new year, new hobby?

hey all you crafty (or wannabe crafty) people, stamp club sign-ups are going on now! there are only two spots left, so grab a friend and shoot me an email (theisen(dot)kristi(at)gmail(dot)com) to sign up now!

more details can be found on my fancy new clubs & classes page.

this new page explains how the club works and includes a schedule for both my thursday night & friday night stamp club friends.

hope you can join us!

adorable {and affordable} candles!

After decorating candles recently at both my Corbin classes & Stamp Club meetings, I've had quite a few of you lovely crafty friends tell me you are going to use this technique to make adorable (and affordable!) Christmas gifts this year.

Want to give it a try? Check out this Candle "How To" Tutorial I created just for you last year.




Would you like to make projects like this with me?
I have a new Stamp Club group starting up in January and one more class at Corbin next Saturday 12/11.

Have fun & let me know if you have any questions!

hugs,
kristi

christmas card swap fun!

a huge round of applause for these great ideas created by my fabulous thursday night stamp club group!

jeanne's vintage beauty featuring the bells & boughs set & gold glass glitter.


robbie's rhinestone cutie

miriam & shelby's sweet candy cane card

tracy's adorable snowman card

some of the key items that made these cards so darn cute & really added that extra sparkly punch include Stampin' Up!'s

glass glitter & rhinestone jewels:






as you're thinking of christmas card ideas, remember the online spectacular is over tomorrow! make sure to take advantage of these great deals before they're gone.

hugs,
kristi

'tis the season!

snow is piling up, stampin' up! is having a great online spectacular sale AND handmade holiday bundle offers, and christmas is still a month away, so what better time than now to think about your christmas crafting & card ideas?

here are some cuties my thursday night stamp club recently swapped to help inspire you. i'll share the rest of the swaps and more fun holiday ideas over the next few days & weeks!


meaghan's masterpiece
featuring the vintage bells & boughs set, so pretty!

pam's elegant black & white christmas
using the enchanting dazzling diamonds for the right little touch of bling sophistication!

lynne's adorable ornament card
what a great way to use the punches!

thanks to everyone for the beautiful swap cards, more images coming soon, and remember the online spectacular sale ends on tuesday so shop now to take advantage of these awesome deals!

hugs,
kristi

Online Spectacular!

Great news! With snow filling up the streets & a million things undoubtedly filling up your to do list, the online spectacular comes to the rescue!

This is a one-week sale- so shop now to take advantage of these great deals!

3-2-1.... christmas!

thank you to everyone who came to stamp club & my corbin class this week!

i had a ton of fun getting ready for christmas with you all by making cute cards, gift tags & gift-ables (note: yes, you can keep it for yourself, you don't have to give it away) :) pictures coming soon!!


need some craftin' supplies as we count down to christmas?

check out these great deals on stampin' up! bundled holiday goodies-

please let me know if i can help! theisen(dot)kristi(at)gmail(dot)com.

happy saturday!
kristi

happy halloween!

happy halloween!

here are a few cards to enjoy while you wait for those trick-or-treaters to knock on your door.

halloween is a hoot!
this cutie was made by one of my great stamp club members, pam, using the oh-so-cute owl punch.


spooky, not cute, skull card :)
here's another fun one we made during stamp club. everyone had fun with the rhinestones making their skulls very creepy looking!

happy harvest!
a cutie harvest card that could be used throughout the fall, not just for halloween.

trick-or-treat!
an adorable card made by meaghan, another one of my wonderful stamp club members, using the autumn harvest set (great for thanksgiving, too!)

i've heard stamping is a great way to keep busy & not eat all of that candy before the trick-or-treaters arrive... i've also heard though that chocolate is like fuel to crafters, so go ahead and sneak a piece... or five... i won't tell :)


hugs,
kristi

{spooky}

two things are spooky right now...
1. the fun cards we just made at stamp club. definitely SPOOKY, and not cute. :)
2. the way all of my photos just disappeared off of my computer... AND my back-up external hard-drive. that is spooky and also deserves a {boo}. If I can't show pictures, i can at least impress you with my ability to use puns... right?

anyway, hopefully more pictures coming soon.

in the meantime, i leave you with this link...
please join me!!

come to my *spooky cards & treats* class at corbin art school- register now to reserve your spot!

classes are taught at the beauuuutiful corbin art center, located conveniently on the south hill very close to downtown.




For over fifty years the Center has been providing affordable, quality fine arts and crafts programs. Classes are smaller so you will receive maximum attention from the instructor. Weekday, evening, and Saturday classes and workshops are available for children and adults.

Corbin Art Center programs are developed to foster personal growth; encourage social interaction and skill development; stimulate the imagination in a nurturing atmosphere; and for children, focus on cognitive development and designed to supplement school curriculum.


i hope to see you there!

New Stamp Club starts tomorrow!

I'm so excited to start another new Stamp Club tomorrow night!

If you're new to the group, here are some of the details so you know what to expect:

Benefits you get...
- FREE live monthly card-making classes taught by yours truly :)
Classes (aka club "meetings") typically last about two hours, though sometimes people stick around longer just chatting & admiring their handy work.
- FREE supplies for all projects made during the club "meeting"
We typically make three cards/projects during each meeting, depending on complexity
- FREE fun times with other adults
- FREE 2010-2011 Stampin' Up! Idea Book & Catalog (worth $9.95) & mini catalogs throughout the year
- FREE Hostess goodies- everyone takes a turn at being "hostess" for one month. It's always at my house, so you don't have to worry about cleaning your house or inviting guests, but you still know you're going to get at least a FREE level 1 hostess stamp set and at least $15.00 in FREE merchandise when it's your turn to be hostess for the month.


What you agree to...
- Order a minimum of $20/month in merchandise for the approximately 8 months of this Stamp Club session (the number of months will depend on the number of people that sign up, so if we have 7 people, it will last 7 months, if we have 9 people, it will last 9 months.... get it? :) ). If you can't make it to club in person, please make sure to submit your order to me before the club date to be fair to that month's hostess.
- When it's your turn to be hostess, bring a light snack for the group to enjoy.

That's it! It's such a great way to learn new things and spend time with nice people in a relaxing & fun setting.

The first Stamp Club "Meeting" is set for this Friday, September 10th at my house!

Our group is basically full (yay!), but we might be able to squeeze in another person if you're not already on the list. Please just let me know & I can't wait to see you all tomorrow!



p.s. To my Thursday night Stamp Club group- thanks again for your flexibility & I can't wait to see YOU all on Monday!!

Stamp Club Sneak Peak!

A *sneak peak* showing parts of the fun projects we'll be making this week at Stamp Club!





Want to join in on the fun and make projects like this?? The Thursday night group is full to the max, but I have a new group starting Friday that has one or two open spots still left. Let me know if you'd like to join this new hostess group!

We have a blast learning new things together, laughing, making some great projects, laughing, playing with new stamps & supplies, laughing, building up our personal stamping stash, and did I mention laughing??

See you all soon & grab a spot before the group is full!

New Idea Book & Catalog!!

I hope you all had a great 4th of July weekend spent with the things that matter most.... family, friends and the NEW 2010-2001 IDEA BOOK & CATALOG!!




The moment I saw it, I was in love. SO many great new things...my wish list is a mile long!! Remember to bring your wish list later this week for Stamp Club. I have some new supplies for us to play with and some new techniques to share, too, so it's going to be an exciting session.

See you soon!

crafts melt away the crazies

crazy crazy (did i mention crazy?) day at the ol' day job .... thank goodness for crafty fun with friends to help melt all that away!

oh yes and the NEW 25% and 50% off goodies help me smile, too!

You Scream, I Scream...

...say it with me now... we all scream for ICE CREAM!!

Confession: It doesn't matter how much I'm trying to *watch my figure* ... ice cream will always have a place in my heart.. and my stomach. So, when I saw this:


in the Summer Mini, I knew I had to have it.

What's up with the weird wood-like grainy image and the spotted dashed line like image? No, those are not there by mistake... those are so you can make cute little images that look just about cute enough to eat.

Check this out:




How did I get that awesomely realistic ice cream texture, you may be asking... and beginning to figure out. Well, it's your lucky day because I'm going to tell you:

1. Ink up the scoop with Chocolate Chip ink
2. Ink up the wood-like image with Very Vanilla craft ink
3. Stamp the wood-like image right onto your Chocolate scoop
4. Then stamp the scoop image on lovely Whisper White cardstock and LOOK! You've made realistic looking hard ice cream good enough to eat... or at least drool over.

This is an example of what it looks like without the texture:




And here's an example of using the technique I described above, except with the spotted dashed line like stamp in Chocolate Chip onto a Certainly Celery scoop of ice cream to make a delicious Mint Chocolate Chip scoop.



They all came together to make this simple & sweet little number that I gave Jeanne (one of my lovely Stamp Club members) for her birthday.



Yum yum yum... must go search through the freezer now for something :)

NEW items 25-50% off!!

If you haven't taken a look yet, you are definitely going to want to check out the current *last chance* items that are now 25 & 50% off asap!

Awesome Designer Series Paper, a variety of ribbons & accessories, adorable Princess & Pirate Party Kits & more are on sale WHILE SUPPLIES LAST only.

While you're looking around online, I also suggest checking out the Clearance Rack. There are some killer deals on there with Designer Series Paper packs, Rub-On sheets and Corduroy Button containers for only about $4.

Good luck with your treasure hunting... I hope you find new toys you love!

Extra extra... read all about it!

The "Last Chance" list is up!! These items are only available through the end of this month (or while supplies last) and will all *retire* on June 30th to make way for the new Idea Book & Catalog goodies.

Check it out now & start making your list for next Stamp Club of what you can't live without... as the name implies, this is the LAST CHANCE to get these items, so if you've had your eye on something, now is the time to grab it before it's gone!

i like YOU

Look how fancy I'm getting! You can now "like" my updates & projects just by clicking the little Facebook thumbs up button at the bottom of each post.


Hugs, thumbs ups & happy Saturday to you all!

get your hands on THESE bugs!

At our last Stamp Club there was a request from Miss Ryan (hi, Ryan!) to make "bug" cards in celebration of summer... Such a great idea that provided inspiration for a variety of projects!

Everyone got similar base kits & it was so fun to see how people switched things around to make the designs their own. Here are a few examples of our first card using Bugs & Kisses:


So cute!! I'm so proud of my Stamp Club friends :)

Bugs don't have to just be "cute" though, they can actually be quite pretty.
Pretty bugs?!? Oh yes.

Check out these dazzling beauties:


Here's a simple twist on the above design that I think would be perfect as a wedding card thanks to the elegant Basic Black & Whisper White combo and Whisper White Organza Ribbon:


And here's another cute bug card that you might get a kick out of:

I made the picnic blanket by punching out squares in Real Red & Whisper White. The Inspired by Nature grass image stamped in Glorious Green on Glorious Green cardstock provided a subtle background.

So, how did I do those cool 3D ants? And make the bugs & creatures 3D in the first card? Crystal Effects is amazing. SO quick & easy to use and it really provides a neat dimension to a project. A pretty good size bottle of it is about $6 and will last for many many many cards. You just squeeze it out of the small tip where you want it to go, give it about an hour to dry, and you're done!

Don't have that wait time to allow for drying but want a WOW?? Try the Dazzling Diamonds with a Two-Way Glue Pen like we did for the dragonfly cards above. This stuff is amazing and for about $4 is a steal that will also last a long long time.

It's a 3-day weekend, so ditch any yardwork plans you may have and get your hands on these bugs instead!!

the CUTEST non-card creation yet

Remember this fun baby shower?

And the special delivery?

Well tiny baby Brenna is getting older, so she was naturally ready for some more Stampin' Up! inspired room decor this weekend. What could her momma & I do but oblige the little adorable munchkin??

Here are the pieces with what inspired us...



Here's the final product sitting on the couch...


And here it is in action!!




How did we do that, you ask?!? We took a look at Brenna's cute cute current room decor and then looked at our SU! supplies to draw out the designs on larger cardstock. Neither of us are huge drawers (is that a word? draw-ers, not like chest of drawers... you know what I mean, right?), so we were fairly impressed with our ability to create our own images to complement the decor.

What do you think??

Hugs,
Kristi

Wedding Class Success!

Thank you to everyone who attended my class at Corbin Art Center this morning!! I'm so glad everyone had such a good time and I hope you're able to use some of the things you learned to make your wedding pieces absolutely perfect for you (or your son & daughter-in-law!) on the big day.

I'll post pictures soon from our class for everyone to see & I'll make sure to include some of the tips & tricks we talked about too.

Happy weekend!!


p.s. I'm on Facebook, too! "Like" Homemade Smiles and be amongst the first to see new ideas posted & hear about upcoming specials.

Rain this weekend? Perfect!!

Hey, Thursday & Friday Stamp Club friends OUR ORDER IS HERE!!

Give me a shout if you want to swing by today or this weekend to grab your goodies, otherwise I will send you a note to arrange a time for me to head your way or for us to meet up somewhere.

So many awesome new toys to make this rainy & cloudy weekend full of sunshine!!

Kristi

Stamp Club Swaps!

WOW! I am so impressed with the cards my Thursday Night Stamp Club brought to swap this month.

Look how talented these lovely ladies are...




Wondering... how did they do that?!?

Click on the image to enlarge & read on...
Top left: Meaghan used a series of circle punches layered on top of the scallop punch to make this cute spring 'thank you' card.
Top right: Lynne used the new Tiny Tags set & a square punch for this little cutie.
Middle left: Jeanne used the Tall Tales Designer Series Paper and coordinating paper & flowers to make this beautiful card.
Middle right: Tracy wow'd everyone with her Flight of the Butterflies two-steppin' card.
Bottom left: Pam used all papers & punches for this cute card, proving stamping doesn't even always have to involve stamping to make something adorable!
Bottom right: This one was mine. Jeanne and I were thinking alike this time, because I also used the Tale Tales Designer Series Paper and coordinating cardstock & ribbon, plus the sentiments from For All You Do & a square punch to make this versatile card.

Thank you to everyone who brought a card to share with the group!

More ideas coming soon :)

CAUTION: Construction Zone

Please disregard the "construction zone" mess while I figure out how to make a cool new layout for this site!

The Summer Mini is Here!!

Check out this short YouTube video highlighting some of the fun new products & stamps available in the 2010 Summer Mini.



All of you who are in one of my Stamp Clubs should have your Summer Mini's by now, so curl up with your new mini like it's a favorite book and make those wish lists because our next club meetings are right around the corner!

THURSDAY NIGHT STAMP CLUB
Thursday, May 13th @ 6pm- It's Jeanne's birthday and her hostess month.... woohoo!! We are having an optional swap during this club meeting, so if are able & willing, bring a card to share with the group. Since there are 8 of us in the group, come up with just one design and make 8 cards with that same design. Bring those to club and swap with everyone so that you go home with a whole pile of new cards & design ideas. Jeanne set the theme as "your choice" so whatever your heart desires, go for it! I can't wait to see what you all make & bring to share with the group. If you're pretty new and don't feel like you have the supplies or expertise to make cards for the group, do not fear. This is low pressure and you don't have to bring cards to swap. Maybe next month after a little more practice & with a few more supplies, you'll be ready!

FRIDAY NIGHT STAMP CLUB
Friday, May 14th @ 6:30pm- Ryan is our hostess and ohmygosh you are just going to love the surprise theme for our projects this month.... they use some adorable items from the main Idea Book & Catalog AND some of the new awesome products in the Summer Mini... so cute!!!


If you're not in one of my Stamp Clubs, or even if you are, and want to try out more of the awesome new products from the Summer Mini and get a little more stampin' experience in a fun environment, check out these SPRING CLASSES AT CORBIN ART CENTER.
These are a great way to learn new things, have fun, and leave with a whole stack of completed cards & coordinating envelopes. They're just one-time classes and no ordering is required, plus all supplies are included! So it's a very low-pressure way to try something new.

Please let me know if you have any questions & have fun with those Summer Minis!!

Kristi

Butterflies!

The big day for our friends Colling & AnneMarie has arrived! We feel so honored to be included in their celebrations and had a blast last night at the dress rehearsal.

During their speeches near the end of the evening last night both Collin & AnneMarie were talking about how blessed they feel to have such wonderful family & friends celebrating with them and then AnneMarie shared the cutest story. It's hard to replicate, but the gist of is it that a couple of years ago (before her & Collin met) she was having a typical relationship talk with one of her girlfriends. Women out there, you know what I'm talking about. Her friend was talking about how she didn't think "butterflies" were real, that people don't really feel those when they meet THE ONE. Then AnneMarie proceeded to describe how now she knows they were wrong- that butterflies are a real feeling and that she still feels them every time Collin calls, every time they see each other, every time she thinks of him. It was so so so sweet and, I can't lie, brought a tear or two to my eyes.

Hearing her story made me that much more glad that I used their gorgeous invitation to make a special gift as part of their wedding present.

The beautiful & cheery yellow sheet in the middle is their original invitation, and the rest I added to make a fun wall hanging shadow box for them. Their main colors are bright yellow and magenta Melon Mambo-esque pink with accents of bright green, grey/blue, and lots of other happy colors, so it was fun to incorporate those into the design as well.



Here's a closer-up view of the upper-right hand corner with the gorgeous Melon Mambo butterflies from For All You Do:




And here's a closer-up view of the lower-left hand corner with the oh-so-cute & popular Bird Punch.


That's all for now- as you can see from the invitation the wedding is in less than an hour, so I better finishing powdering my nose & head to the church! Congratulations, Collin & AnneMarie.

Love,