I have been going through a creative crisis... lots of new ideas, but nothing that gets finalized. It is very unlike me. I think it is just a combination of having a lot on my plate at work, spring arriving (and with it - gardening), and a form of crafter's block (if there is such a thing).
That being said, I have been able to get one new product in order... these screen printed hamster totes. They are available in five different colors and can be found at Shanalogic.
Over the weekend, I have had some house guests visiting from England. Last time I was in England, they gave quite the tour and I had a really great time... so the pressure was on! After doing some searching for things to do in my area, I came across Ringing Rocks State Park in Upper Black Eddy, PA. This is only about 10 minutes from my home, but I had never been there, so we decided to check it out.
Basically, it is a large (128 acre) park with various nature trails and picnic areas, but there is one unique feature... a field of large boulders that occupy a clearing towards the top of the mountain. It looks kind of unnatural, but there is apparenly some natural reason that these rocks are located there as there are places where the rocks are piled some fourteen feet deep. 
As you climb through the field and over these large boulders, you will see people banging away at them with hammers because about one third of them ring like a bell when struck. It really is amazing - I was very doubtful until I actually experienced it. Some of them have a gong like quality. I can' t explain it, but this site has a lot of insightful information.
If you are ever in Eastern PA or Western NJ, go check it out... and don't forget to bring your hammer!
When I was a kid, I loved Pac-Man. I loved to play the video game, I loved to collect the merchandise, and I even loved the terrible cartoon. I was so obsessed, that at one point, I even started a club for me, my brothers, and the girl next door.
The jewel of my childhood Pac-Man collection was a set of trading card stickers that were made by Fleer. I had managed to buy enough packs of stickers to get 52 of the 54 stickers in the set.
Each of these packs came with three sticker cards, three rub-off games (that were awesome) and a stick of gum. I remember playing the rub-off game with my cousin and her friends challenging each other for our extra cards and gum.
I still have my Pac-Man cards and I was just able to find the last two cards about three years ago - thanks Ebay! You can check out scans of the full set here.
I'm going to try and start regularly adding some pics and scans of my 80's treasures here on my blog, so check back soon!
Lately, I have been selling out of some of my notecard inventory, so I decided that I need to get out the old Gocco printer and do some printing. I love my Gocco, but sometimes the clean-up can be a bear if you want to save and clean the screens. I also try to save my ink in little paint tubs (like an inch wide) and that can be a real mess too. Usually, you can tell what colors I have been using based on the various ink stains on my hands.
Last summer, my tree notecards were a very popular item for me. I am going to begin selling them in rainbow sets again - six color trees per set. I got some nice boxes to package them in and I can't wait for them to be ready to put in my shop.
Another design that has been popular lately is my little bird two color note cards. It is always fun to print in two colors, but it is also provides two chances to mess up the printing! I got enough good prints out of this batch, but I would have liked to have more. I also printed another two color design of a sailing puppy - lining up the colors on this print is even harder, so I ended up with even less. Overall though, I am happy with the work!
I recently finished this DVD set of THE UNIVERSE that was made by The History Channel. It is really an amazing series and the production value is quite good. It is a four disc set that runs more than ten hours (though I don't think you could do it in one sitting). The imagery that they create is of a high quality and it really helps you to understand some of the complex information that they present. So, if you are a science documentary nerd like me, go get this if you haven't seen it yet! I can't wait for season two to be released.
Once a year for Easter, my grandmother bakes everyone in the family a traditional Italian Easter pie called pizzagaina. It is quite scrumptious and has absolutely no fat... yeah, right! It is basically a pie with all sorts of Italian meats and cheeses baked inside. You can see a picture on the left of my first slice for 2008 - yummy! My parents prefer it warmed, but I like it at room temperature where it is nice and cakey solid. I really love it, but it is SO rich that it works out perfectly as a once a year treat!
Recently, I discovered a site called everythingsmells.com. Basically, everything they sell smells... but in a good way :) I wasn't so excited about all the candles, soaps, and such, BUT I was thrilled to see all the smelly pencils and erasers! Ok, so I am in my thirties, but I still get excited about things that made me happy when I was in elementary school. I had to pick up a few things - I highly recommend the scented eraser caps, caramel corn pencils, and the ice cream flavored highlighters.
I cannot believe it has been nearly a month since my last post... time is FLYING by! It feels like it was just a few days ago that I posted last.
It's the same old news here - my time has pretty much been split between working and crafting. I have a few new designs ready for my etsy shop and I am excited to get them together and up for all to see. My biggest news is that I redesigned my entire website at www.bubbledog.com about two weeks ago. I am very pleased with the way it turned out... my goal was for it to look kind of retro, kind of new, and completely innocent & care-free.
In other craft project news, my grandmother has been working on a craft project with me (actually, she has done all of the work so far). She is helping me make a yo-yo quilt. She's been sewing all the yo-yo's and then we are going to assemble the quilt together. She's amazing! She is up to 700+ yo-yo's and that was in a couple of weeks... she just tears through them :)
Earlier this week, I finished making a grouping of items that will be sold at the cutest shop located in Vancouver called Occupied. There are some stuffed pear girls and a variety of notecards currenty en route from NJ. I wish I could see this shop in person. You have to check through the blog and try to find as many pictures of the window display as possible - it's awesome! They also have a web shop that you can buy from and if you need to get your cute on, this is the place to go!
In this day and age, it's never easy to juggle the responsibilities of a full time job with all of the things you need to get done in your personal life. That is why, yesterday, while out perusing a local antique shop, I decided to enlist the help of another assistant. You see, I can't manage my job, my Etsy shop, and my needs as a collector without a little help... so, I have added this frog note clip to my crack team of inanimate desktop helpers. He will join my pen-holding dog and cd-balancing strong man in an effort to help organize my life and make a smoother running desktop. As an added bonus, he also has googly eyes which everyone knows are super fun!
