9O96O

Updated Aug 7, 2022

First half of August I'm taking a short break for CI surgery and recovery. I picked up mail from the post office on Friday and rated the swaps received. I probably won't be able to drive again for a couple of weeks. Ratings may be a little tardy.

August 7: Surgery is done and I'm recovering but I'm not home yet. I expect to be able to visit my PO box this coming weekend.

• Personality style: ISFP - Adventurer

• Married. Childless by choice.

• 🦻 In mid-life I started to lose my hearing and now I'm profoundly HOH. I lip-face read. I do not know sign language.

• Gmail: 3392048@

• rSmith - PO Box 31013 WILLOWWEST - Guelph, Ontario - N1H 8K1 - Canada

🤗 ABC List - Things I find interesting

Handmade is what I like because it's unique and personal. There's a greater feeling of camaraderie and community when sharing something we've made. It's a means of supporting and encouraging play, mindfulness, creativity, originality, and authenticity.

CREATIVITY IS GOOD FOR US

• Study Says Making Art Reduces Stress, Even If You Kind Of Suck At It

• "Reduction of Cortisol Levels and Participants’ Responses Following Art Making," found that 45 minutes of creative activity significantly lessens stress in the body, regardless of artistic experience or talent.

• Crafting can reduce your chances of developing mild cognitive impairment by 30% to 50% according to a 2011 study published in The Journal of Neuropsychiatry.

• "The very act of creating and sharing art is an act of courage and vulnerability." -- SM Posey, Rubber Soul

• "Create. Not for the money. Not for the fame. Not for the recognition. But for the pure joy of creating something and sharing it." --Ernest Barbaric

• "You can't use up creativity. The more you use, the more you have." --Maya Angelou

Decos - Collaborative Deco Art-Style Handmade Booklets

Examples of decos I've received.

Also called: "go-round" zines, travelling journals, mini art journals (MAJ), index card minis (ICM), circle journals, etc.

Swappers contribute to one page and then pass it on to another swapper.

Have a look to the right at my "Currently In" and "Currently Hosting" section to see the latest.

My style is similar to my ATC style: flat, little to no embellishments. Cutouts, drawings, paint, ink, stamping, and handmade booklets made from upcycled note cards and art cards.

I welcome any stage - new, established, homer/last page.

I prefer lettermail size, no extra postage needed.

You can share my decos with your creative friends and family. They don't need to be a member of Swap-Bot (but they should return it to you so you can send it to me if it's full, or use it in another deco swap if it's not full). It would be great to have a variety of art in my decos. There's also the added bonus that my deco should end up back to me sooner. I'd love to know who decorated the pages and maybe get some extra info about what they created. 🤗

Deco groups and tags of interest:

Deco Books ♥

Deco Books TAG

These groups often have deco swaps:

Cheap Postage Swaps, Tags and Fun

Zines, mail art & other cool stuff

Groups.io and Facebook are also places that have deco swapping.

Groups.io Deco Swappers

Groups.io Lovely Decos

Facebook Deco Swappers

Extras

Please do not feel the need to send extras to me. I rate people on how much effort that they put in to whatever they are making for me.

The extra I'd really like is a bit of correspondence ✒️✍️. How your day went. What your favourite crafting materials are, etc. I'd love to know a little about what you have sent to me--how it was made, the materials you used.

If you love to send extras, go ahead. But rest assured, I do not rate based on extras.

The things I send

I put a return address on everything I send out.

If you haven't received a card within a month of my send date, please let me know.

I keep a photo-log of my outgoing swap items--front, back, and at the mailbox.

If the postal equipment damages my card, let me know. I'll send you a photo of the card as it looked before I mailed it.

I will resend if my swap doesn't arrive.

Sending and receiving mail, including global, in 2021 has been as short as 4 days between Canada and the Netherlands, and as long as 8 weeks to Australia. On average 15 days within North America. Unfortunately all the mail I sent to South Africa in 2021 never reached it's destination. It's been over a year and I sent approximately 9 envelopes (all deco booklets).

Canada Post Service Alerts

Postcrossing Postal Monitor: Ongoing mail suspensions

ICC Logistics site - Mail disruptions

📩Re-sends sent to:

2020 and 2021 Re-sends

2022

@Barbara for CPG: Cut n Paste PC #328363 (Global). Received May 5.

If you join one of my swaps here's what you should know about my hosting style:

I screen participants to minimize the risk of flakers getting in, and those who do not rate, and those who leave blank comments. I will remove participants with swapping histories that worry me. If you have any negative unresolved swapping history and want to join my swap please proactively message me to explain.

Nudge

If you haven't received a postcard around the one month mark, let me know. I will send out a nudge message.

If I have had to send more than one nudge message to a member, I may "ban" them from future swaps.

Blank comments

Please, no blank comments. When rating please comment on the item received. Example:

"Thank you for the Van Gogh sunflower postcard."

As a host, I read the comments each participant receives. I really appreciate reading a little description of the item. A description tells me the item was received and noticed.

Rating booster or "Leave a Comment" swaps are red flags.

Finished

I check to see that everyone is rated and will add a "Finished" stamp to the Discussion section when all items are sent, received, and rated.

Angel

If your partner flakes, PM me to let me know you posted the "1" and I will angel the swap.

Swap-Bot Frequently Asked Questions: What are the rating criteria?

To all who join my swaps and rate promptly and with a nice note...

Great swapping advice, tips and checklists:

Thinking of hosting a swap? Things you should consider.

Joining a swap tips

Hosts: Rating Requirements Too Low?

Giving/Getting/Reacting to a Poor Rating

Groups and Tags I help manage:

All about ATC

ATC's Only

Hand Carved Stamps and Images

Snapshot Photo Craft Projects

Handmade Postcard TAG

Zeen TAG

Deco Books TAG

I will create a private swap swap for the two of us. Contact me.

While you are in the honeymoon-phase of membership, successfully completing private swaps are a great way to show you are serious and committed to swapping.

Many hosts have felt the sting of accepting a new member into a public swap before the 6-month mark only to have them disappear, leaving behind unfulfilled swaps. An example that affected me.

If you are interested in a newbie-friendly swaps see Softawoo's Assuming the Best group.

Helpful topics for newbies:

• Top tips for newbie profiles

• Safe Swaps for New Members

• Check @OrigamiGrace 'Currently Hosting' list for 'Nice to Newbies' swaps

Markdown Language

• A WYSIWYG site for writing in Markdown

• Dingus wysiwyg Markdown site

• So You Wanna Trick Out Your Profile

Miscellaneous

• Printing--cheap way to make personal postcards

• Deco Book swappers on Groups.io

• IUOMA International Union of Mail Artists

• ATCs For All

The meaningful comments you leave are a big reward and motivator!