It sure has been heavenly hosting the winter pin swap entitled “Just Fooling Around”.

As of February 1st there were 16 members registered to participate; designing, preparing, sculpting, sewing, and then sending in their precious little creations.

Would you like to know how the swap procedure works at the “host” house?

After deciding on a theme idea, and sending out an invitation to all CDAA members to participate, I eagerly await messages from people who wish to register for the swap. Registration can be done by email or by postal mail. To date, I have only ever received email registrations, but members who do not use computers are still welcome to register by letter or telephone. Registration is very important because it tells me who is interested, and I know how many packages to wait for.

I then send out a sort of unofficial verification to all the registered pin swappers. The ‘verification’ usually takes the form of poems, history, photos, and/or a craft pertaining to the theme. For instance; the summer “At the Sea Side” swappers received a poem and a picture about either mermaids, sailing, or pirates. Later on, because swappers were given all summer long to make their pin dolls, they received a ‘note in a bottle’ reminding them of the “send by” date.

As the pin packages arrive I record who has sent them, how many dolls were sent, and if the return postage is included. The pins go carefully in a specially marked container until all the parcels have arrived, and everything has been noted.

Then I clean off my work table! Each pin swapper’s name, and the number of submitted dolls, is written on a blank sheet of paper, and the papers are laid out on the table. Their dolls are placed on their sheet of paper. Then the swapping begins. One doll is exchanged for another artist’s doll. If two pin dolls have been sent, then the swapper receives two pin dolls back. Each participant will receive as many pin dolls back, as they have sent. Finally, in an effort to exercise fairness to the ultimate degree, I call in my family members, and have them take a fresh look over all the submissions and the trades. You should hear the “Ooo’s” and Aaaahh’s of everyone who gets to look at the little beauties!

When packaging up each person’s trades, I make an effort do it with elegance and colour. Over and over members have expressed their delight in receiving the anticipated packages.

However, the postal official is not quite so amused to see me, once again, arriving with a shopping bag full of many brightly wrapped packages all needing to be weighed and stickered. [That is the reason I ask for a set fee of five dollars — so that this process can be done with greater expediency!]

After all the pin dolls have been sent, I start to get messages that they have reached their destinations. Once everyone has received their parcels, I send out a list to all the swappers, revealing who received whose dolls. Everyone is interested to learn who got the pins that they made.

This time around there are pins coming from Quebec, Ontario, British Columbia, the United States, and Australia. Last summer we had some from Italy too.

It is wonderful fun, but don’t just take my word for it; find out for yourself this summer and participate in the next CDAA Pin Swap!
— Deborah Downey