A new opportunity....

In Bear, DE, in the fox Run Shopping Center, there is a little boutique called Jewelry Diva Gifts. Owned by a young woman and her mother, this shop is a treasure-trove of unique gifts and collectables. From Trollbeads and Disney figurines, to sophisticated clothing, this shop has a thoughtful array of fine gift ideas.

And now Smile Creations Crafts is joining the list of companies whose products have found a place in Jewelery Diva Gifts. I am very excited to be selling my smiling cotton coasters, fabric book covers, and more with this wonderful shop.

Cheers to a the beginning of great new relationship!

OMG -- endless smilies!!!

You would think that a blog called The Smile Spot, for a business named Smile Creations Crafts, would be unquestionably all about smileys.

And I am. Don't get me wrong, I still adore the little round cheery faces.

But if you knit with me in the Tuesday night knitting group, you will recall that I was rather sick of crocheting them. After 16 sets of yellow smiley coasters in about 6 weeks, I was crochet-smiley'd out. It was a scary realization, actually, and made me question my smily-ness.


So I have remedied my anti-smiley sentiment . . . with a rainbow of smiling coasters! Smiley cotton coasters are back in my life (and my shop!) and better than ever in a rainbow of bright happy colors! Yellow (yes, I had to make a few), red, pink, blue, lime, purple. And instead of dictating what type of smiley day YOU'RE having, I offer you the choice. Now when you purchase a set of smiley coasters, you can customize your set by selecting which colors you want included. Same price, new options. A nice way to start the summer, don't you think?

Only 65 days until Christmas!!

Yikes! For real?!?!?! I didn't believe it, so I counted the days -- and it's true!! Only 65 days until Christmas!!

So what are you waiting for? There are loads of cute, fun, or functional items in my shop that would make great Christmas gifts or stocking stuffers. How about a stuffed, knit snowperson, a fabric bookcover for your favorite reader, or a smiling cotton coaster set? If you need to be a little more frugal this year, there's always the bargain bin, where everything is 25% off! I'll be adding some warm and cozy shawls, and pretty new jewelry items soon, too.

And if you don't see exactly what you're looking for, consider placing a special order. Any orders placed before Thanksgiving are guaranteed to be delivered before Christmas!

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.

Smiling coasters and a new retail opportunity

I have created something totally new... A smiling coaster! Recently I wanted to make something for a friend of mine... something that would make her smile even when her day was rotten. And so I picked up a crochet hook and a skein each of yellow and black cotton, and created a smiley!

Thing was, her smiley turned out a little big (kinda a smiley on steroids). Now that I had calculated out the pattern stitches, I wanted something a little easier to fit on a desk... so I shrunk the smiley just a tad, and now I have a smiley, perfectly sized for a coffee mug or glass of iced tea... (this pic, by the way, is a VERY good example of why you should never take important pics with a cell phone!)

Bad pic aside, I will be adding some of these happy little circles of absorbency to my Etsy site soon (just need a day or two to make some more and take better pics), so stay tuned. Also, my mom suggested that I expand my smiley idea to make an "emotional" set of coasters... four coasters, each with a different expression. The variations may take a bit longer to figure out, but I'm working on it. I think we'll have angry, surprised, and sad to the happy smiley, but who knows? Once I'm happy with the emotional lot, I'll post their pics here, too.

And before I say goodnight, an FYI (that explains the other half of my subject line for today) --- The coasters will make their first "show" debut in June at the Veteran's Administration Hospital in Elsmere, DE. The VA Hospital has set aside a space on the second floor (outside the canteen) where selected vendors can sell their goods. I have been working with the manager for a while now, and just today got confirmation of 5 selling dates (I'm going to try to add more later). As of now, I will set up "shop" at the VA Hospital on the following dates: June 6, October 23 and 24, November 5, and December 18.