bubbledog blog

bogged down

Whew!  It's been a rough week or so for me.  I've been swamped with work and haven't had much time for crafting, collecting, or blogging.  It's really sad when life gets in the way of my fun time.  There's not so much new to report on, though I do have a new t-shirt coming out soon at Shana Logic.  You can see the kids version of the same shirt here in my etsy shop.  The only other thing that I've accomplished was finishing a mini revamp of my main website.  I changed a little bit around and tweaked the colors.  As before, subtle neutral colors were not my goal ;)  Here's a screen shot in case you don't feel like clicking the link.  More soon!

hot dog johnny

Each summer, I try to have a lunch at Hot Dog Johnny's in Buttzville, NJ and today was the day for the summer of '09.  When I was a kid, my parents would take my brothers and I there as a special treat.  I always loved it because you ate outside, there were swings on the premises, and you drank birch beer out of icy mugs.  Today I enjoy it for almost all the same reasons (not so much the swings anymore) and for the added nostalgic trip down memory lane. It's one of those places that is untouched by time and, for me, it's like being 12 years old again every time I go.  The hot dogs are awesome and if you ever get to go, you need to get them "with" which means with mustard, onions, and a pickle.

august giveaway results

Here are the results for the August giveaway.  All names were drawn at random from a bowl.  I'm getting tired of drawing names from a bowl... I want a new way to determine future contest winners.  Any suggestions?

First Place:  Congratulations to Meg S
(wins a sprinkles t-shirt)

Second Place:  Congratulations to Soypea
(wins a set of sprinkles notecards)

Third Place:  Congratulations to James
(wins a sprinkles pocket mirror)

Thanks to everyone for participating! 

stuck in my head

Did you ever experience a song that is so viral in it's musical composition, that it just sticks in your head and plays over and over and over again?  Well, while eating lunch this afternoon, I was on the search for old cartoon intros on youtube.  Why, you ask... because I've come to accept that I'm a nerd and these things give me pleasure, that's why ;)  I enjoyed my lunchtime entertainment, but when little snippets of these tunes were running through my brain on overdrive for the rest of the day, then I had a problem.  

 Watch these at your own risk... especially if they are going to reactivate a dormant childhood memory.

My first selection is probably the most evil when it comes to sticking in your brain.  I loved this cartoon when I was younger and everyone that is in their early to mid thirties can probably hum (if not sing) the entire tune:

 

This next one is a classic and couldn't be more eighties if it tried.  It can definitely crawl its way into your brain and live there for a while:

 

 

 

I nearly forgot the follwoing show ever existed.   Of course it seems like a logical concept for a show and it has a pretty great theme tune... the lyrics are very involved, so try to follow along:

 

 

Thanks to the various youtube folks for finding and uploading these beauties!

bubbledog's august giveaway

This is the last of my monthly summer giveaways.  I will work on getting some fall contests together, but will most likely take a break in September.  There will be three winners for this giveaway... the first name drawn will be 1st place, second drawn will be 2nd, and so on.  The prizes are as follows:

1st Place:  Winner will receive one "It's Raining Sprinkles" T-shirt printed in three colors on black American Apparel Tees.  This shirt is available in women's size S, M, L, & XL, unisex S, M, L, and youth 8, 10, & 12.  You can check out the product in my Etsy shop for size charts and measurements. 

2nd Place:  Winner will receive one set of "It's Raining Sprinkles" 4.25" by 5.5" notecards.

3rd Place: Winner will receive one "It's Raining Sprinkles" 2.25" magnet.

THE RULES:

• The winners of this giveaway will be chosen at random.  If you have multiple entries, it is possible to win more than one prize. 
• All entries must be made by midnight EST on Friday, August 21st. 
• The winners will be announced Saturday, August 22nd.
• No purchase is necessary to be entered into the drawing. 
• This giveaway is open to US residents only.  
• Void where prohibited.

You can receive up to three entries for this giveaway:

1.  Receive one entry by leaving a comment on this post.  Just make sure you enter your email address correctly when leaving the comment (that's how I will notify you if you win).  If you read my blog in a reader or through email updates, you will have to go here to leave a comment.

2.  Receive one additional entry by becoming a fan of mine on Facebook - bubbledog on Facebook.

3.  Receive one additional entry by signing up to receive my blog updates via email:

Enter your email address:

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Good luck :)

proud parent of a butterfly

I was so excited to wake up to find one of the Black Swallowtail Butterflies had emerged from it's chrysalis.  I've been watching over each chrysalis for the last two weeks and growing more and more impatient by the day.  This is the first one I have ever seen change completely from caterpillar to butterfly... three more to go.  I mistakenly thought this one was a male and named it Buster, but after reading more about the markings, I think it is actually a female - I'm still not completely sure.  Male or female, Buster hung out on the branch for a while, pumped up his/her wings, and then just flew away. 

things that make you go mmmmmm....

Did you ever make what seems to be the perfect dinner?  We just had some family over for dinner and everything went really well.  The dinner turned out great... it was tasty, light, and refreshing - the perfect outdoor meal.  The desserts, though not homeade, were scrumptuous and I am still thinking about eating some more.  What did we have, you ask...

Lemon Feta Pasta Salad, recipe care of Epicurious
Circassian Chicken, recipe care of Simply Recipes
Green Salad with "Fullproof Vinaigrette" care of Cook's Illustrated

I can't take credit for finding the recipes or for doing the cooking (much thanks to my better half for all of that), but I did find time to take some pictures and for doing the blogging, so I get a little credit.  Oh, and I cut the bread too :)

Recently, my friend Laura discovered Crumbs Bake Shop in Westfield, NJ.  This morning, we went and picked up some delicious and, may I add, HUGE cupcakes.  I got the Coconut, Artie Lange, Twinkie, and Hostess cupcakes.  They were really good - perfect, moist cake with icing that was sweet, but not too sweet.  Highly recommended!

clocks, radios, & clock radios

I recently won an ebay auction that consisted of about a dozen different vintage character clocks and radios.  After a rather hectic week at work, it was a nice surprise to have them arrive at my door today.  I won the auction for close to nothing (I think it was $12), so I wasn't sure any of the items would be working or in good condition... and that was the case with a few of them.  The junkers went directly into the garbage and of the others, some have been cleaned and stored for some upcoming birthday gifts while a few are being displayed atop my shelf of crafting supplies.  I took a pic of my favorites:  a Star Wars alarm clock, a Hamburger Helper radio (not working, but I just like having that guy hang out on my shelf), a Tony the Tiger AM radio, and a McDonald's Fries radio.

In other non-related news... in the next few days, I will be posting my last blog giveaway of the summer.  Be sure to check back for your chance to win.

yay for whales

I'm happy to report that my whale pendant necklaces have been doing pretty well over at Shana Logic.  My first batch has sold out in about a week.  Fear not though... I sent them some more this morning, so the "sold out" should disappear shortly.  I was also really happy to see that the whale necklace was featured on the Shana Logic homepage.  It was right next to my friend Amy's amazing cupcake bracelet.  Here's a screen shot in case they change the homepage as I blog about it - I don't want to look like a liar :)  

change is good

Here's an update on the butterfly caterpillars that I found last weekend.  As of today, all but four have vanished.  I think that they may have been picked off by some birds or some other insects... they disappeared kind of fast and they are nowhere to be seen.  Of the four that remain, all but one have formed their chrysalis and begun the change into a butterfly.  From what I have read, they should begin to emerge as Black Swallowtails within the next two weeks.  This has really fascinated me as if I were a little kid.  I can't wait to see the next stage!