Coffeelatte

I'm a collector who loves to thrift store shop. Give me an estate sale, garage sale, tag sale, auction or flea market & I'm in heaven!

August 2008 was my 25th wedding anniversary -- so I am married to a pretty great man. We have one son who is 20-something, and a Cardigan Welsh Corgi named Norton. Cardigan corgis have huge ears, short legs and long tails -- you can see pictures of him in my Flickr photos.

My big wish for 2008 is to make it to the Portland, Oregon Art & Soul conference. I got ALL the classes I wanted, so now just to stay healthy and save lots of money to pay the fees off! October 2008 -- whoo hoo!

Swapping on Swap-bot:

Since October 2006.
Completed 150 swaps as of August 24 (12 swaps before "hearts" could be awarded, some swaps with multiple partners)

Things I Like:

Hearts with wings, star & moon themes, dogs & cats, retro-rockets and flying saucers, anything with a coffee or tea motif. Old costume jewelry, corsetry, antique clothing, hats, and shoes! I'm attracted to art in boxes, bowls & cups. I collect vintage pin-up art, original underground comic art, ATCs, interesting, quirky or pretty old photographs, and illustrated children's books. I enjoy baking and cooking, cookbooks, recipes or trinkets with cupcakes, creampuffs or layer cake designs.

I love Halloween, Dios de los Muertos and snow at Christmas. We have enough holiday ornaments to decorate several Christmas trees. And I truly appreciate a good birthday cake.

I'd Enjoy Finding In My Mailbox:

Glass beads (esp. dark colors), Astroboy & Felix the Cat items, mermaids, beautiful paper/vintage book pages or old photos to use for ATCs, silver charms and milagros, small size lace & trim for doll-making and collage. I am especially interested in black lace if it is very small width (for dollmaking and ATCs.)

COLORS: dark/cobalt blue, violet, silver, magenta, jet black

TREATS: I like salty/savory. I'd always pick pretzels, nuts or cheese over candy as a treat. I like mustard, berry jams and orange marmalade. If given the choice I'd pick dark chocolate over milk chocolate any day. I like lemon, ginger, coconut, peanut butter and mint! Wasabi, garlic, hot salsa -- they're all good!

TEA & COFFEE: I love all kinds of tea, and do not like flavored coffees. My mom says I am a coffee snob, but I like Starbucks and LOVE Peet's Coffee! Caribou Coffee, too...wish we had that on the west coast...

A SILLY THING THAT DELIGHTS ME: I love striped socks!

DISLIKES:

Please don't send me things that smell like cigarette smoke or perfume.

I do NOT like gummy or marshmallow anything! I also don't like popcorn -- can't stand the smell! And please don't send flavored coffees. I'm also not big on candy or chocolate, but I can and will share those with other people. Please, please, please -- no heavily scented items (especially not florals.) I do love candles but have allergic reactions to some!

I can fully appreciate spiritual things but would be disappointed to receive specifically religious items as the bulk of a general swap! Obviously this restriction wouldn't apply if I am signed up for a religions swap, and I sometimes do participate in these!

About Being a Swap Host/Coordinator:

I always hope to create fun swaps where everyone gets something. I am also losing enthusiasm for being a swap angel when people don't follow through. If you sign up for one of my swaps, PLEASE be willing to send. And if you can't send on time, be honest with your partner. It's all about communication! I value swappers who are willing to say they are running late...I also value swappers who ask their partner directly what's going on before giving an automatic low rating.

About Me as a Swapper:

I'm not perfect -- I've missed a couple Swap-bot deadlines, but I've always communicated with my partners, and the packages have all gone out. I aspire to be a "perfect 5", but I'm doing the best I can. I take pride in what I send out, and don't sign up for trades unless I am willing to send you something I'd want to get.

ATCs, shrine making, dioramas & little houses. Mixed media & paper collage, water color, pen & ink drawing. Doll making (paper, soft sculpture, sculpey & fimo.) Batik, silk screen, & calligraphy. Raku fired ceramics. Jewelry making with salvaged and vintage beads.

So many...here's a bunch that I've enjoyed: It's a Wonderful Life, Moulin Rouge!, To Kill a Mockingbird, Harold & Maude, Run Lola Run, Äppelkriget (The Apple War), Blade Runner, The Best Years of our Lives, Dr. Strangelove, Casablanca, The Matrix, The African Queen, Fried Green Tomatoes, Dazed & Confused, Bill & Ted's Excellent Adventure, Chocolat, Gone with the Wind, MASH, Three Women, The Princess Bride, Wuthering Heights, The Little Princess (with Shirley Temple), The Dark Crystal, Thoroughly Modern Millie, Rosemary's Baby, Sayonara, Lord of the Rings Trilogy, most any movie by Alfred Hitchcock, Kiki's Delivery Service, My Neighbor Totoro, Edward Scissorhands, Heathers, Rivers & Tides, Practical Magic.

I love beautiful art & photography. And I especially like black & white line drawing. I've collected underground comix since the late 1960s. Artists I like include Edward Gorey, Gahan Wilson, Robert Crumb, Shari Flenniken, Trina Roberts, Vaughn Bode, Aubrey Beardsley, Kay Neilsen, Mahlon Blaine & Don Blanding. Pre-Raphaelite art by Waterhouse & Rosetti, Art Noveau & Art Deco, Surrealism. Mucha! Warhol, Frida Kahlo, Georgia O'Keefe, Diane Arbus, Ansel Adams...

I do watch TV, but I like reading even more. I'm pacing about a book a week in 2008. Just finished "Need More Love" (by Aline Kominsky-Crumb), "The Road" (by Cormac McCarthy), "Crow Lake" (by Mary Lawson) and "A Wrongful Death" (by Kate Wilhelm).

I enjoy books about making art, but my favorites are probably seriously good mysteries and suspense. Some authors I really like are and Margaret Atwood ("The Handmaid's Tale" is truly chilling), Ruth Rendell, Laurie King, & Sujata Massey. I also give thumbs up to Stephen King ("The Stand" & The Dark Tower series are favorites.) I'm not into the blood & guts so much as I am into the detection, crime scene investigation and characters.

I enjoy a lot of music. I can not BELIEVE that I didn't list John Lennon and the Beatles when I first posted this! I also love Janis Joplin. More recently I appreciate The Decemberists & Carbon Leaf. Some long-time favorites: Billie Holliday, Eva Cassidy, David Bromberg, David Grisman, Dixie Chicks, Joan Armatrading, Cindy Lauper, Joni Mitchell, Elvis Costello, The Clash, Christine Lavin, U2, Bruce Springsteen, Bananarama, Kate Bush, Janis Joplin, & Jimi Hendrix. Anyone remember The Rubinoos or Leila & the Snakes? Cheapsuit Seranders, Squirrel Nut Zipper, Tangerine Dream, Jethro Tull...I'm all over the place, eh?

Right now, it's Mad Men, 30 Rock, Lost, Big Bang Theory, Dexter, & CSI (the original --I've got a crush on Grissom.) I also watch Criminal Minds & Cold Case. And Dirty Sexy Money...can't wait for more Donald Sutherland!

I still miss My So Called Life. And Freaks & Geeks was a great series, too...My husband and I loved Six Feet Under, Deadwood, Carnivale, the Lonesome Dove series.

Can't beat "The Stand" as a mini-series.