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Project 12: A year of letters and love.

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Project 12: A year of letters and love.
Swap Coordinator:owlbookdreams (contact)
Swap categories: Challenges  Themed  Letters & Writing 
Number of people in swap:33
Location:International
Type:Type 3: Package or craft
Last day to signup/drop:November 6, 2009
Date items must be sent by:January 4, 2010
Number of swap partners:1
Description:

IMPORTANT NOTICE IMPORTANT NOTICE

Hey there all, You may have seen this message in your e-mail/swap-bot, but I just wanted to make sure that everyone got it in a timely fashion so I'm posting it in here.

Incase you didn't know, the swap deadline was extended to January 4th 2010. One week today! I realized that my post office wasn't open the first or the second of January, and perhaps yours might not also be either. Anyways, what this means is that this is a very MUST MUST MUST drop-deadline day. What that means is that you must MUST send your letters on this day or before is appreciated.

That being said, I know some people on swap-bot like to click "send" when they have not sent the items so that they aren't harassed by their partners or swap co-ordinators. Please please please do not do this. If you cannot get your swap out on that day, please click send when you actually send your items. I know I'm probably preaching to the choir, but please please do not do this. IF you cannot get your swap out on that day, please let me AND your partner know.

For those of you who are worried about flakers, some of you have already expressed your concern, but please e-mail me or message me again, and I'll keep a little list just so I have an idea of what's going on and who's afraid of not getting anything. We've all had swaps where we've wanted to believe the best in our partner, but maybe been let down. So don't be afraid to voice your concerns.

Now, this does not apply to everyone, but I am going to make a bit of a deal here. I don't know if this is a good thing, or a bad thing, but here it goes. IF and I mean IF you CANNOT send your items by January 4th 2010. IF and I mean IF THE SKY IS FALLING or IF IM DEATHLY ILL or IF IM HOPELESSLY BUSY AND OH THE WORLD IS FALLING AND OH NO, PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE let me know if you KNOW you are not going to send by this day. So if you KNOW you cannot get your items out by January 4th 2010 please let me know. Now. This second. Now.

I know everyone falls behind, and there are one of two ways that we can approach this. Contact me first, and then we will contact your partner. It is SUPER important that you tell me as soon as possible. This isn't a cop-out, but I desperately want everyone to get 12 letters. Again this is the EXCEPTION, there's still a whole amazingly long and fabulous week ahead.

Now, say its nearing the end of February, coming into march, and you're checking your post-box every single day because you want your letters and they haven't come! This is of course a worst case scenario, and should you not get your letters by mid-February at the latest PLEASE contact me. Please contact me if you don't get them by the end of January, or then by February. How angelling will work is that you contact both me and your partner, and if they're a no-send (shame on you!), or whatever the problem may have been, I will send you a exactly what the swap requires as soon as possible. I will not send you letters for the months missed. So say its March when I send it out, I'm not going to send you January, Febraury. It will be twelve letters from March to February. This is keeping best in spirit with the swap, and I hope that no one is disappointed by this. Of course no one should flake on the swap, but in the rare and special circumstances that this does happen, this is the downlow.

Enough negativity! Maybe the swap's going amazing, and you're a little stuck on some ideas. Maybe you're like "oh no what's a flat item?" "what am I supposed to be writing?" "these 12 words seem silly and don't inspire me." Post on the thread, and or message me. I know some people have been really helpful in giving suggestions, so don't be afraid to just ask.

So I know this is a long message, but I just wanted to check in with everyone. Hope you are having a wonderful holiday.

Swap details:

Warning! This is going to be a bit of a labour intensive swap, but I believe that it will be really rewarding if the effort is put into it. :)

This is going to be a swap where you send 12 letters to your partner all at once meant to be opened one every month in the upcoming year 2010. You may wonder, "What am I going to write about?", but fear not! All will go well.

♥ You will have 12 envelopes sealed and marked with the month, plus one envelope with an introduction letter explaining a little bit about yourself.

♥ Each envelope will have a minimum 1 page of substantial writing. 8.5 X 11 page written on one side lined or blank, but more is definitely welcome and appreciated.

♥ Each envelope will contain in addition a small flat item. This can be anything from found art, a drawing, ATC's, stickers, bookmark, a 4X6 photo, paint chip colours you like. The only catch is that it has to be something you would like to share, or something that your partner would like, and you can't send the same thing twice.

♥ In addition to a small flat item and a letter, include a birthday card on your partner's birthday month, and one other card of your choice (Christmas, easter, valentines-whatever you would like.)

As a guide, in each letter, half will be about yourself, and the other half will be about inspiring, or guiding your partner through the month. Eg. "It's summer now, don't be afraid to go out and get some sunshine."

I've come up with a one word theme for every month that you can choose to use, or not to use depending on your vision of your project 12. NOTE: These are just random, open ended ones that I came up with, and if anyone has any other ideas, I'm open to adding them to the list :).

♥January: Become

♥February: Love

♥March: Hope

♥April: Feel

♥May: Inspire

♥June: Live

♥July: Give

♥August: Miss

♥September: Heal

♥October: Take

♥November: Remember

♥December: End

I would say that this is half sender's choice, and half partner related. You want to share information about yourself, and you also want to know facts about your partner such as if they are in a relationship, have kids, what their likes and dislikes are because you want to make this special for them. Something that can be started right away are the envelope decorations, cards, and your part of the letter if you'd like, or there should be enough time after partners are assigned to make it.

I will be angelling the swap for a maximum of three people, so let me know if there are any issues. But that being said, the idea is that there are 12 letters (plus an introduction) for 12 months which your partner should receive by January, or in February at the very very VERY latest.

EDIT: CHANGED REQUIREMENTS

Because this is a labour-intensive swap, I will be letting in anyone with at least six completed craft/package swaps, and 10 completed overall swaps.

If you are a newbie, or don't meet these criteria and would really really really like to join this swap, send me a message. If you have a one or three within the past three months, I will ban you if you don't message me first explaining what happened. I don't bite! I'm very nice honest! I just wouldn't be doing my job if I didn't ask those things. In short, don't take it personally, I will ban you if I believe that you can't commit to a project like this.

I know it may seem silly to say this, but if you don't think that you can complete the swap on time, don't join. There's nothing worse than being let down and not getting anything. That being said, there's tonnes of time to start and get started, so don't be intimidated if it looks like a lot of work.

Note! There is no cost limit/cost suggestion for this swap. You can very easily spend zero dollars, or very little depending on what you choose to do.

EDIT: Swap is now international. Hope that you enjoy . I think I've covered just about anything. If you have any problems/issues, just post below or send me a message.

Discussion

Mesha 10/ 5/2009 #

Aww, if only this were Mexico as well :(
Great idea for a swap though !

pthalostars 10/ 5/2009 #

what an awesome idea!!! i'll be working on ratings until i get enough to join this one, looks like my dream swap. <3

candigirl 10/ 5/2009 #

I willbe watching this one..I am very very tempted, but I don't want to get flaked..I was flaked on a big ATC swap where I had to make 12 or more ATC's about my life..I did 15, very very time consuming, and, of course, never got anything in return. FLAKED. No only is it VERY hard to get someone to angel something that big (or this big!), its' also much more disappointing when you have put a ton of time and attention into a swap..it's kind of heartbreaking, and I am going to have to decide in the next month whether I want to risk that again. But..great idea, I do love the theme!!

JavaJunkie 10/ 6/2009 #

This sounds VERY cool, but I'm a bit nervous too about being flaked. I will watch this until closer to the deadline.

Midnightshadow 10/ 6/2009 #

Aw.. I read through all of it and was ready to sign up when I saw it was regional to USA/Canada :-( I would really, really love to participate in this. Let me know if you want to open it international!

sleepingrover2010 10/ 6/2009 #

This is a fabulous ide and I am too going to put it on my watch. I am concerned about being FLAKED as I put a lot of effort into every swap I do and I have had several big swaps where I have also done lots and lots and lots of work and then my partners have not come through. Just like candigirl says it is very disappointing and heartbreaking when you do lots of work and you don't get something in return. Also, I have run into people signing up for long-term swaps like this and then waiting to the last minute and then trying to get everything done in a few days and the quality of what is sent is poor. Everything I send out is of high quality and then I get something that is slapped together.

I am going to put this on my watch list and think about this a little bit and decide if I want to take a chance because I really love this idea, the words for each month, and the idea of a little flap gift each time. I would love for it to be international as well.

owlbookdreams 10/ 6/2009 #

Hey everyone! Thanks for your comments and suggestions. I have changed the requirements to be a little bit more rigerous, and I have also opened this up to international users because it won't cost too much to send.

tamipal6 10/12/2009 #

This is an AWESOME idea for a swap! Thanks for hosting!!!

GoingTwinsane 10/13/2009 #

Just a suggestion but to reduce the liklihood of flakers, I think I would make this swap where a 5 rating is required to participate...you might get more people to join that way. It is an excellent idea!

GoingTwinsane 10/13/2009 #

Note: the reason I suggested that is that I see three people signed up who have both 1's and 3's. Everyone I know who has ever had to rate a 1 has always changed to a 3 if they received so I'm always skeptical about 1's and won't allow any in my swaps...

ilove2smile 10/15/2009 #

Eh... 2 of the 3 people I would feel iffy swapping with (I joined for a moment to see who you meant and then put it back on "Watch"), but the other 1 seemed fine. It really depends on the types of swaps people have done, too (like if someone has almost all postcards), and the comments they received when it was less than a 5 rating. Sometimes people honestly come upon tough times, and then make it up as best they can when they're able. But other times, it's just laziness or who knows.

owlbookdreams 10/15/2009 #

Obviously the list at the moment isn't the final swap list. I've already talked to some of the swappers with less than 5 ratings, and I also said I would angel the swap if necessary.

secretterrabite 10/18/2009 #

I got flaked on 8 times when I first started on here and it is so demoralising, but I realised you have to take part for the fun of it, there will always be that risk and there is not a lot you can do about it. I cut down on my swaps but then you don't get any post at all, so I am doing them again now and have got some really nice things coming through with a lot of effort being put into them. It's a risk we have to take otherwise we won't do any swaps at all. I'm sure our hostess will weedle out potential flakers and she has offered to angel. Come and play.

missmonroeville 10/21/2009 #

This seems like a really great swap, very inspiring, and something new to look forward to each month when it was time to open the envelope. Will watch for now, but hope to join nearer the time.

owlbookdreams 10/22/2009 #

Thanks for the support @secretterabite If anyone has any questions don't hesitate to ask.

Emzycal 10/29/2009 #

I really hope I get accepted to this and hopefully don't get flaked on.

This will be an awesome thing to take part in.

Jesshens1125 10/29/2009 #

I dont want to sound mean or anything, but, I have only been on swap-bot a handful of months, I have been alot of swaps tho and have done ones that I have put tons and tons of effort into and got flaked on, or not even rated. But I think part of the great thing here, is the joy you get in sending something to someone and them liking it. I dont think there is any reason to live in fear and not join things you want to take part in out of fear. Giving people a chance is what it is all about! :) and more often than not, people dont flake, they do come through! :)

I would also be willing to angel is anyone needs it. The funny thing is, I am one of the people everyone was talking about in the begining not being a good swapper, or being leary of me. I had a rough patch, my husband needed me more than swap-bot (since it dosent keep me warm at night!) and I let things go. However everything is back to normal, I am tho, perminatly marked with some 3's that I wear now as a badge of honor as lesson learned in swapping. :) But yes, I will angel if need be! :) Becuase I think this idea is awesome and everyone who wants to be in it, should be, without fear because it's fun! :)

DaisyFly 11/ 2/2009 #

Hey I'm new to this and I joined this but I wasen't sure if you would let me in. I have a few question if you could send me a message i'd appricate it. I may sound stupid but i can't figure out how to send one to you, when i click on contact you it dosen't seem to work. hope to hear from you soon :)

owlbookdreams 11/ 3/2009 #

Swap deadline is almost started. There are some newbies in the swap, but I stand behind them. They're not newbies to labour intensive projects. Anyways, I'm angelling the swap. Just let me know. If anyone had any questions, comments or concerns, just let me know. :)

owlbookdreams 11/ 4/2009 #

Wow, I obviously didn't re-read that comment, but you get the idea.

Emzycal 11/ 6/2009 #

I'm one of the newbies and I just wanted to try to put people at ease about me,at least - I PROMISE I will not flake on this swap - I have no reason nor inclination to do so and am looking forward to sending and recieving this one too much.

I have already started putting some bits and pieces together ready for when I find out who my partner is and intend on giving 100% to the swap.

x

Boupie 11/ 6/2009 #

Wow I have not seen so many people worried about flakers in a while... but I guess I have been avoiding the bigger swaps because of my own time contraints. I promise not to flake but if I make anyone nervous than I won't be hurt if you kick me out.

I guess I am one of the lucky ones who has not flaked nor been flaked on yet... This looks like a ton of fun though and I hope to get to do it.

Enjoy!!

secretterrabite 11/19/2009 #

A couple of people have contacted me for ideas to get them going on this as I've already sent. So maybe this will help others...

What made it work, was reading my partners profile first to get ideas for the inclusions, then choose the inclusions, then find a word to go with them, then allocate it to an appropriate month, then write to fit around it your gift/word. These are some of my choices...

January: STARS - inclusion: Horoscope for 2010 printed off the internet. I wrote about taking something out of the horoscope to inspire you for the year ahead.

February: BELIEVE - inclusion: Gift card that says "You radiate beauty" I wrote about people always not liking something about themselves, so put the card next to the bathroom mirror and tell yourself you're gorgeous every morning, find something you do like about yourself to give yourself confidence. December: PLAN - Inclusion: A notebook. I wrote about looking back on 2010, what you would have done differently, make notes for the year ahead, plans, dreams, hopes.

I did it all in a really positive way. I think a lot of people will open all of the envelopes straightaway so it's good to have an overall feel, so I was going for a positive year ahead, learn about yourself, do more, relax more... Mine didn't come together till I went to my partner's profile and used that as a basis. I hope this helps anyone else is stuck.

owlbookdreams 12/19/2009 #

Hey there guys, I'm pushing the swap date forward to January 4th 2010. I realize that the post office will likely be closed on Friday if anyone was intending to send it on that date, and where I live its not opened Saturday or Sunday. If there's any issues, comments, or concerns about this new date please feel free to contact me! -aly

GoingTwinsane 12/22/2009 #

I just noticed that my partner doesn't meet the swap requirements :( I hope hope hope there is follow thru.

Emzycal 12/23/2009 #

I don't think many people are going to get their letters by January, which is a shame.

GoingTwinsane 12/23/2009 #

Well, if the send by date is honored, we all should receive before the end of January, I would think fingers crossed

I LOVE this idea!

owlbookdreams 12/26/2009 #

@Emzycal It's kind of a tough time of the year to make deadlines for swaps. I know personally I've been wrapped up a lot in family matters and school things. I thought of before having the send date much earlier like December 20th, but that would have just been asking for people not to send it on time. This way I figure its kind of after the big holiday rush. If anyone has any questions/comments/concerns just give me a shout.

IssueGirl 12/28/2009 #

Well I just checked to see who would be sending me my package.... and she's been suspended. Hasnt logged in since Nov 30th. So now I get shafted. I knew this was gonna happen!

Net3811 12/30/2009 #

IssueGirl there are 3 people being angelled. Hang in there!

GoingTwinsane 01/31/2010 #

Well, not only has my partner flaked on me, the host hasn't even bothered to rate me for the swap I sent to her. What a bunch of B.S.

DaisyFly 02/ 2/2010 #

I have also not received this swap yet

Emzycal 02/ 3/2010 #

I had a bad feeling about this swap... I should have followed my gut instinct. I don't think my partner has flaked but I think mine has been lost in the post. This has been more trouble than it was worth, I think.

rachelspelier 02/ 2/2013 #

Hi I'm Rachel and I am 12 years old. I live in a small town in Netherlands and Goes I find it here. My hobbie's are gymnastics, cooking, playing the piano, singing, dancing, drawing and much more! I am interested in kawaii and manga. that color I therefore the most. my favorite color is pink. are you will writing letters with me? send me a message! bye Rachel! p.s my email adress is; spelhuis@hotmail.nl

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