My friend Teresa hosted the first one and did a great job! She did some research to help her plan the first swap party and found a ton of information about how to run one. We had about 7 girls show up and had a ton of stuff to swap with one another. I can't even imagine all the stuff we could have had if all the girls we invited showed up. I think the amount was perfect for the first one and now that we know what to do, the more the merrier! Come on girls! Go through your house and your closets. What does not fit, is not being used, and you don't want back??? Swap it!
We had books, movies, home decor, shoes, tops, jackets, pants, skirts and accessories to swap. Teresa had a section set up for each category and clothes were sorted by size. It was so organized! We all went through each section together and took turns choosing items in accessories, home decor, and books/movies. The clothes were also done by type but we all went through them together. If we liked it, then we made a pile. If more then one person liked it, then we worked it out ourselves. There were suggestions of a coin toss or getting opinions of who it looked best on from some of the sites, but we didn't end up with too many items being fought over. We are all too sweet for that (wink wink). Then after we were all finished, we sat around and showed everyone what we swapped and found out who it belonged to once before. It was so fun to see something that was collecting dust in your home or closet be so appreciated and excited about by someone else. For me, I left happy not spending a dime, having new-to-me clothes in my closet, and knowing that someone else, that I care about, enjoying things I was no longer putting to good use. What a great concept!
You can do this any time. Seasonally. You can have themed ones. You could do a toy swap for kids. Or a children's clothing swap. The sky is the limit.
Here are some helpful links to plan your Swap Party:
#1 Planet Green
#2 Real Simple
#3 eHow
#4 Recycling Week
#5 wikiHow
