March Secret Pal Swap Sign Up closes Feb 29th 4pm
 

Description:
This is a monthly secret pal swap. There is a sign up every month, and you can choose whether or not to participate each month. You will get a different partner every month, and the person you send to will be different than the person you receive from.




Please do not send me a sign up PM until the new sign-up sheet is available

1) YOU NEED TO SEND THE HOSTESS A PRIVATE MESSAGE WHEN YOU MAIL YOUR PACKAGE TO YOUR SECRETPAL.

2)DUE TO MISUNDERSTANDING AND HURT FEELINGS, ONCE YOU GET YOUR PACKAGE FROM YOUR SECRET PAL, YOU WILL NEED TO SEND A PRIVATE MESSAGE TO THE PERSON WHO SENT THE PACKAGE TO YOU TO ACKNOWLEDGE THAT YOU DID RECEIVE IT AND TO THANK THE SENDER.

3) AFTER YOU HAVE THANKED YOUR SECRET PAL, YOU WILL NEED TO SEND ME A PRIVATE MESSAGE TELLING ME THAT YOU HAVE RECEIVED YOUR PACKAGE SO THAT I CAN KEEP ACCURATE RECORDS.

FAILURE TO SEND THESE PRIVATE MESSAGES IS REASON ENOUGHTO BE BANNED FROM THE NEXT MONTHS SWAP.

I cannot send a PM to everyone asking for package updates, so please remember to keep me informed on your mailing date and your date received.

PACKAGES NEED TO BE SENT OUT BY March 15th this is a FIRM deadline (NOT A SUGGESTION).If for some reason you cannot mail by the 15th and are considering not signing up, then send me a private message and we can see if it can be worked out. IF YOU KNOW THAT YOU CANNOT MAIL BY THAT DATE, PLEASE DO NOT SIGN UP. You can send your package as early as you'd like!


If you are sending an international package it will need to be mailed by the 10th of March. If that is not possible then please say no to International mailing on your sign-up sheet. Due to mail processing, our mail dates for international mailing has to be as early as possible! No later than the 10th of March . It can take many weeks to reach your SP so any delays in mailing can delay the start of the next month’s sign-up sheet being posted.

International mailings—it is imperative that you keep your copy of the Customs Declaration Notice that you fill out until your SP has notified you that they received their package. If a problem encountered with the package, you may need to PM me the information from that sheet in order to work effectively with the Postal Service.


You have to send me a PM every month you want to sign up and send me your information. I have no way to keep track of people signing up for more than 1 month at a time. Please don't post a message on the thread about signing up.(Also, please make it clear to me if you are asking for more than one SP.)



Once you have decided to join the swap, please send me a PM with the completed information sheet.


I would prefer that you review and then send your information sheet to me every month that you sign up for the SP swap. This review will allow you to make minor changes about holidays, personal preferences, etc.

Our International board members are welcome to join the swap.

If I do not have a valid email or phone number, you cannot participate in this swap.

Your secret pal is excited to receive your name and really wants to send you a great package. Please help by answering the questions as completely as possible.

Screen Name:
Real Name:
Address:
Address:
City, State, Zip:
Favorite Colors:
Favorite Candy:
Your favorite notion/fabric line, etc:
Your least favorite color(s)
Least favorite candy
Least favorite notion/fabric line
Brand of sewing machine:
Do you have an embroidery machine:
Is there anything you like to collect?
Besides quilting, what do you like to do?
Do you have Allergies (smoke, cats, dogs etc)
Do you have Allergens (you smoke, have cats, dogs etc)
Do you hand embroidery?
The ONE thing I want the most is_______
What holidays do you celebrate?:
Anything you would NOT like to receive:
How long have you been sewing/quilting?
What are you currently working on:
What types of books do you like to read?
Would you like to receive gently used items such as templates, patterns or appliqué books etc?
Do you have a pet? What kind?
The fabric color I am looking for is___
What is your favorite beverage?Additional info (the more info you provide, the better):
Can you mail international?
email address:
phone number:


This form will be given to your secret pal (minus the email address and phone number) . The more you put on there, the better she/he will be able to get things you'd like. Additional information may be helpful to them as well.

There is a 10 dollar budget for this swap. Items from your stash or homemade items are not included in the $10 limit. Postage isn't included in the ten dollars. The most important thing to remember with the budget is to have fun, but please do NOT SPEND MORE THAN $10.

If you want ideas on what to send, look at the previous swaps.

Examples of some fun things to receive are: fabric, notions, notepads, pens, postcards, handmade items, little things like that.

Sign ups will close the 29th of February and names will be paired on the 1st of March and sent out no later than the 2nd of March. (I will try to have all names out on the 1st.)



I really want to stress that if you sign up, PLEASE follow thru.

It's a horrible feeling to not receive a package.


I will be keeping a list of people that don't follow thru. It is not right and it's been happening a lot here lately; if it continues, we will not be allowed to do secret swaps anymore.

Please make sure that you put your real name and screen name inside the package so the person receiving the package knows who to thank.

1. You must ship your package using a method that provides tracking and delivery confirmation. You can purchase it at the post office or if you print postage, it is free for priority mail and 70 cents for all others.


2. If your pal does not receive her/his package within a reasonable time (7 days max from mailing dealine for within the same country. Then I will need tracking information, 15 days for between countries. There are exceptions, but I MUST be notified of any delays in sending on your end). Failure to comply may result in the following:

A public note that you failed to send would be added to the Group Activity matrix.

If your pal is still empty handed at the end of the month, it is possible that negative feedback will be posted to your account.

This is why it is imperative that you keep the hostess informed on ANY mailing issues. Along with negative feedback, you will not be allowed to participate in future secret pal swaps. It is also possible that other coordinators will not allow you to participate in their swaps.

It's all about fun, so please have fun with it.

If you have questions, please PM me and I will try to answer as quickly as possible.

This swap has been approved by PatriceJ.

SHOULD YOU HAVE PROBLEMS, QUESTIONS OR CONCERNS PLEASE PM ME IMMEDIATELY!

Coordinated by: Lori Peercy

Sending PM to you now:thumbup:

Sent Pm !!!!!

Just signed up -----love this swap ----- crafty grammie

I'm in, hi-ho hi-ho it's off to my stash I go...a looking for something special for my SP....

I'm in and PM sent with my info.

count me in too! Sending PM now!

Just sent Lori a pm. Looking forward to March swap!

count me in.

I am going to be Lori's cheerleader here for a minute. If you are thinking about participating in this swap, PLEASE follow through. There are a lot of people that love this swap, including me. It is so much fun to get the packages in the mail. It is just as much fun to put together a package for a fellow quilter. We do not want to lose the opportunity to continue this swap. If you sign up and can't follow through, be an adult and let Lori know. She can then work on getting someone to replace you. How would you feel if you were told you won the Publishers Clearinghouse Sweepstakes and then no one brought you the check? That is how it feels to not get your package? Thanks for letting me vent.:thumbup:

I have my list sent, did a lot of changes this time to mine. Last night I started putting the boxes of stuff together for both of my next month sps, I went shopping for them the other day so I should be able to get mine out right away, all I need are their fabric likes.

I am working on a brand new quilt. I just found it in a magazine. Its made out of 12 fat quarters and 2 yards of tone on tone white fabric and 2/3 yards of mottled yellow fabric.

Well said!! I have always gotten my packages and always sent mine, but I can understand how people would feel not getting theirs especially when they have followed through have sent their packages out!

Juli, your quilt sounds exciting. What magazine is it in?

WOHOOO for MARCh sp swap... OF course I"M IN..... wouldn't miss it for anything... PM goes out tomorrow. Its ash wed. and we have things we are particpateing in at our church starting at 5:30, so infor will be off to LORI tomorrow !

Thanks for saying what I'm sure many of us would liked to have said!!!! Thanks for saying it!!!!!!Sue

Mary are you going to be in this m onth?

[ATTACH=CONFIG]314633[/ATTACH]Isn't this a cutecup and saucer? [ATTACH=CONFIG]314634[/ATTACH] have never seen anything like it before! I has a whole in the bottom for a night light!

Its in Feb issue of Quilter's World. Its called a Sunshine quilt

I agree Mary.

Looking forward to another great month! I will PM my info soon! Cute Teacup night light, Lori!

I am in :thumbup:..Just PM'd Lori with my info sheet..Diana

PM'd my info!

Count me in! Sent you a PM.:)

I'm all signed up !

While I did not participate in the February secret pal swap, I am very happy to join you in the March swap. I noticed some of you are already shopping for your pal. How do you do that without knowing his/ her info? Do you just buy basic notions etc. then add something from their list?

Yes. I shop constantly for notions, collectible things and fabric from all sorts of places. On occasion, if i get a notion that is a duplicate, I will recycle that, some object to that, but I always tell my partners I'd rather it get passed on to someone who can use it then sit around. We also usually try to do a sewing or hand crafted project if we're going to do one ahead. For example, we knew Valentines Day was good for the Feb swap, this month you could do something around spring or St Patrick's day IF you wanted to do a project. Some months I feel well enough to do one, others I don't.

Good places to find things can be a Tuesday Morning or Big Lots or thrift stores. One month I was able to find an entire set of BOM plus a backing set from Joann's at a thrift store!! And under or about $10, some one had poorly priced them. Folks also use Joann's coupons, order off line, from Ebay, once you get started, things are everywhere!

Greenini-

Thank you so much. You have given me some great ideas :)

[QUOTE=nikki128;5000585]While I did not participate in the February secret pal swap, I am very happy to join you in the March swap. I noticed some of you are already shopping for your pal. How do you do that without knowing his/ her info? Do you just buy basic notions etc. then add something from their list?[/QUOTE

Michaels's is also a great place to get general swap items. Aside from their normal items, they also have dollar bins with all kinds of neat stuff in them.

Michaels does indeed have some very neat stuff and a lot of times, they have great sales going on..I plan on going there this weekend :thumbup:..I need to get some glycerin soap to make more soap with..I was wondering the same thing about how quickly some get their packages together..I wish they would share their secret :)..Diana



[QUOTE=brenda21;5000795]

greenini gave you the general idea of shopping early for your secret pals and a small stash box. tuesday mornings have several quilty items for $2.99 or less such as thimbles, sewing needles, templates, grid paper. these are general quilty things that quilters use. i am one that do not have many "extra" fabrics in my "stash" as i buy my fabrics for projects so now i search through remnant bins for fabrics. i really like this new remnant pricing strategy at hancocks as all cotton remnants are $2.00/yd. i have found 1 yard remnants of m'liss (reg $8.99/yd) and their top drawer fabric (reg $8.99/yd) to use for swap packages. well..... i loved the m'liss botanical fabric piece so much i am not sure i can part with any of it now.:rolleyes:

as far as for handmade things that can be made in advance, it would include things like pincushions, mug rugs, needle books, thread catchers just to name a few. and of course there are basic items such as thread (black, white, tan, blue), hand sewing needles, safety pins that can be bought when on sale or you run into them at great prices in any store.

overall welcome to this monthly swap. we have a great time here and lori is an excellent and patient host. i hope you have fun and do not put yourself through any of that "first time swapper" stress. just put something together that you would like to receive and it will be just great.:)

Thanks for the encouragement Havplenty :)

no problem. and dollar stores are great for items also such as glue sticks, needles, sewing kits, books, etc. i look forward to possibly swapping with you soon.

mary

First off, Welcome new Swapper! We luvs our swap.

Lori, that is an interesting cup, I've never seen one either. :)

Secondly, I shop all the time for things too, whenever I go out, I think of what I could add to a box. Most don't mind used books, whether recipes or quilt stuff so I always look for those too. I also try to make something if I can. sometimes I don't have the time. Although I am gonna toss in a chicken this time or a mouse, or a bird or...oh well, we shall see what ends up in the box! HEE!

I'm in all signed up again!

I shop all the time for this swap. And also do basic generic sewing projects. Generally, the boxes are pretty easy to put together with only additional items such as specific fabric colors or candies that have to be purchased before completing the box for mailing. Easy sewing projects are things like pin cushions, mug rugs, coasters, needle books/cases....things of that nature. Those are fast sewing projects to make and I make a LOT of them so that I'm not constantly trying to play catch up when the swap boxes need to be mailed out. Isn't it a wonder that I don't have any quilts made recently since I've been doing those pin cushions, mug rugs, coasters and needle books??? LOL