Spring 2023 PYO Swap (Sign Up Thread)

Hello I’ll be hosting this spring PYO swap. My name on Facebook is Michelle Ray. Hopefully I can do this position half as well as our previous hosts have.

Here is the information for how to join the Spring 2023 PYO swap. There are a few updates to the information, so please make sure you carefully read ALL of the information below before signing up.
IMPORTANT NOTE: By signing up, you are committing to paint a NEW piece for another person. If you get your prompt, and you cannot fulfill it for some reason, please let me know ASAP and I can see what can be done.

The rules/dates are as follows:
Sign ups are open from today thru March 1st. By March 5th (but most likely earlier), I will send out forum PMs with everyone’s swap partners. Your finished PYO should be shipped between May 1st and no later than May 10th. This gives everyone more than 2 months to order a blank PYO (if needed) and complete their piece. I will send out a PM around April 10th to ask if your piece is ready and get an idea if anyone will be delayed.

To sign up: Send me a PM through the forum and include “Spring 2023 PYO Swap” in the subject. I will reply to each PM to confirm receipt, as well as updating this thread with the number of participants.

Please include the following in your forum message:
1.Forum name, real name, and mailing address. Make sure it’s an address that can accept packages, since this is where your swap partner will be sending your piece.
2. Requests for what sculpts you’d like to receive and if there are any you’d prefer to NOT receive. Store stock fluctuates, so please be more open-minded towards sculpts. Also, please do give a prompt for the painter. Part of the fun is getting to paint things you might not paint for yourself, and another part is receiving something painted just for you. Prompts can include desired color schemes, animal inspiration, or a general subject.
While not everything might be in stock right now, it may become available later. Please be a little flexible in your requests so your painter has some options to choose from. I suggest listing three or so different sculpts in order of preference (but also be open to something out of that short list), or something like “no unicorns” or “anything but X and Y.”
3. Whether you will be willing to ship outside the country.
Also, please mention if you have anything you just absolutely hate to paint – we want everyone to have a good time with the swap after all!
All partners will be determined by random drawing. If Melody is participating, her recipient will be drawn first so that everyone has an equal chance. After that, I will make adjustments as needed to accommodate requests as best I can, but the primary method of selection will be random. I will not be in the drawing for Melody’s recipient.
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Things to remember:
*You are responsible for buying a blank PYO, painting it, and mailing it by the ship date. In return, you will receive a painted piece.
*It is expected that you will be painting a NEW piece for this swap, not sending an already painted piece. If you get your prompt, and you cannot fulfill it for some reason, please let me know ASAP and I can see if we can work something out, get another prompt.
*Please do not ship early.
*You are probably not painting for the person who is painting for you. This is more of a “secret santa” type exchange.
* Please be aware that you may be asked to paint a larger piece than you are asking for. Since we have lots of people participating in this swap, not all requests will be equal.
*If you do end up shipping out of the country, please declare the value of the piece as $10. This will avoid most customs charges.
*If you’ve never shipped Windstones before – please take note of how the blank you receive is boxed from the company. Windstones are very fragile and must be double boxed. Your safest bet is to reuse the packaging it comes in. If you need any guidance in packing, feel free to message me and I will walk you through it.
*Sign the felt pad before you ship your piece. Naming your piece is a nice touch, but not required.
*To keep in the spirit of the swap, don’t post any pictures of your piece (even in your private gallery) until your recipient has received it. No spoilers.
*Everyone is welcome. Just do your best. If you need help, reach out. I love the Windstone Community- they are very supportive! If I can’t answer your questions, I can find someone who can!
*We do this not only to give, but to receive. Please commit to following through on shipping the piece to your recipient. If you must drop out, let me know ASAP so that we can reorganize recipients, or arrange something else.

Looking forward to this seasons PYO Swap! If anyone has any questions feel free to reach out here or on Facebook.