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pic above shows a 'book and letter hybrid' available from MiniatureRhino's Etsy store. This swap was inspired by a couple of things - the 'journaletter', available from @hollycm6 's Etsy Store and a tag offered by @fieldstudio31 for a moleskine cahier embellished with a hand-carved stamp, sent naked. Thanks, both of you, for inadvertently prompting me to host this swap!
Swap description: Naked notebooks!
Okay, so we all love notebooks, right? And as members of this group, I'm guessing we're all quite fond of mail art, too. So this swap is designed to combine two of our favourite things into one fun bundle – can you resist??
Begin with a notebook – you can either make this yourself (see link below, or use an alternative design), or buy something plain, like the small Moleskine Cahier (Muji & Paperchase sell similar notebooks for less). You can use a larger notebook, if you like, but it should not be smaller than 9 x 14cm (the dimensions of the Moleskine cahier). But the notebook will not be entirely naked, as you will 'dress' it (decorate or embellish) in some way before mailing – doodle a border, print image/s using a hand-carved stamp, collage it, just add some form of personalisation so that it is no longer like something you can buy in a store! (But just adding stickers doesn't count.) Write a brief note to your partner either on the first or last page of the notebook, or on the inside cover, so they know which swap it is for, and from whom (and anything else you would like to say). Address the notebook (something to account for when you are personalising it, in step 2!). How you choose to do this is up to you, but make sure the delivery & return address are clear & the postage is secure. Seal the notebook. Again, how you choose to do this is up to you (and something else to think about a) if you make your own notebook, and b) when you embellish it). Just make sure your partner can unseal the notebook without damaging it!
By the end of the swap, not only will we each have 2 handy new notebooks at our disposal, but they will probably be the coolest notebooks ever, having travelled naked through the mail, and acquiring all sorts of unique stamps & markings in addition to our partners' customisation.
Make your own Moleskine-type Cahier (out of a cereal box) – a tutorial!
**Another tutorial: How to make an easy, fabric-covered notebook** - can you figure out a way to make this mail-able?
Swap requirements
- 2 partners = 2 naked notebooks sent & 2 naked notebooks received.
- Notebooks may be handmade or storebought.
- Minimum notebook size 9 x 14cm, no maximum.
- Notebooks should contain a minimum of 16 pages. These can be blank, ruled, or squared (etc) at sender's discretion.
- Notebooks should be decorated, sealed & addressed – no envelopes allowed!
- Write a brief note to your partner either on the first or last page of the notebook, or on the inside cover.
- Scan or photograph both sides of your notebook after addressing & before mailing. Hopefully this will not be necessary, but in case any notebooks go missing in transit there will still be some evidence of your work.
- (optional but advised:) Obtain proof of posting from Post Office (this is free in the UK, not sure about elsewhere).
- If one of your notebooks fails to arrive within 1 month of date of sending, please ask your partner to provide the the photos of the notebook they sent, and the proof of posting. If they are able to provide this evidence, you must rate a 5 whether you have received the notebook or not (it is not fair to rate your partner down for a delivery problem which they cannot control). If they cannot provide this evidence, a 1 is justified.
The obvious bit
You already had to have a rating of 4.9+ with no recent no-sends, 1s or 3s to join this group anyway, so the same stands for this swap. But I will still double-check before assigning partners, so if you have what you feel is an unfair comment or rating, just PM me & we can try to work it out. :-)
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