Easy-find-it Keychains

Ever lose your keys in the bottom of your purse? No, seriously... you're standing there in the rain by your car, frantically trying to find your keys while juggling the bag of groceries and your steaming latte.

Well, it happens to me all the time. And of course you know that the minute you find the keys and yank them out of your bag, the latte tips, you stain your blouse, and the groceries fall over as you try to stop from being burnt by the coffee!!

The solution? One of my easy-find-it keychains! They are one-of-a-kind macramed keychains, created by Dennis. Available in a variety of colors and designs, they range from 3-6 inches in length. Some are beaded, some are solid colors, some hang from a bamboo ring... there is no end to the uniqueness that is our easy-find-it keychain!

I just added a few to my shop. Check them out!

New dates

Just a quick FYI ... selling at the retail space in the Veteran's Administration Hospital in Elsmere earlier this month worked out pretty well. I signed up for two more days this summer: July 17th and August 19th. I'll be set up and ready to sell by 8:30am, and am permitted to remain open until around 3pm.

In July, I'll be unveiling a new item!! It's a secret, but I'll give you a hint... it's a great gift idea for someone who's earth-conscious or anyone who tries to "live simply" to save our earth. Stay tuned... maybe I'll post a picture hint soon.

Smiley Coasters -- an update

Well, after several attempts, I realized that the idea for a set of four "emoticon" coasters really wouldn't work.

I successfully made a frowny coaster, but the "mad" one didn't look mad, and I couldn't get my head around how to crochet a "surprised" face when the entire coaster is done in the round..... I'm not even sure I can explain why it didn't work. Suffice to say the attempts have been frogged and re-created into more smilies and frownies!

I did list several sets of the coasters today on my Etsy site. They will be available in sets of 4 coasters -- your choice either all 4 smiley, or 2 smiley & 2 frowny.

Thank you

Just wanted to say thank you to the people who went back and took my knitting class survey. I got great feedback and some additional ideas that I'm working to incorporate into my plan.

Congrats also to Jen who was randomly chosen from among the respondents to receive the 15% off coupon to Smile Creations Crafts!

I've decided to schedule the first knitting class for sometime early in March. I'll be designing a flyer (with my Mom's help -- she's great at that stuff!) and will post it here next week at the latest.

NEW!! Hand-crafted wooden yarn swifts

A while back, I asked my dad to create for me my own yarn swift. I have lots of lovely skeins of yarn and my hand was getting tired winding them into balls. So.... my dad (who is an engineering genius and loves tinkering with projects like that) managed to come up with a great yarn swift!

It's made of wood and sits on a small turntable which spins on steel ball bearings. The eight arms each have several dowel holes drilled into them to make the swift very customizable --- it'll accommodate skeins of yarn from 40" up to 104".


Here is the flyer that I've put together to show the swift and how it adjusts & disassembles. If you're interested in ordering a swift for yourself, you can email me at smilecreationscrafts@verizon.net or visit Stitches with Style in Newark.




* Please be aware that it can take 6-8 weeks for delivery of your swift as each one is created by hand upon receipt of the order.

Snowpeople

I know it's hard to consider snowpeople seriously when the weather outside is still warm enough for shorts and t-shirts, but the holidays are fast approaching and I need to be prepared.

Today I spent some time making a collection of stuffed knit snowpeople. They are turning out just as I'd pictured... all fluffy and white with little scarves and matching hats. I started out making their noses with orange buttons, but when I ran out of those, I began using orange yarn instead. A little bit of strategic glue and voila! the yarn sticks out from their faces like little carrots. I really like the way that turned out.



The snowpeople will make their debut at the Olive B Loss Elementary School craft fair on November 9th. Hope to see you there!

Introducing... Bradford Bear!!

Hi everyone! I'm Bradford Bear.

I live in Smileville, a little town in the middle of the forest. My daddy is a lawyer bear. He wears a bowtie to work everyday; that's why I wear one, too. When I grow up, I want to be a lawyer bear just like my daddy, and work for the Big Bear Law Firm.

I don't go to school yet, but I spend every day at the Bear Bash Play Club. My little sister, Tiffany, comes with me. We play all day with our friends -- it's a lot of fun!

It was nice meeting you. I hope we can play together soon. If you want me to come home with you, click here to go to the Smile Creations Crafts store online.