Host a Swap Meet!

Hey everybody! Hopefully by now, you all are getting a taste of warm weather, which means that spring has officially sprung! Two of my favorite parts of spring are spring cleaning and getting new, cute clothes to wear in the warm weather, and swap meets include both of these! Plus, all the new clothes are free! So are you convinced? Wanna host a swap meet? Okay then, let's go! 

1. First, you will need to invite your friends, preferably a lot, so that there can be more selection in the clothes. Have everyone bring 5 to 10 pieces of clothing or accessories. You can also opt to allow them to other items on the side like nail polish, books, or other objects to swap, but as long as clothes are present, that's all you need. Try to specify that the clothes should be reasonably cute and wearable. Don't let someone bring pant with a huge stain on the knee or a shirt with holes in it that aren't supposed to be there. It's best to make sure everyone bring things that other people will want to wear. 

2. So you invited everyone and they're all coming over soon. Hooray for you! Now to set up the party! It is best if you have one or two clothing racks to display the clothing on (have people bring hangers to hang their clothing on) or you can use a pole between two tables, or just strew the clothes across a table or couch if you don't care about ambience (to each her own!). Also have an area for people to lay shoes and other accessories for display as well as any other items they may bring to swap. 

3. While you are putting together the setup of the party, also remember the tasty part: food! You can create a delicious cake, like the one pictured above, or serve other foods. I would suggest fresh fruit and cupcakes for simple deliciousness, although you can also opt to make it a breakfast party and serve waffles, a pizza occasion, or a desert decadence. Alternately, have everyone bring a dish and have a little potluck!

4. So, the guests have arrived, the swapping items are set up, the food is in place, and now all you have to do is start swapping! When I host swap meets, I usually let everyone look at everything for a bit without claiming anything, then I have them line up, count down, and go! Then people are free to grab what they like, and if there are any disputes, a coin is flipped to settle who gets the item. Everybody can get their own fancy shopping bag, so that it's like shopping at a boutique! After you have finished swapping, you can stage a photo shoot with all your friends in their new clothes!

So, you hosted your first swap meet, and here you are left with good memories from a fun time with friends, cute new (free!) clothes, and yummy food! You can drop off any extra items at Goodwill or have someone else do it, and there you go! Wasn't that fun?

I love hosting swap meets, and maybe if you try them out, you will too! 

Happy Swapping!