Rules, Guidelines, and Signing Up

Hi there, and welcome to the third Favorite Color Swap! Here are the rules and general info. There is also a post for frequently asked questions. If you have a question that isn't answered here or there, please feel free to email me at favoritecolorswapATgmailDOTcom. Thanks, and have fun! The general basis of the Favorite Color Swap is that you will get a package of goodies, all in one of your favorite colors! You will also be secretly putting together and sending a package to a pal in their favorite colors. This swap is open to everyone who wants to participate, as long as you can meet the guidelines listed below. Please read all the rules and things below before signing up. After matches have been made, a questionnaire will be emailed to everyone to fill out. please fill it out ASAP and post it on your blog. This is how your pal is going to know what to get for you, so be thorough! Timeline - Sign-ups close on Friday, March 8th, 2008. - Matches will be made and sent by Wednesday, March 12th, 2008. - Packages must be sent by April 12th. General Rules 1. Please, do not sign up if you think that you may not be able to complete the swap for any reason. I do understand life happens unexpectedly, but if you think money may be tight, or that you're going to be too busy, please pass this time around. 2. If you flaked in one of the previous Favorite Color Swaps, you will not be allowed to play in this one. Yes, I will be checking. Flakers suck. 3. No Flaking! 4. You must have a established blog, and post at least once a week. I know this wasn't a requirement for past FCS', but I think it's a good idea. That way you're pal can get to know you a bit better! 5. This is a secret pal swap, and you must have a "secret" email. Please see the FAQ's for more on this. Choose-Your-Own-Adventure Swapping I've taken into account that lots of people like to participate in swaps, but not all have the funds to do a big, expensive one. For that reason, there are three price group choices- $10-$20, $21-$30, and $31-$40. These prices do not include shipping costs. Here are some tips on picking the right price group for you: - Figure out what you think is reasonable to spend. - Aim for the middle of a group- for example, $15 spending for the lowest price range. - If you're on the fence with two price groups (for example, you want to spend $30), go for the lower of the two. This way, someone will possibly get a little more than they expected, instead of someone feeling a little short-changed. Everyone will be matched within their own price group, so (hopefully) everyone gets a package pretty equal to the one they sent out. Also, this swap is open to all kinds of crafters and non-crafters alike! You'll have a choice as to what group you are in, and I do my best to match people with similar interests. Contacting Your Pal I definitely encourage good communication with your pal, and require it to a point. Please feel free to contact them more than you are required! This will make it a happy swap experience all around. - You must contact your downstream pal (the one you're sending to) with three days of receiving their information. After that, you should contact them at least once a week. This can be an email, an anonymous comment on their blog, or a postcard. -When your upstream pal (the one you're receiving from) contacts you, please respond! Even if it's a simple "hi" or "thanks for the ___". - It is up to you if you want to let your downstream pal know when their package is on the way. however, I do recommend it, so they can keep an eye out for it. Packages -Packages must be sent by April 12th, 2008. - The package you send should be at least the minimum requirement for your swap group. As stated earlier, I recommend aiming for in the middle of the price range. - Be creative! there are so many things you can find for this. Beads, stitch markers (for knitters), pens, post-it notes, candy wrapped in their favorite color (or that is their favorite color!), soap or candles. Use ideas from their questionnaire, wish lists, and blog. -Package should be at least 75% in one of their favorite colors. If you want to include goodies that aren't in their favorite color (like candy, for example), that's fine- just try to limit these. - You must reveal yourself in your package! include a little card or note that includes your name, blog, and email address. This is half the fun of the secret swap, is finding out your secret pal! - If you choose to include something handmade, please limit the cost to materials when thinking about your budget. Other Stuff -Please add my email address (favoritecolorswapAtgmailDOTcom) to your address book to prevent messages from me going to your spam folder. Additionally, if you miss a message from me, check there first! -Everyone will be invited to blog here about packages, questions, etc. Once you've signed up, you will get an invite to join this blog. If you are not already a Blogger member, you will be prompted to create a free account. You can also use a Google account. - For those of us knitters, crocheters, and spinners lucky enough to be in Ravelry, I've created a group for us there, too. You can find it here. -If you are interested in donating a prize or providing a discount or special just for FCS3 participants, please contact me at favoritecolorswapATgmailDOTcom. Sign Up Now!

Frequently Asked Questions

Here are some frequently asked questions. Please feel free to contact me at favoritecolorswapATgmailDOTcom if you have a question that isn't answered here or in the rules. What is this "secret email" deal? A secret email is an email address that isn't associated with you, and doesn't give away who you are. You can easily create one using a free email client such as Yahoo!, or I can send you an invite for a Google email address. If you are unsure whether or not your email is truly secret, feel free to send me a test message to check! Help! I haven't heard from my pal, and it's been __ days! If you do not hear from your pal at all in the first week after matches have been made, please let me know right away! Otherwise, try to send them an email, and see if you get a response. Sometimes it happens, and most of the time it isn't cause for alarm. People get busy sometimes! If your pal truly has flaked out on you, then we'll find you a nice angel to get you some good swap lovin'. What do I do if I haven't gotten my match from you/lost their address/forgot what price range I'm in? Please just let me know. I have all that information stored, and can send it to you again.