1 Limited Time Shop Gingiber Offer

February 24, 2012  at 11:43 AM
Hi everyone! Just wanted to let you know about a special offer I am running over at Gingiber. For a limited time, every order of $20 or more will come with a FREE 2012 Owl or Fox Calendar


Did you read that? FREE Calendar with a purchase of $20 or more! Simply specify which calendar you would like during checkout in the "Message to Seller" section.


So hop to it! Visit Gingiber and enjoy!

Stacie

9 Silence

February 22, 2012  at 11:14 AM
(Lucy, 14 weeks)

I don't get much quiet in my life anymore. 2 growing girls. 2 annoying dogs. Busy husband working away on his dissertation. Me filling orders. Church. Family. Sometimes I can squeeze in 4 hours of sleep and maybe an episode of Downton Abbey.

All good things. But then there really really is never silence.

(Lucy, 14 weeks)

I miss having quiet, alone time. I have been so busy that I can barely think. Thus, the radio silence on the blog for the past few weeks. I think I have said this before here on the blog, but there have been so many changes in the Bloomfield family over the past 4 months. So much shuffling. Shifting. Growing. And I've lost my personal voice in the process.

You know that feeling where when you look at Pinterest and see so many inspiring things that you begin to forget what your own personal taste is? That is me right now. I don't feel confident in what it is that I want or need or even like.

Yes, I love working from home. Gingiber full-time. But strip away the work, and who am I? My identity is so deeply intertwined with the success and growth of my business. If I didn't have it, well, I would be completely unrecognizable to myself.

(Violet, 3 years)

Nathan and I have been going at a pace to where one of us is staying up until about 2 AM every other night working. Then Lucy wakes up for a feeding. Then we sleep if we can get her back to bed. Then a few hours later I feel someone breathing over my head, and lo and behold Violet is staring at me, wanting breakfast and Blue's Clues. And if I say no to the later, she cries. And Lucy cries. And I want to cry.

Work/life balance is non-existent right now. And that is my fault. And Nathan's.

(Violet, 3 years)

You know what is the most ridiculous part of living a life like this? Not realizing that there is life all around me, and I am sometimes too busy to notice. Lucy is growing. She smiles. She desperately wants to roll over. She is cutting her 1st tooth. Violet is maturing. Her hair is longer. Face is thinning. She wants her nails painted. Wants to dress like me. Still is small enough that she wants me to hold her. Just be near her. She wants bedtime prayers. She prays every night to poop in the potty instead of her pants.

My precious daughters. My selfish, busy self.

Priorities. I need them. A routine. I crave it. Quiet time? I have to find some for my own personal sanity. Hulu? Time waster. Pinterest? Identity-sucker. 

My family? The most precious gift that I have been given. 

My heart has been heavy, feeling the ever growing distance between who I am and who I need to be. Wife. Mother. Friend. Business Owner. That is the goal today.

If you've ever talked with me in real life, then you know I don't know how to end a conversation. So I will try to end this post by saying thanks for reading, and will ask if any of you ever feel like this? Just so I know that I am not crazy.

Stacie

2 Gingiber Fab.com Sale Starts TOMORROW!

February 11, 2012  at 6:57 PM

Hey everyone! The Gingiber Fab.com sale begins TOMORROW! It runs from February 12th-14th. This is your chance to purchase a bunch of Gingiber goodies at a lovely discounted rate!


Thanks so much!

Stacie

5 time for a new sewing machine

January 31, 2012  at 10:45 AM
I was smack in the middle of sewing a huge order of animal pillows this past weekend when I heard an unpleasant grinding sound in my sewing machine. I broke a gear, or at least I am assuming I did. I have had my little Diana Singer sewing machine serviced a few times over the past few years, and I decided it was finally time to purchase a new machine.
I purchased for myself this Singer 7258 Stylist Model sewing machine. It had really great reviews, and was said to be a "workhorse" of a machine. Sounded good to me! I wanted to buy a machine in town over the weekend, but found that the price was much better online.

Then, I saw this really cute 3/4 sized Janome Hello Kitty Sewing Machine! Oh, how I wish Violet was old enough to use it. She has been wanting me to teach her how to sew. But, a 3 year old handling a needle and thread doesn't sound too smart.

I am so tempted to buy this machine for her now and give it to her in oh, 4 years? I have visions of us sewing animal pillows together, side by side.

Not that I would make her sew my Gingiber pillow....er.....um.... yeah...

My machine will arrive on Thursday, so I have had to take a break from pillow making. Which is nice. I feel like I am regaining some of my sanity.

2 So Much To Do, Never Enough Time

January 27, 2012  at 8:37 PM

Mini Goals Chalkboard by MaryKateMcDevitt 

It is Friday night, and both girls are asleep! I have a million things that I should be working on. So I thought I would share my weekend "to-do" list with you! Ya'll ready for this? (The #'s in green are really just things I want to do, but alas, I doubt they will actually happen)
  1. Sew 300+ animal pillows (that's right, 300 for my upcoming Fab.com sale .... le sigh)
  2. Finish laying out as much of issue 7 of La Petite Magazine as possible
  3. Ship wholesale samples to Australia
  4. Clean my pee stained carpet. Yes, every person under the age of 7 (that's how old Wallace is) has peed on the carpet in the past week
  5. Cook a main dish and dessert for a church potluck
  6. Clean the house..... it is looking mighty rough
  7. Get oil changed in car
  8. Clip Schroeder's nails... he has to look purty if we are to find a new home for him!
  9. Cut husband's hair
  10. Exercise! Mama still needs to drop 10 pounds!
  11. Enlarge the waistband on this AWESOME vintage skirt I purchased!
  12. Read my new House Beautiful Magazine
  13. Spend quality time with Violet... she had her last day of daycare today and she has been a sad clown
  14. Work on my NEW blog layout
  15.  Begin work on my wholesale order for Ruche!
 In other completely unrelated news, I miss writing on this blog. I don't have the time to invest in making it a "real" cool DIY/decorating/all-around-awesome blog at the moment. So it may just become my online journal again. I am feeling a bit stuck in my own head. Does that ever happen to you?

In all honesty, I have had a lot of change in my life. Had a baby. Quit my job. Now Violet is home with me the majority of the time too. Gingiber has taken off in a great way, but golly I am feeling stretched thin. I didn't take off much time for maternity leave. And am feeling a bit burned out. Yet I am compelled to work as much as possible.

Workaholic much?

Definitely.

I need a vacation.

Any advice on work/life balance? I know I need to take 2 days a week off, but my plate is so full now I don't feel like I can afford to, ya know?

Thanks for listening to me ramble tonight,

Stacie

1 Gingiber Shop Update!

January 25, 2012  at 11:41 AM
Hi! I know I showed you the new Fox Tote Bag last week, but I completely forgot to show you a few other new items in the old Gingiber shop :)


I've released a new bear pillow in 2 colors, plus a sweet mini love bear (a great little Valentines Days Gift). Also, since February is a love month, I have released a sweet love themed owl Illustration and some mini love notes (a set of 20). 

You can learn more about the new products over at the Gingiber Shop :)

What do you think of the new products? I am dying to get back to drawing and creating more fun stuff for 2012 :)

3 Need Some Input: Vintage Letters

January 24, 2012  at 9:10 AM

So I purchased these awesome little letters from Etsy shop OhSoRetroVintage. They are super cute, about 3 inches tall, and I really want to put them in Violet's room! Now the only problem is how to mount them?


They are super thin, vintage, and I don't know if I need to glue them to a board then mount that? Or should I hang a shelf and just set them on top of it? Shadow box? I need suggestions because I am at a loss!

What do you think?