Swapping friends! I have a surprise for you…

A fun summer snail mail kit GIVEAWAY!

The kit is inspired by my recent participation in the Snail Mail Kit Swap hosted by kirstykai. I made an extra kit to give away to one lucky Swap-bot blog reader… the kit contains a random sampling of fun snail mail goodies including:

• handmade envelopes
• mini greeting cards
• pencils
• novelty erasers
• stickers

• ribbons
• sparkly embellishments
• postcards
• other surprises
• and lots of Swap-bot swag!

Everything you need to create some awesome snail mail!

Want to win the snail mail kit? Enter by commenting on this blog post with your Swap-bot username and the answer to this question:

What has been your favorite swap of 2013?

The giveaway will be open for entry until Friday, August 2nd. After that, I will randomly select and announce the winner on Monday, August 5th. Good luck!

I haven’t done much crafting lately, but I did find time to make the little matchbox you see above this week. (You can make your own using my free matchbox template!) What crafting did you do this week?

For your Friday afternoon, a few fun links:

• Twenty one-afternoon craft ideas.
• This Wrap It Up Pinterest board has tons of great ideas that could be used for packing up swaps.

• Video tutorial: How To Make Paper Flowers.
• Did I already tell you about Quarterly? It is a snail mail subscription service. It looks interesting.
• These Best Ever Chocolate Chip Cookies look delicious, but maybe too gourmet?
• A S’more equivalent for you today: Fudgy Rocky Road Bars.

What were your top link discoveries this week?

I hope everyone (here in the USA) had a great 4th yesterday! And I hope everyone is having a fabulous Friday! I have a few summer-fun links for you today…

• So simple and so beautiful: DIY Glitter Magnets (seen above).
• And more glitter… DIY Glittered Party Poppers.
• Yum!! Check out this recipe for Whisky Cherry Chocolate Soda Floats.

• OOOooo! Print these now: Happy Summer gift tags from Oh Happy Day.
• Three awesome S’more links for you this week: Unique Summer S’mores // Graham Cracker S’more Cupcakes // Mini S’more Tarts
• And for something a bit healthier, a tasty Summer Salad recipe.

Sorry to all of you southern hemisphere folks who are going into winter right now. I don’t mean to tease with all of this summer stuff. Please post fun winter links in the comments!

Thank you all for entering the Etsy Craft Party Giveaway last week! It was awesome to read about what you will be crafting this summer. Thanks for sharing!

I used Random.org to select the winner of the prize. And the winner is…

wunderland!

Yay! Congratulations! The prize will be going in the mail this week.

————

Everyone else: Stay tuned! There will be another snail mail themed giveaway coming up very soon!

Hello! Yesterday was the Etsy Craft Party. I went to the Brooklyn event hosted near Etsy HQ in DUMBO, Brooklyn. The party was hosted in an old warehouse under the Brooklyn Bridge — very cool! Each attendee got to stitch a cute hand puppet to keep or donate to a local children’s charity. The weather was beautiful and there were hundreds of attendees. Fun! Did you attend a Craft Party in your area?

Straight from yesterday’s event, I’ve got a special Etsy Craft Party giveaway for you… more giveaway details below these fun links….

LINK LOVE:

• Wow! This Recycled Craft Portable Art Case looks like a fun and very handy project!
• What a great memory craft idea for summer: Memory Jars.
• Make this pretty Watercolor Popsicle Stick Table Runner.

• Have you heard of the International Geek Girl Pen Pals Club?? Cool!
• This rice krispie treat cake looks like an easy way to make an impressive dessert.
• Your S’more of the week: S’more Pie Pops!

Do you have any other interesting/fun/crafty links to share this week?

GIVEAWAY:

One lucky swapper will win this fun hand puppet stitching kit from Etsy! The prize includes: hand puppet cut ‘n’ sew pattern, instructions, two bundles of embroidery thread, needle, Etsy craftivism sticker, Spoonflower fabric swatch book, and of course, a few Swap-bot goodies.

To enter to win, simply comment on this post with your name, Swap-bot username, email address, and your answer to this questions: What is your favorite summer craft activity?

The giveaway will be open until next Monday, July 1st. After that, one lucky winner will be selected at random and mailed their awesome prize. Good luck!

Last week I traveled to Portland, Oregon, to visit my brother and sister-in-law. In between trying out all of the delicious food Portland has to offer, I managed to do a little shopping and I was thrilled to run into the downtown location of the brick and mortar Crafty Wonderland boutique.

Years ago, when we lived in Eugene, I would travel up to Portland nearly every month to go to the Crafty Wonderland craft markets. Then, they were only once a month and were held at the Doug Fir Lounge in East Portland. In 2007, I even conducted some of my research for my master’s degree project at Crafty Wonderland. I passed out questionnaires to the vendors and they were all very kind and helpful. So, as you can see, Crafty Wonderland holds a special place in my heart.

I was really excited to check out the cool store full of handmade goodies. The featured artists for June were the art duo, Jolby & Friends. I love how the featured artists get their own special place within the store.

There were all sorts of great locally made items in the store — stationery, postcards, jewelry, clothing, drink ware, art, toys, etc. I was drawn to all of the fun felt items, like these cute pincushions (above) and brooches (below) from Button Arcade. I really wanted to get a set of these ceramic coasters from Robot Candy, but held back. Maybe on my next trip…

If you are in Portland, I definitely recommend visiting Crafty Wonderland for unique gifts and souvenirs. I know you will find something you love!

Where do you shop locally for handmade crafts and art?

Hello! Long time, no see! I have a bunch of fun craft links for you and I hope you enjoy them…

• Make your own Merit Badges! These would work well as a Father’s Day gift.
• Speaking of Father’s Day, it is coming up on June 16th. The Crafts Dept has a few handmade gift ideas.
• Make an amazing Father’s Day (or Fourth of July) “fast food meal” entirely out of tasty dessert with recipes and printables from Bakerella.
• Make the COOLEST bird finger puppets using these free downloads from Mr. Printables. Also, make these funky paper glasses for Dad!
• Mwahahaha! Spocks!!!
• Host a cute Stargazing Party with these great ideas.
• DIY bauble necklaces – funky and fashionable!
• Beyonce Art History
• Anyone going to the [

Hello! Long time, no see! I have a bunch of fun craft links for you and I hope you enjoy them…

• Make your own Merit Badges! These would work well as a Father’s Day gift.
• Speaking of Father’s Day, it is coming up on June 16th. The Crafts Dept has a few handmade gift ideas.
• Make an amazing Father’s Day (or Fourth of July) “fast food meal” entirely out of tasty dessert with recipes and printables from Bakerella.
• Make the COOLEST bird finger puppets using these free downloads from Mr. Printables. Also, make these funky paper glasses for Dad!
• Mwahahaha! Spocks!!!
• Host a cute Stargazing Party with these great ideas.
• DIY bauble necklaces – funky and fashionable!
• Beyonce Art History
• Anyone going to the](http://www.etsy.com/blog/news/2013/etsys-brooklyn-craft-party-2013/) in Brooklyn on June 20th? I’ll be there! (You can also find a craft party near you.)

Here’s to a crafty summer!! Have fun!

Another week has gone by so fast! Did you get everything done that you wanted to? I never do, but I keep trying… Have fun this weekend and enjoy these links!

• This free Narwhal Amigurumi Crochet Pattern is way too cute.
• The Peep Strikes Back!
• Make a giant popsicle piñata!
• For the quilters out there, this Sunburst Picnic Blanket Tutorial looks like a lot of fun.
• A super-cute treat: Chocolate Sprinkle Sandwich Cookies (they can also be pops!)
• It is hard to believe but My Paper Crane (one of my favorite crafter websites) is 10 years old!
• Part comic book, part cook book, I’m really excited to read Relish, the new book by one of my favorite illustrators, Lucy Knisley.
• I LOVE this awesome blog post all about Swap-bot!
• Your S’more of the week: Nutella S’more Bars. Yum!

TGIF!

I love science fiction. My two all-time favorite TV shows are Star Trek: The Next Generation and The X-Files. (Both of which are available on Netflix, by the way.)

Do you love scifi, too?? Let’s swap science fiction postcards! They can be handmade or store bought and can feature any type of science fiction theme or character: Star Trek, Star Wars, Fringe, Firefly, Issac Asimov, Philip K. Dick, spaceships, aliens, robots, mutants! Any scifi topic is fair game! What classic scifi am I leaving out?

The SciFi Postcard Swap is international and open to any experienced swappers with a 5.0 rating. We will each have two partners to whom we will send one scifi postcard each. Sign up before the end of May!

Happy Mother’s Day to all the wonderful mothers!! Enjoy a few fun links today…

• Aren’t the cakes seen above the cutest you’ve ever seen?! They are Mini Oreo Sprinkle Cakes from SprinkleBakes.
• You might need these today: Free printable Mother’s Day cards and tags.
• Check out this [

Happy Mother’s Day to all the wonderful mothers!! Enjoy a few fun links today…

• Aren’t the cakes seen above the cutest you’ve ever seen?! They are Mini Oreo Sprinkle Cakes from SprinkleBakes.
• You might need these today: Free printable Mother’s Day cards and tags.
• Check out this](http://blog.freepeople.com/2013/05/diy-personalized-envelope-lining/)
• Love it! Make your own Star Trek “Live Long and Prosper” zipped sweatshirt.
• Your S’more of the week: S’more Stuffed French Toast.

What are you doing to celebrate today?