November 30, 2010

this week's etsy favorites

Hello! It is 3:00 AM and I cannot sleep. I am not sure if it is because I had 4 cups of coffee yesterday, or if I am anxious about packaging orders, or if I am simply turning into an insomniac! So keeping in theme, here's this week's etsy favorites, dedicated to sleepy time!

 1. Wrap Your Troubles in Dreams by theblackapple 2. Home Sweet Home Pillow by audzipan 3. Never Alone by Shirae 4. Cupcake Wishes and Cappuccino Dreams Tee by dressingontheside

November 28, 2010

great deals up in here!

Tis the season to support your handmade artists! What better place to start than at the old Gingiber Etsy Shop!


I've just added 3 new low priced items to the inventory


and am almost out of Pink Reindeer Stockings!
(photo courtesy of Rachel Denbow)



Not only that, but there is now a clearance section in the shop to help move older inventory so that I can create lots more Gingibery Buttery Goodness for you!

And, seeings how tomorrow is Cyber Monday, it is the BEST day EVER to purchase some handmade goodies, because you get 20% off of your purchase when you use code "CYBER2010" at checkout!

So many sweet deals, it's enough to make me get off of my couch and do a happy dance, how's about you?

Stacie

November 27, 2010

she looks like an elf

She found my old winter hat from high school.
She put it on.
She looks like a little elf.
She might be mad at mommy for putting these online someday.

November 26, 2010

thankful ramblings

Heyo! (like Andy Bernard from the Office would say)

Thanksgiving came and went, and I have much to be thankful for this year. I am not an organized person, rather, I feel like my thoughts are anything but linear. So pardon me if I just ramble for a paragraph or two.

Thankful for the past year and the growth I have seen in my own self confidence. My closest friends know that I tend to have the most pessimistic view of myself. I'm too curvy. Too self-conscious. Not filtered enough, and yet sometimes, too closed off to let people in. I've been unforgiving. Harsh on those whom I love the most. Guarded with those whom I should be most open with. I tend to feel isolated, yet I do the isolating. Self critical and self deprecating to the point that it is far from cute. That has been me for quite a few years. All of the sudden, I feel renewed. Like I can live in this body. That I can be myself. I can be a good mother. I can be a good friend, no matter the distance or time that passes. I can learn to trust again. I can put my doodles and creativity out there for the world to see and not care (as much) about rejection. Certainly, I still have my slip ups back into "old stacie" like today, when I could not find anything to wear and pulled out all of my clothes to donate to Goodwill out of frustration (don't worry, I came to my senses and they are back on my bed and out of the donate pile). Yet I feel more like myself now. And that feels new to me.

Thankful for this blog. My sister was always the journal keeper growing up. She has dozens and dozens, filled with her deep, spiritual thoughts and her insights into life (Angie, I never went into your room and read them, I promise). I always wanted to be that person. Dedicated in capturing my thoughts on paper. A record of my life. Yet I never trusted myself to write honestly. I was always too afraid to put my thoughts into permanence, for fear of being found out. Does that make any sense? If people really found me out, they would realize how utterly ridiculous and obviously shallow I am. These were mostly my adolescent thoughts at work. I never realized how much simply documenting your day to day activities can help you examine your patterns and force you to change. This blog keeps me on top of things. It keeps me creative and motivated. But it also serves as a place to document young motherhood and being a silly little wife. I strive to be better. To matter. To connect to strangers. To be the version of myself that I have always wanted to be. Somehow, my blog feels important to me and real.

Thankful for the few friends who will have me. Thankful for my amazing friend Jenna. She has been my encourager for years. Somehow in freshman year of college, we hit it off. Closer now than when we lived in the same city. She is moving to London soon, and will take the city by storm. Just you wait! Thankful for my sweet friend Laura, currently gallivanting around Guatemala with her fantastic husband. My sweet sister, Angie. She is smart, organized, a leader in every capacity. Growing up all I wanted to do was what Angie did (but better, because that is what younger siblings do!) but she set the bar so high! Now we are both married, and she is about to be a mother. I am so blessed to live 2 hours from her and to see her often.

Finally, thankful for my Nathan and Violet. Just a few years ago my family life fell apart. Thank God my best friend, Nathan, was there by my side. Through the years we've graduated college, bought 2 houses, had a baby, job changes, watched every episode of Arrested Development at least 8 times, and learned how to grow and change while still being in love. Together, we have Miss Violet to care for. In high school, I was terrified of having children. I am glad that she is in my life!

I could go on and on, but that's it for now!

Ends rambling!

Stacie

November 24, 2010

black friday and cyber monday sale

Hi! Don't miss out on a special Gingiber Black Friday and Cyber Monday sale! Receive 20% off of all Gingiber Purchases on Friday, November 26th and Monday, November 29th. 
Use discount code "CYBER2010" during checkout. Can you believe etsy how offers discount codes? It is so awesome!


show me your owl calendar: samantha

I was so stoked to receive these images from Samantha, who recently purchased her very own 2011 Gingiber Owl Calendar! Look at her awesome display!


Samantha writes, "I am loving the 2011 Owl Calendar that I purchased from you about a month ago and I wanted to share with you some photos of how I decorated my walls with your amazing artwork. Thanks so much!"

Thanks for sharing, Samantha!

Feel free to send in images of your own 2011 Owl Calendar on display! I would love to feature your creativity on GingiberSnap!

-Stacie

November 23, 2010

handmade display mini tree


Hello! In preparation for my recent show, I decided to build a little wooden dowel tree for displaying my cute little ornaments!

It was super simple! I went to hobby lobby and picked up a thick dowel (inch diameter) to serve as the trunk of my tree, and a bunch of little dowel sticks to be my branches! Then I used the drill attachment on my electric screwdriver and drilled random holes up and down the trunk of my would be tree! Finally, I took a random scrap of wood and drilled a hole in the center of it (inch diameter) to be the base of the tree! I secured the limbs with a dab of wood glue and let them set for 24 hours.


Next, I sprayed the entire tree with silver spray paint (boy was it pretty!). Finally, I used some bendable wire and wrapped it around each branch, so that I could hang multiple items on each limb. and Viola! One cute as can be display tree!

The show is over, so now what to do with it? Well I have  a little nook in desperate need of holiday cheer, so I thought that my new tree could reside there! I grabbed an old filing cabinet from our closet and painted it the same color of silver.


Now with the tree on top if the filing (and perhaps a cute wreath) It will make a nice little entry display.


I still need to decorate the tree with little ornaments, but that is on tonight's to do list!

-Stacie

November 21, 2010

my weekend: the show

Howdy! I've been M.I.A. for a few days. First, I had my big work event on Monday and Tuesday, followed by a rousing 2 days of illness (pretty sure I caught what has been going around at work, and I felt poopy). Finally, I had my booth at the local Boutique NWA Show on Friday and Saturday. Here are some pics of my booth:


So, this show was.... less than ideal. I am not trying to be negative, but I did not do very well. I did not sell a single stocking (except to a relative), and hardly any calendars! But I did sell a few prints, postcard sets, and flashcards, so not all is lost! I did meet lots of people who had seen my work online and on etsy, so that rocked my face off! I suppose that I should try a show more geared towards "Indie Art" but there aren't any in Arkansas. Maybe it is time to change directions a bit...

Thanks for all of the well wishes regarding the show. It was anticlimactic, but I did have fun setting up the booth with my sister!

I've got lots to catch up on!

Stacie

November 18, 2010

painted bookshelf


A few weeks ago, I had one of those days where I felt like my living room was BLAH and unbalanced. I am also in the process of decluttering our "junk room" so that I can have a proper workspace. So I decided to take an ugly laminate bookshelf from said junk room and paint it. I painted the exterior a nice espresso brown, and the back of the case a dreamy blue (the same blue I used on my front door).


Then I took to the web for tips on proper arrangement of pretty things on a bookshelf. Apartment Therapy and Young House Love were the most helpful in helping me pick things from around my house and using them to create a cohesive space (hint: less is more).


The end results were quite nice and the bookshelf now resides in the corner of our living room. I quite like it. Now, it is really difficult to paint laminate, as it chips easily. But I was on a mission to do it. I used paint I already had at home and some sandpaper to try and improve the life of the paint. But who knows! For now, it is just right!

November 16, 2010

gingiber on poppytalk calendar round up! really?

Wow. I have been sooooo busy the past week I can barely keep up! Orders are flooding in (thank you Holiday Rush) my show is this weekend, and I am running our Semi-Annual Meeting at my day job. This equals quite a bit of madness MADNESS I tell you! But trust me, it is the good kind. Who could be sad when there is so much awesome stuff going on all around me?

Anywho, My 2011 Calendar has been featured in a bunch of places recently (Decor8, PapernStitch, countless blogs) and now it is the main image for round 3 of the Poppytalk Calendar Roundup! I am so honored!

Thanks so much to every person who has purchased a calendar. It has been my best selling item EVER and I am so tickled that it has had such positive reception!

And as a special thank you to my blog readers: Anyone who makes a purchase between today and Sunday in the Gingiber Etsy Shop will get %20 percent off of their order (refunded via PayPal). To receive the discount, you MUST leave a message to seller saying that you are a GingiberSnap reader!

Sounds good? Great!

Thank you,

Stacie

November 14, 2010

gingiber on poppytalk


Hi! Guess who's Holiday Reindeer Stocking is in the upper right hand corner of the Poppytalk Blog? That would me Gingiber's! I was so happy to see it there today!


Be sure to check out the rest of the amazing vendors during this holiday's handmade market on Poppytalk, and view their amazing Holiday Card Guide and 101 Reasons to Buy Handmade!

November 13, 2010

nwa boutique show next weekend!


All! I know that my posts have been sparse this week, but that is because I have been busy preparing for my upcoming show here in Northwest Arkansas. I have a booth at the NWA Boutique Show in Springdale, Ar. I am rather pumped about it, as this is supposed to be a HUGE show! I have absolutely no idea if I have made enough product, but am hopeful that this show will be better than my last... meaning that I will sell product to people other than my relatives (seriously).

My Springfield, Mo friends and family: if any of you feel like making a quick 2.5 hour drive to the Springdale Ar Holiday Inn Convention Center, that would totally rock my face off!

Admission is free, and I am certain that there will be TONS of goodies perfect for Christmas Presents!


I am steadily working on my new booth (making it more sturdy, because last time a ran into some hiccups) and hoping that I have enough merch!

Thanks for all of your support, friends! I so appreciate and cherish the encouragement from my blog friends!


-Stacie

I am excited to be a part of the NWA Boutique Show... Friday and Saturday, November 19-20 at the NWA Convention Center in Springdale! Come shop over 130 amazing boutiques and literally thousands of custom and one-of-a-kind items!

Friday night is the "Girls Night Out" shopping event. Online tickets are $8 in advance or $10 at the door. There will be live Christmas jazz, awesome swag bags (for the first 500), a candy buffet, hot cocoa, coffee, cider, door prizes and more! A portion of proceeds will benefit the projects of The Junior League of NWA. Check out the NWA Boutique Show's Facebook page for a link to tickets.

Saturday shopping hours are 9-6 with free admission, concessions and door prizes.

For a sneak peek at all the great merchants, and to find directions and hours, check out the show website at www.nwaboutiqueshow.com

P.S. If you sign up on the main page of the website or the Facebook page, they will send you a "Preferred Shopper Fast Pass" so you can skip the lines on Saturday! The pass will also automatically enter you to win dozens of gift certificates donated by the merchants!

November 10, 2010

violet's birthday party

Sunday we celebrated Violet's 2nd birthday, and it was such fun! All of her grandparents were there, as well as her aunt and uncle (and honorary aunt Vicki). The party was full of handmade decorations, homemade cakes (her daddy made 2 cakes!) and so much love for this little girl.


 The Birthday Wreath
 The Precious Birthday Girl
One of the Homemade Cakes, garnished with pretty flowers
  



  

  
 
 Birthday Bunting (re-used from last year)
 Mason Jar Candle Holders
 Pretty When Lit to say "Violet"
 I made some garlands by cutting up old Anthropologie Catalogs into circles and sewing together (the patterns are so pretty)
 
 I handmade this felt star garland in pretty colors for Violet's Party!
  
 Right before we sang "happy birthday" (Violet tried to grab the fire! We all were quite frightened, but Violet did not notice!)
 Mom, Violet, and my sister, Angie
Violet and Chad playing in Violet's new Play Kitchen
 My sweet sister (who is expecting in February) and I in an unusually flattering picture of the both of us!

Thank you all for leaving sweet birthday wishes for Violet over the weekend. She is such a special little lady, and I am thrilled to be her mommy!

-Stacie