Friday, March 23, 2012

Mini Go Round Swapping Group

Mini Go Round or MGR for short is the name of a private swapping group I am so fortunate to belong to. This is a group of the most amazing miniature creators. I've recieved 100's of miniature creations from these ladies over the course of approx. the last 10 years. I've filled my roomboxes with so many creations that I wouldn't have if it weren't for these ladies. I can't sing thier praises enough.

I'll share some pictures in a few minutes. In my last post I showed you a wicker plant stand that I made one time for all of the ladies in the group. I made 10 or 11 of them. One for each of the ladies and one for myself. That's how the group works. We have a box of swaps. When the box arrives at my house I put in enough of what I've made so that each lady in the group recieves one. I then take out one "gift" from each of the ladies that they've put in the box. Then I mail it on to the next lady in the group. She in turn does the same. Adds her miniatures, one for each of the ladies and then takes one from each of the others, including one of what I have just put in. It's an interesting adventure!

Sometimes we have themes that we create for. Such as the project we all worked on together, the Little Girls roombox. We all made things along that theme, things you'd find in a little girls room. We were so happy with the way that turned out that we submitted pictures and articles for the American Miniaturist Magazine, the April issue. If you get that magazine you'll see us in there. Jaime and I also have some really cool tutorials we wrote for the mag. I think this is the 4th time we've been in the AM magazine. We've done an article on a basement theme we did and also a Ladies Boutique theme.

The reason I'm talking a bit more about this group than I usually do is twofold. one because I'm so dang proud of these ladies. And two is because we have had a couple of ladies leave the group because of health reasons. We really like to keep the group at the number 10. That seems to be a nice number for a few reasons. It means the box usually take approx 2 - 3 months to make it's travel back to you so you have plenty of time to make a nice miniature for each of the ladies. And it makes a nice number of miniature creations to receive!

So I'm wondering if maybe there are a couple of people out there that might like to give this venture a try? If you'd like to know more about us you can read all about us in the American Miniaturist magazine. We have been together for about 10 years. We very seldom add new members because no one usually ever leaves. Right now we've had one member leave because she has health problems that she has to concentrate on and another lady is taking care of her elderly mother and needs to take a break to concentrate on her mothers care.

I realize that this is a big commitment. It shouldn't be entered into lightly. The group means a lot to all of us and we've worked hard to keep it strong. We would expect that from a new member too. We put a lot of time and pride into making miniatures to share. That's a big commitment too.

And also one requirement would be that you're located in the United States. The box can not be sent out of the country. It would be too expensive as it is a large box. Usually the larger of the priority boxes. Shipping cost can be anywhere from $8.00 to.... I've seen it as high as $21.00. It usually averages about $12.00 to be mailed. Another thought that needs to be considered. But trust me....the minis inside more than make up for the small cost to mail it! And you only mail it out a few times a year.

If this sounds like a challenge that you may be up to please feel free to contact me privately and I'll try to answer any questions you may have. My email is clpetry126@frontiernet.net

I can't wait to hear from some potential future MGR members.

And now some pictures of MGR members contributions.






Everything you see in these pictures was handcrafted by the ladies in the MGR group. They are awesome! Thank you ladies! In fact most everything you see in my Ladies Boutique and Little Girls Roomboxes were made bymembers of the group. If you look down thru my blog posts you'll see pictures of these roomboxes. I think you can click on the link on the right where my entry labels are to get there too.

2 comments:

  1. When I buy materials for a project I always end up with too much. What a great way to share your creations and get something unique at the same time.

    I'm sorry to hear about you all losing two ladies recently, especially considering the reasons. You will be able to find interested parties without issue, I'm certain.

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  2. This really sounds like fun! If I understand correctly, you make 10 miniatures and add them to the box when you receive it? Then you take out 10 different things that the others made and mail it on? Wow. That's a lot of mini gifts!
    If there is still an opening, I would love to join!
    Please email me. :D
    Thanks,
    Kathi

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