Oct 30th 2009 11:19:00 am

Swap-bot is an international site so I know that not everyone celebrates Halloween, but to those who do: Have a fun and spooky weekend!!

Happy Halloween!!

(p.s. If you want to see the amazing variety of fabulous Halloween crafts made for Swap-bot swaps, .)

No Comments » Categories: Swappy Goodness

Oct 27th 2009 04:51:20 pm

As part of a trade with Wishpot.com, I wrote a for their Indie Blog featuring items handmade by Swap-bot users. (Above is felt cake by , polymer cupcake charms by , and kawaii dessert rings by .) The shows off a bunch of Swap-bot user’s Etsy stores, and the has even more amazing items handmade by your fellow ‘bot enthusiasts.

No Comments » Categories: Announcements

Oct 26th 2009 10:34:33 am

How could I pass up featuring a swap all about Swap-bot?! is hosting her second . (She hosted the first two years ago. You can see what I sent for that swap .) If you love Swap-bot, you should join this fun international swap!

For the swap, you send your one partner an item for each letter in the word SWAPBOT – for a total of seven items.

Here are some examples of things you could send:

S – Stickers, stationary
W – Wipes, whiteout, white socks
A – Apple scented candle
P – Pencils
B – Bear, Buttons
O – origami
T – (candy) Treat / Tealights

The swap is open for sign up through November 21st. You must send before December 5th. Anyone with over a 4.9 rating is welcome to join and show their Swap-bot love!

3 Comments » Categories: Weekly Featured Swap

Oct 23rd 2009 09:53:30 am

The Halloween countdown has now begun in ernest! Only one week until the big, spooky day! There are tons and tons of Halloween craft projects and articles out there on the vast interwebs… I cannot possibly link to all of the good stuff, but here are some of my favorites from the last week:

Halloween

• Aren’t the two Halloween amigurumi seen above just adorable! There is a . (To get the crochet tutorials you have to create an account at Lion Brand Yarn, which is annoying, but worth it!)
• You can download a really amazing free Halloween printable papercraft from Jinjerup: . It is the perfect size to pack with candy for trick-or-treaters!
• Chica and Jo have a – another perfect way to package your Halloween candy!
• Do your kiddos still need something to carry all of their trick-or-treat loot around in? One of my favorite blogs, Blah to Tada, currently has two great upcycle tutorials for candy buckets and .
• Want to make some old-school Halloween popcorn balls? , or check out .
• It is not too late to decorate your front door for Halloween! The Making Memories blog has a .
• Bon Appetit has all sorts of great stuff for Halloween, like and , including these . You will love their lists of the and . (Pop Rocks were ALWAYS on my best candy list!)
• Speaking of Halloween desserts, these on Chow.com look pretty spectacular.

Non-Halloween

• The winter season is getting nearer, and this from Better Homes and Gardens is just too cute! It would be perfect to serve at a winter birthday party.
• One last cute craft: So adorable!

No Comments » Categories: friday link love

Oct 21st 2009 12:23:21 pm

In order to bring you more interesting content, we are going to publish a few guest blog posts from time-to-time. Today, I have an article about trends in the handmade world from the . Enjoy!

Handmade items are becoming an increasingly popular craze. From handmade soaps to handmade jewelry, highlights all of the unique handmade finds that users are wishing for in it’s . Featured on the Indie homepage is a constant rotating list of the 100 most popular handmade items, and here are a few of our favorites right now:

We’re now full swing into Fall, and there’s nothing like hot tea on a cold day. One of our top handmade picks is this by on Etsy. Keep you and your favorite green or black tea warm with this adorable on-the-go accessory.

A big trend in accessories right now is the glam, gaudy ring. With long sleeves covering our arms on these cool days, a girl must still wear her bling somewhere! Nothing says style like a bold, gorgeous ring, like this vintage-inspired, handmade, by on Etsy.

With the holidays approaching, a great way to get that cozy, homely feeling is with delectable scented candles. Spice-scented candles are great for the Halloween, Thanksgiving, and Christmas season, and those flavored by the inspiration of a sweet treat are even better! This handmade hot cakes stack candle by kickinskreations is sure to make you drool.

(All photos courtesy of mentioned vendors on etsy.com)

1 Comment » Categories: guest post

Oct 19th 2009 09:16:32 am

I have never featured an electronic (email) swap here on the blog before, but with the current state of the economy I figure we can all appreciate a high-quality, but totally free swap. This week’s featured swap is the . The swap, which is hosted by , is international and open for sign up through October 30th. For the swap, you write a list of 100 things that you would like to do before you die, then you email that list to each of your five partners before November 8th.

From the swap description:

“I’ve had some really eye opening experiences in the last several months in my life and it got me thinking of things I would like to do in my life time. You know things you put off, or things you think heck I can’t do that, even things that you thought you could never do. But if suddenly you thought my gosh I may never be able to, wouldn’t you want a list and try to check off one thing as you go? I do – at least, I want to try.

So, I thought why not see what everyone else wants to do.This could be fun, it amazes me sometimes that others have the same ideas, but are afraid to mention them. The time to mention them is now.”

I like the idea of putting your goals on paper – it gives you a clearer picture of what you want out of life. This swap motivates you to do just that!

1 Comment » Categories: Weekly Featured Swap

Oct 16th 2009 08:44:39 am

I tried to move away from Halloween stuff this week, but there is just too much out there! Also, I am super-heavy on recipe links this week….

Non-Halloween Stuff:

• Aren’t these beautiful?! What a fabulous fall dessert!
• This is a Martha Stewart Weddings idea, but it is just so cute that I think it would be fun any time: Martha served them with coffee, but really, they would go with anything!
• If you are in the NYC area, I think you should attend . The project will be wool felt photo wallets led by – who makes completely adorable felt toys and goodies. Bonus, you can enter to win her new Hand-stitched Felt book by commenting on her too cute promo video .

Halloween Stuff:

• Want to make your own candy corn?
• Whip Up has an .
• is a recipe/tutorial for making really cute, and pretty easy, pumpkin cupcakes.
• Hostess with the Mostess showcases all from Martha Stewart.
• How about something healthy?
• Wow!
• As part of their EK Success vendor spotlight series, CraftCritique.com has a review of . Also, you can enter to win EK Success products by commenting on the CraftCritique.com blog posts this week.

No Comments » Categories: friday link love

Oct 15th 2009 07:33:26 am

Meeting fellow swappers online is wonderful, but sometimes it is even better to meet up with your Swap-bot friends in real life. Swap-bot member, , recently met up with three other Swap-botters at the in Portland, Oregon. I asked her if we could share her report on the event. It sounds like it was a wonderful experience!

Art & Soul Retreat 2009 by

I was at the Art and Soul Retreat in Portland, Oregon, Oct 1 to the 5th. It was so much fun. I thought I would share it with you…

It is amazing to meet Swap-bot friends, you feel so comfortable right off. It is amazing!

I rode the train down to Portland on Thursday and it was so nice. The train is so quiet. You have so much more space and you can get up if you want to. The seats are nice and comfortable and pretty views for a lot of the trip, if you can stay awake. The Art & Soul Retreat was at the Embassy hotel and at the Holiday Inn hotel. The main office and the store were at the Embassy and they had classes at both hotels. We were staying at the Holiday Inn. Both hotels had shuttles that would take us back and forth and we could ride on either one. It was like a mile and a half – too far to haul a bag full of crafting and art supplies! The drivers were so nice and friendly.

Brenda () got in on Friday night. Her flight was an hour early and I was not in the room when she got there. I was surprised when I opened the door at 9:30 and there she was. I was expecting her after 10! We chatted a little bit before it was time to hit the sack. She was tired from her flight and I was tired from my day of crafting.

We met Lori () on Saturday at the Portland Saturday Market, which is a an arts and crafts market. Then, she took us to lunch at a really cool restaurant and took us to the Rose Garden where we sniffed hundreds of roses, and then to the biggest book store ever, Powells bookstore. She was a lot of fun. We did a lot of chatting and laughing.

We had dinner Sunday with Marina () and her boyfriend Steve. They came back to our room with us and we did show and tell with our projects we had made. Marina brought some gorgeous quilts that she has made and Steve makes the most gorgeous wood items out of exotic woods. He could name every one of them, and everything he made was so smooth and beautiful. Two very talented people! It was so cute how proud they are of each other.

Of course, I bought too much stuff! The Saturday vendor night at the Art and Soul Retreat was amazing. It was even larger than I expected. Lori and her partner came. Most of the artist teachers had tables with their original works and books they have written. All of the other booths were full of old vintage items that could be used in altered art. There were only about two booths with some new stuff. I bought three precut book leathers for only $10. I could not believe how low her prices were!

The on-site store at the retreat was just great. It had pretty much everything you could possibly need for the classes and a ton of collage sheets and ephemera. My teachers were wonderful. The classes were a lot of fun! I just need to do some finishing touches on two of the projects, and the third project I have more ambitious plans for.

Friday, I had a class on Coptic binding a book with window and niches. We made the book from the very beginning decorating our covers and cutting windows. Then we learned the double Coptic stich. I have a few more finishing touches on mine. Or, maybe a lot if I decide to keep it and decorate the inside. Lots of joking and laughter in this class even though there were only seven people in it.

Saturday was our sightseeing day and we met Lori and had a fantastic time. It was great that we had picked that day so we could get to know each other a little better.

Sunday, my class was taught by the owner of . We decorated “Dream Boxes.” We got to use so many of the products from her store, which were high quality and fun to work with. I recommend the German Scrap and transparancy and collage sheets . We made a little pendant one first and then we made a larger one. I have a couple of finishing touches I want to do on this one also. Again, lots of joking and laughter in this class even with only six participants.

Monday’s class was called the “Ultimate Passion Book” – a cute name for making a book. We started with an accordion book kit and glued pages together so that it was a four page book. Our instructor was really into Gesso and gave us some great ideas for using it. Her basic formula for making the book after the pages were glued was to gesso the pages, putting it on real thick sometimes stamping into it and sometimes using a stencil to put it down. Then, rub in paint and wipe off. I stuck to a palette of blue, green and an antiquing color (similar to a yellowish ochre color). The next step is to collage if desired. Then, add some more paint and add any pictures or text that you want to show. Finish it off with pastels to emphasize elements. I did not get to the pastel point on this one. I choose to go with an Alice in Wonderland theme, they had a collage sheet in the store and it is the theme for next year’s Art and Soul. The instructor had music playing while we were working, not too loud just a good background when people got real quiet and into what they were doing. She had so many people sign up that she had two rooms! She did all her demos in one room and in the other she had a drying station set up with heat guns and an ephemera table. She was so nice and patient with people. There were thirty-two people, but we had lots of room to work. It is amazing how much supplies everyone brings! People freely share items and borrow tools.

Like I said, all the instructors were just awesome. Knowledgeable, talented, friendly, cheerful and pleasant. Almost all of the attendees were friendly, cheerful, and pleasant with various degree of skills. In the last class we had one lady that did not have much of a clue, but since a lot of people did the instructor was able to spend more time with her. But, she was careful to spread herself around and not concentrate too much on one person.

It was such a fantastic trip. I hope that I can go when they are in Portland next year.

That’s my story and I am sticking to it, Linda

3 Comments » Categories: Swapper Report

Oct 14th 2009 06:43:06 am

Check out these additional Ernie the Envie altered graphics created by Swap-bot user, . She says she just can’t stop making new Ernies! I love them. They are all so crisp and professional… not to mention cute! I especially like these Halloween ones… I guess I am just in the Halloween spirit.

You’ve already seen “Happy Holiday” Ernie, but look at how sweet he is as the Easter bunny and in love for Valentine’s Day:

Thank you for sharing your creations, .

No Comments » Categories: General

Oct 12th 2009 08:24:05 am

This week’s featured swap, , is a truly unique and happy swap. The international swap is hosted by and it is open to anyone (with no recent 1 or 3 ratings) who wants to hear good news from around the world. Here are the swap directions from the :

“I guess we’re all tired of reading about bad news on the newspapers – murders, violence, wars – so what about sending to your swap partner a journal full of GOOD and HAPPY news taken from your local/national newspapers? That’s what you have to do: you’ll collect as much newspapers’ cuttings as you can and stick them into a journal/notebook, then send it to your swap partner. It’s quite cheap because you only have to buy a journal, but you can also make it on your own. If you read non-English newspapers, you can translate only the article’s title or the whole article if it’s short. The articles MUST talk about GOOD, HAPPY, NICE, or FUNNY things.”

The swap sign up deadline for is October 25th, but the mail deadline is not until January 23rd. That gives you plenty of time to collect lots of feel-good news stories for your partner. What a great way to stay positive and focused on the good things that happen in the world everyday!

1 Comment » Categories: Weekly Featured Swap