Cara Box Exchange

Cara Box

cara (car-rah) noun   :   beloved friend

CLICK HERE: Sign up to be included in next month's Cara Box Exchange!

So I came up with an idea. I  LOVE getting random boxes and treats in the mail - namely, my Birchbox.

Nowadays, everyone uses email and texts to communicate. But remember a day, way back when, when you would actually get cards and presents in the mail?

When I was in elementary school I was paired up with different pen pals around the world. I used to love getting to learn about another child's life and culture - and I REALLY loved getting gifts and awesome things from them and their country.

I have absolutely enjoyed meeting tons of new women since the start of Wifessionals. I especially appreciate the kind emails and words of encouragement that we share with each other on a day to day basis.

So:

Awesome things in the mail + Meeting new women + Encouragement = Cara Box

I'm starting a monthly box swap. I think it's going to be a lot of fun. Each month there will be a different theme. Anything from a season, to a color, to a topic (like fashion or childhood).

You will get paired up two other bloggers, email back and forth to get to know each other, and will crazily stalk their blog...in the most non-creepy way.

Towards the middle of the month you will create a box or package, specifically for the woman you were paired to send to, and ship it off to her. Your other partner will do the same for you.

It's like having a birthday 12 months of the year!

You can participate as much or as little as you choose. Need a pick me up this month? Come and join in! Don't have an extra dollar to spare right now? Come back whenever you want!

Since you are re-paired each month, you can come and go as you please (:

Why you should participate:

Who doesn't like getting surprises in the mail?

You can meet other great women

You can get encouragement (see below)

Get some blog exposure (see below)

Rules

1// Packages have a $15 limit. They need to be at least $15, but if you want to spend more, feel free!

2// Make sure your box goes along with the theme. Get creative! Not everything has to be purchased. Get on Pinterest...find something awesome to make!!

3// Include 5+ items per box. Who wants to open a box with one item? Again, creativity!

4// Include a letter of encouragement. After getting to know the woman you are paired with and finding out about her life through her blog, make the effort to include a note of encouragement. This is not optional. It's great to get items that put a smile on your face, but kind words will last in your heart forever.

5// At the end of the month, create a blog post revealing your box and giving a shout out/link up to your match's blog. It's always nice to meet even more friends through the blogosphere.

6// This exchange is open to US residents. If you are outside of the US, please submit your name and info the same as everyone else. If I get interest from more than one person in your country, that country will be added to the exchange for that month (:

7// You CAN participate even if you don't have a personal blog. You will just be paired with another non-blogger

8// I am in no way personally responsible for anything that occurs after I send you your swap partner. I also cannot be held accountable for lost or damaged packages. Tracking numbers are HIGHLY recommended & inexpensive.

9// If your partner ends up not participating or you feel slighted in some way, please let me know.

10// Have fun!!!!

Important Things To Note

1// YOU MUST CONTACT YOUR PARTNER WITHIN 72 HOURS OF RECEIVING YOUR MATCHES. Immediately following the 72 hour limit, any girl who has not heard from her partner must email me and will be re-matched and the girls who did not respond will be dropped from the month's swap.

2// Your box must be shipped by the 20th of the month. If you do not send it on time or do not send a box at all, you will forfeit your right to participate in future Cara Box Swaps. I found it heartbreaking that multiple women received boxes, but didn't end up sending their partners anything.

3// Due to the increase in number of ladies interested in the swap, matches will be posted through a post on Wifessionals. There will be instructions and a link in the post. I will email everyone, notifying them about the post. You will have 72 hours after the post to make an initial contact with your partner(s). Second, each girl will be given a match. The name you are given is who YOU will be sending to. The person you send to will not be the person sending to you. In essence, you will get to know TWO girls every month. This may sound confusing, but it will be explained in detail within the "Matches" post.

It is a positive thing, as you will be able to meet more ladies through the swap and will also increase the number of women you can be paired with, making it less likely that you will get "re-matched" with the same girl again.

4// It has come to my attention that a lot of ladies sign up once, get a box sent to them, never send one out...They never sign up in future months or respond to my emails, so they clearly do not care about the rules of the swap or about hurting their partner's feelings. Because of this, I will now be pairing first time swappers together and "veterans" together. Once you have participated in Cara Box, you will be grouped into the "veteran" pool. This will ensure that girls who are faithful participants, are not constantly getting paired with first timers who have no intention of returning to swap and so they don't follow the rules. I am in no way saying that first timers will have a negative swap, this just makes sure that if you have one bad swap in the beginning, it should never happen again in the future because you will be with girls who ALWAYS participate from there on out (:
I am only doing this to make it more fair for everyone.

Grab A Button!

<br><div class="Wifessionals-button" style="width: 200px; margin: 0 auto;"> <br><a href="http://wifessionals.blogspot.com/p/cara-box-exchange.html"><br><img src="http://i1161.photobucket.com/albums/q501/Wifessionals/CaraBoxButton.png" alt="Cara Box" width="200" height="200" /><br></a><br></div> <!--end button code box--><br>

Look out on the blog for the next month's announcement!


Past Cara Box Themes:
October Cara Box: The Best of Fall
November Cara Box: Childhood
December Cara Box: Holiday Sparkle
January Cara Box: Resolutions
February Cara Box: #ClubSexy
March Cara Box: My Name Is...
April Cara Box: Go Green