2016 Art Charm Swap and Beads of Courage Benefit Sign-Ups are Open

2014 charm by Niky Sayers

For several years I have coordinated an art charm swap with people from all over the world  participating. Each year is assigned a specific theme that artists interpret into their charms any way they want. Some of the previous themes include: Play, Laugh, Love, and in 2014, it was Soar. You will see examples from some of our own AJE team members sprinkled throughout this post from that theme. 

This years theme is.... Fairy Tales. I'm actually really excited about this one. 

2014 charm by Lesley Watt

In addition to the fun and exciting charm swap, I decided early on to add a charity auction via ebay, which makes the swap that much more fun. We have raised over $3000 for Beads of Courage through our auctions. Why BOC? Because I love their mission, which is "providing innovative, arts-in-medicine supportive care programs for children coping with serious illness, their families and the health care providers who care for them." Oh, and because BEADS. What's not to love?

2014 Charm by Jenny Davies-Reazor

So how does this art charm swap thing work anyway? First, there are rules to read and the sign-up process to go through. 

Next, each participant makes 10 charms to swap, plus 1 extra to be auctioned off on ebay, which is done through giving works, with 100% of the bid price going to Beads of Courage. 

Then everyone sends their charms into me, and I get to count, sort, separate, and store until all charms arrive by the deadline. 

2014 charm by Sue Kennedy

Once I have all the charms, I lay them all out on my table and swap them in a very un-scientific manner so that every participant ends up with 10 charms from 10 different artists. 

Then I get to package and ship all these charms out across the world. There are usually between 40-50 packages to send. 

But that's not the end. I get to take photos of all the charms for the auction and write up the listings. We have a blog hop about 2-3 weeks after I ship the charms, and the auctions go live close to the same time as the blog hop to help promote the auction and share the charms they made and possibly  show off all the cool charms they got from other artists. 

Once the auction is over, I ship those charms all over the world. 

2014 charm by Jen Cameron

If this sounds like something you would love to participate in, sign-ups are going on right now on my personal blog. Be sure to READ EVERY SINGLE WORD so that you know the procedure for signing up. It isn't difficult, but there can easily be misunderstandings.  Sign-ups end May 9 at 11:59pm. 

2014 charm by Caroline Dewison

FYI~ there are additional ways to raise money for Beads of Courage other than directly donating (although donating directly is definitely appreciated by the organization!). One of those ways is through Amazon Smile. Simply go to this link: http://smile.amazon.com and shop as usual. Make sure you select Beads of Courage as your charity of choice and they will get a small percentage of the money you spend at Amazon.

If you're interested in signing up, here is the link again. Sign-ups end Monday May 9 at 11:59 pm.

How to Host a Charm Exchange

Before I started hosting charm swaps, I hosted fused glass swaps, sometimes it was fused glass ornaments, sometimes it was a 2" or smaller square that recipients could decide what to do with (magnets, jewelry, etc). This is the 4th or 5th year of the annual charm swap and Beads of Courage benefit auction (on ebay starting November 14th). Every year I learn new things and work to streamline the process because it's a big job. 

If you've ever wanted to host an exchange like this, here are a few of my tips and tricks. 

1) write a detailed blog post with enough information that people can make an informed decision. Keep in mind people don't read. They skim. So don't jam pack it with too much info. 

2) I used to have people just put some cash in the package for return shipping when they mail it to me. However, that was a pain. And since you can pay and print shipping labels online, it makes more sense to have them send money via Paypal. 

3) I create a button on Paypal that allows people to choose the domestic or international shipping option. That is how I know they are signing up. For those who don't know you, they may be concerned about sending money that far in advance, but I've never had anyone question it since I started doing it this way. 

4) As each person signs up, I add their name, address, email, and blog link to a google drive spreadsheet. As the swap continues, I indicate on the spreadsheet that I've received their charms, their description of their charms for the ebay auction, and any other important information. 

5) I created a private Facebook group that is only for those in the charm swap to facilitate communication. And also so I can post teaser photos of charms as they arrive.

6) I include documents in the file section of the Facebook group. The documents include: Shipping Instructions, Dates to Remember, Art Charm Guidelines, and Blog Hop and Reveal Guidelines. I refer participants to these documents and ask them to please read them before emailing with questions. 

8) Sorting: I used to gather 10 people into groups and they all got each other's charms. But when someone would drop out, everyone only got to swap with 8 others (because 1 of the charms they get back is always their own). So I changed it where I lay every participant's charms out at the same time. This requires a lot of space! I place a sticky note with each pile of charms. Once I have pulled charms to send that particular person, I remove the sticky note to indicate I've pulled their charms. Doing it this way means they get to swap with 9 other people, and no two people receive the same charms as someone else. 

9) Each person's charms are placed into a quart size ziplock bag, and their name written on the outside. 

10) Shipping inside the U.S.: I order small flat rate boxes (FREE) from the Post Office. Between flat rate boxes and printing the labels online, shipping domestically is a breeze. It is still time consuming, but much better than it could be otherwise. I batch all the chores to make it go more quickly. First I get all the boxes ready. Second I package up the charms, write the name of the recipient on the outside and tape it closed. Third I print all the labels at once. Fourth, I tape all the labels to the correct box. 

11) Shipping international: is so expensive! I use bubble mailers to lower the weight compared to a box and make sure they are wrapped up well in bubble wrap. I do the labels on USPS and print them out there. It saves a little money and is quicker than doing it at the post office. Also, no hand cramp from having to write all that stuff out on the forms. 

Once everything is out my door, I breathe a temporary sigh of relief and then bite my nails waiting for everyone to report that their charms arrived. 

As part of the swap, each participant is required to donate a charm to be auctioned off to benefit Beads of Courage. That task is even more daunting as it requires taking photos of each charm, editing these photos, writing listings, promotion, fielding questions, collecting payments, and then packaging and shipping those charms off. But that's a post for another day. 

2014 Art Charm Swap and Beads of Courage Benefit Auction Sign-ups

2013 charms by Jen Cameron

For the last 5 years or so I've been coordinating an art charm swap with people all over the world. After a couple years I decided I wanted to add a fund raising aspect to it. Because I love the mission of Beads of Courage, and also because BEADS, that is the charity we raise money for.

2013 charms created by Susan Kennedy

Maybe you're wondering how we accomplish raising money by swapping some charms? Simple. Participants are required to send an extra charm in addition to the 10 charms they swap. Then I photograph, edit photos, and write copy for each and every charm to be listed on ebay for a week long auction.

2013 charms created by Caroline Dewison

I invest a LOT of time on this project (much to the chagrin of my family at times), but it's totally worth every minute. Last year we raised $1500 through our charm auctions. The entire amount people bid (minus the additional amount paid for shipping) is donated to Beads of Courage through eBay's Giving Works.

To sign up, you can go to this link on my Glass Addictions blog, read thoroughly, then follow instructions to sign up.

This post has been sprinkled with charms created last year by AJE team members with last year's theme of "love." You can see the rest of the charms from 2013 on the Flickr album I created.

2013 charms created by Lesley Watt

FYI~ there are additional ways to raise money for Beads of Courage other than directly donating. One of those ways is through Amazon Smile. Simply go to this link: http://smile.amazon.com and shop as usual. Make sure you select Beads of Courage as your charity of choice and they will get a small percentage of the money you spend at Amazon.

2013 charms created by Kristi Bowman

Thanks for reading! And if you're interested in signing up to participate in the charm swap and auction, here's the link again. Sign-ups close on September 10th. 

-Jen Cameron

Glass Addictions

Sneak Peek: Benefit Auction for Beads of Courage

It's been mentioned a time or two or three...an art charm swap with an added twist-to raise money for charity.

Basically how it works, is every artisan made 10 charms to swap +1 to auction (some opt to do 20 +2). The theme was "love."

The artisans all send me their boxes of charms, then I sort and ship them out to each participant.

Last year our auction raised $600 for Beads of Courage. My personal goal for this year is $1000...again to go to Beads of Courage. 

The auction will start at 7am EST tomorrow (Friday the 15th). In addition, each participant will blog about the charms they made for the swap. When the auction starts, you will be able to find listings at this link on eBay. Or search seller ID glassaddictions on eBay. I use eBay exactly once a year. So every year I have to relearn how to do everything. 

I would love to show you some of the amazing charms, but that's supposed to be a surprise for tomorrow. You'll just have to be patient. And PLEASE visit the artist blogs (links posted on Glass Addictions tomorrow), visit the auctions, bid high and bid often. It's for the kids. And you get art charms as a bonus! Perfect for hostess gifts, gift wrapping tie-on, ornaments, and jewelry designs. I used some to make wine glass charms last year. And I LOVE them. 

Until tomorrow!

-Jen Cameron

Glass Addictions

2013 Art Charm Exchange

http://glassaddictions.com/2013-art-charm-swap-sign-ups/

It's time to sign up for the annual art charm swap. Last year I included a fund raising aspect to the swap, and we raised $600 for Beads of Courage! We are doing it again this year.

For details (and there are lots of them!), please read the entire post on my blog before signing up.

You can see photos of most of the charms from 2012 here on my Flickr account.

-Jen Cameron

Glass Addictions

Art Charms for Fun and for a great cause

Doing swaps with other artists is really fun, which is why I organize an art charm swap every year. However, last year I decided that in order to participate in the swap, each person needed to send an extra charm to be auctioned off to benefit Beads of Courage.

I love what Beads of Courage does for sick children and their families, and I especially love that they use beads to accomplish their mission. I try to help the organization when I can. 

Last year's charm swap  had about 6 or so participants. Imagine my shock when nearly 50 people signed up this year and every one of them was just as excited to help BoC as to get charms from other talented people. 

Basically how it works is each person made 11 charms. 10 to exchange, 1 to donate. They sent their charms to me for sorting and shipping. Once the deadline had come (and gone!) I sorted, boxed, and shipped. I scheduled to have them picked up from my porch:

Each time I organize a swap, I learn new things to get more organized. Here are a few of those tips:

-add the email of each person to a specific category in your address book as they sign up. I used "2012 charm swap" 

-start a "secret" Facebook group. I want it to be secret so we can share info like addresses, etc that we don't necessarily want the general public to know.

-add files (documents) to the group with the info they need to know. There are docs for blog addresses, shipping instructions, dates to remember, art charm guidelines (what makes an art charm), blog hop and reveal info. 

-use the Facebook group to chat and get to know your fellow swappers. 

The charms I made for this year's swap

-I tried to email info AND post it in the facebook group because not every person checks both places everyday. 

-Be prepared to answer lots of questions because what sounds perfectly fine to you will make no sense whatsoever to others. 

-If in the US, use USPS.com to print labels. That made life SO much easier! 

-Also, use the small flat rate boxes. Again, made life much simpler. And if you do it online, it's about 20 cents less and includes free delivery confirmation.

-People are depending on you, so don't flake out! You don't get to keep all the pretty charms no matter how much you want to. 

-Don't stress out. Remember, this is FUN!

Here's how you can help Beads of Courage...the auction is going on RIGHT NOW. The holiday season is pretty much here and you have lots of shopping to do and things to make. Why not buy handmade art charms? 100% of the purchase price will be donated to Beads of Courage. So everyone wins!

Here is a very small sample of some of the charms available:

Small sign says "break for emergency laugh" by Deb Kauzlarich

Darling bucket and shovel by Shelby Foxwell

Unfortunately my photo of Marsha Neal's charm is not very good. The blog post about the process she used to arrive at this design is very good. See it on her blog

This one by Mallory Hoffman just makes me laugh every single time.

Charm by fellow AJE contributor Kristi Bowman

You will have to visit the auction to see some of the other incredible artwork.

Charm Swap and Auction to Benefit Beads of Courage

Back in August I announced an art charm swap over at Glass Addictions. We've swapped our handmade art charms, most of us has received them back in the mail. Tomorrow is the big day where we reveal what we made, and share why our charms mean "laugh".

The best part is we each created an extra charm to auction off to benefit Beads of Courage. 100% of proceeds will go directly to BOC. This means you can bid and buy some of your favorite charms, so everyone wins!

Here's a sneak peek at what I made:

Have a great week!

Jen Cameron 

Glass Addictions