I have a handful of participants on the list already, but if you are interested in participating, send an email to info@visualchemist.com with the subject “LOVE & LETTERPRESS.” This will be the best way for me to gather and sort all the emails that come my way.

WHO // Participants must use a letterpress to reproduce their art. This swap is open to all those interested in printing and swapping an original set of luscious cushy letterpress printed coasters.

WHAT // Coasters as art… The coasters must be 4″ square with rounded corners. The theme is “Love and Letterpress.” I will leave the theme of “Love & Letterpress” open to interpretation. Quantity is still TBD.

It’s not necessarily about red hearts and frilly pretty stuff, but more about what your passions, loves and favorite things are. For example, I love typography, so my coaster design will most likely have something to do with being a typophile.

WHEN // In honor of one of my favorite holidays and a trade so near and dear to my heart, I am looking to collect and redistribute these in time for Valentine’s Day 2010. So you have a little less than 2 months to get things going. The mail-in deadline for your printed pieces and shipping fee will be January 31st. This will give me about a week to sort and send out so that all participants receive a nice little Valentine’s Day package to hang or you could use them at your next soiree.

WHERE // I have resources of places where coasters can be purchased, and I will also order and distribute coasters as well. I just need to calculate cost + shipping.

WHY // Because life is like a box of swapped letterpress coasters… you never know what you’re gonna get. And because you love letterpress.

I probably missed a few things, so again, send me an email and I will be sure to get a interest list going to keep everyone updated. I need to work payment details out, but if you add yourself to the interest list, I will make sure to share this information with the swap participants. Please pass the word along to people who may be interested and may not have access to this info. I’ll be posting updates to my blog (http://blog.visualchemist.com) as we go along, or you can follow me on twitter (@visualchemist) for updates as they happen.

View all of the prints in the letterpress swap collection here, courtesy of Lilibeth and Lee Jay of Bon Vivant Press. The following are a few of my favorites in the collection in no particular order from L-R // Empty Nest by Bound Staff Press // Bon Vivant Press Surgery Room by Bon Vivant Press // Chairs by Bespoke Press // With Each Tiny Step by Roll and Tumble Press // Sneakers by Olivia San Mateo of Olive Route // Ligatures by A. Favorite // Photos by Bon Vivant Press.

Everyone that participated in the swap was given the chance to throw in a few extra prints. Those sets of prints were then featured on Poppytalk, a popular blog site about all things handmade. Poppytalk unveiled the details of “The Incredible Massive Letterpress Giveaway!” (that’s really what it was called) and the comments on the blog started pouring in. 629 feedback comments later, three lucky winners were chosen. This was a great collection from talented folks across the US and was awesome exposure for all that participated. Thanks, Paper Stories and Poppytalk!

Sadly, the carved up block didn’t hold up too well in my Pilot. Perhaps the lines got too thin from all the pressure of each pull. I really wish I had given myself more time to design out a custom piece for the swap. I was literally dropping these off at the post office on the way to the airport. While letterpress is a rush for me, I wish I didn’t have to rush through this one. I’ll have to do another swap to redeem myself. Can’t wait to see the awesome prints from the trade!