Friendship Book - FB - How to make an Fb

If this tutorial is confusing or not too clear for you, you can take a look at Always Amy's blog for another attempt at showing how to make friendship books. She actually uses her Friendship books as a marketing tool for her Etsy.com Shop.

Step1:
Start with a sheet of paper:


Step2:
Fold that piece of paper in half


Step3:
Now Fold it in half again. (1/4)


Step 4:
Cut the papers on the creases. You now have 4 sheets of paper.


Step 5:
Now take the papers in step 4 and fold them in half.(set aside two sheets)


Step 6:
Set aside two sheets of paper from step 5. These will be your 'covers'.


Step 7:
Cut the rest of the papers from step 5.


Step 8:
You should have 2 sheets (outside booklet) and then the sheets from step 7. (Seperate these out - about 2 - 4 for each booklet.)


Step 9:
Make a label for the inside of the booklet. When making an FB you need to state who it is made for (your pal or yourself) AND who made it (You)

You can also include your interests, how to contact you, your website, what you collect, swap, etc...


Step 10:
Now take those loose pages from step 8 and staple them to the inside of the booklet on the right side.


Step 11:
Add your label to the left inside of the booklet. You now have an FB.


Step 12:
Last, but the most fun, is decorating your FB. You can use anything from stickers, drawings, magazine cutouts, die cuts, scrapbooking supplies, glitter, etc...

To add extra sturdiness to your booklet, cover it in clear contact paper or packaging tape.

Start Swapping those friendship booklets with your real life pals, your email pals, your penpals, and even Swap-Bot is starting to host swaps for FBs.

You can start by joining in on a Yahoo Group or even just answer an ad in a Penpal Zine.

Friendship books are fun to make and fun to swap.
You can join Round Robins or even join a yahoo group and make different Fbs for people with different themes.

Come on, give it a try JOIN A SWAP.

Visit Friendship-by-Mail to learn more about the pen pal hobby.
Lifetime friendships are formed via simple letters... and so much more!

##Image credit: Kooohkies(c)

1. *Search some empty space in FB, and write your name and address (and information if you want to) there.

2. *After signing read the FB through if there's someone you'd be interested corresponding with. If you'd like to start swapping with someone, but you are beginner and you don't have very much fb's or slams, it's better not to start with anyone who is 'heavy-swapper'. They want to swap many fb, or whatever they swap, once. So choose someone who is 'light-swapper'.

3. *Send it on to another snail mail pal, who isn't already listed.

4. *If you receive a FB, which is full after you sign it, send it to its owner. Usually that person's name is in the cover of FB with words 'for'.

5. Remember! The person, who has made the FB, isn't always the same who it was made for!!!!

6. *Pass it on as soon as possible; don't let it lay in your shelf box for months. If you can, send it on in a week!!!!

7. *When an FB is full, you must send it to its owner!!!!

8. *You must not add any extra pages or numbers to avoid sending that FB back to its owner!!!!

9. *You must not remove any pages!!!!

10. *You must not write anything that might hurt someone!!!!

11. *You must not take up too much page. It isn't nice if you are almost the only person in that FB!!!!!

12. *You must not write to someone, who doesn't want new penpals, whether at all or not from your country. I am sure you'll find someone else.

Yane

Penpalling is a very diverse hobby and is a world unto its own. You can really swap anything with your friends but here are a few of the most common items swapped amoung friends.

- Postcards: New aka 'chrome cards'. You can swap these two ways- new in an envelope or just mail off a postcard to your new friend. [Viewcard is another name for landscape view postcard]

- Phone Cards: (used)

- Exchange Slips: Exchange slips are small pieces of paper used for swapping. (Example: Send 10 loose stickers to the first person of the list, move the name that was on second to first and put your name on second to pass along.)

- Continental Size Cards: 4x6'' cards, which is the most common size among the collectors. Before you send any other size of card (or shape), ask the person if she/he likes it (some people stores the cards in photo albums, so they can´t store cards larger that 4x6, or just don´t like smaller ones).

- Free Card: (also known as Rack Card) postcards that you can get for free at some companies, because they advertise about their products there. There are people who collects only this kind of card, but there are people who doesn´t like them. Ask before sending... and also let the person know if you like/dislike these cards.

- Lettersets: These are usually Kawaii lettersets which is the Japanese style of Cute food/animals/etc. A letterset consists of 2 sheets of stationery plus 1 envelope.

- Sticker Sheets: These are full New sticker sheets not award stickers or dollar store tiny mini stickers

- Sticker Flakes: These are usually Kawaii and come in little bags of 100 stickers. (diddl, Sanrio, , etc.)

- Keychains: New keychains from your part of the world

- Magnets: New magnets from your part of the world

- Used Stamps: These are taken off the envelope by soaking them in a wee bit of water until the glue is moist enough to remove the stamp without damage. Dry them individually so they don't stick to each other.

VanessaMachado

##Image credit: Kooohkies(c)

Some Abbreviations that can be used on all swappable items

A/A - Always Answers
A/M - Answers most
A/O - Answers only
A/S - Answer some
Addy - Address
BBFN - Bye-bye for now
BD - Birth date
Cram - see above
DB-Dear Boyfriend
Deco - Decorated FM
DD-Dear Daughter
DH - Dear Husband
DS-Dear Son
DOB - Date of birth
FB - Friendship book
EMS - E-mail soon
IRC - International reply coupon (you can send them to your Non-USA pals, they are gift certificates for postage stamps, you can get them at larger post offices)
ICR - I can return (people who are willing to return the full FB home)
LL - Long letter
LLP - Long letter pals
LLO - Long letters only
LOL - Laugh Out Loud
LSASE - Long self addressed stamped envelope
NNPP - No new pen pals
No chains - Do not send chain letters
NPW - New pals wanted
PC - Post card
ROFL - Rolling On the Floor Laughing
SASE-Self Addressed Stamped Envelope
SL - Short Letter
SLAM - Q & A FB
SNNP - Sorry no new pals
SWA - Swaps with all
TTFN - Ta ta for now

##Image credit: Kooohkies(c)##

What is a Friendship Book or FB?
A small book that is created by one person as a treat for another. They ahve colorful covers and are filled with blank sheets of paper. The books are mailed from person to person who each writes in their name, address, interests etc. When the book is full, it is mailed to the person whom it was made for. Please sign and pass along the booklets quickly and send home if more than 2 years old.

What is a Cram?
Crams are like friendship sheets or book, but no one includes any personal information. The idea (as the name implies) is to "cram" as many names and addresses into the provided space.

What is a Friendship Sheet?
As the name implies, they are nearly the same as Friendship books, but they are made on a single sheet of paper or stationery.

What is a Slam?
Slams can be themed or regular. Typically they are usually small like a standard friendship book. Often they have a "sign-in" page where you put your label or name, then each page will often contain a question which you answer (i.e. When was the last time you said "I love you") and the signer would write the appropriate response. At the end there is often a sign-out page as well where it's dated. Slams have many variations and can be "sign if" slams (you sign only if the statement or question applies to you). These are handled in a number of ways, but most of them become more clear when you have it in-hand.

What is a Deco?
Decos are similar to FB's, but are often larger in size. The cover is often decorated with interesting materials like magazine pictures, rubber stamps, decorative papers, and other embellishments. Each person who signs decorates a full page in the book. Sometimes the book has a theme, for example cats. Then, each person decorates their page following the theme. As with FB's, when these are full, they are sent home to the person for whom the book was made.

What is a Label Bag or Labelope?
A label bag is much like a sticker bag only it has return address labels rather than stickers. A label bag is usually an envelope with 5 to 10 return address labels already in it. You put your address on it in the return address area, as the maker or the 'by' person. Then you add another address in the regular place on the front as if mailing it for the 'for' person. This can be yourself, if you like. On the back you put simple instructions like take 1 - 2 labels and make FBs or whatever, add 5 - 10 of your address labels, add address to back of bag, last person mail home. Also write numbers usually 1 thru 5 along the bottom for the fillers to put their name or their address label. Eventually you or your 'for' person will get a lovely full envelope of address labels in the mail to make FBs or other swappables or make new pen friends!


What is a Sticker Bag?
A sticker bag is usually an envelope with 10 to 20 single stickers already in it. You put your address on it in the return address area, as the maker or the 'by' person. Then you add another address in the regular place on the front as if mailing it for the 'for' person. This can be yourself, if you like. On the back you put simple instructions like take 5 stickers add 10, add address to back of bag, last person mail home. Also write numbers usually 1 thru 5 along the bottom for the fillers to put their name or their address label. Eventually you or your 'for' person will get a lovely full envelope of stickers in the mail!


What is a Sticker Book/Deco/Slam?
A sticker book is a cross between an FB and a sticker bag. It is in booklet form but instead of signing in as with an fb or adding stickers to an envelope as in a sticker bag, the pal adds their label to a page and then decorates the entire page with stickers. Some of these have themes and others are free form.

What is a Game FB?
A Game FB is mainly for those who really enjoy making making Fbs for others. It's an FB with instructions about making fbs for others. (I.E. Make 2 fbs for maker[the person who made the fb], made 3 fbs for yourself, make 4 fbs for sender[the person who mailed the fb to you], and make 5 fbs for owner[the person the fb was originally made for]) These get kind of confusing and annoying after a while if it's not something you are into. You can always PASS game fbs onto people who play them.

What is a Lyrix or Lyrics?
Lyrix are much like decos except that each page is decorated using lyrics from a song. Some are more plain with the words simply written in them, others are as artistic as decos with pictures and other ornamental adornments.

What is a Quotes or Quotez?
Quotz are like Lyrix, but instead of song lyrics they contain quotes from movies. These can also be themed, such as Brad Pitt movie quotes. Quotz can be plain text or decorative

What is a Goodie Bag/Box?
A goodie bag/box should be a LARGE envelope or a smallish box stuffed with goodies for your partner, with at least some of it being what they request in the database. IF you use a 6x9 envie, which I commonly do for instance, MAKE SURE it is stuffed with good quality items that a partner can use. Don't just through random pieces of papers or 100s of loose stickers or stuff like that. PUT SOME THOUGHT INTO IT!!! If you can only afford to send 3 or 4 little things, make sure they are of good quality!
At times these are referred to Match Box swaps, this would be a box of wooden matches (empty of matches of course).

~ FBFUN.COM