ChristyC11

11/10/09- I've fallen behind on a some swaps and some ratings. "Life in the way" stuff. I am plugging away at getting everything sent out and my partners rated. Thanks for everyone's patience and support.

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Hi there! My name is Christy, I'm 34 and I live in Washington State not too far from Seattle. I'm a stay at home mom to my 2 sons ages 8 and 7 and my daughter who is 4. Prior to becoming a mom I worked in law enforcement where I met my hubby (a fellow officer not a felon haha) and we've been married for almost 10 years. I love everything about arts and crafts. I'm an art docent at my kid's school which I've really enjoyed. I'm also a member of ZNE, which is a wonderful group - the majority of which are altered art and mixed media artists.

I love to use and collect all things crafty. Some of my favorites are buttons (old and vintage are my fav's but a button of any age will be well loved by me) , vintage images, ephemera and anything holiday themed (I love retro, vintage, antique and current Halloween. 40's , 50's and early 60's are my favorite periods for Christmas stuff).

I have a nice little collection of small vintage country church figurines and pictures. I also collect little Christmas Putz type houses and make a little snow covered scene with them and some of the churches every year. I love to bake, cook, garden, read, canning and search for treasures in antique shops when I have time.

I proudly admit I'm a craft supply hoarder. Need the Preciousssssss....

I enjoy learning about the origins and uses for different natural herbs with a special interest in their culinary and healing purposes.

I have a love for the Fae (light and dark) and a special soft spot for Fairies, Gnomes, Mermaids and Leprechauns. I heart Cryptozoology :)

I love history. Reading about it, learning about it, seeing historical areas/sites. Probably my favorite historical subjects are medieval times (the age, not the restaurant) the Victorian and Edwardian eras and the Salem Witch Trials.

I'm always open for questions so feel free to drop me a line. I hope to make lots of swapping pals that I can keep in touch with :)

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A NOTE ABOUT MY SWAPPING PHILOSOPHY*****

~I really enjoy putting together swaps and I do my very best to tailor them to my partner's likes and profile. I want the recipient to enjoy it as much as possible and know I did my very best to make it as nice as possible. For me and the swaps I receive, I'm just looking for thought and care. I'd much rather have a few items that my partner really took the time to prepare or think I'd enjoy, than a bunch of junk thrown in an envelope at the last minute. It's not the monetary value, it's the thought.

Ohhhhh.... there are so many! My very favorite authors are Robert Crais, Jim Butcher (just the Dresden files LOVE THEM!~I'm not into the other sci-fi stuff ) Janet Evanovich(absolutely HILARIOUS), Kay Hooper, Katie Macallister (the supernatural books for those two, not the romance ones), John Sanford, Joanna Fluke......gosh there is so many more.....I'm liking the paranormal mysteries alot too, historial non fiction......Oh! I enjoy a good cozy series mystery!

Anything funny! I'm a sucker for romantic comedies and I enjoy a good action flick with my hubby. Holiday movies.

I love TLC, HGTV, The History and Biography channels as well as any of the true crime shows or biographies. I'm a big fan of Project Runway, Top Chef, Hell's Kitchen, Kitchen Nightmares and The Amazing Race.

Criminal Minds, Paranormal State, Haunting evidence, The Office, 30 Rock and are my very favorites.

Oh boy, where do I begin??? I'm into just about all things crafty. I'll try and list them all here but I know I'll probably forget something :)
I'm really into Tole and decorative painting, Sewing/quilting, mixed media /altered art, needle felting, knitting (just hats and scarves), beading and jewelry making, woodworking, scrapbooking, card making, rubber stamps, mosaics, just starting to get into stained glass.

I'm going to try hand dying my own ribbon and wool and also try needle tatting....give it a whirl :). Making soy candles and bath/body stuff..... I like making my own soap. My latest obsession~ Millinery supplies!

I love ATC's and making Row Houses. Re-purposing previously neglected or unused items into something wonderful is something I really am liking alot. I'll try just about anything and love discovering new methods of art/crafting.

Some Things That I Love~ (besides my family : ) they always are the very tops of the lists )~

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~A new paintbrush

~Shiny and Sparkly things

~Fall and winter

~Planting a garden in the spring

~Looking at the stars

~Pretty Fabric and Soft Chenille

~Vintage country churches

~Rain

~Christmas lights

~Reading stories to my kids

~Jack O' Lanterns

~A good fire in the fireplace

~Glitter

~A good find at the antique shop

~The Ocean

~A great new author

~Sleeping in once in awhile :)

~Cheese and fresh bread when I'm stressed

~Pike Place Market in Seattle

~The movie "A Christmas Story"

~Watching the birds at the birdfeeder

~Forests and giant redwood trees

~Bodega Bay, California

~A good cup of tea

~Creating something I'm proud of

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These are just examples and ideas into what I like so you can get a better idea of me and my personality.
~LIKES~

~Anything homemade! I highly appreciate the care and artistry that someone puts into a handmade/homemade item~

~ I love fabric! Cotton quilting, flannel, bits of silks, velvets and textures for crazy quilts, chenille (new and vintage) and wool felt. Moda and Thimbleberries are probably my favorites for quilting fabric.

~ Anything crafty! Beads of any size, wool rovings, paintbrushes, vintage/new sewing tools, soft yarn, any kinds of embellishments/collage for altered art, ATC's and altered matchboxes. I love little minis for altered art, ribbons, fibers,mosaic pieces, shells, glitter, card making stuff, paper collage pieces, ephemera, vintage images, Buttons!!! (especially vintage, antique buttons. Brightly colored Lucite, Art Deco, Bakelite +30's-40's era buttons are my all time fav's.) all colors of perle cotton #5 for shuttle tatting, Angelina Fibers, ranger pearl pigments, rubber stamps( I collect PSX Halloween,Thanksgiving and Christmas Theme rubber stamps) Micron/Sakura pens, pretty paper, handmade paper........really just about anything!

~I love vintage churches, vintage postcards, birds and nature, anything snowy or wintry looking. Anything Fall/Autumn looking and anything holidays especially if it's vintage 30's-50's.

~I really admire the craftsmanship of handmade/handthrown pottery. I've started collecting all colors and shapes of pottery coffee cups/tea cups.

~Tea is my favorite. I always love to try new kinds. I also enjoy ground flavored coffee and hot chocolate.

~For food type goodies candy is always a good way to go. Milk chocolate, caramel, toffee types are my favorites. I love wrapped hard candy. Stuff like root beer barrels, butterscotch, coffee flavors, fruit flavors....I like most all. Just not black licorice flavor or passion fruit. It would be fun to get treats from other countries too. I'm always up for new stuff.

~I'd always love to collect anything from my swapping partner's hometown or region! Bookmarks, postcards, cookbooks, coffee mugs, magnets, pictures.

~Most anything associated with Fall or Winter. I have a huge soft spot for Halloween and Christmas.

~I LOVE squirrels! I know it sounds weird, but I think they are so cute! Well......not live ones or anything through the mail..... or dead ones that wouldn't be good either.....but pics, images and just about anything else is fantastic!!! :) Raccoons and owls (any type of owl) are tied for second.

~I'm a color lover....just about any color is pretty to me (but don't feel this is a challenge to prove me wrong lol ) . I tend to go towards fall colors like reds, oranges and earthtones. But I adore pinks, greens, blues , pastels and bright colors.....really anything but neons. I'm not of fan of neon colors.

~ I'd have to say bakery type scents are my favorites....anything that smells like something is baking :) I also love clean,light smelling scents and some florals like rose, lilac, orange blossom, lily of the valley and jasmine....stuff like that.

~LOVE Polka Dots, Hydrangeas, owls and a full moon just about anything retro 40's and 50's.

~ I love just about anything and am very easy to please. I never mind questions, so ask away :)

The allergies are not mine but need to be noted since they belong to my hubby and kids.

~My husband and one of my children have asthma and are VERY ALLERGIC TO ITEMS SMELLING LIKE CIGARETTE SMOKE. Unfortunately any items reeking of cigarette smoke would go directly into the garbage and I wouldn't be super thrilled that they ended up in my home after posting this in my profile. I am okay airing out items or doing the dryer sheet process unless the smell is just too heavy.

The only dislikes that I can really think of are:

~Dirty, musty or broken items.

~ I don't really care for retro /mod 70's items/prints.

~Incense. I don't like it at all.

I adore anything and everything handmade/homemade! These are a couple of things I'd dearly love to receive if it's in your crafty area of expertise :)

~Handmade soaps! Any types, any scents. My very favorites are cold processed or rebatched types but all are goooooood :)

~Crocheted Granny squares! I'm crochet impaired and I'd love to recieve handmade granny squares to make a blanket with later on. Any colors/mixes are wonderful :)

I collect PSX Rubber Stamps in Fall/Autumn, Thanksgiving and Christmas/ Winter themes. If you ever have any that are gently used or new that you would like to part with let me know. I'd gladly set up a private swap or trade if you are interested.