It’s Monday again, which always happens as the result of a fun, full weekend.
Monday’s used to not feel very fun, but now I look forward to their “welcome back to routine”, and today for extra good reasons :) Our XL sponsor this month is Gingiber. I’ve admired Stacie for years (literally) and we even have a custom illustration of Bauer (below). It hangs in our nursery since Maxwell and Bauer are the best of pals. But the illustration is more than art to me — it’s a lovely reminder of just how well handmade connects us.
I’m very excited for you to get to know Stacie (and her creative process) through our interview below, and don’t forget to enter the giveaway at the end of the post. She’s offering a 4-pack Safari print bundle to one Maggie Whitley Designs reader :)
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“Hi, I am Stacie. I am a mother of 2 (soon to be 3), trying to find the balance between running a growing small business and caring for my family. I create animal-themed illustrations and sell my work on art prints, pillows, tea towels & greeting cards. I recently started licensing my artwork with companies like the Land of Nod and iPop! I am 28 years old and just relocated back to Springdale, AR so that my husband could start his first tenure track faculty position! My life is always in motion, and I love it!”
“I would encourage my fellow makers to make products that they adore. Don’t just follow the trends. If you love your products, believe in what you are doing, and put in a lot of time perfecting your craft, I think that you will find success. I would also encourage you to not look around and compare yourself to other makers. I stay off of Pinterest for that very reason! The visual stimulation can be overwhelming and let self-doubt creep in. Comparison is often called the thief of joy, and it is so true! Keep your head down, find passion & joy in what you do, and surround yourself with a circle of encouraging makers!”
“I am inspired by color and patterns. I often look to vintage quilt patterns for inspiration when I am starting a new project. I am also inspired by my kids. For instance, my daughter’s favorite animal right now is a bunny, and I find myself sketching bunnies by the dozen!”
“I find that when the days are long, I make a big to-do list and try to knock through the items as systematically as possible. I would love to have more days filled with simply sketching and being creative, but lately I have been putting in a lot of time doing the manual labor portions of Gingiber, such as sorting calendar pages or cutting out pillow patterns. So, having a to-do list keeps me on task.”
“Balance? What is that? Kidding. But seriously, my husband is such a huge supporter of my business, and often you will find my whole family up at the studio working and playing together. I am in a busy season of life, having just moved to a new state, my husband starting a new job, and my kids starting school. So we squeeze in together time whenever possible, even if it means eating dinner at the office, or a quick weekend getaway. Sure, the lines are blurred between work time and family time, but right now we are making it work.”
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GIVEAWAY // One MWD reader will win a bundle of four (4) Safari Prints from Gingiber (valued at $85). Use the widget below to submit your entries. We’ll select a winner on Thursday the 18th — good luck!
Love the multicolored animals like the calico cat and the barnyard animals!
I love the Barnyard print set! And the dog prints!
I just adore the CAT TEA TOWEL BUNDLE
Oh, my little girl would LOVE the barnyard set!
love the Owlphabet Art Print & the Fox Tote Bag!
http://gingiber.com/collections/art-prints/products/owlphabet-art-print
http://gingiber.com/collections/tote-bags/products/fox-tote-bag
I love everything! The prints are so whimsical and fun
Really love the safari prints. Fit perfectly in my ‘someday’ nursery!
The pig pillow! xoxo
I *LOVE* the Forest Animals tea towels set ;)
Sarah M
I really, really love the pig pillow!
I love the tote bags! I’d be so happy to take one of these to the market with me :)
How fun! The magnets and the animal pillows look cute! :)
I love the fox art print! And allllll of the tea towels. So cute!
Their animal pillows are so cute!
Love the cat tea towels, would make a great gift for my cat loving brother and fiancee
I’m into all things foxy these days!
Love the cats for my little girl!
i LOVE the purdy birdie art print – i like to use birds to decorate and this one is so cute!!!
I love the barnyard prints! And I love supporting local artists, she just lives 20 minutes away from me!
amazing work! i love it!
I love the animal pillows and tote bags! Absolutely adorable!
I love the safari prints! They go with the items from Africa we brought back for our boys!
love the artwork style! and an inspiration to me as I consider starting my own handmade shop.
I like the owl tote bag!
All of the fox products are sooo cute. Especially the fox black and white tote bag!
Maxwell and Bauer are truly the best of pals.
I love the fox on the tote bag.
I like the Safari Animal Magnet Set!
The dog prints are soooo cute
http://gingiber.com/collections/52-weeks-of-dogs/products/french-bull-dog
I can’t stop looking at that foxy tote!!
I love the safari set. I’d want to wear the art.
i love the barnyard print set
I love the giraffe print. I’m borderline obsessed with giraffes! These prints would look great in both our kitchen & new baby boy nursery. Thanks for the giveaway!
So many great things! Loving the black sheep and owlphabet print. I’m pretty sure my daughter would be obsessed with all of the pillows
That pig is perfect! I do love the safari set- perfect for our Little’s nursery theme:)
The Hello Darling cow is too dang cute!
I love the sheep art prints and the kitty cat tea towels!
I love the October fox print! ;)
I love her stuff and would be thrilled to win!
I love her stuff and would be thrilled to win! The fox tote is adorable!
I am absolutely in love with the safari prints – they are PERFECT for my newborn’s nursery. I already painted a greyscale giraffe spot wall and have added lots of African animals. These have rocketed to the top of my wish list!
the barnyard set
I love the black sheep!
I love pretty much all the prints; esp. the elephant and foxes. I would love to have them hanging up in my little boy’s bedroom!
My little girl would love the cat print! How adorable.
I love the handmade owl pillow!
Truly love the safari animals for my boys’ room!
I LOVE the reindeer pilllow:)
I love EVERY. SINGLE. ONE. of their prints :)
I would LOVE to put these in my 2 week old daughters nursery!!
My son is SUCH an animal lover. These prints would be ruling in his new room. :)
I love the dog prints!
I love the barnyard animal prints and the safari prints!
I love love love the safari prints.
I love the safari prints! I would give them to my daughter for her son’s nursery! Awesome give away!
I would love these prints for my nursery!