A gentle reminder...

Hello there Fairies.

I hope you had a wonderful Christmas and New Year and the dull days of January aren't getting you down too much.

Thanks to all those who have emailed me with your blog links - I'll be updating the list on the right hand side here very soon.

I am concerned, however, that some packages may not have got through the Christmas rush. A couple of you have emailed me say they haven't received anything as yet. I would just like to say that if your package has not been sent yet, it's always better late than never.

Please do let me know when your parcel goes out, and when you receive yours.

Many thanks and good wishes,

Fairy Emma xxx

Ding Dong Merrily on High.......

Hello fellow fairies.

By now you all should've posted off your Christmas exchange parcel. (If your partner is in your own country you still have some time left!) If you could all remember to let me know when you've posted, and also to send me a link to your thank-you post on your blog once you have updated it.

Your names and blog on the right-hand side here will be updated in a very seasonal green.

Merry Christmas!

Fairy Emma xxxxxxx

Update

Hello Fairies.

I've have received all the participation emails and have paired everyone up with their Christmas partner. To make posting near Christmas as easy as possible with postage cut-off dates, I have tried to pair everyone up with someone from their own country. There are some with foreign partners, but as long as we keep to the postage deadline of the 10th December, everyone should receive their package in time for Crimbo. (But then, even if you are a bit late in posting, it does give your Fairy something to look forward to after the Big Day!)

If you have signed up for this event and you have not received your partner notification, then please email me to let me know and I can sort you out.

As with all our events, you can choose whether or not you wish to remain a truly Secret Fairy, or to let your partner know who you are. It's entirely up to you.

And please do remember, that above all it's the thought that counts with your gift, especially at this time of year.


Happy Holidays!

Fairy Emma xxxxx

Announcing....

Sleigh bells ring, are you listening? In the lane, snow is glistening..... Yes, it's that magical time of year again, so the theme for this event is "The Twelve Days of Christmas".

To keep postage costs low, consider light-weight or flattish items that will fit into a small, padded envelope.* Use your creativity to interpret the theme in anyway you like, but please do remember that above all, it's the thought that counts.

Anyone who is interested in taking part this time please email your details (name, postal address and a link to your blog) to the organising fairy, Emma. Please also make sure you have read through the FAQs and you fully understand what is involved in the exchange. Any questions contact the admin fairies.

Your details will be kept in strictest confidence and not passed to anyone except your eventual fairy buddy.

*Please note: If participants of any previous parcel exchange wish to participate in this one too, they must resend their information (including resubmitting name, blog address and post-to-able address).*

The deadline for applications is 30th November. Any applicants after that will have to wait for the next event.

The deadline for posting your fairy parcel to your fairy buddy is 10th December.

All together now: "FI-IIIVE GO-OLLLLD RIIIIINGS!"

*Sorry, this does mean no French Hens or Turtle Doves through the post.

Newsflash!

Thanks to all of you who have sent me your links for the Halloween exchange. I'll be updating everybody on the right hand side here ASAP, but I thought I'd let you all know there is to be a Christmas exchange with the theme "The Twelve Days of Christmas". The sign- up deadline will be Friday 30th November, with a post-off date of Monday 10th of December. Please read through the FAQs and email me from here if you wish to take part with your name, blog address and postal address. There will be a full invitation posted later this week.

Fairy Emma xxxxx

Happy Halloween!

Happy Halloween everybody!

Hopefully you've all (bar the odd straggler) sent off and received your Autumn Exchange parcels. Please remember to email me a link to your thank-you post on your blog as soon as you've uploaded it. Once the blog links are in, us fairies can update the links on the right hand side here in a very seasonal orange. Thank you.

Update

Just to let you all know that I have received all the entries for the Autumn exchange and paired you all up. If you have not received your pairing email, please let me know via email. (Link to my contact details in the right hand corner.)

Thanks!

Fairy Emma xxx

Just a little reminder....

...that the deadline to sign up for the Autumn exchange is nearly upon us. This coming Monday 1st October will be your last chance to get involved. Any requests after the 1st will not be included this time.

Go on! Sign up!

A gentle reminder about the 'S' word

Firstly to say hello and welcome to our newest admin fairy, Emma - and many thanks to her for hosting the Hallowe'en event below. There is still plenty of time to join up. It is now a year since we started the SOSF, and although there have been a few hiccups along the way, it is quite remarkable that parcel loss has been minimal, and bad manners - e.g. not thanking your fairy partner by blogging a picture of your gift - have been few and far between. We do however get a little concerned that some dear fairies are mistaking our little group for a 'swap site'. It is not. We started this with the hope that many of you would interact with each other OUTSIDE of the organised parties, and there are some wonderful people who have indeed done this. This is why we wrote the Frequently Asked Questions, which we constantly refer you to - and especially to these points -

Is this a swap site?

No, it's more of an opportunity to perform secret acts of kindness and to forge new friendships. Although we will announce themed "events" from time to time, the primary point of the SOSF is to encourage participants to build up a store of friends with whom they can continue to keep in contact, sending little surprises every now and then.

How much money should I spend on the gifts in a fairy parcel?

Please limit your spending to no more than 18 U.S. dollars/10 UK pounds, or the rough equivalent in your local currency. Some wonderful gifts can cost little or nothing -- we believe the value of a gift has much more to do with the thought that went into it than with its cost! For more information, please see Parcel Guidelines.

What do I do when I receive a gift?

We highly encourage you to take photos of the contents and post them on your blog right away along with a link, as a way of saying thank you to your fairy friend. If it is a gift from an official event, please inform the admin fairy with a link to where you have posted it on your blog so that she can highlight your blog on the list.

Unlike a so-called 'swap site', we do go to huge lengths behind the scenes to try to ensure that everyone is happy, and we are always here if there are any gripes or problems. So - dear sweet fairies everywhere, remember, the SOSF do not organise 'swaps' and we always say thank you nicely. For a perfect example of good manners and a true secret fairy surprise, I have picked Lisa Ocean Dreamer's blog post here. Gold stars to the giver and the reciever; this is what it's all about.

Announcing....

Welcome to the Autumn 2007 parcel exchange!



To get you in a spine-tingling mood in the run up to Halloween, the theme for this event is "Trick or Treat". Feel free to let your imagination run wild and free, but please, please, please, we DO NOT want eggs and flour, or any other sort of potentially damaging "trick", to be sent through the post. Anyone who decides to send that sort of trick will be excluded from future exchanges.

To keep postage costs low, consider light-weight or flattish items that will fit into a small, padded envelope. For example, there are many beautifully coloured autumn leaves around right now you could collect and send, or perhaps include a recipe for a delicious pumpkin soup? Or how about instructions for your Uncle Bob's favourite magic trick? You know, the one where he pulled coins out from behind your ear when you were eight? Use your creativity to interpret "trick" or "treat" in anyway you like, and if it's just a little bit spooky then all the better! Please do remember, though, that above all it's the thought that counts.

Anyone who is interested in taking part this time please email your details (name, postal address and a link to your blog) to the organising fairy, Emma. Please also make sure you have read through the FAQs and you fully understand what is involved in the exchange. Any questions contact the admin fairies.

Your details will be kept in strictest confidence and not passed to anyone except your eventual fairy buddy.

*Please note: If participants of any previous parcel exchange wish to participate in this one too, they must resend their information (including resubmitting name, blog address and post-to-able address).*

The deadline for applications is 1st October. Any applicants after that will have to wait for the next event.

The deadline for posting your fairy parcel to your fairy buddy is 18th October.

Have fun!

Report away!

I am going on vacation for a week, but please go ahead and email me when you send and/or receive and post your fairy tea party packages. I will make sure everyone is updated on my return.

Enjoy a cup of tea on me!

Last minute reminder!!!

It is VERY quickly approaching the mail-deadline for our SOSF tea party to wing their way across the globe.

For those of you that have already, thanks!
and thanks for notifying the admin that you have done so.

If you have not, please do as soon as you can - and remember to send me an email letting me know when you mail your package, and another email when you receive yours and have posted on your blog.

You will be honored in purple for your fairy efforts! :-)

Tea party update

All the invites to the SOSF Tea Party have been issued and all applicants should know who their partner is. If you put your name forward and have NOT been notified as to whom your fairy match is, please email the host, TLC, who will see you straight. We have experienced a few e-mail glitches before, so if you don't get a reply to your query, you can either/also mail PG who will pass it on. Flutter on now and don't tease the bumble bees.

A few days reprieve -

Just to let you know, your friendly-neighborhood-SOSF-admin will be out of town for the rest of the week. If you are sending an application email, don't worry if you don't get a response until next week.

Announcing a New Event!

Welcome to the summer SOSF parcel Exchange.

This event's theme is "Handmade card, favorite tea and a treat"! (One of each.) To keep mailing costs low, be creative with light-weight, flattish items that you personally enjoy and will fit into a small, padded envelope. For example- a couple of packets of your favorite tea, with your great-aunt Tursell's recipe for scones or petit-fours tucked into a beautiful, handmade card in which you write your own tea rituals to share with your recipient. Add a wrapped piece of gourmet chocolate or biscotti, or something non-edible, but tea-themed as a *treat* and you will be set! This is just one possibility - use your creativity and love of sharing tea with friends.

If you have personal preferences regarding package contents, let me know. [For instance - if, like me, you do not drink green or black teas - only herbal or any other dietary type of restriction, let me know and I will pass that along to your Secret Fairy.]

Everyone that is interested please send your details (name, post-to-able address and a link to your blog) to the hosting fairy TLC. Also direct any other questions you may have after reviewing the FAQs to her.

Your details will be kept in strictest confidence and not passed to anyone except your eventual fairy buddy.Important note: If participants of the previous parcel exchange wish to participate in this one too, they must resend their information (including resubmitting name, blog address and post-to-able address).