Collaborative Moleskine Swap, Group 8
Thanks very much to potbellyarts who did all of the hard work on putting together the details and information.I've used her write-up here... and I've borrowed this from Sal... as well as info I added in for the G7 -- Thanks everyone! 
The Details:
First mail-by date: February 1, 2012
Subsequent mail-by dates: Mar 1, Apr 1, May 1, June 1, July 1, Aug 1, and Oct1, 2012. Mark your calendar NOW!
Due back in hand: Late September/Early October, 2012
# of Participants: 8
Sign up by: ASAP
Withdraw by: WITHDRAWALS NOT ALLOWED after October 31, 2011
Materials required: One blank Moleskine JAPANESE pocket album. Size is roughly 3.5" x 5.5". Find on Amazon here. Find at MoleskineUS here.
You're responsible for: Choosing and explaining your theme. Creating a four (4) page spread (3+ pages in some cases) in each journal you receive. Shipping to the next artist participant. Paying for First Class mail and MANDATORY tracking/Delivery Confirmation.
Theme: Artist's choice. You may choose "No theme" if you want participants to "follow their muse."
Mediums: P&P mediums only
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PARTICIPANTS & THEMES
1. BlueEclipse - "The Book of Elven"
2. Skyjules - "Sea Bed - Ocean Floor"
3. Langelbleu - "Rainbow of Delight"
4. nzflutterby - “People of the Village”
5. Grrrdjules - "In the Kitchen"
6. HeavenPhoenix - "My Chemical Romance"
7. Waterblossoms - "El Dia De Los Muertos"
8. Catpratt - "Undersea Caves"
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TRAVEL PLANS
Please note that the order of mailing will differ for each journal. Yes, this is absolutely more confusing than mailing to the same artist after each round of creating. The reasons behind jostling the order of mailing are (1) To keep the swap lively and challenging, by changing the person you're "working toward" in each round; and (2) To balance shipping costs across all participants, so no one player ships ONLY internationally to the next player in each round. Once sign-ups are complete, I'll create a "Travel Plan" master list, and distribute it to players via PM.
RED = RECEIVED/ACTIVE. Received journal, and/or actively working on pages.
GREEN = TRAVELING. Journal en route to next player.
BLUE = FINISHED. Journal arrived to next player on travel plan / completed.
1. BlueEclipse > Skyjules > Langelbleu > Nzflutterby > Grrrdjules > HeavenPhoenix > Waterblossoms > Catpratt
2. Skyjules > Nzflutterby > Catpratt > HeavenPhoenix > Langelbleu > BlueEclipse > Grrrdjules > Waterblossoms
3. Langelbleu > Catpratt > Grrrdjules > Skyjules > Waterblossoms > Nzflutterby > BlueEclipse > HeavenPhoenix
4. Nzflutterby > HeavenPhoenix > Skyjules > Catpratt > BlueEclipse > Waterblossoms > Langelbleu > Grrrdjules
5. Grrrdjules > Langelbleu > Waterblossoms > BlueEclipse > Catpratt > Skyjules > HeavenPhoenix > Nzflutterby
6. HeavenPhoenix > BlueEclipse > Nzflutterby > Waterblossoms > Skyjules > Grrrdjules > Catpratt > Langelbleu
7. Waterblossoms > Grrrdjules > BlueEclipse > Langelbleu > Heavenphoenix > Catpratt > Nzflutterby > Skyjules
8. Catpratt > Waterblossoms > HeavenPhoenix > Grrrdjules > Nzflutterby > Langelbleu > Skyjules > BlueEclipse
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REQUIREMENTS
Because this swap requires a huge, very long-term commitment of time and resources, and because it is absolute heartbreak when a journal goes missing (unfortunately, it happens), there are special requirements for participation in a swap of this type. You must:- Be an actively trading iATC member (defined as: positive iTrader across 2 swaps in the last 3 months)
- Have 3+ months in good standing (no neutrals or negative iTraders)
- Have an iTrader rating of 25+
- Be willing and able to do your very best work on a strict, inflexible time line, over a long period
- Be willing and able to complete four (4) 3x5 journal pages in the themes chosen by your fellow participants
- Have the cash resources necessary to ship eight journals around the world using First Class mail with mandatory tracking
Note: AFA members of iATCs can use their AFA stats to fulfill these requirements.
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NEED TO KNOW
- When finished, each journal will be full!
- All page elements must be flat (or mostly flat.) Nothing hanging off the edges either, please.
- A Round Robin of this type is time consuming and not inexpensive, and requires your very best work. So please be absolutely certain you have both the resource of time, and the resource of cash, to participate through approximately October 2011, before signing up.
-Once you've committed, withdrawals are not allowed after October 31, 2011.
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HOW TO JOIN
Just post to this thread! Slots will fill in a first-come, first-served fashion. In your initial sign-up post:- Please indicate where you live, so that I can map out a route for your journal which aims to keep shipping costs low.
- Please indicate your chosen theme. I encourage you to post at length about your theme when you sign up. Discuss color palettes and subject matter. Include photos or links if you'd like to direct participants with even more specificity. I'll create a link to your theme description in the Participant list, for easy future reference.
- Please send me your address and telephone numbers. I'll be creating a mailing list of swap participants which I'll distribute via PM.
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SWAP GUIDELINES
ARTIST INSTRUCTIONS
- Purchase a blank Moleskine JAPANESE pocket album. Size is roughly 3.5" x 5.5". Find on Amazon here.
- Decorate the covers, if you choose. This may be completed either before or after the journal travels through the rotation. Some prefer to decorate before, to establish theme, palette, and mood. Some prefer to decorate after, to prevent damage to cover art. You decide!
- Please include: (1) Your real name and address; (2) your username; (3) your assigned "travel-plan" (see below); (4) a sign-in area for artists; and (5) any special instructions; in the opening pages of your book -- which you should also decorate. These first pages are a great place to establish tone, mood, theme, and/or color scheme for your journal. If you want players to decorate their four pages consecutively, be sure to specify that. If you prefer they break their four pages up across the accordion pages of your Moleskine, let them know that, too. You get to set the guidelines for your own journal. So use your first pages to do just that!
- In addition to decorating your opening, informational pages, please create at least one, 2-page spread in your own Moleskine journal. Yet another opportunity to establish theme.
- Reminder: All artists are to create pages according to their iATCs membership (P&P only in this case)
- Be sure to "fix" your art well, to prevent smudging. Allow plenty of time for drying before shipping. Wax paper between pages is a great idea.
- Please communicate regularly via email, PM, or preferably, in this thread, whenever you have (1) received or (2) shipped a book. Include tracking numbers. We're all investing a huge amount of time, talent, and care in this project, and we want to see everyone's Moleskine journal home safely.
- Most important: Be creative, do your very best work, stretch yourself, and have a blast!
SHIPPING INSTRUCTIONS
- From the date a journal is received, each artist will have about three weeks before the journal is due in the hands of the next artist on the "travel plan." The mail-by date, every month, is the 1st. Please watch your timeframe carefully and think in terms of "mail by" dates in your planning; I'm going to be a stickler on timing. (If the 1st is a weekend or holiday, the next business day will be fine.)
- Please be extra considerate when mailing to international participants; it will take longer for them to receive the journal you sent, cutting into their creating time. If you can ship sooner than the 1st and the artist is ready to receive from you, or if you can expedite delivery by using Priority or Express mail options, please do so, as a courtesy.
- If, on the 1st of the month, the person you are about to mail to is behind schedule and still has an unfinished journal in hand -- naughty, naughty! -- skip that person, and send your in-hand Moleskine to the next person in your "travel plan" instead, so no backlog with any one participant is created. Then, PM the swap host to determine next steps.
- When the "travel plan" for each journal is complete, the journal will return to its original owner. I'd like to wrap this swap up on time, by late October or early November 2012.
- Please do not use Media Mail instead of First Class mail. It typically takes longer in transit, and might mess up our timeline. First Class mail is mandatory. Delivery Confirmation/tracking is mandatory. Priority (expedited) Mail is recommended, but optional.
- Remember to pack your journal carefully (use a box or bubble mailer,) but also, to keep your parcel as small and light as possible, to minimize shipping charges. Please reuse/recycle packaging whenever possible. This means opening those boxes and envelopes carefully. Thanks!
- For US residents, an FYI: The USPS Priority Mail "Small Flat Rate Box" ships for $4.95 to anywhere in the US, at any weight up to 70 lbs., and is plenty large enough to accommodate our Japanese Moleskine journal. Bonus: These boxes are FREE at any Postal Service location. And Priority Mail shipping takes just 2-3 days, domestically.
- G8 Shipping Instructions: Any tracking under $5 we all pay for but if it goes across an international border and raises the cost (and you want to keep your own journal safe through it's travels), it will be completely up to you to send your own funds, whether it's cash or PayPal to the person who has to ship it out. Otherwise it goes without tracking across the borders. Just remember to reimburse players within 5-7 days. This method worked really well for the G7, and will continue to use it for the G8.
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JUST FOR FUN
Here, some examples of what Japanese Moleskine journals look like with art inside. Fantastic!
http://moleskinex12.blogspot.com/
http://moleskinex46.blogspot.com/
http://moleskinex70.blogspot.com/
http://moleskinex61.blogspot.com/
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[Credit and thanks to AFA's Japanese Moleskine swap for designing swap guidelines worth adopting. I've borrowed heavily from their experience and suggestions.]
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G8: P&P Moleskine Feb 2012 - Sept 2012
Originally Posted by BlueEclipse
I am loving what you are all thinking...
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