I am sad that I have not found time to blog here as much as I would like… but I am pumped to share a few fun links with you again today! (Lots of recipes again. I guess I just really like food!)

• Let’s start things off on a tasty note… Look at that beautiful Key Lime Cake shown above! The recipe is from Bakerella.
• In the mood for crafting? How about making a very cool Mod Podge statement ring?
• Or, make one of these wooden bead necklaces from See That There.
• Or, make this adorable peony necklace out of felt.
• “Five Reasons for Crafters to Work in a Series” on Craft Test Dummies.
• Just because: 6 Must Know Lipstick Tricks.
• Over-the-top Yum! Homemade Oreo-style marshmallows!
• A cute treat for summer: Watermelon Rice Krispie Treats.
• On the topic of watermelon, would you try it deep fried?!
• And finally… your S’more of the week: Chocolate-chip S’more Pizza! (Thanks for craftygirl for this suggestion.)

Have a really wonderful weekend! xoxo

Hello and a happy friday to you!! See that GIANT stack of postcards above?! Those have all been sent from Swap-bot members as part of the Thank You Swap-bot swap. Amazing!! Each and everyone has made me very happy. What an incredible community! I love you all.

Now on to the links! I have a bunch of dessert recipes, plus lots of other fun stuff for you…

Recipes:

• Very cute for Fourth of July: Strawberry Shortcake Kabobs! (Also on Bakers Royale: Fourth of July Fruit Pops.)
• Also for the Fourth, Rice Krispie Treat Flag Pops.
• For more ideas, check out this round-up of patriotic desserts for the Fourth on It’s Simply Me.
• For ANY time: Chocolate Pie Recipes.
• Or, how about some Rolo-stuffed cookies?!
• Or, these totally adorable Cheesecake Cones from Sprinkle Bakes? Kids would go crazy for those at a party, right?!

Other Fun:

• An easy and very cool t-shirt DIY project from P.S. I Made This.
• These are really awesome: Embroidery 101 instructional videos from Jenny Hart of Sublime Stitching.
• Obviously. A tampon can be used as a multi-purpose survival tool.
• Music is motivating. How about some Songs of Summer from NPR?
• And, just because awwwwwwwww….. puppies the size of soda cans!

xoxoxoxxoxoox

Sadly, I don’t have a true Link Love for you today. BUT, you should go check out the FREE podcast, “Craft Bloggers and Marketing Boundaries,” over on CraftyPod. It is sponsored by Swap-bot and it features Jessika Hepburn, who edits Oh, My! Handmade Goodness.

Have a happy Friday!

I will say it again and again, Swap-bot members are the BEST!

These are just some of the hundreds of postcards I have received from all over the world as part of the “Thank You Swap-bot” swap.

Each and every postcard makes me so happy. Thank you all for your kind words. I plan to thank you each individually on your profile… but it will take me a little while.

I will share more photos of the postcards soon… stay tuned!

Well, hello there! Happy Friday! Are you ready for your weekly dose of links?! Father’s Day is in a little more than a week, so I collected a few crafty gift ideas for you. (Above is a photo of me and my sweet dad approximately 30 years ago.)

For Father’s Day:

• 101 handmade gift ideas for men!
• I feel bad that dads always seem to get stuck with neck ties for Father’s Day, but these double-decker necktie cookies are pretty cute. Or, you could make these hot dog cookies!
• For a necktie-free gift ideas, check out Etsy’s Father’s Day round up.
• Craftzine also has some great gift ideas for dad.
• Use these free printables from Embellish to create an awesome party for your pop!

Other fun stuff:

• DIY tutorial: Chunky Link Ball Chain Friendship Bracelets from Stripes + Sequins. Very cool!
• Love this DIY gold ring necklace from Flax + Twine, too.
• Yum! So colorful! Jello cookies.
• Make an iPad case out of duct tape!
• The creators of BurdaStyle just launched a new DIY community site: Kollabora. It is still in beta, but it looks like it will be a great resource for craft tutorials and supplies.
• S’more of the week: I gotta get some of these S’muffins!
• I could display those S’muffins on this awesome, DIY, cardboard cupcake stand from Oh Happy Day.
• Just for fun: True Story – I’m a Trekkie.

Have a fun weekend!

Thank you to everyone who entered the Cardcetera Giveaway! I used Random.org to randomly select two winner today… and they are…

janski48 and kiwiikai!!!

Congratulations to the winners! Your postcard packs will be sent directly from Cardcetera.

Happy Friday! This week I have many jewelry tutorials and tasty recipes for you, plus a few extra goodies… Have fun!

• As a fellow mail art lover, you’ll appreciate these adorable shipping packages made by artist, Geninne. (Seen above)
• A fun, humorous blog I just discovered: Aunt Peaches. (With wacky-cool DIYs, like this Chrysanthemum lamp shade.)
• I love these adorable wall decals.
• A very simple, but cool DIY: Geode Ring.
• Make a trendy beaded and knotted bracelet with this tutorial on Art Bead Scene.
• Or, make knotted and beaded earrings using this Etsy How-Tuesday tutorial.
• This American Flag cake looks somewhat difficult, but very impressive for 4th of July!
• Would you ever make homemade SPAM?
• Ooey Gooey Butter Cake Bars with Blueberries
• Your S’more of the week: Campfire Bars.
• And finally, something healthy: a TASTY spinach smoothie.

p.s. Don’t forget to enter the Cardcetera giveaway for a chance to win free postcards!

Let me introduce you to one of Swap-bot’s fabulous sponsors: Cardcetera!

Conceived by two sisters, Astrid and Linda, from Eindhoven, the Netherlands, and launched in May 2011, Cardcetera is a webshop offering a wide range of postcards, greeting cards, postage stamps and scrapbook materials, like stickers. The site is in both English and Dutch and it offers a wide range of postcard styles, including their own Cardcetera photo postcards.

Check out their blog and follow them on Twitter, Pinterest, and Facebook.

Cardcetera is generously sponsoring a giveaway! Two winners will each recive postcard sets containing 18 postcards:

• 4 Cardcetera postcards with the title Bella Italia
• 14 cards with a selection from their popular brands, including Inkognito, Ars Vivendi, and Nouvelles Images

In addition to the giveaway, from May 28th until June 3rd, everyone who uses the discount code swap1year will get a 10% discount on all items in the Cardcetera shop – including already discounted items.

To enter the giveaway, comment on this blog post and answer one of the following questions:

What are your favorite types of cards to receive? or What was your favorite postcard swap theme?

Please include your name, email address, and Swap-bot username when you comment. The giveaway will be open for entry until Sunday, June 3rd. The two winners will be randomly selected and announced on Tuesday, June 5th. The postcard packs will be sent directly from Cardcetera. Good luck!

Your fun Friday links are a little late today, but you have a three-day weekend to enjoy them! Have fun!

• Seen above: how to make a statement necklace on Making It Lovely. (I made a similar necklace for my wedding back in the day.)
• Make a pretty Constellation Jar with this tutorial on Design Mom.
• Lovely: a beautiful wedding dress made out of vintage, embroidered tablecloths.
• Check out the teaser issue of Verily magazine, a new women’s magazine with a mission of affirming real women.
• These freak me out: Cupcake sausages (in real sausage casings!)
• Pancakes on a stick make a cute and fun snack!
• Summer party food: Lucky Charms Ice Cream Sandwiches.
• Your S’more of the week: Oven-baked S’more Bars

p.s. Stay tuned for a GIVEAWAY on Monday!

Sunshine, swaps, and lots of links 4 life!

• What a fun craft: How to make wind-up butterflies (seen above) on You are my Fave.
• Speaking of butterflies, check out all of the lovelies made by Swap-botters for the Holocaust Museum Butterfly Project Swap.
• Make yourself some pretty polka dot flats.
• A huge round-up of paint chip crafts on Dear Miss Modern.
• You’re different (and magical) just like everyone else.
• Two sweet recipes: Snickers Cake and Nutella Cupcakes.
• And, one savory: Seven Layer Dip Roll-ups

I have an epic Brooklyn weekend planned… how about you?!