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Whether you are interested in making Valentine's Day soaps or enjoy other types of crafting, the About.com hobby guides have it all covered for you this holiday!

Contests: Maybe you can win some cool stuff to use for crafting by taking a look at this Valentine's Day Sweepstakes List from the Contest guide.

Needlepoint: Embellish a candy heart pillow, stitch a quick heart gift, or create a lovely posted card.

Jewelry Making: Valentine's Day can really be every day of the week if you like to wear heart-themed jewelry or enjoy red or pink colored jewelry. These projects are for those who love jewelry.

Painting: Add some symbolism to your Valentine's this year using this symbol dictionary.

DIY Fashion: Make a cute heart pin, cut out some heart stencils, or try to craft a number of Valentine's gifts.

Collectibles: Find Victorian children and Valentine scraps that are perfect for paper crafts or digital scrapbooking. Frame these antique scraps and postcards as-is or use for your handmade cards and gifts.

Crochet: Enjoy these free crochet patterns for Valentine's Day. You'll find a variety of ideas for crocheting delightful heart motifs, flowers, and other romantic pretties.

Family Crafts: I hope this collection of crafts, recipes, gift ideas, coloring book pages, games, and other activities help you to have a fun Saint Valentine's Day.

Rubber Stamping: Find ideas for gifts and decorations that are ideal for Valentine's Day or quick to make Valentine's Day cards for the special person in your life!

Cross Stitch: Stitch your way into your beloved's heart with a sweetly crafted Valentine needlework. Some charts are simple enough to complete in a day - other's may take until next Valentine's perhaps.

Miniatures: Printable valentines boxes, tiny roses, rose covered pillows and boxes of tiny chocolates made from polymer clay provide lots of unique ways to present or create gifts for a special someone. Fill the boxes with real or poly clay chocolates , make them as beads , or use them to hold special gifts.

I know most of us can't quite contain ourselves to just one craft...so maybe these links from my fellow Hobby Guides will inspire you to new areas of creativity and fun!

In the winter-time, I take a lot more baths - the weather is cooler...and I tend to be a bit more stressed out. There's just something about a nice, long bath that helps bring a long day to a wonderful relaxing end. "Bliss is a nice, long soak in a warm tub, and it's not just about getting clean," says Connie Midey in her article, Soak up the Benefits. Naturally, soap and candles are key players in their overall bathtub rituals. But we knew that. Now off to the bath - candles and soap and more in hand. Breathe in...breathe out...ahhhhhhhh.

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I often see candles made to look like food - pies, muffins, ice cream sundaes - but I don't often see soap made to look like food. This blog post, by the folks at Cibaria Soap Supply, showcases some examples of the real artistry that you can create with soap. (There's also some links for where to get molds.) I know a soap maker who makes slices of pie out of melt and pour soap...making the crust first, then the filling, then the topping, then the cherry...and then gluing it all together with a bit more melted soap. They are indeed soapy works of art. But are they worth it? Check out the photos, and the ones at the Mollycoddle Soap and Soapopotomus (real soap donuts!) sites. Would you want to make...and/or wash with a piece of pie soap? Pancakes? A hot dog? Leave your comments below...

"It makes no difference if something is all organic or natural if it has cooties in it that you cannot see with the naked eye that can cause more problems to someone's skin than the preservative you didn't use."
That's what a colleague of Dr. Cindy Jones of the Sagescript Institute said in a recent blog post. While we don't (just yet) have a lot of articles and how-to's on lotion and cream making on the Candle and Soap Making site, a lot of you do make lotions and creams. We've had several posts lately in the Candle and Soap Making Forum about preservatives - and their usage even in non-water-containing formulations like scrubs and balms, so I wanted to pass this information on. Like lye, preservatives can be scary, chemical things...but when learned about, and used properly, they help make our products, crafts and creations safe for us...and whomever else may be using them.
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