Hi! I spent most of today recovering from Saturday’s fun, which included my baby shower, a birthday party for Violet (a week early celebrated) and an entire day of CONTRACTIONS!

They have weakened over the course of the day, so no baby just yet. But I did get to hang up this adorable vintage dress and Lucy’s L that I received at the baby shower 🙂 All I need is a better hanger for the sweet little dress!

The room is THIS close to being ready for a full tour. I am in love with it! Oh, and the armchair is finished, so I should show you that soon too!

I am off to bed. 2 weeks left at my day job until maternity leave. This makes me very happy.

-Stacie

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Hi! I have been neglecting my blog recently. The last week has been incredibly jam packed. I hit 36 weeks last week. I’ve been having lots of contractions off and on. Yesterday was my baby shower, and I literally was contracting ALL DAY! But they were inconsistent and stopped once I went to bed. Most likely due to stress or something 🙂

I know it is my own doing, but everyone is waiting anxiously for this kiddo to arrive! Since I have had a bit of preterm labor and other physical things going on, everyone (including myself) assumed that Lucy would arrive sooner than later. But, my midwife assures me that Lucy will come at any time. Could be tomorrow, or on my due date. Babies have their own timeline.

But I am progressing. Which is COOL!

Currently it is 2:30 AM and I just cannot sleep. Not sure if it is the baby’s activity. Or because I ate a whole bunch of sugary delicious food at my baby shower! I’ve gained a grand total of 24 pounds thus far. If I can stay under 30, that would be stellar! Baby, get here soon!

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I have been in LOVE with this Isabella Print by Peggy Wolf. I truly enjoy all of her work. I have always been drawn to portraiture, and her unique approach to expressing lovely faces makes me want to start an entire Peggy Wolf collection of prints!

I really have no idea why I haven’t purchased this beauty yet. It would look lovely above my office couch, no?

What about you? Do you have something that you have been dying to purchase?

Perhaps this will be my “push present” to myself once Lucy arrives.

“Push present” is kinda a dorky term.

Goodnight.

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So I finally mustered up enough strength to remove all of the fabric from the armchair for the girls’ room. Actually, Nathan helped me, because it takes a lot of strength and tugging to remove staples and fabric from a chair frame.

Poor boy, all of the dust from the chair made him have a MAJOR allergic reaction. Runny nose. Swollen eyes. Wheezing. But he is okay.

Check out the original fabric for this chair!! I soooo wish that the outer portion of the fabric had not been removed. This pattern was wicked. Reminds me of a chair from Anthropologie.

Now I have most of the yellow fabric on. I ran out before I could cover the left side of the chair and the cushion. Honestly, not my finest upholstery work, but I think it will look mighty fine once it is all put back together.

Soon it will be finished.

Tonight, though, my hand is finished from all of the stapling…. muscle cramp 🙁

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Last Month I had my 500th Etsy sale, and it got me thinking about how Gingiber began. I don’t think that I have ever told the full story of Gingiber, so here’s a blog post devoted to the birth of my business.


It might be a bit long, but bear with me 🙂

I had always been drawing. As a kiddo I would doodle on napkins, the margins of my Bible at church (don’t tell my mother), and occasionally on my walls. When I went to college, I had no doubt in my mind about majoring in Art and Design. I crammed 2 degrees into my 3 years of college, got married, and continued to work at a Starbucks Coffee Shop simply because I needed a paycheck to support my husband and I.

I graduated from college in December of 2007, and was pregnant with Violet 2 months later. This changed the entire trajectory of our lives. Within a few months, Nathan and I picked up and moved to Springdale, AR, where his mother and brother lived. Nathan had been offered a nice fellowship to pursue his Ph.D in Mathematics at the University of Arkansas (please note: not our dream school). But, a baby on the way meant that income was what mattered. I was offered a management position at Starbucks in Fayetteville, AR, so the move seemed opportune.

Neither one of us were super happy. We were excited about the baby on the way, but just a few months prior we were exploring opportunities to move overseas, living in Scotland. I had even filled out some applications for Master’s Programs in Edinburgh. Now, family was what mattered. And I was focused on working my coffee loving butt off at Starbucks.

Yet, I really REALLY missed art and design. And I had heard of this online market for artists called Etsy. Honestly, I was really intimidated to put my artwork out on the web. Mainly because I was afraid of rejection. But, while sharing a pizza with 2 of my favorite Springfield friends, I remember discussing how I had been looking all over Etsy for some nursery art to fill our soon-to-be daughter’s room, and finding nothing that suited my taste.

And then I said it out loud, “I am going to open up my own Etsy Shop filled with really great kid’s art“. The concept of Gingiber was born. And about that name, Gingiber. I have been using this moniker since my junior year of college, when a Publication and Design professor required each student to create a magazine about themselves. And this was the name I settled on. It is the Latin word for ginger, and I thought that it sounded kind of cute, so I went with it! When it was time to name my Etsy Shop, I stuck with it. And I still like it 🙂

In May of 2009, I opened up shop. I had my 1st sale a month later. It has taken 2+ years to finally work my way up to 500 sales.  But last year at this time, I had not even reached 100 sales. The past year has been the most satisfying and fulfilling year of my life creatively. And I am overwhelmingly happy!

I’ve done a lot of learning and growing since I opened up shop. I’ve changed day jobs so that I have more time to work on my art. I’ve tried and failed at different artistic ventures (PDF embroidery patterns, anyone?) but have also slowly carved out a niche for myself in this handmade corner of the world.

And guess what? I am incredibly hopeful for the future of my business. Gingiber is now a legit LLC (quarterly taxes, blargh). I am contributing monthly to my family’s income, and really believe with all of my heart that someday I can grow Gingiber into a full time job.

Thank goodness for Etsy. And our handmade community. And an entire group of online friends who encourage one another to keep going. I am so thankful. And happy.

So that is how Gingiber came to be 🙂 Thanks for reading.

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I knew from the get go with this nursery that I wanted to make a pretty mobile for Lucy girl. I consulted with my mathematician hubby, and he and I agreed that stellated dodecahedra were the way to go! In case you don’t know, these star shapes are made entirely from folding a single piece of paper and then gluing it closed. Something most mathletes find pretty darn nifty.

I spray-painted the pretty stars with gold paint, then secured them to a spare embroidery hoop with pink yarn and some paper clips.

Violet approves of the stars! She told me that there was a Nathan star, a Stacie star, a Violet star, and a Lucy star! Oh that kid of mine, melts my heart!

I really really love this simple mobile. It was made using things that we already had around the house. And Nathan helped me think of the design! Team Bloomfield is on the prowl 🙂

Oh, and look at the gorgeous shadows these pretty stars leave on the wall! I think that Lucy will LOVE it!

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Hi, friends!

Just popping in to say hello. Life has been a little bit crazy all of the sudden. I have been having some preterm labor symptoms over the past 2 days, and am preparing for the very real possibility that Lucy could arrive sooner than anticipated.

My doctor has told me that at this point it is still a waiting game. I can still go to work and go about my business. However, I am taking the day today to finish as much on my to-do list as possible, ya know, in case Lucy decides to make these contractions more consistent and come into this world 🙂

I will keep you updated. Honestly, I am trying to not be too anxious, as I still have 5 weeks left till my due date. All of this could calm down and amount to nothing…..

Who knows what will happen!

Have a lovely day,

Stacie

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Hello 34 weeks! Actually, I am closer to 35 weeks in this picture, but who’s counting? Today I just didn’t feel like getting dressed up. No make-up. 2 day old hair. Kinda feeling “blah”. But, I really want to document my last few weeks of pregnancy. So soldier on I will.

I am getting to the point in my pregnancy that I just want to mentally check out of everything! I was watching an episode of MadMen where Trudie was talking about how she spends most of her pregnant days in bed…… HA! That must have been the life, right? I spend every waking minute being productive. Well, almost every minute. I am really excited for a change of pace once Lucy arrives.

She will be my excuse to say “no” to things. Gotta take care of the little one, after all 😉

Oh, and who else during their pregnancy had reoccurring dreams that their baby came out the opposite gender? Yeah, keep having that nightmare.

Lucy isn’t really a name that will work for a boy, ya know?

Enough rambling…

-Stacie

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