It's the first of the month! You know what that means! It's time to share your Snail Mail Collective Packages and link up below! If you're new to the game here's the gist: sign up below to get partnered up with a new friend. Spend two weeks getting to know them through their blog and emails. Send each other a small ($5) but meaningful gift and postcard with an encouraging message through the mail. Write about it and link up with us on the first of every month! That's it! New friends and snail mail? What more could you ask for?! Last month we had 130 people from 30 countries sign up! I can't wait to see the outcome this month! See below for even more info.
Guys, I've been like a child on Christmas Eve teacher waiting for summer vacation (because we all know that's worse) waiting to see all of your SMC posts. I've already seen a few pop up here and there and I can't tell you how excited it makes me! This is such a great way to meet and connect with bloggers from around the world! (I've already found several new blogs through this! Whoop!) And besides, who can say no to some good ol' fashioned snail mail? Sadly, my package hasn't made it to me yet, but I assure you that when it does, I'll be posting all about it!
If you haven't received your package yet either, don't worry. We will be keeping this link up open for the next two weeks so you have plenty of time to come back and link up when it arrives!
And now onto some other really exciting news! The sign up for round two is now open! If you weren't able to sign up the first time, or if you loved it so much that you want to join for another round, you can click the link below and send in your info! In celebration of there still being a little bit of summer left, the theme for August is 'Under the Sea'. Have fun with this one and interpret it any way that you want! This means that I can send the dried squid and anchovies snacks that are popular in Korea right? Who wants to be my partner now?!
Before we get on to the sign up and the rules I was to send a huge thank you to everyone who tweeted, emailed, blogged and generally spread the world about this exchange! Without you guys it would just be me and Melyssa sending weird gifts from Korea and Japan back and forth to each other (which, while I admit that would be awesome, I love that there are so many other excited people taking part with us!) You guys rock and I can't wait to get started on the second round up. So let's get started! Click the link below to sign up for August!
Rules & Information
1. You will be paired with one new person. We will do our best to make sure this person is from a different country, or at the very least, a different area of your country. We will strive for you to make international friends, but it's also nice to get to know the different parts of our own homeland.
2. Each month's gifts will have a theme. The theme for August is "Under the Sea." Get creative! Try to relate it back to your culture, if you can.
3. Each month, we will be taking sign-ups until 22:00PST on the 7th day of the month. After that, the pairings will be posted on our blogs on the 9th or 10th of the month. Please check Lost in Travels or The Nectar Collective to find out who you're paired with.
4. You will have 72 hours to contact your partner (both partners must communicate together). If your partner does not respond within 72 hours, please e-mail Melyssa or Chelsea.
5. You will have about two weeks to get to know your partner. After that time, your gifts must be sent by the 22nd of the month.
6. Gifts: Your present(s) should not total more than $5. We want this project to be affordable for you, so think small, but meaningful. Also, all packages must include a postcard (preferable) or a letter to your partner. Motivate them, tell them all the beautiful things you learned about them this month, and make them feel special! We could all use a little encouragement, especially from our new friends.
7. Once you receive your gifts, we highly encourage you to write a blog post about your experience. Share what you gave, received, and learned through participating in the Snail Mail Collective and meeting your new buddy.
8. On the 1st of each month, we will hold a link-up on our blogs (The Nectar Collective & Lost in Travels) where you can share and link-up your SMC blog posts. This way, you can see how people around the world interpreted the theme, learn about other cultures, and meet even more new friends!
If you have any questions or concerns, please email Melyssa. I will be out of the country on vacation and won't have access to the internet. Poor Melyssa, I'll bring you back some Cambodian goods to make up for it!
*I apologize that I also won't be able to hop around and see all of your posts until after we get back from vacation but I can't wait to read them!
An InLinkz Link-up
