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JUNE: Naked Notebooks! (A mail art challenge!)

Launch gallery slideshow

JUNE: Naked Notebooks!  (A mail art challenge!)
Group:Zines, mail art & other cool stuff
Swap Coordinator:TangleCrafts (contact)
Swap categories: Paper Crafts  Journals  Mail Art 
Number of people in swap:10
Location:International
Type:Type 3: Package or craft
Last day to signup/drop:May 30, 2010
Date items must be sent by:June 21, 2010
Number of swap partners:2
Description:

pic above shows a 'book and letter hybrid' available from MiniatureRhino's Etsy store. This swap was inspired by a couple of things - the 'journaletter', available from @hollycm6 's Etsy Store and a tag offered by @fieldstudio31 for a moleskine cahier embellished with a hand-carved stamp, sent naked. Thanks, both of you, for inadvertently prompting me to host this swap!

Swap description: Naked notebooks!

Okay, so we all love notebooks, right? And as members of this group, I'm guessing we're all quite fond of mail art, too. So this swap is designed to combine two of our favourite things into one fun bundle Γ’β‚¬β€œ can you resist??

  1. Begin with a notebook Γ’β‚¬β€œ you can either make this yourself (see link below, or use an alternative design), or buy something plain, like the small Moleskine Cahier (Muji & Paperchase sell similar notebooks for less). You can use a larger notebook, if you like, but it should not be smaller than 9 x 14cm (the dimensions of the Moleskine cahier).

  2. But the notebook will not be entirely naked, as you will 'dress' it (decorate or embellish) in some way before mailing Γ’β‚¬β€œ doodle a border, print image/s using a hand-carved stamp, collage it, just add some form of personalisation so that it is no longer like something you can buy in a store! (But just adding stickers doesn't count.)

  3. Write a brief note to your partner either on the first or last page of the notebook, or on the inside cover, so they know which swap it is for, and from whom (and anything else you would like to say).

  4. Address the notebook (something to account for when you are personalising it, in step 2!). How you choose to do this is up to you, but make sure the delivery & return address are clear & the postage is secure.

  5. Seal the notebook. Again, how you choose to do this is up to you (and something else to think about a) if you make your own notebook, and b) when you embellish it). Just make sure your partner can unseal the notebook without damaging it!

By the end of the swap, not only will we each have 2 handy new notebooks at our disposal, but they will probably be the coolest notebooks ever, having travelled naked through the mail, and acquiring all sorts of unique stamps & markings in addition to our partners' customisation.

Make your own Moleskine-type Cahier (out of a cereal box) Γ’β‚¬β€œ a tutorial!

**Another tutorial: How to make an easy, fabric-covered notebook** - can you figure out a way to make this mail-able?

Swap requirements

  • 2 partners = 2 naked notebooks sent & 2 naked notebooks received.
  • Notebooks may be handmade or storebought.
  • Minimum notebook size 9 x 14cm, no maximum.
  • Notebooks should contain a minimum of 16 pages. These can be blank, ruled, or squared (etc) at sender's discretion.
  • Notebooks should be decorated, sealed & addressed Γ’β‚¬β€œ no envelopes allowed!
  • Write a brief note to your partner either on the first or last page of the notebook, or on the inside cover.
  • Scan or photograph both sides of your notebook after addressing & before mailing. Hopefully this will not be necessary, but in case any notebooks go missing in transit there will still be some evidence of your work.
  • (optional but advised:) Obtain proof of posting from Post Office (this is free in the UK, not sure about elsewhere).
  • If one of your notebooks fails to arrive within 1 month of date of sending, please ask your partner to provide the the photos of the notebook they sent, and the proof of posting. If they are able to provide this evidence, you must rate a 5 whether you have received the notebook or not (it is not fair to rate your partner down for a delivery problem which they cannot control). If they cannot provide this evidence, a 1 is justified.

The obvious bit
You already had to have a rating of 4.9+ with no recent no-sends, 1s or 3s to join this group anyway, so the same stands for this swap. But I will still double-check before assigning partners, so if you have what you feel is an unfair comment or rating, just PM me & we can try to work it out. :-)

Discussion

hollycm6 04/13/2010 #

Oh, very fun! :)

TangleCrafts 04/14/2010 #

Oh yes! :-D

sunnysidey 04/18/2010 #

Yeah baby! Bring it on!

Vblarney 04/25/2010 #

Um, just a note to USA swappers: the post office isn't required to send anything that isn't in a box or envelope and it's up to them if they want to return it to you or just trash it. Something to keep in mind!

MissThundercat 04/26/2010 #

I'm sure if you seal the notebook propperly with enough postage stamps on it it should arrive to its destination. I really want to do this, but i'll be on holiday from june 13th, so I'm watching for now...

TangleCrafts 04/28/2010 #

You can always mail early, @MissThundercat - partners are assigned end of May :-).

@Vblarney , I think it's worth taking a chance! Weighing & stamping notebooks at home might save some explanations at the Post Office. I'm not in the USA so I guess the zine I send out as a self-mailer doesn't count as an example (but has always been successfully delivered to U.S. addresses) but I think @fieldstudio31 has also had success mailing notebooks previously.

Perhaps if somebody has a notebook returned to them as undeliverable, the swapper could simply then enclose the notebook in an envelope & re-send to their partner, so that the partner still gets a notebook, and sees it has had at least some dealings with the P.O., however far it has or hasn't travelled!

I realise that naked mail can get lost in transit, that's why a requirement of the swap is to scan/photograph your notebook before mailing. But part of the fun of sending naked mail is just the wondering of whether it will arrive/survive or not! This week, I received a painted woodblock from the USA, so anything is possible!

shelleym 05/ 3/2010 #

SO FUN!!!

mousepoo 05/ 8/2010 #

love this idea!

BetsyPreston 05/18/2010 #

Is there really a regulation about the USPS requiring that things be in a box or an envelope? I've never seen any requirement like that, so I'd be very curious to confirm it with a credible source (the Domestic Mail Manual, USPS.com, etc). I'm not being a creep here, I'm genuinely curious.

I've sent all kinds of crazy stuff, much of it to soldiers in Iraq so it had to go over the postal counter with a customs form and be accepted by a postal worker, and I've never run into any regulation that says I couldn't send the stuff. I've done this at 10+ post offices, so I'd be very curious to see confirmation if it wasn't allowed (and then I would promptly ignore the regulation and wait for the post office to enforce it).

QUESTION: can I wrap the book in string or a band of paper or the like to keep it from flapping about like a wounded bird?

MissThundercat 05/20/2010 #

you know what? @TangleCrafts you are totally right! I'm joining it and will be working on it this holiday weekend so i can send it off early :D I don't wanna miss out what has the potential to be an awesome swap!

@BetsyPreston i think you can, it's your choice how to seal the book :)

TangleCrafts 05/22/2010 #

I'm planning to come up with a seal of some description for my notebook, @BetsyPreston , so yes, that's fine!

Yay, @MissThundercat - I'm glad you've decided to join! :-)

Bucket 05/29/2010 #

This sounds excellent - but I'm definitely nervous about figuring out how to seal the book! I'm going to give this a try today and if it works out, I'll join.

As far as postal mail in the US - I once mailed a pop bottle full of items - and I wouldn't exactly call that a box or envelope!

TangleCrafts 05/30/2010 #

You could just wrap the notebook around in criss-crossed string, like a 'traditional' parcel - it doesn't take much, just to stop the notebook opening & the pages flapping about...
But there are so many options, if you think creatively :-)

MissThundercat 06/12/2010 #

they are going in the mail this weekend :) I also wondered how to close the books, but I found the easy solutions of fun masking tape to close it. let's hope it's gonna make it to their destinations unopened :)

MissThundercat 06/29/2010 #

I'm so glad i joined in :D Hope you'll do a second installment soon :)

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