Did You Like Our "Stranger Exchange?"

Did you have fun playing the Stranger Exchange? 

I totally stole the idea from Danni and her adorable blog: Oh, hello friend: you are loved. 

She did a package exchange project in 2009 and 2010. And here we go again:

This is so much fun. Check it out if you think you might be interested.

Mailmale (and the Stranger Exchange)

Huh? I wonder why they never called the Postman a "Mailmale." Same thing right? Nuggets of wisdom-this and more, from your friends at The Collect Collective. 

With that being said, we are recruiting for the big "Stranger Exchange," our quarterly pen pal project. Everyone is welcome to participate. Here is the deal; you are paired up via our pen pal network, with a stranger. You and your exchange partner trade information and a list of 5 things you collect (or would like to start collecting). Then you have a month to put together a package for your stranger. Spending $10 to $15 (before shipping) you will put together a parcel of awesomeness, wrap it up nice and mail it out. Then sit back and wait for your own sweet surprise to arrive!

Everyone is invited to play.

Send us a message or post a comment saying you want in. We are looking for participants through August. You will be given your partner September 1st. Our packages will ship by October.

Announcing: Round 2 of The Stranger Exchange!

Attention Collectors,
Do you like the mail? Do you love collecting stuff? How would you like to get involved with a interactive mail art project involving strangers and collections? We are recruiting for the second coming of The Stranger Exchange!

The Stranger Exchange is a pen pal network set up to connect fellow collectors.You will be paired with a stranger who has similar collections or likes. The two of you will exchange information, a few notes and tidbits and eventually a package!

All you need to do to be involved in The Stranger Exchange is email us your Name, Email Address, Snail Mail Address and A list of 5 things you collect (or would like to collect). Everyone is welcome to participate. There is no discrimination. If your next door neighbor, grandma, grocery store bagger or cribbage partner want to play to, that's cool! Send 'em on over.

We will be recruiting for participants through the month of August. You will be given your partner on September first and your packages should be sent by the end of September. We are all really looking forward to this next round. If you have any questions or concerns, feel free to ask. If you follow the stranger exchange links posted above, you will see other blog postings/photographs of the last exchange.

Happy Collecting!
Love, The Collect Collective

The Stranger Exchange (Photos)

A few months ago, we began a project called The Stranger Exchange! We paired up complete strangers, who after becoming pen pals, mailed each other some really stunning packages! See what some of the Stranger Exchangers received:

 Each participant was paired up with a total stranger. We exchanged lists of 5 things we liked to collect. We were given a month deadline and a budget of $10-$15 (before postage). It was such a blast treasure hunting for our pen pals. And to top it all off we tried to package everything with extra thought and love. If you or someone you know wants to excchange with us in the fall (September/October) send an email or leave a comment below.

Thank you to: Lea, Shandra, Alison, Jenna, Laurel, Nancy, Erin, Tess, Maggie, Cheryl, Carissa, Jara, Ariel, Kaitlyn, Amanda, Jess and Liz!

Stranger Exchange

A few months back, we created a network that connected strangers with similar interests in collecting. It paired up these common souls via email. They exchanged information and a short list of things they liked or collected. The end result was a package sent and received. Twenty people exchanged packages! We've decided to make this a quarterly event. Almost everyone who exchanged in the last round has asked to participate again. If you, or anyone you know is interested let us know! In the next few days we will be posting some images of "Stranger Exchanged" packages.