WIYM: You mailed me WHAT?!?!

Throughout my time on swap-bot I have both sent and received some pretty amazing things. Some of my favorites have been the most unusual things...a 20 oz coke bottle filled with ephemera, a clear postcard, a flip flop, a cat shaped postcard, a large red vines candy container filled with whimsical things (all items I have ACTUALLY mailed or received in the mail!) NONE OF THESE ITEMS WERE MAILED IN BOXES OR IN ENVELOPES. They simply had addresses on them and were thrown in the mail sans packaging material!

So for this swap we will mail our partner 1 item without any traditional packaging that weighs approx 13 oz or less. Below you'll find a few links to give you more ideas. Some I remember seeing included sprinkles, tinsel, a frisbee, and a car wash sponge.

What qualifies? The sky is the limit! In the links below you'll find tons of inspiration. You CAN use a a container (check out the plastic egg one!) You can NOT use a cardboard box. (Think clear plastic jar instead of shoebox.) You do NOT have to use packaging at all. For instance in the links below you'll see they mailed a big plastic ball that they wrote the address directly onto, and when I mailed a flip flop, I simply wrote the address directly onto it as well. (And yes, the next week I mailed the other flip flop, so my best friend had the set!) I once mailed out plastic water bottles that had fake coins, plastic bead necklaces, and a treasure map that included directions to our home, and the time and date of my sons pirate themed party by simply slapping address labels onto the outside of the bottles, then wrapping the labels with packing tape for extra security. There are endless possibilities for this swap, but here are the promised links to jumpstart your thinking!

http://www.giverslog.com/?tag=happy-mail

http://www.buzzfeed.com/michelleporucznik/21-things-youd-be-surprised-you-can-actuall-mu8x#.asJkaLGLe

https://www.pinterest.com/source/giverslog.com/

http://hubpages.com/hub/-Funny-Mail-Crazy-Ways-to-Send-Mail-to-Your-Friends

RECAP: send to 1 partner, 1 item weighing approx 13 oz or less without packaging. Item can not be in a box, and can not be something typically sent through the mail! So no small boxes of chocolates, or store bought shaped postcards please!

Items like these tend to take much longer to travel through the mail system, an average of 9-14 days versus a typical 2-4 days, so please keep that in mind! If you have not received anything after 2 weeks, please contact your partner, and myself. Things get lost sometimes, so please give your partner the benefit of the doubt, and allow them to make it right before rating. I recently received a 1 rating from someone for a package I had mailed on time, but that she never received. Rather than contacting me directly she rated me a 1. We've since connected and it's been corrected but it was a very stressful situation for me, and one I'd never wish on another swapper! Also, If you have any question about whether what you are sending, or what you have received qualifies, please contact me, (PRIOR to rating if this is a received item please!)

Because postal regulations vary in other countries, I feel I must keep this a USA only swap.

If needed I WILL angel this swap, so please join with confidence!