Hi everyone! My "Small Measures with Ashley" post is up on Design Sponge. Today's topic proposes hosting a "design swap" of some incarnation. Got clothes gathering dust in your drawers? Swap 'em! Got a tablecloth or platter or copy of "Friends" you no longer have any use for? Swap 'em! In short, if you lack the drive to hold a yard sale to cash in on your wares and want to allow your friends to directly enjoy things you once did, hold a swap. You'll save money, time, and fossil fuels in the process! I'm off in a short bit to grab a bite to eat with one of my favorite ladies, Jael Rattigan, co-owner, along with her wonderful husband, Dan, of the ever-fabulous, always delightful French Broad Chocolate Lounge (their salted caramels should be canonized). Jael is a home-birth veteran, having birthed both of her sons, Sam and Max, at home, Sam whilst living in Costa Rica (and operating a beachfront cafe and bakery) and Max here in Asheville. I'm going to pick her brain and just generally enjoy her company.
After that, Hubs and I are off tonight to the art opening of a collective of Asheville ladies, including several friends of mine. The show, entitled "Ladylike: The Dark Side of Female Friendships" promises to be quite intriguing. We'll conclude our night with a celebratory "it's actually happening! we're going to be parents!" last pre-nugget hurrah dinner at the always flawless Rezaz. I'm salivating already.
Otherwise, we've got a technician coming tomorrow to prime and service our furnace, making sure it's in top shape for the winter. We did the same to our plumbing on Monday, especially as we're planning a water birth in our large garden soaking tub. All that remains is to source some firewood (our goldmine of a firewood fella from last winter is, sadly, nowhere to be found, so we're on the hunt for a reliable supplier again) and wait...I'll be 37 weeks Tuesday, meaning Nugget can be safely born at home anytime between then and 42 weeks. His due date is November 3rd, and his Papa and I have given him the total green light for a Halloween arrival, as well.
Have a great weekend, all!
*Image from here.
hi! I came across your swap post on design*sponge and was so happy to find other peeps are doing it too! i've gone to & hosted clothing-specific ones for years, and no matter what, everyone always leaves happy :)
ReplyDeleteyour list of guidelines are great! the only other things I do is a "scouting round" where you get to look around but not touch, and then we pick a "guest of honor" to choose an item first (I have a particular friend who always brings the best clothes by far, or if you just want to encourage someone who had a hard day...), followed by everyone picking their top item (so everyone feels like they left with something), followed by controlled chaos of clothes trying-on ;) then we sit around and eat and drink and be merry.
the clothes are always donated somewhere useful (like for women graduating from rehab and re-entering the professional world, or a homeless shelter, etc.), so I have everyone lend a hand in packing it all up. You can check out my posts of the clothes swap specifically here: http://adventuresinhowland.blogspot.com/2010/04/win-win-win.html & http://adventuresinhowland.blogspot.com/2010/10/100-favorites-from-week.html
sorry, super long comment, almost creepy-long, but loved your post :)