Jan 2nd 2009 06:32:30 am

Happy second day of 2009! I think this year is going to be a good one. One of my resolutions is to be more crafty in 2009. Here are some links that I think will help with that goal:

• Interesting article: Despite the recession, Craft sales are actually up!
• This podcast is two years old, but it is still relevant: Crafty New Year’s Resolutions from CraftyPod.
• Also, 10 New Year’s Resolutions for a Crafty Person.
• Want to try making something new this year? Try this tutorial for how to make your own rub-on transfers.
• Are resolutions not really your thing? CraftStylish suggests keeping track of your “I dids” instead of your “To dos.”

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Dec 19th 2008 06:44:18 am

Swap-bot HQ is somewhat closed for the holidays (Travis, Rachel & Crusher are in Kansas City for a long trip), but we still found some fun links for you to visit in between your holiday preparations. Happy holidays! Have fun!

• Do you like making things out of paper? You must check out cubeecraft. The site has tons of free templates for paper “action figures” that you simply print and fold to construct. If you have fun with cubees, check out the more intricate Yamaha paper crafts.
• Super Naturale - A website “dedicated to the Do It Yourself culture in all its glorious forms.”
• The Anti Craft is an online zine about the darker– less perky–side of craft. The current issue is dedicated to Samhain 2008.
• This is a pretty cool tutorial for silk screening a t-shirts with simple craft materials you probably have at home.

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Dec 12th 2008 06:11:46 am

I was trying to find some good holiday links this week, but I was only moderately successful. Here is a mixture of holiday links and and non-holiday links:

• HOLIDAY: One of the best gift guides I have found - The Modish Holiday Gift Guide.
• HOLIDAY: This is adorable (and free!). Orange You Lucky has posted a wiener dog reindeer embroidery pattern.
• SEMI-HOLIDAY: Gourmet magazine has posted photos and recipes for their favorite cookies from each year since the magazine’s inception in 1941.
• NON-HOLIDAY: Living Creatively is an Australian community website dedicated to all things creative, like art, craft, design, urban living and fashion. The site publishes an online magazine of sorts and has a community section with forums.

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Dec 5th 2008 06:36:54 am

We are solidly into December and the holidays are approaching faster than the speed of light! You probably don’t have time for any distractions, but here are some anyway:

• With the economy officially in a recession we could all use a few more ideas for how to make and/or save a little extra money. Secrets For Money is a great source of ideas, tips, and strategies “To increase your capacity for all wealth currencies: money, time, health, and love.”
• Are you a style maven? A design diva? Any combination of the two? If so, you will like StyleDiva.com — a blog all about fashion, design, style advice, and more!
• Another great blog for all of us crafty souls: The Best of DIY. It has reviews and links to all sorts of DIY projects.
• Online magazines are all the rage. Craftier is a new bi-monthly online magazine that is getting great reviews. “The goal of the writers and editors is to make the world a craftier place through tutorials, inspiration, spotlights and community involvement.” You have to use the flash application, Issuu, to view the mag, which may slow up on some computers and internet connections, but it is worth it for all the great images and tutorials. (Plus they mentioned Swap-bot on page 38 of the current issue! sweet!)
• One more reminder: Enter to win the photo jewelry giveaway from PhotoJewelryMaking.com. The giveaway drawing will be held on Sunday, December 14th.

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Nov 28th 2008 06:02:51 am

I hope everyone had a great Thanksgiving and didn’t eat too much turkey. Are you all hitting the shops today for the sales? If you’re staying home like me, here are some fun links to keep you occupied:

• If you live in a cold climate, check out this ice wreath tutorial from Resurrection Fern. The ice wreaths are so beautiful and they do not seem very difficult to make.
• Design Sponge has a great gift wrapping round-up of creative ideas for wrapping holiday packages.
• ¿Usted habla español? Then you must take a look at the We Love Crafts online magazine. The two current issues of the magazine are mostly written in Spanish, but they contain lots of great images and inspiration that non-spanish speakers will also enjoy.
• This is a little pricey, but it is a very cute idea: paper gingerbread house kit from Paper Source.
• Do you love buying handmade? Would you like to learn more about independent European artists and designers? You should check out The Ultimate Handmade European Sampler Box… Get Eurofied! From the Get Eurofied site: “Get Eurofied is a box filled with samples from independent crafters. It gives you the opportunity to see, try and use some great items handcrafted from the heart of Europe!” (Get Eurofied! is also sponsoring our current giveaway. Sign up now — the contest closes on Sunday!)

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Nov 21st 2008 06:40:53 am

Woah, Thanksgiving is next week! Wild! I don’t really have any Thanksgiving-ish links for you today, but here are some other cool things to check out. Have fun!

• These Holiday Mailing Secrets from Avery are very helpful. Remember, mail times get much longer as the holidays approach. Take that into account when sending out your swaps. (This great link was submitted by muincat.)
• Speaking of the holidays, not martha has a good list of gift ideas that features things she has reviewed on her blog throughout the year. There are ideas that would work for a wide variety of different types of people.
• I am just loving this: Elizabeth Holcombe’s Holiday Corsage tutorial. Her corsages are so fun and wild!
• Have you heard of Spoonflower? It is custom fabric company where you can have your own designs printed on fabric. It recently opened up to the public, so no anyone can create their own custom fabric!
• Just for giggles: Horny Bacon - a blog all about bacon!
• Remember! Today is the very last day to enter the November Swap-bot Giveaway for the Xyron sticker maker. You have to comment on that blog entry to be entered. Good luck!

1 Comment » Categories: friday link love

Nov 14th 2008 06:49:32 am

I’ve always got more links to share! If you would like to see your link featured in a Friday Link Love post, please email me at rachel [at] swap-bot.com. We are always looking for more fun, crafty, or creative new websites to visit. Thanks! Have fun with the following link selection:

• Make Baby Stuff - This new-ish website offers a ton of baby crafts projects, instructions, tutorials and fun ideas. You can learn to make all sorts of cute things for your little person on Make Baby stuff - from food, to toys, to clothes! The well-organized site also offers a Make Baby Stuff blog and Newsletter. Definitely a site to bookmark if you are a crafty mom! (found via whip up)
• Crafting a Green World - From the site description: “Crafting a Green World features do-it-yourself projects that incorporate reused, recycled, and natural materials. Find knitting, sewing, crocheting, and other project ideas for eco-friendly and fashionable clothes, crafts, gifts and more.” Crafting a Green World is a a blog produced by the Green Options Network and it is written by multiple crafty (and green) contributers. It features super-resourceful and environmentally friendly tips and ideas for using your DIY skills in all aspects of your life.
• CraftSanity - “A blog and Podcast for those who love all things handmade.” Another resource for great craft podcasts!
• For Portland, Oregon, peeps: There are two great handmade sales coming up that you might be interested in. Little Winter is a holiday market/trunk show happening this Saturday, November 15th (tomorrow), at 1723 SE Nehalem St in the sellwood neighborhood. And, Crafty Wonderland is having its annual Super Colossal Holiday Sale on Sunday, December 14th from 11am-7pm at The Oregon Convention Center, 777 NE Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd. Two great places to get holiday gifts and support local crafty artists at the same time!

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Nov 7th 2008 11:47:57 am

Finally the presidential election is behind us! I am so burnt out on political stuff that all I want to share with you today are fun, artsy, crafty links. Enjoy!

• Let’s all take a moment to be nice to one another. Operation Nice has tons of ideas on how to work niceness into your life. We could all use a little bit more nice!
• Like winning free stuff? Visit Bloggy Giveaways to find out about all sorts of giveaways going on across the interwebs!
• Design For Mankind - a blog about fine art and design. Beautiful site with lovely photos, interviews, lists, and links. Also, publisher of Mankind magazine.
• Just found out about another handmade marketplace: Folksy. It is like etsy, but for the UK. Prices are in pounds.
• Yes, it is already time to start thinking about the holidays. Check out the purplepinkandorange Holiday Gift Guide for a little help and inspiration.
• Speaking of the holidays, artists and crafters must check out the Modish Holiday Marketing Tips. It is a great overview on how to improve your handmade business for the holiday shopping season.

Have a lovely weekend! xoxo

1 Comment » Categories: friday link love

Oct 31st 2008 06:36:19 am

Happy Halloween, everyone! Have a great night and don’t eat too much candy - ok, eat lots of candy! I found a couple Halloween links and few random things for you to check out this week. Enjoy!

• HALLOWEEN: Didn’t buy a pumpkin to carve this year? Try out this online pumpkin carving simulator!
• HALLOWEEN: I don’t know if these are truly used by kids or just funny, but here are Candy Codes used by kids on Halloween to indicate what type of candy each house gives out.
• HALLOWEEN: A recipe for vampire cookies that leak “blood.” Creepy!
• HALLOWEEN: Martha recipe for lollipop cookies. They are so cute and seem quick and easy to make - last minute Halloween party idea!
• One of my favorite zines of all time, CROQ Zine, has a blog and I didn’t know about it until today! CROQ Zine & the blog feature hip crafting and indie businesses.
• This next one should probably have its very own post, but I wanted to put it out there asap: Book for Soldiers. Since all of us swappers love sending packages, why not send one to a soldier serving our country overseas? Books for Soldiers organizes the process. You simply sign up and then they approve your application and send you the name and address of a soldier who requested the service. According to the site, soldiers sometimes have a lot of downtime and would love to receive books, cds, or dvds to pass the time and remind them of home. You can also send relief supplies (goodies and what not) and penpal letters (a thank you letter would be appreciated, I’m sure). What a great way to send a little love to our brave military men and women!

2 Comments » Categories: friday link love

Oct 10th 2008 01:20:13 pm

Hello autumn! The Swap-bot blog is back in business! Enjoy this eclectic list of fun links:

• I’ve got to share it one more time, here is the podcast interview about Swap-bot that I did with TerriO on her “Empowering Creativity” radio show. We talked about some general swapping info and about how to use Swap-bot.
• If you are getting pumped for October 31st, you must check out Martha Stewart’s Halloween Workshop. There are tons of recipes and craft projects, including free clip art downloads. You can even sign up to get the Halloween Idea of the Day sent to you by email. Gotta love Martha!
• Have I linked to this before? BAM POP! One of my very favorite scrapbooking supply designers. Robots with parachutes and little ninjas and unicorns - too cute!
• A political crafting project blog: Crafting for Change
• Not exactly a crafting resource, but definitely inspiring and educational: The Writer’s Almanac with Garrison Keillor. Each day there is a short podcast with info about authors, quick literary facts, and a poem all read in Keillor’s soothing voice. You can listen to the show each day on public radio or online, or read the content on the blog.

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