buzzville

back in the saddle again

After an insanely hectic week last week, I think I'm settling into a more normal routine. I never thought I would be a "webmaster", and boy do I have a lot more sympathy for those folks now! Despite the insanity, we're thrilled at all of the support and nice words everyone has given us throughout the process, and we're thinking hard about how to make superbuzzy as much fun as possible for everyone. Thanks again for all of your suggestions and ideas - we are trying to figure out how to offer Japanese magazines and craft books, but we want to be sure that we can price them reasonably, and that has been the trick so far. We'll keep you updated on that front, you can be sure!

We should have an update with new items ready by the end of next week, and we placed some *huge* orders today for new stock that should arrive in mid-October. 

I did get some crafting in this weekend... namely the first official promo gift for the shop! Starting in September, all superbuzzy orders will ship with one of these little cuties (while supplies last!):

I made these using ink jet shrink plastic and then added the jump rings and key rings. I also coated each one with clear sealant, so they should be "weather-proof".

Ok, enough shop business for now... Next post there will be no shop stuff - promise!

excitement, gratitude, stress...

Wow! Phew! and Eek!  I think those 3 phrases just about sum up the roller coaster of emotions I've been going through since opening superbuzzy on Monday... We are totally overwhelmed by how incredible you have been by leaving comments of support, visiting the site and sending us awesome notes, spending your hard earned cash, and being *ultra* patient with us as we worked out several bugs that were tremendously annoying! I think Mariko put it perfectly in her post when she wrote that superbuzzy is as much your shop as it is ours, and we truly believe that. A few of you have already been writing to us with requests and suggestions, and I say keep them coming! We'd love to hear what kinds of things you would like to see at superbuzzy, and we want to make the site as friendly and fun as possible.

In addition to a bunch of new products on their way, we've got some other fun things up our sleeves as well. We're thinking of adding a Vintage section to the store, which would include vintage fabrics, notions, patterns, and other crafty goodies. We'd also like to offer free projects and downloads for you to have fun with, and we're hoping to get some samples made from our fabrics and supplies so that you can get a better idea what might be possible.

And, just because I have been doing some non-superbuzzy shopping (don't tell Jerry!), did you all see that the Fat Quarter Shop has Denyse Schmidt's Flea Market Fancy fabrics on sale? Run, don't walk!

Big News!

It's time for me to confess that I have been keeping a secret from all of you for a long time - over a year. It's been a very tough secret to keep, and I have been close to spilling the goods many times. But, today is the day when I can finally make the announcement and introduce my biggest WIP yet!

You know how some things were just meant to go together... like peanut butter and jelly, wine and cheese, campfires and s'mores... Well, today is the big day for the best pairing yet - a special collaboration between super eggplant and buzzville! You see, Mariko and I started talking a while back about awesome Japanese fabrics, and what a shame it was that they're nearly impossible (or at least ridiculously expensive) to get our hands on. We schemed and planned, made new friends, traveled a bit, and learned a lot. After hundreds of email messages and phone calls, many longs hours of work, and becoming more than just a bit familiar with scanners, web development, and Illustrator, we bring you:

We think that superbuzzy.com will be your best source for the cutest craft supplies, including fabric, notions, and lots of other fun stuff.

But, all of this could not and would not have been possible without the help of some fantastic and savvy crafty friends. You see, superbuzzy's first purchases were sought out and hand selected in Japan by the incredible Molly and Jan, and they have been constant resources for us throughout the development process. We've also found a tremendous ally in Kat who has helped us locate resources in Japan, navigate our way through details of Japanese business, and been available at any moment to answer loads of random questions. Huge thanks to these 3 fabulous, crafty women for supporting our venture and helping it become real.

I hope you have a few moments to check out the site and let us know what you think. Although we've tested and tested, we've probably missed something, so do let us know if you find anything weird on the site. If you're interested in finding out about new items, just create an account and sign up to receive our newsletter. We're expecting 2 big shipments in the next month, so there will be even more eye candy very soon.

New Amy Butler book

Amy Butler's new book, In Stitches, arrived in yesterday's mail, and I have to say that I am pleasantly surprised. The book definitely has a bit of what I expected (patchwork throws, placemats, etc.), but also a number of fun projects that I wasn't expecting. I'm going to post a few pictures here for those who may still be sitting on the fence about getting the book for themselves.

The book is spiral bound so that it lays flat, and this is pretty handy when you're trying to follow pattern instructions. The inside of the front cover has a built-in sleeve that contains all the pattern pieces for the projects. The book is divided into 6 sections, with a total of 27 projects. I won't list them all here, but if you want a complete list, send me an email.

Here are some of my favorites after a first glance:

short pleated apron - of course, she probably knew she had to include an apron, but this one is cute and simple

I'm pretty excited about making a fabric "document duvet" - fun to think about carrying around boring paperwork in a pretty folder, rather than a boring manila one!

a cute little patchwork box bag... I've been wanting to make one of these, and this one looks just right!

love this kimono-inspired lounge robe - it could be lined for colder weather, or just as-is for warmer weather...

I can see that these lounge pants, combined with the kimono robe, could easily become my working-at-home uniform!

this one really made me laugh - a kitty tunnel! If your cats are anything like ours, they're always hiding in boxes or paper grocery bags... I bet they'd really love a soft, cozy kitty tunnel!

I expected potholders, but I like this design with the flaps so that it can be held like a glove without risking a burn. I see many holiday gifts emerging from this one...

I know there are loads of new crafty books on the horizon, so I'm really happy when I see that the new books are not just re-hashing the same old projects. Has anyone already conquered one of the projects from this book?

weekend fun!

It's funny (or maybe not so funny) that except on extremely rare occasions, I really don't have the opportunity to socialize with anyone but a 3-year old and brief moments with my husband. I think this is why I had such a fantastic time hanging out at Felt Club on Saturday. I jumped at the chance when Teresa asked if anyone could help her out at the show that day, and I'm *so* glad I did! Rather than helping out, I think I basically just chatted and smiled and marveled at how fun it was to be social again... I really need to get out more! Not only did I get to hang out with Teresa, but I also made a new crafty friend (hi Rose!), and we're hoping to meet up again.

Felt Club was held in the rear parking lot at Meltdown Comics on Sunset, and I was a little worried about spending hours in the hot sun. But Teresa was a genius and had a huge aqua umbrella at the ready, and we managed to stay relatively cool in the shade all day. Speaking of Teresa, have you seen her incredible stuff lately? Her shop is closed right now because she's getting some well-deserved vacationing at the moment, but she'll be back in business by September 1 with a big update. It was truly a pleasure to sit next to her and see how happy and excited everyone gets when they see her cute stuff in person - she is such a talented woman! Here is her booth in the morning before all of her stuff got snatched up:

Felt Club itself was a lot of fun too - nice people, great crafts, and well organized. This was the last Felt Club to be held outside at Meltdown - starting in September it will take place indoors at The Echo on the second Sunday of the month. I was lucky to be at this particular Felt Club because it was joined by YarisWorks for more fun. YarisWorks sponsored 3 crafty workshops (spinning, making shrinky-dinks, and needle felting) and supplied free ice cream from the tricked-out Yaris ice cream car:

After I finished helping out at Felt Club, I did a little shopping at Meltdown and picked up the cutest shirt ever for Brynne:

and here's the back:

Yeah, Japanese shirts in English are probably the coolest!

Since I was already in LA, I also had to go down to Sawtelle to browse at Giant Robot and the Asahiya bookstore. While there, I discovered that a new pastry shop had opened up just below Asahiya - Beard Papa! Beard Papa is a Japanese chain that specializes in cream puffs. I'm normally not much of a cream puff type (no naughty or inappropriate puns intended!), but when I walked by and saw that one of the daily flavors was green tea (!), I just had to pick some up to bring home:

and inside:

Although the packaging is super cute, and I love the *idea*, I think I confirmed that cream puffs just aren't for me... but, if you're a fan, you may need to stop by a Beard Papa to check these out. We sampled the vanilla, chocolate, and green tea varieties.

Now, how can I make every day as fun as Saturday? Maybe I just need to work on that intentional living a bit more...

WIP Friday - fall sweater for B

Despite appearances, I haven't (yet) forgotten my newly acquired skill: knitting. In fact, just yesterday I managed to run out to my lys to pick up some circulars for a new project. Amazingly, I was spot on with my gauge swatch, and I actually managed to cast on and get a few rows completed last night!

I'm attempting this cute, but basic sweater from the Debbie Bliss Home book for my little munchkin. I snatched up a bunch of the cotton denim aran in this maroon/navy color on super sale a while back, and it's going to be the perfect fall sweater if I can manage to speed through it! The picture of the sweater here is a bit hard to see, but I really like the combination of the rolled edge with a bit of ribbing mixed in. Please think positive knitting thoughts for me as I attempt my second garment - eek!

More WIP folks converging over here.

I *heart* craft bloggers

as represented in this jello heart with blueberries... (As an aside, this fun recipe was in the latest issue of Chirp magazine - hands-down our favorite fun magazine for Brynne. It's designed for kids 3-6, and is full of fun stuff: coloring pages, mazes, short stories, games, crafts, etc. Three thumbs up from chez buzzville!)

Ahem - back to why I *heart* craft bloggers... I'm a bit behind on this one, but I've earned my latest merit badge:

Yes, I finally found the time to make the stitch booklet from the latest installment of Amy's incredible mailorder. And that's what made me so shmoopy about all of you - I read what you're all up to - the ups and downs; I'm constantly inspired, amused, and frustrated along with you; and most of all, I'm always blown away by the thoughtfulness and generosity you all show toward your fellow crafters... so cool! I  know you know what I'm talking about!

My completed needlebook case, and

booklet. This oval was just begging for some stitching!

Thanks Amy for being so awesome. Please don't let me forget to subscribe in the fall!

WIP Friday - a new dress?!?

Here it is, another Friday, and I have *so* many works in progress... and let's not even consider the vast number of *thoughts* in progress! I'm inspired to hop on the garment sewing bandwagon I've seen cropping up everywhere in blogland lately, and adding to the inspiration is the fact that the major pattern companies actually seem to have a few decent patterns out there at the moment. Although my tastes constantly vascillate between going retro and modern, I just had to pick up a few patterns reintroduced from Butterick's line in the 1950s. This one is labeled "Fast & Easy", and it really looks that way - no zippers and just 3 pattern pieces! Plus, the the outer seams are finished with bias trim to make everything even simpler... now this is my kind of pattern!

I picked up this fabric because I thought it was sweet and would go well with the style of dress, and I'm making some bias trim in the bright aqua blue color. I haven't found the perfect buttons yet, but I'm on the lookout. I'm hopeful that I may actually be able to finish most of this over the weekend, but it's always so hard to predict what might crop up in the meantime. More wip Friday folks.

oh, my aching feet!

Or at least they were really hurting on Saturday... I spent the entire day pounding the carpeted halls of the LA Convention Center at the California Gift Show. While weaving my way through the seemingly endless maze of vendors, I was fascinated to see the piles of schlock that will be filling our landfills in the next year or two. Consider that many of the "shoppers" at this particular trade show are stocking their Hallmark and tourist gift shops - ugh!

BUT, there were a select few fabulous vendors there (thank you indie crafters!) who were displaying shiny, sparkly wares and were a joy to chat with. You may already know some of these folks, but here's the rundown of my favorites.

http://xyzhandbags.com/  Can you believe that she letterpresses her own papers, and then makes cards and bags out of the papers - so amazing!

http://fluffyco.com/  She does some really great screenprinting on vinyl and tees - love these hummingbird luggage tags!

http://funktionhome.com/  I've blogged about this talented couple before, and it was great to see their work in person. They manage to fit both retro and modern designs into their products, and I can't get enough of their aprons and tea towels!

http://luckylooloo.com/  These Portland-ites have the cutest little 4-month-old boy I've seen in a while! And, they are making some fantastically cool jewelry designs that I'm drooling over. Their website doesn't offer all of their amazing stuff, so see if you can find a shop for even more goodness.

http://redcapcards.com/  Created by another husband/wife team, Redcap Cards has an amazing illustration style (I could make comparisons, but I won't!). I love their cards, but they also have a line of adult and children's tees - don't you love the sea pony?!?

So, this post is my way of sending a little love to these great companies, as opposed to those that were selling freeze dried starfish souvenirs or moose figurines or bedazzled and embroidered sweatshirts from the beach town of your choice.