Swap-bot users create such wonderful, creative groups. There are over 1200 groups to choose from on the ‘bot, so I am happy that user, CarrieZee, brought one of the many great groups to my attention for this week’s group profile.

Let me introduce you to Somerset Style! The group hosts craft swaps inspired by the style popularized by the Stampington Publications, like Somerset Life, Belle Amoire, Apprentice, Green Craft, etc. The group was founded in October 2009 by YooperHill and homeandheart.

Somerset Style swaps are of an exceptionally high quality. All group members must have completed at least ten craft swaps before joining the group, as well as have no 1 or recent 3 ratings. The swaps are all craft-related and often feature embellished paper crafts. Below is an upcycled wall pocket made by CarrieZee for a Somerset Style swap: </p>

Upcoming Somerset Style swaps include Pretty Postcard Presentation and Somerset Green: Gift Card Holder. If those swaps sound fun to you and you meet the group requirements, request to join!

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Do you belong to an awesome Swap-bot group? Have you had in-person meet-ups or do you have unique swaps to share? Please let me know! Email me at rachel [at] Swap-bot.com with all the details and I may feature your group on the blog.

This is Your Life! … in Recipes is a unique, international swap hosted by honeyblossom. For the swap you answer questions about yourself by sharing some of your favorite recipes. Honeyblossom describes the requirements better than I, so here is the info from the swap page:

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_For this swap you will be required to answer the questions listed below by using a recipe. You will also need to send a note with the recipes explaining your choices. You will have 2 partners, so each partner will get at least 3 recipes. Only one recipe is required per question, but you can always send more as long as the recipes relate to the question being asked.</p>

Questions:

What recipes stirs up a memory from your childhood?

Where are you from?

What is your favorite color?</i>

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You get to share your personality with your partners via recipes – I love the idea! Sign up for this swap before May 15th and be sure to read the full swap description for all the details.

A have a special blog feature for you today: a group profile!

One of the most active groups on Swap-bot is the Dutch Swappers Group. The group, founded by littleZ, has 192 members. All of the members of the group live in The Netherlands and much of the group description and the very active forums are in Dutch.

Group member, 8r1id contacted me recently to let me know that the group is planning their third in-person meet-up. How cool! She says that the group is very active and the members have become good friends. 8r1id also made the amazing felt fairytale dolls seen below for the Sprookjeskunst (fairytale art) Swap. I love them!

If you live in The Netherlands, you should check out the Dutch Swappers Group. The group has a great Flickr account and even their own blog featuring all the swap pictures:

Dutch Swappers Blog

Dutch Swappers Flickr Pool

Do you belong to an awesome Swap-bot group? Have you had in-person meet-ups or do you have unique swaps to share? Please let me know! Email me at rachel [at] Swap-bot.com with all the details and I may feature your group on the blog.

Last week was too busy to blog, but I am back this week with a unique and creative featured swap: Can’t CONTAIN Myself! This international craft swap is hosted by PaperMoments and is open to experienced swappers with excellent ratings.

From the swap description:

_“Let’s Upcycle any type of tin or cardboard container into something functional and beautiful.</p>

You will have one partner and redesign and decorate either one cardboard, plastic, or tin container and send to your assigned swap partner.

Non-Profile Specific — No need to wait for assigned partners, go ahead and start on your container upscycle project and you’ll be ready to send once your partner is assigned.

You may cut your container, alter it into anything you can imagine and decorate with fabric, felt, decorative scrapbooking paper, vintage images, stamped and cut out images, etc.” </i>

Such a fun a creative idea! Plus, who couldn’t use a pretty, new container for organizing craft supplies! Sign up before May 14th and then get started on your upcycled container.

This was going to be a short post today, but there are just too many good links out there!! Enjoy!

Earth Day links:

• Make plantable paper (seen above) on AlphaMom.
• The IKEA Hackers blog shows you how to recycle old home decor catalogs into creative doll houses.
• FaveCrafts has a free eBook: 42 Ways to Recycle.

Easter links:

• Peep S’mores – so colorful!
• Adorable papier mache egg tutorial on Not Martha.
• Wow! A Cadbury Creme Egg inside a cupcake!
• These chick cake pops made by ljcfyi are too cute!
• A creative Easter activity for kids (or adults): marshmallow art.
  • Creative hard-boiled eggs.
  • I’ve always wanted to make these chocolate eggs in real egg shells, but they seem difficult.

  • Quick and easy: Marshmallow Peep Pops. </ul> Extra links:

    • Cupcake Fondue – so cute and fun!
    • Free spring flower list printables from A QUick Study.
    • Six pretty DIY spring wreaths.
    • DIY Comic Book Necklace Pendant tutorial from Punk Projects.
    • You know that I am obsessed with S’mores! This looks interesting: S’mores Cake in a Jar.

    Happy Earth Day! Happy Easter! Happy Weekend! Whatever you celebrate, have a good one!

Oh, how I used to love Pee Wee’s Playhouse when I was a kid! It was such a weird, fun, wacky show. I wanted to live in the Playhouse for real. (Remember the theme song? That is Cindi Lauper singing!) My mom had taped the Christmas Special – using our VCR, of course – and we would watch it every year!

So, I couldn’t resist featuring the Pee Wee’s Playhouse ATC Swap this week! The international swap is hosted by missmuffcake and it is open for sign up through April 29th.

For the swap, you create one ATC for your one partner that features one character or element from Pee Wee’s Playhouse. It could feature Pee Wee, Miss Yvonne, Mailman Mike, Cowboy Curtis, Jambi the Genie, Pterri, Conky, Chairry, or any of the other crazy characters! (One of my favorites was Chicky Baby, back-up singer for the Cool Cat, all-puppet, bebop band.)

All users with a 4.8 rating, or higher are welcome in the swap. Sign up now!

Just for fun: Pee Wee gets an iPad on Funny Or Die.

Another week, another awesome list of links!

• My friend, Jessica made the blueberry cobbler cookie seen above, and she shares the recipe over on AceDept.com. I want to make some this weekend!
• Want to make something a little less healthy? How about these homemade Twix-style cookie bars from King Arthur Flour?!
• I love this free, printable, Easter goodie box over on I Still Love You.
• And this Spring Flower Garland tutorial over on Infarrantly Creative.
• Have an cute spring project that your shared on your blog? Add your link to the Craftaholics Anonymous Spring Link Party. Or, just check out the dozens of other fun projects.
• Inspiration for the home: bookshelf styling ideas.
• One of the coolest things I’ve seen done with paper: a record player wedding invite. So cool!
• These ombre beaded necklaces on Martha Stewart Crafts are so beautiful. The tutorial looks like an advanced beading project, but I might try it.
• Don’t forget to enter the Funky Finds giveaway for a $40 gift certificate to Wardrobe Ave before tomorrow!

What else caught your eye on the internet this week?

I’ve been wanting to share these photos for a while, but I was hoping to gather a few more…

These are just some of the crafts created for the I Heart Swap-bot Ultimate Swap hosted by kheidedios back in February. For the swap, each participant had to make an ATC, a handmade postcard, and a matchbox for their one partner. All of the creations had to incorporate Ernie the Envie. Awesome!!

(The photo above is an Ernie matchbox I made a few years ago… It wasn’t actually made for this swap.)

The goodies seen above were sent by hiddenjade. I love the owl mail carrier!

Daydrifter made these Ernie items. The hand-carved Ernie stamp is a real treat!

These fun items were made by shorterthanu44. I love the colorful ATC that incorporates the Ernie smile. Cute!

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If anyone else participate in the I Heart Swap-bot Ultimate Swap and would like to share you image, leave a link in the comments.

This week I’m featuring another April Stash Bust-style swap. AllFreeKnitting.com is hosting a public Stash Busting Yarn Swap. The swap is easy: just sign up by April 22nd, then send each of your two partners a skein of yarn from your stash. The yarn must be unused and in decent condition and must weigh at least two ounces.

AllFreeKnitting.com shares free knitting patterns and e-books. It is part of the FaveCrafts web community. You can read more about the swap on the FaveCrafts blog.

Be sure to sign up for the stash busting yarn swap by April 22nd!

Thanks to travisj, our trusty Swap-bot technology wizard, for his help finding many of these links this week…

• We know about magic yarn balls here on Swap-bot (you know, the balls of yarn filled with little surprise treasures), but leave it to Martha’s craft department to come up with magic crepe paper carrots! Just in time for Easter! (seen above)
• How to make t-shirt yarn.
• This “Celebrate Me” spring party is probably a little over-board in the style department considering that the attendees look to be about four years old, but it is definitely cute! I like the marshmallow pops.
• For a more masculine kid’s birthday party, check out this DIY Lego Party from Craftzine.com’s Feast & Frolic section.
• Baker’s Royale – my new favorite food blog! Such great party recipes, like these S’mores Pops and these mini Strawberry Margarita Jello Shooters!
• I love these little ceramic tags from Paper Boat Press that you can use to decorate baked goods that you give to family and friends.
• Free, printable, map-themed love notes on Kind Over Matter.
• Yay! I got to attend another Martha Stewart Show taping on Tuesday. It was another great time!
• Just for fun: This kind of grosses me out and is also kind of awesome — Ham Solo.

What other internet wonders did you stumble across this week?