Questions and AnswersPlease read these even if you have done this swap before - there might be changes!!
This isn't meant to intimidate or look like there are lots of rules or I'm a stickler. It's kind of a different idea and I figured I would throw out any questions I could think of that anyone might ask... before they asked.
Where can I shop?Anywhere you want! Garage sales, thrift stores, clearance racks in your favorite stores, some guy with a table on a street corner... if you pay for it, you can buy it and send it along! You won't need to produce your reciepts - just a cool list of what where and how much!
so it could potentially look like this..
Bag full of zippers... from the smelly guy on 8th ave... $1
package of pompons... thrift store.... 50cents
canvas apron... snobby lobby... $2.50
Bag of knitting needles....garage sale... $2
Your list doesn't have to be exact. You don't need to produce receipts - you just have to keep to your budget and let us see what you got where - it is fun to see how great of a bargain someone can get!
You must include your list with your package so it can be posted up when pics are posted!
Can I send to more than one person?Yes! You can be partnered up with two people - just remember to keep your purchases and your total costs spent separate!
Having said that - first time swappers - one package. (gotta stay uniform with other swaps ya know!)
Can I start shopping before my partner(s) assignment is posted?You COULD but think ahead - what if you bought a bag full of wool and then find out your partner is allergic to wool... you really can't use it for this swap... or if you bought a bunch of orange fabric and find out your partner really doesn't like orange. Think about how you would feel if you got it and wondered did my partner even read my info?
I can't stop anyone from shopping early - and it is soooo hard not to - just keep track of your stuff - and if you can use it, go for it.. if you can't, just cross it off your list and look for something else! Just be considerate of your partner.
Must I really keep track of what I spent?Yes - part of the fun of this swap is to see just how much you can stretch a dollar!
You are required to include your list in the package that you send.
Do not chuck your list after sending - hold on to it just in case you need to post up pics and your list!
You can also be a good partner and email it to him/her as well so that he/she can copy and paste it when he/she posts up pics... but please do include it in your package as well even if you pm it to your partner... this way it can be fully appreciated at the time of opening.
I got something for free - can I use it?Sure! Free is the best bargain of all! But remember free is free - you still have a limit to obtain! And make sure you tell your partner how you came upon it - sometimes the story is just as good if not better than the product!
Must all that I buy be craft related?No. It doesn't have to be.
Say you are paired up with someone who has a cat.
You buy $5 worth of wool at a thrift store - enough to knit and felt her a kitty pi.
The rest of the dough you can spend on buying appropriate things - toys, treats, whatever. You are only required to craft one medium sized item.
There is no requirement for the percentage of the money you spend on your craftable items - it just has to be part of it - if you hit the goldmine and pick up a package of fabric for a buck at a thrift store - then, yeah, you could feasibly spend $9 on things to go with that item - as long as you still make a medium sized item to go in your package!
What can I use that I already have on hand?Keep STASH to a minimum. You don't need to buy a bottle of glue or a new spool of thread - but please keep your on hand supplies to a minimum. I am sure that you guys understand that - I am not saying you can't use stuff you already have but let's just say 90% of your crafted item should be bargain hunted stuff - how's that sound?
I guess I could also answer this with a question - do you know how much you paid for it??? If you know you paid $2 a yard for that fabric then I really can't stop you from using it, right? Just keep in mind this isn't suppose to be a stash busting swap - it's a bargain hunter swap.
Since this is such a fun swap I know that people will start stock piling bargains and keeping track of what they spent on them for future rounds. I don't really care when you buy them - just know what you spent on them. What I want to avoid is just using stuff on hand and claiming that $5 yard fabric really only cost $2 just to unload it out of your stash.
Sooo if you KNOW you spent $x on an item and know where you got them from, use it. If you don't know what it cost, don't use it. Please be honest to yourself and to your partner. This isn't a stash busting swap. A huge part of this swap is to see the bargain aspect of it all!!
You don't have to say "I have had this $2 bag of beads lying around for 2 years...." just say "beads, bought at flea market for $2"
What is Stash???When I say to keep your stash usage to a minimum - what does that mean?
Let's define stash for the record!!
Stash (for the purpose of this swap at least): noun- a mystery crafting material purchased at an earlier date that you have no idea how much it cost or quite possibly why you even got it. You might not even remember where you got that stash from!
If you know how much you paid for it, use it. If you don't, please be true to yourself and to your partner and just not make up a dollar sign to go with it!
I want to spoil my partner craftywise - can I?Being a known spoiler, I am all for spoiling your partner crafty - but you can not spoil her financially - you only have %5/$10 and that is that. So there.
If you want to spoil your partner.. and say you buy $10 worth of yarn. Yes you can make an entire blanket for your partner if you really feel like it! I am sure that everyone will still be wanting to break down her door to get that blanket!
Just remember - you are required to send at least a minimum sized crafted item.
I bought a package of 100 popsicle sticks. I used 50 of them.. can I keep the rest of them for a future project and only claim half of the cost?No - you really should send those popsicle sticks to your partner. I am sure that she will make something with the remainder of them!
Do I really need to include my shopping list to my partner when I send my pacakage?Yes. It's not a whole lot to ask I don't think. You should be proud of your miserly purchases! It will also be really fun to see how far each of us can stretch that dollar!
Also don't chuck that list after you send it - if you have to, email it to yourself so that you have it on hand - just in case your package gets lost in transit then you can post up pics and the shopping list of what some customs employee has in his/her car....
I don't have a camera to take pics of what I receive -
what do I do?It seems like there is a lot of lack of gallery shots in the galleries lately. I don't know why that is - but I can say after talking to others it really does hurt the senders feelings that pictures are not posted up in the gallery. Your partner spent a lot of time shopping and crafting and spent more money to send it to you - please find a way to get pictures posted up.
If you know you do not have a camera to take pictures, please tell me, your organizer, when you send in your questions. I will do everything in my powers to team you up with someone who will take pictures for you before sending out.. which by the way, you really SHOULD do anyway - just in case something gets lost in the mail...
Do I need to get a DC number/Customs number?If you are in the US and you ship something - you must get a dc#. If you are in the US and you are shipping overseas, you will most likely have a customs number - check your receipt - it will be on there. If you do your postage online, you will get a dc# for free for priority mail and above and you will get a customs number automatically. It is also a wee bit cheaper - not by much - if you do it online however you don't have the option of first class mail.
I am all about saving money - so if you are in the US - check the calculate postage button on the top of the
www.usps.com site and you can figure out how much your package will cost before you send it and all your options. If you go through the clicknship you will not be able to see how much it will cost for first class mail. just a tidbit of wonder.
If the items you are sending are thin and doesn't make the thickness requirement for a dc # pad it with bubble wrap - or mail it in a bubble wrap package (they sell them rather inexpensively at dollar stores) whatever it takes. Get your dc#.
It WILL be notated on your feedback.
TAKE PICTURES OF WHAT YOU SEND!!!I can not stress that enough - if you have a camera, do yourself a favor and take pictures of what you are sending - this way you can keep them just in case your partner can not/does not post up pics or it sadly gets lost in transit which I really hope does not happen for any of us!
Dang. This looks like a lot of rules and regulations - is this really going to be any fun?It's actually pretty simple. You have $5 or $10 to spend. You make one medium crafted item. All that you bought/crafted goes in a box and you mail it to your partner. After your partner gets her package you post up what you bought and how much you spent so we can all revel in your shoppy goddess glow.
HAVE FUN WITH IT!!!
HAPPY SHOPPING AND MAY THE SALES BE WITH YOU.
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