Within an Envelope Swap (Signups: 7/6/2011-7/12/2011, Mail by: 7/21/2011)

Gallery!

Swap name: Within An Envelope Swap
Craftster member who is organizing this swap: Dragonflower
Sign-up date range: 7/6/2011-7/12/2011
Date to send item by: 7/21/2011

Limited to a certain number of people? (optional): No

Restricted to people who all live in the same country? No, this one is international!

Age requirement? 16+

There will be no DCN numbers required, but you must agree to resend if your envelope fails to arrive at its destination.
Swap Organizer himself/herself meets these conditions:
- Has fully read the Swap Info Guide: YES
- Has successfully completed two swaps as a participant: YES
- Is not organizing more than three swaps right now: YES
- Will recruit a co-organizer or give all details to a Swap Moderator if this swap has more than 25 participants: YES
- Is at least 18 years old: YES

Swap Organizer will check each participant to make sure they meet these conditions:
- Has been a member for at least one month: YES
- Has posted at least 15 times: YES
- Has completed one swap successfully before signing up for multiple swaps at a time: YES
- Is not currently signed up for more than five swaps: YES
- Does not have any negative feedback: YES/NO
- Participant has agreed that he/she is at least 16 years old: YES

Details of swap:
Have you ever wondered how much you can fit in an envelope and still pay only letter postage for it to be mailed to its destination? Well, credit for this brilliant swap idea goes to lovesclutter! But this time, we're going to open the swap for our international Craftster friends!

In this swap, you have one week to fill an envelope with random craft-related and/or crafted goodies from your personal craft stash and mail it to your partner(s). Some possibilities for items to send are embroidery floss, small earrings, bookmarks, mini crocheted/tatted/woven/knitted things, inchies, ATCs, beads, appliqués, fabric scraps, ephemera, sequins, etc. Get creative!
Within the US, these are the guidelines for a first-class letter (44-cents){per the USPS website}:
First-Class letter dimensions:

Size limits:
- Rectangular; length is the dimension parallel to the address.
- At least 3-1/2 inches high by 5 inches long by 0.007 inch thick
- No more than 6-1/8 inches high by 11-1/2 inches long by 1/4 inch thick
- Up to 3.5 ounces
- Surcharge will apply for nonmachinable letter

For first class mail, the weight must not be over 1 ounce to qualify for the $0.44 postage fee (caution: if you go over the 1 ounce limit, it will cost you $0.61 for an envelope which weighs up to 2 ounces). International first class has the same size restirctions, but prices begin at $0.80-$0.98.

Therefore, to qualify for the first-class letter fee, the key here would be to keep it more or less flat (so that it will be machinable) and to make sure it weighs no more than an oz (gotta love those digital scales!).
Since this swap requires little or no crafting time, you have the option of signing up for either 1 or 2 partners!

The Fine Print:
1. Good communication is very important! It is your responsibility to inform your partner(s) and the organizers when you send/receive your envelopes.
2. Although this is a random swap, the general rule of thumb is to send out things which you would love to receive.
3. No DCNs will be required for this swap (because the envelopes do not qualify for DCNs), but you must agree to resend to your partner(s) if the envelope(s) go missing (for whatever reasons).
4. Everyone who signs up for the swap must post in this thread!

If you want to participate, information to send to organizer (that's me- Dragonflower!:
QUESTIONNAIRE TO ANSWER:
Name of swap:
Craftster username:
Email address:
Your real name:
Mailing address including the country(Please type this as it would appear on an envelope:
Would you be willing to ship to an address outside your own country?:
Confirm that are at least 16 years old or, if not, that you have moderator approval(YES/NO)
How many partners would you like (1 or 2)?
Do you have any common allergies that would affect this swap?
Do you have any allergens in your home (such as pets, cigarettes, etc.)?
Do you have access to a camera or scanner (for pictures to post in the swap gallery)?
Do you promise to really, really try to keep within the requirements for a basic first-class letter on postage?
Do you agree to resend to your partner if your sent envelope fails to reach its destination?
Do you promise to be nice to your partner, communicate well, and say thank you for your package?

IF YOU WANT TO PARTICIPATE, REMEMBER TO SEND YOUR INFO TO ORGANIZER VIA PRIVATE MESSAGE AND NOT TO REPLY WITH IT HERE.

Also, remember to read the Swap Info Guide to find other rules about participating in a swap.