The final due date is 8 weeks away from today. So from here on out, that means you need to have completed atleast 2 directives and have the 3rd one completed by end of week. And then set your personal goal to be sure to complete one directive each week thru March and April. That will give you the last couple of days to take pictures of your projects and wrap and tag and box up. Maybe even include a little note to your SS!
So this might be a good time to expand on the above.
Not sure if any of you have checked out other partner swap threads, but we tend to wrap each directive (when possible) with tissue wrapping paper or other wrapping paper. Not only does it help to protect the craft item during transport but just imagine the excitement when your SS rips off the packing tape and opens the box to discover 10 neatly wrapped gifts for her to enjoy! It really makes for a nice presentation.
And make sure you fill the empty space with peanuts or airbags, or wadded up paper or grocery bags. You'd be surprised how much damage can be done to crafted items when they slip and slide all over inside the box. So try to pack snug!
We tend to make simple tags to put on each gift too. And I do mean simple. Some times it's fun to make themed tags (as in the 12 days of Christmas theme) or maybe you'll use your cricut to cut out 10 flower shaped tags to write on. Or it can just be a plain tag that you use to write on to indicate which directive she is about to open.
It's nice to include a little notecard too. You'll soon discover if you continue to do swaps that receiving notecards is a great item for us all to have on hand. I'll be the first to admit though that I often either don't have a notecard or no time to whip one up and will just write a quick note on a piece of paper. It's the thought that counts, right? lol
As you are winding down and have a good feel for the size box you will need - hunt that box down sooner than later. Nothing worse then having the DD sneak up on you and you realize you don't have a box large enough to fit everything in! So a little planning in advance keeps the stress levels from rising!
Also, check and see if you still have the mailing address or print it out and tuck it away in a safe place.
It's also a good practice to take pictures of what you created. I like to do so just for my own picture files for future swapping. I may want to repeat something I previously made and need to refresh my memory on exactly what I did.
But also, just in case your partner isn't able to post pictures, you'll be able to do so for her.
But I am asking that everyone please do your best to post pictures of what you received. There have been some issues on picture posting but it seems to have calmed down lately and we are all able to post again with ease.
And remember to not wait too long to come to the MB and say thank you and acknowledge that you received your swap box okay.
We always want to be assured that it didn't sit on the porch all afternoon and get wet in the rain, or stolen, etc. No one wants to be on pins and needles - worrying about the safety of the box.
And with it being secret sisters, it's not like you know your box is being delivered that day. So you're not given heads up to be on the lookout for it.
Bottom line: the point of me mentioning all of this is that if you get behind and are rushing at the last minute to finish up and mail on time....the last thing you need to find more time for is finding a box, her mailing address, taking pictures, or not having any tape and tissue paper in the house to wrap up the items, trying to figure out what tag to use, etc. So just wanted to give you heads up on all of this too.
For me, the final details above tend to take me an entire evening. So that's one reason why I chose Tuesday as the mailing date. You'd have that last weekend to finish your crafting and then Monday evening to box up. lol (I've learned from my past errors!)
Also, it is fine to mail out before the final Due Date.
My only comment on that is if you mail way earlier then everyone else, then some of the excitement wears off and it's hard to wait the final couple of weeks for your own box to arrive. I like to mail early whenever possible, but I tend to stay within a week of the DD, for these partner swaps.
Edited by user Tuesday, March 05, 2013 10:38:05 AM(UTC)
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