Are you wondering what the deal is with these new-fangled clothing swap things?

Are you thinking of hosting or participating in one? Look no further! I have complied the answers to a few frequently asked questions about clothing swaps.

Behold,

Ginger’s Clothing Swap FAQ:

What IS a clothing swap?

Organized by a fashion community or group of friends. Everyone brings their gently used clothing, shoes and accessories they no longer want to the swap. Then the madness begins! You are free to choose and try on as many of the donated clothes as you like, and bring them home for free! The best swaps are when there are loads of clothes and ladies to try things on.

Is it really free?

Yes! A swap is an excellent way to get rid of your old things, and get some new-to-you duds at no cost. Perfect for anyone on a budget!

How much do I have to bring to a swap?

You should try and bring as much as possible to a swap, keeping in mind that your donations should be nice enough that someone else would actually want them.

It’s OK if you only have a few items though, someone may really like what you have brought! Ideally other women will bring large quantities to swap, so things usually even out in the end.

Check with the organizers first to determine whether you can attend a swap without bringing any items to donate.

What is the swapping process like?

Every swap and group will be different, but in general everyone pulls out their items to donate and quickly displays them to the group, then places them on a table or pile for someone to scoop up. If you see something you like you can grab it off the table or call dibs on it.

Part competitive free-for-all, part fashion show a swap is a really fun experience with the right group of ladies. If everyone remembers to be fair and gracious it will go swimmingly with a feeling of sisterhood and friendship all around.

What happens if two people want the same thing?

This part is a little tricky and can bring out the mean in people. Try and be on your best behaviour! Generally the person who indicates interest first (by touching the garment or calling dibs) will get to try it on. If they like it, they keep it. If not, the next person (second dibs) gets their chance with it. And so on.

If someone grabs something you like first, be sure to call second dibs, just in case they change their mind!

Is it really competitive?

Sometimes. Everyone is looking out for themselves, so there is a bit of competition and testing of wills in any clothing swap, particularly if you have two or more women with the same sense of style and size!

I would recommend calling dibs as fast as you can on pieces that are most likely to be a “win” for you. That is, garments that you have been searching for specifically (such as a Little Black Dress) or something that you know instantly will look gorgeous on you. You should know your shape, colours you look best in, and also clothing cuts you look best in before going into a swap. This will help you focus on winning the pieces best suited for you.

You may also consider tag-teaming with a friend. You can keep an eye out for things that your friend would look good in, and she will do the same for you. This can also help you bargain with other ladies when there is a hot item up for grabs.

What if there is still a bunch of clothes left over?

This is an easy fix. If you held your swap in a consignment or thrift store (both popular locations) the store will look through the remainders and take whatever they think will sell at their location. Anything that is left over after that step should be donated to a charity or women’s shelter.

It’s a win-win-win all around!

Is there any other swap etiquette that I should be aware of?

Most likely, yes. If you are ever unsure of a process or have any questions, you should contact the organizers of the swap and ask away! It is much better to ask and receive clarity than risk raising someone’s ire at the swap itself. Some ladies can be very aggressive!

Depending on the swap and group involved, there may be ground rules that you should be aware of and observe. If nothing specific is said, remember to employ common decency and fairness, but also remember that the whole point of a swap is for YOU to benefit, and to spiff up YOUR wardrobe! Don’t be afraid to dive in!

Ever been to a clothing swap?

I just went to my first one ever and had a great experience! I teamed up with some fellow GTA fatshionistas from the fatshionista (plus-size fashion) community and we organized a mid-winter swap on Sunday.

I think it went pretty well! We started with a brunch for the organizers beforehand, followed by the swap proper.

The normal fatshionista! swap location downtown Toronto was undergoing some changes, so this time it was held at a plus-size consignment shop in Vaughan. What a perfect place to hold one! They provided us with space to dump our stuff, beverages, mirrors and changerooms, plus we all received a discount on any of their inventory. In the end they also had first dibs on the leftover clothing. Anything that would sell they took, and the remainders were donated to a women’s shelter.

I didn’t have a ton of stuff to contribute, but a few of my tops and skirts were snapped up lickety split that day. It made me feel good to know that they were going to someone who would love and care for them the way I did!

Some women brought absolute MOUNDS of clothing to donate. It was truly spectacular.

Overall it was a really great experience. I met some new friends, got to parade around in all sorts of clothes and be paid compliments and of course no one can deny the thrill of the hunt! There’s nothing quite like finding an amazing dress or pair of jeans that fit you like a dream and are FREE!

I really lucked out at this particular swap, and I can’t wait for the next! I’ll be posting some photos of the things I got, but until then here is a list of what I came home with:

• 1 pair dark wash jeans that make my ass look great
• 4 gorgeous vintage dresses that highlighted all my assets. I finally understand why women love vintage so much! Vintage clothes really beautify the female form!
• 1 nice Nygard summer suit set, with skirt
• 1 denim skirt
• 3 Torrid vintage-inspired dresses
• A few miscellaneous tops

I’m really stoked about all the dresses I got. They’re ones that you can’t get in Canada and they look SO GOOD. I will totally be doing outfit posts

I was hoping to find some shoes as well, but most of the selection there was for the bigger sizes so I didn’t get anything. My mom actually came with me to this event and while she didn’t get quite as much as I did I know she got some nice things for her upcoming trip to Mexico. She came home with me for dinner after the swap and we modeled all of our new clothes for each other.

I’m really glad that I participated in this. It helped me clear out some of my older stuff (which I had been meaning to do) and I met some awesome gals while I was there. I will totally hang out with them again!

I love the idea of a swap… and I got out of this one without spending a dime! Can you believe that? I’m really pleased with myself. I’ve had the “shopping itch” for the past couple of weeks, but couldn’t justify spending any money right now (it’s been an expensive few months!) so this swap satisfied my urges while keeping me frugal!

I’ve been exposed to more fashion and I hope to keep incorporating more of it into my life, and I’ll also be doing some photo shoots in the spring with the photographer that came to our event. Yes, my friends! Ginger is going to be a model!

Vogue with me now!

LOL

it’s just to help her beef up her portfolio, but it will be a lot of fun for me! I get to dress up, get my hair and makeup done and pretend I’m someone else for the day.  Plus I’ll be helping create art

So, THAT is how I spent my Sunday! I still have to report on the rest of my activities, and do that dang shoe post *glares at Pear & Melanie* but keep your eyes peeled for a quick Clothing Swap FAQ!

I don’t know what’s gotten into me lately, but I REALLY want the following:

Morocco Snake print bathing suit by Monif C

Marilyn short convertible dress in fuschia, also by Monif C

Blueberry Babe hand-painted heels by Jellyfish

Black Diamond Platforms by Iron Fist

Flaunt dress (in any colour!) by Kiyonna

Fierce Leopard Dress also by Kiyonna

I’ve been spending a lot of time thinking about fashion lately which isn’t necessarily a good thing! Because then I end up with lust for so many items…

Just got this forwarded in an email to me and I had to share. It’s just TOO true.

-I wish Google Maps had an “Avoid Ghetto” routing option.

-More often than not, when someone is telling me a story all I can think about is that I can’t wait for them to finish so that I can tell my own story that’s not only better, but also more directly involves me.

-Nothing sucks more than that moment during an argument when you realize you’re wrong.

-I don’t understand the purpose of the line, “I don’t need to drink to have fun.” Great, no one does. But why start a fire with flint and sticks when they’ve invented the lighter?

-Have you ever been walking down the street and realized that you’re going in the complete opposite direction of where you are supposed to be going? But instead of just turning a 180 and walking back in the direction from which you came, you have to first do something like check your watch or phone or make a grand arm gesture and mutter to yourself to ensure that no one in the surrounding area thinks you’re crazy by randomly switching directions on the sidewalk.

-That’s enough, Nickelback.

-I totally take back all those times I didn’t want to nap when I was younger.

-Is it just me, or are 80% of the people in the “people you may know” feature on Facebook people that I do know, but I deliberately choose not to be friends with?

-Do you remember when you were a kid, playing Nintendo and it wouldn’t work? You take the cartridge out, blow in it and that would magically fix the problem. Every kid in America did that, but how did we all know how to fix the problem? There was no internet or message boards or FAQ’s. We just figured it out. Today’s kids are soft.

-There is a great need for sarcasm font.

-Sometimes, I’ll watch a movie that I watched when I was younger and suddenly realize I had no idea what the f was going on when I first saw it.

-I think everyone has a movie that they love so much, it actually becomes stressful to watch it with other people. I’ll end up wasting 90 minutes shiftily glancing around to confirm that everyone’s laughing at the right parts, then making sure I laugh just a little bit harder (and a millisecond earlier) to prove that I’m still the only one who really, really gets it.

-How the hell are you supposed to fold a fitted sheet?

-I would rather try to carry 10 plastic grocery bags in each hand than take 2 trips to bring my groceries in.

- I think part of a best friend’s job should be to immediately clear your computer history if you die.

-The only time I look forward to a red light is when I’m trying to finish a text.

- A recent study has shown that playing beer pong contributes to the spread of mono and the flu. Yeah, if you suck at it.

- Was learning cursive really necessary?

- Lol has gone from meaning, “laugh out loud” to “I have nothing else to say”.

- I have a hard time deciphering the fine line between boredom and hunger.

- Answering the same letter three times or more in a row on a Scantron test is absolutely petrifying.

- My brother’s Municipal League baseball team is named the Stepdads. Seeing as none of the guys on the team are actual stepdads, I inquired about the name. He explained, “Cuz we beat you, and you hate us.” Classy, bro.

- Whenever someone says “I’m not book smart, but I’m street smart”, all I hear is “I’m not real smart, but I’m imaginary smart”.

- How many times is it appropriate to say “What?” before you just nod and smile because you still didn’t hear what they said?

- I love the sense of camaraderie when an entire line of cars teams up to prevent a dick from cutting in at the front. Stay strong, brothers!

- Every time I have to spell a word over the phone using ‘as in’ examples, I will undoubtedly draw a blank and sound like a complete idiot. Today I had to spell my boss’s last name to an attorney and said “Yes that’s G as in…(10 second lapse)..ummm…Gooni es”

-What would happen if I hired two private investigators to follow each other?

- While driving yesterday I saw a banana peel in the road and instinctively swerved to avoid it…thanks Mario Kart.

- MapQuest really needs to start their directions on #5. Pretty sure I know how to get out of my neighborhood.

- Obituaries would be a lot more interesting if they told you how the person died.

- I find it hard to believe there are actually people who get in the shower first and THEN turn on the water.

-Shirts get dirty. Underwear gets dirty. Pants? Pants never get dirty, and you can wear them forever.

-I can’t remember the last time I wasn’t at least kind of tired.

- Bad decisions make good stories

-Whenever I’m Facebook stalking someone and I find out that their profile is public I feel like a kid on Christmas morning who just got the Red Ryder BB gun that I always wanted. 546 pictures? Don’t mind if I do!

- Is it just me or do high school girls get sluttier & sluttier every year?

-If Carmen San Diego and Waldo ever got together, their offspring would probably just be completely invisible.

-Why is it that during an ice-breaker, when the whole room has to go around and say their name and where they are from, I get so incredibly nervous? Like I know my name, I know where I’m from, this shouldn’t be a problem….

-You never know when it will strike, but there comes a moment at work when you’ve made up your mind that you just aren’t doing anything productive for the rest of the day.

-Can we all just agree to ignore whatever comes after DVDs? I don’t want to have to restart my collection.

-There’s no worse feeling than that millisecond you’re sure you are going to die after leaning your chair back a little too far.

-I’m always slightly terrified when I exit out of Word and it asks me if I want to save any changes to my ten page research paper that I swear I did not make any changes to.

- “Do not machine wash or tumble dry” means I will never wash this ever.

-I hate being the one with the remote in a room full of people watching TV. There’s so much pressure. ‘I love this show, but will they judge me if I keep it on? I bet everyone is wishing we weren’t watching this. It’s only a matter of time before they all get up and leave the room. Will we still be friends after this?’

-I hate when I just miss a call by the last ring (Hello? Hello? Dammit!), but when I immediately call back, it rings nine times and goes to voicemail. What’d you do after I didn’t answer? Drop the phone and run away?

- I hate leaving my house confident and looking good and then not seeing anyone of importance the entire day. What a waste.

-When I meet a new girl, I’m terrified of mentioning something she hasn’t already told me but that I have learned from some light internet stalking.

-I like all of the music in my iTunes, except when it’s on shuffle, then I like about one in every fifteen songs in my iTunes.

-Why is a school zone 20 mph? That seems like the optimal cruising speed for pedophiles…

- As a driver I hate pedestrians, and as a pedestrian I hate drivers, but no matter what the mode of transportation, I always hate cyclists.

-Sometimes I’ll look down at my watch 3 consecutive times and still not know what time it is.

-It should probably be called Unplanned Parenthood.

-I keep some people’s phone numbers in my phone just so I know not to answer when they call.

-Even if I knew your social security number, I wouldn’t know what do to with it.

-Even under ideal conditions people have trouble locating their car keys in a pocket, hitting the G-spot, and Pinning the Tail on the Donkey – but I’d bet my ass everyone can find and push the Snooze button from 3 feet away, in about 1.7 seconds, eyes closed, first time every time…

-My 4-year old son asked me in the car the other day “Dad what would happen if you ran over a ninja?” How the hell do I respond to that?

-It really pisses me off when I want to read a story on CNN.com and the link takes me to a video instead of text.

-I wonder if cops ever get pissed off at the fact that everyone they drive behind obeys the speed limit.

-I think the freezer deserves a light as well.

-I disagree with Kay Jewelers. I would bet on any given Friday or Saturday night more kisses begin with Miller Lites than Kay.

-The other night I ordered takeout, and when I looked in the bag, saw they had included four sets of plastic silverware. In other words, someone at the restaurant packed my order, took a second to think about it, and then estimated that there must be at least four people eating to require such a large amount of food. Too bad I was eating by myself. There’s nothing like being made to feel like a fat bastard before dinner.

Our view while waiting in line

Alright, I’ve been putting things off for long enough and it’s time for me to pound out another post.

It was a long and exciting week for me. Between lots of things going on at work, the crazy, crazy thunderstorm and sleepwalking and my weekend, I just didn’t get around to writing much of anything.

I’ll give a full update on my friends’ love triangle dealy-o at a later date, but as it stands the wife is moving out sometime in September. The breakup officially happened on Wednesday, and she’s been feeling kind of down about it. I can imagine that it is a tough thing to have to live with your ex and his new fuck toy while you’re looking for a new place to go.

Anyway, a new girl I’ve been hanging out with a bit (I don’t know if we’re friends exactly just yet, but we’ve been doing things together because we live nearby and have no one else to go to fun events with. We’re sort of in a similar situation) invited me to go to the CNE on Friday, which was opening night.

I was a little hesitant since I was trés exhausted from my sleepwalking adventure but I decided to go anyway. It was opening night so admission was only $1.75. I haven’t been to the Ex since I was a kid, and there’s no way I would pay the normal fee of $15 so I figured I ought to go or I’d never get around to it.

I’m really glad I went! I called up my friend B (the wife) and invited her to join us. She has like, no money right now, but this was cheap enough to get into, and she really needed to get out of that cesspool of an apartment and have some good old fashioned fun.

We all met up and actually had a really great time. I spent more than I thought I would, but I think that this time it was ok– I had a lot of fun and so did my friends. We had corndogs, Tiny Tom donuts, played games and even went on some rides!

There was a special on ride tickets for the evening so we pooled our money and each got 3 tickets for about $6 each. Still expensive, but the last time I was on a ride… I really can’t remember. Again, I was a little hesitant because generally the seats on those carny rides run on the small side and I was worried that I would be too fat to get in. My friends are a little on the round side, too. But we fit! We went on 2 scary rides and one gentle ride and had a total blast.

I didn’t realize how much I was craving a night out like that–the lights, music, sounds, smells, everything! I really felt like a kid again and was genuinely happy that evening, which doesn’t happen often. I was really glad we did this.

Ever the PF’er, here’s my cost breakdown for the night:

Admission x2 (I paid for the wife): 3.50
Corndog: 5.00
Candy Apple: 5.50
Tiny Tom donuts: 5
Water shooter game: 6.00
Guess my age game: 5.00
Lemonade: 3.50
Rides: 6.00
Total: $39.50

Hmm, that’s not actually as bad as I thought it would be! I can’t imagine how expensive it would be if I paid full price admission and ate more food though… I really wanted to have all the classic carnival foods, but the cost was ridiculous. It was $5 for everything, or more! So I just narrowed it down to the things I really wanted and left it at that. I can always roast some of my own almonds and make an ice cream waffle.

We spent about 6 hours at the CNE and headed home around midnight. I won a prize at the guess your age game (he thought I was 19! LOL) and my friend B won me another prize because she felt bad that I didn’t win at the water shooter game. How nice!

We all left full of fair food with lots of photos and a stuffed animal or two each! It was a great night and I am so glad that I got the chance to go. Hopefully there are more fun times a’comin’!

To thank all of my valued and loyal readers (and the new ones too!) and to celebrate my big comeback I decided to pull some strings and call in some favours to do something special.

So what does special mean to me?

PRIZES!!!!

If you’ve been keeping up with my Twitter feed (@gingercorsair, y’all!) you’d know that I have been working tirelessly to make a big splash and get some cool prizes to give away to my readers. With the help of some fantastic individuals and PR reps I have been able to secure 4 prizes that you can win; one per week for the month of July!

July has some really awesome things going for it, and lots of opportunities to celebrate. It starts out with Canada Day ( and the relaunch!) on July 1^st. Following immediately after is another holiday close to my heart (being half American and all); Independence Day on July 4^th.

The next reason to celebrate? My half-birthday, of course! hehe as a kid, having a January birthday sucked, so I would always hold the party on my half birthday, July 14^th!

Last, but certainly not least is the fact that July is the quintessential summer month! School is out, summer vacations start, the weather is beautiful and sunny, and there’s a BBQ every weekend! If that ain’t a reason to celebrate, I don’t know what is!

With all these great reasons to celebrate, I thought it natural to have some prizes as the icing on the summer berry cake!

So here’s the deal:

In exchange for helping me spread the word about the blog, you’ll get multiple chances to enter to win each of the prizes! Full details will be released each week as I put up a post about the particular prize. Most prizes are for Canadians only, but I have made sure to include one for my American readers too, ‘cause I loves ya!

Here’s a rundown of the prizes to get you excited:

July 1^st: A snazzy gift certificate to Amazon.ca or .com from yours truly! (Open to Canadians and Americans)

July 8^th: Help me celebrate my half-birthday with a gift certificate for a dozen gourmet cupcakes from Duh-Licious! (Open to GTA residents)

July 15^th: Get in the mood with a His-n-Hers gift pack including lube, bathrobes and chocolates courtesy of K-Y® BRAND personal lubricants! (Open to Canadians)

July 22^nd: Cool down this summer with a perfect Tom Collins drink from a bar kit courtesy of Bombay Sapphire! (Open to Canadians)

Stay tuned, the first prize becomes open for entries later today!

We interrupt our normal programming on Ginger Won’t Snap to bring you this:

That is all.

“Gin-cident”: a negative experience with gin; usually as a result of inferior juniper berries used in the production of gin. Or by being a stupid teenager.

I’ve had one, and I’ll bet you’ve had one too.

I’ll admit it; a few weeks ago, I did not have a very good opinion of gin. I thought it tasted a lot like pinecones and made me want to yak. I was the victim of a gincident. So when I opened up my inbox to find an invitation to an exclusive Bombay Sapphire Gin event from their PR agency, I was a little skeptical.

However I like to think that I have an open mind, so I accepted the invitation in the hopes that I had matured enough to appreciate the unique flavour of this spirit. I love exploring alcohol and had done a tasting and review of Ketel One Vodka in the months previous; I was ready for another round. (Note to PR companies: Send me stuff or invite me out! You won’t be disappointed!)

The venue was the very well-appointed childhood home of Ted Rogers Sr., inventor of the Rogers Batteryless and founder of the Toronto radio station CFRB. We were treated to a variety of gin-based cocktails and tasty hors d’oeuvres by some friendly waitstaff as we mingled in the kitchen and backyard.

I brought my new friend Eve with me to this event, in an effort to bond with her over copious amounts of booze and also to introduce her to that glamourous ad world/blogger lifestyle I like to brag about so much (needless to say she was suitably impressed! hehe).

Once for a change I didn’t know anyone at this event, so I was able to start fresh and maintain my blogger anonymity! Errr… rather just keep my work life a social life separate, I suppose. Eve and I mostly stuck together that evening, but I made friends with the British mixologist and brand ambassador Merlin Griffiths, whom I had previously arranged via Twitter to do a cocktail demonstration with that evening. (That’s right! Ginger gettin’ up there and all famous in the house!)

Long story short, I sampled most of the cocktails on offer, which included my namesake, my favourite of the night, and the always-classy:

• Sapphire Ginger-Mint
• Sapphire (Tom) Collins
• Gin Martini

About an hour into the event we were ushered into the totally dope kitchen area for some cocktail-creation demonstrations, as well as some tips and tricks from a professional caterer on how to entertain at home.

First on the menu: Ginger & Merlin demonstrating the art of the Sapphire Collins! Yes my friends, I got up there like the attention whore I am and showed the world how to do it right, with Merlin guiding me along. I even squeezed the lemon myself! (The photo is Merlin showing us the right and wrong way of making a gin martini)

Ginger presents:

Ha! You thought you’d actually see me, eh? Maybe in the future, but not this time, my friends! however that is a great little instructional video I will be using to jog my memory for all the BBQ’s I’m going to host this summer…

Anyway, the night went along swimmingly with the help of some more Sapphire Collins’ and the good company of my fellow Toronto bloggers. We learned how to make a bunch of drinks that night, as well as a few cool centrepieces and quick meals for dinner parties. Below you’ll see a half-eaten (so classy, I know) charcuterie plate and a delicious Sapphire Collins.

I think by this point you’ve realized that I have started to actually enjoy gin–when applied properly, of course! I’m really glad I got out to this event; not only did I have a great time with Eve, I also learned a lot about gin and met some of the local Toronto bloggers! Bombay Sapphire gin is definitely on my list for booze-I-need-to-purchase, especially now that I know how to use it. And because it has cool “botanicals” in it (top photo). I like herb-y things!

I was a bit of the odd-man-out however, as I did not possess any business cards! Anyone wanna hook me up with some of those free ones uPrinting.com has been giving away? If I keep going to more of these events I might as well advertise my site, right? It’s a bit weird mingling In Real Life though, I’ve got to admit! I’m not sure how I feel about people who have actually met me reading this blog… none of my friends or family know where it is or what I write about!

Speaking of other bloggers, I would like to thank Andrew Louis of Hyfen.net and Raymi of Raymitheminx.com for use of their photos! I meant to bring my camera but forgot at the last minute!

As an end to the night and an end to this post, Eve and I stayed and socialized with ppl until the bitter end, they were practically kicking us out, but it wasn’t even 9pm yet! We scored some killer loot bags and a couple of cab chits on our way out, so I chilled at Eve’s place a bit before heading home. I still haven’t broken out my mad cocktail-making skillz yet, but rest assured they will be well-used in the coming summer months!

Here’s a peek of what we got that will leave you salivating:

If you wanna learn some stuff about Bombay Sapphire Gin or how to make some great gin cocktails, here are some resources for you:

• Bombay Sapphire Website
• Bombay Sapphire YouTube vids
• Bombay Sapphire FaceBook page

Drink responsibly, dammit!

The ramp up to summertime is in full swing, and so are the street teams and summer promo parties in my part of the world.

Ahahahah I just had to share this with you! This is my horoscope for today, and it is so fitting for me and my personal finance blogging:

May 12th for Ginger

Being more frugal will help you save money for a luxury item you’ve always wanted. Cut back on impulse purchases like magazines. Put pocket change into a piggy bank. The savings will add up.

Taking a practical approach isn’t always the best way to make money. You may want to take a small gamble for a change. Try not to argue with someone whose values are different from yours.

Your economic situation is starting to look up, although it may not seem that way on the surface. The difference is that you’ve assumed a more positive attitude about your prospects. Bravo.

Man, I hope I get some money coming my way. Since our salaries were frozen this year I am hurting! However I just found out that we get an extra-long weekend; we’re getting Friday off this week as well! Nice!

Oh yeah, I’m a Capricorn in case you were interested.