I have been somewhat absent around Swap-bot recently. I was chosen for jury duty and the process (of mostly sitting in waiting rooms) took almost two weeks. I was happy to be a part of the judicial process, but in the end, the case settled out of court, so I basically ended up doing nothing. Boo.

BUT, I am happy to be back with another installment of Friday Link Love:

Crafts…

• I am in LOVE with these Star Wars themed embroidery pieces (Chewbacca seen above) by Chelsea Bloxsom.
• Make a patchwork lumbar pillow out of fabric scraps using this tutorial on Me Sew Crazy.
• I like this idea of sewing together circles of paper to make unique gift wrapping ribbon.
• How to Decorate {For the DIY’er} Series on Home Stories A2Z.

Food…

• woah! I think I have already shared a few versions of this dessert creation, but this is the ultimate version: Oreo-stuffed, chocolate chip cookie brownie bars!
• Beautiful rainbow Jello cups.
• Apple Pie Cupcakes from The Tale of Two Kitchens.

So… I wasn’t able to gather as many cool links this week, so feel free to add more in the comments!

I haven’t featured a Dotee Doll swap in a while and this one sounds especially fun… the Vegas Showgirl Dotee Doll Swap hosted by user8179.

From the swap description:

_“For this swap you will have one partner who you will be making a showgirl dotee. So think Vegas!!! Think feathers!!!! Colors!!! What ever says Showgirl to you.</p>

What is a dotee? A dotee is a small art doll, 3″ – 5” tall. Dotees also have a loop for hanging. Tails are optional.</i>”

The international swap is open for sign up until the end of the month, July 31st, and all users with a 4.85 rating, or higher, are welcome to join.

(If you are a dotee lover, also check out this cool Dotee Making Kit Swap hosted by charophyta.)

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If you are new to Dotee Dolls, here is a little more info:

Dotee Dolls are small fabric dolls created by Dorothy “Dot” Christian. They are meant to spread friendship, love, and joy. For more info about Dotee Dolls, check out this instructional video. You can also see lots of great photos of the dolls in the Dotee Doll Flickr group.

• The pretty picture above is from the Olive Manna online shop. It is a lovely site where you can buy vintage-y craft supplies and home decor.
• I am really excited to have discovered Postcardly. It is a site that allows you to send REAL mail postcards from your email! I must try it!
• 100 ways to creatively reuse old magazines from Always Chrysti.
• Having a summer party? These popsicle invites from The Crafts Dept are too cute!
• Gotta have my S/mores – This DIY S’more gift set from Creature Comforts is so sweet. Plus, a S’more bar recipe from Martha Stewart and S’more Cups from Made with Pink.
• More food: 15 Dessert Recipes in a Jar.
• Spread the googly eye love by making these easy magnetic googly eyes from Evil Mad Scientist Laboratories.
• This fashionable tutorial is making the rounds: DIY Wrap Bracelets
• 5,4,3,2,1 Interview with our favorite, Diane Gilleland (of CraftyPod and the new Editor-in-Chief of Craftzine.com).

So what else is happening today? Add more links in the comments…

Last Saturday, July 16th, a group of six UK swap-botters (seen above: denimblu14, kittenred, AndrewLips, Carolinev237, AnnMarie, hippysherree, and reauk) met in Sheffield for some in-person swapping and crafting. The event was organized by AndrewLips and he sent this report:

_“We met on wet a Saturday morning in a lovely pub called The Cutler in Sheffield. A small but awesome group of members came, mostly made up of Northern based swappers. When we got there, we put together some tables and everyone put on the table the items they had brought for the goodiebags (each person who came got a goodiebag). People brought so many amazing lovely handmade crafts. The goodiebags were stuffed with treats. It felt like Christmas! Even mum2boys82 who could not make the swap sent treats, which was greatly appreciated by the group. </p>

Shortly after we had our ice breaker where people showed some of their favourite swaps they had received on Swap-bot. After this kittenred did her Woolly Dolly workshop which was lots of fun as well as very simple and easy to do.</i> [Denimblu14 is seen to the left with her Woolly Dolly.]

After this a few people had to leave. The rest of us stayed and had lunch together at the pub and then walked around looking at the city of Sheffield. It was so nice to meet everyone who came. We all really enjoyed ourselves. It was clear to see how much Swap-Bot means to all of us, how big a part of our lives it is. It was really nice to see the offline community it has created and put a face to the names. When it was time to leave the sun had come out which was a shame, as we did plan a picnic… Maybe next time!”

It sounds like it was a lovely afternoon! The group says that they are already planning future events. If you are a UK swapper and interested in meeting other Swap-bot members, join the UK meet up group!

Also, if you are planning a group meet-up with other Swap-bot members, please let me know in advance! (contact rachel -at- Swap-bot.com) I will send along some Swap-bot goodies.

• The granny squares you see above are actually cookies!! Amazing, right? You can learn how to make them with the Granny Square Cookie Tutorial over on Sugar and Meringue.
• 100 Fun Things to Do This Summer
• Eight fashion forward bracelet tutorials on Whip Up.
• Just discovered this cute herb (yes, as in plants) website: Poppy Swap. It is an online marketplace where herbalists can sell and trade their handmade soaps, oils, balms, candles, and more.
• Almost too cute: a carnival-themed birthday dessert spread.
• I may have already share Lovely Package with you. It is a daily blog that showcases awesome examples of packaging design. Very inspiring ideas! Also, Lovely Stationery.
• If you love cooking and recipes, you might want to check out the brand new site, Gojee. I haven’t explored it much, but it has been described as StumbledUpon for recipes. You can search recipes by ingredient and keep your favorites bookmarked. Plus, the photos are stunning!
• Speaking of recipes, my newest S’more find: S’more Cupcakes from Sophitimom. I would love that toasted marshmallow icing!!
• The Detroit Maker Faire is looking for volunteers July 30-31. I went to the NY Maker Faire and it was a really awesome event. I recommend it!

What else has been happening around the craft-o-sphere? Feel free to leave more links in the comments!

What is a mug rug? A mug rug is a cross between a coaster and a placemat. It is a handy thing to have on your desk as a place to set your coffee/tea and a little snack. Often mug rugs are quilted (like the one seen above from Sew Fantastic) and they are good way to use up fabric scraps, but I’ve also seen them woven.

Are you a fiber or fabric crafter who wants to try out this quick, new craft? Join the Fun with Mug Rugs swap! The international swap is being hosted by theprincessr. For the swap you make one 5 x 7 inch mug rug for your one partner. All swappers must be experienced and have over a 4.7 rating. Join the swap before this Saturday, July 16th.

For mug rug inspiration, check out these great quilting sites:

• Sew Fantastic Scrappy Colorblock Tutorial
• Sew We Quilt has a very cute scrap mug rug with a pocket
• Dresden Wedges Mug Rug Tutorial from I’m Just a Guy Who Quilts
• An intricate hexagon pattern mug rug tutorial on Wonderfully Awkward
• Holiday themed mug rug tutorial on Pleasant Home
• And there are plenty more! Just search “mug rug tutorial” on Google…

If you’ve made a mug rug before, please share a link to a photo in the comments!

I’m back with your lovely Friday links!

• The cute ice cream cones you see above are actually FREE downloadable gift tags from Eat Drink Chic. Great for a summer party!
• The last Harry Potter movie is coming out on the 15th!! If you are a fan or just need a refresher of the full Harry Potter saga you will love illustrator, Lucy Knisley’s, condensed, comic book rendition of all seven books.
• For matchbox lovers: Check out this matchbox decorating tutorial and free matchbox sleeve downloads on Doll House MIniatures. (thanks to cobaltgypsy for the link!)
• I found a new lifestyle/design/handmade blog that I think you will like: Stamp 48.
• Since we are all snail mail lovers, this Photoshop tutorial on how to create an authentic-looking postmark might come in handy for digital scrapbooking or design work.
• You know about cake pops, right? They are just about THE most popular dessert right now, and Bakerella is the queen of cake pops. Check out her round-up of amazing cake pop creations made by her blog readers and fans. The Diet Coke can cake pops are hilarious!
• Speaking of pop-like desserts, how about some Campfire S’more Pops! (You know the Link Love wouldn’t be complete without a S’more link!)
• One more food link… Technically, these crazy cookies were meant for the Fourth of July, but I think you could adjust the color scheme to fit any holiday or party: Explosive Pop Rocks Cookies from CakeSpy.com.
  • Do you like keeping track of the restaurants and places that you have visited or want to visit? Then you should check out GuideMe! GuideMe can act as your online “to do” list of restaurants and attractions. You can import your Foursquare checkins and make reservations with OpenTable all through GuideMe. They also just launched a helpful feature: deal tracking. Add places to your “Guide List” and GuideMe now monitors hundreds of daily deal services and will alert you if a deal exists for a place on your List!
  • Do you wish you could visit New York City? Well, I have the next best thing… well, not really, but you should still read my detailed review of a Lower East Side Food Tour I took on Saturday. We sampled a wide variety of food and learned about the immigrant history of NY. </ul> Happy Friday!! What are you up to today? (I have to take Crusher to the vet this morning, so he may not have the happiest day…)

I have featured matchbox swaps in the past, and also a book thong swap, but this is the first time that two have been combined in a featured swap… the Book Thong in a Matchbox Swap.

The requirements: “You will have one partner, to whom you will send one decorated matchbox, and in it, one book thong. The book thong has to be hand made! You can use a store bought matchbox, but you must decorate it yourself.”

The international swap is hosted by <A href=http://www.swap-bot.com/user:suki”>suki</a> and it is open to new users and experienced swappers with a 4.8 rating or higher. Sign up before July 10th!

(The image above is an example of a book thong and its corresponding matchbox from suki’s Flickr photos.)

Who doesn’t love unicorns, am I right?! The cutie you see above is original art by Pagey on Etsy.

Usually I prefer to feature handmade swaps here on the blog, but I couldn’t resist the allure of the unicorn this week! It you are also a fantasy animal fan, join the Unicorn Postcard Swap hosted by MissiveMaven. The swap is international and really easy. Just send one store-bought (or Etsy-bought) unicorn postcard to your one partner. All experienced swappers with a 4.9 rating or higher, and new users with excellent profiles are welcome to join.

Sign up asap! The swap closes on July 2nd!

Happy summer! A few sunshine-y links for you this week…

• I love the cheerful, felt, citrus coasters seen above. Get the tutorial on the Purlbee.
• Another adorable citrus treat: Margarita and lime sugar cookies.
• This seems a bit over-the-top… but delicious: S’mores Cupcake Ice Cream Sandwiches.
• Did you know you can design your own iPhone case on Uncommon? Look at the pretty one created by Melissa on I Still Love You.
• Speaking of iPhones, the Crafts Dept has a round-up of apps to help organize your crafting.
• Also on the Crafts Dept is a simple tutorial for making cute flower drinking straws using cupcake liners. Great for a summer party!
• Make your own pop-up cards on one of my fave websites, The Hairpin.
• I am not a very skilled knitter, but if I was, I would make this Cable Braided Necklace.
• A little self-promotion: Read my review of the Teresa Collins Stampmaker on CraftCritique.com.

Did you find any other lovely links this week? Add them in the comments!