Looking for a great way to donate to the Haiti earthquake relief effort? The Red Cross and Unicef are accepting donations to help earthquake victims who are in need of basic supplies and medical care. Or you can visit Craft Hope for Haiti, a brand new Etsy store that's donating all of its proceeds to Haiti relief. In fact, it's the perfect store to kick off our new column, Etsy Star.

Crafter Jade Sims founded the organization Craft Hope as a way to share handmade goods with the less fortunate. So it's no surprise that as soon as they got wind of the Haiti earthquake, Sims and her team sprung to action, collecting donated wares from crafters in the Etsy community. The new Craft Hope for Haiti store opened today with a collection of unique items. The inventory seems to be changing hourly, but as I write this, my favorites are the Modern Stacked baby quilt, pictured, and the sweet semi-custom dolls.

All proceeds from the sales of Craft Hope for Haiti items will be donated to Doctors Without Borders -- an international humanitarian organization that's currently stationed in Haiti to provide medical care to earthquake victims.

Looking for a sentimental touch to your home? Craft a postcard pillow, courtesy of Gina at ShelterPop! Here are her foolproof instructions!:

What you'll need:
Decorative pillow form, about 9- by 12-inches (about $8)
Natural linen fabric, 1 yard (about $12)
Iron-on fusible web tape, 1/4 inch and 1/2 inch wide
Tape measure
Pencil
Scrap fabric, blue, white, red
Red ribbon, about 6 inches in length by 1/4 inch wide
Iron
White paint
Paint brush
Rubber alphabet stamps
Stamp pad
Indelible black marker

A little late for this year's Hannukah festivities, yes, but hey -- there's always catch-up next year, right? After all, when you find a craft project that's this good, you'll use any excuse you can to display it year-round! Thanks, ReadyMade!:

1. Gather eight clear bottles of one size (we used small Lorina Lemonade bottles) and one slightly taller bottle.
2. Soak the bottles in warm water to remove the labels. (Use Goo Gone to remove any stubborn areas.)
3. Cover the surface with spray paint, adding a second coat only if necessary-too much can result in cracking and peeling.
4. Insert taper candles into bottle openings, arrange with the taller bottle in the center, and light each night.

Happy Hannukah!

Yep, you read that right --- paperless origami. Read on, friends!:

In case you haven't noticed, it's a winter wonderland outside! Bring the snowy weather indoors with these sweet papier-mache villages that are super easy to make!:

Supplies:
* Small cardboard boxes
* Cereal boxes or thin cardboard
* Masking tape
* Scrap paper
* Tissue paper
* White school glue
* Acrylic or tempera paint
* Paintbrush
* Glitter

Your little ones will bowl over for this crafty gift, and you'll have a ball making it!:

ShelterPop is at it again, this time with super easy holiday gifts you can make for less than the cost of a dinner for two. Ready for the round-up?:

Going DIY can save you a bundle during the holidays. And who doesn't enjoy receiving small, homemade "remembrances"? But time runs short, people. At least it does if you're hoping to DIY some gifts this year. So get your creativity engine chugging with the following 5 ideas. Each one looks cool, is easy on your wallet plus fairly easy to make!

1. Homemade Apple Cider. This non-alcoholic drink tastes great to adults and kids alike, and it's a cinch to make. Cooking for Engineers has a very nice how-to guide with great photos. If you can gift the finished product in glass jugs or jars, so much the better.

Really short on time? Put together a mulled cider gift basket instead. You will need to include a bottle of quality, natural apple cider, a pack of mulling spices, cinnamon sticks, and a note with instructions. You could also include a few fresh apple muffins or apples. Yum.

My sister asked Santa for an advent calendar this year, and I plan to craft it myself using this easy how-to video. Thanks, Howcast! For handy instructions, read on!:



Step 1:
Decorate a piece of cardboard or poster board large enough to hold 24 small boxes, envelopes, or pouches. Cut the cardboard into a holiday shape, such as a Christmas tree, wreath, or snowman.

Laura from ShelterPop is queen of the seasonal craft, so naturally, I couldn't wait to see what she planned for Thanksgiving. Check out her cutie homemade branches, including the tutorial below!:

You will need: a vase, a bare branch, an assortment of colored and patterned papers, scissors and a hot glue gun.

Cut your branch down to size for whatever vase you plan to use. If your branch is heavy, you may want to put stones, marbles or some other heavy material into the base of the vase to keep it from toppling.

Trace leaves onto various colors and patterns of paper. Cut out your leaves. Place branch into vase. Let your hot glue gun heat up, then place small dabs of glue at the base of each leaf and attach it to the branch. Follow the branch's natural outcroppings to determine your leaf placement and try to vary the colors as you fill each section of branch. Remove any excess strings of hot glue once it has dried.

Sooooo easy, and too cute for words! Thanks, Laura!

It's time to break out the scissors and glue and get started on your holiday craft. With this easy-to-follow tutorial, you can use your average cotton swabs and transform them into a wintery wonderland craft! Ready for your instructions?:

Materials:
Elmer's Glue, 1 small bottle per person
Q-tips, 30-60 per person, or more, depending on the number and size of snowflakes you want to make.
Waxed paper, one 18 inch sheet per snowflake
Glitter, optional (glitter glue also lends a neat effect)

Instructions:
Spread a sheet of waxed paper on the table surface. Using Q-tips, design a snowflake on the waxed paper. Q-tips may be bent, broken in two, or used whole for different effects. In general, the end with the cotton swab should create a corner with a neighboring swab.

When you have finished your snowflake design, squeeze a puddle of glue over each joint. Do not skimp! A large puddle is needed to connect Q-tips together. Don't worry if the puddle spreads and loses shape-it will harden clear and contribute to the overall crystalline effect of the snowflake. For a sparkly effect, shake the snowflake with glitter before the glue dries.

Set the snowflake on the waxed paper aside until the glue dries. This will take several hours, and maybe even overnight. Continue making more snowflakes!

When the glue has dried completely, carefully pull the snowflake away from the waxed paper. Use clear fishing line to hang from the ceiling.

Make a candygram to show you care. Place a message inside a shallow box and fill with a single layer of colorful gumballs. Sweet. – Inchmark

See Owlsorts' spooky mantelpieces all decked out for Halloween. Check out the cute Halloween wind spinners, too! – Owlsorts

Colorfully painted glass jars become light-hearted Halloween luminaries. Just add happy or sad Jack-o-lantern faces. – Crafts by Amanda via The Crafty Crow

'Tis the season of the pumpkin. We carve them, make delicious pies from them and puree them for baby food. We even toast the seeds for a crunchy snack. But if you're bored with all that, maybe it's time to find some fun new functions for your pumpkins! Here are a few suggestions to get the creative juices flowing:

Sticking in the food realm for just a moment, why not branch out and try something other than pie? For example, pumpkin chili is fun to make. Or do as the Native Americans did and make pumpkin leather for winter snacking. Yum.

Feeling crafty? Pumpkins and gourds can be fashioned into all sorts of objects once hollowed out and dried. For example? How about drums and shakers for homemade music time? Or turn them into bird feeders, fun decorative bird houses ... or even use gourds to create real birdhouses for nesting yard birds like wrens.

I'm already brainstorming holiday gifts, and it's not even Halloween. Am I brainwashed or what? Regardless, trinket soaps are both fun and affordable, and I'd love to try my hand at creating a few gifts for family members this year. Luckily, this video gives step-by-step instructions for adorable trinket soaps that I can't wait to try!



A few important tips to keep in mind?:

1. Use a clear glycerin base if you want your object to be visible inside the soap, and a milky, opaque base if you want it to be a hidden surprise.
2. Avoid using a loaf-shaped soap mold-you'll have to slice up the finished soap, and may end up cutting through the objects inside.

And, of course, a bit of soapy food for thought:

I'm quite certain this is one of those DIY tutorials that you're not sure when it will come in handy until it's too late. Perhaps you're planning to throw a lottery-inspired party, or maybe you want a fun spin on holiday cards this year. Whatever the purpose, bookmark this fantastic DIY idea for creating a scratch-off lottery ticket using just dish soap and acrylic paint! I'm flabbergasted!

Why not create a lottery-themed birthday party for the gambler in your life? Take a cue from eHow and decorate with orange and white balloons, a lottery ticket cake, lottery centerpieces and then some! The invitations would be so easy to create with our new scratch-off tutorial, and the possibilities are endless!

Of course, don't forget the gift, which could be a sweet, handmade sentiment expressing that you hit the jackpot when you met your certain someone. Sweet, right? I'm such a sucker for romance.