DB ❤️: Two New Art Deco Books (USA)

• Send TWO (2) new Art Deco books to your partner.

• You may create these for yourself or another recipient, but do not send your partner a deco that you made for them.

• No established decos for this swap.

• For the purposes/ expectations of this swap, we will use these guidelines for making “Art Decos”:

• Dimensions – No dimension larger than 5.5” or smaller than 3”

• No ICMs, ATC Books, or folded Origami-style decos for this swap.

• Make the deco in booklet form, meaning you open the book and pages are attached inside.

• No books with pages attached in one corner by staples or brads.

• Use sturdy paper with paper cut straight. Often cardstock weight paper as the cover and printer paper as the inside pages work best. Magazine and old book pages on the inside tend to crack over time and can fall out.

• Plan your number of pages for the number of signers you’d like. Decos with more inner pages take longer to get home, and they also get much heavier as each person decorates a page.

• Please use tiny brads, ribbon, string, linen thread, etc. to create your binding. Staples may be used if the booklet spine is stapled nicely on the fold. A “bookbinding pamphlet stitch” is a strong binding and will help your books travel well.

• The covers of Art Decos can have hand-painted or drawn elements, but it is not a requirement. Compared to “friendship books” or "sticker books," Art Decos are more high quality with a very polished appearance.

• No tape or plastic laminate over the covers.

• All Art Decos should have at least 2-3 FLAT design elements/items in your DECOrating. (Ex: die cuts, ribbon, washi, vellum, one (1) sticker only, etc). This will allow the deco to be mailed cheaply and have a greater ability to be traded in future swaps.

• Embellishments to avoid: enamel dots, gems, buttons, 3D foam stickers, chipboard cut-outs, etc...this recommendation is mainly due to USPS postal changes which has increased the cost of postage significantly.

• Include a note with your swap-bot name and the swap name inside your envelope.

• Kindly send by deadline and rate promptly upon receipt.

• If you have feedback or questions, kindly send me a PM, as coordinators are not notified when comments are posted.

• Thanks & have fun spreading your deco joy!