autumn, maybe.

Today: discovering that printing yards and yards of cotton by hand takes intense upper body strength: and, beginning to handstitch a small Autumn quilt with that hand stamped fabric. See it up there? On my rocking chair?

Also...Listening to this. Later, reading this.

Hoping your Saturday is just a lovely.

xo,
genevieve

FYI:

Good Morning, Lake M-i-c-h-i-g-a-n

I have begun scrupulously narrating to myself. Cradling strangers and vicissitude in third person, tracking and storing basal verses: synapse cornfields: moot navigation: an earmark of kindling wood, gathered close, fastened and neat.

This is not blog post fodder (especially in the arduous light of cyber neglect suffered here throughout my cross-country adventures to the Midwest. And when pictures have been requested. And re-requested.) but it seems disingenuous to report anything further, when blank pages, abstractly, voice greater hope.

All of this to say: I am happy, we are happy. Thank you, wonderful friends.

...To The (My) Seashells of Milwaukee, you started this, and I will make you proud.

on the open sea.

sailboat.
I owe you all a good post, and it is coming soon. For today, I'll let my inky hands do the talking. (Speaking of, I can't decide what those two fish up there are talking about...)

dreaming of april,
genevieve

valentine's day remembered

My earliest Valentine's Day memory involved this...in the young ballet days...

Thank you Mom, I love you.

(poster print of Harvey Edwards' lovely and famous photograph Leg Warmers)

What are some of your best Valentine's Day memories?

I hope your day is magical-and brings more than imagined.

Love and fifth position!

Genevieve

sunday morning

I love February already.

nature walks

Desert life is never short on beautiful, scary things.

modern+fresh+custom=silhouettes

It has been a fun day.

This is the beginning of a simple silhouette of my son, Les. The painted concrete hosting his silhouette is my children's backyard studio floor. (And our favorite place in the world.)

These custom pieces will be available to order in dozens of color, matting and framing options in the Ginger Hotel shop fairly soon! Family arrangements, bridal, wedding and pet silhouettes will be available as well. (How fun is that?)

Cheers!
Genevieve

(P.S.) If you just can't wait until next month to order-please let me know and we can set up your listing early!

Inauguration 2009

That poster could have alternately stated, "My baby sister and I=the real reason Mommy is so excited about tomorrow."

I love those paint covered fingers.

Happiness (and hope!),
Genevieve

lavender travel pillows...and harold pinter

Brought in a bowl of flaming crocuses

In an ebon mirrorless age,

Let fall to her face

Till her cheeks lit in tongues.

-Harold Pinter

(While applying the decorative edge, I turned away to laugh with my son and bounced the needle a bit. This one isn't going up in the shop-which is an honest personal delight...I'm keeping it to cherish.)

Hope your Sunday is lovely and full of dreams,

Absurdist poetry dreams, that is.

Genevieve

yesterday

Amanda: "What are you reading?"

Genevieve: "Jhumpa Lahiri's 'Interpreter of Maladies'.

...which made me weep about 39 pages in-when I found the bookseller's slip and remembered I bought it the last time I was in Boston...which was 10 years ago...and that I am not only ten years older now than when I had the spirit of freedom enough to stomp around the US buying up fine literature and lavishing myself with standby flights on a student pass, but that I also haven't really been buying new, exciting books in almost ten years and I'm afraid of who I'll become if I don't run as far away from this moment of existential doubt as I possibly can. Or maybe just run until it doesn't matter anymore? My day has been odd since I put the book down.

How are you?"

queen of hearts

Valentine's Day is coming up, and I'm getting a few sweet squeezable plush things ready to post in the shop this Friday. In preparation for sewing and stuffing, I cut and hand washed a dozen or so pretty hearts and hung them on the back line to dry in the afternoon breeze. This fact, and the fact I get to tell you about it, has charmed the pants off of me.

Now I'm going to get personal, are you ready? Not too much white fluff in this post, I'm not much in the mood for daisy chains and campfire songs...and I hope you enjoy it all the same.

Just about any old holiday anticipation period has the ability to send me into jubilant giggling sprees, cause me to shuffle 'seasonal' alcohol into my daily happy hour and prompt 'party!' themed wardrobe choices. There is no denying the compulsive nature of the holidays-and that the traditions surrounding them appeal to me.

That said, Valentine's Day has been the biggest loser from the holiday line up in my life thus far and can pretty much go kick rocks for all I care. Are you asking yourself why? Have you already assumed the same sad backstory for my romantic sensibilities as all those bitter grumps who spend V-day on a barstool huddled over a lonely beer, chain smoking and boozing their woes away? Eh, you wouldn't be all wrong.

For me, it all comes down to this: I really don't want to be swept off my feet. I want more.

Here's to poetry everyday.

Cheers,

Genevieve

portrait in chartreuse

Me taking a picture of my silhouette portrait of my love, Marley.
It was a good day.
More portraits and silhouettes to follow...

good heavens, susan

Just drawing a grumpy bird made me feel a little better...

If it was heavy or sharp, it fell on my foot this morning...and if it could jam and spew thread or massacre innocent fabric, it did. The collective eleven hours of sleep I've had since Sunday apparently turned me over to folly in full cuffs and ankle chains.

I'm not quite sure if a nap or happy hour is the best mend for my wounded day, but I'm going to try both. If those don't work out, I'm going to annex a fast boat and leave civilization for the mystery and intrigue of the sea.

Kisses,
genevieve

building a frame

Super saturated fabric paint and thousands of stitches on un-primed organic cotton canvas.

Last night I started hand carving stamps and stencils with no real plan, and ended up with an orange tree inhabited by birds. With a bit more stitching, this will be a fresh and customizable (and framable) heirloom family tree. (Names and all!)

Yes, you will see more of this in the Ginger Hotel shop this Spring!

OK, you will probably see it sooner than that. Hurray!

love,

genevieve

today I am,

ginger hotel

Hello 2009. I'm a bit behind my own timeline already. A few commissioned quilts ran over, but with happy results. Ginger Hotel will hopefully be well stocked by the end of the month. (Yes, I know you are waiting patiently, and I'm very thankful for the great response. Keep those emails coming my wonderful friends!)

Back to work...

kisses!

Genevieve

celestial gifts and just gifts to send in the new year

I'm more excited about sunset and the twilight magic happening with the moon, Venus, Jupiter and Mercury than about the big New Year's Eve midnight frenzy. I'll be drinking with friends, and toasting in the cold night air, with great hope for the year(s) to come.

Hope your night is a delight.

Love,

Genevieve

two adverbs

One goal. Happy day, and Happy Holidays to those who celebrate. See you in the New Year!

Kisses,
Genevieve

love birds

Simple, rustic romance in shades of blue: a commissioned quilted wall hanging, speckled with lovebirds!

why you didn't get a christmas card from me this year...

I've been so busy working that I completely lost my mind.

Alternate titles for this post could include, (but are not necessarily limited to):

Why I Didn't Call You Back in a Timely Manner,

Why I Didn't Email You Back in a Timely Manner,

Well, I Don't Have Time for Silly Things Like Hairbrushes,

I Thought Today WAS Saturday,

and

But I Thought My Compulsions Were Just Part of My Charm.

Thank you for being amazing, and patient, and for making me laugh when the days are long.

It is going to be a great New Year.

Kisses,

genevieve

snow, baby.

I'm so giggly about the snow, and there isn't quite enough to make snow angels yet...so I whipped up a batch of icy fleur-de-lis snow cookies instead.

Wintertime made me do it.

kisses,

genevieve

snow and globes

I am back from Milwaukee. (Insert dreamy sigh here...)
There is so much to be said for great friends, I couldn't begin to put it all here.
(Um, not to mention the 40 Santas on bicycles, Marla's Party for Jesus, awesomely bad but well dressed cookies, Eric and Robyn!, Hot Pop, The Faint show and after-show,...so much fun!)
Thank you Milwaukee, once again.

the bottom of a box of band-aids, and Kath Bloom.

Yes, it is late, and I am still working. No pictures for this post, just soft words and thoughts. The hours after midnight always seem to draw the best from me, and tonight, the moon is so bright I've decided to bundle up and sit on the back porch to finish a few things by old-fashioned hand. I'm happily listening to this.

Tomorrow night at this time, I'll be waiting at a gate for a plane to fly me away to Milwaukee, great friends, and snow.
Can't wait.
Love,
genevieve

14 oranges

So, no matter how busy the shop gets, I can't help but put everything aside when the kids want to play. We have been counting oranges! Les can now count to 14, which happens to be the exact number of oranges Lorelei has tried to eat today...

I bet you can't say Edward Ruscha ten times fast...

Frida's surrealism, nouveau florals and detail from a vintage huipil.

This is one of three projects for today, so I'm going to run off and put another pot of coffee on...

Be a dear, please, and come over to listen to 'Holidays on Ice' and make me giggle on this intensely busy Tuesday.

Love,

Genevieve

Dear Practicality,

I'm sorry I haven't been returning your calls. Yes, of course I will bring shoes without suede or peep-toe action to the snowy streets of my beloved Milwaukee this weekend. But how well you know me-thank you for reminding me to keep my feet from freezing off and in turn, saving me from a long life as a double amputee. Yeah, I love you too.

morning in pictures

blue