Card Swap 2013 -> all done!

[ArenaHunt]

MLPArena Card Swap 2013
Get those pens and postcards ready - IT'S CARD SWAP TIME!
The annual card swap is back for its 8th year.

This year's swap has a twist - it's a POSTCARD swap!
visitors can't see pics , please register or login
 visitors can't see pics , please register or login

Everyone and anyone can join. Participants will send and received 5 cards, but not necessarily to the same people - so it will be a surprise who you receive cards from. Yes, this is less than in previous years.

**RULES & Things to keep in mind:
1: Each group will have a variety of addresses - USA, Canada, Europe, etc. If you cannot send cards overseas, do not join. You should plan to spend at least $20 for cards and mailing.
2: You may get a variety of postcards - various holidays, traditions, cultures, and religions. If you are not comfortable with this, please do not join.
3: If at any point you run into trouble or delays, PM me ASAP.
4: You MUST include your Arena username when you sign your card, so the person receiving your card knows who you are! Make sure your username is legible.
5: Postcards can be store bought, hand made, computer print-outs - whatever you want. They don't even have to be pony-related. Postcards can be sent as is, or in an envelope - your choice.
6. You must complete the photo check-in [via PM] by the deadline.
7: You must let me know [via PM] when you have mailed your cards.
8: You must let me know [via PM] when you receive cards and from who. Each and every card.
9: You must ship within the set deadline.
10: All members are expected to actively participate in the swap threads. This includes posting in the Partner Interest Thread.

*** Remember this year we are sending postcards, not regular greeting cards.

**Requirements to join: have been here at least 3 months with a post count of 100 posts or higher
(ie - must have joined July 2013 or earlier)
No - I will not deviate from these requirements, please do not ask. I will not respond to those messages.
If you don't have enough posts yet, start posting. There is a full couple of weeks of sign-ups. If you don't have long enough membership, hopefully you will join us next year.

NOTE: This swap does not count towards your swap limits, but will be recorded and tracked as usual. Participants will not be cleared until ALL of their cards are received by their partners.

**How to join: Please PM me (ArenaHunt) with the following info:
Name (first and last):
Mailing Address (full address as should appear on the envelope *):
Secret Word:

* Remember to include all postal/zip codes, country, etc. You will be receiving mail from all over the world, and all different postal systems. Do not assume another postal system will know where you live if you do not give all details. (IE: do not assume they know you live in the USA - include your country!)

**Last day to join: October 31.
Please take this as seriously as you would any other swap. Once I have sent the group lists out - you cannot drop out. If you have any doubts about being able to fulfill your requirement, don't join. Appropriate feedback will be left for any drop-outs.

**Initial partner lists will contain only usernames and countries. You'll have all of November to get your cards ready. Addresses will be sent after check-ins are complete.

**Photo check-in: November 30.
To prove you are ready to put your cards in the mail, and to get your address lists, everyone must PM me a PHOTO for their check-in.

Anyone that does not submit a photo of their ready-to-mail postcards for the check-in will be dropped from the swap (and appropriate feedback will be left). That means you will not be sent your address list if you don't submit a check-in, and you will not be included on any other address lists (you will not receive any cards from the swap).
The secret swap word is cooper. This is not the same one as the other holiday swaps, please make sure you're sending the right one.

**Card Mailing:
All cards are to be mailed by December 9.
Address lists will be sent out in the weekend of Nov 30-Dec 1. As soon as you receive your addresses, you can address your cards and get them in the mail.

**Make-up cards: December 26-January 10.
Participants must be prepared to send make-up cards if any of their cards go AWOL in the mailing process. Any cards not received by Christmas (Dec 25), the sender will be notified and expected to get a make-up card sent out immediately. All make-up cards must be received by January 10.

Participants will not be cleared from the swap unless all of their partners have received a card.

**Feedback:
Feedback will be left by me upon completion of the swap. Feedback will be based on communication, mailing within the deadline, following of the rules, participation in swap threads, etc.

**Swap Timelines:
now-Oct 31 - sign ups open
Nov 1 - sign ups closed
Nov 2-3 - group lists PMs to participants
Nov 4-29 - participants shop for or create cards
Nov 30 - photo check in deadline, cards must be complete and ready for mailing
Dec 1 - addresses will be sent to all participants that have checked in; participants address cards and get ready to mail
Dec 9 - mailing deadline, all cards mailed
Dec 26 - senders of missing cards will be notified and will send out make-up cards
Jan 10 - deadline for make-up cards to be received

It's always fun to get holiday cards in the mail! This way you'll be guaranteed a lot of mail, and a lot of fun. And we all have the fun of sending out cards and getting to know each other a little better.

visitors can't see pics , please register or login
 

Be sure to fill out the "Partner Interest" questions as well! Post them here for your partners to see.

Favorite Color(s)?

Favorite Animal(s)?

Favorite MLP?

Other tidbits of information?

Your winter holiday?

[Radha]

Hurray! I love holidays and mail    My first swap!!

Favorite Color(s)? Purple and Green

Favorite Animal(s)? Horses, Cats, Dogs..I'm pretty much a sucker for any animal.

Favorite MLP? G1 Celestial ponies!

Other tidbits of information? Married to a great guy and living in the US with a 5yr old daughter, I'm an ecologist and I teach middle school

Your winter holiday? Christmas!! It's my favorite holiday, but I'm happy to celebrate any and all including other religions or just a good old Winter Solstice 

[Mkia]

Yay!  Postcards

Favorite Color(s)?: Orange! Especially when combined with yellows and reds. But I also like blue and white together  and red and white together during Christmas time!

Favorite Animal(s)?: Zebras and chihuahuas . But for Christmassy stuff, I love reindeer and penguins.

Favorite MLP?: Miss Toola Roola . And Zecorra (because she's a zebra of course!)

Other tidbits of information?: I'd love to see anything from another country. So if you're an international partner, a postcard from somewhere near you would be neat!! I have five chihuahuas, so a chi postcard would be cute xD. But I also love Christmas themed things! I'm sure I'll be happy with anything!

About me: I'm finishing my last year of nursing school. I love with my SO, five chihuahuas, 5 guinea pigs, and two rats. (Yes we are a zoo). I love labor&delivery and hope to get a job there when I finish school. I enjoying music in my spare time (I sing), as well as spending time with my family and animals. That's me in a nutshell!

Your winter holiday?: Christmas . Also my favorite holiday of the year!!

[NovelNerd]

I haven't been approved just yet, but I'll go ahead and fill this out. I had fun last year and would love to do this swap again.

Favorite Color(s)? forest green and dark purple

Favorite Animal(s)? horses(specifically paints since we breed them and Gypsy Vanners since I want one. lol), Dogs (poodles and Schnauzers), tigers and owls (snowy owl and barn owls)

Favorite MLP? Nightlight and Applejack (G1)

Other tidbits of information?
Lemme see just stuff about me. I'm almost 30 (eep) and recently I taught English (so I love literature and books especially classics) for 9th and 11th grade. Right now I'm a substitute and applying for my MSE (library media or maybe reading specialist still deciding). I live on a farm and have four horses (well almost three gonna get rid of one). Lemme see I live on the edge of a big family farm. I'm from an area of Arkansas where most of it consists of farms and fields. My family raises beef cattle and on and off again breeding paint horses.

As for myself I don't get to ride much anymore when I was a kid and do competitions I have a few hobbies. I ride when I have spare time (western), belly dance or hike.  I really like animals and have two dogs. I collect Alice in Wonderland items and multiple copies of the book. I love tattoos and have tons and I also collect model horses.

Hooray my life story
Your winter holiday? I don't have a particular holiday during winter I adore. I mostly love the weather and the sense of spending time with family and friends that isn't as typical in the summer.




I might be jumping the gun here but anyone know of any good postcard templates or sites? Last year I made cards through photos and Walmart template ect. Guess this one will be different. 

[xeevee]

I'm actually a little sad that swap has been changed to less cards and post cards.  I mean I'm still excited, but I much prefer to get greeting cards because you can hang them on things.  And I don't think I have seen a holiday post card in my life. Buying them may be kind of hard.  I mean I guess I can make them, but I'm not exactly crafty.

[Mkia]

I'm actually a little sad that swap has been changed to less cards and post cards.  I mean I'm still excited, but I much prefer to get greeting cards because you can hang them on things.  And I don't think I have seen a holiday post card in my life. Buying them may be kind of hard.  I mean I guess I can make them, but I'm not exactly crafty.

This is my first year doing the card swap. I was thinking actual greeting cards as well, but I can live with post cards . You can always make them. And I think I've seen some holiday ones...maybe not many lol. But the first post says you can send them in an envelope if you want to make sure they're protected (like if handmade).

[wiccanpony1]

Favorite Color(s)?
Pinks/Purples/grey

Favorite Animal(s)?
Owls/wolves/orca/bats

Favorite MLP?
Quakers

Other tidbits of information?
I never really know what to put here lol Im a beauty therapist I have 2 daughters,I only really collect custom mlps lol but i also collect monster high dolls,twilight barbies and comics:) im a huge Buffy the vampire slayer fan and generally a vampire fan like true blood/vampire diaries/twilight But I dont think you could get a vampire Christmas card lol although that would be awesome lol

Your winter holiday?
I love christmas plus I celebrate Yule/Winter Solstice

[NovelNerd]

I don't mind less people to ship to since last year it seemed lots of people vanished, and I never knew if they got my cards. Less sounds easier just for the fact last year with so many people not responding I was going to have to resend a lot of cards.

My concern is finding post cards. Like you I'm not super crafty and only see Arkansas state postcards around usually. Last year I took pony Christmas scene pics and added used Walmart to make cards. I haven't see a postcard template maybe they will have one though? I just googled postcard templates and most seemed to want me to buy a box of 100.

I'm sure someone will find something nifty though, so I'm jut waiting to see what people come up with. Hope it sparks an idea for mine.


Mkia I think the big thing she was saying if I understood it right was he wasn't good at making things. Lol, I'm not either. I'll have to find a template.

[Mkia]

Mkia I think the big thing she was saying if I understood it right was he wasn't good at making things. Lol, I'm not either. I'll have to find a template.

Ahh yeah I see. I'm not the most artistic person either lol. So we will see what I can come up with. A postcard template for Walmart or something would be perfect. I'll have to look and see what the local stores have. Hmm.

[xeevee]

I really don't want to make this all negative about the swap being different.  And based on what happened last year I think I can guess why the changes have been made.

I am pretty sure that shutterfly does personalized holiday post cards to order, but they aren't cheap and they also involve me taking a Christmassy photo on my phone in Southern California by mid November.  LOL! 

But those are all my problem not the swaps problem.  And I could just not join.  But I love this swap.  So it will be worth it.  I am just the teensiest bit sad that it had to change format.

[Radha]

I haven't been approved just yet, but I'll go ahead and fill this out. I had fun last year and would love to do this swap again.

Favorite Color(s)? forest green and dark purple

Favorite Animal(s)? horses(specifically paints since we breed them and Gypsy Vanners since I want one. lol), Dogs (poodles and Schnauzers), tigers and owls (snowy owl and barn owls)

Favorite MLP? Nightlight and Applejack (G1)

Other tidbits of information?
Lemme see just stuff about me. I'm almost 30 (eep) and recently I taught English (so I love literature and books especially classics) for 9th and 11th grade. Right now I'm a substitute and applying for my MSE (library media or maybe reading specialist still deciding). I live on a farm and have four horses (well almost three gonna get rid of one). Lemme see I live on the edge of a big family farm. I'm from an area of Arkansas where most of it consists of farms and fields. My family raises beef cattle and on and off again breeding paint horses.

As for myself I don't get to ride much anymore when I was a kid and do competitions I have a few hobbies. I ride when I have spare time (western), belly dance or hike.  I really like animals and have two dogs. I collect Alice in Wonderland items and multiple copies of the book. I love tattoos and have tons and I also collect model horses.

Hooray my life story
Your winter holiday? I don't have a particular holiday during winter I adore. I mostly love the weather and the sense of spending time with family and friends that isn't as typical in the summer.




I might be jumping the gun here but anyone know of any good postcard templates or sites? Last year I made cards through photos and Walmart template ect. Guess this one will be different. 

  Hey, you belly dance? Me too!  I'm also considering getting my MLS now that I teach middle school.  I love em but middle schoolers are crazy!  

  Don't mean to hijack the thread- just thought that was funny

  Not sure where to get Christmas postcards, either.  Although, I wonder what regulations make it a postcard? Like, would a 4x6 photo with a paper backing and stamp work?  I might check at the PO tomorrow.

[NovelNerd]

I'm sure the swap will be tons of fun despite changes. What is shutterfly? I should check this out.

Hehe yep I dance, but I'm rust. Oh man I commend you on middle schoolers. I've been subbing some middle school classes and try have tok much energy for me. I'm trying my best to impress as get in one of these nicer districts but dang need high school. They seem to be slightly more docile?


That's actually a good question. Because lots of the Walmart cards I did last year had the picture front and a blank back. If we could do an image and them maybe past a backing or something on it I could make it into a weird post card? Lol I dunno yet still thinking.

[Doedeardarling]

Um.. This is probably a really stupid question, but since english is not my first language I'm going to ask anyways. What is the difference between a postcard and a greeting card?

[Radha]

  That's not a stupid question at all!  Post cards (or postcards) are just one smaller (maybe 12cm by 17cm) piece of stiff paper, usually with a picture on the front and a small area to write on on the back.  You don't mail them inside an envelope. 

  Greeting cards are usually a folded, slightly larger stiff piece of paper with a picture on the front and writing inside, and sent inside an envelope.  Post cards are less expensive to mail, usually, and kind of like sending a short friendly note.  Greeting cards are a little more formal and fancy and can be pretty elaborate. 

  Those aren't formal definitions but I hope that helps. 

[Mkia]

Found a postcard template on Walmart. They're $0.84 each

http://mobile.walmart.com/m/phoenix;jsessionid=3F12124AF597125D03FC0ED0DE52447A#ip/4.25-x-6-Postcard/5027034?type=search