17Papergoddess

I work at a University as a mail room supervisor which got me started collecting the 1 inch size piece of 'art work' that came into the office attached to envelopes from foreign places. I've always enjoyed writing letters & making cards and so this naturally progressed into passion for mail art. My friends/family know that I do not subscribe to the Hallmark calendar so even though I may miss a birthday or holiday, they will randomly receive my 'lagniappes' or care packages created especially for them when something I see brings them to mind. I was thrilled to find others of like mind that enjoy this passion! Crafts using recycled & repurposed materials really inspire me & get my creative juices flowing. I consider it a creative challenge to find new ways of reusing things instead of tossing them into the trash.( my trash could be your treasure!) In like mind of supporting good stewardship of our natural resources, I am a member of various eco organizations such as Sierra Club & World Wildlife Fund.

I enjoy all kinds of music with the exception of heavy metal/rap/polka. I'm always open to recommendations on any genre. 80's music is the only thing that will get me motivated to exercise beyond a power walk or gardening. Supertramp & Eurythmics are the only 2 groups of which I own every CD. I was raised on Grand Ole Opry classic country/bluegrass/gospel in case anyone wants to swap trivia on the topic & it might explain my undying admiration for Johnny Cash and Patsy Cline.

I enjoy reading on topics of creativity/spirituality and mysteries with a literary topic or setting. I enjoy occasional streaks of young adult titles when the mood hits. I have a growing collection of craft reference books of course as no studio is complete with out them, a ginormous collection of children's picture books in various styles of illustrations & a continually expanding collection of anything with illustrations by Edward Gorey.( many of the care pkgs to friends/family include books of some kind) I'm starting to research picture/photo books on fashion from the 30's & 40's -- think classic Vogue or Harpers Bazaar covers, Hollywood actresses, designers of the decade. I include vintage Vogue sewing patterns on that shelf when I can find them

I dont watch alot of TV/movies although I've recently gotten hooked into ' Bones' & 'House' & 'Fringe' My New Year's Eve tradition for 13 years running is my all time fave, When Harry Met Sally.( name any scene, I can quote dialogue) I admit to being a member of public television & a die hard fan of anything pertaining to MASH or Pink Panther ( the cartoon version with a hat tip to Peter Sellers)

I enjoy all types of paper craft, fiber arts, altered books, am an avid reader -- basically anything related to paper makes me tingle. I use paper scraps to the point of confetti, lol My cat & corgie often hang out in the studio with me when my creative flow is in full force.(I promise to do my best to leave stray cat hair out of any swap I participate in -- sometimes his curiosity is not welcomed for that reason, especially around glue sticks...) I dont know how to sew on a machine (yet) but am at an intermediate level on embroidery, crocheting & knitting ( fiber arts) and have quite a collection of wooden spools, fabric scraps & buttons. I collect old sewing notions & seek out button cards for the many styles of graphics manufacturers once used compared to the blank cardstock used today.

I also enjoy the illustration style of Jean-Jacques Sempe ( he's done alot of New Yorker covers as well as his own books) and Erik Blegvaad, Danish illustrator of childrens books & beyond.

I am a fiend for word search puzzles -- go through them like potato chips :)

Color preferences are for earth tones (sand, sky,evergreen,moss green, seafoam,colors that naturally appear in foliage of plants/flowers) but Love anything cobalt blue ( think Vic's mentholatum jars).

Enjoy both tea & coffee but not together. I am open to all variations of flavors as a way of sampling new things. Single pot packs of coffee are a treat I randomly indulge in :)

• greeting cards of any kind -- I love to recycle them into my crafts ** Dollar store score that I love-- the 50/100 count pack of hair binders that come in all different colors. ( the covered rubber bands)

• used postage stamps with the exception of liberty bells/flags or canceled to the point of oblivion where you cant see much of the image. (Any of the LOVE stamps from any year -- need them for a non-valentine project) foreign or domestic.

• library cards from your city. I have volunteered for a number of years at libraries & I love these token souveniers from libraries I have visited in my travels.

for you fellow booklovers out there -- I'm attempting to collect the series of Carter Brown mystery/espionage/thrillers for my hubby. He had them as a young man & they got chucked when his parents moved out of the family childhood home. Any title in reasonable condition would be helpful -- they are considered vintage or nostalgia in the used books category, but please nothing moldy or falling apart, lol. Author #2 is Leo Bruce, british mystery writer. perhaps not quite vintage status but older than what's on the NYT listings, lol. Any edition welcome as I work on attaining a complete set.

• Vogue sewing patterns - new/used/old -- I use all the components in my recycled art. SInce Vogue is associated with fashion themes I prefer them but SImplicity/Butterick are ok too. Vintage is ideal but usually only at antique stores so anything you find uber cheap at the local goodwill :)

** cross stitch/embroidery/needle point kits that you never got around to actually doing or the cheapie priced ones in the bin at the thriftshops. If i dont actually work the design, I recycle the contents into other projects. It's all good...

• buttons of any kind

black safety pins * magnetic alphabet letters for kids that you put on the refrigerator-- doesnt have to be the complete set.***** ** pkg of clip style wooden clothes pins. I sometimes find them at dollar stores