Mala 1 : Prayer Bead Swap - International

Very creative concept and swap - count me in! E.

So 12 beads to each of 9 partners....9mm....natural materials or polyclay....oooh, this is goona be fun!

Runs to bead box to start sorting

I wonder if the 9 mm figure might be a bit large? My sandalwood mala is made of 6 mm beads....and I'm having a hard time finding the 9 mm!

I've done several searches on thissubject and the malas are beautiful! My only concern is the color and type of beads everyone sends. All the picturs of the ones I found are realted to one color and they are beautiful, all are 6 to 8 mm also. Is this swap color specific?

Miss Princess and Zia - I gave it the 9 mm range as I like the multiples of three in the symbolism and it's also a good size for those of us who are making the beads themselves. Gets a bit tricky to make anything less than 8 mm.

As to the color schematic - I did think about that, which is why the twelve beads must either be all the same or four sets of three. I thought about doing a color themed mala, and no doubt will for Mala 2, and 3, etc. but I wanted this to be free from such restraints. The fun of it will be in seeing what color combinations come in and how you choose to string them.

Regardless of the color beads you receive, you will be able to achieve a balanced looking mala due to the multiple of three :)

I have one mala that is 8 mm beads, and one has 12 mm and yet another that has 4 mm (but is really waaaay too tiny).

Joy

Also, they do not have to be exactly 9 mm - just stick around that. It may be 8.5 or 10 that you find. Go with your heart and it'll be beautiful.

Joy

I really dislike the color purple. Like, really really.

So...uhhhh...yes.

So, is glass considered a natural material, or are we sticking to stone, metal, seeds and wood?

You can handcraft polymer clay beads, fire up some ceramic, buy bone, semi-precious stone, metal or glass.

From the swap outline above. :) The reason I put the info about the natural materials not being allowed is that sometimes customs can be a pain and this is international.

However, yes, glass is totally okay.

How amazing that there are 9 of us!

I meant 19! Sorry. Can't wait to start my Mala!

Oops! I received my first swap today and it was postage due. As a reminder to everyone before they all go out, these can't go regular postage because they are thicker than the new regulations allow and aren't machinable.

Pearlie. Thank you for reminding the group of that. Hopefully your partner will make it right with you. I've had one other person say the same happened to them so far.

Oh, I'm not upset about it, I just wanted people to know so that we don't all have more problems. My mail carrier paid it for me and delivered it in my box because I was gone. So I left him an envelope with the change and some tea. But if I get more of them he just may return them to the post office for me to pick up. just trying to keep things easier....

JoyFound- you have been an excellent coordinator for this swap! Thank you for going the extra steps to make sure everyone receives their beads and for checking in with Inspirazione.

Everyone- Inspirazione is one of my partners and I'm sending her package even though she's had such a drop in ratings. We must be the change we wish to see in the world, right? I know from experience that post can be difficult to and from Brazil, so I'm willing to send my package in hopes that it will inspire all of us to do what we signed up for.

Aloha, Alisa

I just heard from one of my partners that she received my card, but no beads! :(

I closed all of the envelopes with packing tape, so I'm not sure what happened. If anyone else receives envelopes from me without beads, please let me know and I'll replace them right away.

Anyone who hasn't sent their beads out yet--pack them well!

Today I received an envelope with no return sender written on the outside. It was marked MALA BEAD SWAP and the postmark said Rochester, NY. One little corner had been torn open and there was nothing left inside the envelope.

Is the post office "losing" all the beads?!? Watch out for postal workers with beautiful, eclectic malas ;)

Hi to all, I think the mailing problem is that the beads don't go through the sorting machines very well. That is why the envelopes are tearing and no beads arrive. As for the NY posstmark, that is probably from Helen Larkin. Hope this info helps when packing your beads. Have a Great New Year!

What terrible luck you guys are having! I haven't received any yet, now I am concerned. Good news, I have heard back from 4 that I sent out and they arrived fine. Taping the edges is a good idea- if I receive anything with a corner ripped and nothing inside I would complain to my local PO !! Thats terrible. Imagine how pissed the person was who opened it! Beads, just what every thief is looking for! Happy New Year everyone. Marley

Hopefully, the rest of this swap goes well. Thank you everyone for participating and for keeping me abreast of issues as they arise.

Hello Swap Partners, I am returning home tomorrow from a bit of a retreat. My envies are ready to go and will get posted by Tuesday, latest.

My husband tells me I have an empty envelope at home, too.

I have used padded mailers so there shouldn't be any trouble. I'm sending from Canada so hopefully not too slow, I'll do airmail if I can afford the postage.

Thanks, Joy Found, for hosting. Regards to all, E.

I bought my beads yesterday, and my friend Aliyah helped me package them up. I'm really excited to get these mailed off. I hope the postal gods smile upon me.

I've sent all of mine out and received 6 out of 9 of mine which I am temporarily stringing as I get them. They are all beautiful and wonderful. I can't wait to create my real Mala. hugs to all!

I received an envelope WITH BEADS (thank goodness) but I have no idea who sent it.

The beads are wooden, patterned, unstrung and packed in a little baggie. Oddly, there is no postmark. The $.58 USA stamp is pink with a heart design. The envelope was crunched but not torn, and there was no note or anything else enclosed. It arrived postage due, by less than a quarter. (I'm fine with that, by the way. No big deal.)

So. Any ideas?

ahhh... I go one of the mystery white envelopes with the same beads and no postmark too.... hmmm...anyone know who it is?

Just checking in.

After a little sluething, I determined that the mystery beads are probably from http://www.swap-bot.com/member/?id=11226. I left her a message, and asked her to pop over to the swap home page too.

I've received 4 sets of beautiful beads, which jibes pretty well with the number of partners who have marked sent.

Six of my packages have been rated. I don't expect to hear back from one, and I sent a note to the other two recipients.

Two sets of the beads I've received had postal problems. One was returned to the sender and had to be remailed to me. One arrived mangled in a plastic apology bag.

I talked to a staff memeber at my local post office. She says that packages / letters with "bumps" should be taken to the desk and put into the hands of a clerk.

S(he) will weigh it, charge a small surcharge for the non-machinable nature of the item, (even if it is as light or lighter than a regular letter,) and sort it into a seperate bin that indicates it needs to be handled differently than regular mail. These non-machinables really should never mix with regular mail until it's sorted into your mailbox. (Ok -- it probably happens in that final truck, but you get the idea :)

So. It's not just "inadequate" postage that causes them to be thrown in with flat mail -- some of the envelopes APPEAR to be flat, especially when the staff is hurried, and thus get tossed into the wrong bin. Making a point of talking to a real clerk will minimize accidents. Of course, I have a small post office -- it might not be that clear-cut in the wider world.

Wishing you all well,

Renae Marie

I am from NY and sent my beads out awhile ago. (wooden beads), I had ALL my envelopes weighed and made sure the correct postage was on each. If you think you received something from me that was missing something, please let me know and I'll send out more beads and postage. I didn't realize how difficult this swap was going to be. Helen

I did talk to a real clerk. Maybe the problem is on your end, rm.

The above post is true. According to the new regulations if it is more than an 1/4 (or a bump) they are supposed to charge extra for it being non-machinable and considered a parcel not a letter. It's supposed to be hand canceled or it will jam the machines or at the very least rip oen as they pass through. If a clerk let's it go on your end (or if it's put in a box without a clerk catching it) it probably will be caught along the way and end up being postage due or damaged. You can read these new regulations online at USPS.

Maybe this link to Beading 101 with a millimeter size chart will be helpful in any future mala swaps. If anybody has any doubts it can be downloaded, printed and taken to the store to double check the size. I've received some crazy sizes and shapes that don't come anything close to the size stated to make a mala.

http://www.kmversteeg.com/edtec541/final/size.htm

Thanks all for your comments, and the chart link.

Hey Joy, I have received all of my beads...cant wait to assemble my Mala...will send you photos when it is complete. Thanks for running such an interesting swap ! My beads are all so wonderful! Marley