stephmodo: a Jewelry Swap

a Jewelry Swap

• 11 February 2010

































I planned this jewelry swap for over a year, but never did anything about it until recently. I finally got to the point where I was tired of talking about making it happen, yet not doing anything about it. So I buckled down, put some hours into invitations and preparation, and made it happen! It was a lot of fun and I'd do it again in a heartbeat.

Inside each invitation I included a little pouch with numbered tags and instructions. Guests attached the tags to the jewelry before the swap. At the swap the jewelry was laid out across a table at random to create an ecclectic look. I placed a strip of paper under each piece of jewelry upon which guests wrote down the #'s (of their own jewelry) they'd be willing to trade for that piece. Then, the owner of that piece of jewelry could glance at the paper, see if anything struck their fancy, and then swap!

Keeping it similar to a silent auction eliminated any potentially awkward situations. We also used a simple lottery system (numbered pieces of paper in a jar) to determine who went to the table first to trade to keep things fair. Any leftover jewelry was donated to a local charity or to our little girls' dress up collections :)




















I prepared a simple dessert buffet so we could munch and chat while turns were taken at the jewelry table. I tried a marbled bundt cake from Donna Hay that was okay, Double Lemon Bars (!!) and Pumpkin Cupcakes with Spiced Cream Cheese Frosting (this frosting would be awesome on carrot cake/cupcakes too). A little lemon water and sparkling water kept things clean and simple (you never have to worry about spills with light-colored drinks!). I didn't feel like ironing that night (who am I kidding though...I never feel like ironing), so I just placed everything directly on the table. I think it worked though with all the pretty things spread across the tabletop.

Some of the guests mentioned how fun it would be to expand beyond jewelry to other accessories. I think it's an excellent idea to consider! If any of you end up hosting a variation on this swap, let me know. I'd love to hear your ideas :)


22 comments:

  1. Was money involved? Explain the swap please....this is interesting.

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  2. Is it just my imagination or did you misspell "s'il vous plait" on the invitations? :)

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  3. This is great! I've always wondered how this works with clothing, etc.

    I'm curious, too, about the nitty gritty swap details.

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  4. My friend hosted a swap based on an article she read in better homes and gardens. We all brought 5+ items. They consisted of old lamps, jewelry, books, clothes ... anything goes. Each person got 5 clothespins with our name on it. We all went around table and clipped clothespin on items we liked. Once finished, we passed out items. If there was more than one clothespin on an item, they were placed in a bucket and the winner was picked randomly. It was a blast. It was funny some of the popular items. One persons junk is another persons treasure. What was left was up for grabs or to take back home and the rest went to charity.

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  5. i've been planning a home decor swap ever since i moved into our new, smaller house. i have so much great stuff i can't use! thought i'd have some friends over to swap it out! your swap looks beautiful!

    oh, just read debbiem's comment. same idea!

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  6. how much fun! love your invitation and as always you have inspired me to plan a party like this-thank you!!

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  7. this is such a lovely idea! I've done book and clothes swap but never jewelry - wonderful dessert table too!

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  8. This is a really great party idea! I love the idea of adding in other types of accessories like scarves, belts, wallets or sunglasses.

    Love the simple invitations, too!

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  9. What a fantastic party idea! And I love the other comments about a home decor swap and even clothing swap. I think we should do more of these parties and less buying new!

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  10. i also want to know more! what a cool idea!

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  11. I love this idea! Thanks for sharing!

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  12. what a great idea. Love the "to consume mass amounts of chocolate" line.

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  13. The presentation and invite is so pretty!

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  14. wow those invites are amazing. love how you addressed the envelopes!

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  15. Love your blog!!!!

    ~ Jess

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  16. I wanted to have a jewelry swap night and googled to find some direction and your blog certainly led me the right way. I live in Ireland but will be relocating to the USA in June. This night I'm planning to have will be one of my last ladies' nights so I want it to be special. Any tips are welcome. Thanks for all your ideas. may i borrow your gorgeous photo of the jewelry to put on my invite? If not, no worries. Thanks.

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  17. sorry i meant to say I'd like to borrow the pic with the 2 necklaces and 2 sets of earrings not the other.

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  18. CT, yes of course you can. Just include a link to this post if you post it on the web :)

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  19. Thank you so much. I intend to use the pic solely on invitations. Much appreciated. I'll let you know how the night goes...thanks for your inspiration.

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  20. My jewelry swap night went really well. All 6 ladies including me brought something nice and walked away with a beautiful piece. Thanks for the inspiration!

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Thanks so much for taking the time to drop a line. I really appreciate it!

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