bubbledog blog

squirrel charm

Lately, I haven't had as much time as I would like to do crafting and sewing.  So, I have tried my best to use any down time to both rest and be creative.  These little squirrel charms are the result.  I made a few of these guys last year as well and the great thing is that I am able to work on them while also trying to relax a little and watch tv or just sit out on my deck.  I am going to have two varieties available in my etsy shop, one with and acorn and one with a strawberry.  I plan on offering them on a simple black cord necklace. 

my wild-life

Even as recently as one year ago, if you had told me that I would be buying bird feeders and watching birds congregate at said feeders, I would have told you that you were insane. 

Well, it's official... I've become an old fart.  Not only have I bought bird feeders, but I can't wait to see which new birdies will be arriving from day to day.  I don't know many of the names, but my friend Maria has helped me out with a handy little bird book... let's see, there have been some cardinals, goldfinches, robins, catbirds, blue jays, house finches, downy woodpeckers, and many others that I can't identify yet (if they don't have a bright color, I am lost).  It's been fun and it is nice to get a glimpse of the very beginnings of me in my old age.

Now, if I could just keep the squirrels and deer out of the bird feeders...  I think they are actually working together as a sort of wildlife crime syndicate.  The other day, I caught a squirrel hanging onto a feeder upside down and rocking it back and forth... as the seeds fell to the ground a deer waited around and ate what it could.  I'm still kind of new to this whole nature thing, so I have to do some research on keeping these guys away. 

I don't mind the squirrels and deer stopping by for a snack, but that seed ain't cheap!  They can empty a whole feeder in minutes.  They're lucky they're so gosh darn cute. 

hamster totes

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.
   

ringing rocks

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!

pac-man fever

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!

gocco printing madness

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!

the universe

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.

pizzagaina

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!

smelly things make me happy

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. 

yo-yo what up?

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 :)