Many of you know that over the past 6 years or so, my friend Andreana and I have hosted an annual "Swap-O-Rama" party for a group of our combined friends. They are SO much fun, and I have people asking me all the time for "instructions" on how to host this type of party. I thought I'd post our methods and ideas here, so those of you who are interested can develop your own!
Side note, I originally got the idea for a Swap party while visiting my friend Stacy when she lived in San Francisco. One weekend she said, "Bring up a small bag of clothes you'd want to give away to Goodwill, we're having a girls' night and clothes swap." I had no idea what I was in for, but it turned out to be SO much fun. I couldn't believe all the great stuff I got for FREE! It's so true what they say, "One girl's trash is another girl's treasure."
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Favorite Swap theme: Movies!
With Andreana on the red carpet.
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When I met Andreana about 7 years ago, I told her about the party I'd gone to, and she thought it sounded like a great event for us to host together. We decided to make our Swap party as over-the-top as possible, with themed food, decorations, music, and favors. This really set a precedent for future years, and gave us an opportunity to be really creative in hosting a really fun party for our friends.
Here are the themes we've used:
Swap-O-Rama: First Annual -- We gave out cute bangle bracelets with purse/shoe charms to friends who came. Lots of fun "girly" decor, bright colors, etc.
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| Decor from "Hula Wants to Swap?" |
Luau: Hula Wants To Swap? -- We had a Hawaiian/beach theme and gave out cute little surfboard and flip-flop picture frames to friends who came. Guests were encouraged to dress for a luau and received leis when they arrived. Of course, we played Hawaiian music and even did a little hula!
4th of July: Freedom From Clutter -- We encouraged everyone to wear red, white, and blue and gave out patriotic necklaces to those who came. Food was "all-American:" hot dogs, potato salad, apple pie.
7/7/07: Lucky 7's/Casino Theme -- All of the decor was gaming-themed. I can't remember the favors but I want to say it was Lottery tickets?
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| Favors from "Swap: Uncorked!" |
Wine Tasting: Swap, Uncorked! -- This was pretty easy to pull off. We wanted a "classy" feel so we had wine, hors d'ouvres, jazz music, and our favor was a trendy-looking custom magnet (see pic).
Movies: Lights, Camera, Swap-Action! -- Probably my favorite theme! Guests arrived and "walked the red carpet," we had movie-themed snacks (popcorn, nachos, licorice, candy), played a movie soundtrack trivia came, and gave out "Oscars" for prizes.
Spring Fling! -- This one came together quickly and without quite as much attention to detail, because I was like 37 weeks pregnant. But we had lots of bright colors, flower decor, and gave out little potted plant photo holders as favors.
Picking the theme is my FAVORITE part of our Swap party tradition! I love the opportunity to be creative and build around it. Of course, you do not have to have a theme (although food and alcohol always make things more fun!) ~ the theme our first year was the Swap itself!
Here's the verbiage we've used on the invitations, which gives you a better idea of what a "Swap" is:
WHAT: Sarah & Andreana's Swap-O-Rama!
WHEN: Saturday, April 16th ~ 1:00pm - 4:00pm
WHERE: Dominion Courtyard Villas - NE corner of Cedar/Shepherd ~ Lower lounge in clubhouse
Ladies, it's time for Swap-O-Rama! Join us as we SPRING into action and FLING off our unwanted items! Your hostesses are looking forward to a Swap-fabulous time!
WHAT SWAP IS: The opportunity to exchange all your old (or unused/new) "stuff" for someone else's. This is a great chance to shop for FREE in your girlfriends' closets! We'll be giving out prizes for Most Unique Item, Most Coveted Item, & Highest Value Item!
WHAT TO BRING: Anything you don't want or don't use! We've seen clothes, shoes, jewelry, perfumes, CDs, DVDs, books, housewares, yard items, games, candles, picture frames, etc. All SWAP-able contributions are welcome! BUT --if it's stained or broken (or truly "junk"), save it for the tax writeoff!
DON'T WORRY: If your items don't get picked up; nobody will think less of you! Lastly, remember that ALL LADIES are welcome. In case you're wondering if other attendees will wear your size, rest assured that each year we've had a variety of sizes AND styles to choose from.
IMPORTANT NOTE: Please arrive promptly at 1pm, as this is not a garage sale-style event. There is NO COST to you! This is not an item-for-item exchange, but ...you will need to bring at least one item to participate. Every year we get all kinds of items, and the clothing in ALL SIZES & STYLES for ALL AGES!
We can't wait to see you SPRING into action and join us this year! Feel free to call Sarah or Andreana with any questions-- we look forward to hosting you!
How the Swap works:
Over the years we have been able to refine our "process" to make sure that everyone has a great time, and the party does not go on forever. So here is a breakdown of how it usually works.
Guests arrive and haul in all of their Swap stuff. They pick a seat and arrange their Swap items nearby.
We take turns showing off our items. Meaning, each person goes through ALL of their bags, boxes of stuff at the same time. When it's my turn, I open a bag, and start pulling things out. I hold up the items one at a time, being as quick as possible but providing a brief description of what it is (if it's not obvious). For clothes, I make sure I tell what size it is and what brand it is (if the brand is relevant). Also, mention any "repairs" needed such as stain removal or sewing up a tear. Sometimes it's tempting to get into stories about where/why you got the item, what you used it for, etc. but that makes the event last longer. It really depends on how many people are there and how much stuff everyone has brought to swap!
[We eventually learned that if we had 15-20 people, we could get through the Swap in about 3 hours. This includes time to snack/socialize, play a fun icebreaker game, and take a few breaks to try on clothes.]
[We also learned that as much as you want to encourage people to bring GOOD things to Swap, some people have a tendency to bring LOTS of junk. Junk that can take HOURS to go through, which nobody really wants. So we made an effort to define "Swap-able" or "Swap-worthy" items for our guests. Nobody wants your old eletrical cords, sorry.]
The first person in the group to raise their hand and say "I'll take it!" gets the item. It's that easy and that simple! If nobody claims an item, it goes onto a giant giveaway pile.
Occasionally you have a REALLY great item that's coveted by multiple people. We implemented a "roll the dice" system, where everyone who wants an item takes a turn rolling 2 dice and whoever rolls the highest, wins. Eventually we had to limit this, because people were rolling dice for every other item. So a few years ago we started giving out raffle tickets to each guest (3-5 tickets each, depending on how big the party was). Guests have to pay the owner a ticket in order to roll for their item. If I know I can only roll the dice 5x, I'm going to be careful what I roll for!
So after the first person finishes showing all their Swap items, the next person takes their turn. You can go in a circle, or people can volunteer to take their turn!
Every hour or so we'd take a break so that people could use the restroom, get more food, try on clothes, go through the giveaway pile, etc.
At the end of the party, we liked to give out prizes! Typically for: Most Unusual Item (people have brought some seriously random stuff, that turned out to be a hit with someone else!), Highest Value Item (such as a Coach purse, crystal vase, etc.), and Most Coveted Item (the guests who has collected the most "roll tickets" because someone wants to roll for their item!).
After that, our thoughtful friends usually stayed to help us clean up.... there is always a ton of items that need to be bagged up for Goodwill, and there is generally one person who is willing to haul the stuff away and claim the tax writeoff!
My favorite Swap items:
Over the years, I have gotten so many cool things at Swap parties. Some of my favorites are: designer perfume, entire set of workout DVDs, books, CDs, movies, Coach handbags, Seven jeans, lingerie (nightgowns!), table linens, a crystal vase, and TONS of great clothes/shoes/swimsuits, etc. If you really like your friends and have similar taste, then the party is even better! It seems like there is always something for everyone -- if not clothes, then home decor and vice versa.
See below for some Swap action photos. Happy Swapping!
