Oct 11th 2009 12:57:33 pm

When you next log into Swap-bot, you may notice two new additions to the Dashboard.

First, we have added a drop down menu under the Dashboard link so that you can get to your different swap lists more quickly.

Second, we have created a new list within your Dashboard just for your hosted swaps. All of the current and previous swaps that you have hosted will be listed there. If you have not hosted any swaps, you will not have a “Hosting” Dashboard section.

We still have a lot of work to do on the site navigation and organization, but this is one small step in the right direction! Enjoy!

4 Comments » Categories: site updates

Oct 9th 2009 08:59:46 am

Just a short little list of links today, but remember to check . I have been adding to it! There is a lot of great Halloween craft stuff out there!

Linky Links:

• October is SIDS (Sudden Infant Death Syndrome) Awareness Month, and for the entire month of October 20% of all sales at will be donated to , a SIDS organization. Order some zines to help the cause! (Click Clack Distro is run by Swap-bot member, .)
• Do you love cute things? Do you love food? How about cute food? Then you need to check out .
• There is a wide variety of handmade stuff out there… features some of the more unfortunate items. (Warning: some posting on Regretsy may be NSFW… also, some are a little mean.)
• I ( on Swap-bot) have a today. Check it out and let me know what you think.

6 Comments » Categories: friday link love

Oct 6th 2009 07:52:52 am

Recently, Swap-bot user hosted a unique electronic swap for . I was blown away by the creativity and variety of the graphics created by the swap participants and wanted to share them with everyone!

The first Ernie badge was created by , and the second Hello Kitty Ernie was created by . So cute!

These two excellent holiday Ernie renditions were created by . Fantastic work!

This is Emelia (one of Ernie’s MANY girlfriends) created by , and the Queen of Snail Mail created by .

had so much fun making her graphic that she created three more themed Ernies. So awesome!

I am constantly impressed by the amazing amount of creativity within the Swap-bot community. These Ernies really made me smile! Thank you all for sharing!

4 Comments » Categories: Swappy Goodness

Oct 5th 2009 06:59:33 am

This week we are featuring a really creative and unique matchbox swap, the , hosted by . The swap is a bit detailed, so I will quote the requirements directly from the excellent swap description:

“In this swap you will create 1 matchbox for 1 partner based on one of their favorite books. Use the 32-count size [free template ] and make the outside of the matchbox look like the book – it doesn’t have to look like the actual cover (unless you are really creative, that would be awesome!) but it does have to look like a book. It must have the title of the book you choose. Fill the inside with items that relate to the book. For instance (I’m just using this as an example because it’s so well known) for Twilight you could put in a tiny fang, something to represent blood drops, an apple bead for the cover? Try to find at least 3-5 items that represent the book. You can make them if you wish. If you can’t fill the matchbox up with those things, add some brads and buttons and ribbon, etc in the color scheme and fill it to the brim!”

To join the , you must have completed at least five previous craft swaps and have no 1 or 3 ratings. You also need to have a healthy listing of favorite books on your profile page so that your sending partner will know what type of matchbox to create.

The swap is international and you must get signed up before October 15th. I think this swap is such a fun and unique idea! I am going to get signed up right now…

No Comments » Categories: Weekly Featured Swap

Oct 2nd 2009 05:23:33 am

October is here and I have an extravaganza of Halloween links for you! There are soooo many Halloween projects and ideas out there, so I have tried to gather all of my favorites here, in one place. I’ll add to this list as I find more fun stuff…

Halloween Crafts

• A quick and easy way to on mer mag.
• The Crafts Dept. has some (sort of weird) ideas for . They are just one of the many ideas included in .
• Artbeads.com has a free tutorial for making using felt beads.
• Speaking of spiders, HGTV.com has a really easy tutorial for making .
• Elle’s Studio has a few downloadable PDF, scrapbook-style .
• CRAFTzine.com and iLoveToCreate.com have teamed up to present the Crafty Chica Challenge: Create a Day of the Dead Shrine! It is a contest to see who can create the coolest Day of the Dead shrine, and two winners will win some pretty cool prizes. Read the before entering.
• If you still need one more reason to make Halloween crafts, why not join my ? It is a great reason to make and receive cute, little boxes of Halloween cheer like the ones seen above.

Halloween Food

• Mini and delicious: Bakerella has a recipe for adorable . So cute!
• The Fondant.com Club has a detailed on Flickr with step-by-step photos.
• Better Homes and Gardens has a round-up of a dozen .
• Holidays can definitely get expensive, but Allyou.com comes to the rescue with ! Wow!
• If you don’t mind spending a little more than a dollar, Southern Living has a really cute group of . There are some extremely decadent recipes on the list, like Heavenly Candy Bar Cupcakes. Yum!
• And, there is one more over at Woman’s Day.

Ok. I think that is plenty of Halloween crafts and recipes to keep me busy for a while, but if you have more projects or links to share, please leave a comment!

MORE:

• Adorable (hot dogs wrapped up like mummies) recipe on Instructables.
• Jinjerup has a . You can also .
• Now, this is refreshing!

2 Comments » Categories: friday link love