Wednesday, December 28, 2011

Stamping Bella- Lulu's Garden of Daisies & Uptown Girls

I love Christmas, but I must say, it's nice to be creating with Valentine and Spring papers, stamps, and supplies.  I love all of the new products we are receiving and can't wait to get them checked in and put out for you to see.  We did manage to get quite a few new collections out for you during the Holiday rush.  The rest will be finding homes around the store during the first week of January.

During our Holiday break, I spent some time coloring with my copics and the new Stamping Bella stamps we received.  Here are a couple cards I created.

This stamp does include a sentiment that says, "If friends were flowers I'd pick you".  I added it to the inside of the card.
Lulu's Garden of Daisies


This stamps also includes a sentiment that says, "Girls just wanna have fun."

Lulu's Uptown Girls- Victoria and Juliette's Night Out

Monday, December 26, 2011

After Christmas Sale

And we're having a HUGE one!
  • Save 40% on all Holiday merchandise.
  • Save between 50% and 70% on discontinued merchandise.
  • Save between 80% and 90% on our demo punches and stamps. (demo punches and stamps have been used)
Sale begins December 27th and runs through December 30th.  Hurry in for the best selection.
(open regular store hours)

Sunday, December 25, 2011

Merry Christmas!

Holiday Word Art from Ali Edwards
Everyone at Doodlebugs would like to wish you and your families a very Merry Christmas!  We hope to see all of you on Tuesday for our After Christmas Sale.

Tuesday, December 20, 2011

New Stamping Bella Stamps

We just received some new stamps from Stamping Bella, and I think you are going to LOVE them.  I've already colored one myself, but haven't had the time to photograph it.

So today, instead of showing you something we've created, I'm going to share some cards created by the very talented Paula Williamson.  If you'd like to take a peek at more of her work, you can find her blog HERE.  Thanks Paula for sharing!

Stamping Bella - Claudia

Stamping Bella- Posh

Stamping Bella- Victoria and Juliette

Monday, December 19, 2011

Make it Monday

Stop in today between 1PM and 3PM for our Make it Monday project.  We'll be making these treat baskets.  Fill them with Holiday goodies and you've got the perfect Holiday gift for a friend or neighbor.

Saturday, December 17, 2011

Oreo Cookie Cake Pops

Have you made these yet?  They are fun, quick, and easy and your friends will love them.  I use the candy melts from Wilton (we've got them in all colors), lollipop sticks (we have several sizes) and oreo cookies or marshmallows.  Melt the candy melts according to the directions, insert a lollipop stick into the cookie or marshmallow, and dip!  It's that easy.  Add some fun candy sprinkles for a more festive look.

I've also cut rice crispy bars with fun cookie cutter shapes and dipped those.  They make great stars, hearts and flowers.


Once you've made these adorable treats, display them on this lollipop stand.  It's perfect for your next party!!  Stop in an get one now.

Friday, December 16, 2011

Creative Cafe- Triangle Box

Look at this adorable triangle box.  It's the perfect size for those yummy Hammond's candies we sell.  Stop in today between 4:30PM and 6:30PM and make one to take home.

Thursday, December 15, 2011

Paperwhite Bulbs for Holiday Gifts

I love to give paperwhite bulbs as Christmas gifts.  It's so nice having spring flowers blooming in the dead of winter.  I wrap them up in some cute packaging and print the instructions for forcing them on some fun paper.  Sometimes I include a nice decorative bowl or jar to force them in.  They make wonderful gifts for friends, neighbors, teachers, or co-workers.

Paperwhite narcissus are the easiest to grow in water.  Fill your container with a few inches of glass globes or pebbles and add water until it is just below the top of the pebbles.  Nestle the bulbs down in the pebbles or globes so their roots or the base of the bulbs touch the water. Let them sit in the water just long enough to "wake up" the roots.  Once the roots begin to grow, they will reach into the water.  At this point, keep the water at a level so that it reaches the roots only.  This will keep the bulbs from rotting.  You should have blooms in a couple of weeks.

 Here we used paper shred (we carry several colors) and a window bag to wrap up the bulbs.  We added some silk ribbon and one of the vintage ornaments from Melissa Frances to dress it up.

 Again, we used some paper shred to stuff one of the the kraft boxes and added the bulbs.  We tied this one with some natural twine and added a tag from the Melissa Frances Christmas collection.

Wednesday, December 14, 2011

Hero Arts- Classic Fabric Design Background Stamp

I love this stamp from Hero Arts.  As the name states, it's classic.  I can use it all year for just about any occasion.  Here are two Holiday gift wrapping ideas I created using this stamp.  I can't wait to use it for some fun Valentine projects.

I used one of our kraft paper bags and stamped it with white ink.


I cut a topper for this bag from kraft paper and stamped it with white ink.

Tuesday, December 13, 2011

Hand-made Ornaments

We decorated the tree in our window with hand-made ornaments.  Cute and simple paper ornaments.  I've posted a few close-up photos of some of the ornaments we made for the tree.

I originally saw this idea here along with the instructions.  Here's another version using an ornament shape instead of a circle.

For this ornament I used the Tim Holtz Vintage Noel die to cut the "25" from some chipboard.  I covered the numbers with red ink and glittered them with Martha Stewart Crafts glitter.  I glued them to a circle I cut from the glittered POW paper from American Crafts and then glued that to a rosette I created.  You can create rosettes any number of ways, but I used the technique in this video.  I used the nesting scallop circles from Spellbinders so I have a "tighter" rosette since the scallops are smaller than the punch shown in the video.

This ornament is super easy to make.  I cut 8 ornaments shapes from some patterned cardstock.  You can use any shape as long as they are identical on each side.  Fold each shape in half.  Glue 1/2 of one shape to 1/2 of the next shape, repeating until you have all sides glued together.  I punched a hole in the top and used some gold twine to hang.

Monday, December 12, 2011

Make it Monday- Easy Treat Bags

Look what we are making today.  These are great for packaging your Holiday goodies.  Stop in between 1PM and 3PM today and make one for yourself.

Saturday, December 10, 2011

Quick and Easy Gift Wrapping

 I thought I'd "wrap" up this week with another post of some simple and easy gift wrap ideas.  I love the kraft boxes we carry.  They make wrapping so easy, and they look great when you're finished.  The boxes fold together and assemble without any glue.  Once they are assembled and filled, I wrap some of my scraps from my gift wrap or scrapbooking paper around the box and using some pretty ribbon tie a bow around it.  You can add all sorts of cute embellishments to the bow and tags.  My favorite are the jingle bells.  I use the Tiny Tabs and Tags die from Tim Holtz to cut all my tags.  It has the perfect assortment of shapes and sizes all on one die.




Friday, December 9, 2011

Creative Cafe- Pillow Boxes

Stop by today, between 4:30PM and 6:30PM, to make this week's Creative Cafe project.  We are "dressing up" these cute pillow boxes.  They are perfect for gift cards and other small Holiday gifts.  So, stop in and make one today.

Wednesday, December 7, 2011

Take Out Boxes for Wrapping Your Gifts

Are you baking cookies or making candy for the Holidays this year?  Are you looking for some creative ways to wrap them up?  I love the idea of using take out boxes.  They are food safe, inexpensive, and easy to dress up for a fun and festive look.  We carry two sizes at the store, and have quite a few samples wrapped up for inspiration.  I thought I 'd share a couple of them with you.

 I used Doodle Pops to dress up the box above.  I wrapped a strip of patterned paper around the box.  Tied it with a nice ribbon and added the cute little elf Doodle Pop.  There are several different designs that are perfect for the Holidays.


For this take out box, I wrapped it with a strip of patterned paper, tied it with a ribbon and added a simple tag.  The holly is a Jolee's embellishment from EK Success.  We have several different designs available.

Tuesday, December 6, 2011

Vintage Noel Die from Sizzix and Tim Holtz

Soon we will all be wrapping up those gifts we've been purchasing the past few days.  So, I thought I'd share a couple of packages we wrapped up and embellished with the Tim Holtz Vintage Noel die from Sizzix. 

 For the package above, we covered some chipboard with silver POW Glitter paper from American Crafts and then cut it with the Vintage Noel die.



For this package, we cut the "25" from chipboard using the Vintage NOEL die.  Then covered the "25" with red ink and glittered it.  The gold circle was cut from the POW glitter collection from American Crafts.  The rosette was made using a spellbinders scallop circle die.  Here's a link to a video demonstrating how to make them.

We also carry the wrapping paper that was used for both packages.  It is located in our party section.

Monday, December 5, 2011

Make it Monday

Stop by today between 1PM and 3PM to make one of these!  We'll be using our test tubes, the Tiny Tabs and Tags die from Tim Holtz / Sizzix, and a punch from Martha Stewart Crafts to assemble these cute treat tubes.

Friday, December 2, 2011

Creative Cafe- FREE Tonight!

We're kicking off the Holiday shopping season with a FREE "Creative Cafe" project this week.  Stop in between 4:30PM and 6:30PM and make yourself a hand-made tag similar to the one shown here (available while supplies last). While you are downtown, visit the First Friday Art Walk and visit many of the other downtown businesses open late tonight to kick off our Holiday Open House (this Friday and Saturday).  Don't forget to enter the drawing for our Downtown Merchant Gift Basket.  It's filled with more than $1200 worth of gifts and gift certificates from your local downtown merchants.  Stop by this weekend and support your local downtown.

Thursday, December 1, 2011

Bottle Tag- Tim Holtz Vintage Noel Die

We made a bottle tag during our "Creative Cafe"  a few weeks back using the Vintage Noel die from Sizzix / Tim Holtz.  Make up a few of these, and keep a few bottles of wine or sparkling cider on hand.  You'll have an instant hostess gift and/or something for that friend or neighbor that stops by with an unexpected gift.

We thought we'd share this, and the instructions, on our blog for those of you that missed it.


Supplies you'll need:

1.  Sizzix/Tim Holtz Movers and Shapers die- Mini Cabinet Card
2.  Sizzix/Tim Holtz Vintage Noel die
3.  An embossing folder ( I used one from Sizzix)
2.  A border punch ( I used one from EK Success)
3.  Circle punch or die - approximately 1.5 inches
5.  Dimensional foam dots
1.  Caramel glittered cardstock from American Crafts
2.  Cardstock (I used red cardstock)
5.  Ribbon- 18 inches

Create the top of the tag by cutting a piece of cardstock with the Movers and Shapers Mini Cabinet Card die from Sizzix/ Tim Holtz.

Score it 2 inches from the flat side (bottom).  See above.


Punch a 1.5 inch circle (I used sticky notes) from a scrap of paper and adhere it to the top, rounded portion of the mini cabinet card die cut piece.  I use this for a guide when punching the actual circle.


Using the same 1.5 inch circle punch, position it over the "scrap" circle that you stuck down in the previous step.  Punch through to create a circle in the top of your mini cabinet card die cut piece.  This will be the opening that you position over the neck of the bottle.  If you are planning on giving Champagne, you made need a slightly larger opening.


Fold on the score line.  You should now have a piece that looks like the image above.


To finish the bottle tag.  I embossed a piece of matching cardstock measuring 3"x 4" and attached it to the portion of the mini cabinet card die cut piece that does not have the circle cut from it.  This will extend the 2" portion that hangs down the front of the bottle to 4".  I used American Crafts POW glitter paper and punched a border with an EK Success border punch and attached it to the bottom of the tag.  I used the same paper to cut NOEL from the Vintage Noel die from Sizzix / Tim Holtz and attached it to the front with foam dimensional dots.  Finally, add a ribbon and message on the back (in gold pen, of course!)