Welcome to The Swapping Crafter

My passion is swapping hand crafted items on line with those who enjoy the same. Recently I have been doing most of my swaps with the other woman from a farming sight. Its been exciting, pleasant, disappointing and eye opening all at once. There is nothing better then receiving a heart felt swap item that someone has put their time, energy , thought and talent into. On the flip side, its highly disappointing when an item is shipped out late or not at all with no regard for the other persons efforts. The ironic observation I have made is that the participants who do not hornor the swaps they have committed to, will continue to sign up for additional swaps if not blocked from doing so. Thus, it is important that you watch the swap boards and what swaps you choose, who is participating and rather or not they have honored their previous commitments. One last warning, do not be fooled by the number of posts or how long the individual has been using a certain sight or board. I have found that in MANY instances some long term users are the biggest offenders. In addition, you have to be able to honor the varying skill level of each individual, and take into consideration that usually one has no control over who they are paired with for each swap. If I sign up for a swap that includes embroidery for instance, I may not be a master at it, but my partner might be. On the other hand, I may be highly skilled at some types of arts and crafts that my partner is not, that the swap may also calls for. I happen to really appreciate the differentials in styles, skill levels and imagination of each piece I have received.

Upfront I must warn you that there is a "wide" range of moral compass in swapping communities, you must be willing to live with the unfortunate reality of getting burnt. However, being willing to accept the risk of getting burnt can be compensated by the over whelming joy that is felt when a swap goes well. For me, honoring my obligations, in a timely manner and creating an item as though the world will see it gives me great pleasure. Thinking of the individual who receive one of my crafted items and doing my best to achieve what I think they will like is satisfying. However, the response one gets from a recipient who truly adores what you have done is even more fulfilling. Now let me say that hand crafted items do not need to be expensive items. I have seen extrema things of beauty made from paper and ink. I believe it is the attitude you create with that gives the end product its charm.

In closing, I invite you all to stop by and check out the swap / craft items I will be posting here. Please feel free to comment or suggest other sights for swapping hand made items.