or, at least, that’s what they say. and admittedly, i don’t care much. because i like to tease. Or at least show a little teaser of what I have been working on. maybe if we call it crafteasing it might sound a little better. what do you think?

right. moving on.

i have been working my little fingers to the bone trying to prepare for the craftacular artists market at SSW Exposed that’s happening on july 10th, 11th and 12th. [yep, a 3-day craft binge!!].

and in doing so, i’ve come up wtih a new line of recycled notepads. i have made them before. and do sell them from time to time. but this is the first time in subu history that they are refillable. yes, that’s right. REfillable.

and because i love showing off my crappy camera pictures of my work, here’s a little teaser of the notepads:

i’ve also been playing around with a new craft: flower ribbons. remember that tutorial i posted a few days ago? well…it’s damn addictive. and i love how they turn out.

see:

now i just have to figure out if i love them enough to start selling them. i could be persuaded either way at this point. [a shameless attempt for feedback]

i saw that someone came to find the blog recently by searching the following:

what gag gift to give to a detail oriented person

aside from being an incredibly detailed search, i thought it was a bit odd. but, being the smartass helper that i am, decided to give some suggestions. you know, in case they didn’t find what they were looking for the first time around.

gag gifts for a detail oriented person

+ a watch with no second or minute hand
+ the complete works of shakespeare, cliff’s notes version
+ a fat stick of charcoal
+ a watercolor set with only really broad brushes

many thanks to @andybotpgh and @anthonycloskey for your (t)witty responses!

feel free to leave more suggestions. i promise to add them to the list!

in my quest to find some seriously awesome felt pins, i began to stumble across some great tutorials and craft projects that involved felt, paper, ribbon, fabric, and well…you get the idea.

here are some of my favorites:

+ paper flower tutorial
+ raggy flower tutorial
+ felt dandelion tutorial
+ frayed fabric flower tutorial
+ ribbon flower tutorial
+ felted pin cushion
+ mushroom spool pincushion
+ babyfood jar pincushion
+ bottle cap pincushion

i’m sure there are a gazillion more.

feel free to leave your favorite crafty tutorial in the comments. inquiring minds want to know.

i know that my felt obsession has taken on a seemingly large focus lately. and maybe it has. but i totally want to learn how to make all of these amazing things.

this adorable apple pin cushion by posh plushies is no exception. makes me want to take up sewing so i could have an excuse to use something like this.

keystoneedge, a great website about the, er…keystone state, shared the latest video in it’s Young Entrepreuner series today.

if you haven’t guessed by the title of this post, the video is about Carrie Nardini and the always fabulous I Made It! Market.

check out the video here. and make sure to pass it along to everyone you know.

oh, and if you are watching carefully enough, you will see a little glimpse of a recycled notebook, and a smiling mug shot of yours truly. don’t you just love cameo appearances?

to share where the obsession with felt brooches began. and it was with the gal that was sitting across from me at handmade arcade last year: the littlest bean.

i was drawn to her color choices first, but was impressed by the handiwork. i actually bought two because i couldn’t decide which one i wanted! they were that good. and honestly, i wish i had purchased more.

here is a smattering of her pins:

i would also encourage you to check out her blog. it’s a good read and has lots of purdy pictures.

apparently the theme this week is felt. and i’m okay with that. are you?

i heart this:

a summer day – recycled wool brooch – stacked hearts by lil fish studios