NEWBIES ONLY Round 7 (CLOSED!; SEND OUTS on 01/23)

THERE IS A TON OF INFORMATION IN THIS POSTING, SO PLEASE READ IT VERY CAREFULLY!

Swap name: Newbies Only Swap Round 7 , this swap is for all craftsters that have NEVER participated in a swap!! (OWS participants are the exception to this rule)
Craftster member who is organizing this swap: kishcrafts
Sign-up date range:12/27/07-01/13/08—or Until Full
Date to send item by: 01/23/08

Limited to a certain number of people? (optional): Yes--24 particpants + Me (organizer)
Restricted to people who all live in the same country? NO

Swap Organizer himself/herself meets these conditions:
- Has fully read the Swap Info Guide: YES/NO
- Has successfully completed two swaps as a participant: YES/NO
- Is not organizing more than three swaps right now: YES/NO
- Will recruit a co-organizer or give all details to a Swap Moderator if this swap has more than 25 participants: YES/NO

All ages allowed? Or 18+? All ages, but if you’re under 16, please get your parent’s/guardian’s permission!!! For real. Ask mom, dad, older siblings, aunts, uncles, whatever if they’ll mind taking you to the craft store and post office.
To join this swap you MUST:
--Have at least 15 posts under your belt.
--Have been a Member of Craftster for AT LEAST one month.
--Have NEVER been in a swap on Craftster before.
--Not be participating any other swaps at this time. [/size]

THERE IS A LOT OF INFORMATION LISTED BELOW; PLEASE READ ALL OF IT VERY CAREFULLY!!
Details of swap:
Here’s the deal: I know that there are a lot of you who think that swapping sounds like fun, you’re tempted to try, but then, you chicken out. You think, what if my crafting isn’t as good as my partners? What if I screw up? What if I don’t understand how to do this no matter how many times I’ve read the swapping guidelines? So many “what ifs”! This is your opportunity to get your feet wet in the swapping pool with folks that are in the same boat! This is your chance to ask all of the questions that you’ve ever needed answers to! Everyone will be brand new swappers, so no one should feel like they are asking silly questions or feel like they don't have enough experience. Some really amazing things came from the previous newbie swaps and some new friends were made. So, come on in—the water’s fine! I will be your guide through the world of swapping. If you have any questions or concerns throughout this swap, please PM me or post in the forum! There are some rules that must be followed in order to have an optimal swapping experience. Some are Craftsters rules, some are mine! If you feel that you cannot abide by the rules of this swap please don't join!!

•Here are my rules:
1.YOU MUST POST IN THIS SWAP THREAD AFTER YOU SEND ME YOUR QUESTIONAIRE PM IN ORDER TO BE ACCEPTED. BEING ACCEPTED IN THE SWAP IS CONTINGENT ON ME SEEING A POST!

2.YOU MUST POST AT LEAST 2 TIMES A WEEK IN THE THREAD. IF YOU DO NOT DO THIS, YOU WILL RECEIVE THE COMMENT “POOR COMMUNICATION” IN YOUR PROFILE. FOR A THREE WEEK CRAFTINGTIME, THIS IS ONLY 6 POSTS!!! EVEN AFTER CRAFTING TIME IS OVER, AND WE MOVE INTO GALLERY TIME YOU NEED TO CONTINUE TO PARTICIPATE—NO COMMUNICATION = NERVOUS PARTNERS AND ORGANIZERS!!! YOU ARE RELEASED FROM YOUR COMMUNICATION OBLIGATION ONLY AFTER BOTH YOU AND YOUR PARTNER HAVE SENT AND RECEIVED!!!

3.YOU MUST COMMUNICATE WITH YOUR PARTNER. IF YOUR PARTNER CONTACTS ME AND SAYS THAT YOU ARE NOT COMMUNICATING WITH THEM, YOU WLL ALSO RECEIVE THE COMMENT “POOR COMMUNICATION” IN YOUR PROFILE.

4.IF I GET THE FEELING THAT SOMEONE MAY BE A FLAKER, I WILL NOT ALLOW THEIR PARTNER TO SEND UNTIL THEY HAVE BEEN SENT TO AND RECEIVED!!!

5.WHEN YOU SEND YOUR PM TO JOIN THE SWAP, IF ALL OF YOUR POSTS ON CRAFTSTER CONSIST OF ONLY “NICE JOB”, “GREAT”, AND THEY SHOW NO ACTUAL PARTICIPATION IN THE CRAFTSTER FORUM, YOU WILL NOT BE ALLOWED TO PARTICIPATE!

6.MOST IMPORTANTLY: IF YOU DO NOT HAVE THE TIME TO PARTICIPATE ONLINE, COMMUICATE WITH YOUR PARTNER, AND/OR CRAFT, PLEASE DO NOT JOIN!!! THIS MAY SOUND HORRIBLE, BUT I HAVE SEEN TOO MANY FIRST-TIME SWAPPERS GET HOSED BY THEIR PARTNERS AND THAT LEAVES A TERRIBLE TASTE IN SOMEONE’S MOUTH!!!

7. When sending me PMs please put NEWBIES ONLY SWAP 7 in the subject line!

8. Once partners are posted EVERYONE must post a BIO of themselves in the thread! This is MANDATORY!!! This is to help everyone get acquainted with the other swappers and with being an active member in the thread.

9.Keep in regular contact with your swapping partner!!! Some people end up “talking” more than others, but even if you don’t become fast friends with your partner, check in with them so that they don’t think you’ve fallen off the face of the earth. Let them know that you’re working on their crafts. And, most importantly, the more you talk, the more you’ll get to know what they like!

•Now, Craftster’s swapping rules:
1.YOU MUST PM ME AND YOUR PARTNER WHEN YOU SEND AND WHEN YOU RECEIVE. IF YOU ARE SENDING WITHIN YOUR OWN COUNTRY, YOU MUST HAVE A DC# (DELIVERY CONFIRMATION NUMBER)—THEY COST AN EXTRA $.65-$.70 IN THE US. WHEN YOU PM TO SAY YOU HAVE SENT, BE SURE TO INCLUDE YOUR DC NUMBER. IF YOU ARE SENDING OUT OF YOUR COUNTRY AND CANNOT GET A TRACKING NUMBER, YOU MUST KEEP YOUR RECEIPT AS PROOF OF SHIPPING!!!

2.When you receive your swap package, you will then need to post in the gallery that will be created so that you can show off what you have received. Posting pictures is a requirement for this swap! If you don’t have a digital camera and cannot get access to one, please ask your partner to take pictures before they send.
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The crafting requirements:
Let’s do 1 Medium item and 3 small items (you may do a variation of this—1 large and 2 small, 2 medium and 1 small, etc.). The terms large, medium, and small are all relative. I like to look at them from a time standpoint—Large=3 or more hours, Medium=2-3 hours, and a Small being 2 hours or less.
This is so important: IF YOU ARE GOING TO SEND MORE THAN THE REQUIRED AMOUNT, PLEASE CHECK WITH YOUR PARTNER FIRST!!! IF YOU AGREE TO SEND EACH OTHER MORE THAN THIS, FINE!

And again, ask any question—there is no question that has been asked so many times that it can’t be asked again! And just a reminder, I WILL NOT be crafting in this swap unless it becomes necessary for me to be a Swap Angel! I’m here to organize and guide!

•One more thing….keep in mind when filling out the questionnaire that the more flexible you are about what you receive, the easier it is to pair you up! Personally, I like to allow my swap partners the flexibility to craft the things they love to craft—while keeping in mind my tastes. Also, please do not ask for items that are completely out of the realm of possibility—your partner is not going to knit you a sweater in three weeks, and if you give them no other ideas, it’s going to be difficult to figure out what to craft you! Also, I do believe that mentions of anything that can be perceived as “controversial” (i.e. religion, politics, etc.) should be left out of your questionnaire UNLESS it pertains to what you can/can’t receive from someone. Then, AND ONLY THEN, it should be stated in this way: “Due to religious, political, personal beliefs, I do not want to receive anything that is (fill in the blank).” ***********************************************
If you want to participate, please send this information to the organizer:

QUESTIONNAIRE TO ANSWER:Name of swap: Newbie Swap Round 7
Craftster username:
Email address:
Your real name:
Mailing address:(please type it as it would need to be printed on the front of your package)
Would you be willing to ship to an address outside of your own country?

1.What sorts of things are you most comfortable crafting?
1B. What is your skill level? (ultra newbie, middle of the road, uber crafter, etc)
2.Is there anything that you would really like made for you?
2B. Is there a craft skill you would like an item made out of (crochet, sewing, clay, paper craft, etc)
3.Favorite colors?
4.Colors you really don't like?
5.Are there any fabrics/yarns that you cannot stand?
6.Allergies?
7.Do you smoke or come from a smoking household?
8.Do you own a dog? a cat? fish? turtles? etc...
9.Are you interested in receiving any type of clothing/socks/slippers? If so, list your sizes here:
10.Do you have access to a digital camera so that you can take pictures of what you receive and post them in the gallery?
11.Is there anything that you absolutely would not want?
Tell your partner something about yourself. Please go crazy here—the more info, the better:

***please don't forget to make your first post in the swap thread, put in it that you sent in your questionnaire and why you decided to join in and/or how excited/anxious/happy/thrilled you are to be doing your first swap!!!

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 out how to ship your item and other details about participating in a swap.

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AFTER PEOPLE HAVE SIGNED UP AND BEEN APPROVED, LIST THE PARTICIPANTS HERE:

***I will add all new participants into the swap and put "in progress" feedback in their swap profile the following evening after I receive the completed questionnaire and you have made your first post in the swap thread.
thanks!

Participant Name and Biography with page it is posted on
1. kishcrafts (organizer only)
2. quilted page 7
3. RecipeCard page 14
4. suitcase2space page 10
5. instantkarma page 4
6. Dreambelle page 8
7. winodini page 9
8. taranehsbazaar page 19
9. UrsulaDiamond page 13
10. AlwaysInspired page 7
11. Cheebs page 8
12. lucelu page 4 and 5
13. janelleleigh page 7
14. Kiwi-Chickie page 5
15. powercourt page 8
16. Glamis page 20
17. Aredroulettekiss page 7
18. Kiiss
19. Miezimau page 8
20. BudgeIsCool page 10
21. stargardener page 29
22. EmBem page 7
23. the franz page 9
24. tisteeni page 36
25. lillidrew312 page 13

PARTNERS:

BudgeIsCool ---> EmBem
EmBem ---> BudgeIsCool

quilted ---> suitcase2space
suitcase2space ---> quilted

instantkarma ---> taranehsbazaar
taranehsbazaar ---> instantkarma

jannelleleigh ---> lillidrew312
lillidrew312 ---> jannelleleigh

Cheebs ----> Miezimau
Miezimau ---> Cheebs

the franz ---> Kiiss
Kiiss ---> the franz

lucelu ---> Glamis
Glamis ---> lucelu

winidini ---> RecipeCard
RecipeCard ---> winodini

tisteeni ---> UrsulaDiamond
UrsulaDiamond ---> tisteeni

Kiwi-Chickie ---> Aredroulettekiss
Aredroulettekiss ---> Kiwi-Chickie

powercourt ---> Dreambelle
Dreambelle ---> powercourt

AlwaysInspired ---> stargardener
stargardener --- AlwaysInspired