Interview with Gracienne of Graciebellabutterfly

A fairly new swapper, Gracie has hosted and swapped and has some great insight about the details of both. Catch Gracie on her blog, flickr and twitter. And check out her cute items in her Etsy shop.

SwapDex: Tell us a bit about you.

Gracienne: I'm a 25 year old who lives in Brisbane Australia and I'm a newly wed. I got married on the 24th of January 2010 and I love it! At the moment I'm working at a department store called Myer but I hope to find a different job. My ideal job would be to work from home being crafty. I love to make mini note cards, envelopes, little stud earrings and other bits and pieces. I love to read, journal, be creative, blog and I adore my hubby and family.

SD: How long have you been swapping? How did you first learn about swapping, and what made you decide to start? Do you remember your first one?

G: I did my first swap on Swap-bot in 2006 and I have enjoyed it since then. I remember my first swap was a box of girly items and it gave me so much joy to put together a sweet little package. To be honest, I don't quite remember what made me want to swap in the first place. I think it stems from my love of letters and penpals.

SD: What is your range of swapping? Do you stick to swaps hosted by people you know or are you likely to swap with anyone, anytime?

G: I usually stick to swaps on swap-bot and blog friends. I do occasionally find the random swap on the internet and participate but I find it easier when I know the person.

SD: Do you swap with any organized groups like yahoo groups, flickr, groups on swap-bot, other message boards, etc? Why or why not?

G: I swap with swap-bot mainly and I use Postcrossing for postcards. But besides that there aren't any other groups that I swap with.

SD: What's your favorite swap you've ever been in or hosted?

G: So far my favourite swap has been a stationery swap that was hosted by a blog friend. I adore stationery so this was most enjoyable. I also participated in a My Favourite Things swap and that too was a lot of fun to put together.

SD: What do you do to make your packages special?

G: To make my packages special I always try to personalise and tailor it to my partner. I know that I love it when I receive a package that has a lot of thought put into it. So I do the same with all my swaps and letters.

SD: Do you have a good story about hosting or participating in a swap?

G: I think in general my worst swaps are when I don't receive anything. There are times when I will put a lot of effort into my package and not receive anything or receive something that is half-hearted. I have been in several swaps now where I've been completely flaked on and it feels horrible! But I have received packages that go beyond my expectations too.

SD: What do you think is the most challenging part of hosting a swap? Any advice for someone who is thinking about hosting a swap?

G: I think the biggest challenge with hosting a swap is making sure all the participants are legit. It can be difficult because you don't want to let anyone miss out but sometimes you need to set guidelines before you accept just anyone, which sounds horrible but it's too stop others taking advantage of others (receiving a package but not sending one out).

SD: That's a great point! Making sure participants are on the up-and-up is a real challenge, especially for those that allow anyone to join freely. How does everyone else handle that? Do you check emails? Require a blog? Let me know in the comments!