Swap, its fun together

There is nothing more charming than a good, old-fashioned swap! Artists and crafters have so much to swap, from artist cards to greeting cards, from fibers to buttons! I enjoy it because it broadens my creative vision and adds to my creative stash. Generally, we can swap cards, tags, fibers, stamps and handmade papers. It's not hard to set up a swap. All you have to do is pick a theme (cards, fibers, fabric scraps, beads ... you name it!) and gather a group of friends who want to participate. It's even better for school children or kindergarden kids either for their fun activities or school projects.
To summarize how a swap works, the swap leader sets a theme and deadline, takes in all the swap contributions, and then redistributes the goodies.

Cards are wonderful to swap because you can learn new techniques and ideas.

Tags are quite popular as swaps too.

Basic of Swapping
1.Designate a swap coordinator (usually someone will volunteer). In some swaps, two items will be made or given to the swap. One is sent to the coordinator for his or her efforts while the second is sent to another swap member.
2.Pick the number of people you'd like to include in the swap. It's best to start with a small group.
3.Pick a theme, technique or embellishment for your swap. You can also have swaps for materials used in card making, like having a fiber, ribbon or card-stock swap. It's your swap ... get creative!
4.Set deadlines for beginning and ending the swap. Once the date has passed, no more people can sign up to participate. Let swap members know when the swap item should be in the mail. A gentle reminder a week before this deadline isn't a bad idea.
5.Swap items can be sent to the coordinator who will in turn mail out the swap to all participants, OR, once there is a list of participants, the coordinator may exchange all mailing information to each participant. In this case, each participant will be given another swap member's mailing information, so the swap can be mailed directly to a swap "partner."
The last step of any swap is to follow up to make sure all swap members got their swaps. It's a good time to ask how everyone enjoyed the swap, and if there is any interest in a future swap.