LAST DAY!!! DON'T DELAY!!!

My free gift offer ends today! Take advantage of this great offer before it disappears!

http://www.bdoodlez.etsy.com

September and the Squirrels!

I love living in the country! We have a large wooded yard and yesterday the critters were out in full force! The birds were going nuts yesterday. I watched these little ones climb up and down this large round tree... and then outside my kitchen window a whole clan of birds (sparrows maybe? I am very bad with bird types) was nibbling away at the bugs in the front planting bed!


But the best was the squirrels. As we sat on the couch eating our lunch we could see this one little fellow going back and forth collecting his nuts for winter!! I had never really seen this process before. Sure I have seen squirrels with nuts in their mouths... but this guy was grabbing GREEN ones... (like a nut with its casing around it)... the he would nibble off all the green (the time I saw it he was perched on a little stump) and once completed then run off to his stash! It was so crazy cute to watch!


So, in honor of the little squirrel, I am posting one of my only animal designs. There is no squirrel among them... but they are cute!





Have a Happy Monday!

The great Christmas Launch has begun!

After the wise opinions of my greater etsy community, I have learned that it is NOT too early to start posting my Christmas tags and cards! Custom Christmas cards were the core start of my business and I am thrilled to begin posting my designs on etsy!





Buy now to take advantage of my free gift offer before it expires!
http://www.bdoodlez.etsy.com

Free Gift Time At BdoodleZ...Only 5 Days Left!!!

Don't Delay! Stock up on cards, tags, and gifts today!
Spend just $5.00 and earn your free gift today!

Start shopping now: www.bdoodlez.etsy.com

Travel Friday

Today I take you to the streets of the small town of Evora, Portugal.

Evora was not a planned stop on our Spain and Portugal trip, but we are so glad we did! After deciding to rent a car and drive to our main Portuguese destination (Fatima) instead of taking a bus or train, we eagerly took out our guide to find a "fun" and "interesting" town in which to make a stopping point.

The photo of this church was captured in the early morning. It was January, so the air was crisp and cool. I love how the sunlight filtered through the trees and illuminated the facade. It was "picture perfect".

The Doodle Story

WATERLILIES: PART II

For this week's "Doodle Story" I am doing a follow up to last-week's "Waterlilies" cards (see my blog archive if you missed it).

The mini-recap: I created a waterlily card based on a forged iron waterlily from a talented artist: my dad! I was able to get a photo of my dad's awesome forged lily. How do you think my cards compare to the original?

For more info about the forged piece you can contact the artist:

Marc Yanko of the Creek Bottom Forge

cbforge@hotmail.com

To order the waterlily cards go to my online store:

http://www.bdoodlez.etsy.com/

More than Just Cards!

Did you know that BdoodleZ sells more than just greeting cards?

I have gift tags, note cards, place cards and KEY CHAINS!!!!

My Keychains feauture my doodled designs encased in plastic manufactuered in the USA!

Check them out at http://www.bdoodlez.etsy.com/

Fall Day Fun

I love living in the country! (even though it gets bit more citified every day it seems). Hubby and I took a drive on the back roads before heading to my high school alma mater for their annual chicken dinner. (this devout organic eater put her "rules" asside to support the nuns and their fund raiser!) It was fun walking the halls of the place where dreams were just being formed. (And getting to see an old favorite teacher/drama director who pushed you to the limits to be the best you could be).

My high school was more than a school , it was a campus... with acres upon acres of trees, cows roaming the field below the building, and beautiful views to be seen all around. And maybe it was being there in that "back to school" atmosphere, or maybe just the trees themselves, but for some reason yesterday just really felt like fall.

My little card below: Autumn Tree Parade, celebrates fall and the dancing of the trees.

May your week be filled with happy fall moments!

Featured Artist: Meet Angela from "The Bauble Garden"

Like the sandy beaches of Cape Cod where she resides and the lush green of the landscapes she works on, the designs of "The Bauble Garden" are as beautiful as the the nature that inspires them.

Angela Tanner is the creator of the lovely treasures you will find in her shop. Trained in both architecture and landscape design, Angela is more than just a landscape architect, she is an artist, a writer, a dreamer... Her designs are whimsical and fun. From jewelry, to photo albums, to little onesies, each object she creates reflects her playful style.

Check out some of her beautiful designs:

These Raindrop Dangles and this adorable Happy Pup Onesie (along with more wonderful designs) are for sale now at Angela's online store:

http://www.baublegarden.etsy.com/

So what is new for Angela? She is busy working on new designs inspired by nature. Including this lovely pair of Orchid inspired earrings:

Want to meet Angela for yourself? She will at a few local craft fairs this fall:

Coonamessett Farm in Hatchville, November 15-16

Waldorf School in Bourne, November 22

(check her out here at an Etsy collaborative booth!)

Want to learn more? Visit her website: http://www.thebaublegarden.com/

I couldn't end my profile of Angela without having her answer a fun question:

What is your favorite dessert?

Her Reply: "My favorite dessert is chocolate truffles. I make them myself sometimes with ancho chili pepper, they are spicy and sweet and so good."

Now that is one talented gal!

I am featured in a treasury!

I was happily surprised to find my apple basket cards featured in a treasury. Thanks so much fourrosies!

Click here to check it out!
http://www.etsy.com/treasury_list.php?room_id=9828

Travel Friday

Today I chose a U.S. sight... Since my last photo seemed blurry, I wanted to test out a picture of a building... because I knew it was crisp by nature. (Not sure if the trees in my last post just made things seem blurry)

Here it is:





This photo is of a super cool theater in Celebration, FL. (a stop on an anniversary trip my hubby and I took last January). I wanted to stop in Celebration because it is a New Urbanist town. As an architecture major I was fascinated with new urbanism. I went from loving it (what better than idealized small towns), to hating it (a horrible example of gentrification) to somewhere in the middle... One of the things I do love about New Urbanism is the fact that "towns" are created, not just housing developments.

This day in January was the actual day of our anniversary... the weather was mild, and sunny... the perfect afternoon for exploring a fun town!

For more info about new urbanism check out the book:
The New Urbanism: Toward an Architecture of Community by Peter Katz

Interested in another New Urbanism fact... Unless I am mistaken the movie "Truman Show" was taped in a New Urbanism town... Seaside, FL.

International Shipping Now Available!

I am happy to announce that international shipping will now be available to most locations from my online store.

Ordering is EASY!

Canadian Residents: Just order was you always would.

Other International Shoppers: In order to ensure that you are not overcharged for shipping costs, I research the cost of your specific items for your location. Therefore you will need to contact me first before purchasing to allow me to set up a RESERVED LISTING with your location. I Convo back quickly and should be able to get you a price within a day.

Welcome in and start shopping! There are great deals to be had!

What I'm Up to

I think I will designate Thursday for my shop update info... to share a little of what I am doing at the moment. Right now I am swimming in INVITES... Wedding Invites that is. I am so excited about these beautiful and very custom Invitations that I am doing. The bride plans on mailing them in October so as soon as she does, I'll post some photos!

I am also busy as a bee getting ready for my upcoming Craft Show on Nov. 7 and 8... Christmas goodies are being produced at a rapid rate. Look for all my great tags and cards to be posted at my online shop in the next few weeks. I will have at least a dozen great cards and adorable tags of all kinds. I have been experimenting with new sizes in tags, new styles, new tag ties, and it has been so much fun! Can't wait to share them.

The Doodle Story

Here is the next installment of the "STORY BEHIND THE DOODLES!"



Unlike most of my doodles, which spring mostly from my imagination, this waterlily design was inspired from a real physical object, but probably NOT where you think. I was not Monet sitting in the garden, or Kermit floating on a lily pad, but rather a daughter sitting in my father's kitchen on his birthday. While dad grilled meats and the family shared stories, I found inspiration to sketch in a small forged object on the table. My father is a hobbyist blacksmith (a very good one I may add) and he had forged this beautiful waterlily for an upcoming show he was in... It was so unique and beautiful (and so unlike the usual flowers i draw), I was immediately inspired to copy it! I love my version of his version of the waterlily, especially the colors, which are so vibrant and happy. I hope you do to!

At the time of this posting I am unsure if my dad has any waterlilies left (he sold out of them at the show and I am not sure if he kept one for himself). If I can I'll post a follow up picture of the piece that inspired the doodle!

BdoodleZ Poll: VOTE NOW!

Have you voted for your favorite BdoodleZ product yet? If not, please do! I love getting feedback on the designs you like best!

Thanks so much!

A Little Sunshine...

....For Those Caught in the Rain!



To my friends in Northeast Ohio who don't have power and feel a little waterlogged after all the rain and wind last night... remember that sunshine is just around the corner! :)

Hoping you have a sunny day in your heart- even if it IS gloomy outside!

Fall is Here

While it may still feel like summer (it is certainly humid here), the leaves are beginning to change, pumpkins are beginning to be displayed, and fall festivals have begun... seems like autumn to me, and I am just fine with that.

Musings from a Sleepless Mind

It is funny where your mind can wander when you awake at 5 am and can never fall back to sleep. And though I often wish I could just flip a switch and shut it off, my mind continues to swirl way past the point of sleep. Perhaps it is where the details in my doodles come from, my crazy minutia focused mind.

On the bunny trail of sleeplessness last night, I remembered an old high school aquaintance (we'll call her Sally) who may be perhaps be the only person to draw tinier more detailed little works than me. Hers was a world of minature. I remember most distinctly her notebooks, which were incredible in every way. For most of us the choice is between wide rule or college rule when it comes to the size of our desired text, but for Sally it was beyond that, she actually wrote TWO lines of text for each line on the page (in other words DOUBLE the line amount actually given)... and it was NEAT, (I think she even used white out to fix mistakes). It left me a little speechless. My notebooks by contrast were a mess. Scribbles out everywhere, big spaces between thoughts and always filled with little doodles. And while that worked just fine for me, there was a small part of me that longed for a book like Sally's, perhaps with a little larger text, but SO NEAT. But no matter how determined my will may be, there would invariably come a part in a lecture that left my mind time to wander, and there I was, doodling again.

I bring up Sally not to just remember her notebook, but rather to celebrate it. For Sally was not only a detailed note taker but also a talented artist, and some of the art I remember of hers most was the detailed pieces she did. (I have no idea where Sally is today, but I am sure she is somewhere doing something very creative very successfully). What I loved about those books was the detail.

I'd like to think that maybe I don't sleep much these days, but at least I have the fingers and the mind to scribble out some pretty detailed little pretties. To all the tiny drawers out there, BRAVO! In this world of bigger is better, it is nice to celebrate the small.

Travel Friday

Today begins a new feature on my blog: "Travel Friday", where I'll share some of my original travel photos. I have been blessed with the oppurtunity to travel all over the U.S. and beyond as well as over much of Europe, and there is perhaps nothing that can thrill me and relax me all at the same.




Today's pick is from the beautiful Irish countryside, in a place called Glendalough. It was the first stop on our visit there, and despite my weariness from the plane flight I couldn't help by fall in love with the stunning landscape and the incredible stone architecture. It was a remarkable beginning to what would become a remarkable trip.

The Fall Collection is Here!

I love the colors of fall and I love my new fall collection! Colorful autumn leaves, a quirky turkey, bountiful basket of apples and more! Check out the complete collection for sale now at my shop: http://www.bdoodlez.etsy.com/

The Doodle Story

Today I begin what I hope will be a new feature here on my blog: the Doodle Story where I share a bit of the story behind the doodle.

This card, simply titled "Wedding Dress", was created (like so many of my card designs) because I needed a card for my sister's bridal shower gift.




While I can't pinpoint exactly where the idea for the image itself came from, I imagine that somewhere in the back of my mind, I remembered a photo from my own wedding, a close up of my bridal bouquet which i just loved loved loved. While nowhere the same image, you could call them sister looks.

The Design has gone through a few transformations from where it began. The original version, which I used for my sister, had almost no color in it, only the flowers and a few of the triangle lines on the outside. But as I began to rethink the design, I thought that adding some color to the swirl hatch might help the white of the dress POP! which, it did. The version shown here is one that I love.

A Work in Progress

Hello All!

I am so pleased to report that thanks to my new groovy counter (see below) that there might actually be people out there who read this blog! (how superb). If you are a BdoodleZ fan, you may notice my new look- which is still a work in progress... and yet, it is so fitting, because perhaps we are all a work in progress.

But most of all BdoodleZ itself is a work in progress... as I reflect today on where I started, where I am at, and where I am headed, I am so amazed by the evolution of my little dream... And just like this blog, BdoodleZ will perhaps always be a work in progress, as I come up with more ideas, more products, more methods, etc. etc. From the abstract pages of my countless doodle books, to the theme focused designs of my current product line, I am loving this little shop of mine. Hope you are too!

Have a splendid Tuesday!

September Bliss

As much as I love the warmth and activity of summer, there is something so soothing about a brisk calm day! Despite the cloudy, rainy weather outside, I find myself happy to snuggle up in sweaters and socks. The best part of September of course is the changing of the leaves!

Inspired by the colors and images of fall I have begun posting my fall collection to my Etsy Store. If you haven't yet checked it out, just click on the link at the side! I am also happy to announce the launch of a new product line: PLACE CARDS, just in time for those Holiday dinner parties. My shop is now featuring some cute THANKSGIVING designs!

In other news, I helped my hubby launch his very own blog last night. There is not much there yet, but he would be thrilled if he got a hit: www.catholiccat.blogspot.com

Happy Monday

Free Gift Time at the BdoodleZ Etsy Store!

Its free gift time at the BdoodleZ Etsy Store:

Spend 5.00 or more and recieve a free set of gift tags! (Must spend 5.00 BEFORE the price of shipping). Here is a peak at your free gift! Click on my Etsy link on the right to start shopping now!

The Rebirth of the Blog

Hello to all! My small group of readers (or perhaps to no one). I am happy to report that I am making a new formed commitment to my poor neglected blog! If you've stopped here before and given up on anything of interest being added... fear no more! The BdoodleZ blog is back and better than ever!!!
My biggest conundrum of the moment??? what to post? have an idea for some bloggish fun, send me a comment!
Welcome back to Me!