CSNYfan

1/29/12I am taking a break from swapping for a bit. I need to take some time to take care of me.

1/20/12 I just lost my beautiful greyhound, Ernie, to bone cancer. Anyone who knows me knows that my dog came before anything. He is going to be missed every day for the rest of my life.

My family would probably tell you that I am a pretty honest, funny, sarcastic person, with a bleeding heart liberal attitude. I'd say that they are about right!

I am a member of the Religious Society of Friends - also known as Quakers, although I haven't been going to Meetings for some time now. I find truth and beauty in all faiths and I am fine with you sending whatever to me regarding your beliefs.

I am a believer in the idea that whatever you have, it will be enough. However, this doesn't make me yearn for more art supplies any less.

I am into mixed media art. I am a fan of ATCs that are hand drawn/hand painted (or mixed media collage with hand drawn/hand painted elements) and that's what I usually send. We can all create beautiful hand made art, really!

I recently finished an "Art Every Day" project in which I worked on completing a 3 inch by 5 inch piece of art every day for 100 days.

I don't sew, knit, or crochet. I've done some other crafty stuff, like jewelry making, paper making, etc., but I am really into mixed media art right now.

I've decided to go back to school, in a manner of speaking. I am getting a studio arts certificate from my local art museum! It will take me three years to finish, but I am very excited to learn and become a better artist. I started in September, so I'll be doing less swaps and more art-making for classes.

I am interested in seeing what YOU like, and learning about the kind of art you make, so if you are sending an ATC, don't feel like you need to follow something on my profile, although that would be fine, too.

COLOR COMBINATIONS... My all time favorite color is GREEN!
* My favorites in the green range are grassy, ferny greens, but I pretty much love all green. Other favorite colors/color combos are: aqua and red, black and white, turquoise and orange, purple and yellow-orange, hot pink and red, and retro looking color combos, even the ones from the seventies that some people think are just gross, like brown and orange or avocado green and harvest gold. Bring it on!

I like pretty much all colors -- they all have a place with me. I do like some gaudy stuff that I've termed "tacky-chic." Anything with too much bling, garish colors, etc. -- I have to say, I love it!

Love greyhounds, but not stuff with greyhounds racing -- that is not my thing.

Other stuff I like:

• Cloth, Paper, Scissors magazine
• Handmade stuff that's clever
• Links to creative/artsy/fine art blogs and websites
• Coffee
• Very easy, low effort vegetarian recipes
• Looking at other people's art
• Peace symbols, like doves, peace signs..
• Sea glass
• Modern art
• Color field painting
• Lyrical Abstract art
• Abstracts in general
• Things that are clever or different
• Irony
• The ocean
• Beautiful sunsets
• Open minds
• Crows
• Links to neat art tutorials
• Chocoate
• Dangly Earrings
• Retro looking aprons
• Gloucester, MA - I love it there!
• Notecards
• Beads
• Dresden foil (also called German scrap)
• Interesting fibers/ribbons to add to collage
• Pictures of greyhounds - I love looking at these beautiful dogs (although mine is the best-looking.)

• Disney or Walmart
• Kawaii and diddl
• Companies that test on animals.
• Things with animal products in them/on them. I am a vegetarian and currently exploring veganism.
• Racism, Sexism, Inequality, none of this is cool, and it's not cool when it's disguised as jokes, either. These things are just wrong.
• Chain letters, financial blessing letters - I find these both annoying and insulting.
• artificial watermelon flavored or maple flavored anything, white chocolate
• American Idol and the like
• Morbid themes
• Twillight
• Clowns or dolls (paper dolls are cool, just not actually dolls - for some reason I think they are just a little creepy.)
• Stickers - it's not that I don't like them, just that I don't really use them.
• Double/multiple profilers. I will not swap with or allow in any swap I coordinate people who think that they are above the basic rules of SB and try to break the rules by having multiple profiles. I wish these people would be permanently tossed from the site. Until such a time, you can count on being blocked and not allowed in my swaps.
• I don't believe in luck - good or bad. I don't need or want things associated with luck.

I like a lot of modern/contemporary art. Some of my favorite artists include:

Susan Pickering Rothamel Ronnie Landfield Jackson Pollock Dean Nimmer Lynne Taetzsch

Music

Crosby, Stills, Nash, and Young (of course!) Classic Rock especially, but I am into all sorts of music: classical, Broadway, pop, you name it... Anything by CSNY, CSN, or any solo work from any of them, The Doobie Brothers, Van Morrison, Joni Mitchell, Janis Joplin, Carole King, Bob Marley, Jackson Browne, Cat Stevens, Eric Clapton (solo, Cream, Derek and the Dominoes), George Harrison, Eva Cassidy, Belle and Sebastian. Disco, dance music, Bluegrass, Gospel hymns, anything by Stephen Sondheim, classical - Brahms piano works especially, Gershwin, some Chopin.

TV I long for the good old days. I want Dallas and Golden Girls and Star Trek The Next Generation back on TV. TV is kind of not so good - I'd rather be on my computer. I stream a lot from Netflix. I do like Hell's Kitchen, Masterchef, Jon Steward and Stephen Colbert.

Movies Under the Tuscan Sun. Pride and Prejudice. I absolutely love watching The Godfather -- what a great movie -- a true classic. Cat On A Hot Tin Roof - fantastic movie. I don't go out much to the movies. Yes, I am in my thirties, but I did love the Transformer movies, although the second one was disappointing. I tend to watch a lot of the really fantastic classic movies on the weekends.

Literature I loved The Shellseekers by Rosamunde Pilcher -- I've read it over and over. Microserfs by Douglas Copland, another one I've read over and over. Jane Eyre. Jennifer Crusie novels. Some poetry, such as Robert Pinsky and E.E. Cummings. Julie and Julia: 365 days, 524 recipes, one tiny apartment kitchen -- fun read! Diane Mott Davidson - fun , easy reads and pretty much the only mysteries I've enjoyed. I don't really believe in intuition, but I read a great book about making art intuitively and it is a great exercise book and really was helpful. I love instructional books on art and books on art history and the like, too.

I generally rate when I open a package. People deserve ratings for their swaps and I know it's fun to get the rating ASAP to ensure that your partner got your lovely package.

I wish the hearts system was less subjective. I use it because it's part of Swapbot and I like to follow rules and guidelines, but I wish the heart system would be abandoned. I would rather leave you a glowing comment than a symbol that people use in ways that it wasn't intended to be used. However, I am generous with hearts and I will be for as long as the system is in place.

I feel we all need to look at the rating system more analytically and less emotionally. We can let the comments be our emotional portion and let the ratings simply be our numbers that indicate the basics of swapping. : ) Having said that, I am pretty lenient and understanding, and if you are going to be late and communicate this, I'm usually cool with that. Still, I'm no door mat.