I love swapping!
A
whole batch of letters and parcels ready to pop into the post
I have very recently discovered Swap-bot and
Postcrossings. I have always been a bit of a sucker for goody bags, so this was
love at first sight for me. I have been writing letters to pen pals for a while
and I enjoy making friend with strangers from all over the planet who live in
countries it is unlikely I will ever travel to. It is always fun to get
something in the mail other than accounts or junk mail. A brightly coloured
postcard from a foreign country or a cheerful envelope covered in stamps and
stickers just have a magical way of brightening up my day.
I love the way writing letters and sending parcels
connects me with possible friends from all over the world. I am an armchair
traveller and this way I get a small glimpse of lives and lifestyles very different
from my own. I connect with other mom’s and crafters who share interests
similar to my own or make friends with people that I would not normally meet in
my own social circle.
In the world of
the five second sound bite, sms’s, Whatsapp, Facebook, Twitter and all sorts of
other social media, it takes dedication to put time aside to really connect
with people and build relationships the old fashioned way, where letters take
time to write and one has to wait days, weeks or even months for a reply.
Look
at all the lovely letters and parcels from all over the world that I received
this week
So the extension of this fun hobby is getting postcards
from randomly picked strangers through Postcrossing. The way it works is that
you register on the website. Initially you are allowed to send 5 postcards to
people whose addresses are randomly chosen for you. Once the postcard is sent
and received, the person who receives the postcard then registers your postcard
on the website, making you eligible to receive a postcard from someone else on
the website and giving you the opportunity to send another card. So far I have
received a card from Germany and one from the USA. Who knows where my next
postcard will come from?
I have also
joined a site called Swap-bot. This is where the goody bags come in. I love
getting parcels and gifts but my family is not big on presents so this is a way
for me to indulge in my love of giving and receiving presents. At least that is
how I see this site. I joined in August 2014 and have participated in 10 swaps
so far. You get to decide which swaps you want to participate in. You sign up
and are assigend a swap partner or partners. You can then start swapping. There are hundreds of swaps one can join and
they cover a wide variety of interests. Some are regional swaps, open only to
certain countries. Some swaps are open to users who are new to the site. Others
are open to users who have participated in a specified number of swaps. Some
are very interest specific, swapping teas, dotee dolls, ATC’s and postcards.
Others are more general and while they may follow a theme, the person sending
the package has a lot of leeway in what they send.
A lovely parcel of postcards and
pretty card from San Diego
There is also
a rating system. Every user in the site has a profile and they are rated
according to the number of swaps they have completed, whether or not the swap
items sent match the rules laid out and whether if not the person who sent the
swap went to extra trouble with the things they send.The rules for the swaps
are clearly laid out and the site is very user friendly. I have received some
lovely parcels so far.
A postcard from
the USA
Here’s to next week and all the lovely goodies and
letters that may end up in my post box (or someone else’s).
Happy
swapping!
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