Lilypad Letters Swap {June} ... sign up here !!!

Hey everyone! There has been some interest in getting a pocket letter type of swap going here at the Pad. These are fun swaps that combine the concepts of snail mail/pen pal and scrapping into one. @jenevang started this a few years back and it was really fun! Let's see if there is enough interest to get it going again, shall we?

If you are interested in participating in a Lilypad Letter Swap, post here in this thread with your choice of one of June's themes. I'll keep the sign ups open until June 9th and pair people up by preferred theme on June 10th. You will have until June 30th to get your Lilypad Letter out to your partner.

Themes for June Lilypad Letters are:
Summertime & Travel
Girl Power & Women's Strength (think M3 for May!)
Any Theme! (This theme allows you and your partner to create anything you desire. You and your partner can pick a theme together or you can agree to surprise each other!)

Here are a few that were done here at The Lilypad in the past:


If you are not sure what this is all about, Jen did all the hard work of explaining the concept but since some of the links are old and not valid anymore, I'm going to copy and paste from her original thread:

This is a recent phenomenon that many of you are already aware of. It is inspired by Pocket Letters, created by Janette Lane. You can find her website here and it gives a lot of information about the original idea and many examples. Also search Pinterest and Google for more ideas/examples.

Basically, the idea is a Snail Mail Swap between TWO swappers only (at a time). The pages will all be the same size. We will be using 9 Pocket Page Protectors (8.5 x 11 in). These are Trading Card (or baseball card) Pocket pages similar to this:



They can be purchased from Amazon (above) or from most stores that sell office supplies (Wal-Mart, Target, Staples, etc)

And they fit in standard 3 ring binders like this, that can also be found just about anywhere and can be customized to look super cool.



Once you have your pocket protector, you get to fill it up with awesomeness and send it to someone else in exchange for a work of art created by them! How cool is that? Here are some more specifics for you in the form of FAQ.

1. What do I use to fill my Lilypad Letter?
You will fill each pocket with paper/cards and goodies. My suggestion is that you start with a background. For example, you can use any of the incredible variety of Journal Cards from right here at The Lilypad, cut them down to size (2.5 x 3.5 in) and slip them in.

Or you can print some Paper or use paper you already have, cut it up and slip it in as your "background".

Once you have your background, you can start adding the fun stuff to some (or all) of the pockets. Here are a FEW ideas although once you see some inspiration you will think of an endless number of goodies to add.

a. Die-Cuts, ephemera, tags, alphas or Elements!
b. Small office supplies like paper clips (altered to be super fun perhaps?)
c. Scatter (a fun chance to get out your sewing machine or fuse tool)
d. Stickers
e. Sticky Notes
f. Quotes
g. Gemstones, small beads or buttons
h. Tickets/receipts
i. Ribbon/string
j. Lace or doilies
k. Washi tape card
l. Tea bag, gum or candy (wrapped of course)
m. Paper dolls, Vintage pattern art

SEE... anything goes. It just needs to fit in the pockets and be flat enough to fold and ship.

2. Why is it called a Letter?
Each Lilypad Letter needs to include something about YOU tucked into one of the pockets. This will be a letter or a short note sharing a bit about yourself. It doesn't need to be any deep, dark secrets (in fact, I would not advise that). But it does need to tell something about yourself, in your own handwriting. Maybe another hobby, a bit about your home life/home town. Just some way for us to connect a bit more with one another!

3. What does it cost?
There is NO cost from The Lilypad. The cost of participating is just what you spend creating your page... and honestly it can be done with things you have on hand for the most part... and the cost of Shipping.

4. Can Internationals participate?
ABSOLUTELY. Everyone is welcome. However, it is a teeny bit more expensive to ship internationally so it that is a significant concern for you, please just indicate that you prefer Domestic Only when you sign up. No biggie.

5. Do I decorate the back?
It's up to you what you do with the back, but an easy way to make sure the back is as pretty as the front is to put patterned paper there as well. Or get creative... there are so many options.

6. What about my Personal Information?
You will be exchanging that with your partner ONLY. Please do not post any addresses, etc. in the public forum for your own protection. Once you are paired with a partner, you are free to PM or e-mail each other with updates/questions/addresses, etc.

7. How do I ship these?
The easiest way is to fold them 3 ways (top down and bottom up) so they fit nicely in a smaller envelope.

8. Can I use Mixed Media?
YES! COOL! PLEASE! LOL. If you are a painter, paint. A scrapper, scrap. A zentangler, zentangle. You get the idea. Make it all your own!

9. Is there a TLP requirement?
These Letters will include all kinds of goodies, as mentioned above. However, TLP product must make up at least 75% of any digital products used.

Also, we really want to see these! So, please snap a photo of your Lilypad Letter before you send it if possible and once your partner receives it, please upload the image (with credits) to The Lilypad gallery. Just be sure to wait to post it until you know your partner received your letter, so you don't spoil their surprise!

 

Hey Rikki - I think you could make them digi and just print - but then include a trinket or two in the pockets along with your letter? The letter could be digi too!

 

I am going to sign up for Summer time & Travel theme!

 

Yay Lisa! Please ask if you have any questions.

It's kind of like sending a pretty scrapbook package to a friend. You scrap mini pocket sized pages (or cards to fit in the pockets). You write a little note/letter. Add some fun little bits to make the package special. And like @scarletsierra said - it's just an awesome way to connect with others in this community. I did just two of them the last time we organized these swaps and I can tell you it was amazing to receive these pieces of art from TLP friends and just as rewarding to put them together!

Here's my Pinterest board in case you want to check it out. You can truly do this in any style of scraping that appeals to you: mixed media, clean and simple, vintage, clustered and layered.

 

I'm so excited that so many of you are interested in doing this!