Fragile Earth Stuffed Animals

June 29, 1963 First Beatles Song Hits the UK Charts

On this day, way back in 1963, The Beatles first song hit the UK Charts.  Our own "Beetles" are here to tell you which song it was.

 Fragile Earth's Beetles are from left to right:  Roundy Pals Ladybug, Jellycat Tot Ladybug, Ladybug Girl, and Small Plumpee Ladybug.

First Dog Show of the Modern Era

The Setting:  New Castle on-Tyne, England 

The Date:  June 28 - 29, 1859 

The Event:  The first recognized Dog Show of the Modern Era.

As a treat for our current canine residents we decided to re-enact the first Dog Show with our own awards.  Unlike that first show in 1859 which was open to Pointers and Setters only, we opened ours to all breeds (pure and mixed alike).

Our group photo:

 

Pictured from left to right:  Merryday Dalmation on top of Large Truffles Puppy Dog, Medium Truffles Terrier with Tiny Truffles Retriever in front, Small Cordy Roy Dog on back of Medium Cordy Roy Dachshund, Large Chaucer Sheep Dog, and Demartini Dog.  Finally, flying through the air with the greatest of ease is the Small Bunglie Mutt who was not thrilled with his lack of award (hence the flying bit).  

You can't read the awards in the picture.  They were given for Best in Show:

 Best in Breed:

 

Award of Merit:
   

and Champion:

 
 

INTERNATIONAL FAIRIES DAY

Today is Midsummer's Day and fairy fever is running rampant throughout Fragile Earth Stuffed Animals. Annabel and Misty Bear have been wishing for fairy wings for the longest time. They have tea parties and discuss where they would go and what they would do if they got wings.  

Luckily they are wearing their fairy dresses today because, with it being Midsummer's Day and all, their wishes are about to come true.

It's amazing what can happen when you believe!

Since Annabel and Misty are having so much fun with their wings, others want some too. Other, slightly larger animals, who may not be the most graceful of creatures.

 

Hedgehogs who are not completely comfortable in their size and may tend to bumble through life, knocking into things, but who still have dreams of being a fairy.

They deserve wings too!

 

If you've got a fairy-in-training at home, there are some great sites with activities and projects for them to enjoy. You can make wings out of wire hangers and stockings or decorate paper ones. Fairy Day is a website dedicated to International Fairy Day with spots to send cards, instructions to create fairy homes, coloring pages, and much more. Disney even has an entire section of their website dedicated to fairies.

So, go forth and enjoy. And, for today at least, believe in magic. 

 

WHAT YOU NEED TO START A BUSINESS: 2) A place to keep track of ideas

If you are like me, most of your best thinking is done in the shower. I'm not sure why - maybe because I'm relaxed and my mind can wander. Hopefully, I will retain the thought long enough to jot it down or share it with someone else. Much like book ideas that come to me in dreams, they are gone in a flash.

Helen and I seem to do much of our decision making for Fragile Earth Stuffed Animals in the car commuting to work or the beach. Being in one spot with little else to distract you (except that car in front of you - for god's sakes, slow down!) and not having the option of leaving if the discussion doesn't go your way (although there's always my "out" of falling asleep) creates the perfect environment to get stuff done. A place to record the decisions you make is imperative because, once you exit your "think tank", the rest of your life takes over and ideas are lost.

We have THE LIST, a mythical document, to which we refer whenever we have an idea or a task that needs to be completed. "Put it on the list" is a common phrase in our lives. Unfortunately, there are many versions of said list. There is the original paper copy on the kitchen counter underneath a pile of mail, leashes, cats, etc. Then there is the version in the notes section of my phone. I believe Helen also has one going in the notes section on her phone. We started recording our ideas at one point in the microphone app on one of the phones - at this point, I'm not sure which one. And of course, there are the running chronicles kept in our heads that we forget on a regular basis.

What we need is one set in stone, never to be changed spot for all our ideas. With the gadgets and the mental acuity we possess, you might think this would be easy. Alas, no. Like everything else about our company, this is a work in progress. 

Posted by Mary Beth

WHAT YOU NEED TO START A BUSINESS: 1) Time!

Trying to start a business is difficult. Trying to start a business while working full time is mind-blowing. Trying to start a business while working full time and having just adopted two puppies is ludicrous. Guess which route we took?

 

 

Actually, we started Fragile Earth Stuffed Animals a little over a year ago and we've been working on Hey Teach for a few years. But recently, due to frustration at our jobs and just overall needing to work for ourselves, Helen and I have been talking seriously about how to get Fragile Earth Stuffed Animals to the point where it will sustain our household and keep us in the style to which our 6 pampered pets have become accustomed. 

While Amazon Marketplace and Ebay have been good to us, ideally we'd like the majority of our purchases to be on a site that doesn't require paying an arm & a leg fees to third parties so we created a store website. Realizing that we don't have the knowledge to do it properly ourselves, we hired someone to build us a kick-ass online store, found at feplush.com. So now, all we have to do is sit back and wait for the money to start rolling in, right? 

Not quite. No one knows we're out there and why buy from us when there are tons of other stuffed animal stores on the web. We have to get our name and our wares in front of people, and be creative so they remember us instead of the others. But how? 

We started a facebook page (facebook.com/feplush) and our store mascot, Rupert, has his own twitter account for store missives (twitter.com/ruperthedgehog). And we have this blog. Which all takes time and the companies we work for tend to frown on paying us for doing something that has NOTHING to do with our actual jobs. So we steal minutes after work, while carpooling (a good chance to hash out ideas), and on weekends.

Weekends can be difficult when you have a family that finds you interesting and wants to spend time with you, not your computer. After the 4th weekend in a row where we didn't get anything as much as we wanted done, we're trying to come up with solutions. Right now, we're playing around with the idea of setting up a workspace where we will not be distracted by everything going on around us.

I know we're not the only ones out there that are dividing our time seven different ways. So, what do you do to stay focused? 

 Oh, and if the lottery gods are reading this, you could save me a lot of heartache and let me win. I'm not being greedy - I'll split the pot. Just let me win enough to quit my day job, please!

AND THE RACE IS ON!

Word was sent to me about another stamp hidden in a letterbox right here on Long Beach Island. I was warned that others were close to acquiring said stamp so I had to be on my way immediately. I readied my trusty steed Dickon ... got my driver finally into the car, and we were off to the far end of the island where this behemoth stands a lonely vigil. As we drew close to the hiding place, I could see my adversaries closing in. "Faster" I called to my crack team and, with a mixture of a little perseverance and a lot of luck, although we were 2nd on the scene, we were 1st to open the box and see the long sought for Jersey Devil stamp. (Sorry, for that you'll have to find the box yourself. We letterboxers are sworn to secrecy on these matters.) Let it be known that I'm not above getting my paws dirty to find my man stamp!

VAMOS, VAMOS, ARGENTINA

World Cup Fever continues here at Fragile Earth Stuffed Animals. Our Llama, in his red pajamas, has been cheering on his native Argentina. He's determined to dye his pajamas light blue & white for the team colors but we won't let him because then he won't match his book. He only knows that one line from the song so he just sings it over and over and over and over and .... well, you get the idea!

Llama decided to take a quick break from soccer and give you some interesting facts about his species:

• Llamas originated in the central plains of North America over 40 million years ago. They migrated to South American and Asia about 3 million years ago. By the end of the last ice age, they were extinct in North America. {citation}
• Llamas do not have eyelashes, which saves them a ton of money on mascara
• Llamas are being used to guard herd animals such as sheep. They can keep the herd safe from predators while needing minimum training, care & maintenance. Our llama is fascinated by this and wants to become a guard llama when he grows up. Unfortunately, he has decided to herd the tots, and they are NOT taking it well. If you'll excuse me for just a moment ....
• The Incan deity Urcuchillay, worshipped by herders, is depicted as a multi-color llama.

You ' re a Wanker! You ' re a Wanker! *

With the advent of the World Cup in South Africa, the denizens of Fragile Earth Stuffed Animals are starting to show their true colors. And the most vocal is one of the least likely suspects ... Katy No Pocket. Although her family emigrated to the United States many years ago, she is still a die hard Australian Football fan - and really, can you blame her? [caption id="attachment_671" align="aligncenter" width="301" caption="Australian team"][/caption]

credit

While she's off muttering something about Socceroos, I thought I'd fill you in on some quick notes about kangaroos.

• Did you know that Captain Cook, the infamous explorer, supposedly first coined the word kangaroo? When told by the Aboriginal Natives that a grey kangaroo was a gangurru, he heard it as kangaroo and the name stuck.
• Kangaroos come from the family Macropods, which means big feet - fitting, don't you think?
• Kangaroos travel in groups called mobs. I'd hate to see them at a football game!
• Kangaroos eat mostly grass and can survive for long periods of time without water. Even though they eat so many greens, they do not pass gas. Instead, their bodies transfer the methane into extra energy. They prefer to leave the farting to Walter!
• Kangaroos are nocturnal, preferring to do their moving and grooving at night.
• Baby kangaroos, called joeys, stay in their mother's pouch for nine months, and then start going out on their own for extended periods of time. But they will return to their moms for food and safety for another 9 months.

Well, I learned something today - hopefully you did too:) Let it be known that we at Fragile Earth Stuffed Animals are sharing vital information with our fans! *Chant used primarily in Australia for controversial players of opposing teams.

THE BOYS (OR BASHFULS) ARE BACK IN TOWN

Today was one of our favorite kind of days, Jellycat delivery day!! Some Bashfuls that have been backordered for way too long are finally back in stock. We opened the box to some very cramped friends!! [caption id="attachment_660" align="aligncenter" width="500" caption="Cow is a little claustrophobic and is climbing the others just to get out!"][/caption] Back in stock are: [caption id="attachment_661" align="aligncenter" width="380" caption="Bashful Chocolate Bunny"][/caption] [caption id="attachment_662" align="aligncenter" width="380" caption="Bashful Cow"][/caption] [caption id="attachment_663" align="aligncenter" width="380" caption="Huge Bashful Bunny"][/caption] [caption id="attachment_664" align="aligncenter" width="380" caption="Medium Bashful Cream Bunny"][/caption] [caption id="attachment_665" align="aligncenter" width="380" caption="Medium Cordy Roy Gator"][/caption] Bring one home before they are gone again! Come visit them at Fragile Earth Stuffed Animals.

LADYBUG GIRL - THIS WEEK #2, NEXT WEEK - THE WORLD!

Congratulations to Ladybug Girl, #2 on the NY Times Best Sellers List for Children's books for the week of 6/6/10.

Everyone here at Fragile Earth Stuffed Animals says ... "You go, girl!"