bubbledog blog

upcoming craft shows

I've been working steadily getting ready for some shows that are coming up over the next few months.  If you live in the area, stop by and say hello!  Here's where I will be:

TRENTON AVENUE ARTS FESTIVAL
Trenton Avenue and E Susquehanna
Philadelphia, PA 19125
Saturday May 18, 2013
12pm - 5pm

CLOVER MARKET
12 E. Lancaster Ave
Ardmore, PA 19003
Sunday June 9, 2013
10am - 5pm

TINICUM ARTS FESTIVAL
963 River Road
Upper Black Eddy, PA 18972
Saturday July 13, 2013
10am - 6pm
Sunday July 14, 2013
11am - 5pm

I have a few new pillows and prints that will be making their debut at these shows.  I have also been working on new color combinations of some of my older designs.  Here are some new puppy pouches that I completed last night.

new pins in the making

Lately, I have been working on building up inventory for some upcoming craft shows in May and June.  I spent the last couple of days printing, cutting, and shrinking these little critters that will soon be turned into pins.  I have to give them a clear coating to protect the image, attach the pinbacks, and then they will be ready to go.  I re-made some old designs and have a couple of new ones too.  I am particularly fond of the crab though it was a pain to both cut and shrink... also, I am not sure how many people are looking for a crab brooch to wear around town :)

hamsters

This new set of hamster stickers is now available in my etsy shop.  The set includes a dozen different hamsters taken from the images that I use on my webpage at different times of the year.  I don't know what it is, but I love changing this little hamster drawing and will probably come up with a dozen more.  There is something about his blank expression that makes me just need to put him in a new situation.  My favorites are the cowboy and the diamond thief. 

foods with faces

So, I don't know exactly what it is, but I cannot resist anthropomorphic foods.  I have countless figurines, erasers, and stickers of smiling fruits and vegetables from my childhood and I am always on the hunt for more.  I get a lot of inspiration from that kind of stuff for the crafts that I make in my etsy shop.

I found this set of Crazy Crop plush characters on ebay a couple of weeks ago.  They were made by Hallmark in 1984 and I had never seen them before.  I don't know exactly what I will do with them, but that has never stopped me from buying something like this in the past :)  In addition to the fact that I love seeing the group of them smile up at me, I also love their ridiculous names like Cole Q Cumber, Georgia Peach, Pearl E Onion, and Scarlett O'Radish.

Of course, now I am looking out for the missing characters....

hamster pillow

So, it seems that one of my hamster pillows has been off living the high life.  He went off to live in The Big Apple with a blogger named Victoria.  She has taken him on some adventures that you can see on her blog hamster pillow.  I hope that all of my hamsters are out there living exciting lives of fine dining, subway travel, fun in the snow, and high fashion shopping!  You can adopt your very own hamster pillow right here in my etsy shop. 

Victoria, also has a great blog about Jello molds called The Jello Mold Mistress of Brooklyn.  Be sure to check it out!

happy valentine's day

... a little Valentine's wish for you :)

bubble yum

I was so happy to get this vintage Bubble Yum bank in the mail today!  I found it on ebay last week and purchased it immediately.  It was made in 1980 by The Idea Source.  It is about nine inches tall and made of metal and cardboard.  It looks like a giant pack of old school Bubble Yum and I can't wait to figure out where I will display it in my house!

Speaking of old school Bubble Yum... after finding the bank on ebay, I was looking for some other related items when I found this completed auction.  $350 for a box of gum that is nearly thirty years old!  Wowzer!  It looks so cool and it totally nostalgic, but I could never keep it sealed like that.  It sounds crazy (and gross), but I would have to try it :) 

free download: valentine's doggy box

I just redesigned my dog box download for Valentine's Day.  I think this would be a great little box to give out to classmates with a couple of pieces of candy in it.  The download is free and you can use it as many times as you would like as long as it is only for personal use.  Please do not link directly to the download link from your blog, but feel free to link to the post.  Download Bubbledog Valentine's Doggy Box

two color gocco prints

So, I love printing with my Gocco screen printer when I print with one color... but when I print in two colors, it is definitely a love-hate relationship.  The end results are usually always nice, but it is not the most efficient device when it comes to registration (lining up the different colors).  Today, there was lots of huffing, puffing, and cursing under my breathe, but now that everything is done, I am pleased with the end results (minus the small pile of prints that went directly into the recycle bin). 

Here are the prints while waiting for the first color to dry:

Here are the prints that made it into the "keep" pile after printing the second color:

free download: mini doggy box

I just finished making this little dog box download that you can cut and assemble yourself.  It stands 3.5" tall and 1.75" wide and deep.  I think it will be a fun little craft project for kids or you can use it as a little gift box... or heck, you may just want a little block shaped doggy to decorate your desk!  You will need white cardstock, scissors, and tape.  I also recommend an exacto knife, ruler, glue, and some 14mm googly eyes!

Use an exacto knife to lightly score the edges that you need to fold... it will make a nice crisp and even fold.  Don't press too hard though!

This box is for personal use only. Please do not link directly to
the download link from your blog, but feel free to link to the post.  Here is the link...  Download Bubbledog Mini Doggy Box