Brainstorming Swap Ideas

I was thinking prayer flags - I like making the mini version. Also, love the 4 x 6 Art swaps.

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Shark Week with actual sharks. Although a care package for the other might be a fun swap too. I make really big deal of Shark Week. I have shark/ocean themed food every night.

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oh yes! I forgot to mention positive affirmations – that one always gives me warm fuzzies :slight_smile:
actually, I like all of your ideas! :smiley:

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oh, the bookmark swap is always a favorite of mine, and dishcloths would be fun (haven’t done a swap like that in quite awhile)
I remember seeing Pringles can swaps on c-ster, but can’t remember the details?

and @Smmarrt , yes on prayer flags (mini) Still haven’t gotten up the nerve to try the 4x6 swap, but maybe this year…

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I’m new here but only because Craftser was gone when I was trying to get back to it. Years and years ago on there I was in an amazing swap that I think was Labrynth the movie themed. My swap partner and I had a ton of fun with that one. I made a pretty epic bag for that too. Another one I remember fondly was tiny alphabets. I still have all my tiny alphabets. It was a great easy swap. I have my studio packed up in storage right now or I’d post a pic of those. Maybe someone else remembers that one….

Anyway, I would totally be into the alphabet one again. Probably a good movie themed swap depending on the movie. Labrynth lends itself well to that.

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Inchies! They were alphabet inchies. I just finally remembered that. (Brain still waking up.)

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A movie swap sounds really fun!

I like the idea of pairing up people who like the same movie. Though that would definitely be harder. I suppose that could be done beforehand, kind of like the “choose your partner swap”

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I really enjoy the swaps where you make one thing…hoopla, mug rug, pin cushion, affirmation flag, zip pouch…fabric basket would be fun in this style. I like the making of smaller extras, but on the receiving side, I just don’t need a lot of things.

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Hoopla was always a lot of fun. I never did finish my puzzle piece swap. Would love to start a new puzzle if there was a swap.

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The Pringle can swaps usually had a theme. You decorated the outside and then filled it with whatever crafts would fit in it.

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I liked the calendar page swap. You made
12 calendar pages for the same month and sent to 11 others so at the end you’d end up with all 12 months, 1 of which you made.

Since we have fewer members now, it could work with 6 swappers and everyone getting assigned 2 months (or some people making 1 page and some 2). It was also a 12x12 page and could be modified to a smaller size like 5x7. Or even a 3x3 and someone generates the calendar template portion that everyone could print and the art can be attached to.

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On Craftster, we had enough swappers to do specific movies, but we don’t have as many on here. The themes have had to get a bit broader. But a favorite Movie swap could work. Matching up people with the same movies would probably be impossible unless they partnered themselves up.

We still do an inchie swap. It’s not alphabet-specific, but you could add that as your theme. Unless it was different than that. I don’t remember it.

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I would be so down for a lot of these!

  • Dinosaurs
  • Cryptozoology / Mythology swap
  • Birds & Bees Swap (just actual birds or bees)
  • Tote Bag
  • Embroidery Hoops in general
  • Abstract Embroidery Hoop
  • “admiration” craft. Like your partner crafts something for you in a medium that you really admire, but don’t do yourself.
  • make a bag swap
  • my favorite animal
  • Pet Craft Swap (Homemade pet toys, custom collars, pet blanket)
  • homemade notebook/journal swap
  • One Tiny Thing
  • make a friend swap
  • Retro / Vintage
  • A theme that gives some inspiration but is broad enough for lots of styles and mediums, e.g. put a bird on it, fabulous fungi.
  • Favourite artist / artwork (either incorporating a homage to the work, or being inspired by colours, quotes)
  • Favourite historical figures/events
  • recipe exchange
  • Note card sets
  • Self care: 1 for you, 1 for me.
    *Dishcloth
    *Bookmark

I’m not sure what these are?

  • mini pocket letter
  • masterboard and/or envelope-of-papers swap
  • assemblage type swap
  • Pringles Can
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we have had Mini Pocket Letter and Masterboard swaps. Go to the Gallery and do a search to see what was made for those. I, personally, love the mini pocket letter swaps. :heart:

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Omg those are adorable! That looks SO fun

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I’d totally love to join a make a friend swap.
Another idea along those lines would be an old fashioned pen pal swap.

I would definitely try to join a OTT and a try a new craft swap.

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apologies in advance for typos; will correct them later. Off to start the day with the kiddo.

It’s so nice to see all these ideas! I am hoping to do more swaps this year—I’ll be budgeting towards it! I love all the ideas and I’ll second the following:

  • birds and bees
  • tote bag (perhaps I will finally learn to sew this year and could make one…)
  • basket swap (ditto above)
  • 4x6 art swap (and I’d love to see even larger art ones as well—perhaps a canvas art swap?
  • anime/manga swap
  • Positive affirmations
  • Embroidery hoops (perhaps I will try something “new” this year)
  • Abstract Embroidery Hoop (ditto above)
  • Admiration craft
  • Make a bag
  • Try something new
  • I LOVED the mini pocket letter swap last year and would love to do it again. I would even love to do a full pocket letter with all 9 pockets. :heart: It would be neat to do a 9-pocket letter where each ATC is a part of a bigger picture when all put together.
  • Masterboard and envelope of papers (does that just mean sending nice paper in an envelope, or making envelopes out of paper, or both?)
  • I LOVED the Invite Your Partner swap last year and would love to do it again.
  • One Tiny Thing
  • Tic-Tac-Toe or bingo
  • My favourite animal
  • Pet craft
  • Homemade notebook/journal—Yes please! I’ve been on a handbound-book making kick and would love to have an excuse to make more :slight_smile:
  • Retro/Vintage—yep! This reminds me of a really cool craft I saw at a library during our RV trip. I don’t have these many cassettes (actually, I don’t have any cassettes anymore), but if I did, I’d love to make something like this:


*Columbia County Main Library in Lake City, Florida

  • The calendar page(s) swap sounds really interesting.

  • @Silky_Bee I like the idea of a pen pal swap to just exchange letters. Having said that, if you’re OK with just sending without expectation of return, as well as the possibility of receiving, there’s always the Happy Mail Craftalong. I haven’t seen one go up for 2025 yet.

  • I love the idea of a broad theme.

  • Favourite (or maybe just interesting) historical figures/events

  • recipe exchange—it would be fun to do in on index card and include illustrations of the recipe/food on one side and the recipe in nice cursive writing on the other

  • Note card sets

  • Bookmark

  • Frogs

  • Shark week (this would be a great one to post in the Everyday Holidays Craftalong as well :wink:

  • Pringles can—I need an excuse to eat more Pringles :joy:

I would love to learn more about the following, could someone explain a bit more about them?

  • abandoned art
  • ink box cards
  • make a friend
  • assemblage (I found this website “theartstory.org/definition/assemblage” is this the type of art you mean?
  • Is self-care: 1 for you, 1 for me where you make 2 of the same item, one for yourself and one for your partner? And would it be self-care related?
  • Little visitor

Here are some of my suggestions:

I missed the colour swap last year (or maybe the year before?) but I really loved that idea. Your partner picks a colour and you send items in that colour. I believe it included 1 medium handmade item and extras.

I really enjoyed the Artist Trading Coin Swap last year, and I would love to see it happen more frequently—I would even be up for a monthly swap like the ATC one.

I enjoyed the book swap, too. I’d love to see more swaps related to books and reading in general.

I’d love to see a travel- related swap.

Postcards

The zine swap was really fun!

Story/writing swap: write a story or poem(s) for your partner and handwrite it in pretty cursive on nice stationary—this would be a nice one and could be sent in an envelope, so the cost would be minimal

Found objects art: make a medium item incorporating a found object (or several found objects)

Index card swap

Use your garbage swap: make something out of items that would otherwise go in the trash (e.g. unrecyclable papers, plastics, etc.)

I was inspired by @MamaRhi’s mention of the swap themed around the movie The Labyrinth. It would be fun to see Fandom-type swaps for movies. Or “cult-classic” movies swaps. Some ideas in addition to The Labyrinth: The Princess Bride, Back to the Future, Barb & Star Go to Vista del Mar (if you haven’t seen the last one on the list and you badly need a laugh, it’s the ticket. Beware raunchiness if you prefer to stay away from that, lol)

Time-travel swap, broadly interpreted (e.g. could be about actual time travel, time travel pop culture, or just a craft inspired by a different time period)

80s/90s sit-coms swaps (some examples: Seinfeld, Boy Meets World, Sister Sister, The Golden Years, Cheers, etc).

I’d like to see more flat paper swaps in general.

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I’m planning to run another zine swap this year! No firm timeline yet, but maybe sometime Q1? I believe @jemimah is planning another IYP as well.

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I forgot one!

Not sure what I’d call it. I’ve been seeing a lot of “repaints.” You grab an old painting, most people I’ve seen grab them from the thrift store, and they repaint things over them. I would enjoy trying this. I also like the idea of saving things from thrift stores. :blush:

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I would really enjoy any kind of “thrift store upcycle” swap :heart:

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