1. Wooden Horse Silkscreen by Stephen Crownhurst 2. My Heart by Bold and Noble 3. Pear and Flower Fabric Cats by Jane Foster 4. Pomegranate Tree Cushion by Roddy and Ginger

I hope that you take a moment to click through some of these amazing shops. I find that a lot of Etsy product market themselves as “Scandinavian”, but only a few really caught my eye! Not that I am an expert in Scandinavian anything! But I truly was inspired by the intricate designs in all of these products!

Stacie

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Today is my 5th wedding anniversary to my sweet Nathan! Seeing as how it is the middle of the week, and both Violet and Nathan have a nasty virus (boo fevers!), I had to stay home from work to care for the both of them!

So, in my attempt to make our day as special as possible given the circumstances, I baked a yummy cherry pie for us to snack on! I used a recipe from the most recent Martha Stewart Living Magazine (couldn’t find the recipe it online?). Straight forward and absolutely delicious!

Now I am trying to avoid getting sick myself! I think Nathan and I will go out next week to celebrate our anniversary 🙂

How’s your day going?

Stacie

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Sometimes as a online shop owner, I find myself struggling with innovation…. I am sure many creative types have the same thoughts. I cannot tell you how many half finished drawings I have stacked up under my desk. Usually, I feel like my greatest advisory to my shop success is a lack of time investment on my part.

I used to find the creative process so easy. I would do a little doodle here and there, develop it into something a bit more detailed, ad color, and BAM! Instant illustration! Now, I find myself falling into the trap of believing that if an idea doesn’t develop quickly, it is not worth pursing. My free time is limited, so if the inspiration didn’t hit, I wouldn’t even try to work through it!

Recently, though, I have recognized what an awful, lazy routine I had developed. If I want to inspire and create lovely art, I have to draw every day, rain or shine. Trial and error is an essential part of learning and developing new techniques. I want to become better. I want my art to mature and become more complex. Thus, time is an essential investment into the success of my business.

So what am I trying to explain in this blog post? If I truly want Gingiber to become more than a part time hobby, and for blogs and the creative community to begin to see my work as detailed and unique, I have to make it more of a priority. I need to try new techniques and be bold. And I need to give myself a break if everything doesn’t mesh the first go around. I’ve been dying to try my hand at watercolor and collage, but have been afraid that these products would be different and would not sell…. I am not going to let my fear of rejection and failure stop me in the coming months!

Thanks for listening, friends,

Stacie

p.s. The picture above is a drawing I recently finished. Not sure of the color combo yet… but I can assure you, it will be BOLD!

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1. Funky Diamond Print 2. Life of Things Archival Print 3. Precipice no2 4. Abstract Geometric Triangles and Stripes Necklace 5. Gilbertville Public Library I

A few weeks ago I made my 1st ever front page worthy Etsy Treasury! The theme was triangles, and above are a few of my favorites from that treasury!

Tell me, how much longer to you think that things like triangles, and owls will be the trend? What’s coming next? So hard to stay on top of all of this!

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Yesterday was my half-birthday, and apparently I was late to the party, because I only remembered it today! It is not like we would actually celebrate my half birthday, but it would have been a great excuse for a cake! I thought since I am 6 months away from 26, it would be a great time to check in on that oh so distant “26 Before 26” list that I made in January, and see what I have yet to accomplish! So, here’s the list, with a status update for each line! It is wordy, so be warned!

• 1. Launch a developing (but still secret) business venture: I guess I let the ball drop on this one? I had this really strong vision for a website to develop, but somehow lost the confidence and focus to launch it! Maybe I will muster up the courage to try again!

•  2. Dye my hair blonde (much more blonde than the subdle highlights I have been sporting as of late): Guess what? Blonde hair = more money! Instead I have gone a lovely shade of dark brown 🙂

• 3. Save more money: We are saving money, but definitely have a long ways to go!

• 4. Read a great book (I have not picked up a book in AGES): I got “Bossy Pants” for Mother’s Day, and have officially read 2 pages. I have 6 months to finish this book!

• 5. Invest in friendships (time = money stronger friendships): I think that this is actually happening! I am making friends with some lovely ladies here in NWA! Hoping to build lifelong friendships!

• 6. Sell our Springfield, MO home (that one may be out of my hands, but still it is a goal): SOLD 

• 7. Plan a 5 year anniversary trip with Nathan: We could not find a sitter for Violet, and our anniversary is this Thursday. Maybe next year?

• 8. Eat more veggies (cheese is not a vegetable, apparently): Um, I have successfully purchased a head of broccoli every month since I made this goal. I have yet to eat any of these heads of broccoli. Thus the awful smell bellowing out of my refrigerator!

• 9. Expand the Gingiber Product Line: I’ve added some new product, but need to step it up!

• 10. Play a round of golf (I used to play on my men’s golf team in high school): Fail.

• 11. Start a great skin care regiment (I never EVER wash my face before going to bed): I bought some Burt’s Bees skin cleaner. It is great! But, pregnancy has done a number on my face! 

• 12. Make more time for dates with Nathan: We have been going on lunch dates! Fun stuff!

• 13. Organize and donate items in my garage (I want to de-clutter my life): We have taken at least 4 car loads of donations to the Goodwill so far this year!

• 14. Volunteer for some community organization: Gotta find something to volunteer for! 

• 15. Have a more positive outlook on life (Hi, my name is Debbie Downer, blargh): I think that I have been a little more positive this year! Really expecting great things in my family’s future!

• 16. Find some new TV shows to watch (I’ve watch every episode of Gilmore Girls at least 10 times): Oh Nathan and I watched Downton Abbey yesterday on Netflix! 7 episodes of period drama! Soooo good! Nathan really liked it and has been talking about it all day!

• 17. Get the windshield replaced in my Honda (There has been a crack in the windshield for 4 years): There is now an new crack in this windshield, but we are getting it replaced this month!

• 18. Spend more time with my sister and her soon to be born daughter, Charis: Done and done! I have seen my family so much in the past few months!

• 19. Spend more time with ALL family, for that matter. Yes, I am talking to you, Texas family! We are flying to Lubbock, Texas SOON to see my family! My little heart is so excited!

• 20. Invest in some properly fitting clothing, and finally throw out those size 8 jeans: I did buy some properly fitting clothes. Then I got pregnant. Now said clothes are being replaced by empire waist dresses and elastic waist pants 🙂

• 21. Sketch more for me, not just for my business (it is quite therapeutic): Done!

• 22. Help Nathan search for jobs as we approach graduation: We have decided to expend our stay in NWA by an additional year to give Nathan more time to finish his degree.

• 23. Begin *thinking* about expanding our little family (this cannot happen until Nathan graduates): We decided to start this a little earlier since Nathan is taking an additional year for grad school. I really did not want my kids to be 5+ years apart. So excited for baby Bloomfield to be here in November! 

• 24. Get a family photo taken (we have never had one made): Thanks to my pal Amber, we have some lovely family photos, which I should post on the blog!

• 25. Start taking Violet to the park: We have taken her a handful of times, but she is really hard to keep up with at the park! She loves that slide, let me tell ya!

• 26. Grow my wholesale and consignment business: I have added 4 new stores to the Gingiber wholesale and consignment side of my business this year! Thankful for business growth!

So there you have it. My long list has been updated, and I clearly need to get my head in the game if I want to accomplish some of these goals! I know this was a real word heavy post. But, keep me on track, pretty please?

Stacie

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I thought that I would share with you from my heart today. On the topic of blogging and social networking. And on loosing confidence in myself. I have been thinking about these topics for a while, but have struggled with finding the right words to express

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Remember my guilty little secret, where I showed you my totally disorganized office space? Well, I got busy and finally started the journey back to clean, decluttered living!

It is amazing what a coat of white paint and a limited color palette can do for creating a more peaceful space! I went with a blue and green color scheme, partly because I love how calming a white wall with blue accents can be, and partly because krylon makes tons of shades of blue spray paint…

I painted a mirror I already had on hand a teal color, and put up some postcards from my favorite etsy artists.

I set up an old bookshelf to store magazines and other supplies, and covered the front of it with a tablecloth from Target (clearance last year maybe?). Love that print!

I still need to figure out the curtain situation for the window in the room. I don’t want anything patterned since the bookshelf is right next to the window, but want something with a little color, since the walls are white! Any suggestions? Also, would love a big area rug to anchor the room!

I hung one of my own prints next to the closet…. I just really love the saying “Mon Petit Chou Chou” and the colors were just right for the space!

There’s still so much to organize and figure out in this space. This weekend has been my first real attempt at moving things around like printers and filing cabinets to make sure that the space is super functional. So far I am really happy with the improvement!

Hard to believe that a short while ago, my office looked like this………

Thanks for reading and being patient with me! Sometimes I feel as slow as my little turtle friend here….

– Stacie

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6 Comments