This class will be offered not once, but TWICE over the course of our Felt Club: XL Summer event! Class schedules and sign-up info will be posted on our website and blog within the next week, so stay tuned.

I came home from a busy day running around town attending to Felt Club business and found our loyal mascot, Gluey Gluerson, lazing about on the couch watching Judge Judy! I guess he needs his rest for the upcoming XL Summer show, where you'll all be able to meet him in person. But still...he should at least help me pick up around here a little before sitting on his plush little butt all day! What nerve!!

Gluey Gluerson was created by my husband Johnny, and was brought to life by Heidi Kenney. Thanks to you both!

Be sure to keep an eye on our Flickr pool, where we'll be posting near-daily SNEAK PEEKS of door prizes and swag bag goodies. There's some amazing stuff showing up on my doorstop every single day from folks like Subversive Cross Stitch, Charcoal Designs, Jaime Zollars, Michelle Caplan, Sublime Stitching, CRAFT magazine, Chronicle Books, Naughty Secretary Club, Aranzi Aronzo and many more!

Anyone even slightly involved in the craft world has heard about Sublime Stitching by now, and there's a very good reason for that. Jenny Hart's offbeat embroidery company has played a huge role in revitalizing a craft (and a craft "scene") once thought of as stodgy and old-fashioned. Her playful, kitschy designs gave hip stitchers a much-needed alternative to the traditional geese-in-bonnet patterns that had been the norm for oh, so very long.

Sublime Stitching is six years old now (!) and Jenny has created countless cool designs—from mexican wrestlers to sushi to lightning bolts and guitars—and she's also got great books and kits under her belt. The fun just keeps on comin' with Sublime Stitching, and we're psyched to have them as a sponsor! What does all this mean for you? Well, if you're one of the first 250 people through the door, you will receive a free pack of Sublime Stitching embroidery transfer patterns in your goody bag! If I were you, I'd get in line now...

Read it and weep, anyone who isn't planning to be in L.A. on July 15!

More classes to be listed soon, plus times & info on how to sign up. Stay tuned to this here blog for the latest and greatest!

Today I drove out to Sherman Oaks to visit Andrea Spyros, owner of the fantastic store Handmade Galleries. I had heard a lot about the space from friends and acquaintances (words like "fabulous" were bandied about), but this was my first in-person visit to the store, and I was (as predicted) blown away. Handmade is a whopping 5,000 square feet, which are divided up into booths and rented out to an astounding array of artists and crafters. Their selection of handmade gifts is rounded out with fun stuff like Pacifica candles, kitschy magnets and greeting cards, vintage clothing and much more. The staff is super sweet and welcoming, just ask all the peeps who have given them glowing reviews on Yelp!

Click here to check out an entire Flickr set of photos I snapped during my visit to the store. There's some adorable stuff there for sure!

Handmade Galleries is a proud sponsor of our Felt Club: XL Summer event, and will have a table there on July 15. But you can also visit them year-round here:

Handmade Galleries, Inc.
14556 Ventura Blvd.
Sherman Oaks, CA 91403
Phone: 818-382-3444

Store Hours
Monday - Saturday 11-8
Sunday 12-6

Many thanks to everyone who stopped by Whole Foods Market (3rd & Fairfax) on Saturday! We had so much fun meeting y'all and teaching you to make all-natural bath products. Whole Foods is definitely a treasure trove of ingredients for such an endeavor...from the bulk oatmeal to apricot kernel oil to super-fragrant organic cinnamon—they even had powdered goat milk, which we used in bath salts and milk bath concoctions! We made so many batches of sugar and salt scrubs that we didn't even get a chance to take photos until after everyone had left. Oops! Still, you can check out some photos of our scrubs, salts, and tub tea creations in our Flickr pool.

Right now we're super-busy prepping for the XL Summer show, but we'll definitely keep you posted on our next crafty demo at Whole Foods. We have a lot of fun stuff in the works for the remainder of 2007...so stay tuned!

Surely by now you folks know about Subversive Cross Stitch...? It's your one-stop shop for hilariously sassy cross-stitch kits and supplies. Sometimes profane, seriously sarcastic, yet always cute, you definitely know a Subversive Cross Stitch piece when you see it. They've even got books, posters, and notecards, all emblazoned with their funny, crafty mottos so you can enjoy them in various formats, not only on samplers hung on your wall. Too cute! Julie Jackson, the gal behind the biz, keeps an amusing blog as well. She's also kicked in 250 of these adorable pins (see below), which will be included in each of the swag bags we're giving away at our XL Summer event! Get there early to nab one, and stay tuned to the blog for more sneak peeks at the fun donations from our sponsors.

Hoo-boy, folks...if you're an L.A. resident, prepare to be thrilled! The swell folks at Oilcloth International are gearing up for their biannual Warehouse Sale this weekend and it promises to be a big to-do (it even got a mention in Ciudad magazine). I've attended in the past and came out with more amazing oilcloth goodies than I could carry! Super cute and colorful wipe-clean kid's art smocks, tablecloths, baby bibs, and much more. I even scored some matching, strawberry-speckled cozies for my KitchenAid stand mixer and blender! The prices are outta sight and the adorable factor is at 11. My advice? Go early, and bring lots of cash. Here's the scoop:

OILCLOTH INTERNATIONAL

SATURDAY, JUNE 16TH FROM 9 AM TILL 2 PM

134 N. AVENUE 61, #101 (NEAR YORK AND FIGUEROA BELOW THE LIBRARY)

LOS ANGELES - IN HIGHLAND PARK - THE OLD GARVANZA
CASH AND LOCAL CHECKS ONLY - NO CREDIT CARDS
INFO@OILCLOTH.COM FOR ANY DETAILS

LOTS OF TABLECLOTHS BY THE POUND, ROLLS OF YARDAGE, "SECONDS" CHEAP, VARIOUS PRODUCTS SUCH AS TOTES, APRONS, PLACEMATS, LUNCHBAGS, COSMETIC BAGS - MOST SLIGHT SECONDS AND SOME FIRSTS..

COME EARLY FOR BEST SELECTION AND COOLER WEATHER! GET YOUR SUMMER TABLECLOTHS FOR PICNICS, CAMPING AND KIDS PROJECTS.

Our friends at The Little Knittery have something great going on this Thursday (and again on Thursday, June 28), so if you're in L.A., be sure to check it out. To quote their most recent newsletter:

This is a reminder to let you know that this Thursday, June 14th and Thursday, June 28th from 7 - 9 p.m. I will be hosting a knit together for The Mother Bear Project. If you are interested in stopping by, please give us a call at 323.660.0294, or reply to this email (newsletter AT the littleknittery DOT com).

Learn to knit a simple teddy bear which will brighten the life of children in Africa, many of whom are affected by HIV/AIDS. Receive 40% off yarn purchased for this project. There is a $3 shipping donation per bear you make plus a flat $5 to purchase the pattern from the Mother Bear Project (which also helps them raise money). I will also provide a selection of free yarn ends. For more information on the Mother Bear Project, go here: http://www.motherbearproject.org/

The bear pattern is very simple, and can be knit by even a beginner knitter, so tell you friends.

Handmade Galleries is an amazing 5,000 square foot store in Sherman Oaks filled to the brim with artist-crafted gifts and collectibles. We couldn't ask for a better (or more appropriate!) sponsor for our XL Summer event! A little later this month, we'll be sharing some fun photos from inside the store with you—but right now, we wanted to let you know about an important event they're throwing on Sunday, June 10, from 1-5pm.

They're holding a Bone Marrow Registration Drive/Benefit with City of Hope. It only takes 15 minutes to register as a bone marrow donor, and you could end up saving a life. There will be live musical entertainment, and artists will be on hand creating stuff live and in person! A portion of the day's profits will go into a fund for Jack McCullough, Handmade's very first vendor. If you'd like more info on the event or on Handmade in general, check out their site.

Handmade Galleries
14556 Ventura Blvd.
Sherman Oaks, CA 91403
Phone: 818-382-3444

Wanna learn to make all-natural bath products from organic goodies you can find at the grocery store? Head on over to the Whole Foods Market at 3rd and Fairfax this Saturday, where Felt Club crafters will teach you to make (and take!) skin-softening sugar and salt scrubs, tub teas, and other useful and wonderful-smelling bath time delights. We'll be crafting our hearts out from 1 'til 4pm (or whenever we run out of olive oil and fresh-cut mint!). Hope to see you there!

Click here for store info and directions.

...LA's very own hometown treasure, Mr. Charles Phoenix! Appearing live at Felt Club: XL Summer! Thrill to his crafty musings as he works the mic, and delight yourselves with door prizes handed over by America's most beloved "histo-tainer"!

If you're new to the world of Charles Phoenix (for shame!), check out his retro-kooky website here. Take a gander at this amazing video from his "Disneyland Tour of Downtown Los Angeles", too, and behold the wonder. Viva Phoenix!

I kept seeing folks wearing these mega-cute chocolate-and-pink CRAFT magazine teeshirts when visting Maker Faire a few weeks ago, so I just had to snag one for myself. Turns out they're available online too, in the Maker Store. Highly recommended, especially for only $14.99!