<img src="http://blog.swap-bot.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/01/matchboxvalentines.jpg" alt="matchboxvalentines" title="matchboxvalentines" width="470" height="277" class="alignnone size-full wp-image-4828" />

Exciting news: I () will be hosting the here, in Brooklyn, next Monday, February 1st! I will be representing Swap-bot and showing everyone how to make Matchbox Valentines, like the ones seen above. I will be bringing all of the supplies needed to make the cute boxes to the free, in-person event at Etsy’s offices (), but you can also follow along with the event via Etsy’s online . Everyone is welcome! The in-person event goes from 4-8 pm EST and you can stop by anytime. (hint: there may be some yummy Valentine treats there, too!) I love Etsy and the Craft Nights, so I am really excited for this event. I hope to see you there!

If you can’t make it to the Etsy offices or to the Virtual Labs, there will be a detailed tutorial published on the on Tuesday. You can also download my easy matchbox template and instructions .

<div style="opacity: 0; position: absolute; left:-3369px;">

</div><div style="opacity: 0; position: absolute; left:-2172px;">

</div></a>So many great things to share this week. Really. There is a lot! Have fun. * Look at that beautiful photo above. Doesn’t it put you in a romantic, Valentine-ish mood? Learn how to make the same simple garland using old magazines and your sewing machine on . * I must be in a garland-loving mood, because this adorable and totally fun on How About Orange caught my eye. It is so happy and festive! * Another super-cute and creative tutorial: . Anyone up for a snowglobe postcard swap? * For Valentine’s Day, Twig & Thistle has a . * Another sweet Valentine’s Day project: * This link may be more appropriate for summer, but it is too good to keep to myself: on The Kitchen. * Just for laughs, check out on Alaska Crafter. * I just discovered two new craft blogs that I think you will like: (written by Valerie of ) and (written by Kelly Koo in Malaysia). * A few of my friends from the crafty internet world just announced a new venture and I want to help spread the word… Sarah from , Erin from , and Deb and Christy from are hosting a huge, spectacular later this year. The conference is called and it will be October 21-23 in Chicago. I plan to attend and hope you can too! Sign up on the site for email updates. * One last link: I had a lot of fun following the conversation at the last event and can’t wait to participate in the next one. “See” you there!

Swap-bot is featured on the Busy Beaver Button Blog today! We are excited to be mentioned on their blog because we love their business and buttons! I have been ordering buttons from them for years and they are always super-fast and the buttons are of the highest quality. I really cannot recommend them strongly enough. Thank you, Busy Beaver!

</a>This week’s featured swap is Valentine-themed and it also features a new craft that I had never heard of before: . The is being hosted by and it is based on the Pennie Pocket craft created by Monica Solorio-Snow, aka . You can download a free sewing pattern PDF from The Happy Zombie website and you can check out examples of Pennie Pockets in action in the . The Pockets can be hung on a garland, or individually on a door knob – so cute!For the , each participant sews three Penny Pockets for their one partner. The Pockets should be in coordinating cotton fabrics; make them special with extra embellishment or goodies inside! The sign up date for this swap is this Friday, January 22nd, and you have until February 10th to send out your package. New Swap-bot users are welcome, but this swap is USA-only. <div style="opacity: 0; position: absolute; left:-3451px;">

</div>

[<img src="http://blog.swap-bot.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/01/fortysixthatgrace.jpg" alt="fortysixthatgrace" title="fortysixthatgrace" width="470" height="387" class="alignnone size-full wp-image-4802" srcset="http://blog.swap-bot.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/01/fortysixthatgrace-300x247.jpg 300w, http://blog.swap-bot.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/01/fortysixthatgrace.jpg 470w" sizes="(max-width: 470px) 100vw, 470px" />](http://fortysixthatgrace.blogspot.com/2010/01/tutorial-shortbread-buttons_8809.html)

A fine assortment of links for you this week:

• First, we are all now painfully aware of how much help Haiti needs after the devastating earthquake… There are lots of ways to donate to the cause, for example, .
• Isn’t that photo above beautiful? It is part of a tutorial on forty-sixth at grace for those adorable shortbread button cookies. What a lovely blog!
• The Thursday episode of The Martha Stewart Show was all about blogging and one of the bloggers featured on the show was Andrew of Martha Moments. He considers himself a “Martha archivist” and collects all sorts of Martha Stewart info on his blog – it is strangely fascinating!
• On Wednesday, I participated in the tweet-up event hosted by and . It was kinda like a virtual craft circle gathered together on and it was a lot of fun (you can search for the #craftsocial topic on Twitter to see what we talked about). I definitely suggest checking out the and marking your calendar for next month’s event!
• Speaking of Craft Social, while checking out the different participant’s profiles and websites I stumbled upon , a blog focused on interior design. It is updated almost daily by its authors, Deb & Erin, with tips and inspiration to help make your home more enjoyable.
• This last one is just for fun: check out this adorable Harry Potter party on Diamonds for Dessert </i> , complete with a full Hogwarts-inspired menu. Including Butter Beer! I love it!</li> </ul>

I stumbled upon the fairly new craft blog, FasterCraft.com, today and I really liked the concept behind the site: quick and easy craft projects that you can fit into your busy schedule. The Faster Craft tag line is “more crafting, less guilt.” Here is the site’s own description:

Our goal here at Fastercraft is to help you fit crafting into your life. We bring you projects you can do quickly, and help you find ways to make those things fun and as affordable as possible.

The site was founded (in November of last year) and is written by Shannon Fugal. It is updated a couple of times per week with links to projects and tutorials, most of which you can complete in just one evening. Shannon’s motivation behind starting Faster Craft — her experience of wasting time at the craft store sounds familiar! I look forward to reading more of her posts!

Chinese New Year is coming up on February 14th. It is often called the Lunar New Year or Spring Festival and it is one of the most important of the traditional Chinese holidays. Next year will be the Year of the Tiger, and in honor of the holiday I have chosen three Chinese New Year swaps to feature this week. (You can read more about the Chinese New Year holiday on . )

</a> – International swap hosted by in which you have five partners. Sign up by January 25th and send each of your partners a lucky red envelope with a New Year’s greeting inside.

**

</b> – International swap hosted by in which you send your one partner a blank, handmade greeting card celebrating the New Year. Sign up by January 29th.

** – International ATC swap hosted by . Sign up by January 14th and send one Chinese or Tiger-themed ATC to each of your two partners.

Poor friday link love. It has been nearly three weeks since we’ve shared fun links, but we are back in action today! Enjoy.

• The next holiday on my radar is Valentine’s Day. The photo above comes from Sew4Home.com’s Valentine Patchwork Heart Sachet tutorial. It is easy to follow with great photography. (Speaking of Valentine’s Day, why not come join my February Love Matchbox Swap – everyone is welcome!)
• If you are looking for other great craft tutorials, check out The Long Thread’s Top 100 Tutorials of 2009. They should keep you busy for a while!
• I just discovered a great, new, crafty blog that you might want to check out: Art vs. Craft. It is published by a Canadian graphic designer and it has lots of crafty content and some free downloads.
• Speaking of blogs, I also just discovered Funky Finds, a wild indie craft website. There is a Funky Finds blog (which showcases independent artists, crafters, and designers), a <a href=”http://funkyfinds.us/theshops/>Funky Finds marketplace</a> (where you can buy and sell unique creations), and a Funky Town community. The whole site is really wacky in a totally fun way.
• I somehow missed the amazing tutorial/article published on NotMartha.org last month about the adorable mini gingerbread houses she created to perch on the side of a mug of hot chocolate. They are so very cute and a perfect winter treat!
• Swap-bot user, auntielolo, sent me this next link via Twitter: Airmail-themed fashion. I love it! We could all start dressing just like Ernie the envie!

Happy 2010, swappers! Here’s to a new decade of swapping fun! xoxo, rachel

Would you like to get Swap-bot blog content delivered to your email inbox? If so, today is your lucky day! We have just recently activated an email subscription service for the blog. Simply enter your email in the form below and you will be sent an email any time there is new content on the blog. (FYI: emails will only be sent a maximum of once per day, but only if there is new content on the blog that day. No new content = no email that day.)

Or, if you would rather subscribe to the Swap-bot blog using a feed reader, click on the link below:

[<img src="http://blog.swap-bot.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/01/febmatchboxswap2.gif" alt="febmatchboxswap2" title="febmatchboxswap2" width="200" height="182" class="alignleft size-full wp-image-4769" />](http://www.swap-bot.com/swap/show/51544)For the second year in a row, I am hosting a fun and simple . It is a great swap for matchbox lovers and beginners alike. I love February (my birthday is the 10th), so this is one of my favorite swaps of the year! 

We each will have just one partner in this international swap, for whom we will create a Valentine or February theme matchbox. We will also fill the matchbox with similarly-themed goodies. Most participants will probably choose to do a Valentine’s Day or Love theme, but some examples of additional February themes include Chinese New Year, President’s Day, MLK Jr Day, Black History Month, etc. This swap is sender’s choice and anything goes as long as you send a high quality matchbox that you would love to receive. The sign up deadline for the is February 3rd, and all packages must be sent by February 8th. You must have a 4.9 rating to participate, but new users are also welcome. (I angel my matchbox swaps, so consider this swap a no risk opportunity to swap with some new folks.)

p.s. Swap-bot will be hosting a craft night event at on February 1st that will feature these matchbox Valentine’s… more details to come!