Fall Preview...

I have been crazy working on the Fall Collection, Autumn Sky.  Twenty bolts of fabric came in this weeek, and it was like Christmas, lol.  I couldn't resist listing the first skirt from the collection.  See it here.

Also in my etsy shop, two new apron knot dresses.  They are in stock and ready to ship!

Have a great weekend!

My Pre-School Grad & Dancing Queen...

I can not believe I am the mother of a soon to be kindergartner.  It feels like only yesterday I was rocking this little baby in my arms.  It is so sad how fast time goes.  Last Thursday was her graduation ceremony from Pre-School.  Here she is in all her glory.

Em & Grammy

My niece Hailey, Omi & Emma

(Hailey & Em went to the same school)

And yesterday was Emma's very 1st dance recital!  She did great!  It was so much fun to watch her on stage.  Their song was Hot, Hot, Hot.

Something I Just Don't Understand....

addiction.  

The word in itself is just sad.  You hear the word and it instantly evokes unpleasant memories or feelings if you have been impacted by it.  I just don't get it.  I understand it can be hereditary.  I understand it can be from depression.  I understand it can be a medical and emotional vice.  What I don't get, is why would you want to hurt yourself.  Maybe at the moment you just don't know any better.  Maybe you feel so small and insignificant, you need something to take that away.  I wish people knew how terribly it impacted their lives.  How it hurts those who love them.  How sad it is to watch a life being thrown away.  How you wish you could turn back the clock to a time when it wasn't even a thought.  How you wish you could save them from themselves.  

I feel helpless.  

And sad.  

I can't think of anything else right now, other than, how I am affected by it.  How my girls cherish and love this person, and they will not understand why they can't see them.  How sad they will be.  How I will dry their tears, and not be able to explain.  How I must protect their innocence and pray to never have this situation happen to them.   

My stomach is just turning, and I can't even shed the tears that are trying to come out.  It is very hard to give tough love.  I just want to shake them.  Scream.  Plead.  But none of this will help, and I know I must sit back quietly, and watch the sadness unfold.  

My heart is breaking...

Another cutie...

How I love getting pictures of my little shoppers in their GenMarie creations.  Check out this little sweetie!  Isn't she just beautiful!  Thank you Kriszta for the photo!  You are awesome!

I ordered over 40 bolts of fabric yesterday for the Fall Line which will be available soon!  Within 2-3 weeks the first pieces of the collection will be available for purchase, then the rest in July and August.  This is the first big planned collection and I think you will love it!  Be on the lookout for The Autumn Sky Collection! 

Grandma's Kitchen...

A sweet new Chloe Apron Halter Dress sure to remind you of summers at Grandma's.  There will only be three made.  See it here.  Enjoy your weekend, and Happy Father's Day to all you wonderful Dads!

Happy Friday!

Yes, it is Friday again already.  I don't know how it gets here so quickly, but it is my favorite day of the week.  It's the start to the weekend, and my most creative night.  I make myself two cups of coffee, and get to work.  Work for me usually goes like this, sip of coffee, cut some fabric, sing really loud to my really loud music (my neighbors must think I am nuts), sew, drink more coffee.  This tends to be the routine for about 4 hours or until I can no longer keep my eyes open. ;)

And check out Miss Lauren!  Doesn't she look super beautiful in her Blossom Knot dress!  Thank you Londie for sharing!  You are the best girl!

Ok, now back to the creative thing.  I am working on Fall designs, sketching like mad.  I would love your feedback.  What are you looking for this fall?  Post a comment and let me know.  There are lots of fab new fabric lines that you will just die over!

Thanks everyone!  Enjoy your evening! :)

Last Day of Dance...

It's hard to believe it is the end of the school year already, and with that, comes Emma's first dance recital!  I snapped a few pics of her last day of dance class.  Ava, refused to leave my side when we tried it with her in September.  Now look at her.

heal, toe, snap...

Ava joined the line practicing the recital dance.  She knew the whole thing!

Emma concentrating hard.

Next Sunday afternoon is the big recital!  I will be sure to post pictures.  It is so cute watching them all.  :)

And my favorite song right now, Shake It by Metro Station.  So brings me back to the 80's!  Check it out here.

A GenMarie Cutie...

Check out this little doll!  This is Carla's daughter, one of the sweetest customers ever!  Isn't her daughter just darling in her Teatime Knot Dress!?  I want to eat her up!  I always love to see my little shoppers, so if you have a picture of your cupcake in a GenMarie design, email it to me.  It's all about them after all.  Thanks Carla!  I will catch up with you in Wilton.  ;)

And for the first time ever, GenMarie is moving into brick and mortars!  The first two shops to carry GenMarie are a fabulous boutique, Divas & Dudes in Belthalto, IL, and a stunning aritsan shop, O Tiger Lily, in Stone Harbor NJ.  If you live in nearby, stop in! 

For a brief moment...

Nothing else matters, except for the joy of two sisters dancing together.

Sis Boom Spring Event...

I left my house around 9 am for the drive up to Connecticut to see Jennifer Paganelli.  And of course 15 minutes into my ride I hit this:

Silly me for thinking I could at least make it to the bridge without traffic.  Road work...always.  Made it through fairly quickly, and I am having a grand 'ole time.  Music is blasting, (I think I can sing ;)), sipping my coffee, it's a great day.  As I approach the Throgs Neck Bridge, more traffic.  It was moving at least.  I wonder what the people driving next to me thought.  What is this crazy chick doing with the camera.  I am sure it was a sight, lol.

Finally once I am over and through the toll, it is smooth sailing.  The drive up on Merit Parkway is very peaceful.  The trees create a canopy over the road, and it is just beautiful.  

I arrive at Jennifer's house.  It is a lovely home, old and beautiful.  Lots of big windows, a wrap around porch, really just lovely. The area she lives in is amazing, and I am in love.  This is the town I want to move to.  It's just so quaint.  I will be house hunting there for sure.

I walk up to the front door of her home, a bit giddy, but containing myself, and walk in.  I see her right away, but I try to play it cool.  I sign her guest book, and make my way over to her.  I introduce myself, and she greets me so sweetly.  Big hug, it was like meeting an old friend.  Jennifer is just the most genuine, nice person you will meet.  She is so sweet!  But for those of you who have met her, you know this.  ;)  Her home is all set up with her Sis Boom collection.  Pure eye candy!   Eeeeekkkk, I could spend days studying every item.  Not only are there fabulous items with her many fabric lines, but gorgeous crafts, jewelry, and paintings.  It was truly awe inspiring.  Ok, I know, enough talk, show the pics.  

There were lots of beautiful bags all around her home.

Jennifer's signature tunic.

You might recognize these from her website.  Aren't they so pretty!

Some of her signature crafts.

Her daughter's bed.  Such sweet and simple quilts.

Another beautiful quilt in her daughter's bedroom.

Where all the magic happens.  Jennifer told me to go upstairs and check out her studio.  I took more pictures, but they blurred :(  It is an amazing space, with walls of windows.  She had lots of Christmas wreaths she has made, crafts, glitter, and of course fabric.  There were 3 beautiful antique cabinets with glass facings, curtained with her lime and blue nuella fabric.  You can see them in a bit in the background in the picture.  And a gorgeous chest of drawers in a sage color.  What a treat it was to see where she creates. 

Me & Jennifer

I was so inspired by her home.  It was a designer's dream!  I will be crazy at work, coming up with new designs for Fall.  I had such a great time chatting with Jennifer.  It's amazing to me the bond women who create instantly share.  It was a great moment for me to meet one of the people who inspire me most.  And for her to be so lovely...she even volunteered her daughter to babysit my girls when we move there.  I bought one of her halter dresses for myself, and I will cherish it.  I am sure this will not be my last visit to her home.  Thank you Jennifer, for spending time with me, inspiring me, and sharing your home with me! 

Calling all photogs..

Now you all know I love photography, but as my business grows, which it seems to be doing in leaps and bounds, I am on the hunt for amazing photographers to take part in GenMarie's growth.  If you are interested, email me samples of your work, and link info to genmarie@verizon.net.  So, show me what you got!

I'll be back tomorrow to post pics of my trip to Jennifer Paganelli's!

Out of the Mouth of Babes...

Me: Here's your pizza Ava.  Wait a minute because it is hot.

Ava: I need gloves.  (Continues to go get her Minnie Mouse gloves to eat her pizza.)

Emma last week...

Emma:  When is it going to be summer.

Me: Soon

Emma: Well, I want to live on vacation.

There's a Friday laugh for you.

Now Offering....

I decided to offer two of my favorite dresses in custom sizes.  Availability is limited, so check them out here.  They are available in sizes 1/2, 3/4 or 5/6.

Teatime Olivia Knot Dress

Blue Berries Kensie Halter Dress

Check out this cutie...

And check out this little cutie!  This is Lila, daughter of the creator of Wooberry.  Although it is hard to see, she is wearing her Chloe Tie Dress in Banana Bikes by moi.  I can't say enough about these dolls!  I want one to sleep with one at night!

And...Saturday, I am off to Connecticut to the amazingly talented Jennifer Paganelli's home for her annual Sis Boom Event.  I am sooooo excited to meet her!  Turns out she lives in one of the areas we are looking into moving to.  I'll be up bright and early, traveling with camera and $$$ in hand.  For us fabri gurus, this is like meeting a celebrity!  I use Jennifer's fabrics all the time in my creations, and she is one of my absolute favorite fiber artists.  You can check out her blog here.

More Dresses Listed...

I managed to list 5 more dresses today.  Please excuse the mannequin pics, as my girls can only take so much modeling.  Isabelle, my manni, doesn't give me lip after 2 styles ;).  My goal is to have all the dresses listed by tomorrow night, then the skirts over the next two days. Everything is ready to ship immediately, so if you are looking for a sweet dress for a graduation party or a fun skirt, there is lots to choose from.  

Styles are already selling out, so take a peek when you can.  Here are some of the pieces I listed today.  All of them can be found in my etsy shop here.

Happy Shopping!

Thank you!

Big thanks to Beki for featuring my Maggie Apron Peasant Dress in Lemons on her blog today!  If you haven't checked out her blog, you simply must.  Lots of interesting reads there.  You can find the dress here.

The Low Down...

Well.  It was an interesting day yesterday.  The weather started out iffy, and it poured on the drive into Manhattan.  But, thankfully, it cleared before we got there.  Hurdle number one complete.

We set up quickly, and the venue was beautiful.  Big and spacious.  Much bigger than I anticipated.  I ran to meet Kristen of Gock's Frocks as soon as I walked in.  We have been chit chatting on the phone the past few months, and it was like reuniting with a long lost friend.  Love Kristen!  She is fun and spunky, all you would would expect.  I wish we lived closer to each other.  As I was finishing unloading my car, I hear my name called, and I turn to see April (Allforthekidds) and her husband.  April and I were in our very first ebay group together almost 2 years ago, so I was so excited to finally meet her!  She is a mama to five and I don't know how she does it all!  She is simply beautiful, and very laid back.  It was a joy to spend time with her and her husband.

After I set up, Linda and I spent some time chatting with the other vendors.  People probably think I am nuts.  I just waltz over all bubbly and cheery, and introduce myself.  Some of the most talented genuine people were there.  It was a great group of artists.  I met Melissa, of Little Girl Pearl, and her mom.  If you do not know her work, you must go check her out!  Her designs are so much fun!  There was an instant connection, and I just loved both her and her mom.  

My neighbor was Alyssa of the New York City Diaper Co.  She is a fun earthy mama who I had a lot in common with.  If you are interested in cloth diapers, check her out.

These are some bad pics of my table.  My camera for some reason did not want to focus.  

If you see anything you like, send me an email at genmarie@verizon.net.  Sadly, I brought home with me almost everything I made for the event.  Here was the bad.  Although the venue was beautiful, it was in the wrong location.  There was barely anyone who came in.  Drips and drabs of people here and there.  By noon, many of the vendors were upset.  After all, this was a big investment for many of us.  Then the rain came in for an hour, and for about 2 hours, there was no one other than the vendors there.  So, yes, I am extremely disappointed to say the least.  Overall, it was a very unprofitable day for all.

The positives were meeting all the vendors, and I also met the amazing Geeta, of Babette.  She is unbelievably talented, and both her and her daughter are stunning.  And her accent just adds to her charm.

I didn't take many pictures despite the over abundance of time to do so.  I will be listing many items on etsy this week that are ready to ship immediately.  I sized pieces in sizes 2, 4 and 6.  If you mention the word blog at checkout, I will give you free shipping.

And I had to buy the girls Wooberry Dolls.  There was no way I was leaving without them.  

I am fried, spent, depressed, you name it.  I brought Linda to the airport today which was really sad.  We have become so close.  We had a great 5 days together.  I will never be able to thank her enough for all her help.  Linda is just one of the most amazing women I know.  My girls fell in love with her.  Poor Emma was so sad when we dropped her off.  She cried, and has been on and off all day.  Linda made necklaces with the girls, played in the back yard, and even had a sleepover with Emma!  So despite the failure of yesterday, I will always be grateful for the time I spent with Linda.  It was never a dull moment.

Until later...