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.

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.

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. 

Bake and Share: Homemade Ice Cream Sandwiches

Homemade ice cream sandwiches can be made ahead for an easy and delicious end to a barbeque gathering. They are also a great way to thank a neighbor for picking up your mail or watering your lawn while you were on vacation. Just wrap in wax or parchment paper, add a stamped gift tag and deliver when you know they are home.

The chocolate cookie recipe is another one from Martha Stewart. Because it uses confectioner’s sugar instead of granular sugar, the cookie has a great denseness. Remember you can also divide the dough and freeze portions for up to three months, so you’ll always be ready with a delicious summer treat.

3 cups sifted all-purpose flour

1 1/4 cups unsweetened cocoa

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon

3/4 pound (3 sticks) unsalted butter

2 1/2 cups confectioners’ sugar

2 large, lightly beaten eggs

1 teaspoon vanilla

Combine dry ingredients and set aside.

Using an electric mixer combine butter and sugar, beat until fluffy.

Beat in eggs and vanilla.

Add flour mixture on low speed.

Wrap in plastic and refrigerate for at least one hour.

Preheat oven to 350˚ F.

On floured surface, roll dough to 1/8 thick and cut shapes.

Place on ungreased baking sheets.

Refrigerate for 15 minutes.

Bake for 8-10 minutes.

If all you’re doing is circles for ice cream sandwiches then you can skip refrigerating the cut shapes before baking.

Wait for the cookies to be completely cooled before adding the ice cream centers. Use your favorite ice cream flavor and spoon small scoops around the entire surface of the cookie, then add the top cookie applying only a little pressure. If you’re using classic vanilla ice cream, roll the sides in sprinkles for a fun summer look. For a more adult version try a Starbucks ice cream, like Java Chip Frappucino.

Window Drawing

Happy summer to everyone! Now that the kids are out of school it is time to find them things to do. Letting them draw on your windows sounds like it's breaking the rules and thus an exciting way to spend an afternoon. If they're old enough, challenge them to write backwards so that it's legible to a passer-by. Bright Stick wet-erase markers work well, so do Chalk Ink markers. Both wipe off with a damp cloth.

Window drawing is a fabulous way to show off your child's creative spirit, give them something to do on a rainy day, and make everyone who walks by smile.

Making Wrapping Paper With Kids

Turn an afternoon of art into a useful project by asking your little ones to help make wrapping paper. Any medium will do, colored pencils, markers or crayons work great if you’re short on time. Let them paint if you have the time to let it dry. Pre-wrap the gift and let them draw, even glue things to it.

Large rolls of plain paper are great to have on hand for projects like this. Ikea has cute easels for $14.99 and paper rolls for $4.99. The paper is great on the easel, but can also be used as base for other projects. Reuse that piece of paper a couple of times and it can also be turned in to wrapping paper. Add ribbon, gift tag and stamp for a truly personalized package.

If you’re thinking of using a existing piece of artwork from their enormous stack of artwork make sure you ask your little one first. You want them to be excited not devastated that you are using their artwork. And even though you may think their blue and red blobs look alike, there’s a little artist in your house that thinks differently.

Save Money on Greeting Cards

There some beautiful greeting cards being created today, but having the perfect card for every occasion can be difficult and expensive. By having a personalized rubber stamp and a few gift tags on hand (you can also make you own gift tags) you can always be ready for any event. 

Birthday, wedding, new baby, new home or graduation gifts can all be ready at a drop of a stamp. You never have to make a special trip to pick up a greeting card, just stamp on one side and write a note on the other. Use a gift tag instead of greeting cards and the stamp pays for itself in seven or less uses.

New Designs

We are using our Etsy shop to test out some new designs. Here are our latest, a new birds with heart from stamp and a dog print new address stamp set.

As always we’d love to hear what you think. Comment or email us at ideas@butterflyfly.com.

Handmade From Little Ones

Handmade is not reserved to the many talented people on Etsy. It can easily extend to your budding artists at home. No matter how young, chances are they love to create and they love to give.

On her blog, My Favorite Everything, Shanna Coady had her two little ones paint rocks and a pot for their grandpa’s birthday. The joy it will bring to grandpa every time he sees them in his garden and the thrill the kids will have when they visit their creation in use, proves art projects don’t need to be complicated to be great. Gift tags, a from the family stamp and accent stamp gives it a polished presentation.

‘Handmade’ can be a cheat. Here the wooden bird houses were bought at Jo-Ann’s for a dollar each. The three year old who painted them for his grandmas doesn’t consider them a handmade stretch. In his world these are masterpieces marked with his seal of approval- his name stamp on gift tags. A simple name stamp works great as a sign off or the word ‘handmade’ can be added to many of our name stamps. Check out our handmade stamp collection for more ideas.

Find Free Inspiration

Butterfly Fly is based in Chicago, where there is a wealth of free days at our many museums. The Art Institute, Museum of Contemporary Art, The Field Museum, Shedd Aquarium, Adler Planetarium, Museum of Science and Industry, The Peggy Notebaert Nature Museum and Chicago Children’s Museum all offer free days throughout the year. The Chicago Public Library also offers museum passes for free admission that you can checkout for a week at a time.

With kids, don’t worry about seeing everything in the museum, just spend time in the areas they find interesting. It may be a Miro painting, the jellyfish, stegosaurus bones, or an upside down prop-plane. Often a museum visit makes for great dinner conversation, and may spark a special trip to the library for books on a subject or even inspire an art project.

Free outdoor concerts are a wonderful gift that come with nicer weather. Millennium Park offers lots of free concerts- great for picnic dinners. Old Town School of Folk Music offers free children’s concerts in the summer mornings in Millennium Park. And many of the Chicago Parks have free concerts throughout the summer featuring a very wide range of musical styles.

Old paper towel rolls transform into a number of pretend instruments and for older children chop sticks work well for drumsticks or a conducting baton. An inspired 'musical performance' can continue for days after- sometimes weeks.

Be sure to check with the museums, city and parks around where you live for free opportunities and get inspired!