Woo-Woo CHARM swap is on! Details p.3

[LooseyMama]

ETA: Details/guidelines are at the top of page 3. Inspirational links are in this first post (and maybe elsewhere, eventually).

Maybe it's because I'm in PMS week combined with my beloved fairy godmother in steep decline, but I'm feeling a strong need for some woo-woo attention and connection ... and making and giving more woo-woo to a wider variety of folks in return.

I ran across some folks who made charms (like for charm bracelets, though people could use them for zipper pulls, cellphone dangles, bookmarks, pendants, single earrings... whatever), and I thought mayyyyybe the Glitterati would be interested.

My idea is to conduct sort of a hybrid between the annual ornament swap and the non-scheduled woo-woo swaps: make a set number of charms, send them to me to distribute ... but not just an exercise in craft, but spirit, too. Because, for me at least, I really want pieces that people put some *heart* and *spirit* in, not simply craftiness. The woo-woo-ness can be subtle, though: antique buttons from a favorite relative's stash ... colors that remind you of favorite sunsets/oceans/your children's eyes ... a favorite short quote, illustrated ... an inspirational image ... whatever symbolism inspires you. Or certainly, if you're interested in doing something more meaningful and intentionally woo-woo, I am certainly interested in that, too.

For instance, I made a gazillion woo-woo charms for the 2007 Glittercon. They were not only crafty and fun, they were also infused with Reiki energy. Each one was different, each had it's own word (although there were some duplicates, like "Creativity" seemed appropriate for bunches of Glitterati):



Beyond that, here are some links of charms that may or may not inspire you.


So. Anybody interested? I know I don't have time to start making charms for a few weeks at least, but I thought I could post this to guage interest and timing. Whatcha think? We'll set a size limitation, ask for a little cash for return postage, and have everybody tag their own individual pieces so people receiving sorted packages knows who made what ... what other "rules" do we need?
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"Struggle is obsolete." -- my friend Barbara

[milyssa]

o.m.g.

loosey, those links are so cool...they make me want to start making charms right! now!

so i'm totally interested. i'll think about rules and see if anything else comes to mind.
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With all its sham, drudgery, and broken dreams, it is still a beautiful world.

[BlueJedi]

I like this swap! Great idea, and I'd love to make charms too.

[knits]

I've been about making some charms for ages. I'm interested. Depending on the time line and rules I might participate. I think this is a great idea!
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- Lucy Maud Montgomery
Swagbucks.

[LooseyMama]

I'm glad to see there's some interest, and hope others will join us.

A couple years' back, Mr. M commissioned our own honeybee (aka jayne) to make me a series of chakra pendants as a gift. I haven't ever taken the time to photograph them, but she's since then sold one of them, the thousand-petal lotus Crown chakra image, in her etsy shop: (ETA to fix link)
http://www.etsy.com/view_transaction.php?transaction_id=5533063
I imagine that PMC will be out of reach of most of us swappers, but I wanted to share the image, anyway, for inspiration.



As for timelines and rules ... I'd like to wait to see if a few more people sign up before setting anything in stone, but here are my thoughts.

I'm anticipating a mail date at the end of March, but could extend it til later if that's too quick for folks.

Rules:

Make X number, TBA depending on how many sign up and what you all think (I'm thinking, you get however many you send, within reason: I mean, if someone decides to send me 50 and we don't have that many participants, I can't very well make 50 to send back, right?)

Size should be greater than 1/2" square, but less than 1.5" square.

Be aware that if people want to put them onto a charm bracelet, they need to be sturdy. For instance, my little bottle charms pictured at the top probably aren't sturdy enough. UNLESS, of course, everyone agrees that fragility isn't an issue.

Each item must have a jump ring so it can be attached to something.

Each individual item needs to be labelled with your username so we know what came from who ... and I won't want to be making those labels myself.

Each package should be carefully shipped to me and include, say, $4 or so for me to ship the sorted packages back out. If y'all think we want to insure the packages, maybe a bit more.


If anybody else has any ideas about preferences or rules, I'd love to hear them. We haven't had this sort of swap here, so I don't know how closely we should define it at first ... do we want to say silver- or silver-toned metals only? (I vote no.) Any other ideas?

[mooninthetrees]

I haven't done a swap in a while, and I've been a little itching to get back into it. This sounds like a really fun way to do that!

As far as not labeling or having a removeable label- maybe each person could make just one type of charm or charms that are all on a certain theme, and there could be a master list of who had which style or theme? I'd like to see themes involved in some way, whether it's one theme for everyone, or each person is assigned a different theme. But that's just me- and I'd like to be involved either way.
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You can't change the world while you're standing outside of it.

[LooseyMama]

Knits' idea of removable tags was what I had in mind, too.

And mooninthetrees, what are you thinking about in terms of themes? I mean, I guess I was thinking that, this being a woo-woo swap, the theme would be or related to one's spirituality, but were you thinking something more specific, or different? I'd like to hear more, from you, and from others, about your hopes for this project.

Using the word "hopes" reminds me of something that's been on my mind for a few days, anyway ... when Mr. M and I got married, we included in the invitations a slip of paper requesting that guests write down their "hopes, dreams, and prayers" for us, that they could read to us during the ceremony, or simply deliver to us before/at/after the ceremony. (My fairy godmother wrote one and stood to deliver it: As I wait for news of her death, I'm waiting for what feels like the 'right moment' to re-read it. It feels like a talisman for me: knowing I have this piece of her heart's message to mine, waiting to be read again.)
_________________
"Struggle is obsolete." -- my friend Barbara

[mooninthetrees]

For themes, well, I was just thinking that spirituality is such a broad thing, and everyone's is so different, that it might be nice to have direction for it. Well, kind of like you said about how you had people write their hopes, dreams, and prayers- to me, that was sort of a theme. Kind of a "how your spirituality addresses X" thing.

I don't feel like I'm really clear. Am I making any sense?
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You can't change the world while you're standing outside of it.

[LooseyMama]

Okay, maybe we should brainstorm some themes together then.

Here are a few that hold appeal for me in the moment:

Hopes and dreams for the future
Comfort
Nature
Power-greater-than-ourselves/God/-dess/Spirit Guides/whatever
Love (in a spiritual context, as opposed to romantic love)


How do you feel about these, mooninthetrees, and what do other people think?
_________________
"Struggle is obsolete." -- my friend Barbara

[milyssa]

I really like the themes you suggested, Loosey.

However, I also kind of like the idea of each person bringing whatever part of them they wish to share to the table -- not a theme, but whatever is most salient about each person's spirituality at the moment, maybe. For example, right now I'm connecting with comfort, love, and hope, but maybe someone else is experiencing a lot of joy and would send a charm connected with that joy...

I'm not opposed to theme-ing the swap, but that was just a thought I'd had. I'd like to hear from others, too :)
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With all its sham, drudgery, and broken dreams, it is still a beautiful world.

[mooninthetrees]

What about the "theme" being something along the lines of whatever you're feeling/ feeling connected to at the moment, then? I wasn't thinking of a theme in a really limiting sense, more a direction to go in. It's just that spirituality/woo-woo means so many different things to me. . .it can be about feelings, beings, surroundings, yourself, others, religion, ritual- I guess I was just feeling like it was too broad for me to be able to focus. I feel a little better after talking about it some, though.
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You can't change the world while you're standing outside of it.

[SlipperyShade]

I would be interested in this swap but I'd only be able to do it after March, because of the trip...I don't want to rush and try to do something in the 2 weeks left before I leave (especially since there have been no dates set and there's no way to guarantee I'd even have 2 full weeks).

I totally don't want you to wait just on account of me, but if you are just gauging interest, I'd like to if I can!
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[knittykat]

I think I truly must participate if this swap is happening!
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"Fun is where you find it" - jackierocket

[friscajoly]

If the time line works out, I want this to be my first Glitter swap, evar! It is so such a beautiful/ meaningful idea.
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[creativecat]

Oooh this sounds fun! I'm definitely interested in participating. I vote for a longer mail-out date and removable tags on the charms. I don't really want the theme to be too limiting but something like "love" or "peace" seems pretty open.