Tuesday, July 27, 2010

Confessions of a Rubber Stamp Designer.

I make rubber stamps. And as much as I love combining stamps and inks and papers, the one that I secretly love is black ink on a plain brown box. It makes me feel like I have a personalized pre-printed shipping box like amazon.com. I know the ink bleeds a lot on this porous, uneven surface, but I love how it becomes part of the imperfect box that will tumble through the mail system.




I don’t normally write this blog from the first person. I just think there are so many great blogs that do. Blogs with clever and creative posts everyday, sometimes multiple times a day. And it’s not that I don’t have something to say as a mom or handmade artist, I just want this blog to be about sharing simple ideas a few times a month. It won’t clog up your google reader, and hopefully it gives you the occasional piece of inspiration. Or in this case a reminder that a simple usage of a stamp can sometimes be a favorite.

Dawn
Butterfly Fly

Friday, July 23, 2010

The Buzz about Bees.

Our bee rubber stamps have been very popular this spring and summer. With gardens in full bloom the real bees are hard at work. The average worker bee will visit 50-100 flowers on each collection trip. Yet, over it’s lifetime a bee will only gather 1/12 teaspoon of honey. So plant a few more flowers and enjoy some raw honey from your local farmers market.
In honor of these busy bees, get a free bee accent stamp with every order now until the end of July. No code needed, just place your order and remember to never feed honey to children under the age of one.

Friday, July 16, 2010

Clever Gift Announcements.

So often we are giving gifts that are from a specific list or resorting to giving gift cards. Maybe it’s the desire to get something for someone that they really want or need, or maybe people are waiting for special occasions for things that they otherwise would have just gone out and bought in a different economy. Whatever the case, it can lead to a less than exciting gift giving/opening experience.


The challenge is to make the presentation a little more creative. Here is just one idea for what was a group gift for a new electric mower. Hopefully it sparks an idea for your next group gift or gift card presentation.


The samples of Astroturf and putting green flooring where free at the local hardware store. To cut the numbers out of Astroturf, the numbers where printed in reverse and adhered to the back of the turf with double-sided tape. After the numbers were cut out, the paper was peeled off.


The high gloss box really makes this gift announcement feel fabulous. You can purchase these at the Container Store for a few dollars. In order to make the presentation feel bigger once it was opened, cardboard was used to create different layers. Since the cardboard was eventually covered, old boxes worked fine.


Double-sided tape and a hot glue gun helped put it together in a matter of minutes.

Adding a three dimensional element to flat gifts is a fun solution. Are you giving a gift card to put towards a new tv or video game system? Grab the old remote or controller and tie a goodbye note to it with the gift card and wrap it up in a box. Is it a new kitchen item- like a new mixer? Pick up a single cupcake at your local bakery and gently tip a gift card into the frosting. Whatever it is, a little creative presentation can make the gift giving experience a little more memorable.

Friday, July 9, 2010

Rubber Stamp Envelope Liners.

Small accent stamps can be used in so many useful ways. They add a playful touch to the outside of an envelope when placed next to the name of the recipient or tucked into the corner of the back flap. But an equally lovely use for accent stamps is on the inside of the envelope. Here are a few ideas on how to make envelope liners with accent stamps.


Use one of our coordinating envelopes and papers or your own stationary papers and create a pattern using the stamp. If you ‘d like to have a guide, we have free pdf’s of templates for envelope liners that work great with our A2 and #10 envelopes. Just email us at info@butterflyfly.com for the free templates.



Contrast colors of paper or inks for a bold statement. Or use a subtle shift in color for a softer touch. Our ocean blue and blue icing papers work well to create this look as do pink tulip and pink frosting papers.


Play with the distance of the stamp for different feels. Don’t worry about the spacing always being perfect. A little imperfection is part of the charm of rubberstamping. It’s a wonderful reminder of the time you’ve taken to create something special. 


Another option is to be more playful with the placement. Loose and random or even just one stamp would add a sweet touch. Let the occasion, recipient or stamp inspire you.