Winter 2013 Cara Box Matches

Please read this entire post before you email me with questions. Rules have changed, so read this post entirely.

The Winter 2013 theme & important dates can be foundhere. Please go read this thoroughly before you email me with any questions.

The reason I moved this swap primarily to Instagram was to try and help the ladies involved to interact on a more regular basis. Talking to your partner 2-3 times over a 3 month period is not acceptable. You need to be regularly interacting with each other on a weekly basis.

***This swap is for ladies who frequently use Instagram. If either of your partners do not post to Instagram at least once every three days, notify me immediately. This is not to be rude, but the premise of this swap is to really get to know each other by using the Instagram platform. If you only signed up for Instagram to participate, but are not posting at least once every three days, you will have to be removed from the swap. Do not hesitate to contact me - you are not "annoying me"! I want to hear from you so I can get you a new partner. Ladies who wait to inform me of issues, usually never receive a box.

You have until this Friday, 11:59pm EST to find both of your partners on Instagram, "friend" them & introduce yourself. It is your responsibility if you are private to also accept your partners' "friend requests". You must get in contact withboth of your partners. Do not just wait to hear from the person sending to you. If you try to get in contact with both partners and are unsuccessful by the deadline, email me between 12am EST Saturday morning and 2pm EST Saturday afternoon. Do not email me if you haven't made an effort to get in touch with both partners.

At 2pm EST Saturday, I will create new partners for those girls who emailed me. Anyone who was non responsive by that time will be excluded from this swap. The re-partnering will be done promptly at 2pm EST, so I can't accept emails after that time. There will be no exceptions to this rule.Click on the link below. DOWNLOAD/SAVE THE FILE. Girls have had problems in the past if they just try to view it without downloading it.There are four tabs in the Excel sheet. The first two have all of the US/Canada Participant Info. The last two are the matches.To find who you are sending to: Look for your Instagram handle in the first column and the girl you are sending to is to the right of your Instagram handle.
To find who is sending to you: Find your Instagram handle in the second column and the girl who is sending to you is to the left of your Instagram handle. Take your partner's Instagram handle and cross reference them on the participant's tab. You will find their first name, Instagram handle, and email addressIf you were the only one in your state, I matched you with girls in the next closest state. If there were only two of you in your state, you will send to each other.Have fun and don't forget to send your box out by January 31st! Use #carabox when you tweet or use instagram so we can see your boxes or blates!Lastly, you must post to Instagram when you receive your box, tagging @wifessionals, #carabox & your partner who sent it to you! You also can do an optional blog reveal post and link it to the main Cara Box reveal on Wifessionals the week of February 17th.Please see all of the detailed rules below.
Rules:
All of these rules are mandatory. Failure to follow all of them will result in your exclusion from future exchanges. This is not to be mean or harsh, but to make sure that everyone has the best experience possible from participating. If you feel that either of your partners is not or did not follow these rules, please let me know.

1// Matches

You must locate both of your partners on Instagram, follow them & introduce yourself 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 swap.
If either of your partners becomes unresponsive, email me immediately! This can be anything from them not posting for a week to them not really interacting with you during the swap. The sooner you let me know, the greater chance there is that I can re-pair you with a new partner!

2// Packages

$20 minimum. They need to be at least $20, but if you want to spend more, feel free!
Include 5+ items per box. Who wants to open a box with one item? Get creative! Not everything has to be purchased. Get on Pinterest...find something awesome to make!!
Must follow the theme. Do not go off and create your own theme.
Items must be new. Unless you are crafting something on your own, all items should be brand new and purchased specifically for your partner. I have seen old, dusty or used items sent before and that is not acceptable. You wouldn't want to receive things like that, so please don't send them.
Include a letter of encouragement. After getting to know the woman you are sending to and finding out about her life, 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.
Get a tracking number. If you do not get a tracking number and your partner never receives a box, I will not be able to verify you actually sent a box and you cannot participate in future exchanges. (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)
Must mail package by the end of the second month. If the swap sign up was September, you must mail by October 31st. This will give you about 6 weeks to get to know your partners. By mailing at the end of the second month, your partner should receive their box within the first week of the third month.

3// Receiving Your Box & Linking Up

REQUIRED - Take a photo of your box & post to Instagram.

You must take a photo of your box and post it to Instagram, including:

#carabox
@wifessionals
and tag your partner as well
This is required and must be completed after you receive your box.

OPTIONAL - Create a Reveal Post & link your post to the main Reveal post featured on Wifessionals in the middle of the third month. There will always be a Reveal post on Wifessionals in the middle of the third month (if the exchange sign up was September, the Reveal post will go up mid-November). You can go to the linky and submit the link to your personal reveal post. The linky will stay open until the next exchange starts. This is now optional, but it a great way to show off your box or drive traffic to your blog.

Have fun!
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