The Ambassador program has been going strong for a year!! And I regret that I still have not introduced all of the awesome participants yet… but I will rectify that over the next few weeks with eight more intro blog posts. The Ambassadors are all enthusiastic, fun, active, positive members who are asked to help promote Swap-bot in their local communities. If you are interested in representing Swap-bot in your area and sending out Swap-bot swag, stay tuned for info about our upcoming second round of Ambassador applications.

————

Meet our next Ambassador, dyp! Dyp lives lives in a place close to my heart: Kansas City, Missouri. (I grew up there!) She is a henna artist who has been a member of Swap-bot since 2008. She loves swapping ATCs.

Ambassador Region: Missouri, USA

How dyp found Swap-bot: “I joined a craft bag swap that went through Swap-bot in 2008. After several years I rediscovered Swap-bot to trade ATCs on.”

Why she enjoys Swap-bot: “The ease of use. Joining swaps, sending swaps and rating users is intuitive and seemless. I have joined other groups for swapping ATCs and the rating system is deplorable, tracking swaps is non existent. Swap-bot by far is the easiest to use.”

Her favorite type of swap: “Hand drawn ATCs”

Check out a few of dyp’s ATCs:

Visit dyp’s links:

• Photos of her henna work on Instagram
• Photos of her swaps on Flickr

Fun Fact about dyp:

“I draw to keep my sanity. Swap-bot rewards my work by allowing me to create for others and recieve goodies in the mail, all for the cost of a stamp.”

————

I hope you are enjoying getting to know your fellow swappers with these Ambassador Introductions. If you are interested in swapping hand drawn ATCs, dyp is a great swapper to contact.

Hello fun Friday friends! Take a peek at these cool links…

• I’ve never actually made soap, but this DIY Stained Glass Soap is so pretty it tempts me to try.
• It is maybe a wacky craft project, but this Flip Flop Summer Pool Noodle Wreath would be fun summer decor.
• Have you seen these Toilet Paper Roll Mini Scrapbook Albums?! What a great use of repurposing! See also Toilet Paper Mini Album video tutorial. (There are lots of different tutorial videos for these on YouTube. They would be fun to swap!)
• An easy, fun, fairly nutritious treat for summer: Kool Aid Yogurt Pops.
• I absolutely love these simple, but fun USPS “From Me to You” stamps!
• This is slightly off-topic, but if you enjoy history, this is my all-time favorite podcast: Bowery Boys. (I listen while crafting and running!)
• S’mores of the week: S’mores Skillet Cookie & S’mores Lasagna. (I’m currently in the middle of a no-sugar food challenge, so S’mores research is painful this week!!)

What else are you loving on the vast world wide web this week??

(ps. Did you hear the good news? Who wants to host a Love-themed ATC swap?? I’m already working on mine!)

The Ambassador program has been going strong for a year!! And I regret that I still have not introduced all of the awesome participants yet… but I will rectify that over the next few weeks with ten more intro blog posts. The Ambassadors are all enthusiastic, fun, active, positive members who are asked to help promote Swap-bot in their local communities. If you are interested in representing Swap-bot in your area and sending out Swap-bot swag, stay tuned for info about our upcoming second round of Ambassador applications.

————

Meet our next Ambassador, thebragal! Thebragal lives near Toronto in Ontario, Canada. She is the mother of three boys and loves paper crafting.

Ambassador Region: Ontario, Canada

How thebragal found Swap-bot: “I don’t remember exactly where but I remember reading on a crafting blog that someone had made their creation for a swap and I was intrigued. I also saw Swap-Bot featured in a magazine.”

Why she enjoys Swap-bot: “Swap-Bot gives me exciting ideas that help me create. I have so many stamps and papers now that it can be overwhelming to focus and pick what to work on. Joining swaps stretches my creativity and helps me focus by giving me ideas of what to make. I’d never made a zine, matchbox ,or mixed media journal before Swap-Bot. A lot of the time I am way more excited by creating the project than I am about what I will receive. But when I get fun mail several times a week, it really makes my day. I am at home a lot as a SAHM and because of several disabilities I don’t get out much and can’t work. So, Swap-Bot gives me so much in just an envelope!”

“I also get a chance to meet amazing people from all over the world and have cultivated many friendships. It’s an opportunity to stretch myself as a leader and teacher when I host, creating innovative swaps using new techniques and ideas. I did a whole series on different techniques for my group, Spoiled Swappers. SS is just one of several groups I’ve been founder or officer for, contributing by hosting swaps, checking ratings and more. I am always eager to try new things and think up new ideas when hosting swaps with a goal of helping others think outside the box when they create. Swap-Bot gives me a place to do that!”

Her favorite type of swap: “I love to make and swap greeting cards, matchboxes and tags and I have a fondness in my heart for Q&A email swaps. I can’t resist them! I hosted 100 Crafty Questions and drafted every question myself. I was super excited that it hit #1 in the Top Swaps!”

Check out thebragal’s Teddy Bear Angel matchbox:

Visit thebragal’s links:

• Eclectic Endeavors blog
• Twitter
• Facebook
• Spoiled Swappers group on Swap-bot

Fun Fact about thebragal:

“When I started out by rubber stamping and making cards I PROMISED hubby I would never get into scrapbooking because there were way too many supplies to buy and those ladies were a bit crazy! This is back when my supplies would fit into a medium-sized box! I had no idea how much I could spend on stamps and card making or how many products are the same or cross-over. I now scrapbook and have most of a room plus an overflow storage room in the basement dedicated to crafting. Oops! Now I am 100%, and quite happily I might add, THAT crazy lady!”

————

I hope you are enjoying getting to know your fellow swappers with these Ambassador Introductions. If you are interested in paper crafting, card-making, or other crafty, Type 3 swaps, thebragal is a great swapper to contact.

The Ambassador program has been going strong for a year!! And I regret that I still have not introduced all of the awesome participants yet… but I will rectify that over the next few weeks with ten more intro blog posts. The Ambassadors are all enthusiastic, fun, active, positive members who are asked to help promote Swap-bot in their local communities. If you are interested in representing Swap-bot in your area and sending out Swap-bot swag, stay tuned for info about our upcoming second round of Ambassador applications.

————

Meet our next Ambassador, BeeMGee! BeeMGee lives in Victor Harbor in South Australia, and is a mother and school teacher. She has been swapping on Swap-bot for more than two years and loves paper crafting.

Ambassador Region: Australia

How BeeMGee found Swap-bot: “I found Swap bot when a Facebook swap for a valentine card became too big and the organizers asked to join swap-bot.”

Why she enjoys Swap-bot: “I belong to many groups on Swap-bot and host a regional group here in Australia (Vintage Cards and Crafts – Australia). I participate in several group forums and have made lifelong friends who, sadly, I shall probably never meet in person. I log in to swap-bot several times a day.”

“I consider Swap-bot to be a fantastic site to swap on particularly because of the rating system and inbuilt controls. I belong to several facebook sites where there is no accountability and people are left disappointed with being unable to have some guarantee they will receive a swap.”

Her favorite type of swap: “I mainly swap Type 3 swaps – ATCs, cards, tags, rolos.”

Her motivation for crafting: “I find crafting incredibly therapeutic… I love creating, but designing and producing for myself would be pointless. I love the thought of bringing joy to others. That thrill of receiving an addressed envelope and wondering what treasures are enclosed. I know this may sound trite but I am more interested in giving to others than receiving. Of course, I love what I am sent, but hope I am able to bring a little happiness into others’ lives. The benefit of receiving from others has been the wonderful techniques I have learned from them, and of course, their work is inspirational in future swaps.”

Check out a few of BeeMGee’s ATC swaps:

Images borrowed from her Flickr. Check it out, she has some amazing creations posted!

And one of her beautiful Pocket Letters:

Visit BeeMGee’s links:

• Paper Pieces blog
• Flickr
• Facebook

Fun Facts about BeeMGee:

• “I am a dedicated crafter and teach cardmaking and papercraft classes at a craft shop.”
• “In my real life… yes, I have one… I am a Primary school teacher. I teach 10 year old students.”
• “I am a mother to 2 adult children who are still at home. Happily married to the love of my life for 25 years.”

————

I hope you are enjoying getting to know your fellow swappers with these Ambassador Introductions. If you are interested in paper crafting, card-making, or ATC Type 3 swaps, BeeMGee is a great swapper to contact.

Come one, come all to Swap-bot’s 200,000th swap!!

Wow. Can you believe so many swaps have been hosted on the ‘bot?! Swap-bot has been running for nearly 10 years, but the number still blows me away. (It feels like just yesterday that I hosted the 100,000th swap.)

In honor of our very first swap, the 200,000th Swap is an easy, international, Type 2 postcard swap. Nearly everyone — new and experienced users alike — are welcome to join this fun and inclusive snail mail exchange. That being said, there is a 4.8 rating requirement and I will remove questionable participants with any recent 1s or problematic behavior.

For the swap, you simply send one postcard to each of your two partners. The postcards are sender’s choice, and can be store bought or handmade. They can be in a Swap-bot theme (and I would LOVE to see photos of you creations!) but they do not have to be. However, you MUST include a note on your cards describing one of your favorite swap experiences.

Sign up by May 29th, and send by June 19th. Easy peasy.

If you are reading this, THANK YOU for making Swap-bot what it is! We are so thankful to all of our members for hosting so many awesome swaps and making it such a fun and creative community. Here’s to a million more swaps!!! (Hey, it could happen!)

It has been way longer than I would have liked since I last posted a Friday Link Love (1/3 of a year!!) but I am happy to share a few fun, crafty, pretty links with you once again. Enjoy!

• Mother’s Day is coming up! (It will be my first one as a mom — wow!) These DIY Fingerprint Necklaces would make a great, crafty gift.
• Find lots more Mother’s Day craft ideas in this round-up of 20 keepsake craft ideas on I Heart Arts n Crafts. (Like the cute cupcake liner cards seen above.)
• These DIY Gelatin Confetti Sprinkles for topping desserts are so pretty it is unreal!
• Have you heard of Pocket Letters? They are a fun, new, crafty, snail mail idea. You send letters and goodies using a 9-slot ATC pocket protector sheet. Pocket Letters are being swapped on the ‘bot! If you are interested, check out this International Pocket Letter Swap (Sign up ends today!!) or this Pocket Letter Color Combos Swap Series.
• Dollar Store Crafts shares 10 Cute Garden Crafts for Spring.
• Check out this adult Craft-a-way Camp. Look fun!
• Mail postcards for social change with Globalbility.org.
• This looks like a really fun blog: C.R.A.F.T.
• I think I am going to try and make this Snickerdoodle Apple Bread this weekend… it looks so good!
• And of course, a Link Love wouldn’t be complete without a S’mores recipe: Ultimate S’mores Bars!

Any other cool links that you’d like to share?? Please add them in the comments section. Thanks!

You may have already heard the exciting news… but the Swap-bot team has grown by one member! Travis and I welcomed our baby boy, Kenneth Gunner Johnson, on January 8th, 2015.

Ken is an awesome baby and we have had a wonderful time getting to know him over the last three months. He hasn’t quite gotten the hang of answering Swap-bot help email yet, but hopefully we will get him going on that soon!

Thanks for all of your kind words and support during this time as we adjust to being a family of three. Swap-bot has always been a family-run website, maintained by just me (Rachel Johnson), my husband, Travis, and of course, Crusher, our sweet pup and loyal site mascot. As long as you all love swapping, we plan to continue running and improving the site to the best of our abilities. Someday, maybe Ken will truly be able to help out!

You can read more about Ken on my personal blog and see LOTS more of photos of him in his Flickr album.

Ever wonder what postal packaging looks like around the world??

Now you can easily find out with this handy Worldwide Postal Packaging eBook created by Swap-bot Ambassador to Portugal, mariadastrouxas! This visual PDF eBook is 3 MB and includes images of the shipping envelopes and boxes from 52 different postal services around the world.

DOWNLOAD THE WORLDWIDE POSTAL PACKAGING eBOOK HERE!

Thank you, mariadastrouxas, for such a fun and informative guide!

The Ambassador program is going strong and I am excited to introduce each of the participants individually over the next few months. They are all enthusiastic, fun, active, positive members who are asked to help promote Swap-bot in their local communities.

————

Meet our next Ambassador, queenelisheba! Queenelisheba lives outside of Los Angeles, near Big Bear Lake. She has been swapping on Swap-bot for more than four years! She is a yoga instructor and vegetarian who loves many types of crafts, including drawing, journaling, and card making.

Ambassador Region: Southern California, USA

How queenelisheba found Swap-bot: “I found Swap-Bot on OnePrettyThing.com.”

Why she enjoys Swap-bot: “I love the community of like minded individuals whom support the love of creating to share with fellow artist. I feel supported, encouraged, and inspired.”

Her favorite type of swap: “My favorite swaps are Type 3, Journals, ATC, Canvas, Zentangle, I’m addicted. ”

Check out a few of queenelisheba’s art swaps:

Visit queenelisheba’s links:

• Flickr
• Facebook
• Lollipop Royalty blog

An interesting fact about queenelisheba:

“Back in 2005 I incurred an injury, a herniated disc in my back and that accident, accidentally made me a yoga teacher. Which led me to Reiki, and that led to more healing modalities. In essence that injury turned me into a healer. I am grateful for that injury, that occurrence, every day of my life. It changed me for the better. I love my life.”

————

I hope you are enjoying getting to know your fellow swappers with these Ambassador Introductions. If you are interested in art and craft-centered Type 3 swaps, queenelisheba is a great swapper to contact.

Hello and happy holidays!! I’ve got quite a few holiday and winter-themed links for you this week… add any more fun projects or recipes you’ve found in the comments.

• I love these colorful, woven holiday stockings from A Beautiful Mess. Check out the full tutorial!
• omg. This felt yeti monster tutorial is too cute! (And the tutorial contains the printable pattern.)
• This painted sewing spool garland is a sweet decorating idea.
• These cool holiday gift tags were made with washi tape and a fancy Silhouette cutting machine, but you could recreate a similar style with an Xacto knife.
• Etsy’s How Tuesday looks fun: Gingerbread Folk Ornaments.
• Simple DIY Glitter Ornaments.
• Print some of these beautiful, free, printable holiday gift tags to make your gifts look great for less.
• Love this great blog post about Swap-bot and other snail mail-themed websites.
• Yum! Gingerbread Cupcakes.
• Or, how about Eggnog Poundcake with Rum Glaze?!
• Your S’mores of the week: S’mores Crack Candy | S’mores Rice Krispies Treats Pinwheels | Chocolate Pumpkin S’mores Cupcakes | S’mores Pizza Roll-Up </ul> Happy Hanukkah, Merry Christmas, Joyous Kwanzaa, and Warmest Winter Wishes to you all! xoxo