About my ratings:

We had some family health issues (husband very ill and in hospital / in & out of Mayo Clinic, son in hospital, my 4-wheeler/ATV accident) and 2 of my swaps were lost along the way at that time. (Unfortunately one swap had 4 partners, which resulted in a few 3s, just from one swap.) As soon as I was able to, I re-made and re-sent. And yes, I was late on sending these out. I hope this doesn't affect my ability to join swaps. As for the 1... well... that has been sent twice, and now I have to re-make and re-send a third time. (Sigh.) As you can see, I have many past & current 5's and hearts.
I understand if you feel since I don't have a perfect 5, maybe you are uneasy about letting me join your swap. Please contact me if you feel the need to drop me from your swaps, it's just the polite thing to do. Thanks.

About giving ratings:

I promise to rate for all swaps received. Sometimes I only do ratings once a week, so if you really want to know if I've received your swap, please send me a kind note and I will kindly respond as soon as possible. Thank you for your patience and understanding!

I really don't want to get any rude comments, etc. because I believe swapping here should be fun and happy, not negative and mean.  Period.  I have no tolerance for rude people.

Hi I'm Barbi, live in northern Minnesota (USA). I'm a married mommy to an active 5 yr-old, a fussy, teething 1-yr old, 3 fur-babies (cat & 2 dogs), and 2 land hermit crabs which scare me as much as I scare them it seems.  lol.

I am having fun swapping here, and have met so many great people!   I am also enjoying being a fairly new "officer" on a few groups here.  

Find me on Facebook:  fbook.me/barbi -- mention swap-bot when sending a friend request.

I prefer to swap within the USA due to postage costs.  But if it's a special swap here on swap-bot, I can easily compromise on that :)

I collect postage stamps so I prefer to receive mail with stamps on instead of the printed barcodes that the post office uses.

Stuff I like to swap/receive:

•Friendship books (nice & neat with a cover),

See FBs I've made --> CLICK HERE

• Recently also love to swap mommy fbs, and have found a GREAT yahoogroup for swapping these!

•Decos,

•ATCs (see list of themes I like below),

•Inchies,

•Craft supplies,

•Rubberstamped images,

•Rubberstamped/homemade cards,

•Scrapbooking supplies,

•Postcards (New, unused) - collect lighthouses and castles - or something you live near, include a note
telling me about it - see list of more postcard likes below

•old photographs (love antique photos!)

•I LOVE KAWAII! Can't get enough memo papers, stationery, and stickers (for examples: Click Here and Click Here.

My faves: Blue Bear, Orange Story, White, Morning Glory, and the frog from San-X.

For kawaii foods, I prefer cupcakes, doughnuts, coffee and hot chocolates :)

•Sanrio (LOVE Keroppi the frog, Little Twin Stars, and My Melody. Kello Kitty is ok too.)

•Stickers (no reward-type or mini, or bent sticker sheets please),

•Ribbon/Fibers,

•beads,

•charms,

•candles (no florals),

•handmade items,

•postage stamps (new or used),

•Ephemera,

•Traditional items from your country,

•Embellished Notebooks

•Greeting Cards,

•Bookmarks (handmade or store bought),

•Altered items, or items I can alter

•Ink pads,

•UM Rubber Stamps,

•paper or fabric flowers,

•Keyrings

•Nescafe' Taster's Choice instant coffee, Hazelnut flavor

ATC THEMES I'D LIKE TO RECEIVE:

•lighthouses (esp. Split Rock in MN)

•castles

•frogs

•mermaids

•fairies (NOT Tinkerbell)

•Zetti

•Coffee

•the angel Gabriel (from the Bible)

•Bible verses

•printing presses/Typography

•rubberstamp themed

•anything "vintage" looking

•Did I mention I like frogs? ;)

I'D LIKE TO TRY:

•Matchboxes http://blog.swap-bot.com/rachels-matchbox-template/

•Dotees

•Whimsey Jars

-> Would love to receive a sample of each one. I learn much better by seeing than just reading instructions.

POSTCARDS

Please note, I prefer my postcards new/unused and sent in an envelope. Unless the swap definitely states it has to be sent naked.

I am happy to receive handmade postcards, provided they are sturdy and well-made.

Please don't forget to write what swap it's for, and your name!

Favorite types of postcards:

• Lighthouses • Castles or Palaces • Mansions • Ruins • mythological places or creatures (mermaids, fairies, etc) • Waterfalls * National Monuments/Patriotic • Biblical Locations • Famous landmarks of your country

• or something you live near, include a note telling me about it

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I love it when people write personal notes or favorite quotes, write in ink, use interesting postage stamps, add rubber stamps or doodles, or embellishes with stickers or other doo-dads. I just love it when someone goes above and beyond on the back of the card.

Dislikes: Due to allergies, I cannot stand mail that smells like smoke or includes any strong scented items like floral scents or perfumes.... it just gives me headaches, causes me to get all stuffed up and sick, and just YUCK... so please don't send me anything scented unless we discuss it first. (I DO like hazelnut, coffee, vanilla, and apple scented candles.)

I am not a tea drinker.

My name doesn't have an "e" at the end... please don't write it that way. I am nothing like the Barbie doll ;)

I dislike when people don't write the swap name anywhere on or inside their envelope. Makes it hard to hunt down, and makes you get your rating later (or not at all).

THEMES I'M NOT INTO:

•Political themes •Dark themes •Spiders •Witches/Paganism •Zombies

Didn't receive my swap?

I will never flake on a commitment. If you have not received my swap, PLEASE let me know before leaving me a bad rating! I will make it right.

About Swap Deadlines

I live in a small town, post office is closed on Saturdays, and have 2 small children so going to the PO is no easy task taking both of them along. (Those of you with young ones understand. lol). So sometimes I use my postage scale and put stamps on swaps and put them in the big blue mailbox the next town over (after PO hours, it's our last pickup around here). Sometimes I cut it close to the deadline so I might mark it SENT but the postmark might be a day later, or if sent on Sat., the postmark will be for Monday... hope this makes sense. I don't want any negative notes or anything about postmarks ok? I can't help when they pick up the mail out of the box. I haven't had problems with this yet, and hope it all goes smoothly, but you never know with the good ol' USPS... lol. Also, if a swap ever comes postage due, let me know and I WILL make it up to you. I check rates on usps.com but sometimes more postage is needed for thicker envelopes, odd sizes, etc and I might miss something. Thanks for understanding!

Are You Running Late on Swaps?

Trust me, I'm not perfect in this area either. Sometimes we get sick, have family issues, etc. and I soooo understand. I will give you lots of grace...this should be fun, not stressful. Message me if you need more time. I'm sure it's not a problem for me! I can wait. But I do want to know what's going on. I do the same courtesy for my swappers (let them know when their swap is running late) so they aren't waiting waiting waiting out by the mailbox like I know so many of us do :)

More Swap Info:

I will rate a one if I receive nothing, and a three if the swap is wrong or very late with no contact. Nothing personal, I swear... I don't get mad about swaps. I will re-rate when I receive something.

Please write swap-bot and the swap name on your envelope or back of the postcard so I remember to rate you. :) (Otherwise I might think it's just a RAK of some sort...) If you decide to send me a random act of kindness (RAK), please write swap-bot RAK on it so I know where it came from.

I will also publicly list any flakers in any swap I host, or anyone who flakes on me personally. I have zero tolerance for those who choose to flake, especially when a simple email to your partner can go a long way.

Extras do not always guarantee a heart from me, quality swaps do, as I would rather have a nice swap item then an okay swap item with lots of extras. (Although lately I have been giving hearts for extras because all the swaps here have been so excellent!)

I do recycle and upcycle items. Including boxes, envelopes and packing materials. It's a small way to help keep more trash out of the landfill.

Also, I do have a cat and 2 dogs. Sometimes pet hair gets attached to the mailing tape or tries to jump on board. If you are allergic to cats/dogs, please let me know!

We are a smoke-free household, so my items should never smell like smoke. Unless they came to me that way. I try to use dryer sheets or Febreze to keep the yucky smells to a minimum. :)

Listed are the people who have flaked on swaps to me...

Flaked on by @angelslater at Sender's choice - mega ATC swap with a twist! - This user has been fully suspended and can no longer participate on Swap-bot. - Angeled by @Emika thanks so much for being an angel.

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Swappin'intheUSA > Profile Tag - tag the person above you!

Send to: @shelbysbarn

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Mailbox Mania > Pay it forward !

Send to: @art3osb (30 address labels)

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Mailbox Mania > Tag through the Alphabet !

Send to: @art3osb (Buttons)

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Tags/WTAs I'm waiting for:

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Mailbox Mania > Pay it forward ! From: @damilola • 1 envie filled with paper scraps and other goodies for ATC's

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Mailbox Mania > Tag through the Alphabet ! ATC Supply From: @damilola

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Swappin'intheUSA > Quick - Valentines Day Profile Tag ! From: @cozycrafter

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Swappin'intheUSA > Profile Tag - tag the person above you! From: @cozycrafter

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Split Rock Lighthouse * Two Harbors, MN (Where I got married - right on this shore!)