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Updated July 13, 2021

What to write

If you are stuck about what to write on the back of the postcard, or the note you're sending me, here are some questions that might inspire you:

• What are you looking forward to this year?
• What are the best 2 or 3 things about where you live?
• What are you currently watching/streaming? (Movies, TV)
• Do you have other hobbies?
• Do you collect anything?
• What's your favourite houseplant?
• "Next month I'm..."
• "It's been fun learning how to..."
• What was your first job?
• Pick something from this Icebreaker List.

ABOUT ME

I'm always searching for creative ideas and inspiration online, and in books and magazines.

I'm nearing retirement.

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. I've started the process of getting a cochlear implant.

Personality style: ISFP - Adventurer

Married. Childless by choice.

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

My hope is to brighten someone's day with what I send.

I agree with a swapper who wrote:

"When I open my happy mail, I see such special art! Every single piece of art is different, unique and beautiful! Never will I ever see two of the same design. Thank u all for trading!!"

I love the creative motivation that I get from Swap-Bot swaps.

And the meaningful comments are a big reward.

❣️🖌️❣️✂️ ❣️✒️🎨✒️❣️✒️✂️🖌️🎨✒️🎨✂️

Extras

The only extra I'd really like is a bit of correspondence❤️. I'd love to know a little about what you have sent to me.

🤗 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

MY ITEMS

I put a return address label 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, during January 2021 have been approximately 15 days on average for me.

📩Re-sends sent to:

2020 Re-sends

2021

Happy to report that no re-sends were needed for the first 5 months, January to May 2021.

2 re-sends in June:

• User1664 - My HMPC Tag altered ad postcard didn't make it. Re-sent June 20. The re-send arrived, July 19. 👍

• Asert25 - My teal lilypads for AMA: Monochromatic Mail Art - May didn't make it. She was kind to accept the photo of the postcard that I snapped before mailing it. Since the pressure was off, it made it easier to create a new teal HMPC. Re-send mailed June 19. Asert25 got the resend on July 9. July 16--after floating around the post offices for 2 months, the lilypads PC came back to me. It was marked undeliverable. But it is so nice that my return address label worked. 👍

Canada Post Service Alerts

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

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" from future swaps.

Blank comments

Please, no blank comments. When rating please comment on the card received. Let's make our partners feel like their projects matter. If you have a hard time thinking about what to write, this example might help you: Thank you for {describe the item}. It brightened my day...Thank you for the Van Gogh sunflower postcard. It brightened my day.

As a host, I read the comments each participant receives. I really appreciate reading a little description of the item you receive. I get to live vicariously through you, and by describing it we get confirmation that you received your partner's item.

Finished

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

Angel

Please give your partner 4-6 weeks after the sent date, then send them a message if you haven't received the swap. Give your partner some time to respond to your message (2-5 days) before posting the "1". You can change the "1" later when the item is received. PM me to let me know you posted the "1" and have not heard from your partner and I will angel the swap.

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?

Groups and Tags I help manage:

All about ATC

ATC's Only

Hand Carved Stamps and Images

Handmade Postcard TAG

Zeen TAG

Swap-Bot Terms of Use:

• Swap-bot's services are not available to children (persons under the age of 18)

• A WYSIWYG site for writing in Markdown

• Dingus wysiwyg Markdown site