♥ Message in a Bottle - Valentine's Theme

For this swap, you will use a clear plastic water or juice bottle, around 16 or 20 oz sized. Make sure it is clean and DRY before putting anything inside.

Then write a letter to your partner. There is a minimum page requirement of 2 pages on 5x7 sized paper. You may use 8.5x11 sized paper if you want to write a 1 page letter. Please do not write obviously large just to fill up your page(s) more quickly. Use your best handwriting, and if you write large naturally, then let your minimum page requirement be 3 pages.

Roll up your letter, tie it with a ribbon, and insert it in the neck of your bottle.

To finish off your message in a bottle, let's put some "fun stuff" in there. Let's think "Valentine's", "hearts", "love", etc.! Read your partner's profile to get some ideas of their hobbies or interests. Use these ideas to drop in things your partner might enjoy. For example, confetti shapes, beads, brads, pens, candy, charms, stickers, little wrapped presents ... use your imagination! Just make it FUN! :-)

As a side note, if there is something you want to include in your bottle, but it is too big to insert into the neck of the bottle, you can cut a "flap" into the side of your bottle, a little door large enough to insert the item(s), and when you are done filling your bottle, use clear packing tape to seal this flap well. Also before mailing your bottle, use packing tape to wrap around the neck and cap of your bottle.

You can decorate the outside of your bottle with stickers or whatever you think will survive the "handling" of the postal system. Be creative! Securely affix your partner's address to the outside of the bottle, take it to your post office and put the correct amount of postage on it. As a stamp lover, may I encourage you to use actual stamps to decorate your bottle rather than the metered postage label? It adds color and makes your bottle more fun, if that is possible. :)

As a side note, let me add that if your post office gives you grief about sending a plastic bottle in the mail, go to another post office. Most of us had no problems mailing our bottles in the past round, though I think someone did have to go to another post office where they encountered no trouble in sending.

And that is about all! If you all have any further ideas, thoughts, or comments, please share them below. We're all interested in hearing different perspectives regarding this swap.

Before joining, please make sure as a swapper that you meet the following requirements, because in order to have a great swap for everyone, I will have to drop you from the swap if I see/feel you will not complete the swap.

• You live in the USA.
• You have a rating of 4.8 or higher.
• You have completed at least 5 "Type 3" swaps.
• You have no unexplained 1's over the last 12 consecutive months of your swapping history.

Although I'm very particular about making sure we have great swappers, I will Angel this swap if your partner does not come through. So swap with confidence! :)

I look forward to swapping a "Message in a Bottle" again. Come join me!