Sock and Underwear Party

This party was technically a 40th birthday party, but you could easily throw a Socks and Underwear Party anytime for no particular reason. What is a Socks and Underwear Party you ask? Instead of guests bringing gifts, flowers or a bottle of wine, they bring new socks, underwear, t-shirts, toothbrushes, toothpaste, deodorant, razors and anything else that a local shelter might be in need of. This party was to benefit REST, a Chicago organization that helps transition the homeless to being housed.

The socks and underwear idea made for a fun theme. Here is a free download of the invitation art without text.  It is sized to work with an A2 envelope.

A clothesline banner was hung around the fence along the garden. Tabs were added to the artwork from the invitations and enlarged, then printed onto heavy white cardstock. A free download of the banner art is available here. Thick string from the hardware store makes a great clothesline and is inexpensive.

For the children’s table there were goodies to go with the theme. Bubbles had their own special washtub wrap, which is also available in a free download. Cookies, sock puppets and crayons all sat on a table covered with a plain paper canvas.

The cookies were a party gift for kids and adults alike. We made two separate stamps for the gift tag, so that they could be used in different ways throughout the party. Interested in having your own clothesline stamp? Please convo us at our Etsy site so that we can create a custom listing for you at a discounted rate. The cookies were a simple sugar cookie made with a fun t-shirt cookie cutter. The forty artwork is completely edible. You can put just about anything on an edible sticker- but don’t keep your finished product sitting out in the sun all day.

The sock puppets were from Puppets by Margie. We kept the puppets simple and unisex, but Margie also offers different hair options and embellishments. For older children, decorating and customizing their own puppet would be a great party activity.

Once you have a rubber stamp the possibilities are endless. Food descriptors are a nice addition but they also help people with allergies or food restrictions navigate a buffet easily. The clothespins were a fun touch and also came in handy to keep the tablecloth weighted down.

The cake could have been prettier, but it could not have tasted better. It’s a simple yellow cake with butter cream frosting using recipes from the Magnolia Bakery Cookbook. Given a little extra time the clothes would have looked great cut out of a thin fondant or piped with royal icing for a smoother look. Somehow there were no complaints. 

We’re a fan of the plain big box here at Butterfly Fly. This one was decorated with a few blue clothing cutouts to create a place for guests to put their ‘gifts.’  

And finally we used the stamp a few more times for thank you notes on both the flat notecard and the envelope. The stamp could also be used for the invitations- but even a rubber stamp company doesn’t always plan that far ahead!

Hope this inspires you to look around your community and find an organization that might be in need of some very basic supplies. With a fun idea and a few simple, inexpensive decorations, you can help others while having a great time with friends.

Back to School in Handmade Style

Stacks of back to school supplies have filled every corner of just about every store. A box of crayons for 25 cents can be such a thrill, but try looking outside of the big box stores for some of your items. There are so many fabulous handmade artists creating one of a kind products to make your little ones feel extra special. Here are just a few ideas to get you started.

Child Owl Backpack by Little Sprout Baby, Sky Fun Little Boys Messenger Bag by Mee a Bee, Little Explorer's Bag by Gypsy Forest, Alphabet Crayons by burlap + blue, In Touch Clutch by Downstairs Designs, Elephant Pouch by a. e. wilder, Eco Friendly Ladybird Lunch bag by JB world, Reusable Snack Baggies by BananaSaurus Rex, Reusable Sandwich Eco Bag by Zummi

For teachers looking for their own back to school goodies, be sure to check out our personalized teacher and bookplate stamps and start the school year with handmade style.

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

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.