Gingiber

August 7, 2012

Tea Towel by Bookhouathome

Love this triangle tea towel by bookhouathome

August 2, 2012

Since I have been filling this blog with lots of business related news, I figured I would break it up a bit with some personal writing. Sometimes I work so much, and love working so much, I really don’t feel like I have anything else to talk about.

But of course there are my kids. And Lucy is on my mind. She is the sweetest natured little deer. She never gets mad. Never complains. So much so that last week she had a double ear infection and a throat infection, and I had no idea she was sick. She just smiles and plays all of the time. In fact, if not for a persistent cough, I wouldn’t have taken her to the doctor.

Lucy is the type of baby that just makes you feel good about life. Like if you are having a bad day, just look at Lucy, and she will give you the biggest grin! And of course when she is not smiling, you’ve got these squishy chipmunk cheeks to adore 🙂 She is just a joy.

I do love being a mother. And I do like the fact that my entire identity isn’t just “motherhood”. Like I have a business and a few friends. Not that my life is as balanced as I would like for it to be. I would love more date nights (okay, any date nights) with my husband. I would love to feel more passionate about social issues, or even educated on current events. Tonight I was fantasizing about running. Like maybe I should take up running. For no real reason other than it sounds nice to be able to do something alone like running and the end result is a clear head and calories burned 🙂

I feel like for the most part I am happy with life. Grateful that I get to work everyday from home, using the gifts and talents that I have been given. Sometimes I think about the past 6 years of my married life and wonder how I got here. Arkansas. 2 kids. Small business owner. I’ve lost some friendships due to the changes in my own life. Some friendships that were on the verge of blossoming, and others that just couldn’t stand the test of time. I mourn the past, because I didn’t appreciate those moments more.

But happily I find myself more and more often cherishing small moments of my life. Like the way Violet calls Lucy a “little cutie pie” and softly touches her sister’s cheeks. Or the way Lucy lights up when Nathan comes home from work for the day. I notice with alarming similarity how much Violet reminds me of myself at her age. Only she is far more confident. Something I remember praying for when I was pregnant with her.

Anyways, sometimes I just want to write down what I am thinking.

Stacie

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July 30, 2012

Revealing the New Gingiber Logo!

Check out our brand new (fabulous) logo for Gingiber! Designed by the amazingly talented Eric Kass of Funnel (you need to follow him on Pinterest, too!) I’ve been working with Eric for the past 3 months to find the perfect direction for Gingiber.

At first I really struggled with what I wanted our new identity to look like. I didn’t want to use an animal that would pigeon hole future growth for Gingiber. Also, I wanted to move away from the “nursery decor” focus of the business, because I know there are lots of people who are fans of Gingiber who do not have kids!

My husband and I had a 4 hour long “brainstorming session” to create the perfect tagline for the business. At the end of that night, the only thing we knew for sure was that the wanted to use the word “zest”. After a full night of sleep, I woke up and it hit me: “Zest for Your Nest”. It wrapped up what Gingiber is in a perfectly cute (and quirky) nutshell.

Eric went from there and came up with this dynamic nest icon. It has a retro vibe to it, uses a lot of the same textures that I implement in my own illustrations, and looks fantastic all by itself! I chose the colors, but they can be adapted over time as the business grows.

I am so excited for the future of Gingiber! Now that we have a great new logo that will last us YEARS, I am eagerly planning a real website for customers and retailers to visit. I am having cloth tags made with the new icon that will be sewn into all future merchandise (so excited about this!).

Thanks so much, Eric, for working with me and putting up with my indecisiveness 🙂 Somehow you gave me exactly what I was wanting! Hats off to you.

BTW: The Gingiber shop update is LIVE! Hop on over and check out all of the new goodies 🙂

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July 29, 2012

Biggest Gingiber Shop Update EVER: Monday July 30th

Get ready. Get set. Gingiber is about to have its biggest shop update EVER! We are talking Prints. Pillows. Stamps. Clothes. The works. 17 new items to be exact 🙂

And we are revealing our brand spanking new LOGO designed by the incredibly talented Eric Kass. You can head on over to the Shop Gingiber Facebook Page and catch a glimps of the logo. And while you are there you can “like” Gingiber on Facebook).

So mark your calendars for Monday, July 30th for the Gingiber Shop Update (we moved up the update a day or too because we just couldn’t wait to share all of the awesome with you).

Please drop by Gingiber 1st thing Monday morning to check out this MEGA update! Thanks and I cannot wait for you to see everything!

Stacie

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July 28, 2012

Wall of Framed Art

I have had this empty wall in my home for, like, forever. A few months ago I began planning the space. I painted this desk a bright lemony yellow. I purchased these amazing green files from Him + Her. And I finally pulled out all of my random sized frames and hung up some of my favorite prints!

A lot of the artwork I made, save for an AshleyG postcard, a Fairfield Porter print that was previously in my office, and a linocut from a college classmate.

Here’s a closeup of the desk and some prints and the vintage green files. I will take some better photos soon and post a real room tour!

Isn’t it funny how you have to live in a space for a long time to before it really feels like you? This space feels like home now.

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July 27, 2012

Did I Show You The Bear Calendar?

Hiya. Sometimes I forget what I have shared on the blog. But I don’t think I showed you the finished 2013 Bear Calendar, available for purchase here.

I think it is really cute! I love a fuzzy wuzzy bear.

And, all calendars (bear, owl, and fox) will ship this year with clear display easels FREE OF CHARGE!

I really wanted to give customers what they wanted, which was a better way to display their illustrated calendars. I am wanting to take a few more product photos of the calendar displayed similarly to the owl calendar. But for now I think these look cute.

My favorite months are March, April, January, and December. Which month do you like best?

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July 20, 2012

Black Sheep Shirt Preview

Hi! I wanted to share a preview of one of my FAVORITE new items, coming soon to Gingiber. I’ve mentioned how I am breaking into kid’s clothing, and Violet is sporting the Gingiber 100% organic cotton Black Sheep toddler shirt. It is printed with eco friendly water based ink.

This shirt is amazingly soft! Violet wants to wear it everyday 🙂

This adorable design will also be available in onesies. I am rolling out a bunch of new products on August 1st, so mark your calendars!

If you are a retailer interested in carrying Gingiber clothing in your fine store, please send me an email at gingiberdesign (at) gmail (dot) com

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July 17, 2012

Life Lately

Hi!

Lately we’ve been spending a lot of time with doing family activities. In all honestly, life has been a bit crazy. Jobs have fallen through. Unexpected bills have come up. Nathan and I feel like we have been put through the ringer.

So spending quality time with our girls seems to be the only way to combat the blues. I mentioned our inpromtue visist to Springfield, MO the weekend before last. My mother is simply the best, and spending an entire weekend just with her was chicken soup for my soul. I took her to the Aviary Crepe restaurant on Walnut Street, and we talked, drank coffee, and enjoyed not only being mother and daughter, but friends. I hope to have this type of relationship with my own girls someday.

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July 11, 2012

Real Life

Well, my azalea bushes died.

I have been watering these plans (almost) every other day since I had them planted in my front yard 2 months ago. But they couldn’t stand this extreme Arkansas heat. Over a week of 100 degree weather and they succumb to the pressure. And they turned brown and brittle.

Somehow, looking at my attempt at having a green thumb, I just feel so defeated. Like they are a symbol of the pattern my summer has been following. I feel really brittle at the moment.

Since the end of May my family has been thrown one curve ball after another. My husband thought he would be graduating with is PhD this summer. Then suddenly he wasn’t graduating. The job offer he had for the fall was gone.

And we spent 2 weeks kinda sulking around our house. Making financial arrangements for his next semester. And I worried. Was I going to have to find another job? Why was this happening right now? Why is it so hard to communicate with the university? Why can’t I fix anything. I am just the wife watching my husband go through all of this uncertainty. And it really sucked.

The tide changed quickly again when we thought we were back on for graduating by the end of the summer! We celebrated. We ate out too many times. I bought a new dress. And I stopped worrying.

Then our house flooded. Not once, but twice in the course of a day! From 2 different sources.

But, I did not get too upset, because Nathan was going to graduate. And he had a job lined up for the Fall. Which meant my pathetically small income from Gingiber was not going to have to be our sole source of income. We cleaned up the water. Filed an insurance claim. And left town to go visit my mom.

By the time we returned home to Arkansas, our bubble burst again. Actually several bubbles. Long story short, we do not know at all what is happening next semester. We have no idea when Nathan will get his PhD. We don’t know what our lives will look like financially. We need a new roof. There was more damage in the house than we realized with the flooding. All 4 of us have been sleeping in the same bedroom for 2 weeks now because of the flooding in the rest of the house.

And now my freaking azaleas are dead!

I feel dark and brittle. I am not angry. I guess it is just our turn for a whole lot of mess.

But I am tired. Tired of worrying. Tired of making plans that eventually fall through. Tired of getting hopeful only to have that hope squashed. I am tired of my 3 year old kicking me at night! Tired of my dogs pooping in the only part of the house that is not damaged by the water.

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July 10, 2012

Get Your Gingiber Razorbacks!

Limited Edition Razorback Print

So I have done it. I have given into the forces that be and have decided to embrace all that is Arkansas. This little prickly pig is my salute to the University of Arkansas.

Woo Pig Sooie (can you year the enthusiasm in my voice?)

I really wanted to put the Gingiber spin on this wee pig. Of course he would look lovely framed in a Razorback themed boy’s room (as 1 out of every 3 boy’s rooms in Arkansas are of the UofA affiliation). Or perhaps he could sit on the desk of a Razorback sports enthusiast?

I really think my Arkansas relatives would enjoy his pleasant face.

So, Razorback fans. Get him while he’s hot! He is officially licensed with the University of Arkansas and only a limited amount can be produced each year.

Purchase him online at Gingiber, or if you live in Northwest Arkansas, the Mustache will be the exclusive Brick and Mortar store that carries this design.

You like? So do I!

Stacie

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