buzzville

superbuzzy news!

I just wanted to post a quick note to mention that the superbuzzy site will be down for a little while today (should be no more than 2 hours), while I upgrade to add some nice new features. After the upgrade, we'll be working on an update with lots of fun new products, as well as some restocking of some sold-out favorites (yay!). If you're already a newsletter subscriber, you should get an email announcing the update, and Mariko and I will also make quick blog posts when everything is ready for shopping! Sorry for any inconvenience with the site being down, but I think the upgrades will make things easier for all of us!

Bubblejet madness!

Hmmmm, it would seem that working, trying to help run a new business, being a full-time mom, taking 2 classes, trying to maintain some semblance of a relationship with my husband, and avoiding a total disaster in our house seems to be getting in the way of blogging lately. And that's a real bummer because I do love blogging... So, I'm trying to re-prioritize, reorganize, and re-think how I'm going about time management these days, and I hope to make some headway! I'm posting far too infrequently for my taste, and I hope I can find a way to change that very soon!

Today's post is a bit of a teaser, but I'm hoping it will be a bit fun anyway! I spent a few hours last week making the latest little promotional items for superbuzzy orders (the keychains are all gone for now!), and had a ton of fun. Our house seems to be regularly invaded by swarms of bees these days, but this swarm was particularly endearing! I printed bees on our printer using fabric that had been pre-treated with Bubble Jet Set:

 

and I cut the little guys into patches:

I'm hoping these will be fun for folks to use as appliques or patchwork pieces on different projects... What do you think? Any suggestions/requests for future promotional gifts?

As an aside, I hope to add a tutorial soon for those of you who may be interested in using Bubble Jet Set, but haven't yet tried it.

Mariko and I are on the edge of our seats waiting for a big order to arrive, so we hope to have an update by this weekend! Stay tuned, and sign up for the newsletter if you haven't already!

pssst!

I hear there's an update with fresh new products over at superbuzzy... click on over if you're interested!

We sent out a newsletter, so if you didn't get it and you think you're supposed to, let us know so that we can figure out what might be going wrong!

Shop Update!

Yay! I know many of you have been waiting to hear news of the latest superbuzzy arrivals, and I'm happy to say they're up and ready! From the much anticipated hedgehogs, to fantastic lampwork beads, to cozy flannel for fall projects, we think there's something for everyone!

We've also been refining the site a bit, and we've added a Buzzy Friends Gallery where we'd love to feature pictures of your finished projects made using superbuzzy stuff! So, please let us know if you'd like to have your photos added to the gallery. We've also set up a superbuzzy flickr group, and we'd like to invite you to join!

As always, please let us know if you have any questions, suggestions, or just want to chat! I'm having some technical difficulties with the newsletter, but I hope to get it out asap for all the non-blog readers.

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.