Last year, I coordinated a series of postal mailings that allowed and rewarded social distancing while also supporting the use of the USPS. We called in Dearest Confinement Friends, because that’s what we were and are, many of us sending letters to friends that we just hadn’t met yet in person. Then came the annual Holiday Card Exchange (our 20th year!!! pardon me while I crumble into dust), and we also did a book exchange in the spirit of Iceland’s Jolabokaflod (which was AHMAHZING).
Now my big camp counselor brain just can’t quit.
These dark winter months are always a struggle for me, so I try to view January as a time for renewal, for self-care and self-expression. It’s no coincidence that I took my very first pottery class in January. It’s not a lark that I always plan Weetacon for March so that I can spend January and February plotting and coordinating. My hands get itchy, and I’m willing to bet that I’m not the only one.
Enter the newest greatest thing to get us through this perpetual pandemic of doom — the Dearest Confinement Friends 2021: Make and Send!
Here’s the deal — by signing up for the Dearest Confinement Friends Make and Send, you’ll agree to create physical expressions of your creativity and send it to up to ten people. And they’re going to send things they made to you. That’s it. That’s the entirety of the project. Make up to ten things. Send them out to the addresses you’ll be provided, and you’ll get that many things back from the people you sent to.
What do you send? That’s the beauty of this. You do you. Are you a knitter? Cool, make hats! Do you crochet? How about a crocheted coffee cup cozy? Are you a sketch artist? Neat — sketch away! Are you a photographer? AWESOME — do a photography project! Do you always wish you had more time to draw? Draw a comic inspired by their most recent social media post! Or paint a watercolor postcard!
Not sure what to send? Can’t art? This is all about your comfort zone — the point is to Make and Send. It doesn’t have to be worthy of the Smithsonian — it just should be handmade by YOU. Here are some other suggestions:
- Color in a mandala or make a Zentangle
- Create friendship bracelets
- Bead a necklace or build wire rings
- Make pompom bookmarks
- Design glass pebble magnets
- Glitter pencils!
- Whatever thing you do that is amazing!
Are you ready to do this in 2021? ME TOO! Let’s go!
First step: Sign up for the exchange here. By signing up, you’ll be paired with up to ten other people after Feb 1. That’s it. That’s the first step! Unlike the previous exchanges, this will be limited to small groups of ten people or fewer, because I want us to be purposeful and focus on the making of each thing rather than becoming an Art Factory. But if this works out, we’ll do it again later in the year, so there will be more opportunities to create! The sign ups will be open until January 31. To reiterate, as many people as want to join can sign up and then I’ll split everyone into manageable Make and Send groupings so that the MOST you’ll send to is ten people (but it could be fewer).
Second step: I’ll send out the addresses by Feb 4th and you can focus on making your art for your recipients (and they will be doing that for you too). Ideally you should finish all of your art pieces and send them by March 15th, so keep that in mind for planning your project time.
Tips for success in making and sending:
- When deciding what you’re going to work on, make a project timeline and compare it against your own schedule for the upcoming weeks to make sure you have enough time before committing to supply purchases, etc. This is especially important if you are making things that need time to dry, cure or process.
- Your Make and Send pieces must be able to be sent through the mail safely, so it must heed all of the USPS shipping requirements. If you’re not sure what can be sent through the mail, there’s a whole list of things here.
- If your item fits in a standard envelope, it may require more postage if it weighs more than an ounce (which is the limit for a standard USPS forever stamp).
- Your project plan should include some concept for how you’ll package stuff too. For instance, it would be very sad for someone to get a package of broken pottery or a wax candle that melted when sent to someone in a warm climate (which in theory shouldn’t happen if you send by March 15 but who knows with climate change weirdness).
- If you know already that you’re going to make something that needs specific supplies, order them right away since there have been many pandemic-related delays in the supply chain that could impact you.
Got questions? Hit me up here, Twitter, FB or at weetabix blah blah gmail etc.
Let’s make 2021 ahmahzing!!!
