Swaps have been around for awhile, and depending on your hobby, they are the same only changing for the medium or craft or hobby that you have. They are a terrific way to get more scrapbooking done, or card making done or whatever you might choose. The best part is, you get to choose what you participate in, and what you don’t participate in.
Finding swaps is actually fairly easy, since most scrapbooking related message boards have a crop of individuals who love hosting swaps. Finding a swap you want to participate in, might be a bit harder. You need to evaluate your own needs, or find something that you are interested in. I hang out on the forums at my home business site a lot, and have joined in several swaps. My most recent swap, was that of stamping all of the images that came with a particular stamp set, so we can each as demonstrators, create our own book to show off at our classes. It was fun, and I look forward to getting the completed swap back. This worked for me, because it met a need I had; materials for my demonstrations and classes.
I have joined many layout swaps, if they fit themes I will work on. I join only swaps that utilize the products I would use in my own albums. These swaps work best, because you know that the materials are safe and the layouts work well. So why would you want someone else’s layout in your scrapbook?
The point of a swap is to get more of something. Sometimes its products, sometimes its pages, and sometimes it is just the pieces that go on pages. It is a personal choice if you want to join or not, but I promise you’ll be smiling when that package returns to you filled with all sorts of goodies and creations by others.
I have a small stack of layouts from a recent swap sitting in my scrap area. I have already used a couple of them on pages, and I was able to churn out several in a few hours. It made it faster and easier to do.
So what’s the point of a swap? First and foremost, FUN! It’s about having fun, getting to know others, and sharing your own creative work. It’s also about getting stuff back in the swap that you will use. Don’t join a swap if you don’t think you will use whatever is coming back to you. Look for swaps that are in themes you use, or help you accomplish a task you are trying to accomplish.
Do you enjoy swapping with others?
Nicole Humphrey writes articles for the Scrapbooking Blog and for the Frugal Blog. She also guest blogs on a variety of topics. You can read more of her articles by clicking here.
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