Swap Categories

Every swap is tagged with one or more categories describing what kind of items will be exchanged. Coordinators pick the categories when they create a swap; participants use them to find swaps they're interested in via the Category dropdown on the Find Swaps page. A swap card shows its categories in the bottom row.

Some categories are very specific (Inchies, Dotee Dolls); others are broad (Crafts, Handmade). Picking the most specific category that fits is more useful than picking everything that's vaguely related.

Categories List

  • Accessories: Wearable add-ons — pins, brooches, hair clips, scarves, fascinators.
  • Art: Original artwork: paintings, sketches, prints, mixed media.
  • Artist Trading Card/ATC: Standard 2.5×3.5 inch handmade trading cards.
  • Bath & Body: Soap, bath salts, lotions, scrubs, and other personal-care items you've made.
  • Bookmarks: Handmade or decorated bookmarks.
  • Books: Books, mini-books, and book-related items.
  • Bottle Caps: Decorated bottle caps used as charms, magnets, or jewelry components.
  • Boxes: Decorated, painted, or constructed small boxes — including matchbox crafts.
  • Card Making: Greeting cards, occasion cards, blank-front handmade cards.
  • Challenges: Themed prompt-based swaps where everyone interprets the same idea differently.
  • Childrens Items: Items intended for children: toys, games, art for kids.
  • Craft Supplies: Materials and tools to use in your own crafts: yarn, paper, embellishments, beads.
  • Crafts: General handmade items that don't fit a more specific category.
  • Crocheting: Crocheted pieces: doilies, granny squares, amigurumi, washcloths.
  • Dolls: Handmade dolls in any style.
  • Dotee Dolls: Small handmade fabric dolls, typically 4–5 inches tall.
  • Drawing: Pencil, pen, ink, or charcoal sketches and drawings.
  • Email: Electronic-only swaps — items are exchanged via email rather than the postal service.
  • Embroidery: Needlework: cross-stitch, hand embroidery, hoop art.
  • Ephemera: Collectable paper items like vintage postcards, stamps, and labels.
  • Fabric: Fabric scraps, swatches, fat quarters, themed fabric packs.
  • Food: Edible items, recipes, and food-related crafts. Postal rules on shipping food vary by country — check before joining.
  • Handmade: Anything personally crafted by the sender, no specific medium required.
  • Illustration: Drawn or painted depictions of subjects, often more polished than sketches.
  • Inchies: 1×1 inch art pieces, often traded in sets.
  • Jewelry: Necklaces, bracelets, earrings, rings — handmade, thrifted, or repurposed.
  • Journals: Notebooks, journal pages, junk journals, art journals.
  • Kawaii: Japanese-style cute art and items.
  • Knitting: Knitted pieces: scarves, washcloths, dishcloths, small wearables.
  • Letters & Writing: Snail-mail letters, decorated stationery, pen-pal exchanges.
  • Mail Art: Decorated envelopes, postcards-as-art — anything where the mailing itself is the art.
  • Miscellaneous: Items that don't fit any other category.
  • Nature: Pressed flowers, leaves, seeds, and nature-themed crafts.
  • Newbie: First-swap-friendly exchanges, designed to be welcoming for new members.
  • Painting: Painted artwork in any medium — watercolour, acrylic, gouache, oil.
  • Paper Crafts: Paper cutting, origami, decoupage, paper engineering.
  • Paper Goods: Pre-made paper items: stickers, washi tape, decorative paper packs.
  • Photography: Photographs, photo prints, instant photos.
  • Polymer Clay: Items crafted in oven-baked polymer clay: charms, beads, miniatures.
  • Postage Stamps: Used or unused postage stamps; stamp art.
  • Postcards: Postcards — handmade, store-bought, or vintage.
  • Printmaking: Block prints, screen prints, monotypes, linocuts.
  • Promotional: Promotional items: business cards, flyers, branded swag.
  • Random Items: Surprise selections — anything goes.
  • Religious: Faith- and religion-themed items.
  • Rolos: Roll-up organizers, often decorated and filled with small items.
  • Rubber Stamping: Rubber-stamped art on cards, paper, and other surfaces.
  • Scrapbooking: Scrapbook pages, layouts, and scrapbook-style collages.
  • Seasonal: Holiday- and season-themed items (Halloween, winter, spring, etc).
  • Sewing: Hand- or machine-sewn items.
  • Shrink Plastic: Items made from heat-shrunk plastic sheets — charms, pins, jewelry.
  • Stickers: Sticker swaps: bought, handmade, or themed.
  • Themed: Swaps organized around a specific theme (e.g., 'ocean', 'vintage', 'autumn').
  • Thrift Store: Found items from thrift stores, repurposed or repackaged for the swap.
  • Toys: Small handmade or store-bought toys.
  • Twinchies: 2×2 inch art pieces.
  • Whimsey Jars: Small decorated jars filled with tiny treasures.
  • Yarn: Yarn skeins, yarn samples, yarn-themed packs.
  • Zentangle: A method of creating abstract art using structured repeating patterns.
  • Zines: Small self-published booklets, often handmade.

The list above mirrors the active categories used across the site. If you think a category is missing, send a note via the Contact Admin page.