Here we go again! The infamous RCS Embellishment Box...Round 2. :-) For those of you new to RCS, here's all the info. IMPORTANT: I removed sticker sheets from the allowed embellishments to send to me for your initial contribution. There are so many sticker sheets in the box now that no more would fit. Now, when the box gets to you, if you TAKE OUT a sticker sheet, you may add a sticker sheet. That is the ONLY way stickers can be added into the embellishment box. You may NOT remove other embellishments and replace them with the same value in stickers. The ratio will be 1:1. In other words, if you take out 2 sticker sheets, you may add 2 full sticker sheets (full sheets only). Hopefully that will leave room for more tags and other flat embellishments that won't fit in the little compartments.
Sign up deadline: March 31
Sign up instructions: Please send me an email to bsrdjr AT sbcglobal DOT net. To join, please e-mail me the following information:
- Screen Name:
- Real Name:
- E-Mail address:
- Snail Mail address:
- Phone Number:
Deadline to have your donations to me: April 15 (if I get all donations sooner, the box will go out sooner)
Eligibility: You must be a regular member of RCS for 3 months. Regular member means posting 2-3 times per week for 3 months consecutively.
Initial Contribution Required to Participate: Participants may either mail me $5 worth of embellishments or send me $5 to go buy embellishments. Anyone who desires to send more than the minimum amount is more than welcome to. All items will need to be sorted into baggies. If you're sending fiber or ribbon, having it on a fiber/embroidery floss card would help tremendously!
Items allowed: If I've missed any embellishments that you think should be included, please ask about them. buttons eyelets brads snaps charms beads fibers/ribbon/lace (all trimmed to 1 yard and put in baggies) label holders safety pins tags clips 3D stickers (i.e. Jolee's, etc) letter tiles/charms/beads/etc
Mailing Instructions: I will e-mail my snail-mail address out to all participants after the sign-up deadline. If you join and want to send items sooner, my address is also on the RCS snail-mail list. The box will leave my house within three days of receiving the last contribution or April 17th (whichever comes first). I will try to work out the route so that the box will be sent from you to the next closest person to save postage. It might not always work out that way, but I will try my best. After I ship the box to the first person, I will email all participants letting them know exactly how much the shipping costs will be, that way no one is surprised when they get the box.
When the box reaches you: Take out what you want, but replace the items one-for-one. You do not have to replace an item with an identical item, but let's please try to be fair to the participants at the halfway point and beyond. It doesn't have to be buttons for buttons, just the same number of items. If you take out 10 things (5 brads and 5 eyelets for instance), simply add 10 items to the box, even if it's 10 buttons. If you see there are lots of a particular item such as stickers or buttons, please do not replace what you take out with that type of item. The last person will not be happy with an entire box of stickers or of buttons. Items should be relatively new to the market. Please do not add "old" CM stickers to the box, you would not believe how many of those ended up in the scrapbox, no one wanted them! This is as much about pleasing yourself as it is about making sure that the person that gets the box after you is thrilled that they got it too.
Newgroup Posting Requirements: When you receive the box and take out what you want, please post a note to the newsgroup letting everyone know you have the box. Once you have had a chance to look at it, let the group know what you took out and put in and at the end of that email, let us know who is getting it next. You should also email that person privately. If you don't get an answer to the email within 2 days, you should email the hostess so that she can try calling the person to see what is going on. For all we know her computer might have crashed. The box will need to leave your hands within 3 days of receiving it.
The individual receiving the box next should, if at all possible, answer both the email and the post to say that she is or isn't ready to receive the box. A person that is not ready to receive the box will either be put after the person immediately following them on the list or at the end of the list at the hostesses discretion.
Your Honor and Reputation are at Stake! A swapbox is sent out based upon the honor system. If you do not think you can send it on in a timely manner, please consider sitting it out. You can only keep the box for a maximum of 3 days! Realistically the box should travel from person to person every week - giving 4 days in transit and 3 days in hand.
THE FOLLOWING IS "EXPECTED" OF ALL RCS ROUND ROBIN SWAPS:
There is quite a bit of money invested into our swap boxes, so please do not forget to insure the box and get a tracking number. Should the box be lost in the mail between your house and the next recipient, it will be your responsibility to get the money back through the insurance claim and start the new box.
It is suggested to our hostesses, that the actual swap box used, be sturdy and be able to fit in one of the $8.10 priority boxes (you can put up to 70 lbs in it and we know how quickly an embelishment box can get heavy). If you use the USPS click N Ship service to create the label online, you can get free tracking. Besides the boxes are free (you can even ask for them to be delivered to you by ordering them online) and you can get free pick up of your package by the post office. (With gas prices this will be cheaper for many of you than a trip to and from the post office). You have the choice to pay for postage on-line with your credit card or to simply print out the label without postage and then go to the post office and have them weight the parcel. Either way as long as you do it online at