bubbledog blog

new stuff

2009-07-14T22:38:37-04:00

I am really happy about this new whale necklace that I have been working on. I made the whale design a few weeks ago for a blog graphic, but it fit perfectly in these pendant settings. Each pendant is about 1.5" in diameter and has a clear bubble over the whale. The blue is so tranquil and it came out exactly how I had hoped it would. I'll be bringing these to the craft shows that I will be doing this weekend and then the rest will be joining some of my other products at Shanalogic.com in the next week or so. I'm also thinking of trying the whale on a t-shirt... what do you think?

In other news - for those of you that participated in my June blog giveaway, I will be posting my July giveaway in the next few days. Check back before the end of the week for your chance to win!

tinicum arts festival

2009-07-11T16:46:52-04:00

Though the day has turned out to be mostly overcast, this morning was absolutely beautiful. It was the type of morning where you just need to get out of your house as quickly as possible and go do something outdoors. Luckily, about 10 minutes away, the Tinicum Arts Festival was going on, so problem solved! I had stopped at this festival a few years ago and, though the style of arts and crafts isn't typically my taste, there are some great artists there and it is a nice setting to spend the morning (and they have amazing real potato french fries).

I picked up a few items... and downed a basket of fries (mmmm.....). My favorite items of the day were the cute orange tabby cat gourd ornament I bought as well as these great black and white cards (which I will be using as prints for my wall). The cards are by Mr. & Mrs. Rose who had some really nice graphic illustrations including many of the various bridges along the Delaware River. The most interesting thing about it was that they live in my town and no more than a mile from my house. Go Milford, NJ!

take a left turn out of craft-town and make a right into nerd-ville

2009-07-09T14:21:28-04:00

I just had a nice break from a craft project gone bad when a small package was delivered in the mail. In this package was a red ghost (Blinky to those in the know) wind-up toy that I have been seaching ebay for over the last several years. This little guy is the final piece I needed to complete my set of TOMY Pac-Man wind-ups from the eighties. A quick photo, a short blog, a little admiration, and now it's time to go back and try to fix my crafting mess :) Here's the whole crew:

save the dates

2009-07-08T22:54:46-04:00

I will be selling my wares at two upcoming craft shows in about a week and a half. On July 18th, I will be at the Handmade Faire in Medford, NJ. On July 19th, I will be at the World Cafe Live Summer Arts & Crafts Fair in Philadelphia, PA. If you are in the area, please stop by and say hello!

flea market finds

2009-07-05T14:12:03-04:00

I got a late start heading out today, so I wasn't expecting to find much of anything at the flea market. To my surprise, I found several little treasures and came home with a respectable haul. For my home, I found two silver pine cone candle holders (really cool in person) as well as two old ornate picture frames which will be painted with a bright gloss color (not sure what color though -maybe turquoise or lime green). On the collectibles front, there were many little trinkets from the 1980s to be found today and that is very unusual. Some ET wind-ups, a Shirt Tales stamp, a wooden Care Bear figurine, a 1984 Sarajevo Olympics button, and an Empire Strikes Back glass were the items that I decided to buy. I also found a set of White Castle promo pvc figurines and two wind-ups... I'm pretty sure these are fairly rare.

happy 4th!

2009-07-04T10:41:54-04:00

bubbledog

back home

2009-07-03T23:44:47-04:00

Today was my first day back from Florida and it was nice to get to spend some time with my dogs and visit a little with my family. Key West was a lot of fun... the weather was beautiful (once I got used to the heat and humidity) and it was just the perfect vacation. I got to go to a lot of different restaurants and I have to say that they were all good, but some really stood out from the rest. If you ever go to Key West on vacation, here are my recommendations for you:

Breakfast: Go to Blue Heaven and order some of their pancakes. They are out of this world good... light and fluffy and served with warm (real) Maple syrup. It was so good that I went twice. In the outdoor seating there are a lot of animals roaming around... so roosters, chickens, chicks, and cats will be passing around your table and under your feet. It may sound weird, but it was really quite charming.

Lunch: I was so excited that I already blogged about it from my cell phone, but go to El Siboney Restaurant for some amazing Cuban food.

Dinner: Seven Fish prooved to be the best dinner of my stay. By the last night of my stay, I was starting to try and eat more salads (I ate so much in those five days), so I got their three cheese caeser... yes, when I think light, I think three cheeses. It was so good!

Beach Time: Higgs Beach was really nice. The beach and parking was free, but you have to rent everything else (chairs, umbrellas, etc). There were a good amount of people at the beach when I went, but it was still pretty calm and quiet.

Hotel: STAY AT THE OCEAN KEYS RESORT! I absolutely love this hotel. It has great rooms with great views. The service is excellent on every level and it is very friendly and professional. The other great thing is that the hotel is right in the heart of the busy part of the town, but it is secluded enough that you don't get affected by noise. So, if you are an old fart like me and want to be near the action, but not participate in it... it's perfect :)

endulging in some tasty cuban food

2009-06-30T17:14:53-04:00

Just a quick cell phone blog from sunny Florida. I'm enjoying the warm weather, the clear blue water, and the tasty food. I can never resist a good Cuban sandwich... here is a delicious example from El Siboney Restaurant. It was amazing!

was everyone this happy?

2009-06-26T22:00:58-04:00

During some down time this morning, I found myself searching through youtube for some nostalgic eighties gems. I had to stop myself when it was getting near the twenty minute mark and I was watching one old commercial after another. I remember these commercials so clearly, but I didn't remember how completely over-the-top happy the people were in them.

This guy is REALLY excited to go get some Pizza Hut pizza. When he returns his friend experiences a level of happiness that I have never felt before in my life.

"Fever for the flavor of a Pringle" or not, no one was this happy at any of my kid parties when I was younger.

Now these people are really happy too, but who wouldn't be??? They have edible bowls... I mean, come on :)

june giveaway results

2009-06-24T16:55:49-04:00

Once I tallied all of the various types of possibilities, there were a total of 48 entries for this giveaway. Each entry was placed in a bowl and then I drew three names. There was only supposed to be one winner, but I decided to give out two runners up prizes (which will be a set of three notecards). I am emailing the winners privately and asking them to post a comment here to accept their prize. Here are the results:

Giveaway Winner: Congratulations to Rachel H
(wins polar bear tote, polar bear magnet, and set of three polar bear notecards)

Runners Up: Congratulations to Stacy E & Emilie S
(each win a set of three polar bear notecards)

Thanks to everyone for entering. The July giveaway will begin in the next few weeks :)