bubbledog blog

stuff for my walls

I am still shocked and amazed because, over the weekend, I found four things to hang on my walls.  I don't know why it is such a challenge for me, but I find it to be the absolute hardest thing to do when decorating in my home.  It seems that I like so many things when I see them, but when considering them getting mixed in with my furniture, things never seem to work out.

Well, while shopping in downtown Somerville this weekend, I managed to purchase three antique prints and an iron wall hanging.   The jury is still out on the iron piece... it is a partridge in a pear tree, but I had never seen anything like it before and decided it was worth the $18 it cost.  It's stamped Sexton copyright 1966 and it is about 15" wide.  I am thinking it might go by the door to my deck, but it is going to have to try out a few locales before finding a new home.

My favorite find of the day was a large screenprint that I just fell in love with.  It is a four color print and is signed and numbered by the artist (#42 of a run of 250 prints).  I am guessing that this might also be from the sixties, but I'm not completely sure.  It is framed and matted, but both frame and matte are hideous and will be replaced (I took the liberty to crop them out of the pic).  The actual printed area is large (about 18" by 23") and has already found a home on a bare wall in my living room.  It reminds me of illustration style from old childrens books. 

 

must have

Yesterday, while perusing the net, I came across this stuffed Pooka from the game Dig-Dug.  I think this now on the list of things I have to buy immediately!  I loved playing Dig-Dug when I was younger, but I was terrible at it.  I remember waiting at the arcade with my quarter sitting on the machine (to signify that I was next up) and then losing almost immediately after getting my chance to play.  If you don't remember, you had to dig around and then when you encountered one of the bad guys (Pooka or the other dragon guy), you would poke them with a hose and then inlfate them until they popped!  If you want to get your own Pooka plush, you will have to go check out clubNAMCO.  They also have stuffed Pac-Man characters like this plush Inky: 

 

how could something so sweet be so bad?

Just two days ago, I was commenting that strawberries have been amazing this summer.  I have been eating them like they are going out of style.  I have eaten one sweet, juicy, delicious quart after another sweet, juicy, delicious quart.  I have eaten so many that I even wondered if there could be a health risk.  Well, I think I have just encountered the only risk there might be... the absolute worst, most disgusting, vile, putrid batch of strawberries every known to man.  They looked fine on the outside.  I washed them, gently dried them, put them in a bowl, sat down to feast, and then I bit one... WHOAH!  It was a odd mix of having no taste at all, yet magically also tasting like a combination of fish, sewage, and aspirin.  Just horrible.  I tried one after another until I couldn't take it anymore and I just disposed of the whole $4 quart.  I am just truly amazed at how bad they were.  I can honestly say that I have never, in my 34 years, tasted something so digusting.  Strawberry lovers - BEWARE - there are bound to be more of them out there.

this could be a problem

Yesterday, a friend introduced me to www.hulu.com.  I don't know if I was living under a rock, but I had never heard of it before... and now, I wish could forget it.  I case you aren't familiar, Hulu is a website where you can watch full episodes of TV shows and movies (with decent quality) for FREE!  Now, I can watch TV whenever I want (thanks TIVO) and I have no problem renting a movie or paying for a movie ticket, but I never knew the sheer joy that is watching an episode of Charlie's Angels or The A-Team on demand while working at my computer!  Last night, I watched two totally cheesy, yet totally AMAZING, Buck Rogers episodes while finishing up some craft projects. 

I never even watched Buck Rogers that much when I was younger, but there is something so ridiculously bad about it, that it is like pure gold!  If you don't know what I mean, watch this next clip and remember, this is taking place in 2493 or some year like that:

Go check out Hulu if you have some time... or, if you are smart,  forget I ever mentioned it!

biddy, biddy, biddy.

almost done

I am almost done with a project that has been weighing me down for a while.  It seems that I can get some craft projects done quickly, but others take me forever.   Whenever I am sewing something that gets stuffed... well, that takes even longer than forever!   As of this morning, I can say that I am just about done with sixteen large happy fruit pillows that I have been working on.  These are sold over at Shanalogic and she has been sold out of them for quite some time.  The apple is about 15" wide and the pear stands about 20" tall - I have used about 15 pounds of stuffing to fill them all! 

On a side note, I took a picture of the pillows in my newly painted bedroom.  The jury is still out on the wall color... too blue or not enough blue seems to be the main comment when someone sees the room.  I think I am happy with it, I just wanted a calming sky blue that doesn't overwhelm the room.  What do you think?

the goonies are good enough

Some family and friends came over last night to celebrate my brother's 28th birthday.  I have been eagerly awaiting his birthday for the last three months because, in April, I found him the perfect gift.  My brother has loved the movie The Goonies since he was a kid and still views it on a fairly regular (though with less frequency) basis.  Unbeknownst to us in the 1980s, there was a set of promotional glasses made for the film.  They have fairly hideous artwork, but they depict various scenes from the movie... and who doesn't want to drink out of a glass with Chunk and Sloth on the front?  I think my brother will enjoy them - at least until his wife decides to lose them or break them (which I would have to understand). 

love is...

... finding a vintage chair that works with your new Ikea couch.  I found this Jack Cartwright chair at The People's Store in Lambertville, NJ.  I can't express how completely satisfied I am... it is as if it was made for my house.  I tried to date it from it's tag, but the date is faded - I think it says 1969, but only "196" is clear.  I have been looking for a side chair for my Ikea Kramfors sectional for the last year, so I was thrilled when I saw this chair.  I like things to match somewhat, but I don't want all the furniture to be exactly the same... in other words, I don't want a furniture store showroom in my house.  So, "find chair" can be removed from my to do list, leaving "find artwork" to complete.

for the birds

My latest project/obsession has been finishing the three bird prints you see above.  I found the frames at IKEA and they just worked out perfectly with the three prints... though I think they might be better in a larger frame with a white matte.  I am planning on eventually offering these primary color birds in my etsy shop as prints, note cards, and printed on tote bags.  Check back soon to see!

free stuff!

I am sponsoring a giveaway contest over at Rare Bird Finds.  If you have never been there before, Rare Bird Finds is a great source for finding unique items on the net.  Check out this post and follow the instructions and you can be included in the drawing.  Here is what is up for grabs:

 

catch up

Just a few weeks ago, I was so busy with my job that I am still playing catch up in the crafting department.  I finally feel that I am starting to get back into the creative groove and able to produce some of my items again.  I am sending out packages of items to the shops that I consign with and that is a huge weight off my shoulders.  

In addition to catching up, I am also working on several new items... I'm really excited about them because it feels like a long time since I have had new design ideas.  I hope to get some of these things done in the next few weeks and I can't wait because I am really pleased with them!  Currently, I have a new cuckoo clock Gocco print note card set available in my etsy shop. 

More coming soon....