November 29, 2011

Well Hello Again!

Hi friends!


It has been a while since I dropped in and updated you on my new life as a momma of 2!

I am really tired. Lucy is a dream baby, easy going and sleeps really well! Miss Violet, however, is the lightest sleeper, so if Lucy cries, both girls are up :) I have so enjoyed spending so much time at home with Lucy. She is just the sweetest, cuddliest baby. I feel like she is an old soul ;)


Violet adores her sister and is not jealous in any way of her sissy. She is, however, struggling with all of the changes in the house. But, she loves to hug and kiss her sister. We have been having lots of lessons about being gentle and not hitting Lucy in the soft spot :)


Nathan is my rock. He stays up with Lucy sometimes so that I can get a good night's sleep a few nights a week. He is upbeat about our new family life, and makes the transition seem easier. I love my man so much!


I have been struggling with feedings. I can feed her for 1.5 hours and she still is not full! My doctor said to supplement her feedings with a bottle of formula so that she will keep gaining weight. I am going to try and stick with breast feeding for as long as possible, but am feeling rather discouraged :(


And, now that Gingiber is back open, I have been SO busy, and perhaps a bit over-committed. I have The Little Craft Show coming up on Saturday, as well as a BIG secret event coming up on Monday. I will spill the beans Monday morning, but just know it is going to make my December SUPER busy!


Thanks for still coming by and reading the blog. A big THANK YOU to all of my online friends who have guest blogged over the past 2 weeks :)

I will get back into the blogging routine very very soon.

Talk soon,

Stacie

November 28, 2011

Guest Post: DIY Inspiration Board with Gussy Sews

Hi there! This is Gussy of Gussy Sews {blog and shop}. I wanted to share with you today why having an Inspiration Board in your office or studio is super duper important ~ There are many reasons, but there are a top few:


Here’s why adding an Inspiration Board to my workspace was important:
1. it’s helped me to add pretty art to my office
2. it serves as a catch-all for the pretty + interesting things I find
3. it helps me to define my personal and professional goals
4. it motivates me to work on my goals daily and weekly

As an Indie Biz owner, I love to see where I'm at and how things change as the months go on. Some times it’s just too easy to get lost in the shuffle of deadlines and packaging orders and purchasing materials, so having a source for constant inspiration is a must! All of those things are critical, but if your purpose and goals aren’t constantly on your mind then it’s really easy to get off-track.

Looking back, every time Gussy Sews has made a big, forward-moving change, like hiring another employee or re-organizing the studio, it’s because I had my goals written out.

Today I'm here with a quick & easy tutorial... I'm REALLY excited to share with you the steps I took on making my Inspiration Board so you can make one and we can be Inspiration Board twins ~ yay!


MATERIALS:
To get started, you'll need 4 cut pieces of wood {my finished board measures 2' x 3', but yours can be any size you want}, paint, a paint brush, wire or string, and some sort of clip to hang your inspiring items.


STEP ONE: Once you decide what size to make your Inspiration Board, arrange the boards the way you want them to lay and start drilling {or nailing} them in. Zack pre-drilled the holes so the wood wouldn't split. He also made sure the heads sat a little below the surface of the wood so nothing would stick out. STEP TWO: Grab your paint, your brush and the material you'll use to hang your items from. I used wire, found at the neighborhood hardware store. I bought two tubes of paint but only used one full tube. Now I have an extra tube for another project, perfect!

*My paintbrush has angled tips so it was really easy to paint really close to the cracks without making any mistakes.


STEP THREE: Squirt a line of paint onto the wood. Make sure you work quickly, my paint dried pretty fast so it was important I wasn't too messy. STEP FOUR: Be sure you apply an even coat, too. You can always go back in a few minutes and apply a second coat if you want a darker application.


STEP FIVE: I applied the paint to one board at a time. Pay attention to the sides of the boards, making sure you apply paint there as well {if you want to}. Work in even, consistent brush strokes so your Inspiration Board has a pretty coat of paint :] STEP SIX: Continue to paint the rest of the boards and sides until you have every visible surface colored.


STEP SEVEN: This is the easy part -- let it dry! Maybe sip a yummy pumpkin-y drink while you wait :] STEP EIGHT: Prop your newly painted Inspiration Board and envision how far you'll need to space the wire {for hanging your inspiring items}. Look at your board from a different angle... Really, this is hard work. Better take another sip of your yummy drink ;]


STEP NINE: This part was the most difficult step. I didn't get any pictures of how I wrapped the wire because I didn't have a spare arm to hold my camera, dang, but here's how I did it --

I started at the top left side of the "frame" and wrapped the wire a few times around the left board. I gave myself about 4 extra inches of wire before I started wrapping it so I could twist it like you would when putting a twist tie around bag of bread. The wire was a little slippery so twisting it helped keep it secure.

Once it was secure on the left side, I stretched the wire over to the ride side of the board, wrapping it around the right side twice. Then I headed over to the left side, one loop around the board and then over to the ride board. I alternated between how many times around I wrapped the wire on left & right sides (once or twice). This give the finished board an inconsistent look, which I liked. The less perfect the better I felt about it. I also spaced out the wire as I made my way from two to bottom. This served two purposes: I didn't want to run out of wire and I wanted there to be space to hang things without everything touching/overlapping.

When I got to the bottom of the frame I made sure I had a few extra inches of wire so I could wrap it around the left {or right?} side and then twist the remaining wire so it was secure. I also went back through and shimmied the wire down a little more so create even more space in between each "line" of wire. There are little kinks in the wire, which I LOVE! See? Perfection, it's beautiful.

So here it is, my finished Inspiration Board hanging in my office:


Here's a close up of the wire. You can see that some times it's wrapped twice around the left & right sides and other times it's wrapped just once. Right now my Inspiration Board has photos of Heather Bailey's workspace, pretty flowers, orange pumpkins, lovely perfume bottles, an inspiring quote, a scrap of fabric and more. I'm really excited to add more things...

Maybe Zack will slip in an occasional love note? hint, hint


So that's it! Thanks so much Stacie for letting me share a fun DIY while you get ready to snuggle your new baby! YAY, babie's are sooooooo cute!

xoxo, Gussy

November 25, 2011

Black Friday and Cyber Monday SALE


Don't miss out on some super savings TODAY and MONDAY! 15% off your total purchase!!!

Use discount code "PoppyTalk" at checkout!


Thanks so much for all of the support!

Stacie

November 23, 2011

Guest Post: DIY Chevron Tote Bag with Candace Todd



Hello, hello!!  My name is Candace and I blog over at Sparkle Power.  I'm so excited to be posting for Stacie while she enjoys her sweet baby girl.  Isn't Lucy a doll?!

Today I'm sharing a fun DIY for a painted canvas tote bag.  One can never have too many tote bags, am I right?  This would make a lovely homemade holiday gift!  Chevron patterns are really popular these days and this one is done in a nice large scale.


To make this bag you will need to following supplies:

a canvas tote bag

fabric paints (I used 5 colors)

masking tape

foam paint brush

pencil

ruler


Begin by finding the center of your bag and lightly drawing a straight line down the middle using your ruler. Starting from the top sides of your bag, just under the bottom stitching line begin making marks 3 inches apart. Do the same thing down the center line as well. Then lightly draw diagonal lines from the edge marks to the center marks connecting them to the next notch down and you'll get your guide marks.


Tape off a section and begin painting. You'll need to allow each section to dry before you begin painting the next. When you've finished painting each section, pull up the tape and you're done! Now you've got a cool + cute bag to give as a gift or keep for yourself! Enjoy!

November 22, 2011

Guest Post: Dutch Newborn Set with Peggy of Paul et Paula

New baby, new life and to give Stacie some piece and bonding time I am very happy to guest post here today.
I am Peggy and I am currently living in Amsterdam, The Netherlands.

Today I want to show you what Dutch people usually buy when a baby is on the way. All things you see here are Dutch to keep it really “national”.
 
A Bugaboo pram is classic and the one you will see everywhere here in Amsterdam. They are super handy and last forever! 

The Maxi Cosi car seat is another classic and easy to use with the Bugaboo too.
The Dutch still like warm baby’s bed with a hot water bottle (even in the hospital they do it that way). And to make it pretty and soft you can buy cosy bottle covers!

There are some very nice Dutch kids labels and they all do lovely, comfortable baby clothes. Above you see a hat from bieq, a cache coeur cardi from Imps+Elfs and soft knitted pants from Kidscase.

Cool toys from Esthex and to cheer up the kids room you will find beautiful wall decals from INKE.



Another very Dutch “thing” is the box, that is how it is called here and you might know it under the name of a baby park or a playpen. We never owned one and surprised all Dutch visitors with it.
To make the box comfortable you buy a blanket like this one from snoozebaby with lots of little labels for baby to play with.

Famous and we can’t do without it anymore, are these huge bikes called bakfiets. Lots of people get one when the second child is on the way and there is space left for shopping, sandpit toys or a picnic basket.

The changing bag you see here is from Oilily and believe me, 75% of the mums I see walking around have one of those!

The toadstool is actually a little pouf and from Anne-Claire Petit, the hat from Kik Kid, the red fleece jacket from Imps&Elfs and the warm playsuit from KidsCase. Itsy bitsy spider makes music and is from Esthex and the bib comes with the famous Dutch prints!

I hope you enjoyed this little insight into the Dutch world of babies!


November 21, 2011

Guest Post: Yummy Cupcakes with Megan Lane

Today I am so happy that jewelery designer and blogger Megan Lane of Pretties by Meg and Meg's Musings is here to share a delicious recipe for cupcakes! Thanks again, Meg, for contributing a guest post while I spend time with Lucy girl :)


back in august, i hosted the bridal shower for my sister amanda, who is now very happily wed. for the dessert, i tried my hand at cupcakes for the very first time. and to my astonishment, they were probably the tastiest i've ever had. but i cannot credit myself; the recipe comes from the brilliant pioneer woman. if you haven't checked out her food blog, you must. now. your taste buds will thank me later (though your thighs may not follow suit).

the cake in these cupcakes comes from her chocolate sheet cake recipe, and it is seriously the best cake ever. it is SO incredibly moist and fudgy. it would be incredible on its own, but why not top (or rather, bottom) it off with a bing cherry and add a gooey, chocolaty, center, with the help of a good old-fashioned Hershey kiss (Ree Drummond, you are a genius!)

i followed Ree's cupcake recipe to a tee, with the exception of putting only one cherry at the bottom of each cupcake. also, in place of ganache, i used buttercream frosting because it is my sister's favorite, and it turned out to be an exquisite combination. i didn't completely smother the cupcakes with the frosting; this way the cake had room to shine.

CUPCAKES (makes 18) ::
♥  2 cups sugar
♥  2 cups all-purpose flour
♥  1/2 tsp kosher salt
♥  1/2 cup buttermilk
♥  2 large eggs
♥  1 tsp baking soda
♥  1 tsp vanilla
♥  2 sticks (1 cup) butter
♥  4 heaping tbl cocoa powder
♥  1 cup boiling water
♥  18 Hershey kisses
♥  canned pitted cherries
♥  18 cupcake liners 

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line 18 muffin cups with cupcake liners. I doubled mine up.
To make the cake batter, combine flour, sugar, and salt. Set aside.
In a separate bowl, combine buttermilk, eggs, baking soda, and vanilla. Stir to combine and set aside.
In a saucepan, melt butter over medium heat. Add cocoa powder and stir to combine. Add boiling water, allow to bubble for a few seconds, then turn off heat.
Pour chocolate mixture over flour mixture. Stir a few times to cool the chocolate. Pour buttermilk mixture over the top and stir to combine. 
Add 1 canned, pitted cherry to each muffin liner. 
Pour 1/4 cup cake batter into each muffin liner. Lightly set one kiss in the middle of each cupcake; do not press down. 
Bake for 20 minutes. Allow to cool for 5 minutes in the pan, then remove cupcakes and allow to cool on a baking rack. 

BUTTERCREAM FROSTING ::
♥  4 1/2 cups confectioners' sugar
♥  1 1/2 cups butter
♥  1 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
♥  3 tablespoons whipping cream


In a standing mixer fitted with a whisk, whisk together sugar and butter. Mix on low speed until well-blended and then increase speed to medium and beat for another 3 minutes. Add vanilla and cream and continue to beat on medium speed for another minute, adding cream if necessary for spreading consistency.
---------------
go on, treat yo self!

November 20, 2011

Shop Gingiber Open for Business (Again)



Gingiber is now reopened for business. I closed it for a week since I had a baby. Oh the timing of life, having a baby due on Black Friday did serve as a bit of a challenge for a handmade online artist.

Lucy was so considerate to arrive a couple of weeks early (kidding, but seriously....) I may be a bit crazy to be open for business again. I've already sold 7 items in the past 24 hours, so I had better get busy with making things!

So be sure to drop by my Gingiber Etsy shop soon to get some goodies for gift giving :)

p.s. Lucy and I are doing quite well. Life is exhausting, but my girls are the priority here! Just gonna try to keep up until things settle down come January.

-Stacie

November 17, 2011

In Photos: Lucy's Arrival


I wanted to formally introduce you to Lucy Emmeline Bloomfield. Thank you all for the warm wishes :) I feel like my family is so fortunate to have another healthy girl. She is such a calm baby. Dark hair, dark eyes. Looks just like her daddy. And I am smitten! I will post her birth story later, so for now enjoy a healthy dose of photos of her arrival.



Us at the hospital. Me walking around at a 7 :)



Lucy's arrival! I was so happy... Like one of the happiest days I have ever had :)


Violet coming to meet her sister! She drew us some pictures.


I just love these photos of Nathan showing Lucy to Violet!



This is my favorite photo. I love these 2 so much, and the smile on Nathan's face is priceless.




Happy little family :) Now we need a photo with Violet in it too!

November 16, 2011

Guest Post: Baby Girl Shopping by Sandy a la Mode

Hi! I'm filling in for Stacie today while she is enjoying her newborn! It should only be a matter of a few weeks until my baby is born too, how exciting!

A little about moi... my name is Sandy, I blog over at Sandy a la Mode, and ramble multiple times a day over on Twitter. I blog about my adventures in DSLR photography, delicious recipes I have tried or invented, fashion, inspiration, and most recently my baby bump and cute baby things (well really, anything in miniature size is just adorable, don't you agree?). Some things I love are bubble tea, cupcakes, frozen yogurt, dim sum, dresses, shoes, jewelry, Skittles, shopping, and my husband of course. I like to host giveaways every week on my blog and sharing with my readers cool shops I come across! What's not to love about a chance to win free stuff? But anyway, enough about me, over the past 8 months as I'm preparing for my baby to make his appearance, I've scoured the web and stores for the cutest baby stuff to dress my baby boy up in. Of course, once in awhile, I'll come across some ADORABLE baby girl items in my search. So, since Stacie just had a new baby girl, I decided to help her out with some of her shopping, that's what friends are for, right?




1 It'll probably be awhile until your baby can wear these adorable glitter Toms, but I say stock up and another pair will be sent to a child in need!

2 Into handmade? Noah and Lilah has some of the CUTEST baby clothes, foreals moms.

3 I don't know about your baby, but my baby has a good chunk of vintage wears in his closet and TwitchTots is one of my fave places to get them!

4 Ruffles bums are SO in. Cute Little Toosh sells them!

5 I wish I could dress up my little boy in this Moriah Makes headband, but not sure he'd appreciate it, HA! But I'm sure your little girl would look GREAT in pictures with this on.

6 Nursing just got a whole lot more glamorous with this For The Love of Joy boppy cover, my niece has one!

7 And finally, your nursery just wouldn't be complete without a personalized print from Livy Love Designs.

Congrats again Stacie! Enjoy these first few days of your oh-so-good-smelling newborn, watching her grow and change every day, and your beautiful new family!

-Sandy

November 15, 2011

Guest Post: Monte Cristo Sandwiches with Ordinary Mommy

Hi friends! I am taking some time off now that little Lucy has arrived :) But don't worry, I've lined up a great group of bloggers to guest post in my absence! Today Faith from Ordinary Mommy is going to share with you a yummy recipe. Thanks, Faith!

Hello, GingiberSnap readers! I’m so thrilled that Stacie asked me to be a part of her blog and guest post while she and her family are taking some time to welcome little Lucy.

While I am certainly no gourmet chef, I do love to cook my own way, and with three wee ones running about I need to create recipes that are simple and to the point. As such, this definitely deviates from the traditional Monte Cristo sandwich, but it’s still quite tasty and rather easy. It’s perfect for when the kiddos want French toast and I’m looking for something a little bit more filling that has a good dose of protein.

If you are planning a brunch for any time during the holiday season, this recipe would be just the thing. Sometimes with all of the wonderful busyness during this time of the year it’s nice to have something simple to fall back on. Either cut the sandwiches into quarters, or slice them into strips, and place on a serving tray.




MONTE CRISTO SANDWICH RECIPE.

INGREDIENTS.

8 pieces of French toast
12 slices of ham (1/2 pound should be more than enough)
4 slices of cheese
maple syrup or raspberry jam

Prepare French toast as you normally would. Put two or three slices of ham and a slice of cheese (Swiss or provolone is best) between two pieces of French toast to make a sandwich. Return to the pan for a few moments to allow the cheese to get a little melty. Serve with maple syrup or raspberry jam for dipping!

Recipe makes 4 sandwiches.

November 12, 2011

Meet Lucy Emmeline


Meet Lucy Emmeline. Born on 11.11.11 at 6:19 PM. 6 pounds 6 ounces! We are so in love :) Still at the hospital, so I will post her birth story soon.

-Stacie

November 10, 2011

Made: Diaper Changing Pad Cover

I have been searching for a lovely changing pad cover for Lucy. Alas, all I found at target were fluffy polka-dotted pastel pads. Not really my taste. Then, I decided I would grab some of the scrap fabric I had lying around my studio and just whip one up for her! I winged it and did not follow a tutorial, but rather used one of Violet's old covers as a pattern.



After the fact, I remembered that Prudent Baby has an much simpler tutorial (which can be found here) for making a changing pad cover. And I am thinking of trying it out for the next 2 that I am making.


This fabric is rather bright and busy.With all of the other patterns I have going on in the room, I need to exercise some caution with anything else I bring into the room. But this was a great little afternoon project. Oh, and do you see the little diaper pale for Lucy's cloth diapers? It is actually a $15 air tight dog food holder from Lowes! A girl at a local baby store recommended getting one if I was using cloth diapers.

Which I am still totally confused about but determined to try.

That will be a whole other blog post for sure.

Stacie

November 9, 2011

38 Weeks Pregnant


I've made it to 38 weeks! It is so funny when your doctor and body convinces you that the baby will arrive early. I have had more painful contractions and misc. symptoms that delivery was imminent, yet here I am, still pregnant.



Don't mind the no make-up face. I am actually sick with some illness that has been traveling around the office. I stayed home from work so that I could go get some medicine for that, as well as have my 38 week check-up. Today, the doctor said that she doesn't think I will make it another week without having this baby! Crossing fingers and toes that she is right!


I am so excited to say that my maternity leave will begin on Monday! If baby stays put for a little while longer, I am definitely looking forward to a few days of recharging my batteries. If you follow me on twitter, my tweets have probably sounded a bit like a Debbie Downer. I have been having a lot of hormonally induced anxiety. I have not set limits in my life, and am beginning to feel burnt out. And this is no bueno when you are set to deliver a baby within 14 days!

December will be a hectic month. But, once the holidays settle down, I think that I will really enjoy the new rhythm of life with my family of 4.

Plus 2 dogs.

Thanks for still reading, friends,

Stacie

November 6, 2011

She is 3 Years Old


Yesterday my blonde hair, blue eyed little girl turned 3. It feels surreal. She is the loveliest, spunkiest, smartest little girl I know. And to imagine that 3 years ago I had just given birth to her makes my heart so full of love.


Last Saturday we had a family birthday party for Violet. Almost all of her grandparents were able to attend, and Violet was over the moon with happiness! Her only request? A purple birthday cake...


Nathan came up with the brilliant idea of making a Red Velvet cake and adding blue food coloring to the recipe to make the cake purple. It went over like gang busters! I wish that I had snapped a picture of the inside of the cake.


Here's to you, miss Violet Clementine. We adore you. Your family loves you. And every day you surprise your father and I with your intelligence, affectionate heart, and your extremely vivacious personality. I am so proud of you, my daughter. You will be such an excellent big sister to Lucy.

Love, Mommy