The Girls

Violet, Lucy, and I spend a lot of time together. Pretty much we are all buds. And for some reason I never snap pictures of them unless it is with my iphone. I am trying to fix that problem by keeping my camera near by. 

V loves unicorns. It has a lot to do with the movie "Despicable Me" (it's so FLUFFY!). I bought this shirt on clearance for Lucy, but Violet is petite. So it fits her perfectly. Happy Violet equals a happy mommy :)

Lucy is into everything. She went from tummy time straight to inching around the house like a worm. As of yesterday it is a full on crawl.

 We've got some bed head. Obviously ;)

Violet had a play date yesterday.  She spent the whole morning with a big smile on her face in anticipation of Ezzie coming over! I really am cherishing these first friendships.

Of course, Lucy is along for the ride. Being the little sister means that you get to hang out with the big kids. I was the youngest and always loved it when my sis Angie would have friends over to the house. I always wanted to be grown up like them. 

 

And these two are such sweet sisters! Violet tells me everyday that Lucy is "the most perfect baby that we ever could have wanted!"

And Violet is right. I love having girls :)

That is my life right now. Work. Kids. Husband. There is a joy to the true, simple aspects of living. It makes me think of the Weepies song "A Simple Life".

That's it.

Lucky Rabbit Foot... er Print?

Howdy! In case you haven't picked up on this yet, I am a little obsessed with screen printing as of late. I have been toying with the idea of releasing a few limited edition screen prints of this pretty little hare printed in a metallic gold ink on a beautiful heavy weight paper.

This is just a proof and in person the gold is much more obvious, but I am simply in love with metallic gold. And I think this rabbit looks mighty fine with a bit of golden shimmer.

Any who, this is just one of the many side projects I have going on at Gingiber. Any requests for other things you would like to see in the shop?

Stacie

Ryan Gosling Can Totally Do My Dishes

Ryan Gosling Tea Towel by Dear Colleen

I love Dear Colleen. For reals. I have purchased her tea towels in the past to give as gifts for other people. But I bought this Ryan Gosling Tea Towel just for me :)

Really, though, Colleen Pugh is one of the nicest artists that I have had the pleasure of interacting with via the interwebs. I 1st learned of her work years ago when we were both featured in the same Decor8 Etsy Take 5 Tuesday round-up (crazy, eh Colleen)? My work has changed quite a bit since March 2010, but Dear Colleen's brand voice has always been strong and, well, a bit sassy!

In fact, you should hop on over to Decor8 and see Colleen's studio tour that is featured there this week!

So what dishes would you rather be doing this week?

Stacie

Clearance Items at Gingiber

Ya'll, I have a bunch of stuff on final clearance in the Gingiber Shop!

Don't miss out on assorted postcard sets (the perfect way to start a mini Gingiber Art Collection) and $5.00 prints!

I am making room for some *exciting* new Gingiber Products.

Thanks so much for all of the support,

Stacie

Bunnies and Screen Printing Woes

 Okay, so I used to do a bit of printmaking in college. Loved it. Like majorly.  Now a million years later, I decided to try my hand at screen printing some little onesies with my new hare illustration.

In my head I was thinking: I want to be in control of the process. Control the size of the image. Handmade. Pick the best organic cotton onesies. Everything will be so easy once I have my screen made. Then I will just ink and press. And tag. And sell.

Beautiful thoughts...

Reality: I have to get my registration marks correct. Crap I messed up another onesie. There goes another $5.00. Frack I forgot to pre-wash these! Wait no one said anything about heat curing this ink. I'll buy a heat press.... scratch that it is $200!!! Ugh. I have no time for this. Wait I will have them professionally screened. What they can only print a 5x5 inch space with a 36 piece minimum?

Okay, now you see where my head has been. I have been mentally quite invested in this whole clothing line future for Gingiber. Like for weeks I have been on the phone, emailing, pestering every single screen printer here in Northwest Arkansas getting quotes and other information to find the best option for production.

Who knew it could be this hard?

I first had some samples made several months ago that turned out to look like absolute crud (see above image). And they cost me over $100. I thought that I was getting a big full body giraffe screen print. Not quite. (I must have miscommunicated what I wanted). Then I tried an online screen printing company (since none of the locals want to take my calls anymore due to my incessant pestering). Turns out the print looks cute (if not smaller than I imagined) but the onesie I printed on is unhemmed on the edges? 

Who wants to buy that?

And that brings us back to today. When I hand screened the bunny onesie. It looks lovely. But in all honesty I just don't have the time to commit to pressing, curing, and selling these in the manner that is needed.

Long post. All to say if you can recommend a decent screen printer who will actually print on an area larger than 5x5 inches on a onesie, let me have their name. Here seems to be a great company, Orchard Street Press. They do all over printing. But they are in Wisconsin I think.

I know it is done in this industry. Just not here in Arkansas. 

And now I have sunk nearly $250 in something that has no financial return (right now). What to do?

Enough rambling.

Best. Blog. Post. Ever.

Stacie

Bah

Howdy. Here's a new little design that I cooked up today. A wee black sheep. Who has some 'tude. 

I want to get him screen printed on shirts. 

How do you like this little lamb?

How To Get To Sesame Street

Violet had her ballet recital last Sunday. She danced to the Sesame Street Theme Song. She was Big Bird. I was so happy to see Violet so happy about dancing. She was the youngest in her class, but dare I say she had that routine down? She's a natural. 

And, side note, costumes really haven't come that far, now have they? Above is a picture of me as a ballerina. I'm the blonde on the right. I know people don't think it, but Violet really does resemble me ;)

 Now that it is summer, though, ballet is on hiatus. And quite frankly I welcome the break. I am soooo not ready for this whole "filling every spare minute with extracurriculars" thing. 

We gave Violet a bouquet of Farmer's Market flowers at her recital and she just kept smelling them over and over again :) Such a little cutie. 

Okay, that does it for this weeks edition of "posts about my kids that no one but me may be interested in but I am going to write anyways." ;)

Cheers,

Stacie

Rebranding Input: I Need Your Comments!

So I am in the process of rebranding Gingiber.

At 1st, I thought this would be easy. I sell nursery decor, right? But, as it turns out, lots of adults like my cushions and prints too! And sometimes, calling yourself "Nursery Decor" can isolate a potential audience.

What to do? Gingiber is a strange sounding word. I've been using it for years. Now I am wondering if I should go for a total change and not only refocus my brand, but change the name of my company too? Like to a word that you can pronounce without being confused?

Sigh. What to do. I am working with a fantastic graphic designer for a new logo. But, as it turns out, having a brand without a compelling backstory can be difficult to design for. I have always just drawn what I want to draw. Now as I try to expand, I am trying to be more strategic.

Do I want to be the brand that makes trendy animals? The "fox, owl, and whatever the next trendy animal is" shop? Not sure.

And this is where I could really use your help, friends. If you would be so kind as to leave in the comments section words and thoughts about your impression of Gingiber. Like, what words would you use to describe my products? How do they make you feel?

Thanks in advance. I would really appreciate your input. For reals.

Stacie

Monday

I decided to challenge myself to blog everyday this week about whatever I want! Today it is all about Lucy.  She is just about 7 months old now! These pictures were taken a few weeks ago. She is this chubby cheeked bundle of happy love.

Lucy loves it when you blow in her face. She acts surprised and happy every time. This kid is easy going and jolly. Pretty sure she is going to have brown hair (Violet's hair was already blonde at this age).

 Whenever Nathan and I are feeling a little down, we just say "Hi, Lucy!" and she flashes us the biggest smile. Totally makes the day better.

As of this past week, Lucy is crawling! I mean she gets everywhere and just wants to explore and play with Violet's toys.

 

Lucy is also sitting up all by herself. And she has lots of teeth. She loves to jump and giggle. She pretty much rocks my world.

 Lucy had her 6 month check up and she is in the 90th percentile! She will be a tall girl like me :) 

I know that every mom is crazy about their kids. I know every mom goes on and on about every little detail and trick that their progeny can do. And I am no exception. I go to bed full (and tired) from the day. I wake up to cries and hungry bellies. The lack of sleep, the inability to grab a cup of coffee until 10 A.M., the living room filled with toys and constant piles of laundry: Totally Worth it.

Our family has been faced with a number of recent personal obstacles (that I probably will not blog about). We are being stretched and challenged like we never have been before, and our future is more uncertain today than it ever has been. But through everything, if I have my family, everything will be okay.

Product Photography

Hi! I was so fortunate to receive a shop evaluation from Jan of Poppytalk Handmade. Among the many suggestions for my shop was to frame all of my prints to make them look higher end.

So, I bought this lovely warm wood Ikea picture frame, bought a dollar's worth of yellow buds from a local florist, and and set up a makeshift photo shoot area in my office.

I set up shop with a tripod, some foam board, and some natural light. You can see the bird's eye view here.

Jan also suggested using a children's prop for my more nursery themed prints. So wooden blocks it was! And conveniently, the blocks in this picture spell "BOYS".

Take a look at all of my updated product photography, if you would like.

What do you think?

Thanks,

Stacie

Lately

Lately, we've been a busy family. I took a quick weekend trip to Tulsa for Mother's Day. Just me and the girls. Nathan stayed home and worked diligently on his dissertation. Hopefully he will be able to defend it this summer. The he will be Dr. Bloomfield.

Side-note: Wouldn't it be nice if when you finished your PhD you were given a crown and a bouquet of flowers while glitter fell from the sky? I mean, becoming a Dr. is way harder than, say, being crowned Miss USA, right? At least that is my opinion. And, Nathan really isn't a glitter and head ware kind of man ;)

 

 

Back to life. The trip to Tulsa made me realize 2 things: Violet still needs here afternoon nap, and Lucy is without a doubt the easiest baby on earth. She is friendly and hardly ever cries. She is a doll. I cherish every moment I get to spend with her. She has such a gentle love. You know how when you look at a baby and they give you the biggest smile? It makes you feel good. Love her. So. Much.

The next weekend, I had a booth at the local Block Street Block Party. I shared it with the darling Amber Perrodin of Perrodin Supply Company. The day was pure joy. Familiar faces. Good food. Great music. Decent sales. And honestly, it was a day for me to be away from the girls. Sometimes alone time is good time.

I have to say, the longer I am in Arkansas, the more I am enjoying it. And it has only taken, oh, 4 years! Thankful for a handful of genuine friends. They probably don't even realize that without their support, I would just be floating alone.

Memorial Day weekend we went to Dallas. This was the 1st time my brother's family got to meet Lucy. Violet was finally old enough to really play with her older cousins. She still gets super excited to go swimming, but won't actually get in the pool. Lucy, on the other hand, splashed her little heart out!

A surprisingly good trip. Surprising because my children actually behaved. Like they were rock stars. It is amazing how much more fun you have as a parent when you can sit down and visit with family without your children constantly screaming ;)

In between all of these little adventures, I've been working on new products. A calendar, rubber stamps, a small clothing line for kids, and a few other items. My goal is to have all of my holiday items finished this summer.

Well, that is my life right now. How have you been?