arimails

1/29/2020: I have been having a lot of problems with my post office lately. Many of my swaps and letters have been returned. I heard that the rate for flats, parcels, and international mail went up 20 to 40 cents so at first I thought it was simply my mistake. However, this has been an everyday occurrence the past few days. I have been swapping for years and I have almost never had problems with postage due. Today I went to check my post office and yet ANOTHER letter was returned, apparently my stamps fell off...I did not get to see what swap it was for, I only know my partners last name was CALHOUN. If this is you, PLEASE MESSAGE ME. I have been trying to find what swap it is for but couldn't find it in my sent/archived (the envelope has cactus stickers and a 70 cent stamp).

I went to ask about the rise in prices and the man at the post office told me that nothing has change so now I am really confused as to why I have been paying so much. Regular size envelopes that I would usually put 2 stamps on now require 6 or more. Perhaps it is my fault but if you have any advice or help please let me know.

I work 9 am to 6 pm so I usually only get to check my PO Box when I am able to leave campus during lunch. I like my Post Office because it is very close to my work and convenient but they are closed on Saturdays which has also been a problem with swap deadlines and post mark dates.Due to these problems I will be changing my PO Box. I will no longer be joining swaps or hosting so as to give enough time to receive/send any that I am already in. Thank you to all my Swap-Bot friends and my apologies for any inconvenience.

Hello! My name is Ari Barron, I am 24 years old. I graduated from UC Santa Barbara with a major in History of Art and Architecture and a minor in Education. I am currently working as a paraprofessional at a local high school in an SDC Language Arts classroom. I also started with a company called the Table Community Foundation which works with the after school program in different areas. I am a permanent at a middle school where I help with academics and clubs. I am loving it there! I really enjoy what I do so I decided to continue my education and receive my teaching credentials. I am going to a teacher's college at the moment and plan to finish within a few years. I have been pretty busy but I am finally on track to start being active on Swap-Bot again and I am so exited.

I joined swap-bot as a way to keep busy and express my creative side! Some other things I love to do is paint- mostly with acrylics and watercolors. I have been working on a project of filling up my wall with paintings, made by myself and by friends. My collection is pretty random with an overall theme of Glow-In-The- Dark. I would love to collect more from any swapbot pals as well!

As an Art History major, I absolutely love art museums, interactive spaces, and innovative ideas in art and technology. I would love to hear from some of my swapbot friends of any experiences or recommendations of awesome places around the world to visit.

I love to penpal and meet new people from all over! I try to make my letters as creative and unique as possible! I wanted to branch out from penpaling so I decided to join swapbot. My penpal account on instagram is the same: ARIMAILS, so feel free to follow me on there.

I absolute love the idea of ATCs, it's like a collection of other peoples artwork from around the world and I think having that is so creative. I have a very large collection of ATCs and am looking for new ways of storing/displaying them, any helpful ideas are appreciated! I mostly do hand-drawn/ hand-painted or collage style ATCs. I put my whole heart into making these and I hope that whoever gets them, enjoys receiving them as much as I enjoyed making them

ATCs that I'm missing in my collection:

I have recently been doing some ATC Coins, which is such a cute twist on regular ATCs. I would love to swap more of these types and start an ATC Coin collection as well!

I have a growing collection of blank postcards, and although I do prefer that they are not written on, I do still love and appreciate receiving postcards from my swapbot friends! I like all types, currently collecting all the different types of Little Mermaid Ariel postcards from Disney's Wonderground Art Gallery. I love love love artsy kinds and space/ underwater types. I also really like Sci-Fi postcards. Vintage/ Retro/ Black and White.

I do not collect any city or state postcards.

I recently started hosting my own jewelry swaps! I have a huge collection of store bought and handmade jewelry and wear some type every day.I have been extremely impressed by all the things I have received from my partners and am so grateful for everything I've learned.

If you are sending to me, I will love anything no matter what but here is a bit more about me: I have my ears pierced and love long dangly earrings. I like wearing simple necklaces. My choker size is about 34 cm. My ring size is 5 1/2. My anklet size is about 26 cm. My bracelet size is about 16 cm.

Music: Foxing, Twenty One Pilots, Pierce the Veil, Brand New, Tame Impala, Citizen, Moose Blood, Post Malone, Turn Over, The Beatles, Lana del Rey, Queen.

Movies: The Lord of the Rings, Star Wars, The Hobbit, Harry Potter, Meet the Robinsons, Toy Story, anything Disney, The Place Beyond the Pines, Drive, Blue Valentine, Coherence, Spider-man, anything Wes Anderson. Chappie, Star Trek, Tusk, Joker, Train to Busan, Climax, Ratatouille.

Shows: Bojack Horseman, Stranger Things, Wilfred, Friends, Game of Thrones, Avatar the Last Airbender, Adventure Time, The Vampire Diaries, Jane the Virgin.

Collect: Postcards, Coins, Stickers, ATCs, Squished Pennies

Books I am currently reading : The Grapes of Wrath, Hunger Games

Languages I am currently learning: Spanish/ Russian/ Japanese

Random: Sharks, Coloring, Art Supplies, Jewelry, Coffee, Blueberry, Baking, Ariel, Stickers, the Ocean, Plants, Nature, Cupcakes, Artwork, Rain, M&Ms, Sea Creatures, Socks, Pocahantas, Poetry, Penpaling, Kawaii things, Blue and Orange, Pears, Tattoos, Hair Dye, Lighthouses, Space. Aliens. Sci-Fi, Halloween, Jewelry, shopping, stamps, ink pads.

I will always send my swaps and I will always rate my partners.

If I haven't rated, it is most likely I haven't checked my PO Box yet or I haven't received the swap yet. I will always private message my partners before rating down. I understand people may get unexpectedly busy or there may be some delays due to the post office that are just out of our control. Although I do appreciate my partner letting me know of any problems ahead of time, I believe everyone deserves a second chance and am always happy to receive a resend.

I ask that if there are ever any concerns with my swaps, my partners message me before rating low. I always try to go above and beyond with my swaps but if my partner ever feels like what I sent is unsatisfactory or never received it, I am always willing to do a resend.

I received a 3 rating for lateness on a swap (Stuff the Mailbox #13- 20 partners). Although my swap was sent out on time, one of my partners swap was postmarked late. After messaging my partner and explaining what may have been the problem, weekends and holidays, my partner believed it to be unfair and so my rating remains.

I received a 3 rating for lateness on a swap (Stuff the Mailbox #17- 20 partners). "What I find interesting" is that it was only from 1 of my 20 partners because they originally claim it was ONE day late. Although I sent them all out at the same time and by the deadline.

A Friendly Reminder: Please make sure to always put enough postage on your packages. I have been receiving a lot of swaps with postage due recently. I am a pretty lenient and understanding person and just ask for others to be considerate. If a partner receives a swap from me with postage due, I will try my best to correct the mistake so please let me know before rating :)