PLEASE NOTE: Sign ups for this swap have now closed.
To celebrate the launch of Mixed Media Club, I'm hosting the first of what I hope will be many swaps. Let's start out easy, with a mixed media postcard swap!
Questions and Answers
Do I mail to one person, or many people?
All three of your postcards are mailed to me in one envelope, and I’ll remail them individually, using stamps and mailing labels. The mailing info is in the document you’ll receive when you sign up.
Why do I have to send you First Class stamps instead of postcard stamps?
Because most handmade postcards are too thick to be sent using postcard stamps.
Is this swap US only?
NO! This swap is open to anyone, no matter where you are in the world.
Why do I have to pay so much if I don't live in the US?
Because mailing postcards to from where I am to wherever you are is that expensive.
Where do I send the PayPal payment?
The email address will be sent out to all participants after sign ups have closed on September 1st.
Should I put my name, or my return address, on the left side of the postcard?
You can put whatever information you like on the message side of the back. If you want to include your name, that's fine. If you want to include your return address, make sure it's small, so it won't be confused with the mailing address I add to the right side, before I mail it out.
Do all my postcards have to be the same design?
There's always at least one person who asks this. It doesn't matter whether your postcards are all the same design, or all different. What matters is that they're postcards, and flat.
Can I use watercolor paper to make my postcards?
Yep. That's what I use to make many of mine.
Can I embellish my postcards with ribbon, yarn, buttons, or other dimensional items?
NO. This is not a card swap. It's for postcards. Postcards are FLAT. Your postcards must be flat enough to be sent through the postal machines as postcards. If your postcards are not flat, they will be returned to you, unswapped.
Can I send my postcards in individual cello envelopes?
NO. This swap is for postcards to be mailed as postcards. It is not for postcards to be mailed in envelopes of any kind. If you send me postcards in individual cello (or any other type) envelopes, I will either remove them, or, if they cannot be mailed without the envelope, return them to you unswapped. Save us both a headache, and make FLAT postcards that can be mailed as postcards!
What should the back of my postcard look like?
The USPS has a LOT of rules for postcards. They must be:
- Rectangular. Not square, and not any other shape, and no rounded corners.
- At least 3.5″ tall, 5″ long, and .007 thick.
- No more than 4.25″ tall, 6″ long, and .016 thick. In order to stay within these restrictions, there should be NO DIMENSIONAL EMBELLISHMENTS used in the creation of your postcards.
In addition, there are rules about the back side:
- Backs should be white, or light colored, so postal machines can read them.
- The bottom .75″ must be left free of images or text.
- A 1.18″ square in the upper right corner must be free of images, to hold a stamp.
- The address of the recipient must be on the right side of the back, no more than 2.25″ from the right edge.
Thanks for setting up this club and this swap! I’m looking forward to both!
Thanks for signing up, Kate.
I haven’t done a swap in ages – this should be fun!
This sounds like a great swap. Not to big or overwhelming. Thank you Lisa.
Yes! Time to get back into the swing of things!
Looking forward to this. So happy you are doing it. Haven’t had much time to do any mixed media work in awhile. Can I use 140 lb. watercolor paper? I don’t have any idea how to measure the “thickness” of the paper?
Beth, most watercolor paper is thicker than the average postcard. That’s why you’re sending me First Class stamps, rather than postcard stamps. 🙂
Thanks Lisa.
Hi there,
A really beginner with all this,hope im up to the challenge,how do we do the paypal for postage?
Thanks Neta
I’ll send the email address to those who are participating once sign ups have closed.
Closed?! But it’s still before September 1st! Nuts.
You snooze, you lose: 50 people signed up before I closed the list, and that’s my limit for number of postcards I can realistically make.
Oh, sorry I missed this. I hope you will host this swap sometime again!
I was snoozing, too! I look forward to jumping in sooner with whatever the next swap will be! 🙂
Just finished my cards this morning and will post them first thing Monday Morning! I look forward to getting real mail in the mailbox instead of junk mail and bills! LOL Thanks for hosting this great swap!
I’m so disappointed I had to drop – just had some surgery re-scheduled so I guess I have to do the ‘healthy’ stuff first. I’m going to be watching for the next one!
Thanks for being responsible, and withdrawing before the deadline. Feel better soon!
Sent my postcards on the 15th but I don’t see where you got them…. Can you verify that you didn’t get them? They were in an colorful stripey envie…. with Maya Angelo stamps. Thanks!
If your name isn’t listed, I didn’t receive them.
Got them today. Looks like they took a zip code detour. Someone at the PO sorted it out for us.
oops! my bad thank you!
Rec’d cards from LisaVollrath-one that say Joy is Within-Cam
& one from MI-Kara & today from Esta Berman-Price
Sandra -from OHIO
Got the first of my return postcards yesterday. It’s from Livia Hajovsky from Ft Worth. Thanks!
I was out of town at the end of September when the postcards were mailed back to us, and when I got home this week I had four creative postcards here to greet me! Thanks so much to fellow swappers Carla P., Corinne Stubson, and Dee Lloyd, and for your card, Lisa. The various techniques you used on your cards are all so interesting and inspiring. Yes, “I love getting art in the mail!”