Everything in Twos...

A pair of something is better than one.  Or so I think.  I have two beautiful little girls, I had two sweet cats, one passed last year, and now I have two super cute, but slightly annoying dogs.  Last week, we adopted our second puppy, Miss Cleo.



Isn't she so cute!  We all just love her.  She is such a sweet little dog.  She is a pit mix, and we think she has some kind of terrier, like Bull Terrier, or Boston Terrier, or possibly Jack Russell.  She is about 6-7 months old, and only 22 lbs.  The vet says she will only be about 30 lbs.  Big difference from my other moose.  Who I love like crazy too.  Cleo is a total love, and loves to snuggle with me and the girls.



Coco is our other dog, a Black Lab Mix, mostly Lab.  We adopted her last September after we had to put our cat to sleep.  All of my animals have been adopted from animal shelters.  I strongly urge you to save an animal, rather than purchase one.  There are so many benefits to this.  What is it Cesar Milan says, "a pure breed dog is just a dog in a fancy suit."  So there's my PSA for the month, lol.

Last week I thought I was getting better, but I wasn't.  I have never been so sick in my life.  Turns out, after a chest xray, I have asthma, which I had once in high school.  I have asthmatic bronchitis, and am allergic to something in the house.  They did allergy testing on me this week, and I am just waiting to hear the results.  I have the rawest nose around, from blowing it constantly for over 2 weeks.  They have me on so much medicine, but the prednisone I just started seems to be helping the most.  But enough of that.  You don't really want to hear about that.

There is lots of fabric still available.  I will put a quick link on the side of my blog to the post sometime soon, so it doesn't get buried.  All orders are done...yeah!  Everything is starting to wind down for the holidays.

We braved the cold last night, under 30 degrees and super windy to get our Christmas tree.  We always get a real tree, but I think this will be the last year of that.  I have always resisted getting a fake one, but a nice big pre lit one sounds pretty good to me now.  The pine needles already...ugh.  But it smells pretty, and it must smell strong, because I can't smell much.  Tonight we will decorate it with the girls.  It's been a strange year for us here, and I am happy to see it almost over, albeit, it was a fast one.  The rest of the house is decorated, I am almost done Christmas shopping for the girls, and tomorrow night is our annual Christmas party.  I am looking forward to it.



Speaking of holidays, my fabulously talented friend, Timi, is having her annual blog makeover event!  It's the perfect time to redo your blog, and I don't have to tell you how incredible Timi is. ;)  Her December list is full already, so hop on over to sign up for January.  Personally, I think everyone who has a blog, should have Timi design it.

Off for the day!  Have a fabulous weekend, and thanks for listening to my morning ramblings.

XOXO~

Fabric Sale!

For those of you who shopped our fabric sale, you know the drill.  If you haven't, here is the scoop...all fabrics are $5 per yard.  They are all new off the bolt.  I will give you the best possible deal on shipping, and will stuff as much into a flat rate box as I can.  They call me the queen packer at the post office. ;)  Email me the name of the fabric and the numbers of yards, and I will invoice you.  Please include your paypal email addy.  The fabrics will ship within 48 hours.  Any questions, you know where to find me.  I have multiple yards of all fabrics posted, and many of them are out of print.  Oh, and if you want to rent a big u-haul and come here, I'll give you a super deal, and my husband will love you!  Here we go!


LR09 Olive


LR05 Black


LR03 Red


AH17 Rose


AH10 Gold


LR10 Blue


LR07 Fucshia


LR01 Blue


D1702-215


D1701-220


CM34 Lilac


CM28 Gold


AH14 Burgundy


HB03 Ice


GP91 Turquoise


MN32 Natural


GP floral


TW09 Grey


LR03 Blue


LR02 Cream


JP01 Ice


HB11 Rose


HB10 Brown


HB06 Turquoise


AB28 Brown


AB25 Linen


AB26 Linen


AB23 Olive


TG43 OberRed


RP06 Ivory


RP05 Blue


JP10 Emerald


HB04 Brown


HB10 Brown


D1662-315


D1588-627


D1582-350


AH10 Gold


AH09 Rose


AH17 Ice


AH25 Sea


AT01 Powder


AT02 Blue


AT09 Blue


DF24 Aqua


DF31 Aqua


DF32 Blue


JP08 Ivory


MN32 Pink


AB37 Leaf


AB39 Rose


AB34 Turquoise

Sick...

Ugh.  I have had the worst sinus infection for almost a week now.  I can't taste at all, smell, and I can barely hear.  I couldn't even taste my Thanksgiving dinner I spent four hours making.  Today was the first appointment I could get at the doctor.  I can't wait to go!  I have been using a netipot and taking Mucinex to try to alleviate some of the congestion.  Works for a minute, then it comes right back.  I am so tired of being sick.

We decided to extend the Thanks sale until today, so today is the last day to get 20% off your entire order.  Just enter the code Thanks at checkout.  Hodgepodge will only be available until January 1st.  Then we will be getting ready for spring.  Just wanted to give you fair warning.

I will be putting fabric up for sale on the blog later today.  Wholesale prices, and lots to choose from.  The fabric will ship within 48 hours of payment.  Plenty of time to make some holiday goodies for your friends and family.  There is nothing like a handmade gift in my opinion.

I hope you all had a nice Thanksgiving.  Ours was nice with the exception of me being sick.  The day after Thanksgiving, the NYSE has family day.  We get to go to work with Chris on the floor, and then go upstairs to do all the activities.  Marvel comics sponsored it this year.  So I was up at 5:30 am to go with Chris and the girls.  I so was not feeling good, but I had to go so the girls could go upstairs and do all the activities.  The girls love going, and it is quite interesting to watch what Chris does, and see all the buzz on the floor.  Chris's spot is right when the reporters film on CNBC, and guess what?  We were on tv.  My mom happened to catch it, and DVR'd it, and there we were with Chris.  Ava had on her GenMarie, which caught my mom's eye as she was flipping through the channels.  I haven't seen it, but I wish I would have thought to DVR it.  The kids would have gotten such a kick out of seeing themselves.  The girls got gift bags and got to get spray tattoos, their faces painted, see Santa and a magic show, and do some arts and crafts.  They had a great time.

I can't believe Christmas is less than a month away!  I have not started shopping yet, and need to get my butt in gear.  They did get all the Zhu Zhu Pets and their accessories thanks to my mom who lives down south.  I told her about it in September, and she was able to find them then.  They will be so excited.  It was a nice mild day here yesterday, so Chris got the girls dressed and I dragged myself out to take their pictures for our Christmas cards.  We went to my favorite spot down the road, brought my $5 garage sale find chair, and took 10 minutes to get some really pretty shots of them.





I am really happy with the way they came out.  I forget how much I love photography.  I need to spend more time working on it.

Wow, I had a lot to say this morning...that's what happens when you are disconnected for a week.  Check back later for the fabric.  Have a great day!

Thanks...

In the spirit of Thanksgiving, we are having a one week sale!  Sale starts tonight and will run until Friday at midnight.  All items are 20% off.  Even the sale items apply!  Just enter the code thanks during checkout to receive the discount.  Discount does not apply to previously placed orders.  We are down to a 2 week ship time, so items will arrive in plenty of time for the holidays.  Hodgepodge orders previously placed are heading out this week!

Have a great night!

The Hudson Dress...

Finally... but it was so worth the wait!  Many of you may have noticed it was missing from the site.  Great designs sometimes need to be reworked to make sure they are perfect, and I couldn't be happier with this piece.  I spent many hours developing this pattern, and reworking it to get it just right.  I absolutely love the results.  I wanted to make a shirt dress that would be different from those hanging on racks everywhere right now.  I had a vision of something retro and a bit glamourous, yet wearable any day, and found the perfect fabric to set off the design.  This is truly my signature piece.  From the beautiful ruffle that curves around the neckline down the front, to the shirring to add even more feminine detail.  All we needed was the perfect photo, and we certainly got that!  Huge thanks to Mariel  and her beautiful daughter for stepping in to save the day!  I can't thank them enough!  Don't you just love her!  I hate that all our amazing photographers live so far.  If you are in the Austin, Texas area, you must set up a shoot with Mariel!  Her vision is art and I love working with her!



You'll notice the skirt above is one of our new designs, the Downtown Skirt.  I love the clean lines of it, and the slightly modern edge.  This skirt is made for boots!  And the shirred peasant top... just layer it with our Walnut Cafe tee for cold days.  The top has lots of shirring, and an elbow length sleeve which gives it a totally different look.  And of course, Mariel and her daughter rocked this photo too!

It's hard to believe Thanksgiving is this Thursday!  I have so much to be thankful for.  For one, I have the most wonderful supportive family in the world, and the most beautiful friends and customers who give me endless inspiration.  I am truly a lucky girl.

Saw New Moon Thursday night, and I loved it!  I was a bit disappointed with the end, but over all, I can't wait to see it again.

Have a beautiful weekend!

Not A Morning Person...

Seems these days, thanks to the lovely time change, my wake up call is anywhere between 5 am - 6 am.  So not good for me.  A mandatory coffee increase has done nothing except make me crash an hour after I drink my last cup.  This morning, I ran out of French Vanilla coffee creamer and had just enough Chocolate Mint Truffle to have my last cup.  BTW~ this is the yummiest coffee creamer ever!  It's a limited holiday item, and I found it at Target a week ago.  It's like drinking a peppermint patty with your coffee, so good.  Night seems to be when I have the most energy, and get the most work done.  I love the quiet of the house, and the peace and calm I feel.  I always get my best ideas after 10 pm.



How hot is this photo!?  I can't believe New Moon is less than one week away!  I am so excited!  I have been waiting for this like the rest of you since I read the book.  My bff Jen and I are making a night of it.  Dinner together, then off to wait for at least an hour before it premiers to ensure we get a good seat.  We have our tickets already, 12:05 am!  Good thing Chris is off next week so I can sleep in the next morning, although I would have tortured myself anyway. ;)  It will so be worth it!  And of course I have to reread the book for the umpteenth time before then.



I really love this photo.  Their faces are just precious.  And those headbands are killer!  Anthropologie...I should have known.  Timi & I have something new and exciting planned for December.  I can't tell you yet, but it is something we haven't done before.  We're both really excited about it, and the rush of creating something new is always great.  Plus this project will allow us to stretch creatively.

I am done with my morning ramblings.  Hope you have a Happy Friday!  Best day of the week!

More Pretties...

We added some more photos to the site.  Almost there!  I am really happy with the collection.  I think it is the best I have ever done.  The colors, the style...it's all just so pretty!

On an aside, only 1 week till New Moon!  So stinkin excited!  Hope you are all enjoying your week!

We're Live!

Happy Shopping!  I hope you enjoy it as much as Timi and I do!

Today's the Day!

In less than four hours, Hodgepodge hits the market!  Are you excited?!  I am!  At 8 pm EST, the new site will be launched, and the collection revealed.  A few things I have to mention first.  We are missing a few photos, but I did not want to hold back anymore.  We will put them up as they come in, I am hoping Wednesday evening.  Unfortunately, this was out of our control.  Of course, I will let you all know as soon as they are on, in fact I will give you at least an hour notice.  In the meantime, you can shop to ensure you get what you would like, and then up until next Monday, we will combine any multiple orders and refund shipping differences.  The reason for doing this, putting it up now, is this is a limited collection.  If you see something you have to have, order it now, don't wait.  Fabric was limited, and I want to make sure you get what you want.  There will be about a 3 week wait time.  Not ideal, I know, but with manufacturing in house, and expecting high volume, I didn't want to say it would be less time.  But I promise, it will not be longer than 3 weeks.  My partner in crime Timi, will be handling the shipping and customer service from here on out.  Yes, this is the same Timi who wows us all with her graphic genius.  A huge weight off my shoulders.  I will be available to answer any and all questions before you make your purchase.  Just shoot me an email or a message on Facebook.

Happy Shopping ladies!

11/9/09....

is the date Hodgepodge launches!  We needed a few extra days to get photos in, and the new site set up.  Yes, I said NEW site!  Wait till you see the genius of Timi.  This is like nothing you have seen before.  Hodgepodge was truly a collaboration between Timi and I.  I have had the great joy of working with Timi now for years, and her friendship means so much to me.  It was such a natural progression for us to combine our ideas and make this line.  The clothing design is mine, and the visual concepts are hers.  Not to mention the amazing, and I truly mean that, amazing photographers we have shooting for us this season! These women are so talented, if you live in their area, you have to schedule a shoot with them.  I am half tempted to fly to them myself.  Their talent and vision is truly art. Big thanks to Amelia and Kristen for their time and talent, you were a huge part of making my vision reality.

Hodgepodge was truly a labor of love, and a challenge for me.  I wanted to give you new fresh designs that  would be trendy, yet timeless.  I carefully chose the most beautiful fabrics and the softest knits.  I am so excited to offer it to you.  Thank you to all of you who have stood by and supported GenMarie!  It means so much.