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,