Thrifty Christmas gift swap

What do you mean, it's too early to think about Christmas?!  By this time in October I have already started making notes and lists, and the present buying is well underway.  I'm starting to dig out last year's decorations and thinking about what to use this year, and the temptation to start listening to Sufjan Stevens' Christmas albums is building (every year I try - and fail - to hold off until December 1st).

Last year, Christmas was extra-special because a small group of lovely people - bloggers and non-bloggers - took part in my thrifty Christmas gift swap.

I had so much fun picking out my gifts last year (I ended up giving a mixtape-print tea towel, a vintage tea cup with chai tea bags, a homemade vinyl bookend, a secondhand Penguin Classics novel, a mix CD, and a hand-sewn lavender heart) and even more fun awaiting the arrival of my own box: I still use the to-do-list book that Helen made for me.

I'd love to run it again, and only need a handful of participants to make it work.  So, if you're interested, have a gander at the rules below and then contact me on the email address below to sign up.  If you're a blogger, feel free to reblog this post to spread the word!

The Rules
1. Send your name, address, blog address (if you have one) and a couple of lines about yourself to jbistheinitial@gmail.com by November 17th.
2. Wait to receive the details of your swapee (to be sent out by November 24th). 
3. Put together a box of thrifted, handmade or secondhand goodies that you think your recipient will love.  Last year, gifts ranged from homemade marshmallow vodka, to Christmas mix CDs, to fanzines, to books. 
4. Pop your parcel in the post by December 10th (although try and be a bit more prompt if sending overseas).
5. Sit back and wait to receive your own box of delights from a mystery giver!