Healing Dolls~Spirit Dolls~Transformative dolls

I love creating healing dolls and would love to exchange the positive energy with some of you within Crafty Witches. For this swap, you will be creating a very special doll for your partner, with a focused intent for healing.

I know this is a very detailed swap... if you have questions, feel free to message me or ask in the comments.

This swap has three components.

1 Once partners are assigned, within 48 hours you will need to send the answers to the questions below to the person who is sending to you.

2 With the information you receive (and will meditate on carefully) from your partner, you will create a healing doll. The only specific instruction I have is that it cannot be a paper doll and it needs to be at least 5" tall. (keep shipping costs in mind)

The medium is up to you and the color and embellishments are up to you. Just bear in mind that you are creating a doll with a focused intention of healing a particular aspect of your partner's life.

You are creating a healing doll and it behooves you to not only read the questions, but to seek out further information-read the profile, read blogs, check out flickr and etsy faves, send messages.... really get a feel for this partner.

Note: this is for all mediums, so if you do not sew, you can still participate.

3 When you ship your precious healing doll to your partner, include a complete description of what you put on their doll-your thoughts, stones, herbs, colors, etc.

I have put together a blog post about healing dolls, so if you would like some reference sites. you can read here. It is a long post, with many links, but I want anyone who is thinking about signing up to really understand what a healing doll can be.

Types of healing dolls: (from Barb Kobe)

• Symbolic—creating a doll that symbolizes what the doll artist feels needs to happen for healing to take place. These dolls provide a way of focusing energy and efforts that are not intrusive. These dolls can be given as a gift or a symbolic prayer.

• Comforting —designed to give comfort, encouragement and support.

• Inspirational – created and given specifically as a source of inspiration, strength, hope, joy and love. These dolls may not be initially created with this specific intention. Many times the dolls, and their stories you create, will be inspirational to others.

Heads up-this requires thought, time, and a projection of positive energy directed toward the doll you are crafting for your partner. I have never done a swap like this, it has always been gifts I made for others or they made for me, but I have always wanted to do a swap like this in this group and I feel that it is time.

If you just want to put together a little dotee or goddess doll, or do something quickly, this is not the right swap. Use those as starting points only. If you want to do a small art doll or pocket healing doll, I'll be glad to set up a private swap for that after this one ends, or you can set up your own group swap. You may be so inspired that your doll ends up being quick, but I just want to set an expectation here.

Recap The three requirements of swap:
* Questionaire within 48 hours of assigned partners
* A healing doll created by you just for your partner
* A note/tag/booklet/some communication describing all you chose to add to the doll.

I hate putting negative energy into this but:

If you do not receive your partner's questionaire within 48 hours, please email (nag) your partner and let me know also. I am putting the questions at the bottom of the swap, so you can go ahead and save them and answer them, to have ready to send. 48 hours is plenty of time to send a message. If you don't send this, you are not meeting swap requirements.

If you have not logged into swap-bot within 5 days of sign-ups unless you have noted an expected absence, I will very sadly ban you. I know not everyone can log in everyday, but this swap is very meaningful to me, and hopefully will be to others, so I am going into Mama Badger mode and be way overprotective.

New Member Requirements apply

I am making this U.S. only, simply because I am terrified that I will feel led to make a humongous doll and then it will cost a gazillion nonexistent dollars to send. This happened to me before-$60 to send an art doll that I created specifically for someone based on her profile. If someone wants to set up an international version, feel free. I feel guilty about it, but the very thought of having to either spend a ton of money or curb my creativity and make a less than inspired doll really upsets me.

The Questions:

1. What parts of your body or spirit do you feel need healing or to be balanced? What will this doll remind you or be a symbol for?

2. What is your spirit seeking at this moment in time?

3. What colors are you drawn to at this moment in time? This doesn't have to be your favorite color, necessarily.

4. What is you favorite color normally?

5. What element best describes you: earth, air, water, or fire?

6. What animal do you most closely identify with?

7. Do you have a favorite song, poem, myth, fairy tale, piece of art or quote that you always think of when times are tough? Why?

8. What symbols or shapes are you drawn to? You use them in art, collect them, or always stop to look when you come across them.

9. Do you have a guardian spirit or angel? Do you see this spirit as male or female?

10. Is there anything else you would like to share with the person creating your healing doll?