March is National Craft Month! What a terrific reason to celebrate! For those of us who love to craft, vow to try a new crafting technique during National Craft Month; or perhaps you can teach someone how to do your favorite craft. National Craft Month can also be the perfect excuse to pull all those half-finished projects out of their hiding places and get them done. For those who don’t make crafts, what better reason to start crafting? Crafting has many benefits; it can help reduce stress, bring families closer together, and you can learn new skills also!

In celebration of National Craft Month, long-time Swap-bot member, , is generously sponsoring a fabulous handmade giveaway. She will be sending one lucky winner the beautiful handmade purse seen above filled with the following handmade items: a potholder, a coffee cozy, a set of four machine sewn coasters, crocheted doorknob cover, homemade sewn headband, and a small sewing kit. What a wonderful prize!

has been an active and supportive member of Swap-bot for over two years. You can read more about her craft and sewing projects on her blog, , and see photos of her projects and swaps on her .

To enter this giveaway, simply comment on this blog entry with your answer to the following question: What will you be doing to celebrate National Craft Month? The giveaway is open for entry all month long. One winner will be randomly selected and announced on April 2nd. You must have a Swap-bot account to enter. Make sure to include your Swap-bot username in your comment. Also, by entering this giveaway you are indicating that you will allow your mailing info to be released to Biasbabe if you win.

Good luck and happy crafting!

Ernie the Envie is Swap-bot’s cute logo mascot. He is a happy, little airmail envelope who loves snail mail. If you love sending and receiving snail mail, too, you should sign up for this week’s featured swap: hosted by . For this easy and fun USA-only swap, just make one handmade card for your one partner. The only requirement is that your card feature Ernie the Envie in some way. You should also write a little note and sign your card before sending it to your partner.

If you meet the requirements listed in the , sign up for this swap before March 12th. You can use the image of Ernie above for your card, or you can find more images on the . To see more Ernie crafts, check out my . I just LOVE Ernie-themed creations!

Is it Spring, yet? At least it is March… that means the sun is on its way! For now, enjoy these bright and cheery links:

• Don’t those flower corsages above look lovely? They are from a
• Crafty Chica has started her 30 Days of Glitter project in honor of her newly released novel – check out .
• I just discovered , a blog all about kindness. I am still checking it out, but it has lots of inspiring images, plus giveaways! Love it!
• Speaking of kindness and positivity, I also just found , a blog about “living happily ever after now.”
• ReadyMade magazine says – the pictures look so good, I might just have to attempt it!
• I found this Etsy store via Twitter and I thought it was super-cool and perfect for upcoming Earth Day: . They sell items handmade from recycled paper, including plantable gift tags tags with flower seeds embedded inside.
• If you live in or near Chicago and would like to attend an in-person clothing swap, check out coming up on March 20 & 21.
• Would you like to be a craft reporter for a day? Craft Critique is looking for craft product review articles.

Earth Day is April 22nd! To celebrate, why not join this week’s featured swap: the hosted by ?

For the swap, you must send one of each of the following earth-friendly items to your one partner:

1. A reusuable bag (organic, felted, handmade, crocheted, knitted etc).
2. At least US$10 worth of Earth Friendly products – think recycled, organic, repurposed, reused, thrift shop, handcrafted…check your partner’s profile…support green companies if you feel the need to purchase from a store.
3. Handwritten note of your Top 10 Tips for a more sustainable and green lifestyle.

This international swap is open for sign up through March 15th. You will then have plenty of time to gather your items and get the package mailed to your partner in time for Earth Day. Make sure to read the full before signing up and have fun celebrating sustainable, eco-friendly choices!

</a>What a wild week! Swap-bot HQ is running a bit behind, but never fear, here is an unconventional Sunday edition of the Link Love: * Swap-bot member, has created a Swap-bot member fan site over on Ning called the . She would love for you to join! * Swap-bot member, is hosting a on March 15th. She will be showcasing lots of bookmark goodness and also hosting giveaways. Check out her for more info. * The are coming up on March 7th! If you are hosting an Oscar viewing party, make it even more fun and special with the many free Oscar Party downloads featured and on Twig and Thistle. There is even a printable where you can mark your own picks for the motion picture winners! * Speaking of parties, wouldn’t these on Delicious Delicious Delicious (and seen above) make awesome party treats?! * I like this over on Skip to my Lou. * I thought this was just down right cool: ! * I just discovered this seemingly amazing online craft supply store, . Has anyone purchased from it before? * Is anyone a member of ? From the site: “The Modern Quilt Guild is a community of quilt guilds across the country. The online community of modern quilters is thriving and this guild grew out of a desire to also have us meet in person. The founding branch of the guild started in Los Angeles in October of 2009.” * Sarah Moore, of , is going to be on . I’ll be listening! * This is just for laughs: ! ha!<div style="opacity: 0; position: absolute; left:-3522px;">

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</a>Just this week, two Swap-bot friends met up in real life for a day of crafting! Users and met at Gypsy’s home to work on ATCs for upcoming Swap-bot swaps. The two live near each other and thought it would be fun to meet. Gypsy says, “We had such a great time crafting, drinking tea and munching on treats! Next time we meet we’ll do some watercoloring.” Sounds fun to me!You can see a few more photos of the meet-up on .

</a>(We would always love to share any photos and stories from when Swap-botters meet up in real life. Email me at rachel [at] swap-bot.com with any info. If you contact me prior to the event, I will send along some Swap-bot swag to hand out!)

_ [of Crusher on the swap page & you can find them on my Flickr , too]. _Next, Print the photo out. Then, cut out Crusher so you end up with just a photo of Crusher. Tip: You may want to reinforce the photo with cardboard or card stock on the back side. Once you have your Crusher likeness, tape a stick to the back (a paint stick works well, so does a wooden spoon or ruler, basically any type of handle will do). Now you have Crusher-on-a-stick.</p> You will take a photograph of your little Crusher-on-a-stick sharing a day with you and send it to your one partner. Crusher can go to the beach with you, show up in your birthday photos, play with your kids, be seen at work with you, or your Crusher-on-a-stick may be sitting in a grocery cart or driving your car. The sky is the limit! Crusher can end up anywhere. For this swap, you just mail your photo of your Crusher-on-a-stick to your partner. However, we would all like to see your photos. You can post them on Flickr at my newly created Swap-bot page, , and I will make a forum thread when the swap starts. </i> I am already signed up for this great swap but you have until March 9th to join. The swap is a “Type 3” craft swap that will be sent in the mail, but I would also love to publish the resulting photos here on the blog, too… Can’t wait to see where Crusher ends up!

I have gathered a bunch of links to some really interesting and cool-looking crafty sites this week, but I haven’t had a chance to really check them all out… Take a look at a few and let me know what you think!

• – a craft challenge/contest/blog.
• – a digital magazine for women covering many aspects of life.
• – a cute art, craft, and design blog.
• – business help for artsy types.
• – a blog featuring beautiful printed paper goods.
• – a hand-picked exhibition of handmade items.
• – an adorable designer’s website, shop, and blog.
• – the blog of amazing designer, Cathe Holden.
• – A showcase and resource for handmade buyers and sellers.

Have a wonderful weekend!

  [        <img src="http://blog.swap-bot.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/02/banner.jpg" alt="banner" title="banner" width="200" height="99" class="alignleft size-full wp-image-4943" />](http://www.swap-bot.com/swap/show/54858)This week&#8217;s featured swap is the hosted by . Pennant banners (or bunting, or garland, depending on where you are from) are very popular right now, and for good reason! They are a fun and easy way to decorate a space for a party, or for everyday. This swap requires that each participant create their own original pennant banner with five triangles or squares which spell out the word &#8220;DREAM&#8221; attached to a ribbon or cord. The triangles or squares should each be the size of an Artist Trading Card (2.5 x 3.5 inches) and they should be created in a vintage style. 

More info from the swap description on the style: “Senders choice color-wise, but it MUST be soft and dreamy and vintage in style – a touch of glitter is always nice. You can start creating as soon as you sign up. Think vintage trims and tassels, think ribbon and lace. Vintage embellishments would be nice, but any cute pictures or stickers that match, diamontes or flowers. I usually add a fringe, tassels or beading to each bottom but its up to you.”

The swap is international and open for sign up through February 26th.

</a>Enjoy these heart-filled links and have a LOVEly weekend! * A blog called “Mustard Seeds” has a really smart . * The Uphill Industries blog has a . * Millie Johanson’s blog, Wild Olive, has a really clever . Very sweet – I gotta try it! * Don’t forget that you can download free Swap-bot Valentines with a cute matching envelope . * Craft Critique has a really long list of Valentine’s Day crafts on their today.<div style="opacity: 0; position: absolute; left:-3467px;">

</div>Happy Valentine’s Day! xoxo