Christmas In July – Gift Exchange Signups!

What it is:

An exchange of handmade gifts between participants who will be matched at random.  You will have the opportunity to communicate and exchange addresses and preferences prior to sending your gifts – so it’s not a true “secret” Santa exchange, though it will give you the opportunity to meet another person who enjoys and appreciates handmade gifts!

Who can participate:

Sign-ups are open to US and Canadian readers.  I am sorry to have to exclude anyone else but the vast majority of my readers are in those two countries, and to keep shipping simple and economical, I have to set the guidelines somewhere.  Please specify if you cannot ship over the border and I will match you domestically if I am able to.  You do NOT have to have a blog in order to participate – but I do need a way to reach you easily!  I won’t spam you, I promise, so make sure you provide an email address that you check regularly.  I will only share your email address with your exchange partner, and I will only message you for event-related news and questions.

What you’re committing to:

Sending a shipment that is primarily made by you, to a partner you will be matched up with at random.    If you sign up, follow through.  Getting a package in the mail is so much fun!  But while you have a chance to really make someone’s day, you also have the opportunity to really let someone down if you bail on them – especially if you accept their gift without sending one in return.  If something comes up and you can no longer participate (hey – life happens, I know), please notify me AND your partner as soon as possible so that another match can be made.  

Guidelines for your gift:

You and your partner may agree on any guidelines you like, however, I will provide a starting point so that everyone begins with similar expectations.

• The value of your gift should be at least $10.  You do not need to spend that much (we all know DIY-ers know how to stretch a buck!) but the value of your gift should be at least that much.  Confirm the value with your partner when you find out who it is – the two of you may want to think bigger or smaller – just make sure you’re on the same page.  It’s kind of crappy if one person sews an awesome handbag, and  the other person sends a card and a candy bar.  There’s nothing wrong with keeping it simple, but your exchange should be even. :)
• To keep everything happening around the same time, the shipping deadline will be July 13, but you may certainly ship earlier!  In fact, there will be a special link party to show off your goodies starting on July 9!
• When you get the email address of your exchange partner, ask questions of each other.  Do they have allergies?  What’s their favorite color?  Do they despise chocolate?  Love penguins?  Find out what sorts of things they enjoy creating.  If you find that you normally make the same things, consider sending supplies or products you love instead! After all, it’s not as much fun to receive a pair of crochet slippers if you have a shop that sells crochet slippers… but some new patterns or a stitch marker might be appreciated!
• Most of all, this is supposed to be lighthearted and fun, so enjoy it!  It’s like a giveaway, where we all get a prize!

Sign-ups are now closed.  We have over 50 people working on handmade gifts to exchange!

Sponsors of Happy Hour’s Christmas in July Celebration: