.

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: 00:20:10

So think like high class, like tea party,

right?

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: 00:20:15

We're gonna be having custom made ice

creams for us with custom flavors.

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: 00:20:22

Okay.

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: 00:20:24

And when I tell you that the food is,

listen, the caterer that we have is the

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: 00:20:32

same.

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: 00:20:32

If you were at the,

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: 00:20:35

the friends giving that Mimi threw at

Melanated Fabrics.

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: 00:20:39

It is the same caterer.

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: 00:20:40

When I, Lisa, when I tell you, I kept

going back for more.

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: 00:20:44

so great.

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: 00:20:45

So this is someone who is tried and true

and that's perfect.

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: 00:20:49

That is fantastic.

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: 00:20:51

Veronica, this sounds so exciting.

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: 00:20:53

You have made such really great strides in

making your hosting of Atlanta Frocktails

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: 00:21:01

something that is really connected to the

Atlanta sewing community.

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: 00:21:07

making sure that it comes through at a

time where the competition is very low or

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: 00:21:12

lower, and that you have all this great

food and prizes and all of these things.

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: 00:21:19

And of course, with a month to go for the

event, you don't want to give away too

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: 00:21:24

much.

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: 00:21:25

But how can people follow you?

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: 00:21:28

How can people follow and find information

about the Frog Tales?

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: 00:21:32

Is there a website?

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: 00:21:35

Is there the Instagram?

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: 00:21:36

How are you communicating with folks?

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: 00:21:39

can be connected with our Instagram, the

Atlanta Frog Tales.

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: 00:21:43

So it's just simply at Atlanta Frog Tales.

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: 00:21:46

And listed in our links, we do actually,

of course, have the link to purchase your

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: 00:21:50

ticket.

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: 00:21:50

We also have the link to join our

newsletter.

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: 00:21:53

And it's a substack, which means that you

have the opportunity.

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: 00:21:56

And it looks very much so like a website.

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: 00:21:59

And y 'all, I am up there writing, and I'm

sharing inspiration.

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: 00:22:04

And I know that this is typically

something that is marketed to the sewing

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: 00:22:07

community, but we are also really focusing

on and encouraging other makers.

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: 00:22:13

Like we recognize and we see our crochet

and knit knitting peeps, right?

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: 00:22:17

We see our sneaker makers, our shoemakers,

our bag makers.

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: 00:22:21

And most importantly, this is not a gender

exclusive event.

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: 00:22:25

We want everyone to be here, man, woman,

non -binary.

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: 00:22:30

We wanna see everybody here.

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: 00:22:32

It does not.

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: 00:22:33

It does not have a gender.

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: 00:22:35

We want to see everybody coming out in,

you know how you're like, oh, I just want

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: 00:22:39

to make this extra outfit, but I don't

have any place to wear it to.

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: 00:22:42

We want you to wear it here.

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: 00:22:43

We want you to wear it.

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: 00:22:45

And with the knowledge that somebody is

not going to be like, oh, also, can you

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: 00:22:48

have my pants?

427

: 00:22:49

And we're going to be able to recognize

the work and really celebrate what you

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: 00:22:54

have put in to these garments and these

shoes and these bags and things like that.

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: 00:23:00

you know, come out and celebrate and be

celebrated for everything that you're

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: 00:23:04

doing with the people who get it.

431

: 00:23:07

Yes.

432

: 00:23:08

Yes.

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: 00:23:08

Oh, that sounds so fun.

434

: 00:23:11

That sounds really fantastic.

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: 00:23:13

Aaronica, I'm going to ask you the

question that I ask everyone at the end of

436

: 00:23:18

the Stitch Please podcast, but I'm going

to ask it in the context of Atlanta Frog

437

: 00:23:21

Tales.

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: 00:23:22

So the slogan of the Stitch Please podcast

is that we will help you get your stitch

439

: 00:23:26

together.

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: 00:23:28

Aaronica Cole, one month out from Frog

Tales, how would you advise listeners?

441

: 00:23:35

to get themselves, to get their stitch

together for Atlanta Frog Tales with a

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: 00:23:40

month to go.

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: 00:23:40

the month ago.

444

: 00:23:42

One, make sure you have secured your

ticket.

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: 00:23:44

Okay?

446

: 00:23:44

That is numero uno.

447

: 00:23:46

And second, get those patterns on and pop

in, babe.

448

: 00:23:50

Especially if you are knitting and

crocheting or you are a slower sewist,

449

: 00:23:53

right?

450

: 00:23:54

Get it going.

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: 00:23:55

I know for me personally, I'm gonna be

donning someone's embroidered floral

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: 00:24:00

fabric, okay?

453

: 00:24:01

Get in, get excited.

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: 00:24:03

Yes!

455

: 00:24:04

that you have subscribed to the things

that we have going on so that way you can

456

: 00:24:07

be up on what we have happening so that

you know exactly where to be, what to do,

457

: 00:24:13

how to dress, what is inspiring you.

458

: 00:24:16

But most importantly, be prepared to

represent who you are because that's all

459

: 00:24:21

we want.

460

: 00:24:23

I love it.

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: 00:24:24

Thank you so much, Aronica.

462

: 00:24:26

Thank you so much for taking the time to

talk with us today about Atlanta Frog

463

: 00:24:30

Tales coming up in a month.

464

: 00:24:32

Get your tickets, follow the Insta, follow

the hashtags, and you will see over the

465

: 00:24:38

next few weeks some really exciting things

that are unique to Atlanta Frog Tales.

466

: 00:24:44

Thank you so much, Lisa.

467

: 00:24:45

I'm so excited.

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: 00:24:47

Yay, me too!