Swap-bot Weblog

VA-MD-DC Group Meets!

rachel — Wed, 17 Mar 2010 15:39:30 +0000

On Sunday, March 14th, four members of the Virginia-Maryland-DC Swap-bot Group met up in real life. Swap-bot members FritosMom, RobinT, LuldaCasadaga55, and OrigamiGrace met at Clay Cafe Studios in Chantilly, Virginia. Clay Cafe Studios is owned by OrigamiGrace and she hosted the fun make and take pottery experience.

RobinT reports: “Just wanted to let you know that swappers are meeting, greeting, crafting and having fun!” Yay! I love it!

Swap-bot featured on Craft Critique

rachel — Wed, 17 Mar 2010 15:18:12 +0000

This is not technically “press,” but we are still thrilled that Swap-bot was featured on CraftCritique.com this week. Check out the article about the ‘bot and then browse through the tons of other informative craft product reviews on Craft Critique.

weekly swap: Ernie the Envie Handmade Card

rachel — Tue, 09 Mar 2010 15:40:39 +0000

Ernie the Envie is Swap-bot’s cute logo mascot. He is a happy, little airmail envelope who loves snail mail. If you love sending and receiving snail mail, too, you should sign up for this week’s featured swap: The Handmade Card – Ernie the Envelope Swap hosted by 1CrazyQuilter. For this easy and fun USA-only swap, just make one handmade card for your one partner. The only requirement is that your card feature Ernie the Envie in some way. You should also write a little note and sign your card before sending it to your partner.

If you meet the requirements listed in the swap description, sign up for this swap before March 12th. You can use the image of Ernie above for your card, or you can find more images on the Graphics & Stuff page. To see more Ernie crafts, check out my Flickr Gallery. I just LOVE Ernie-themed creations!

friday link love: March 5, 2010

rachel — Fri, 05 Mar 2010 19:01:55 +0000

Is it Spring, yet? At least it is March… that means the sun is on its way! For now, enjoy these bright and cheery links:

Don’t those flower corsages above look lovely? They are from a cute tutorial for handmade wrist corsages on the Salty Pineapple.
Crafty Chica has started her 30 Days of Glitter project in honor of her newly released novel – check out her blog for daily glitter-filled posts.
I just discovered Kind Over Matter, a blog all about kindness. I am still checking it out, but it has lots of inspiring images, plus giveaways! Love it!
Speaking of kindness and positivity, I also just found Positively Present, a blog about “living happily ever after now.”
ReadyMade magazine says we should make homemade donuts – the pictures look so good, I might just have to attempt it!
I found this Etsy store via Twitter and I thought it was super-cool and perfect for upcoming Earth Day: Green Post. They sell items handmade from recycled paper, including plantable gift tags tags with flower seeds embedded inside.
If you live in or near Chicago and would like to attend an in-person clothing swap, check out Swap-O-Rama-Rama coming up on March 20 & 21.
Would you like to be a craft reporter for a day? Craft Critique is looking for craft product review articles. Learn more here.

weekly swap: Earth Day Celebration Package

rachel — Tue, 02 Mar 2010 15:48:20 +0000

Earth Day is April 22nd! To celebrate, why not join this week’s featured swap: the Earth Day Celebration Package 2010 hosted by memtree?

For the swap, you must send one of each of the following earth-friendly items to your one partner:

A reusuable bag (organic, felted, handmade, crocheted, knitted etc).
At least US$10 worth of Earth Friendly products – think recycled, organic, repurposed, reused, thrift shop, handcrafted…check your partner’s profile…support green companies if you feel the need to purchase from a store.
Handwritten note of your Top 10 Tips for a more sustainable and green lifestyle.

This international swap is open for sign up through March 15th. You will then have plenty of time to gather your items and get the package mailed to your partner in time for Earth Day. Make sure to read the full swap description before signing up and have fun celebrating sustainable, eco-friendly choices!

Sunday Link Love: February 28th, 2010

rachel — Sun, 28 Feb 2010 19:04:02 +0000

What a wild week! Swap-bot HQ is running a bit behind, but never fear, here is an unconventional Sunday edition of the Link Love:

Swap-bot member, LadyRose has created a Swap-bot member fan site over on Ning called the Swap-bot Members Society. She would love for you to join!
Swap-bot member, mojo09226 is hosting a “Bookmark Day” on March 15th. She will be showcasing lots of bookmark goodness and also hosting giveaways. Check out her Bibliophilic Book Blog for more info.
The Academy Awards are coming up on March 7th! If you are hosting an Oscar viewing party, make it even more fun and special with the many free Oscar Party downloads featured here and here on Twig and Thistle. There is even a printable ballot where you can mark your own picks for the motion picture winners!
Speaking of parties, wouldn’t these chocolate spoons on Delicious Delicious Delicious (and seen above) make awesome party treats?!
I like this simple tea towel apron tutorial over on Skip to my Lou.
I thought this was just down right cool: a rice krispie treat wedding cake!
I just discovered this seemingly amazing online craft supply store, Ornamentea. Has anyone purchased from it before?
Is anyone a member of The Modern Quilting Guild? From the site: “The Modern Quilt Guild is a community of quilt guilds across the country. The online community of modern quilters is thriving and this guild grew out of a desire to also have us meet in person. The founding branch of the guild started in Los Angeles in October of 2009.”
Sarah Moore, of Craft Critique, is going to be on Inspired Home Radio TODAY at 7 pm EST. I’ll be listening!
This is just for laughs: The “superior protection” Apple iPad case – with wings! ha!

cobaltgypsy and julmc81 Meet-up!

rachel — Thu, 25 Feb 2010 20:21:21 +0000

Just this week, two Swap-bot friends met up in real life for a day of crafting! Users cobaltgypsy and julmc81 met at Gypsy’s home to work on ATCs for upcoming Swap-bot swaps. The two live near each other and thought it would be fun to meet. Gypsy says, “We had such a great time crafting, drinking tea and munching on treats! Next time we meet we’ll do some watercoloring.” Sounds fun to me!

You can see a few more photos of the meet-up on Gypsy’s Flickr.

(We would always love to share any photos and stories from when Swap-botters meet up in real life. Email me at rachel [at] swap-bot.com with any info. If you contact me prior to the event, I will send along some Swap-bot swag to hand out!)

weekly swap: Where in the World is Crusher?

rachel — Mon, 22 Feb 2010 21:48:35 +0000

You know I could not resist featuring a swap all about my little dog, Crusher! (He is Swap-bot’s mascot and also my loyal admin assistant.) So, this week’s swap is the “Oh Crusher… Where in the World is Crusher?” swap hosted by wolfeagle. This Crusher-themed swap is similar to the Flat Stanley Project in that you will make a little, flat Crusher and photograph him in different locations.

More instructions from the swap description:

For this swap, you will select one of the photos [of Crusher on the swap page & you can find them on my Flickr here, too]. Next, Print the photo out. Then, cut out Crusher so you end up with just a photo of Crusher. Tip: You may want to reinforce the photo with cardboard or card stock on the back side. Once you have your Crusher likeness, tape a stick to the back (a paint stick works well, so does a wooden spoon or ruler, basically any type of handle will do). Now you have Crusher-on-a-stick.

You will take a photograph of your little Crusher-on-a-stick sharing a day with you and send it to your one partner. Crusher can go to the beach with you, show up in your birthday photos, play with your kids, be seen at work with you, or your Crusher-on-a-stick may be sitting in a grocery cart or driving your car. The sky is the limit! Crusher can end up anywhere. For this swap, you just mail your photo of your Crusher-on-a-stick to your partner. However, we would all like to see your photos. You can post them on Flickr at my newly created Swap-bot page, TheSwappingArtistFlickrPage, and I will make a forum thread when the swap starts.

I am already signed up for this great swap but you have until March 9th to join. The “Oh Crusher… Where in the World is Crusher?” swap is a “Type 3″ craft swap that will be sent in the mail, but I would also love to publish the resulting photos here on the blog, too… Can’t wait to see where Crusher ends up!

friday link, link, link love

rachel — Fri, 19 Feb 2010 19:43:52 +0000

I have gathered a bunch of links to some really interesting and cool-looking crafty sites this week, but I haven’t had a chance to really check them all out… Take a look at a few and let me know what you think!

So You Think You’re Crafty… – a craft challenge/contest/blog.
LVC Magazine – a digital magazine for women covering many aspects of life.
I Still Love You – a cute art, craft, and design blog.
Right Brain Business Plan – business help for artsy types.
Paper Crave – a blog featuring beautiful printed paper goods.
Paper Snitch – a hand-picked exhibition of handmade items.
The Tiny Fig – an adorable designer’s website, shop, and blog.
Just Something I Made – the blog of amazing designer, Cathe Holden.
Handmade Spark – A showcase and resource for handmade buyers and sellers.

Have a wonderful weekend!