Shoebox Swap - Rules & Guidelines

How It works:
  1. Fill out the “sign up” form prior to the deadline listed on the main page for the month you are interested in (typically the 15th of the month is the deadline)
  2. The form gets emailed to me and I will add your contact information and preferences to my database.  Your information will not be given to any third parties, it will only be seen by myself and whoever is assigned your name for the swap that month.  It will not be posted on the site where it can be publicly seen.
  3. On the 15th of the month, I use a random number generator to determine who is assigned to who and then you will get an email from [email protected] with information regarding the person who you were assigned.  You will be given their Name, Address and preferences (the same information you submitted when you signed up).  
  4. Once you know who you have been assigned, you can start working on your craft of choice (see below for guidelines).  After you have finished, I would appreciate if you would send me any photos and a tutorial or a link to the tutorial you used.  This is not a requirement but if you send me the information I will post it on the site for everyone to see in case someone else in the group wants to try to make the same craft.  You can email the pictures and any captions, links, tutorials or anything else you want to share to [email protected].
  5. Please finish your crafts for your shoebox swap and mail them no later than the 25th of the month (or the deadline that is listed on the main page for that month).  This ensures that the recipient will get the package on or before the 1st of the month so they can proudly use or display what you made all month long.  Make sure you include a card or note to tell the recipient what they got and who it’s from
  6. Then you just wait patiently for your box to arrive from whoever drew your name.  Once your box arrives, feel free to take pictures of you using what you got, what the box looked like, etc.  Whatever you feel like.  You can also leave a comment or message for the person it’s from to tell everyone how great their box is
  7. Once you have signed up, I will assume that you wish to continue participating each month until you opt out.  I will send a reminder email a few days before the sign up deadline to let you know that I am assuming you will participate and you will need to reply to the email and let me know if you don’t wish to participate again.
  8. If for some reason you can not complete your items to swap and want to opt out after the sign up deadline, or if you do not receive your items please contact me via email or the contact form.

Guidelines for Items to Swap:
  • Items should be handmade by you and in new/unused condition
  • Total cost of items should be less than $20 (you may choose to go over this limit but consider this a good guideline)
  • Items should fit in a shoebox or other small or medium sized packing box (this will also help limit your shipping costs)
  • Suggested themes for each swap are as follows:
                January Swap (mailed by 12/25): New Year’s or Winter
                February Swap (mailed by 1/25): Valentine’s Day
                March Swap (mailed by 2/25): St. Patrick’s Day
                April Swap (mailed by 3/25): Easter, Earth Day or April Showers
                May Swap (mailed by 4/25): Memorial Day or May Flowers
                June Swap (mailed by 5/25): Summer (beaches, bbq, etc)
                July Swap (mailed by 6/25): 4th of July
                August Swap (mailed by 7/25): Back to school or any theme of your choice
                September Swap (mailed by 8/25): Fall/Autumn
                October Swap (mailed by 9/25): Halloween
                November Swap (mailed by 10/25): Thanksgiving
                December Swap (mailed by 11/25): Christmas
  • Items can be of any type of handmade good you can think of: knit or crochet, quilting or sewing, painting, jewelry, home décor, jams or preserves, etched glass, cross stitch or needlepoint, cake pops, or anything else you can think of (or if you’re like me, anything else you saw on Pinterest)
  • Items that are entirely handmade are preferred but it is acceptable to start with a premade item and embellish it or re-purpose it 
  • If you make something edible or perishable, be sure to package it properly for mailing and mark the box as something that needs to be opened immediately and/or refrigerated 
  • I strongly encourage you to think out of the box and try something you haven’t done before.  Everyone knows these are handmade, it’s ok if it isn’t 100% perfect, I’m sure the recipient will still love what you send them.