AmyMarie

My name is AmyMarie (all one word with NO spaces, 2nd M is capitalized).

Please use postage stamps instead of metered postage when possible - especially on postcards. Thank you!

I am ALLERGIC to WHEAT. Usually items that are gluten-free are okay for me. I won't be doing food swaps because of food allergies. Note: WHEAT is sometimes used in lotions, shampoos, soaps, glue, etc so I am very careful with what I put on my body. I am ALLERGIC to WHEAT or any of its parts.

I am married and have 2 rescued cats. I am an aunt to 5 nieces and 2 nephews. My parents now live much closer to me and I love being able to spend more time with them. I love to travel - domestic and international destinations. I enjoy trying new things, seeing new places, and learning about other cultures/regions and people. I love being in nature and especially near water (waterfalls, lakes, rivers, oceans). I also enjoy reading books, playing board games, spending time with family & friends, going on adventures, and being creative.

I have been a Quest Scout [QuestScouts.com] for a few years and really enjoy it. I like being creative and trying new things. Quest Scouts is questing for adults and completing Quests and earning badges (stickers & metal tags) through objectives in categories like create art, DIY, literature (reading), travel / explore locally, games, photography, research, geocaching / letterboxing, etc. It is so fun and gets me doing things I wouldn't try otherwise or things I didn't even know about.

I enjoy creating art - collages, altered items, art journaling, rubberstamping, paper arts, bookbinding, greeting cards, scrapbooking (more simplistic style focused on the photos to remember people, moments, events, and trips instead of using tons of embellishments).

Things I enjoy making:
--hand-bound books
--homemade paper
--artistamps (faux postage)
--mailart
--handmade envelopes
--handmade postcards
--collages
--zines
--hand-carved rubber stamps

I collect the following items:

• postcards [see Postcards section below]

• faux postage/artistamp/artist's stamps

• postage stamps (including unused for mailing fun swaps!) [used / unused USA and international stamps - not USA flag stamps]

• Airmail/Hand Cancel/Fragile/Priority etc. stickers, including from other countries (outside the USA) and in all languages

• (envelope) wax seals and wax seal stamps

• old inkwells, writing sets, fountain pens, wood-turned pens, dip pens, and writing inks

• Currency (coins & paper bills) from around the world and special USA collections [I am missing US Quarters of Puerto Rico, Guam, American Samoa, US Virgin Islands, Northern Mariana Islands, and many of the US National Park Quarters.]

• cast iron trivets (antique)

I would love to get Maxicards (NOT extra large postcards!!! They are maximized postcards = postcard picture, postage stamp, and cancellation mark all on same side and all depict the same item / image)!

I also would enjoy receiving shaped postcards like Gotochi.

I am a member on PostCrossing and have collected postcards since I was a child. I prefer postcards sent naked (not in envelope) with postage stamps (not metered postage) and something written on the back - even just a short message. If you do not know what to write, here is a list of 20 ideas: http://www.postcrossing.com/blog/2013/02/05/20-ideas-of-things-to-write-on-postcards

Store bought postcards: waterfalls, mailboxes, post offices, mail / postal theme, letter writing / fountain pens / writing desk / correspondence theme, libraries / books / reading theme, doorways, windows, maps, National Parks, State Parks, landmarks, historical sites, UNESCO sites, earthworks, lakes, oceans, lighthouses, skylines / scenes / images of your town / city / country, images of regional traditions / culture, nature scenery, Harry Potter, Doctor Who, Star Wars, also check out my likes section below for postcard ideas

MailArt (homemade) postcards: etegami; photography; using art, collage, drawing, painting, ephemera, rubber stamps, etc.

traveling, waterfalls, mail art, improv, postal / mail themes, fountain pens & ink, typewriters, hand-bound books / book arts, paper engineering, autumn, trees, nature, connecting with people, learning, other perspectives and cultures, ancient civilizations, science fiction, playing board & card games, hanging out with friends, antique & vintage items, earth tones and shades of purple and green, rubber stamps, embossing powders, fun pens, interesting blank journals & sketchbooks, small/miniature items, papers/flat items with different textures, foreign coins, travel tokens (bus, subway, etc.), dragonflies, owls, unique designs, candles [votive & tealights], candle-holders, books, celestial/astronomy especially moon/lunar, trying different foods & cuisines, Harry Potter books & movies & world, Marvel / Avengers movies

I love to read. For fun I usually read mysteries. I also like general fiction and some science fiction. I do read non-fiction on a variety of topics and enjoy a well-written book and learning new things. Some of my favorite authors: Kate Morton, Andy Weir, J.K. Rowling, Rita Mae Brown, Donald E. Westlake, Dorothy Gilman, M.C. Beaton, Jenn McKinlay, Martha Wells, Elizabeth Berg, Brene Brown.

Some books I have enjoyed: The Secret Keeper by Kate Morton, The Martian by Andy Weir, Artemis by Andy Weir, The Unexpected Mrs. Pollifax by Dorothy Gilman, Crosstalk by Connie Willis, The Curious Charms of Arthur Pepper by Phaedra Patrick, Lola's Secret by Monica McInerney, Leave Me by Gayle Forman, The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society by Mary Ann Shaffer & Annie Barrows, The Lost Letter by Jillian Cantor, The Testaments by Margaret Atwood

I watch WAY too much TV and am working on reducing the hours spent watching shows. I enjoy Doctor Who, Sherlock, NCIS, Speechless, Mom, Instinct, America Says (game show), Best Ever Trivia Show, etc. Shows I like that are no longer on the air: Firefly, Leverage, Alias, Stargate (SG-1 and Atlantis), Star Trek (TNG, Voyager), Warehouse 13, Timeless, Castle, Big Bang Theory, Elementary. I enjoy British panel game shows like Would I Lie To You?, QI, and the Big Fat Quiz of the Year.

I get to the cinema a handful of times a year but watch movies, series, & stand up on Netflix & Amazon Prime. I avoid horror (used to watch but nightmares and now even scarier stuff in real life). I do like sci-fi, adventure, comedies, action, mystery, Independent films, and some of the older / b&w films. Some favorite movies: Star Wars (& most of the "new" ones), Harry Potter, Marvel movies (Iron Man, Captain Marvel, Black Panther, Thor, Avengers, etc), RED (& RED 2), The Hunger Games, Contact, Love Actually, The Holiday, No Way Out, Miracle on 34th Street, Singing in the Rain. Some current favorite series: The Handmaid's Tale, Good Omens, Man in High Castle, Grace and Frankie.

cigarette/cigar/pipe smoke (I am allergic)

overly glittered items (some bling / shiny is nice but when it leaves a trail of glitter on anything it touches, it gets annoying)

Christian-based religious items (plenty of that available around here).

Pocket Letters

Altered Art (puzzle pieces, library card pockets, playing cards, strands of tickets, etc)

3-D Collage like shrines, cigar boxes, and matchboxes

Book Arts

Paper Arts and techniques

Paper Engineering

The Environment and ways to lessen my "footprint" and save energy (and $$)

Trying ethnic cuisines from different areas and countries