Springtime Swap

Flowers, Bees, Pink, Easter... all of these are symbols of Spring to me. I imagine pretty dresses, and riding around town on a bicycle with a basket attached to the front, and pushing a dainty little bell. In actuality, I haven't ridden a bike (excluding a two-person bike) since I was ten years old. I am hoping to remedy that this season. I love the sounds of Spring, just as much as the sights. The laughter of children playing in the park, and the sonnet of birds up in the trees. I would have to say that Birds are the first thing I think of when it comes to Spring. I love taking pictures of their silhouettes against the sky.



I have always lived in places where Spring isn't really a defined season. So those things that I love about Spring can pretty much be heard or seen any time throughout the year in the places I've lived. All the icons of Spring that I picture are only there because that's how I know it is in other places. For me, Spring kind of just melds into the other seasons, just because the places I have lived have all had temperate weather. For instance, this winter, my friends in Iowa were telling me all about the major snow they'd seen, and how freezing the weather has been. That same day in Houston, I was wearing shorts! So since there are no major climate or weather pinpoints that indicate to me when Spring starts - my Springtime this year is going to be commemorated by the Springtime Swap!



Springtime Swap Info:

1. We will be swapping a small collection of lovely little things that we have either made, or purchased from a local store. It's up to you what you send, but please don't send anything perishable. I would also rather no-one send anything possibly breakable, unless they are SURE they can package it really well.

2. I don't want to leave anyone out who would like to participate, so I want to have this open to international readers too, not just people from the US. And I think it's a lot more fun that way too - if you get paired with someone from overseas, you will get a fun insight into their culture. If there are any of you in the US who would like to participate, but really don't want to swap with someone overseas because of mailing costs, please email me at spotty_zebra@hotmail.com, otherwise I will assume that everyone is ok with having an international partner if they get paired that way.

3. The total price of the items should be $15 US (or your currency equivalent if you aren't in the US). If you wish to spend more than that, it's up to you, but please be aware that you can't be upset if your partner only spends $15 - that's the set price.

4. I realize that there are some of you who might comment who don't want to take part - so if you do want to participate, please make sure to include in your comment that you are wanting to be in the swap.

5. The deadline for swap sign-ups is Monday, March 16. On Tuesday the 17th, I will announce the partners. They will be randomly selected through random.org.

6. After the pairs are announced, it's up to you to comment on each others blogs to swap email addresses and mailing information. You could also let each other know if there's anything unusual you might need to share (eg. allergic to felt, or whatever). I am setting a MAIL BY DATE, so that no one has to wait months to get their goodies, and so that each person in the pair gets their stuff sent out at the same time. The MAIL BY DATE is WEDNESDAY, APRIL 1. That gives us all 2 weeks to organize our goodies.

7. It would be REALLY great if you'd post about what you received. I will be interested to see what everyone gets. I will post links to everyone's posts about their received swap once they have all been received.

I can't wait!