I had a hard time finding links this weeks. It seems that crafters are much more into Halloween than Thanksgiving… as always, add more fun links in the comments!

• Cute Oreo Turkeys on Our Best Bites.
• Make a holiday Yarn Ball Wreath with this pretty tutorial.
• Speaking of wreaths, Whip Up has a round-up of 30 wreath tutorials. (Including the colorful felt wreath seen above.)
• A new, delicious baking blog I just discovered: Sprinkle Bakes.
• Download free Jane Austen bookmarks made by Swap-bot user, thehappyhoneybee.
• Check out this fabulous <a href=http://www.etsy.com/treasury/4cdd860738426d91c2f775e6/swapbotters-unite?utm_source=Twitter&utm_medium=Treasury&utm_campaign=Share”>Etsy Treasury made up of things made by Swap-bot users</a>. It was compiled by user, Drachenfrau.
• Finally, a cool article all about Swap-bot.

I know I have featured quite a few Dotee Doll swaps in the past, but I couldn’t pass this one up: The 80s Dotee Swap hosted by glittergothgurl. For the swap, you make one 3 to 6-inch tall Dotee Doll in a 1980s theme for your one partner. The swap description describes the theme best:

Do you LOVE the 80’s as much as I do?? I’m an 80’s chick, so what I would love love LOVE is an 80’s themed Dotee! You can make your dotee in any 80’s style. Think Madonna, The Cure, Punky Brewster, Michael Jackson, punk rock, headbands, leg warmers, mixed matched socks, neon clothes, jelly bracelets, crimped hair, etc. Come on all you hardcore 80’s girls, let’s make this swap “like, totally tubular”!!!

Sounds like a lot of fun! To join the swap you must have over a 4.9 rating and have completed at least five swaps. Sign up before Monday, November 15th!

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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 their creator, Dot’s, blog. You can also see lots of great photos of the dolls in the Dotee Doll Flickr group.

Just a quick, little link love for you this week. (I am running the NYC marathon on Sunday and this has been maybe the craziest week of my life! My apologies to those waiting for email responses from me…) Feel free to add more fun links in the comments…

• Such a simple idea with such a beautiful result: Sewn Paper Garland (seen above) from Mini-eco.
• Martha’s Thanksgiving Planning Calendar
• Speaking of Martha, one man is baking his way through Martha’s Cookie book and documenting his progress on Too Many Cookies.
• Check out the thorough review of Testors ColorArtz Fabric Airbrush Kit on CraftCritique.com by our own, luluvision!
• Swap-bot user, LadyRose, has create a great fanlist site for Swap-bot. Check it out and become a fan! (She also made one for me – how sweet!
• 5 Inspiring Sites to Help You Get Your Creative Juices Flowing on Meylah.
• Lovely: Inspired Ideas Magazine: The Christmas Issue
• Another lovely online magazine: Gifted (from Creature Comforts)
• Swap-bot is one of the sponsors of the Funky Finds Experience happening this weekend in Fort Worth, Texas. If you make it to the event, please report back and let us know how it was.

Have a wonderful weekend. (If you are in NY, come out and cheer for the marathon on Sunday!!)

Unique craft swaps are my very favorite, and this week’s featured swap definitely meets my criteria! Join the Paper Doll Swap hosted by Dakini55 and create two, handmade, jointed, paper dolls for your partner. The swap is international and open to anyone with a 4.9 rating, or higher. The dolls can be of any style, but must be between 5 and 9 inches tall. Sign up before November 12th, and then you have nearly a month to create your dolls and get them sent by December 10th.

For inspiration, here are a few online paper doll resources:

– Paper Doll Gallery on Art-E-Zine</li>

– The Original Paper Doll Artists Guild</li>

– Custom Paper Doll Tutorial on Disney’s Family Fun website</li>

– Design You Own Paper Doll on About.com</li>

– Search “Paper Doll” on Flickr</li> </blockquote>

Have you ever made an original paper doll before? Do you have any other paper doll inspiration links?

The Halloween weekend is finally here! If you haven’t planned your festivities or costumes yet, here are a few helpful links for last-minute halloweenie projects:

• Aren’t those candy corn jelly bites seen above beautiful?! The recipe can be found on the really amazing blog, Jelly Shot Test Kitchen. Who knew you could make so many cool, bite-size treats with gelatin (i.e. Jell-O)?!
• Creative Halloween Snacks and Treats on Kitchen Explorers.
• These Melting Witch Cookies (from Jennifer of Death by Cupcake) are ingenious and adorable!
• No-sew Halloween Costumes on MarthaStewart.com.
• This is just fun: 22 Amazing Halloween Costumes From the 80s.
• Last-minute, Non-candy Halloween Treats from Tonya Staab. Think coloring pages and crayons instead of more candy…
• There may not be time left to do this yourself, but this Lego Indiana Jones costume is pretty rad! (Also, adorable Mythbusters.)
• Last-minute costumes for your pets on Etsy.
• Speaking of pets and costumes, this is just too cute: Hipster Puppies.
• This is my favorite (especially if you are a New Yorker): 16 Easy Costume Ideas in a cute 90 Second Video on Daily Candy.
• I think these beaded spiders on Tatertots and Jello are pretty – I think there is still time to make a few!
• And… there is a another Last-Minute Halloween Link Love over on the Fave Crafts blog.

Have a spooktakular Halloween!!

By now, I think most Swap-botters know that ATC = Artist Trading Card, and that ATCs are one of the most popular craft items to swap on the ‘bot. I am always looking for interesting ATC swap variations and this one caught my attention this week: Interactive ATC II: Pocket Swap hosted by starrgazer.

The Interactive ATC II: Pocket Swap is international and open to anyone who has completed five mail swaps and has a 4.9 rating. For the swap, you make one interactive ATC that incorporates a pocket for your one partner. Directions from the swap description:

“This card will need to feature some sort of pocket. Intrepret the theme as you wish as long as there is a pocket, with something tucked inside of course. Get creative, think outside the box. Make a quality piece, something that you would enjoy recieving. Senders choice, so you may begin creating at anytime, but profiles can always be inspiring!”

Sign up for the Interactive ATC II: Pocket Swap before November 12th!!

As we get closer and closer to Halloween, I feel the need to add some fright to my life. I have also been watching a lot of True Blood, lately… so “vampire” seemed like a good thing to search for on Etsy. (Above is a plush vampire bat from the SoftiesbyRachel Shop.) These are some of my favorite handmade, vampy goods:

Are you into the vampire craze (Twilight, True Blood, Vampire Diaries, etc…) or are you totally over it?

Art history was always may favorite subject in school, so this week’s featured swap caught my eye!

If you enjoy art history you should join the Art History ATC Swap hosted by tyttoastronautti. The swap is the first in what hopes to be a series of art history-inspired swaps. Each swap in the series will be inspired by a different period in art history, the first one being Art Nouveau.

Art Nouveau is an international movement and style of art that was most popular at the turn of the 20th century. It is characterized by organic, especially floral and other plant-inspired motifs, as well as highly stylized, flowing curvilinear forms. Artists include Alphonse Mucha, Louis Comfort Tiffany, and Gustav Klimt, among many others.

The Art History ATC Swap is international and each participant makes one art nouveau ATC for their one partner. You must have completed at least three mail swaps and have a 4.8 rating, or higher, to join. Sign up before October 30th.

It is somebody’s birthday today! Travisj, Swap-bot’s web guru extrordinaire, to be exact. We’ll be celebrating tonight, and we want you to have fun, too! Have a link party and visit all of these awesome crafty links…

Halloween-y Links:

• Above is a photo from a video tutorial for making Witches Hat Halloween Cute Cakes using Donsuemor pre-made cakes and Bugles. Yes, Bugles!
• Submit your Halloween costumes, food and drink recipes, and Halloween party decor projects to CraftZine.com’s Halloween Contest for a chance to win great craft prize packagess. Enter by Nov. 2nd.
• Warning: these are pretty gross! 15 of the most disgusting Halloween candies you can buy on Blastr.
• Warning: these look delightful and delicious! Candy Corn Cookies.
• Three kinds of cute ghost cupcakes for Halloween on Cupcakes Take the Cake.
• Do you watch the tv show Dexter? If so, you’ll be intrigued by this How To for Dexter-inspired blood slide candy. Creepy!

General Fun Time Links:

• NASA and Etsy are co-hosting a contest! Enter your handmade artistic item inspired by the NASA Space Shuttle Program and space exploration by Nov. 2nd for a chance to be a VIP guest at a NASA launch.
• Speaking of contests, learn about the JoAnn’s Crafting for a Cause Contest over on CraftyPod (the deadline is October 30th).
• Incredibly sweet: Mila’s Daydreams – amazing baby portraits.
• I need to learn from this: 10 Food Photography Tips to Make It Look Tasty on Photoble.
• ArtShow is a website where you can buy art directly from the artists. They also have an extensive listing of art workshops, classes, and tours.
• Speaking of buying art, Bale & Twine is another lovely online store where you can buy limited edition handcrafted goods.
• Do you crochet amigurumi? Check out this free online amigurumi pattern generator.
• Kind Over Matter has another wonderful round-up of free Positive Printables – there’s some really sweet stuff available!</a>
  • Royal Mail just released the most adorable vintage-style Winnie the Pooh stamps! love.
  • Humorous tutorial: How To Write a Letter on Instructables.
  • I’ve read through this list a couple times before, but I pick up new helpful tips each time: Real Simple’s 50 All-Time Favorite New Uses for Old Things.
  • Just for laughs: A friend of mine recently created this website, RunSpencerRun. Spencer Pratt loves to run!
  • Want more links? Check out Forbes.com’s Top 100 Websites for Women.</ul> Happy weekend!

I have a hard time not focusing on Halloween themes at this time of year, and while I was browsing Etsy today candy corn kept catching my eye! (Like those cute needle-felted candy corn from QueenHeronCreations seen above.) So, here are some adorable handcrafted candy corn picks for you to enjoy…

Warning: Halloween is only 17 days away!!