...are not all created equal.

The brand we have been stocking, Aleene’s has turned out to be a disappointment.

One customer put a very kind spin on the whole issue. She said that we should definitely keep it on the shelves, but just be sure to explain that it’s a great glue for those who want their items to be repositionable....like a post-it. Not exactly what the average customer is looking for in a “permanent” adhesive spray.

We did a little research and have come up with what we hope will be a satisfying substitute.



If Real Simple loves it, then we’re very optimistic that we will too.

If you have experienced any problems with Aleene’s Spray Adhesive, please bring in your can and we will either refund you or supply you with a can of Elmer’s.

Guess what?! Our window graphics were installed today!


Fast Signs did the job (after Gretchen Lewis and Julie Neil worked their usual magic - brilliantly designing the whole look) and they are really great. And fast.



Installation...













The finished product...

We don’t have an FAQ page on this website (yet), but a few questions/comments have come up recently that we thought we should address.


Your prices seem quite reasonable!

Yes, our prices are quite reasonable. Thanks for noticing!

Our policy is to use the standard mark-up equation (a simple doubling of the wholesale price), but very often we mark up even less than that. For example, if our distributor charges us $2.50 for an item that normally sells in stores/online for $5.00, we will frequently price the item at $4.75 or less, depending...

And while this is not a “Our Prices Can’t Be Beat” kind of thing, we do firmly believe that it is each customer’s inalienable right to own plenty of thread/glitter/paint/yarn/glue and we don’t want any “boutique” prices to stand in the way of you stocking up your craft corner.


In that spirit, stay tuned for BIG news about our fabric sale...


Hint #1: March. All month long.



Hint #2: ALL fabric = $5/yard.



Do you offer discounts to teachers/students/artists?

Right now, no, we don’t, since our prices are pretty good (see above), but we are not ruling it out for the future.


Can I have my child’s birthday party at your store?

We hate to sound like party-poopers, but, at least for the time being, we have to say no. Our experience with hosting birthday parties is that they are darn expensive and in order for it to be even mildly profitable for us, we have to charge a fortune (to cover: materials, staff time, prep time, clean-up time, etc.)! And that just seems wrong and weird for a kids’ birthday party. Until we can figure out a more economical and streamlined way to go about it, we’ll just have to put these kinds of events on hold. So sorry about that.


Would you be interested in donating to our organization’s fundraiser?

Most likely, yes! As long as you don’t mind a gift basket donation rather than a gift certificate. We have found that putting together a basket, toolbox (or other cute container) filled with a lovely assortment of goodies that we carry in the store is a great way for us to give back to the community while letting people know who we are and what we’re all about. We’re happy to tailor the contents according to your particular audience as well. Just let us know.





And NOW, we have a question or two for you.


Do you think Once Around should be open from 10-6 instead of 11-6? Just wondering.


What is your top, #1, “I can’t wait to sign up” dream topic for an art/craft class?
Sewing? Knitting? Painting? Basket Weaving?


When is the best/easiest time for you to come to a class?
Evenings? Saturday mornings? Midday?


What is another area of arts/crafts supplies you would like to see us stock? Quilling? Weaving? Mosaics?


If you feel so inclined, please send us an email with your answers.


Thanks, everyone!

The refreshments...






Treats for the attendees...






“What’s New in Knitting?” bowl offers a sneak peek at just-in goods...





Nothing left to do now, but wait...

A few images from our collection of Valentine’s Day treats...

I got a call from Madelinetosh today.

Seems our order has gone into production.

Great news, but we will still have to be patient as all of their yarn is dyed-to-order.

Just about 6 weeks until our beauties are shipped.

For now, drool over these photos...

On the cash/wrap, right where you check out, we have these little suggestion sheets.




Many of our customers avail themselves of these forms and give us helpful ideas for new products to carry.

“Arts and Crafts” is a pretty broad category and we rely on our varied community to keep us fresh.

In other words, keep them coming!

Besides, it’s fun to make a suggestion, because when you’re done, you get to fold it in half and “drop” it in the cutest mailbox you’ve ever seen.





I’ve hung on to every single one of these sheets, by the way, and I review them all the time when placing new orders.




My goal is to move all of your suggestions to the “done” pile.

I just got around to downloading the latest batch of photos from my camera to my laptop.

I came across this one from our company holiday party, and it made me chuckle a little.

In addition to me and Juliet (who are most definitely “grown-ups,” by the way), there is an army of high schoolers that works here. Makes for an interesting “party” (Martinelli’s is as exciting as it gets with this crowd... much to their disappointment??) with sometimes startling (but always fascinating) conversation and a brilliant “Secret Santa” exchange.





Love these girls.

Have you been in to check these out yet?



If you haven’t, you might want to.

We’re calling it the Crafter’s Toolbox.

Imagine the buttons, tools, thread, knitting needles, glitter tubes, ribbon spools and glue sticks you could store in one of these.

In addition to the striped pattern shown here, it also comes in a woodgrain pattern (I have that one) and plain old white....BUT not plain at all since has a finish that allows you to color, paint, stamp and otherwise decorate your box.

Alice Supply Co., you are really the best.

Check out this article about Joyce Goode, future teacher of our Quilting Series.

She’s such an accomplished artist and we are so fortunate to have her!

I didn’t get a chance to post this entry on Saturday, so this update is a couple of days old (still fresh, though!) ...


Hello from Long Beach! I’m here attending the winter trade show for The National Needlearts Association.

For those who aren’t familiar with the trade show experience, it’s an opportunity for store owners (it’s not open to the public) to check out suppliers, see new products before they hit the market and shop, shop, shop.

Today I spent 6 hours trudging around the big ol’ Long Beach Convention Center, and I did all of the above. It was awesome.

Here are some notable highs and lows from my adventure:

HIGH - Scoring Madelinetosh yarn! Some of you have been requesting (shall we say, clamoring?) for this yarn for quite a while now. We looked into ordering some, but were told that the company wasn’t accepting any new wholesale customers. Well, today, this first day of the show, I showed up at Madelintosh right away and it turns out they ARE taking new accounts. We were their first new customer of the day. Worth the wait? Oh, yeah. This yarn is b-e-a-u-t-i-f-u-l. Rich, classic, warm, yummy - all those good things.



LOW - While pitching me the virtues of their versatile moisturizing product, the ladies at Bar Maids told me that you can use this stuff all over - hands, cuticles, lips, elbows, feet. Even on frizzies, they exclaimed, looking pointedly at my hair. Sigh. I bought some anyway because their Lo Lo Bars are really great.





HIGH - Interweave Press. I love, love, love this company. Many of you know them for their excellent magazine, Interweave Knits. Lo and behold, they also publish some amazing fine art magazines as well as mags for sewing, beading, paper arts, etc. Time to freshen up our periodical selection, I think. I also ordered so many new books (that you will LOVE) with them that they gave me a nice discount on one of their rotating floor display racks - a classy wooden one.

LOW - California Pizza Kitchen was the grandest cuisine I could find. Better than the other option, though. Hooters.



HIGH - Discovering AK Traditions. This company sells the most adorable, high quality doll kits. They’re the American Girl dolls of the DIY world. Although this photo shows knitted accessories for the dolls, they also offer patterns for sewn clothing, bags and other goodies.



LOW - While I was waiting to place an order with the amazing glass button maker from Moving Mud, I overheard a customer grill her about the name of her company. “What does it mean?” “Where did she get it?” “Why did she pick it?” After the customer left, she and I bonded a little bit over the company-names-that-people-don’t-like-very-much issue. Not unlike our store name, she explained that “Moving Mud” has many meanings for her (gardening, the mud that literally needs to be moved in making glass, etc.) and sort of encompasses her whole life. I sympathized with her that it is difficult to put that sort of thing into a rote response. And we shared our mild disappointment that customers sometimes choose to fixate on this part of our businesses, rather than the goods we are offering. It made me think about all of the other not-obviously-named stores and businesses out there and wonder what their path to name acceptance was like...


In any case, it was a fantastic weekend with the highs far outweighing the “lows.” I loved getting the chance to see and touch all of the new stuff out there and I met some wonderful, warm “industry people.” And this show just covers the world of needlearts!

On my way home, I googled other trade shows and booked myself a ticket for the Craft & Hobby Association trade show at the end of the month.

Now I’m just thinking of asking the gas station next door if they wouldn’t mind vacating so we can expand our retail floor space a tiny bit?