Yay for gift exchanges!

January 25, 2012 6:10 PM

"A secret crafty gift from a stranger (from the internet)..."

Dear the anonymous person who drew my name in MeRAGE or Metafilter craft exchange and sent me a lovely box of crafty goodies and an adorable felted CactusMonster™ in time for my birthday: you are wonderful. Love, Me.

What other wonderful things have people received?

posted by torisaur to MetaFilter-Related at 6:10 PM (70 comments total)

My Mac says your cactusmonster link is unsafe, fyi.
posted by You Should See the Other Guy at 6:24 PM on January 25

It just has an invalid SSL cert. A non-https version of the link should be just fine.
posted by JiBB at 6:27 PM on January 25

Hey, that's a cool gift. Thanks for sharing a picture.
posted by SpacemanStix at 6:29 PM on January 25 [1 favorite]

Oops, sorry about the link!
posted by torisaur at 6:59 PM on January 25

Flowers, cookies, potato chips, beer, syringes.
posted by jonmc at 7:14 PM on January 25

That is very cute! Should anyone here want to send me a present (my bd is in may y'all), I too would appreciate a cactus monster! Good work to whoever made it!
posted by bquarters at 7:17 PM on January 25

My Mac says your cactusmonster link is unsafe, fyi.

It's a CACTUSMONSTER, of course it's unsafe, duh.
posted by middleclasstool at 8:11 PM on January 25 [28 favorites]

Whuffles.
posted by daniel_charms at 11:17 PM on January 25

bquarters, you can find the link to sign up for the MeRAGE in my profile. Maybe you'll get a cactusmonster!
posted by kittenmarlowe at 4:16 AM on January 26 [3 favorites]

Whuffles.

I don't know who sent my son to you, but y'know... hope he was delicious.
posted by sonika at 4:41 AM on January 26 [3 favorites]

What other wonderful things have people received?

Do death-threats count?
posted by Slap*Happy at 4:57 AM on January 26 [2 favorites]

I haven't sent my boxes yet. But hopefully my people will like the crap I'm sending.
posted by TooFewShoes at 7:07 AM on January 26

I sent out something felty, too! It's a felty kind of month, I think.
posted by bitter-girl.com at 9:27 AM on January 26 [1 favorite]

It wasn't for the exchange but I did want to once more thank ErikaB for the awesome hat she made me about a year ago. It kept my little head warm just this very morning. I traded for it by mailing her some of my sourdough starter, with instructions on the care and feeding of a starter, and some advice on making bread with it. Thanks, Ms. B!
posted by Toekneesan at 10:01 AM on January 26 [1 favorite]

I had no idea MeRAGE existed--I know about secret quonsar, and the music swap, but had never heard about this. Could something about MeRAGE go on the sidebar for a bit, in case (as I suspect) a large number of MeFites would love to take part, but don't know about it?
posted by tzikeh at 11:36 AM on January 26

Serendipitousteryical, huh?!
posted by peagood at 12:10 PM on January 26

i just sent my rerage gift out today, I hope the recipient likes it...
posted by patheral at 1:25 PM on January 26

merage gift...
posted by patheral at 1:25 PM on January 26

Do MeFightClubbers craft hats?
posted by infinitewindow at 2:23 PM on January 26

So pumped about what I made! Will be mailing it soon.

I kind of want to leave a little note in with it - is it egotistical to want to sign my craft with my mefi handle?
posted by The demon that lives in the air at 9:08 PM on January 26

I figure, yes a bit of egotism, but it's supposed to be as fun for the gifter as it is for the receiver, right? It's sender's choice whether to be anonymous or not, so. I didn't sign my SQ package because I thought it would be more fun that way, but it kinda wasn't; so I signed my MeRAGE when I sent it out. I bet you have even more attachment to a craft because it's something you actually made so it's more personal.
posted by flex at 9:28 PM on January 26

Earlier in the week I recieved an awesome wooden whistle shaped like a cat, from Moonmilk. It smelled amazing (how?) and while potentially not the intention, our cats do come running when we use it. Further experimentation will be needed to see if it eventually calls the Totoro cat bus to our house...

So thank you. So unique and I love it. (We took photos, but unfortunately they all look like our cats have blurry moving heads, or they're using it as a bong. Stoner kitty eyes... they too love the smell.)

I'm still knitting away at both of my gifts - for the random and the crafty exchanges. I'm optimistic they'll be mailed next Saturday. :)
posted by librarianamy at 5:04 AM on January 27 [2 favorites]

I'm so glad to see the thank you responses to the MeRAGE exchange - thank you so much for getting the ball rolling, torisaur.

I was kind of wondering where everyone was in this. Just as it was quite nice to see the SQ thanks rolling in, this is such an uplifting thing to peek at too!

Seeing pictures is great - I need to know if I should step up my game! flex is right - it's very personal, and I was surprised at how much I cared about what I sent and agonized whether it would be good enough, or well-recieved. I did mine rather anonymously - my name is on the return address, but somewhat illegible (I think). There are other clues here and there, but I really don't need to be thanked any more personally - it's just really nice to see the thankses pop up here. I really thought I'd be seeing more by now!

And, I'll put my "You're very welcome!" to my recipient here now too.

I am also intrigued by such things as cat whistles - as if my cat would respond anyway.
posted by peagood at 6:42 AM on January 27

Wow, librarianamy, I never would have guessed that the cat whistle actually summons cats. I'm going to make one shaped like poutine and see if that works.

I can explain the smell: I used a laser cutter to cut the wood (either oak or maple, I forget), which also caramelizes the leftover sap, creating a smoky bbq sauce kinda smell.
posted by moonmilk at 7:20 AM on January 27 [6 favorites]

Me MeRAGE is getting sent out tomorrow, part of the hold up has been me agonizing over if I should put my name to it or not. Glad to know I wasn't the only one.
posted by Gygesringtone at 7:55 AM on January 27

Could something about MeRAGE go on the sidebar for a bit, in case (as I suspect) a large number of MeFites would love to take part, but don't know about it?

Ping us about it next time there's an open call? I got an email from someone asking to put htis on the sidebar, but I think adding something where the sign-up date ended a week ago is probably not the best way to go about it. So if someone can send a note to the contact form for the next go-round, we'd appreciate it.
posted by jessamyn (staff) at 8:12 AM on January 27

That was the craft exchange. MeRAGE is ongoing.
posted by kittenmarlowe at 8:15 AM on January 27

Ah okay, the link I got sent me, I thought, to something that said "Ends Jan 15" Let me straighten that out in my own pre-coffee mind. Thanks!
posted by jessamyn (staff) at 8:18 AM on January 27

Would it help if I posted a comment with a description and rules and such all in one place? It was kind of scattered all over in the original discussion as we figured out what we wanted to do.
posted by kittenmarlowe at 8:22 AM on January 27

That would be sort of great, yeah. It's easier to link to a comment that doesn't change, than a userpage which might.
posted by jessamyn (staff) at 8:23 AM on January 27

MeRAGE: The Metafilter Random Asynchronous Gift Exchange (pronounced like "mirage," not like something the Hulk would say.)

The exchange is ongoing and asynchronous: some people will send ten in a month, some people won't send any. You may receive ten gifts in a row, you may only receive one. The amount you send has no bearing on how many you get, except in as much as it moves the list along that much quicker.

The Rules!

You can sign up to either give, receive, or both.

Givers
1. If you are signed up as a giver, I will send you an email asking if you want to send a gift to the next person on the list. If you say no, you won't be asked again for another month (unless you specify otherwise.)
2. If you accept, I'll send you the information for your giftee.
3. You have one month to send your giftee something! It can be anything from a postcard to a moose, if you want to pay shipping on a moose.
4. When you send your gift, send a message to [e-mail] and I'll put you back in the rotation.
5. If you realize you're not going to be able to send anything out, e-mail [e-mail] so I can put your giftee back in the rotation.
6. If you fail to send anything OR contact the exchange to say so, you're out for six months.
7. You can send as many or few as you like!

Receivers
1. Sit back and wait for your gift to arrive!
2. Let me know at [e-mail] when you get something.


Link to signup form is HERE.
posted by kittenmarlowe at 8:30 AM on January 27 [24 favorites]

Thanks, sidebarred.
posted by jessamyn (staff) at 8:33 AM on January 27

I got something felty! From bitter-girl.com! I'm sad to say that the package arrived the day of my third Christmas and got piled on a table and forgotten, but this thread made me remember to open it, so thank you, thread! I am now the extremely proud owner of the gorgeous hand-dyed purpley scarf that may become my office scarf because the boss keeps the air conditioning on all year round. I luuurve it, thank you!
posted by alynnk at 9:13 AM on January 27 [1 favorite]

HULK SMASH SEND NICE GIFT
posted by 40 Watt at 9:52 AM on January 27 [4 favorites]

Oh cool! I never knew this existed...signed up!
posted by SisterHavana at 10:02 AM on January 27

So rad! I signed up to give things!
posted by sawdustbear at 10:11 AM on January 27

I mailed out my Craft Exchange package today :) May have gone a bit overboard... but, hopefully the recipient will make good use of it.
posted by Gordafarin at 2:28 PM on January 27

I've been calling it Me-Rage (like the Hulk). It sounds right to me that way. I forgot to send the email saying I mailed mine out. Thanks for posting the rules again
posted by patheral at 4:18 PM on January 27

Yay! I just got my first recipient name and their preferences go nicely with what I was thinking of sending!
posted by tzikeh at 4:22 PM on January 27

Out of curiosity, how does the signed-up number of givers compare to receivers?
posted by Eyebrows McGee at 8:12 PM on January 27

At the moment, pretty much everyone is signed up to give and receive. Only a few people picked one or the other.
posted by kittenmarlowe at 8:59 AM on January 28

I am pleased to report that waiting for me on my visit to my folks' in Buffalo this weekend was my wonderful MeRAGE* gift! (I offered either a US or Canadian address to help the sender use the least expensive option, hence the delay in my thanks - I only get there every three weeks or so.) I'm sorry for the delay in my thanks.

As mrgood knows from years of "encouragement", my favourite things are more of my favourite things, and the best gifts are improved versions of things I already like, and so this offering from Glinn, was no exception and I didn't have to put thirteen years of hinting into it :

Behold, my gifts! They are indeed making winter better: Nicer tissues than what I buy for myself (I'm seriously cheap that way); tea I'd never buy just for myself, but will get to hog for myself, because my family has more conservative tastes than I do; candy that I do not have to feel guilty about not sharing; and best of all, really cool artwork in the form of a postcard and illustration (she has an etsy shop!) based on my love of Sad Etsy Dogs that may or may not be my actual dog. Her note was thoughtful, and I feel like I'm writing a reference here, but I really do have to say, that this was fantastic and waaaaay more thoughtful than I expected. An excellent participant. A+++++. Thank you very much, Glinn! If you sign up for another round, any other MeFite would be lucky to have you, and I hope you receive something wonderful yourself.



*also pronouncing it like the Hulk
posted by peagood at 9:00 AM on January 29

Okay, I decided to give it a go, but only on the condition I can pronounce it like the Hulk. I think I put stupid favorite things but my mind blanked. :)
posted by Eyebrows McGee at 9:06 AM on January 29

I was wrong about one thing - I forgot that on the back it was written that my Sad Etsy Dog illustration is named Edgar. So now I pretend that my Molly and Edgar had a romance back in Bobcaygeon, and now that they've been separated by fate, every time they bark at a raccoon they'll think of each other. She thinks of him often.

I am excited for another round of MeRAGE, (the not necessarily so crafty edition). Though, I may still inflict a craft on my recipient. Glinn told such a nice story with my package that I'm inspired to do the same.
posted by peagood at 9:23 AM on January 29

Hooray, this is the best game! You're most welcome to peagood, who writes hilarious and wonderful thank you replies. I hope everyone else is having as much fun with it.
posted by Glinn at 9:40 AM on January 29

Just signed up for MeRAGE, and I am super excited. i look forward to giving and receiving fancy things!
posted by His thoughts were red thoughts at 4:16 PM on January 30

I got a package yesterday filled with lots of stuff which I love. Thank you, yodelingisfun!

I agree with your user name whole-heartedly.
posted by h00py at 6:15 AM on January 31

I pronounce it like Hulk too.
posted by TooFewShoes at 7:34 AM on January 31

And I sent my name with my boxes. I want full credit for my efforts. None of this anonymous do-gooding for me!

THANK ME DAMN YOU!
posted by TooFewShoes at 7:42 AM on January 31 [1 favorite]

Received two gifts so far which are completely designed to be with children. The first is a strawberry jam kit where I get to plant the seeds to start while the second is more immediate with a cookie recipe book, animal cookie shapes and parchment paper. Food is coming people's way!
posted by jadepearl at 5:29 PM on January 31

I got a box from wens today, and it contained a box. A beautiful box made from hand-marbled paper & book boards.
Thank you so much, wens!
posted by bryghtrose at 3:23 PM on February 2

I wasn't expecting any packages today. I opened up the box and found hundreds of millions of fungal spores.

It's a kit for growing oyster mushrooms. I love mushrooms! Thanks, Metroid Baby!! And some future omelets also thank you.
posted by moonmilk at 10:52 AM on February 4

It's late but it is coming, I promise. It's a bit detailed and I'm a lot slack.
posted by h00py at 3:16 AM on February 7

You're not the only slacker! So, assuming that other people are still reading this thread, several will think you are referring to them. (And as far as that goes, I have slacked a bit on getting out my second, but it will be under the 30 days.)

Note: More detailedtips about things you like is the most helpful.
posted by Glinn at 12:44 PM on February 10

Note: More detailedtips about things you like is the most helpful.

For what it's worth, I left mine a little vague on purpose, I'm more interested in getting cool stuff I didn't know existed than I am in getting cool stuff I already know I like.

That could just be me.
posted by Gygesringtone at 2:39 PM on February 10

I am a slacker, but mine is FINALLY going in the mail tomorrow. Priority even!!

for the last year my job has had me at the post office 4 days out of 5. Until 2 weeks ago, when stuff changed and we no longer mail things. OF COURSE when I had to mail stuff. *headdesk*
posted by bibliogrrl at 9:49 PM on February 12

I am also a slacker but am heading to the post office tomorrow, one full day before the deadline!
posted by Cuke at 7:12 PM on February 13

I just got a box of really interesting chocolates in the mail from San Diego... I had to explain to my guy why a stranger is sending me chocolates. ^_^ Thanks vespertine!
posted by patheral at 7:31 PM on February 13

OMG you guys I just got the most fantastic MetaTalk-themed gift! I am so thrilled with it. Look! Thanks bewilderbeast! My crap Valentine's Day is saved!
posted by obloquy at 9:36 PM on February 13 [5 favorites]

patheral, that's hilarious!

Thank you so much to raisingsand for the beautiful, hand-embroidered kitchen towel, awesome seasonings, and chocolates with pretty pictures of your city on them!

I have to say that beween MeRage, the music swap, and Secret Quonsar, I've really enjoyed checking the mail and visiting the post office lately :)
posted by vespertine at 12:31 AM on February 15

I got my wonderful MeRAGE box last week and cheered, then got a message from my MeRAGE giftee and cheered again!

Now I'm eagerly awaiting another email telling me who my next target is. :/ Has the second round of emails gone out yet?
posted by introp at 12:00 PM on February 15 [1 favorite]

I got a great block print that my girlfriend had framed as my Valentine's Day gift. I really like it!
posted by the man of twists and turns at 9:49 PM on February 16

I got a box full of awesome from Janta on Monday: jewelry, a cool beaded bookmarker, and a bunch of handmade cards. So lovely! And I'd been having a terrible no good very bad day, so it was extra-special.

I didn't get mine sent out until Wednesday afternoon, alas. I'm hoping the mail is fast.
posted by epersonae at 12:13 PM on February 17

I sent out something via Etsy but I'm not sure if my receiver got it yet. Is it OK if we asked you organisers about it (to maintain some sense of anonymity)?
posted by divabat at 2:46 AM on February 18

epersonae, the mail was fast and your package made my day. Thank you so much for the beautiful knitted headband and colorful earrings! I'm so lucky!

I sure hope my package got to its recipient. Delivery confirmation says that it did a couple of weeks ago, but I haven't heard anything.
posted by dayintoday at 4:20 PM on February 19

Mr. Shoes mailed my boxes for me but I forgot to tell him to get delivery confirmation. I'm hoping my peoples will check in here and let me know they got them.
posted by TooFewShoes at 9:37 AM on February 22

Yesterday I received my Craft Exchange gift from deadtrouble! She knit me a beautiful black silk/wool blend shawlette in this pattern. It's just lovely with that scallopy wave trim and I don't have anything else like it. So delicate and pretty - I can't wait to wear it. Thank you! =)

My craft gift is late but I MeMailed my recipient to let her know and she was so sweet about it. Whew. I feel bad I had to spoil the surprise a little, but I figured it was better to say something than leave her hanging!
posted by flex at 10:24 PM on February 22

I am such a shit!

I got my lovely gift from bryghtrose weeks ago and I haven't thanked her yet. I LOVE MY NEW GLOVES. They are awesome. I had just decided that with a smartphone in my life I needed a pair of fingerless gloves, and then there they were! I have worn them every single day since they came into my life, and they totally rock. THANK YOU SO MUCH!

I haven't even made my gift for my craftee yet, let alone mailed it out. SOON. Soon. Hopefully this weekend!
posted by phunniemee at 11:25 AM on February 23

I sent mine out a while ago, but forgot to get delivery conformation... darnitall. I hope it got there.
posted by patheral at 12:01 PM on February 23

I've had my eye on my mailbox since the 15th but nothing yet! Hopefully my gifter is just a bit late or far away and nothing has been lost.

I did hear from my giftee that the package I sent made it.
posted by Cuke at 6:57 PM on February 24