If you don’t have a paypal account or don’t want to create one you can still join the swap. You can absolutely pay with your VISA or other credit card, but you will have to do it through Paypal because that is the system used for the swap.

Click the paypal button, but instead of logging in to Paypal scroll down. There is a gray area, with the option that says “pay with debit or credit card” on that page.

Then you will be prompted to write in your card numbers instead of logging in. Money will be drawn from your bank account instead of a Paypal account, but non of your bank information will be given to individuals or third party except PayPal.

When you sign in, just fill in that you payed via credit card where we ask you for your transaction ID, and skip the field for paypal e-mail.

No you can not, sorry.

This is a postcard swap for adults. I don’t think it is fair game to the kid creating, nor the few people that receive kid’s art but don’t appreciate that kind of thing. But please, let your kid make postcards along with you, and send those out to friends and relatives instead. They can be part of your process, and wait together with you to receive your postcards. Encourage them to make postcards with their friends, and swap in preschool/class. Thanks for understanding!

Let’s say, if you’re 16 or older (and you have your parents approval to join) you can, but I recommend you make the 10 cards before you sign up so you don’t forget/run out of time. Let me know if you need any help along the way.

Yes, of course you can join as many times as you like, thanks for asking that. But please, please notify me via email if you do!

It saves me a lot of confusion trying to figure out what has happened if you send me an email before signing up twice, and it also assures that you will get no doubles in your two lists which would be a bummer both for you and the recipients.

If you sign up together with a family member or a friend you can also reach out to me via email to let me know that you don’t want their name on your list and I’ll fix so that you both get different names on your address lists! :-)

Have fun creating many wonderful your DIY Postcards!

If you have friends that are creative (or that you think should be more creative) you can invite them to be in iHanna’s DIY Postcard Swap too. Create, connect & share – that’s the swap slogan after all, so the more the merrier of course.

My Suggestions

• Forward The Newsletter to them, if you are subscribed to it, or simply send them a link to the information page, or share it on your Facebook page.
• Share the most current graphic for the swap on your Twitter, Blog or Instagram account – or if you’re in a mail art group perhaps.
• Pay your friends fee and let them know that you’re making postcards together (just be sure they want to commit to it first)!

Share the Postcard Swap on Social Media

You are most welcome to link here, share the swap information page on your Facebook page for friends and family to see, via twitter (I’m @iHanna if you want to ping me), pin the swap-button or any image on this page to Pinterest, add it to your instagram feed – or write about the swap in your next blog post or your newsletter. It means a lot to me and this swap reaching those interested to join us!

I would love if you use the swap buttons that I designed! Post it anywhere, for example in your blog’s sidebar, your Facebook wall or to your instagram account – I so appreciate that!

How to share a graphic

Click on the image above, save the bigger image to your computer or phone – and upload it to where you want to share it. If it’s on your blog link it to this page (http://www.ihanna.nu/postcard-swap/), and if it is on Instagram please tag me @ihannas and hashtag it and all images of your postcards #ihannaspostcardswap – thank you!

If you’re interested in a collaboration, feel free to contact me.

Sorry, no you can not. I can not except cash or checks at this time. But thanks for asking. But there is still a way if you don’t have a Paypal account, read on!

When you click the pay-button you will be directed to a paypal page, but you do not have to have paypal to use it. If you don’t want to log in to an account, go to the bottom of the page. There is a gray area, with the option that says “pay with debit or credit card” on that page. If you chose that option money from your bank will go through paypal to my account, but you don’t have to create a paypal user.

After you pay, you also have to fill in the form – confirming you’re in. There just fill in that you payed via credit card where we ask you for your transaction ID, and skip the field for paypal e-mail.

There is no refund if you can’t participate, but please let me know as soon as you can.

If you have signed up and then realize you can’t create all the postcards on time, because you might have gotten sick or something else unexpected happened, please just let me know as soon as possible so I can remove you from the list before I send your name out. Otherwise 10 people will be really disappointed about not getting your postcard, and you will get 10 in your inbox that will make you feel bad that you didn’t follow through.

If you simply let me know before I send out the addresses, I will remove you from the swap for this round – and everyone will be grateful for your honesty. Sometimes life happens, we understand.

Also, if you let me know that you can’t participate this time around, you can save your spot and postpone your participate to the next postcard swap I arrange without paying the fee again (there is two each year: in spring and fall). But please note: It is up to you to send me an e-mail reminding me of your spot when the next swap round opens up.

This page is part of the Postcard Swap FAQ

I am charging a small fee (8,50 dollars) for participation in the postcard swap that I host. The fee helps pay for the time it takes to arrange a big swap like this one, to host the blog and pay for having a newsletter. The swap has 100-200 people participating each time, so it takes a lot of time arranging it for me.

Being part of the swap you’ll also be part of a growing community and you are offered several ways to share your postcard images online.

You can read more about what’s included in my post Why you pay to be in the swap.

The fee is for one swap round in spring or fall, and it is non refundable.

Thank you

Thanks for your support, it is greatly appreciated.

This page is part of the Postcard Swap FAQ

The swap has grown to be a beloved feature of my blog, and many participate year after year. I open this international postcard swap up for participants twice a year; once in spring and once again in autumn (CET – Central European Time).

That said, there is no set date when that is so I don’t know yet when the next one will start up.

The best way to be sure that you’re notified is to sign up for my Newsletter, but of course you can also check back on the blog and instagram where I will share the news as soon as I start a new postcard swap.

PS: To read blog posts regularly, get a fee account on Feedly for example, and add the blogs you want to read in there.

The iHanna DIY Postcard Swap is open to everyone over the age of 18 that wants to have a more creative life, and feel that they can commit to following the rules and creating 10 handmade postcards (any style) and send them out in a timely manner. That’s it. And oh, it is super fun!

Signing up is a two-part process. When you pay the fee via paypal you will get a receipt after your payment is done. When you have gotten that, which should just take a few seconds, go back to the sign-up-page and below the payment button there is a form, which you must fill in in order to be registered for the swap!

You will get a confirmation to your e-mail, via Google forms. Double check that everything is correct, and if you need to change something please Contact Hanna. Do not fill in the form twice, or try to resubmit it with changed information. Thank you.

Make sure you’re registered and that you’ve noted all dates (deadline on when to send your postcards out) in your calendar before you leave this site to go create your awesome postcards. In that way you won’t be worried later that you missed the e-mail with your addresses, because you’ll know what date to look for it. :-)

If you’re not using paypal as your method of payment you might not get an e-mail receipt, but of course you will see if the money have been drawn from your bank on your bank statements. Still, fill in the form below the paypal button and you will get a form confirmation via Google forms to the e-mail you filled in for our communication there. Then you know you’re in.

If you do not get that confirmation e-mail, the form might not have submitted correctly. Please e-mail me directly and we will work it through together!

The form seams to not always submit if you’re on a phone or tablet. I am sorry about that, but it’s not on my end. If you don’t get a confirmation directly after submitting – it didn’t work. Try on your computer later, and submit once. Check for confirmation.

This page is part of the Postcard Swap FAQ

You can send the postcards in an envelope for protection if you want to, but you do not have to.

Personally I prefer to get a postcard send the postcard way – without the envelope! In that way the postman will get to see it too. And also, the whole idea of mail art is to send it through the mail system openly and spread the power of art.

If yours is very delicate or has chunky bits that might fall of, maybe it’s not a good fit to use that piece as mail art? Design your postcard so that you can send it like a postcard. If you’re unsure wether it will hold going through the mail system, send a trial postcard to yourself first, to see how it holds up.

I agree with artist Lenore Tawney who believed that the cancelling the post office did was part of the design. The book about her work is called Postcard Collages.

If you do decide to use an envelope, consider adding something extra in it, that is a very good reason to use an envelope if you ask me.

This page is part of the Postcard Swap FAQ

Yes. You should write a message on the back! Don’t send it blank. I know you don’t know this person you’re addressing, but a blank card feels very impersonal to get. Just say hi and write something about yourself, the weather, your inspiration for the card, your materials, or anything you like.

If you are writing something on the front of your postcard, with hand lettering or collage, avoid negative sayings or words. If it’s something that would make you happy and that you would feel empowered by – it will be awesome.

Please share your email address on the back, and write it in print letters, as a way for the receiver to contact you. Many swappers feel that they want to let you know your postcard arrived, or simply to send a “thank you” when receiving a card – others will not bother with that. It’s all up to the individual, but it would be awesome if you gave them the option. The best way is to print a small label with your name, e-mail and any other information (postal address if you want to, or blog address if you have one). In that way it will be easy to read and you don’t need to hand write it 10 times! :-)

Lastly, don’t forget to add the correct amount of postal stamps – and put it in a mail box when you’re done!

This page is part of the Postcard Swap FAQ

All your 10 postcards should be original artwork!

Art is about making something new that did not exist before, or transforming it to something that is yours.

What does original art mean?

Original art is handmade. That means that you do not send out photocopies or printed postcards that you have had printed yourself or bought from another artist. Those are not originals but copies.

But to duplicate your own style or to repeat a motif that you love, and make similar postcards is totally okay. It’s also fine to make all of them different. For me, I love working with a theme, so that you can tell that all ten postcards belong to the same “series” but they are all slightly different and of course, originals.

That two original DIY Postcards looks very similar does not matter since you will only be sending one to each person on your list, right?

You are the artist. Make it fun for you!

This page is part of the Postcard Swap FAQ

There is a printable and free DIY Postcard Swap Tracker that you can download and print for this swap. It’s the perfect tool to remember who you sent postcards to, what postcards you’ve photographed and shared online on social media, and who you receive postcards from.

You do not have to use the tracker of course, it’s just available if you need it.

If you have friends that are creative (or that you think should be more creative) you can invite them to be in iHanna’s DIY Postcard Swap too. Create, connect & share – that’s the swap slogan after all, so the more the merrier of course.

My Suggestions

• Forward The Newsletter to them, if you are subscribed to it, or simply send them a link to the information page, or share it on your Facebook page.
• Share the most current graphic for the swap on your Twitter, Blog or Instagram account – or if you’re in a mail art group perhaps.
• Pay your friends fee and let them know that you’re making postcards together (just be sure they want to commit to it first)!

Share the Postcard Swap on Social Media

You are most welcome to link here, share the swap information page on your Facebook page for friends and family to see, via twitter (I’m @iHanna if you want to ping me), pin the swap-button or any image on this page to Pinterest, add it to your instagram feed – or write about the swap in your next blog post or your newsletter. It means a lot to me and this swap reaching those interested to join us!

I would love if you use the swap buttons that I designed! Post it anywhere, for example in your blog’s sidebar, your Facebook wall or to your instagram account – I so appreciate that!

How to share a graphic

Click on the image above, save the bigger image to your computer or phone – and upload it to where you want to share it. If it’s on your blog link it to this page (http://www.ihanna.nu/postcard-swap/), and if it is on Instagram please tag me @ihannas and hashtag it and all images of your postcards #ihannaspostcardswap – thank you!

If you’re interested in a collaboration, feel free to contact me.

I’ve got plenty of content on this blog about making mixed media postcards, including video tutorials, photo tutorials, visual inspiration and a Pinterest board full of DIY inspiration. All you have to do is take note of what you like and then start experimenting on your own.

Inspiration is everywhere

Here is a good place to start digging for inspiration.

Oh and here’s a process video of my autumn postcard process, to get you inspired:

Mail Art Postcards by Studio iHanna on YouTube (click the link if you can’t see the video embedded here).

After participating a few times, you can look forward to having a wonderful collection of handmade postcards. I’ve got mine in a cute DIY binder.

Go on to create other stuff to keep the momentum going, that is one idea, and read iHanna’s past blog posts to find inspiration…

When it comes to the swap, here are some fun things to do:

• Snap a few photos of your own postcards before you sent them out! Then feel free to share them online, so that others can be inspired (and maybe impressed) by your cards.
• I suggest first sharing a picture of your entire pile, before the swap closes so that your friends could find it and join too. Tag me on instagram @ihannas and use the hashtag #ihannaspostcardswap – and other #mailart tags of course.
• Then you can start sharing your individual postcard photos, one by one on social media. Tag them all as above.
• After a while new postcards shows up everywhere, and it’s super fun to see what everyone is doing. Scroll through the hashtag #ihannaspostcardswap on Instagram, and like and comment everything!
• Our previous hashtag was #diypostcardswap but so many non-related images started to show up there that we’ve since stopped using it exclusively, but of course you can scroll through those images as well – you will find a LOT of postcards to be inspired by.

How to share this graphic

Click on the image above, choose “save image” either to your computer or phone – and upload it to where you want to share it. If it’s on your blog could you please be sure to link it to this page (http://www.ihanna.nu/postcard-swap/), and if it is on Instagram please tag me @ihannas and hashtag it and all images of your postcards #ihannaspostcardswap – thank you!

All mediums are welcome in this swap, so please use what you are most comfortable with. Although remember that loose or chunky bits might get lost in the postal handling of your postcard.

You can draw, doodle, paint, decoupage, collage, sew, stamp or mix it up as you please. You might want to know that most of the postcards in previous swaps have been mixed media in some way though. But I have received paper cut postcards, and postcards with zentangles, paper patchwork, machine embroidered (on paper), illustrations, wool embroidered postcards, and even a postcard painted on canvas. Imagination is the only limit, and we’ve got plenty of ideas to share with you! I have even seen a knitted postcards in this swap.

Check my Pinterest Board, Flickr and previous blog posts tagged swap idea to get some further inspiration if you need it.

You will get a gold star if you can incorporate recycled material in some way, because that is good for the environment.

This page is part of the Postcard Swap FAQ

A Postcard backside consists of two areas, one for a greeting or personal message and one for the address and stamp of the receiver. You can draw these lines and areas yourself, or use my free printable backside and glue it to the back of your artwork.

I think you should always add in a Greeting.
Your contact information.
And don’t forget to add the right amount of Postal Stamps.

Some people participate in other swaps and exchanges, and they greatly appreciate if you state what swap your postcard is from: the iHanna DIY Postcard Swap + year.

If you have the time you can decorate your postcard’s backside with stamping, stickers, washi tape, fancy lettering or other decorative elements!

This page is part of the Postcard Swap FAQ

I’m not dictating the size of your postcards. I suggest copying the size of a regular postcard to make a template that you can use when creating yours.

There is a standard size for postcards in some countries – but there are no rules about size in this swap. You are free to create whatever you want!

I collect mine in a special postcard binder, so I appreciate postcards that are not huge. I prefer it when your postcards are regular size, maybe about 10×15 cm (3.9×5.9″) or a tiny bit bigger.

This page is part of the Postcard Swap FAQ

Yes, of course you can! I’d be delighted.

But when I have been asked to create a postcard group on Facebook I have declined. I do not need another thing to keep track of in my life. Share your postcards in the mixed media and mail art groups you’re already in, or on your own Facebook wall.

If your profile is open I will be notified and see your cards if you write something like: “A postcard made for the DIY Postcard Swap of Studio iHanna” where Facebook will link Studio iHanna to my FB-page. This does currently only work if you have liked my FB-page and are on the Facebook site from a regular computer, not an phone or ipad app!

Also tag your post #ihannaspostcardswap – because tags work on Facebook too and are rather useful.

Yes of course you can share the postcards you get. In fact, I think it’s great if you do.

The swap is about inspiring each other and if you share what you make or get you’ll inspire even more people. Each creator has the copyright, but as long you’re purpose is not commercial it is okay to share them on instagram (hashtagged #ihannaspostcardswap and #diypostcardswap), in the link up post on my blog, on your own blog or in the Flickr Group!

Please do not share someone else’s email or their postal address (not ever!), in writing or as a photo of the back of the postcard, though. Some people will not feel comfortable having these things floating around online.

All links/resources can be found on the main swap information page.

There is a printable and free DIY Postcard Swap Tracker that you can download and print for this swap. It’s the perfect tool to remember who you sent postcards to, what postcards you’ve photographed and shared online on social media, and who you receive postcards from.

You do not have to use the tracker of course, it’s just available if you need it.

Wait a bit longer please. Remember that things can happen. People get sick, or forget to check their e-mail. International mail can take several weeks to get to you.

There is no guarantee that you will receive 10 postcards, I can not travel around the world and make people follow through on a swap they signed up on!

But if you get less than maybe eight postcards, let me know via e-mail. Tell me from who you have gotten postcards, and I will contact the non-senders and ask what happened on their end.

Thank you for your understanding.

Question: Hi Hanna, I wanted to double check if XX’s address as it appears to be missing the Zip Code? Should it not be some numbers after the state?

Answer: Yes probably, but that is the way that XX themselves wrote in their address. As a hostess I can not double check every address for participants. I just assume you write it in correctly since this swap is for adults only.

Everyone should be able to understand that postcards will have a much easier road to travel if the address is written correctly according to your countries specifications, right?

I will not double check your address for you because you can do this yourself by looking at the form confirmation that is emailed back to you when you sign up. If there is something missing, misspelled or incorrect – all you have to do is contact me and we’ll fix it.

After the email addresses have been sent out it is too late. You might not get any postcards if a zip code is missing for example, so please make sure you write your address correctly. :-)

Go on to create other stuff to keep the momentum going, that is one idea, and read iHanna’s past blog posts to find inspiration…

When it comes to the swap, here are some fun things to do:

• Snap a few photos of your own postcards before you sent them out! Then feel free to share them online, so that others can be inspired (and maybe impressed) by your cards.
• I suggest first sharing a picture of your entire pile, before the swap closes so that your friends could find it and join too. Tag me on instagram @ihannas and use the hashtag #ihannaspostcardswap – and other #mailart tags of course.
• Then you can start sharing your individual postcard photos, one by one on social media. Tag them all as above.
• After a while new postcards shows up everywhere, and it’s super fun to see what everyone is doing. Scroll through the hashtag #ihannaspostcardswap on Instagram, and like and comment everything!
• Our previous hashtag was #diypostcardswap but so many non-related images started to show up there that we’ve since stopped using it exclusively, but of course you can scroll through those images as well – you will find a LOT of postcards to be inspired by.

How to share this graphic

Click on the image above, choose “save image” either to your computer or phone – and upload it to where you want to share it. If it’s on your blog could you please be sure to link it to this page (http://www.ihanna.nu/postcard-swap/), and if it is on Instagram please tag me @ihannas and hashtag it and all images of your postcards #ihannaspostcardswap – thank you!

No e-mail address on the back of your postcard? So sorry but I can not help you. If the person sending didn’t add their e-mail to the back of their card I will assume they choose not to do that. Maybe they?re not comfortable sharing it. So I will not give out their e-mail to you.

Send them a silent thank you in your head, that will be enough.

Unreadable e-mail on the postcard? So sorry, but I can not help you with this either. I get this a lot, so I always ask people to clearly print their e-mail on the back of the postcards if they include it at all. It is very hard to read an e-mail address because it often has both letters and numbers intermingled, and if it’s a word or name the receiver is not familiar with, it is almost impossible to interpret what it says. I can not help you with this because again, we are dealing with grown ups here. Write out your? e-mail in a way that is legible and easy to interpret, or not at all. Thank you.

My best advice to all participants is to print a label with your full name, e-mail address, instagram handle, and the name of the swap “iHanna’s DIY Postcard Swap spring 2024” for example, and make sure to glue it down firmly!

Note: One of the things I love about sending real art through the mail system is to get away from e-mail for a while, so I don’t think you need to e-mail out your gratitude. But it’s up to you if you do, and it is up to each participant to include an e-mail address on the back of your handmade postcards, and to decide what to do with the ones you get.

I personally try to get back to everyone I get a postcard from, but it has happened that I didn’t get to it at all or couldn’t do it in a timely manner. Life happens, as you all know.

Just remember: a thank you email is nice but it is not mandatory!

This page is part of the Postcard Swap FAQ

Are you saying to yourself right now: I did sign up, but never heard from Hanna, the hostess of this swap. Where are my 10 addresses?

I’m sorry you have to ask that!

Here’s what I think: This is an e-mail/service provider problem I am encountering over and over again. I can assure you that if you paid and added your address into the form, and it is now after the date I state I?ll contact you, I have sent you your addresses by now. I promise!

I can see it in my own “sent folder”.

SO what to do? First, check your SPAM folder. Then check your other e-mail account, if you have one. Maybe that?s the one you gave me? If you can not find it, let me know via the contact form on my page but state another e-mail address. If you can?t see my first e-mail, which is sent from this domain, then you probably won?t get my reply to you even when that’s what you are requesting.

I?ll try to help as best I can from here. I will e-mail the list to your work, to your spouse, to a friend if you alert me to this problem ? I really want you to get your addresses in time, that’s why I’m here.

I re-send lists all the time because of this problem. You can also contact me through my Facebook page if all else fails, but sometimes I do not notice those messages for a while. Maybe instagram is better but I do prefer it via e-mail if at all possible.

Thanks for understanding and helping me out.

Here’s a common conversation, screen shot from private messages on Instagram, from the last swap round:

Other issues I’ve had with participants not getting their list via e-mail is that they themselves did not add in their e-mail correctly in the form, or they added in an e-mail address they rarely check and then forget which one they used for the swap.

Thanks for being so understanding on e-mail/tech issues I have no control over.

This page is part of the Postcard Swap FAQ