Sweet Goodness Swaps

Finally! A Flickr Pool for the Vintage Valentine Corsage Swap!

2011-03-02T10:39:00.000-05:00

Sorry it took so long but you can now post your photos of goodies received and sent in the last VIntage Valentine Corsage Swap here: http://www.flickr.com/groups/1638218@N21/

Also, we are looking for suggestions for the next swap! Send us your ideas!

Cheers ~ The Goodness Girls

Mailing day!

2011-01-29T12:00:00.000-05:00

Hello Ladies - Just a reminder that Tuesday is Mail out day. We hope that everyone has heard from their partner and made a new friend. We haven't had one email saying there are any problems, so that is WONDERFUL! But, if you have any problems, be sure to let us know so we can work some Sweet Goodness magic on it!

We will set up a Flick'r group so everyone can show off their stylish corsages.

Happy Valentine's Day - Shara

Valentine Swap CLOSED

2011-01-09T23:02:00.004-05:00

Swap is CLOSED. Partner info went out Sunday night. Contact us at sweetgoodnessswaps@gmail.com if you have any questions or problems.

Thanks!
~Shara

Vintage Valentine's Day Corsage Swap is now OPEN

2011-01-06T06:35:00.001-05:00

Welcome! Sign up now to join the Vintage Valentine's Day Corsage Swap!

DETAILS:

Send one handmade vintage inspired Valentine's Day themed corsage and a sweet treat to your partner. Your corsage should include a pin back or large decorative straight pin so your partner can proudly wear it. You could also include an elastic band to make it a wrist corsage. Corsages should be at least 4 inches and will be made in either red or pink depending on your partner's preference. Feel free to include other accents like silver, gold or pearls. For inspiration see these fabulous vintage Christmas corsages at Magpie Ethel's: Christmas Corsage Collection

DATES:

Sign up QUICKLY! We are only taking the first 24 participants. Swap sign ups close on Sunday January 9th. Partners will be sent out quickly on Monday and your swap needs to be in the mail NO LATER than February 1st so it can be enjoyed for Valentine's Day.

SIGN UP:

Send the following details to sweetgoodnessswaps@gmail.com:

Name:

Address:

Blog Address or Website:

Chocolate or Sugar?

Red or Pink?

This is a fun way to use up some things in your stash or scour those after Christmas sales for usable items. Be creative! We'll set up a Flickr page for everyone to post their corsages soon.

Cheers ~ Shara and Rebecca

Valentine Swap - COMING SOON!

2011-01-04T15:15:00.000-05:00

Hello - Well, we were gone for a bit longer than we anticipated. Busy lives, what can we say? Sorry about that.....

So, is anyone up for a Valentine Swap? If you chose to participate - you will MAKE one handmade vintage inspired Valentine corsage for your partner. You will mail your corsage and a sweet treat (it is Chocolate Day.......I mean Valentine's Day, of course!). You only have to make one thing and send a treat - Easy Peasey!

For a lot of sweet vintage inspired Christmas corsage eye candy visit Magpie Ethel to see her fabulous collection.

Since Christmas just ended and the holiday merchandise is being closed out, you might be able to find some red glittered goodness or red mercury glass or other fun red, white and pink things at a discount to help with your corsage.

Swap will be OPEN on Thursday morning. Limited to the first 24 participants. Mail out day will be January 31st. The Goodness Girls will match up like minded participants and have partners ready by Monday.

Still Kickin'

2010-09-24T06:50:00.000-04:00

Hello! We know it's been quiet here at SGS but we're still around. This is the time of year that gets busy for everyone so we are working through a holiday swap. We are considering a small ornament swap this year. Two ideas:

1 - You'd be assigned a partner and between the two of you would decide on a theme (if any) and stay to a preset mail out time.

2 - We can create a theme (even a series of themes) and you and your partner would stick to that. Examples: Vintage, Snow White, Silver and Gold, etc.

Thoughts? Leave your comments here about what you'd like to see and if you'd be interested in a small ornament swap.

cheers! Rebecca

Flickr group created!

2010-08-14T16:16:00.000-04:00

Hello Ladies!

We expect that some of you have already received your swap packages (I did--it was fabulous!) and we'd love to see what you sent and what you received! We've created a Flickr group where you can share photos of your swap packages, so we'd love to see how you interpreted our swap theme and what you made!

Hey, Hey, it's Mailing Day!

2010-08-09T10:28:00.000-04:00

Good morning, ladies!

Today is mailing day for the Midsummer Night's Dream swap. If for any reason you are not able to get your swap package out by today, PLEASE be courteous and contact your partner ASAP!

Additionally, if there is any reason that you are not going to be able to fulfill your part of the swap, please be courteous and contact both your partner and us (sweetgoodnessswaps@hotmail.com) ASAP!

We'll post a Flickr group later this week so you can post photos of all the lovely things that you made and sent.

Inspiration: Fairy Gardens

2010-07-30T06:55:00.003-04:00

While it might not be practical to send an actual garden through the mail, watch this cute video to find inspiration on how you could make a Fairy Garden for your swap partner!

Quotes to inspire you

2010-07-28T17:58:00.000-04:00

Hello Swappers! We've received a few emails with partner concerns and we're working to get those all ironed out. In the mean time, here are some quotes from Shakespeare's "A Midsummer Night's Dream" that might help inspire you as you put together your swap packages:

"Since once I sat upon a promontory,
And heard a mermaid on a dolphin's back
Uttering such dulcet and harmonious breath,
That the rude sea grew civil at her song,
And certain stars shot madly from their spheres
To hear the sea-maid's music."
A Midsummer Night's Dream, 2. 1

"I know a bank where the wild thyme blows,
Where oxlips and the nodding violet grows,
Quite over-canopied with luscious woodbine,
With sweet musk-roses and with eglantine."
A Midsummer Night's Dream, 2. 1

"You spotted snakes with double tongue,
Thorny hedgehogs, be not seen;
Newts and blind-worms, do no wrong,
Come not near our fairy queen."
A Midsummer Night's Dream, 2. 2

"So we grew together,
Like to a double cherry, seeming parted,
But yet an union in partition.
Two lovely berries moulded on one stem;
So, with two seeming bodies, but one heart."
A Midsummer Night's Dream, 3. 2

What angel wakes me from my flowery bed?
A Midsummer Night's Dream, 3. 1

Out of this wood do not desire to go.
A Midsummer Night's Dream, 3. 1

Lord, what fools these mortals be!
A Midsummer Night's Dream, 3. 2

The lunatic, the lover, and the poet
Are of imagination all compact.
A Midsummer Night's Dream, 5. 1

The lover, all as frantic,
Sees Helen's beauty in a brow of Egypt:
The poet's eye, in a fine frenzy rolling,
Doth glance from heaven to earth, from earth to heaven;
And as imagination bodies forth
The forms of things unknown, the poet's pen
Turns them to shapes, and gives to airy nothing
A local habitation and a name.
A Midsummer Night's Dream, 5. 1

The iron tongue of midnight hath told twelve;
Lovers, to bed; 'tis almost fairy time.
A Midsummer Night's Dream, 5. 1

If we shadows have offended,
Think but this, and all is mended,
That you have but slumbered here
While these visions did appear.
A Midsummer Night's Dream, 5. 1

Midsummer Night's Dream Swap --week 2

2010-07-26T22:53:00.000-04:00

Hello Sweet Swappers! We hope by now that you and your partner have exchanged emails and found out a little more about each other so that you can put together packages that you each love. If any of you have contacted your partner but have not yet heard back from her, please email us ASAP at sweetgoodnessswaps@hotmail.com so we can sort things out!

SWAP Closed!

2010-07-19T23:45:00.003-04:00

The Midsummer Night's Dream Swap is now CLOSED.

Partner emails went out Monday evening. Please let us know if you did not receive it @ sweetgoodnessswaps@hotmail.com.

Cheers!
The Goodness Girls

Midsummer Night's Dream Swap Sign-up

2010-07-12T14:56:00.000-04:00

Hello Swappers! Sign-ups are now open for our Midsummer Night's Dream swap! (Sorry for the delay--did you know you have to make an appointment at the Post Office to apply for a passport? Neither did we! Ugh.) For this swap we want you to envision a warm summer night with twinkling lights and soft sounds. Take your inspiration from Romantic Shakespearean style, glittering fireflies with gossamer wings, floaty gowns, laughing fairies, watercolors & wildflowers, floral garlands, green ferns, vintage instruments and poetry.

As always, Sweet Goodness Swaps require that you include one thrifted/vintage item, one handmade item and one sweet treat in your swap. Price limit is $20.00 not including shipping. You can always do more, of course. Make sure you get to know your partner. Read their blog. If they don’t have a blog, ask questions! There is a questionnaire at the end of this post that will help us partner you with someone with similar tastes and styles.

Partners will be assigned as soon as the limit of 40 participants is reached, and you will have your assignment by Monday, July 19. Mail out date will be Monday, August 9. That will give everyone a chance to handle their swap responsibilities before the real hustle and bustle of the end of summer and beginning of back to school time. Plus, we want you to receive your Midsummer goodies in, well, SUMMER!

In order to participate in this swap, you must have swapped with Sweet Goodness Swaps before. Please, if you commit to a swap, follow through. If you cannot mail on time, please let your partner know as well as the Goodness Girls. If, for some reason, you cannot follow through on your commitment, please email the Goodness Girls as soon as possible so that other arrangements can be made for your partner.

***Sorry, only open to USA and Canada at this time. (we love our international friends, but shipping costs can be very prohibitive.)***

To sign up: Please send an email to: sweetgoodnessswaps@hotmail.com with the following information:

Name:
Address:
City:
State:
Zip:
Blog address or website:
Are you willing to ship to Canada?

You MUST send all of this information in your email in order to be accepted in this swap. An “I’m IN” email isn’t enough.

What are you waiting for? Sign up NOW! It's going to be fun!

The swappers have spoken: the winner!

2010-07-09T17:37:00.001-04:00

Thank you all for voting in our poll to choose the next Sweet Goodness Swap theme! And the winner is....

A Mid-Summer Night's Dream, submitted by Aimee Suzanne!

Sign-ups for this swap will begin on Monday, July 12. See you then!

Vote For the Next Swap NOW!

2010-06-25T12:34:00.000-04:00

Thank you for all the wonderful suggestions for our next Sweet Goodness Swap! We have looked over all the submissions and narrowed it down to three. (Some of the other ideas were so good that you just might see them later on in the future).

Here are the choices:

1. Midsummer's Night Dream Swap submitted by Aimee-Suzanne:

Think: Romantic Shakespearean style, glittering fireflies with gossamer wings, floaty gowns, watercolors & wildflowers, floral garlands, green ferns, vintage instruments and Poetry.

2. Vintage Drive-In Movie Swap submitted by Paula:

Think: hot vintage cars, singing hot dogs, popcorn, coca-cola, poodle skirts, big hair and Grease. Fun old movie's up through the 70's and even 80's watched under a sky full of stars.

3. Fruit Crate Label/Fruit Swap submitted by Cakegirl:

Think: Linens with fruit, berry baskets, anything related to fruits or vegetables.

We felt that all three of these themes fit the summertime theme well. There is plenty of room for creativity in these swaps too!

Vote for your favorite swap through July 1st.

Winning swap will be announced shortly thereafter and signups will begin.

VOTE NOW!

New Swap Contest!!!!!

2010-06-07T18:00:00.003-04:00

Hello ladies! Are you up for a challenge? We are looking for ideas for our next swap! Have you ever had a good idea for a swap? Something you wanted to swap or make or share?????

Well, here's your chance. Submit your idea or ideas for a possible swap. The Goodness Girls will narrow the ideas down and take all the comments into consideration before we chose a winner. The winner will win a PRIZE!***

This idea will be the NEXT SWAP for Sweet Goodness Girls. So, your idea should be an idea that most everyone can accommodate. The theme can be anything at all - anything! Just make it fun, fun, fun with lots of different options for everyone. Don't forget - we like a vintage thrifted sort of theme, so put on your thinking caps!

****What will you win??????? A PRIZE! (We're still working on that one - but it will be a good prize. Goodness Girls Honor!)

Leave a comment on this blog or on our Facebook page with your idea.

We can't wait to see them!

***Ideas accepted through June 20th.

Flickr Pool for Vintage Cowgirl Swap

2010-05-28T09:23:00.000-04:00

Swappers . . . . please post your swap package photos in the group pool:

http://www.flickr.com/groups/vintagecowgirlswap/

Have a safe and happy long weekend!

~ The Goodness Girls

Let Goodness Reign

Cowgirl Swap Mail Out Time! Round'em Up!

2010-05-25T08:34:00.000-04:00

Howdy Cowgirl Swappers! The mail out date for your swaps was YESTERDAY! Sorry we couldn't get this post up sooner, technical difficulties here at the house of Sweet Goodness.

Please remember that if you are going to be late in sending out your swap for ANY reason, contact your partner and copy sweetgoodness@hotmail.com. If you have any questions regarding this swap or anything else about SGS please drop us a line!

COMING SOON: Summer Swap Theme Contest

We are giving you the chance to see your swap dreams come true. Stay tuned for a contest to dream up the next swap here at SGS. We'll be picking our favorites and putting them to a vote. The winner will receive a lovely prize!

Vintage Cowgirl Swap Coming to a Close!

2010-05-18T10:21:00.000-04:00

Hello swappers! This is the last week to finish up your Vintage Cowgirl swap packages and get them in the mail by Monday May 24th. If for ANY reason you will be late in sending out your package please contact your partner and copy us at sweetgoodnessswaps.hotmail.com. Let's make this a 100% perfect swap!

A summer swap contest will be announced soon. We'll be asking for your swap ideas and then we'll put them to a vote. The winner will see their swap become reality and win a prize! Stay tuned here or on the Facebook fan page for more details.

Cheers!
The Goodness Girls

Swapper Found!

2010-04-29T09:42:00.002-04:00

Thank you, we have our additional swapper. By this time everyone should have received their partner information email. If you signed up and have NOT received an email please email us ASAP!

Giddy up!

Vintage Cowgirl Swapper Needed!

2010-04-28T16:30:00.000-04:00

Hey ya'll! We've ended up with an odd number and need one more swapper for the Vintage Cowgirl Swap! Drop us a line at sweetgoodnessswaps@hotmail.com if you are interested. First come, first served.

Thanks!

The Goodness Girls

SWAP Closed!

2010-04-24T09:33:00.002-04:00

The Vintage Cowgirl Swap is closed.

We will contact those that signed up in the next day to confirm your placement in the swap. Partner emails will then be sent out next week.

For those of you who missed the fun there will be a summer swap.

Y'all come back, ya hear!

New Swap! Calling All Vintage Cowgirls!

2010-04-23T12:28:00.002-04:00

Howdy y'all! Welcome to our half-pint sized spring swap.

In honor of Goodness Girl Leigh Ann's recent move to Texas we are going with.....

VINTAGE COWGIRL

Think gingham, calico, and bandanna. Turquoise. Belt buckles and boots (the bigger the better!) Stars. Chuckwagons and cast iron. Pioneer Women.

It might be a little bit country kitsch or a little bit hokey western but we know you are up to the challenge of the thrift. The images we've seen of vintage cowgirls on the web are amazing for crafting a handmade item.

We're fixin' to have fun with this one and know you will, too!

Rules:

Challenge: you must use a vintage cowgirl image in your swap package. Get creative! Find images on Google and Flickr by searching words like vintage cowgirl or cowgirl pin-ups.
As always have a thrifted item, handmade item, and throw some sweet goodness in there, too! Packages should be valued at $15 not including shipping.
Newbies accepted. This swap will accept newbies so they can get experience swapping for the big no-newbie swap this summer.

Sign ups:

Sign up right away by sending your name, email, and web info (if you have it) to sweetgoodnessswaps@hotmail.com . We are closing it at 20 people. This is a small swap.
Once the swap closes we will work on partnering up and have them to you sometime on Friday, April 30th and Saturday, May 1st.
We are random number generating the pairs this time. It will be luck of the draw!

Mail out date: MONDAY, MAY 24th

Let's have some fun the month of May and then get it out before Memorial Day and the lazy days of summer.

Yeehaw!

New Swap Coming Soon!

2010-03-27T00:06:00.000-04:00

Hello SGS swappers! A new swap will be announced soon so please stay tuned! More details to come after the Easter holiday.

Also, for our Facebook fans, please visit the Discussion Board to see the latest addition - a one on one swap board. This is a place to post ideas for one on one swaps and meet new crafty people. You can post your swap idea and ask those who are interested to send you a message. Once you have a participant you can post a note on the board that your swap is full. Well let me put it in the wonderful words of Swap Mistress Shara:

"Here is an area for people to meet and do one on one swaps. If you are looking to do a certain type of swap - feel free to post what you are looking to swap. If anyone is interested, they can contact you about it. So, be sure to leave your email address or blog address so they can contact you. Once you make contact with each other, it is up to the two of you to agree to a theme, price limit (if needed) and mail out time.

*Disclaimer* These swaps will not be considered part of Sweet Goodness Swaps or the Goodness Girls. If you make an arrangement to swap with someone, make sure you are comfortable with them before you agree to swap. SGS will not be held accountable or responsible for any swaps in this area. However, once you complete a swap, we would love to hear how it turned out!

Don't forget - Be Good and Be Sweet to each other! *And have fun!*"

The New & Improved SGS

2010-03-16T21:30:00.002-04:00

Hello!

We are hard at work here at Sweet Goodness Swaps trying to find ways to improve the quality of your swap experiences. Super smarty pant swap mistress, Shara, suggested we get a Facebook page. So please visit us here! Become our fan and join us for discussions, swap photos and tutorials. We are also now on Twitter - find us by searching SGSwaps or clicking here. Remember you can also join our email list by clicking on the link on the side bar.

We're taking it to the next level. We are also always looking for swap ideas. Our next swap will be announced after Easter. It will be limited to those who have swapped with us in the past OR those who come recommended by our previous swappers. We will be opening swaps to new comers (who do not know any of our previous swappers) in the future when we set up a better screening process. Unfortunately we had too many flakers in the holiday swap.

But please! Join us over at FB and join the Swap Revolution. Always be sweet to each other.

~RR

Swap Drama - Observations

2010-01-19T13:40:00.002-05:00

Hello Sweet Goodness Swappers! It's been a long time since I've posted here as the other Goodness Girls have been keeping up the site. Our last swap, Sparkling Winter White, has brought some things to our attention that need to be addressed. Recently we heard that some swappers thought we chose our participants poorly. This is the first time we've heard this complaint. Out of our 50 participants we had 44 successful swaps and 6 with issues. 4 of these 6 we hope will be resolved soon.

Participation Selection:

We like to have as many participants in our swaps as possible. However, we usually limit each swap to the first 50 sign ups as it becomes very difficult to deal with the amount of email and follow up if the number is larger. Plus a smaller group gives us an opportunity to give more personalized assistance when needed.

For most swaps we allow in any one who would like to join. Some swaps in the past have been limited to those who have successfully swapped with us before or those who are recommended by our previous swappers or known friends.

Those people who have signed up for swaps and HAVE NOT completed them are not invited back. There are some exceptions to this rule, such as the person contacting both us and their partner with their extenuating circumstances or someone dropping out early and our ability to fill their spot in time. We understand that things come up and don't hold this against people but we do tend to not reinvite those who in the past haven't even bothered to contact their partners or send any packages.

Screening Process:

We have started using a questionnaire that needs to be filled out in order to sign up for the swap. This helps us to not only get to know our swappers but to match up partners with similar interests.

We keep a list of those who have swapped with us in the past and use this to try to insure no one gets the same partner they have had in the past to add variety to the swaps.

Other than this we take everyone into consideration and ASSUME they will send a complete and quality swap. We want to give everyone a chance to join in and have fun.

Swapping always involves a bit of risk though all of our swaps have a very high success rate and we have a wonderful core of returning swappers. We do our best to solve all swap issues and assist where needed. We also would like to remind everyone that we do for fun as we enjoy swapping with our creative folks out there and coming up with fun and new swap themes.

We encourage your feedback and thoughts. As we change our swap mailbox with each swap your general comments and feedback can be sent to goodnessshop@gmail.com.

Thank you for continuing to swap with us. Spring swap details coming soon!

Fondly ~ Rebecca www.thriftygoodness.blogspot.com

Swap Reminders

2009-12-28T11:04:00.002-05:00

Happy Monday, Ladies. Hope everyone had a wonderful Christmas.

We hope that everyone has receive their packages and has had fun getting to know their partner. If, heaven forbid, anyone has NOT received a package, please drop the Goodness Girls an email at sweetgoodnessswaps@hotmail.com so we can make it a good experience for you.

Also, we have a Flick'r group set up at http://www.flickr.com/groups/sparklingwinterwhiteswap/. Don't forget to check out the goodies and post your pictures as well.

Thanks for a great swap! We hope everyone enjoyed the theme this time. Be sure to sign up for email announcements for our swaps so you can know about our NEXT swap!

The Goodness Girls

Flickr group!

2009-12-17T13:47:00.001-05:00

Hello Swappers!
We hope that by now most of you are anxiously awaiting or have received your swap packages! We've created a Flickr group where you can show off pictures of the items you sent or received. Come join us!

Sparkling Winter White Mailing Day

2009-12-10T23:00:00.003-05:00

Hello Swappers -

Just a friendly reminder that Friday, December 11th is mail out day for the Sparkling Winter White Swap.

Don't forget to let your partner know that you have mailed your package. If for some reason, you will be mailing late - please let your partner know that as well.

We will be setting up a Flick'r group so everyone can share their goodies. We are excited to see all the creative ways that everyone expressed the theme and color combinations.

We had fun - hope you did too!

The Goodness GirlsPS Heaven forbid, if anyone is having problems with their partner, please drop us an email at sweetgoodnessswaps@hotmail.com.

Swap angel needed...

2009-12-06T21:05:00.001-05:00

It looks like we may be in need of a swap angel...if you're interested, please email ASAP to sweetgoodnessswaps@hotmail.com!

Sparkling Winter White Swap Button

2009-11-22T11:58:00.003-05:00

Here is a swap button for you to use on your blogs to share the Sweet Goodness Swap love!

Hope all the swappy communication is going great - if not - let us know!

The Goodness Girls

Shara

*Feeling quite happy with herself for making her first button! :)

Swap Partner Info and Blog Listings

2009-11-18T23:17:00.004-05:00

Hello Swappers! All the parter info was sent out this weekend. If you have not received your email, please check you JUNK box and if you still don't have it - let us know. All partners are listed below. Please be sure to visit our fellow swappers lovely blogs .

Kersten C.
Altered Gypsy
CHRISTINE N.
INSPIRED

Liz M.
Scrapilicious Life
Jennifer M.
Our Snapshot Life

Melanie L.
Mel's Crazy World

Dara S.
Deetle's Bird

Michelle C.
Mama's Journal
Cassie S.
Gifts For Nonnie

Nanci H
none
Julia C
none

Rachel K
Chippy Cottage Charm House
Ann T
Keepin Up With The Tatums

Raesha d
My Love
Emily R
Jaybird and Me

Rebecca R
Thrifty Goodness
em R
10000 beads

Robyn H
Happy House of Haas
Patty L
none

Sally S
none
Wendy K
The Corvidarium

Shawnee H
Shawnee's Tangled Tales
Jenny S
The Red Bulletin Board

Sue D
Bountiful Acres
Catie
Catiean & Co.

Susan G
Days Too Short
Carol C
Sassafras and Lulu

Tammy R
Home in Virginia
Monica V
Ruby Begonia's

Tammy S
Let's Slip Away
Jenn H
Mysteries of the Juniper

Whitney D
Pink and Green Pup
Ali H
Wilasway

Ashley C
Life is Beautiful
Jane L
Out of the Crayon Box

Andrea O
none
Aimee S
m-verdi

Erica V
none
Angela C
no blog

Charlene R
none
Amanda N
no blog

Genevieve O
none
Gretchen B
no blog

Mary K
Vintage Patina
Shara S
monkeybox

Theresa F
no blog
Kelly W
Java's Whimsy

Julie M
none
Laurie T
luluanddaisy

Kelly K
none
Heidi G
Vacuuming in High Heels

Swap is ON, Not Hibernating

2009-11-15T11:27:00.002-05:00

In case you received an update saying the Goodness Girls were hibernating, well, we aren't! Not sure how or why that post got re-posted since it was over a year old. Ah, the joys of computers and Internet!

As for the Sparkling Winter White Swap - all partners will be notified by Monday morning. Then you can "Get Your Sparkle ON"!

SWAP is CLOSED

2009-11-12T12:27:00.002-05:00

The Sparkling Winter White Swap is CLOSED.

Thank you for the great response!

The Goodness Girls are pairing up the swap partners and will be emailing everyone as soon as possible.

Stay tuned for crafty inspiration, Flick'r groups and much much more!

The Goodness Girls

Sparkling Winter White Swap is NOW OPEN!

2009-11-09T17:34:00.002-05:00

This swap is all about Winter.

Winter White.

Sparkling Winter White.

Have you ever looked out your window at night after a snowfall? The moon glistens off the snow and the icicles gleam. It is truly magical.

That is what this swap will represent. The colors of a freshly fallen snow - white, silver and clear. Think snow, icicles, frost and snowflakes. Think white material, silver glitter, crystal drops. White chocolate, silver sprinkles, sugar. Snowmen, moonlight, ice covered branches. Use your imagination!

As always, Sweet Goodness Swaps require that you include one thrifted/vintage item, one handmade item and one sweet treat in your swap. Price limit is $20.00 not including shipping. Of course you can always do more, but please do these three things. Make sure you get to know your partner. Read their blog. If they don’t have a blog, ask questions! There is a questionaire at the end of this post that will help us partner you with someone with similar tastes and styles.

Partners will be assigned as soon as the limit of 50 participants is reached. Mail out date will be December 11th. That will give everyone a chance to handle their swap responsibilities before the real hustle and bustle of the Holiday Season begins. Please, if you commit to a swap, follow through. If you cannot mail on time, please let your partner know as well as the Goodness Girls. If, for some reason, you cannot follow through on your commitment, please email the Goodness Girls as soon as possible so that other arrangements can be made for your partner.

Edited to Add: ***Sorry, only open to USA and Canada at this time.

To sign up: Please send an email to: sweetgoodnessswaps@hotmail.com with the following information:

Name:

Address:

City:

State:

Zip:

Blog address or website:

What are your hobbies?

What is your favorite thing about Winter?

Do you have any allergies? (Scents, foods)

Do you collect anything?

What Winter Holidays do you celebrate?

What is your decorating Style? (Modern, vintage, country, primitive, etc.)

You MUST send all of this information in your email in order to be accepted in this swap. An “I’m IN” email isn’t enough - we need more information so that we can partner up like people to ensure a fun fabulous swap for everyone!

What are you waiting for? Sign up NOW! It's going to be fun!

*The Goodness Girls
sweetgoodnessswaps@hotmail.com

Rebecca, Heidi, Shara, Jodi and Leigh Ann

Swap Open Monday November 9th

2009-11-06T12:18:00.002-05:00

Sparkling Winter White Swap

The newest Sweet Goodness Swap will be open for sign ups on Monday!

Icicles, Freshly Fallen Snow, Moonlight, Frost

All things Winter.

All things white, silver and clear.

Details on Monday!

See you then!

Swapping Etiquette - Wrapping Packages

2009-10-19T23:08:00.001-04:00

Have you ever sent a lovely box full of wrapped goodness, only to receive a box of things thrown into a box? Well, that's no fun. Or maybe you are new to the swapping world and you received a box of goodness all wrapped up in tissue paper, wrapping paper and ribbon and just sent yours in a box.

Although there are no set rules in the world of swapping, there are a few guidelines. First, follow the set theme. Second make your box reflect the taste of the person you are sending it to - not necessarily your taste. Third, make your package fun to look at and fun to open. That's the focus of this post today.

Let's pretend that the photos in this post are for a "Pink Vintage" Swap. By reading through your partner's blog you see that they collect vintage birthday items, pottery and tablecloths so those are the main things you find to send them (along with more goodies to round out the set price limit).

"Oh, what's this on my doorstep? Oh! My swap package is here!"

"What's this? Plastic bags?"

" A jumble of stuff?"

The items look good. But, they could look much better.

Let's try that again.... with a few ideas to make your package *POP*!

"What's that on my doorstep? Oh! it must be my swap package!"

Pink tissue paper, a card to the recipient and a calling card from the sender.

Under the first layer of tissue paper - a taste of what's to come - pretty pink doily's, a pink horse show ribbon and a sweet pink bird.

Under that layer of tissue paper - lots of goodness all wrapped and specially packaged.

It's like Christmas! Lots of presents to open. You know, they are presents. Even though you are "swapping" you are really sending presents to the other person.

Make it fun to receive!

A sweet pink gift bag that fits the theme, filled with pink tissue paper and a sweet pink vintage doll peeking out of the wrapping.

The tablecloth is too lovely to wrap - so how about a tulle bag or just a ribbon around it?

A small pink Chinese take out inspired box with a "Happy Birthday" pick attached and a vintage Birthday Candle box.

Inside the container - pink cupcake picks, pink cupcake liners and pink ballerina cupcake toppers.

A prettily wrapped package could contain anything. If your partner collects blue aprons, send a vintage blue apron, but wrap it in pink so that it fits the theme.

Some wrapping is for looks, others are for protection.

Why not make it for both?

Inside the pink tissue paper, a vintage pinkish vase - a sweet vintage pink floral pin attached to the outside.
The end result is the same items. But, having them arrive in a well wrapped box, and having each item wrapped certainly makes it more fun to receive.

Use your imagination. Find items that can be used as gifts, but als0 as fun packaging. You can place a small fragile gift inside a oven mitt, or fill a vintage tin with ephemera items. The goal should be to make your package lovely to look at and lovely to open.

But, don't stress - HAVE FUN putting your package together and look forward to receiving your swap!

Sweet Goodness Swap - Coming Soon!

2009-10-16T10:01:00.003-04:00

There's a new swap in the making. Swap will be announced the first week of November. Be sure to become a follower of SGS to get updates. This swap will be a fun one with lots of room for creativity and ingenuity. Put your thinking caps on!

Leading up to the swap reveal, we will post a number of tutorials on swapping. If you are a new to the swapping world, these tutorials will help you learn the secrets of successful swapping.

*How to wrap items and packages in a fun creative way.

*How to handle should you need an extension or cannot fulfill your swap.

*Ideas for low cost swap extras.

Don't forget to check back in for the tutorials and for the BIG REVEAL on our newest Swap.

Don't get left out in the COLD. (hint*hint*)

Swap Questionnaire reminder

2009-07-10T09:45:00.003-04:00

Good Friday morning, Swappers! :)

We hope you had a fun July 4th holiday weekend and were able to enjoy some of the treasures you received from your swap partners. Now that things have calmed down a bit, we hope you'll consider filling out and emailing us your answers to the Post Swap Questionnaire. (You'll find the questions in the post just below this one.) We've already received some responses and they've been very helpful to us as swap organizers so that we know what we can do to help our swappers send & receive the best packages possible. We definitely want to know what we can do to educate our swappers and improve our swaps, and we'd love to have more responses--so keep them coming!

Also, (and we hate to have to include this part) if there is anyone out there who hasn't yet received a swap package, please email us ASAP! If for some reason you haven't sent your swap package--contact your partner IMMEDIATELY and let them know what's going on! We truly hate for any of our swappers to have a bad experience in one of our swaps.

For everyone else, thanks so much for participating in our swap! Be sure to pop over to the Flickr group and see all the fun and creative ways our participants interpreted the theme--we know you'll be inspired! And send us those post-swap surveys!

Post Swap Questionaire

2009-06-30T14:53:00.003-04:00

Hello all you Red, White and Blue Swappers. By now, we hope that everyone has received their packages (and sent, of course) and are enjoying all their goodies.

Anyone that has doen more than a few swaps can tell you that swapping is fun. It's fun to put things together, to get to know your partner and to get a box of goodies in the mail. But, for every few awesome fantastic boxes you get, there's the one that is so-so, or not so good. I've had a few arrive (not from SWG) that went straight to the donate bin or the trash bin. Those swaps just make you sad. ;o( And, no one likes to be sad.

The Goodness Girls want to know how your swap experience has been. We'd love for you to answer these questions about your experience, your partner and how you feel about Sweet Goodness Swaps. All answers will be held in confidence. If you were pleased, let us know. But, just the same, if you were not pleased for any reason (please specify) we would like to know that too.

Here goes....

Your name:_____________________________

1. Did you receive your package in a timely manner? If not, did your partner let you know it would not be on time?

2. Do you think the package you received was put together with thought to your likes and the theme itself?

3. Were your packages wrapped and fun to see when you opened the box?

4. Did you like most of what you received? Do you think you received equal to what you sent?

5. Did you receive items that were true to the theme? (Red, white, blue and Americana)

6. Did you receive anything that let you know that your partner specifically sent it FOR YOU - (something you collect, a certain crafting item you like or your favorite candy...)

7. How would you rate your parter and the box you received?

1...............................................................5..............................................................10
Terrible Good Yippppeeeee!

8. Did the Goodness Girls answer your emails and questions in a timely manner?

9. Will you return to SWS for our next swap?

10. Any additional comments? We'd love to hear them!

Please cut and paste these questions into an email and send them to hurrahswap2009@hotmail.com .

We look forward to hearing from you!

**And, if you haven't already, please visit the link to our Flick'r page and post what you received and check out the goodies that everyone else sent and received. There is a lot of red, white and blue creativeness over there!

Don't forget to join our Flickr group!

2009-06-24T17:20:00.004-04:00

I'm starting to see evidence on blogs that Hurrah for the Red, White and Blue swap packages are finding their way to their delighted recipients and wanted to just remind you to join our swap Flickr group to share your photos! We all love to see the creative ways in which the theme was interpreted and the fun things you made and found to send each other! There's a quick link over to the right side (it's the second one down, right below the button code box) that will take you right to the Flickr group so you can join and upload your photos. We can't wait to see them!

Crafting Inspiration from Country Living magazine

2009-06-14T19:51:00.003-04:00

Hello Swappers! We hope you're making progress on your projects for your swap partners. Remember that the mail-out deadline is just a few days away, on Friday June 19!

In case you're still stumped for something fun to make, here's some vintage-style 4th of July crafting inspiration from one of my favorite sources, Country Living magazine!

These cute projects were featured in the July 2007 issue and were designed by Melissa Neufeld. Here's my version of the crepe paper rosette banner that was featured:There are several different projects featured in the article (but beware--the instructions are vague or missing entirely). There's even a page with links to several vintage patriotic postcards that you can print out for use in your own crafting.

As always, please feel free to email us if you have any concerns. If by chance there are any of you who still haven't heard from your partners, please email us ASAP!

Happy Crafting!
Heidi

One more swapper needed!--GOT ONE! THANKS!

2009-06-09T12:27:00.003-04:00

Update: Another swapper signed up! Thanks so much!

Did you hope to sign up for the Hurrah for the Red, White and Blue swap but miss your chance? We are in need of ONE MORE SWAPPER! If you are interested, please respond immediately to the swap email at hurrahswap2009 AT hotmail DOT com!

To those of you who are currently signed up for the swap, if you are interested in having more than one partner, you can email us as well! (This means you would send 2 packages and receive 2 packages).

Thanks!

Helpful links for new swappers

2009-06-05T20:33:00.002-04:00

We always have a mix of new and seasoned swappers sign up for our swaps, and this one is no exception! If you're new to Sweet Goodness Swaps and want to get an idea of what kind of packages people usually send and receive, we've created a feature in the sidebar over to the right that has links to all the Flickr groups for our past swaps. We hope this will be helpful in giving you an idea of what an appropriate swap package looks like so you're not worried about doing too much or too little.

Also, don't forget to sign up for the Flickr group for this swap! Click on the image in the second sidebar feature to be taken directly to the group so you can join!

Swap button up for grabs!

2009-06-03T14:57:00.004-04:00

Hello Sweet Goodness Swappers! We hope you've all been in touch with your partners and are starting to get excited about creating a great package for them. Remember, if you haven't been able to get in touch with your partner by the end of this week, please let us know ASAP by sending an email to hurrahswap2009@hotmail.com. This swap window is a bit shorter than most of our others so we don't want you to waste any time!

We've created a swap button that you can put on your blog sidebar; you can see it over in the sidebar to the right -------> The code is right below it to install on your blog.

Here are instructions on how to install the button to a Blogger blog (Typepad or Wordpress users, I'm sorry but you're on your own!):

1. Open your blog and go to where it says "Customize" to get to the Add and Arrange Page Elements page. Click on "Add a Gadget" in the sidebar. Choose "HTML/JavaScript."

2. Copy the code in the box from the Sweet Goodness blog (that little box right below the swap button). Paste it into the "Content" box in your HTML/JavaScript window. You can choose to title it or not. Save to exit the window.

3. Save the changes to your blog and check out your new button! When you click on the swap button it should bring you here to the swap blog.

Red, White & Blue - It's All About YOU!

2009-06-02T10:46:00.005-04:00

It's always helpful to know a bit about your partner when swapping. If your partner has a blog, that really helps. But, if your partner doesn't - well, then that makes it more difficult.

Here are a few questions you might want to answer and see the answers from your partner.

1. What is your decorating style? Vintage, glittery, old fashioned? Clean, bright and modern? Eclectic? Other?

2. Do you have any allergies? Scents? Foods?

3. Do you like to decorate certain areas for the 4th? Your house, hour patio, your porch, your garden, etc.

4. What are your hobbies? Crafting, reading, movies, thrifting, spelunking?

5. What sort of crafts do you enjoy? What sort of crafts don't you do?

6. What are your 4th of July traditions? Picnics, parades, boating, etc?

7. Do you have children? If so, how many and what are their ages?

8. Are you a cook? A baker? A Take-Out Queen?

9. What is your favorite scent? Least favorite?

10. What is your favorite sweet treat? (Chocolate melts this time of year...)

This is just a suggestion of questions. You don't have to answer them on your blog - just let your partner know your answers if you want. It will help you send a better swap and receive a better swap too!

Happy swapping,
Shara
*The Newest Goodness Girl*
Thanks girls!

Inspiration!

2009-06-02T00:25:00.003-04:00

And the swap is on!! Hurrah for the Red, White and Blue Sweet Goodness Swaps!

Partner emails are going out, please let us know if you don't receive your partner info ASAP!
Remember everyone who is joining along with us in our newest summer swap that Goodness Rules here at Sweet Goodness Swaps. We ask that you communicate with your partner, get to know her, and keep to the swap rules as far as contents, shipping times, and theme of the swap. Please join our flickr pool, located at the right of the blog sidebar. Use the group to share pics of your package received and sent so we all can ooohhh and ahhhh at all the Red White and Blue Goodness that will soon be traveling from coast to coast!!

Cheers!

The Goodness Girls!

Welcome, Shara!

2009-05-28T11:23:00.002-04:00

The Goodness Girls are proud to announce the newest member to our "staff" - Shara!

If you haven't visited Shara's blog, Monkey Box, you are missing out! Shara is a wonderful writer, an incredible thrifter and a marvelous crafter. We are so happy she has agreed to give us a hand here at SGS. With Shara on board we'll be able to open our swaps to larger groups and have one more creative mind to come up with fun swap ideas.

Welcome, Shara!

***************

Spots are filling up FAST for the Hurrah for the Red, White and Blue Swap! Send an email with your name and blog address (or other web page if you have one) to hurrahswap2009@hotmail.com. Sign ups end tomorrow!!!

Fondly,
The Goodness Girls

Rebecca, Heidi, Leigh Ann, Lucy and SHARA!

Swap sign-up is now OPEN!

2009-05-26T10:49:00.003-04:00

Good morning, Swappers! Hope you all had an enjoyable holiday weekend!

Sign-up for the Hurrah for the Red, White and Blue Swap is now OPEN!

RULES: Please send your partner a package with at least one handmade item, one thrifted/second hand/vintage item and one sweet treat. Items should be in a red, white and blue and Americana theme.

You may include other items as you see fit but please try to stay in the price range of under $20 not including shipping.

SIGN UP BY: Friday, May 29 - HURRY!

Please note: This swap is limited to the first 50 people. Swap sign-up will close when we reach 50 participants or on May 29th, whichever comes first. Swaps fill up quick, so don't delay! Please remember this swap is open to US residents only.

SEND OUT BY: Friday, June 19th to allow everyone to receive their goodies before the July 4th holiday.

TO SIGN UP: Send us an email at hurrahswap2009@hotmail.com with your name and a link to your blog, webpage or etsy shop if you have one.

Please remember that if you sign up for the swap you are making a commitment to follow it through to the end! If for some reason you will be late or are unable to finish the swap please send us an email at hurrahswap2009@hotmail.com.

Cheers,

Rebecca, Lucy, Heidi, & Leigh Ann

The Goodness Girls

2009-05-19T09:44:00.003-04:00

Hello, Sweet Goodness Swappers! It's that time again--time for another fabulous Sweet Goodness Swap!

Hurrah for the Red, White and Blue!

Swap guidelines: Send your partner a package of goodies celebrating everything Americana with a red, white and blue theme! Package should include: one handmade item, one thrifted item, and one craft supply. Please keep your packages to $20, not including shipping. Mail-out deadline is Friday, June 19 to allow us to get our packages before July 4th. Due to the nature of this swap, this one is open to USA residents only--international folks, we'll catch you on the next swap!

Swap sign-ups begin Tuesday, May 26!

Swap is open to the first 50 people who sign up. Check back on Tuesday for the email address you'll use to sign up!

From Sea to Shining Sea

2009-05-07T10:26:00.002-04:00

You're a grand old flag, you're a high flying flag . . .

Stay tuned! Summer Swap to be announced!

2009-03-09T15:45:00.001-04:00

It's Mail Out Day!!

If for some reason you can't make the deadline today, PLEASE be a considerate swapper and contact your partner ASAP! When you receive your package, be sure to take photos and post to the Flickr group (link in previous post).

Swap Flickr Group

2009-03-03T14:14:00.001-05:00

Hello Sweet Goodness Swappers!!

Just a friendly reminder that the mail out deadline for The Winning Hand swap is Monday, March 9--that's one week from yesterday! If for some reason you won't be able to make the deadline, PLEASE be a courteous swapper and contact your partner right away to let her know of the delay.

We have set up a Flickr group for this swap to show off all the fun things you are sending and receiving! Please be sure to note who the items are from/to. We can't wait to see all the creative ways you've found to interpret our theme!

Partner Emails have been sent!

2009-02-13T10:11:00.002-05:00

Good morning swappers! All partner assignment emails have been sent! If you received a swap confirmation from us but are missing the partner email, please be sure to check your spam or junk mail folders to see if it's hiding in there. If it is truly missing, please email us at thehandswap@hotmail.com and we'll resend the email.

Please be sure to email your partner and introduce yourself! Exchange information about what you like, styles, colors, hobbies, etc. Everyone loves to receive a swap package that is tailored to what they personally like!

One other thing--there is no color theme for this swap! You may choose to stick with the traditional red and black like you see on playing cards OR you can go out of the box and choose springtime pastels or your partner's favorite colors! Be creative and look at different ways you can represent the suits of hearts, diamonds, spades and clubs. We can't wait to see what you all come up with!

REMEMBER...the swap send out date is Monday, March 9!

SWAP Closed!

2009-02-09T07:50:00.001-05:00

Thanks for joining in the swapping fun! The Winning Hand swap is now closed. Stay tuned in the next few days for partner emails.

Cheers!
The Goodness Girls

NEW SWAP!! SIGN-UP TODAY!!

2009-01-31T16:36:00.005-05:00

The Winning Hand

We've fallen in love with the idea of doing a swap with the four suits - Diamonds, Clubs, Spades, & Hearts - and we know you will, too. There are so many ways to incorporate them into our crafty, thrifty ways. Have fun with it!

RULES: Please send your partner a winning package with at least one handmade item, one thrifted/second hand/vintage item and one sweet treat. All four suits must be represented in some manner.

You may include other items as you see fit but please try to stay in the price range of under $20 not including shipping.

SIGN UP BY: Friday, February 6th - HURRY!

Please note: This swap is limited to the first 50 people. Swap sign-ups will close when we reach 50 participants or on February 6th, whichever comes first. Swaps fill up quick, so don't delay!

SEND OUT BY: Monday, March 9th

TO SIGN UP: Send us an email at thehandswap@hotmail.com. Please remember that if you sign up for the swap you are making a commitment to follow it through to the end. If for some reason you will be late or are unable to finish the swap please send us an email at thehandswap@hotmail.com.

Here's to A Winning Hand!

Cheers,

Rebecca, Lucy, Heidi, & Leigh Ann

The Goodness Girls

Somethings coming . . .

2009-01-20T10:00:00.002-05:00

Something GOOD. Stay tuned! The next Sweet Goodness Swap will be announced in the next few weeks and you don't want to be late to the game! Sign ups will be limited.

You can bet this one will be a good one!

Hibernating . .

2008-10-23T09:40:00.002-04:00

Hello friends, we here at Sweet Goodness Swaps will be hibernating for a few months. We really wanted to host a fun holiday swap this year but it seems we are all very overwhelmed with life, the holidays and new opportunities and don't think we'll have the time to dedicate in order to make a sucessful swap.

But don't fret! WE WILL BE BACK bigger and better than ever. We plan to relaunch SGS in January with our first ever Winter Themed Swap. Perhaps it will be a silvery snow theme or a red bird and pine cone theme. You'll just have to wait and see. :)

So please hang in there and visit us in 2009.

From all of us here at Sweet Goodness - Rebecca, Lucy, Heidi and Leigh Ann - have safe and happy holidays!

Fondly,
The Goodness Girls

Swap Shipping Day: June 30th!

2008-06-24T21:36:00.002-04:00

Tick tock says the clock!! We hope all you Sweet Goodness Swapper gals are having fun collecting the polka dots, opening the parasols, and swigging down the pink lemonade for this swap!!

Shipping date is coming up next week--by June 30th your items should be in the mail. While we didn't require you to get a confirmation number, it may be a good idea to track your item if possible and share that number with your partner so they are aware of when to expect your swap items!

We love to check out the photos of all your wonderful swap items so you can upload them here.
Please tell us about the package and who your partner is!!

Thank you all for joining our swaps--please be sure to grab our feed so you can be first to know about our next swap!! We are now limiting our swap to the first 50 or 60 participants to keep things manageable for all, so getting in early is key!

Martha's Frozen Margarita

2008-06-16T14:23:00.003-04:00

Just in time for summer Martha has a fun frozen margarita Good Thing:

Heat 1 cup sugar and 1 1/2 cups water in a small saucepan, stirring to dissolve sugar

Stir in 2 cups fresh lime juice.

Pour into 9 X 13 inch metal pan and freeze overnight.

Just before serving, scrape with a spoon until slushy.

Stir in 1 cup tequila.

Transfer to glasses and garnish with lime! Viva Margarita!

From July 2008 Martha Stewart Living

Martha's traditional non-frozen margarita recipe can be found here.

I'm thinking that this would be a nice if you replaced the tequila with seltzer for a non-alcholic lime fizzy drink!

The Summer Swap is in full swing! If you haven't heard from your partner yet please drop us a line at parasolswap@hotmail.com. Remember to check your spam folders just in case your partners emailed landed in there!

cheers ~ The Goodness Girls

20 Questions!

2008-06-09T20:23:00.002-04:00

Let's Get to Know Each Other And Play 20 Questions!

Please copy and paste into your blog (if you don't have a blog, please email your partner with your replies).

1. What is your favorite Summer Drink(s)?

2. What is your favorite Summer Activity?

3. If you could spend a lazy afternoon reading, what would be in your hands?

4. What is your favorite type of craft/art medium?

5. What is one art/craft supply you absolutely have been dying to have or try?

6. What are your favorite colors in our 'rainbow sherbet' theme? Pink, lime green, yellow, orange, aqua (or blue)

7. What is your favorite sweet treat?

8. Are there any craft or art supplies you would NOT be interested in receiving?

9. What is your favorite song today?

10. How do you 'pamper' yourself during the hot summer days?

11. Do you have any kidlets or pets?

12. What is your best potluck dish for summer get togethers?

13. If you could take a summer vacation anywhere, where would it be?

14. Describe your decorating style. Does that say anything about your personality?

15. What are your initials?

16. Why do you like to join swaps?

17. You have 25 dollars to spend just on you for a little treat. What do you buy? ((you can list more than one thing)

18. What's one craft supply or art supply you absolutely can not live without?

19. Who's the last person you hugged?

20. What's your favorite number and why?

***Just a little mis mash of questions to help you get to know your partner!! Please comment on this post once you have your 20 questions up so we ALL can visit you, too!!!*****

Partners Paired!

2008-06-08T10:32:00.012-04:00

And the Swap is On!!!

The partner emails went out to all participants this weekend. Please let us know asap if you did not receive information from us.

We've included all the partner pairs below. We thought it would be fun for everyone to get to know each other so please take the time to visit each other's blog and say hello!

**If we don't have a link correct or are missing yours (we had several join that did not provide us their blog) please let us know so we can correct or add yours!!!

Cheers!

Rebecca, Lucy, Heidi, & Leigh Ann

Jane & Laura

Angela & Monica

Dana & Patty

MaryAnne & Glenda

Chrystal & Emma

Joyce & Samantha

Robin & Kersten

Tamy & Ceekay

Leslie & Melissa

Paula & Ali

Rebecca & Melissa

Renee & Kimberly

Cynthia & Julia

Jennifer & Michele

Kelley & Lola

Amy & Leigh Ann

Kelly & Karen

Susan & Sarah

Heidi & Kari

Lucy & Katie S.

Stephanie & Jilly

Shara & Heidi S.

Vallen & Katie B.

Lyn & Rachel

Kirsten & Mandi

Geri & Sarah S.

Mary & Maureen

Wendy & Jane

Hope & Jenn

Leah & Tiffany

Wowza--we are so tickled to see so many 'veteran' Sweet Goodness Swappers as well as all the new peeps join us!!

Stay tuned for:

Getting to know you Summer Swap questionairre

Summer Drink recipes

Craft/Art project ideas

Flickr Page for all send outs

And anything else the Goodness Girls can come up with!!!

Swap is CLOSED

2008-06-04T00:32:00.003-04:00

Wow, we are overwhelmed by the response for the new swap! We've met our limit for participants for this one so I'm afraid we'll have to close the sign-ups. For those of you who are signed up and received an email from us, partner emails will begin to go out on Monday, June 10. If you weren't able to make it to this swap, please be sure to sign up for our email notification over there on the right side so that you'll receive notice when we announce our next swap.

Thank you so much for your enthusiasm! :)

The Goodness Girls

Parasols, Pink Lemonade & Polka Dots Summer Swap

2008-06-02T20:05:00.003-04:00

Parasols, Pink Lemonade & Polka Dots Summer Swap

Three wonderful things that make us think of lazy summer days! The idea is simple, put together a package for your partner to help her enjoy the coming summer months incorporating the three theme items. We know this make be a little tricky so here are some ideas to start:

Parasols - drink umbrellas
Pink Lemonade - brings to mind the colors pink and yellow and cool summer drinks
Polka Dots - that one is easy and who doesn't love polka dots?

Throughout the swap we'll be posting ideas, drink recipes and inspiration to help you on your way. Have fun with this one!

THEME: Parasols, Pink Lemonade & Polka Dots

Please send your partner a package full of summery goodness incorporating the theme of parasols, pink lemonade and polka dots. Please include at least one handmade item, one thrifted/second hand/vintage item and one sweet treat. You may include other items as you see fit but please try to stay in the price range of under $20 not including shipping. Get to know your partner and exchange a little summer cheer.

COLORS: No specific colors but "summery" brights and sherbet colors fit the theme (pink, orange, blue, yellow and green)

SIGN UP BY: Friday June 6th - HURRY! Please note: This swap is limited to the first 50 people! Swap sign-ups will close when we reach 50 participants or on June 6th, whichever comes first. Spots are going VERY QUICKLY, so don't delay!

SEND OUT BY: Monday June 30th

TO SIGN UP: Send us an email at parasolswap@hotmail.com

Please remember that if you sign up for the swap you are making a commitment to follow it through to the end. If for some reason you will be late or are unable to finish the swap please send us an email at parasolswap@hotmail.com

Here's to summer!

Cheers,
The Goodness Girls

Must See Flickr Page: Spring Time In Paris!

2008-05-02T10:49:00.002-04:00

Be sure to check out our Flickr page for more wonderful Spring time in Paris photos!!

Thank you to all of our loyal Sweet Goodness Swappers!! As always, it was lots of fun :)

Mail Day Coming Up!!

2008-04-24T19:47:00.002-04:00

Hello Paris Swappers!!! The time is almost upon us to ship out your lovely Spring Time in Paris packages (holy smolly, where does time go???))!

Send out date is: April 28th

PLEASE upload your photos either sent or received to our Flickr Group:

Last but not least, please drop your partner a line and let them know when you received your package (and thank them...lol).

We hope you had some creative fun as well as made a friend along the way during this swap!! We appreciate you joining and playing along so nicely :)

Stay tuned for our next swap coming up this summer!! Whooohooo--it's going to be a juicy one!!

Fondly,

The Goodness Girls!

Pars Swap Button

2008-03-31T15:09:00.002-04:00

Attention Paris Swappers! Here is your button for the sidebar of your blogs!

Bonsoir!

Partners Paired

2008-03-31T12:58:00.003-04:00

Hello, Swappers!

Partner emails were sent out last night. Please let us know at parisswap@hotmail.com if you have not received your email.

Please be sure to email your partner, introduce yourself, and exchange addresses.

Happy swapping!
The Goodness Girls
Rebecca, Lucy, Heidi, Leigh Ann

Springtime In Paris Swappers--

2008-03-29T00:04:00.003-04:00

Paris Swappers--partner information will be out this weekend!

Hold tight, we are traveling across the creative waters for this swap!!

We can not wait to see what all you wonderful ladies are going to come up with this time!

Cheers!!

The Goodness Girls

Paris Swap is now Closed!

2008-03-25T13:54:00.002-04:00

Thank you for the quick responses! The Paris Swap is now closed and emails have been sent to all 60 participants. Partner information will be sent out shortly!

Cheers!
The Goodness Girls

I love Paris in the Spring!

2008-03-24T11:05:00.004-04:00

Bonjour, Swappers! The Goodness Girls are happy to announce our new spring Sweet Goodness swap!

PARIS IN THE SPRINGTIME SWAP

Sign up by: Monday March 31st - SWAP IS CLOSED! SWAP IS FULL!

Partner names will be sent out by Friday April 4th

Send out by: Monday April 28th

Description: You will send your partner a swap package including one handmade item, one thrifted item, one sweet treat and one craft supply. Feel free to send more but not less! Get to know your partner! :) Anything goes as long as it sticks to following rules:

Colors: Pale blue/teal/aqua, white and black

Theme: Must include at least one item that is French-inspired. Examples, something must say France or Paris, or include an Eiffel tower or the fleur de lis. Be creative! If you are signing up for this swap you most likely have some French-inspired ideas already rolling around in your head!

Open to: The first 60 swappers so sign up quickly! Just PLEASE remember that if you sign up you MUST complete the swap ON TIME. Please please see the sidebar for details.

Value: Please try to make your swap value $20 (not including shipping).

Please email us at parisswap@hotmail.com to sign up! Remember to let us know if you are willing to ship internationally should we have any overseas participants. Also make sure to include a link to your blog or Flickr page in the email!

We're excited for this swap and think it will be so much fun! :)

The Goodness Girls
Rebecca, Lucy, Leigh Ann & Heidi

Spring Sweet Goodness Swap Sneak Peek #2!

2008-03-21T20:19:00.000-04:00

Bonjour mes amis! Got any ideas about our theme yet? :) Remember, sign-ups start Monday, March 24 and will run for a week. This swap is limited to 60 participants so make sure to sign up early! Have a wonderful holiday weekend and we'll see you on Monday!

love,
The Goodness Girls

Spring Sweet Goodness Swap Sneak Peek!

2008-03-17T15:29:00.003-04:00

1. 4. Aqua Crystals Faceted Round Blue, 2. Aqua Blue Candies, 3. Pale blue W, 4. pale blue, 5. Pale Blue, 6. robins egg blue3, 7. robin's egg blue hot rod, 8. robins egg blue buttons, 9. Robins Egg Blue Nest Mixed Media Collage

Remember, sign-ups for this swap will begin Monday, March 24! We are limiting this swap to 60 participants so be sure to sign up early! Stay tuned for another sneak peek sometime this week...

Coming Soon . . .

2008-03-11T10:47:00.000-04:00

The Springtime Sweet Goodness Swap will be announced on Monday, March 24th!

Happy Easter

The Goodness Girls

Time to get the Hanging Hearts Swaps in the mail!

2008-02-01T14:31:00.001-05:00

Hello Swappers!

Monday February 4th is the deadline to send out your Hanging Hearts Swap to your partner! If for some reason you think you'll miss that date PLEASE contact your partner!!

Don't forget to post pictures on Flickr here. There are some amazing items in there already!

Cheers!

Heartfelt Apologies!

2008-01-18T22:05:00.000-05:00

Sweet Goodness Heart Swappers--
We apologize, we missed a few swappers on our list from the looks of our comments in the last post!! Please check your in box now if you were missing your partner info, we do believe we have everyone's information taken care of now. However, there are a couple messages that keep returning with delivery failure so there may be someone left without a partner info still.

IF BY SOME CHANCE there is still a swapper out there that has not heard from us, please email me (lucy) directly at:

johl3 at windstream dot net

or leave a comment on one of our blogs (links found on the sidebar).

If you and your partner need a couple extra days to complete because of this delay-please touch base with one another to confirm on an agreeable time frame.

We hope that you all get to know your partner during this swap and have lots of creative fun with it!!!

Please post photo's of your package sent and or received on Flickr:

HERE

You must join the group to upload photos. After joining, upload your photos to your flickr page. After uploading photos, go to your flickr page. Click on the photo(s) you want to add to the group. At the top, there will be a button that says "Add to Group" when you click on that, your groups should appear. Click on the SGS Heart Swap link and it will send to the group. You can add a description by clicking under the picture. A yellow box will appear that will allow you to write details about your photo.

Thank you again for all of your patience while we sort out the swap list!!!

xoxo

The Goodness Girls

2008-01-16T11:02:00.000-05:00

Hello, Swappers! Partner emails have now been sent out. If you didn't receive anything, please email us at heartswap2008@hotmail.com to let us know! Please be sure to email your partner and introduce yourself and exchange addresses. Remember, the mailing deadline for this swap is Monday, February 4. Happy crafting!

Swapper Needed!

2008-01-14T15:48:00.000-05:00

***Thank you for everyone who responded. We have an even number of swappers now! You should be receiving your partners today or tomorrow.***

Hello! We ended up with an odd number of swappers for the Hanging Hearts Swap. If you wanted to sign up but missed the deadline please send us an email. The first we receive will be our last swapper!

Cheers
Rebecca

Hanging Hearts Swap Button!

2008-01-07T09:57:00.000-05:00

Thanks to Tamy we have this fabulous swap button to offer! Thank you!

Just right click, save and add to your blog!

cheers!
Rebecca

******UPDATE*******
We have some swappers replying on our comments that they would like to join but not emailing us....please reply back to us on our email with your info so we can count you in officially!!

heartswap2008@hotmail.com

Please include your blog if you have one and whether or not you will ship internationally.

HURRY--sign ups end on Friday!!!!!

Hanging Hearts Valentines Day Swap!

2008-01-04T13:33:00.000-05:00

Happy New Year! We're back and ready for a great year of swapping in 2008! Didn't think you'd hear from us so soon, heh? Well Lucy and I now have TWICE the amount of help and we're off to a bang up start!

Leigh Ann will be joining us again now that she's all set up in her new home in Kansas and please welcome our newest Goodness Girl, Heidi! So look out swappers, you've got a load of crafty women over here ready to get your creative juices flowing! (and let me tell you, the ideas already being discussed for future swaps are amazing!)

And the first swap of 2008 is . . .

HANGING HEARTS VALENTINE'S DAY SWAP

Sign up by: Friday January 11th (hurry up!)

Partner names will be sent out by Tuesday January 15th

Send out by: Monday February 4th

Description: You will send your partner one Hanging Heart Valentine! Be creative! You can use any media as long as your Valentine is smaller than 8x10. We want to keep this a quick and easy swap, aim to fit your valentine into a small box or padded envelope.

Your Valentine doesn't even have to be a heart, just something related to the holiday that your partner can display by hanging. Ideas: fabric hearts, paper hearts, dolls, mixed media collages, fabric post cards, you name it! If you can attach a ribbon to it and call it a Valentine it will work. :) (And we know you'll most likely include a heart on it somewhere.) This is your chance to really put your brain to work and come up with something unique!

Colors: You can do the traditional colors of Valentine's Day or be creative and shake it up a bit like pink and aqua or pink and brown. (Rebecca's personal favorite!)

Open to: All swappers! As this will be a fast and fun swap anyone can join. Just PLEASE remember that if you sign up you MUST complete the swap ON TIME. Please please see the sidebar for details.

Please email us at heartswap2008@hotmail.com to sign up! Remember to let us know if you are willing to ship internationally should we have any overseas participants. Postage should be low on this swap!

Swap button and Flickr groups to come!

Cheers ~

The Goodness Girls

*******SIGN UP ON THE SIDEBAR TO GET OUR POSTS RIGHT TO YOUR INBOX AND BE THE FIRST TO KNOW WHEN WE ANNOUNCE NEW SWAPS!! As we only do a few posts a month you won't be overwhelmed with emails. ;) **************

December Swap!!

2007-12-19T11:30:00.000-05:00

Hello all of our Sweet Goodness Swap Sisters!!

This post is just a little late. I'll blame it on the dog-he ate my mouse and couldn't post anything for a few days...snicker....snort! ;) Okay, so it wasn't really the dog. I've got holidayitis which means that everything is running a few days late but it will all get done even if I have to stay up all night to do it a few nights! Why do we do this to ourselves??? My 2008 resolution needs to be, don't put too many things on your list, don't bite off more than you should chew, and not wish for Fridays as the days go by fast enough as it is.

With that said-hopefully most of your final swap packages are safely in route to your Sweet Goodness Swap Sister and you have all enjoyed getting to know your partner! Rebecca and I have heard a lot of good feedback on most of the pairings so we hope you agree this was a successul swap.

Please be sure to upload your pictures to ,Flickr on our December swap group. As soon as we have more pictures uploaded we will recap the 3 swaps, and have a final posting.

Thank you all for your participation, you holiday and sisterly spirit, and for sharing your creativity with a friend you had never met before.

Happy Holidays to All!!

Lucy

and

Rebbeca

PS---if you should need to contact us, please do so through our blogs or regular emails through the end of December.

johl3 at windstream dot net

Are you Ready for the Holidays?

2007-11-29T08:40:00.000-05:00

December 1st is Saturday which leaves only 25 days until Christmas! Can you believe it? Time sure does fly. I'm am so not prepared. Ugh.

Anyway, by the time all the November "Swags & Tags" packages should be out and everyone should be thinking about their December package. Lucy created a Flickr pool to share all your November swap goodies. You can find it here. Don't forget to post your photos there, we all want to see the goods!

December swap packages should be sent out by December 15th.

DECEMBER SISTER SWAP DETAILS

Please send your sister, by 12/15/07, a Sweet Holiday Goodness package!

So what should you send?

Please include a few recipes for your sister to treat her friends and family. Put your recipes on recipe cards and include them in a hand made "bag" of some sort. Suggestions: fabric bag, decorated gift bag or brown paper bag. Also include something to encourage her to make one of your yummy dishes, a whisk, a spice, measuring spoons, you name it! Please also send a hand made or purchased/thrifted small gift of your choice. By this time you should know your sister pretty well and will know if she will enjoy some scented lotion or a vintage kitchen tool or a thrifted apron. Just a little something to say Happy Holidays! Try to limit your spending to between $5 and $8 per package if you are asked to supply something you cannot make from your stash.

If you have any issues with your swaps please let us know! Leave a comment or visit us!

Rebecca
Lucy

hugs!
R

November Swap Challenge!

2007-11-13T22:33:00.001-05:00

The Blessing of Friends

"Each friend represents a world in us, a world possibly not born until they arrive, and it is only by this meeting that a new world is born."

--Anais Nin
(A little hint about my project...which is not finished, and may not work out according to plans...ahem....but it's coming along :)

Is November already almost halfway through?? Ummmm where did these last couple of weeks go? Where did October go for goodness sake?? I feel like Sleep Walking Not So Beauty lately, with my life on fast forward. I'm not prepared, I'm not ready, I'm standing here wondering how I'll get everything done....but done I will do, done I do well, at the last minute (normally) but oh how I wish I was one of you...who is so well prepared for everything, who has the decorations out and ready, the crafts for the holidays in full swing, shopping under her belt, cards all signed and addressed, the gravy made ahead, the lists more than half crossed off---how I wish I was more like you who has their life under control and ready to rock and roll at every waking minute. That is you, right?? :)

Well, without further ado--please check your email for a reminder of our upcoming swaps and some important links! I'm sure most of you probably have your packages just about complete and heading out to the post office already. Or, maybe you are more like me and finishing up (or ahem...just getting started) and will be sending out closer to actual ship date. Either way, please communicate with your partner and let her know when your items are shipped--and I know I don't need to remind you, but our "legal" advisors say we must disclose this--don't forget to send a "Thank You" to your partner when your package is received!!!

We had a lot of great feedback and tons of responses to our last survey, so we thought we would do another "get to know you" post. Here's this month question/story we would like you to share on your blog (for all of us nosey Sisters) or via email to your sister. Please do this BEFORE Thanksgiving and LEAVE A COMMENT here if you choose to blog it, so we can visit your post!

What is it we ask?

Please share one of your favorite quotes (thank your Breanna for the question poised to Rebecca for our inspiration for this post), and tell us how it relates to a favorite Thanksgiving (or holiday) story of yours.

Hmmmm.....I could say "Everything Happens For a Reason" and tell you about the Thanksgiving my refrigerator went south.....that was a fun year!! NOT!

Or--maybe I should tell you about.....well....I'll save that story for my post ;)

We can't wait to hear what you have to share with us!

Tags and Swags!

2007-10-22T22:50:00.000-04:00

All you Sweet Goodness Swap Sisters out there, our October swap date has come and gone, so it's almost time to get your Tags and Garland on for our November swap. Check out this photo here, courtesy of Gigi who started early with this luscious candy garland for her partner.

Here's some info that she so "Sweetly" passed on:
Hi ladies~
So these are my first attempts at garland making in general so I pretty much "winged it" ~ that's how I roll these days : ).... love to "not "know what I'm doing! LOL
I wasn't sure how long they would take to do so I didn't precut my length of yarn. I spread out on a nice clean vaccummed floor ontop of a picnic cloth. If you have pets I suggest this (noone wants kitty hair tied up in their garland)!
I tried to figure out a pattern first before I started to tie the candy on.
For the main string I used regular cotton yarn (nothing stiff but not flimsy either). Then for the string that I used to tie on all the candy I used that really thin crocheting type of thread (nice and cheap 400 yards for $1.50). I tried to pick candy that is twisted at both ends so it's easy to tie onto the main yarn. I imagine you could tie them into bows if you wanted to but I opted for tying them into knots for security. The one garland that has all of the Smarties on it took a few hours, but the one with pom poms went very fast. I used a thin string with a needle and strung the pom poms on first ~ spaced them out how I wanted and came back to tie the candy on last. So I think that about does it! Hope the directions make sense : ) Please message me if you need more info! Thanks : )
***

To see more of Gigi's fun creations check out one of her several blogs!

***

Be sure to upload your October pictures here!! There are already a bunch of fun "Sweet Goodness October Treats" featured, and that's no Trick! :)

*****

Reminder for November, your package should include a selection of handmade gift tags & a garland, banner, or swag for our "Swags and Tags" portion of our swap. Tags are simple and so fun, there's tons of great pictures on flickr or check out etsy for inspiration! Banners & garland celebrate the coming of a season, a celebration of someone or something, or proclaim the oncoming of a grand occasion. Use your imagination, go with the season, or perhaps celebrate your partners "Creativity". Or, shout it out with her name on a flag!---Whether it's your first banner, swag, or tag--be creative and make something your partner would hang proudly on her mantle, doorway, window, or above her desk! Most of all, have fun!. For more ideas, check out the links I featured in our discussion on the October swap page.

Send out date is on or before November 20th!

***

If any one wants to share tutorials or links, please leave a link in the comment section for more tags and swag ideas!

October Swap Deadline!

2007-10-15T18:38:00.000-04:00

(Picture from Martha Stewart's Halloween section of Martha Stewart Living)

Hello Sweet Goodness Swap Sisters!!

Rebecca and I had good intentions to send a mass email out to all of our sister swappers however we have over 50 on our mailing list and it's not letting us send out in a block nor is it letting us break down that group to email for some reason....so hopefully most of you have your BLOGLINES or other feed set to this blog and will receive this post update! Hopefully we will figure out the issue before long so we can send email updates as well as blog updates!

This Saturday, October 20th, is the send out deadline for your Halloween/October swap, here is a reminder of the details:

OCTOBER SISTER SWAP DETAILS

Please send your sister, by 10/20/07, a Sweet Goodness Halloween Treat! Please include one hand made item with a Halloween theme (Halloween cone with treats inside, a trick or treat bag for your swap sister's kids, Halloween ATC, Halloween potholders, fall pincushion, note cards, a home decoration, etc.) and some sweet treats. Please make sure to check with your sister to see if she has any allergies (chocolate, nuts, etc.) or cannot have sugar.

We now have a flickr group set up for your pictures, please join the group and upload the swap received (and if you want to, sent items).

For those of you who haven't uploaded much to flickr here's a basic recap on how to do it:

Join in the flickr group.

Upload your pictures to flickr (I downloaded a flickr uploader and it sits on my desktop which is very easy to use, just drag and drop).

Click on your picture.

On the top of picture, there should be a little box that says a variety of things....click on "Add to group" and it should list in another drop down box all the groups you belong to.

Click our flickr group and it will automatically upload picture.

Repeat for as many pictures as you have.

2nd option:

On your main page, click on the top button that says "Organize".

A grey box should appear and then you click on Groups which is on top of the grey box.

Your groups should appear in the "Pool".

Drag and drop your pictures which should be at the bottom of the screen to the correct group.

Let me know if you have any issues. I'm not an expert but I can hopefully help you to upload. :)

*****

Stay tuned--Next week we will be doing Part II of our "Get to know you" posts for our November swap!

*****

I'll leave you with a fall recipe favorite of mine:

Coconut Pumpkin Loaves
5 eggs
2 c. canned pumpkin
1-1/4 c. vegetable oil
3 c. all purpose flour
2 pkgs. (3.4 oz. each) instant
coconut pudding mix
3 tsp. ground cinnamon
2 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. ground nutmeg
3/4 c. chopped pecans
1 tsp salt

In a large mixing bowl, beat the eggs and pumpkin until smooth. Add sugar and oil; mix well. Combine the flour, pudding mixes, cinnamon, soda, and nutmeg; add to the pumpkin mixture. Stir in the nuts.

Transfer to three greased and floured 8-in. x 4-in. x 2-in. loaf pans. Bake at 350º for 60-65 minutes or until a toothpick inserted near the center comes out clean. Cool for 10 minutes before removing from pans to wire racks to cool completely. You can wrap and freeze these loaves for up to six months.
****I like to add cinnamon sugar mixture to the top of loves about 1/2 into cooking as well as some raisins to the mixture above*****

*****

Can't wait to see your "Spookatcular Swaps"!!

Ga-Ga for Garlands

2007-10-10T15:01:00.000-04:00

Did you miss our Holiday Sister Swap or are looking to add another swap to your to-do list? Head over to Ga-Ga for Garlands and sign up for the Holiday Garland swap hosted by Tamy the creator of our lovely Holiday Swap Button.

cheers

What people are saying . .

2007-10-02T16:25:00.000-04:00

I wanted to share some things we have heard from our swap participants:

"I had so much fun with the summer swap and I'm so excited about this swap! "
Tamy

"Thanks so much, looking forward to meeting a new friend!"
Diana

"To me, the best part about swapping is the connection you make with your partner. I like the idea of the Holiday Goodness Swap because it really promotes connection and communication beyond just the one standard package."
Sid

"WOW!! I am so in :) This sounds awesome...just reading about it made me a little teary eyed. It is just these sort of swaps where we find new friends for life :) Thanks!!!"
Raesha

"Oh, I am excited for this one! I was just at the Goodwill today and thinking that I would love a Halloween swap! All three holidays! Wonderful!"
Jane

I can already tell this is going to be a wonderful swap! If you haven't yet filled out your 20 questions post please do so! Soon we'll be posting a reminder about sending your sister a card as part of this swap and also setting up Flickr groups for each part of the swap.

Happy swapping!

cheers ~

Sister Swap Button

2007-09-25T15:13:00.000-04:00

Thank you to everyone who sent in buttons for our swap! Thank you Laurel S., Tamy B. and Cindy H. Please email your snail mail info to sgsisterswap@hotmail.com so we can send you a little goodness!

And thank you to Tamy O. who's button we have chosen as the official Sweet Goodness Holiday Sister Swap button.

Button is on the right side bar, click and save and put it on your blog! Please visit Tamy's new blog Ga-Ga for Garlands! Tamy is hosting a holiday garland swap with sign ups starting on October 10th. I think I'll be signing up and making two garlands for swaps this holiday season!

Keep sending in those links for the 20 Questions!

Cheers ~ Rebecca

20 Questions!

2007-09-23T08:37:00.000-04:00

(photo courtesy of my friend Tonya :)

Let The Fun Begin!!

All the partners have been assigned for our Holiday Sister Swap, so if you signed up and DID NOT get an email, please let us know ASAP!!!!!

In the spirit of getting to know your “sister” we are asking you to answer some questions and post them on your blog no later than October 10th....earlier would be better so your partner can start collecting things that will be to your liking and get to know you!! Please leave us a comment so everyone can link back and get to know you too. This will be good information for future swaps as well!

If you don’t have a blog, just email your partner directly!

1. Favorite Color:
2. Chocolate Lover? Milk, Dark, White, or none of the above?
3. What is your favorite craft hobby?
4. What is a craft/art hobby that you would like to start?
5. What craft do you NOT have an interest in or just not great in ( so your partner doesn’t send something you wouldn’t use)?
6. Do you have any allergies? (we don’t want to send anything with peanuts if it’ll make you blow up like a balloon!)
7.What’s your favorite part of Halloween? Decorating, candy eating, costumes, or something else?
8. Do you decorate for Thanksgiving/Fall?
9. December Holidays--what holiday do you celebrate? What type of decorations do you like to put up in your house for that holiday?
10. Do you have any children, if so what are their ages, boys/girls?
11. Do you have any pets, if so what kind?
12. Are you a reader? If so, what type of books do you like?
13. Are you celebrating a birthday or anniversary in October, November, or December? If so, what day and what is the occasion?
14. Do you collect anything? If so what type of things do you collect?
15. What type of things do you like to cook? Are you an appetizer person, cookie maker, dessert freak or a take out type of person??
16. What is your favorite scent? Is there one that you can’t stand?
17. What’s your favorite song?
18. What’s the last movie you went to see at the movie theater?
19. What’s your favorite Candy?
20. Tea or Coffee or other?

****

This should get everyone going on get to know your partner! Remember to leave a COMMENT when you have your post up & email your partner!

OCTOBER SISTER SWAP DETAILS

Please send your sister, by 10/20/07, a Sweet Goodness Halloween Treat! Please include one hand made item with a Halloween theme (Halloween cone with treats inside, a trick or treat bag for your swap sister's kids, Halloween ATC, Halloween potholders, fall pincushion, note cards, a home decoration, etc.) and some sweet treats. Please make sure to check with your sister to see if she has any allergies (chocolate, nuts, etc.) or cannot have sugar.

Tick Tock . . . .

2007-09-19T11:16:00.000-04:00

Hello!

Tomorrow is the last day to sign up for the Sweet Goodness Swaps Holiday Sister Swap!! So get your names into sgsisterswap@hotmail.com and make a new crafty friend this holiday season!

********************

Is anyone out there handy with graphics? Would anyone like to make us a "button" for this swap that we can share with the group? If anyone has the time and would like to help us out, please send us an email to sgsisterswap@hotmail.com. We'll send you a little goodness for your contribution!

********************

COMING SOON!

Partners for the Sister Swap should be to you by Monday 9/24!

We will soon have a post with some ideas on what to ask your sister to get to know her.

We would also like everyone to write a special post on their blog to their sister with a few things about them to help her get to know you. We'll ask you to share the link to that post with us so we can share them with the group and learn a little about all of our swappers. The deadline to make that post will be Wednesday October 10th.

Cheers!

The Goodness Girls

The Sweet Goodness Holiday Sister Swap is Here!!

2007-09-11T08:08:00.000-04:00

Sweet Goodness Holiday Sister Swap

A new kind of swap from Sweet Goodness, the first annual Holiday Sister Swap! This swap requires a commitment of three send outs over the next three months so we are limiting swappers to those who have successfully swapped with us in the past OR come recommended from one of our trusted swappers. We hope this will cut down on the amount of "flakers" and also make it easier for us to keep track of. We will also be limiting the number to 50 participants but will consider extending that depending on the amount of interest.

Please know that when you sign up for this swap that you are making a commitment to send THREE small swap packages to your swap sister. This will be a great way to get to know another crafter and will put you in the holiday mood!

So what are the facts?

Sign up by: 9/20/07

First Send Out: 10/20/07

Second Send Out: 11/20/07

Third Send Out: 12/15/07

As there are three packages to send, your monthly swap should be small and meaningful. There is one for each month with an upcoming holiday: October, November & December. We also encourage you to email with your sister and read her blog to get to know her. There is also the requirement of sending at least ONE snail mail card or letter to your sister but you are welcome to send more! It's so much more fun to get a card from a friend than it is to get bills. :)

The main idea of the swap is to develop a bond, find out about each other and do little sweet things for each other within the theme each month.

OCTOBER SISTER SWAP DETAILS

Please send your sister, by 10/20/07, a Sweet Goodness Halloween Treat! Please include one hand made item with a Halloween theme (Halloween cone with treats inside, a trick or treat bag for your swap sister's kids, Halloween ATC, Halloween potholders, fall pincushion, note cards, a home decoration, etc.) and some sweet treats. Please make sure to check with your sister to see if she has any allergies (chocolate, nuts, etc.) or cannot have sugar.

NOVEMBER SISTER SWAP DETAILS

Please send your sister, by 11/20/07, a Tags & Swags Swap package! What is that you ask? Well tags could be any kind of holiday gift tags hand made by you for your sister to use in her holiday gift giving. And swags, why a banner of course! Make a banner/garland for your sister for Thanksgiving or one of the December holidays (Christmas, Hanukkah, Kwanzaa, etc.) to display in their home and show their holiday spirit.

DECEMBER SISTER SWAP DETAILS

Please send your sister, by 12/15/07, a Sweet Holiday Goodness package! So what should you send? Please include a few recipes for your sister to treat her friends and family. Put your recipes on recipe cards and include them in a hand made "bag" of some sort. Suggestions: fabric bag, decorated gift bag or brown paper bag. Also include something to encourage her to make one of your yummy dishes, a whisk, a spice, measuring spoons, you name it! Please also send a hand made or purchased/thrifted small gift of your choice. By this time you should know your sister pretty well and will know if she will enjoy some scented lotion or a vintage kitchen tool or a thrifted apron. Just a little something to say Happy Holidays!

Try to limit your spending to between $5 and $8 per package if you are asked to supply something you cannot make from your stash. So you see, this is a SERIOUS swap and we will only take serious commitments. We had a lot of disappointed people after the summer swap and don't want that to happen again!

To sign up please send an email containing your name, email address and blog address to sgsisterswap@hotmail.com by 9/20/07. We will send your partner name to you as soon as we can!

Sign up quickly, the window is small!!

cheers,
The Goodness Girls

And the Winners Are!

2007-08-23T20:28:00.000-04:00

Drum Roll Please!!!!!

The Goodness Girls Proudly announce the finalists in our Container Contest portion of our Summer Bucket Full of Fun Swap!

Decorating or creating a unique container was a big portion of the swap and our participants did not let us down, we had everything from boxes, buckets, bags, to balloons (and more) to choose from and it was a VERY VERY hard task as you all were winners!

But a contest is a contest, we had to make a choice so here in reverse order are the winners:

In Third Place, we have Jessie's bag from Jump and Down Blog--vintage fabric, sweet ruffles and wonderful craftmanship won us over on this beauty!! Congratulations Jessie--Rebecca will be sending you some Sweet Goodness Treasures next week!
Next is our Second Place finalist--Linda of Yellow Rose Cottage Blog. This package totally LIFTED us up out of our swap seats when we saw this most inventive packaging for her container! Inquiring minds wanna know how you shipped this Linda!! Totally cool container--congrats on your 2nd place finish!!! Be on the look out for a Sweet Goodness Treat from me next week!!!

Last but not least is our 1st Place winner----Paula from On a Rainy Night. Paula hand crocheted this lovely bag with raffia ( I had no idea you could even do that!), lined it with some sweet yellow and orange fabric and embellished with a hottie looking orange and yellow mermaid! We loved this ultra cute container and wanna give you a round of applause for trying something totally outside of the box for your container!!
Miss Thrifty Goodness will have a Sweet Goodness grand prize pack out to you next week!!

****
Thank you all for participating in our Summer Swap!!

Keep your bloglines set---we will anounce our next (and last swap) of 2007 sometime in September!

Thanks for playing with us this summer!! :)

Now--get busy on your Holiday crafts!!!
YIKES!

Last Call for pics

2007-08-12T22:06:00.000-04:00

Last call for all container photos--If you haven't yet posted your Orange and Yellow goodies, please be sure to do so this week as Friday, August 17th is our deadline date for photos!!! We wanted to give a few participants some extra time that were running late with their packages.

For the sake of time...okay and less work for us Goodness Girls (summer has given us a case of lazyitis....don't worry we will be back to normal in a month or so), we are going to pick the winners with out running a vote from everyone.

In reality--you all are winnners and it's going to be very hard to pick the top 3!!! You all out did yourselves with the creativity of the containers--I don't believe there was any two alike!

We will post the the winner and 2 runner ups NEXT Monday, August 20th (which is also my lil man's 7th birthday...which has nothing to do with anything, I just thought I'd through that in there). So, stop back to see who is the Queen of the Summer Bucket Full of Goodness Swap!!

****

We know many of you are waiting for us to announce our last swap of 2007 and it's going to be a good one---it's totally different than the others that we've hosted so keep your bloglines set to Sweet Goodness Swaps--you won't want to miss out on the fun!!

This one will requre a bit of a commitment so we are going to limit the participants and require a set of criteria to participate-but we haven't ironed out all the details as of yet so again, stay tuned for the announcement in September of our next swap!!

*******

Last but not least, a BIG THANK YOU to all the participants who have made our swaps so much fun and successful!

Your commitment, creativity, and friendship makes all the work worthwhile :)

The Goodness Girls!

Take a LOOK!

2007-07-30T22:32:00.000-04:00

Just a few of our swap packages
1. Vintage Sayings, 2. swap from Andie to Jenn M, 3. Summer Swap, 4. Mintbasil Summer Swap, 5. Sweet Goodness Swaps, 6. HPIM6513, 7. HPIM6526, 8. Sweet Goodness Swap Summer Fun 2007, 9. IMGP6644, 10. IMG_1572, 11. Bag of Swap Goodies, 12. SGS Bucket (Box) Full of Sunshine, 13. summer goodnes swap ( orange and yellow), 14. Swap Container, 15. Sweet Goodness Swap Container, 16. My summer swap basket, 17. DSCN2370, 18. Summer Swap, 19. 0044328-R1-017-7, 20. Sunshine Tote Lining, 21. Dana's Summer Fun Swap Container, 22. All wrapped up & pretty, 23. Basket of Sunshine, 24. IMG_1583, 25. dcp_5391

Be sure to check out more

Here

HERE

Wait a Minute Mr. Postman!!! I have a package for you!!

2007-07-14T16:07:00.000-04:00

It's hard to believe another swap is coming to close, but just like everything---time flies when you are having fun!!!!

SEND OUT DATE: July 23rd

Are you all knee deep in glitter, glue, tape, paint, and fabric too as you create your containers?? I've seen some really great photo's---don't forget to upload your containers to a separate flickr group so we can choose the Summer Swap container Queen!!

For those of you who played along this swap, we want to sincerely thank you for making this swap one of our biggest yet!!! Timing has been a challenge for some of us (Leigh Ann is in the middle of a huge move across country!!), and Rebecca and I had vacations this last 2 weeks so we appreciate your patience if we had a delay in email response lately.

If you are ready to post your pictures of your swap (sent or recieved) please post here!!

Out of all of our swappers, we did unfortunately have 1 person not respond at all to her partners emails, so this is just a plea from us---if anyone wants to join our next swap, please do so with honest intentions as swapping is a commitment and we really hate for anyone to be disappointed in a flake partner. Luckily she didn't ship anything to her--but still, it is a disappointement.

Okay enough about business---let's get hopping along and finish our projects so they can board the mail lady's truck to your Summer Fun partner's door step!!! Whoooo hooooo!!

Don't forget to join our contest!!!! Post your container (only) to enter here.

*****Stay tuned for our next color swap---it will be warm and fuzzy, on the rocks or frozen, tasty and smooth--anyway you choose, these colors will surely cure away those summer blues!!

***Also upcoming we will have a couple of smaller swaps for the upcoming holidays---so keep your bloglines marked for our next swaparoo!!!!

2007-07-09T10:24:00.001-04:00

SUMMER FUN SWAP SEND OUT DATE!

Just to clear up any confusion, the send out date for the Sumemr Fun Swap has been extending to Monday July 23rd. You can send when you are ready, be sure to let your partner know it's on the way! But please try to have all packages out by Monday the 23rd!

Getting a delivery confirmation number is always a good idea! Last time we asked that you send us that number, however this time I think that if we have a problem with a package not arriving that then we may ask you to send us the number so just keep it handy!

Thanks and SWAP ON!

And the Swap goes on . . .

2007-07-06T08:44:00.000-04:00

Hello Summer Fun Swappers!!

How is it going? The swap is in full swing now and we can't wait to see what you've come up with! Not only are the Goodness Girls hard at work on our own swaps but we are also gathering items for prizes! Oh yes, don't forget about the prizes for the most interesting and creative containers! So before you send off your swaps remember to take a clear picture of your decorated container to be loaded into Flickr.

This is the group for uploading ALL of your Summer Swap photos: http://www.flickr.com/groups/summerfunswap/

For the contest we will have a different group for you to load up a picture of your container if you'd like to enter. I wanted to post that today but Flickr is not working very well at the moment. :( So that will come later!

IMPORTANT

Has anyone NOT heard from their swap partner at this point? Please contact us at sgswaps@hotmail.com right away!!

Cheers
Rebecca

The Summer Fun Swap Partner Info

2007-06-20T18:55:00.000-04:00

***UPDATED WITH NEW BLOG LINKS!!***

Here it is. The swap partner information that you've all been waiting for. We have 35 pairs!

Everyone should have received an email with their partner's information. Please let us know if you have not received it. Also let us know if we did not link to your blog below.

Jen H. & Sarah K.

Paula N. & Jennifer W.

Tammy O. & Ginny K.

DJ H. & Heidi B.

Amy M. & Sarah B.

Carrie A. & Alexandra M.

Monica W. & Jolena M.

Stacey C. & Tonette B.

Jessica B. & Jane A.

Cindy H. & Kirsten K.

Maureen T. & Felicia

Tara B. & Karla F.

Jennifer M. & Andie

Renee K. & Amy P.

Chara P. & Gabreial

Lois C. & Karen H.

Lisa C. & Wendy P.

Anne P. & Catieann P.

Elise R. & LeeAnn H.

Trudi A. & Patti L.

Tamy B. & Rachelle C.

Linda P. & Christina J.

Denise W. & Mary A.

Laura G. & Jodi R.

Cheryl C. & Jeannie R.

Heidi G. & Leigh Ann

Dinah M. & Evelyn L.

Jenn M. & Jane L.

Monique & Lynsey

Raesha & Katie B.

Kara S. & Mandi K.

Shara S. & Christy H.

Rebecca & Dana B.

Heidi S. & Sarah J.

Breanna & Jodi

Connie & Dita (no blogs, ladies think about starting them! :) )

Em R. & Cindy

Ok, ladies - go forth and create, thrift, and have some fun!

Cheers! The Goodness Girls

Last Call for Swappers!

2007-06-14T20:54:00.000-04:00

Hurry, don't be late--tomorrow's the last sign up date!!!

Join us for the Summer Bucket Full of Fun Swap--see a couple posts below for more details and sign up info!!

((Bucket--can be interpreted as a container of sorts, bag, basket---anything your little heart desires as long as you embellish it and it is in one or both of the swap colors)

Thank you to ALL of our swappers, veterens and newbies for making all of our swaps so successful--your creativity inspires us, and your friendship makes all the hard work, worthwhile!

If you are new and thinking about joining a great group of thrift/craft girls, please do so!! As always, we take pride in having an awesome track record with the last few swaps having a 99% completion rate---but--we are committed to ensuring we have 100% completion rate for all future swaps, so please only join if you are sure you can complete the swap and fulfill the guidelines. We don't want anyone to be disappointed!

So now---we are about to let the swap begin---sign up now if you haven't already!

The Goodness Girls!

Summer Fun Swap Button

2007-06-06T11:40:00.000-04:00

Leigh Ann has made us a wonderful button for the Summer Fun Swap!

Right click and save or go here for a URL address.

Thanks, LA!

xoxoxo

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