I like swapping all kinds of art!

I rate within a day or two of receiving something, so if you haven't heard from me about something you sent, please do drop me a PM. I hate not being rated so I want to be sure to rate you!

I live just outside of the city of New York, commute into work every day, and dream of the day I can retire. I like my job, but I'd rather play all day. I have two Wheaten Terriers who I adore ridiculously and a partner of more than 20 years. I am old enough to know better than to tell my age.

Proud member of the sisterhood of Delta Gamma Crappa!

I like altered art, repurposed things, making the old into something new. Paper and boxes make me happy. I love odd and strange stuff. I like imagery of women, but not sentimental or prissy ones. Birds make me happy. I like mermaids, but I'm not big on fairies or angels. Love a nice goddess. I like textures of all kinds; I'm very tactile. I like gadgets and computers (I'm a tech geek). I am an animal lover, with a particular soft spot for giraffes (tiny giraffes!) and elephants.

I am very smitten with all things mail art and postal. Postage new, old, and faux, rubber stamps (love them), zines, hand made envelopes, etc. You get the idea.

I have a strange fondness for anthropomorphizing inanimate objects, especially from old cookbooks (like smiling eggplants or dancing wooden spoons).

If you send me a pamphlet cookbook from before 1960 with a woman on the cover, I'm yours forever.

Stuff I like:

• Rubber stamps and everything to do with them (ink pads, embossing materials, etc.)
• Vintage Christmas Pins (I collect them)
• Vintage pamphlet cookbooks (preferably with a woman on the cover)
• Beautiful paper, handmade paper, exotic paper, paper paper paper
• Handmade things of all kinds
• Notebooks • journals • Handmade cards
• Boxes, containers, holders of all kinds, pockets
• Ribbon
• Matchboxes and matchbox shrines
• Amigurumi
• Stuffies
• ATCs

Themes or designs I like:

• Postal things, stamps, airmail, • Anatomy / skeletons
• Polka-dots
• Eggs
• GLBT things
• Humpty Dumpty
• Birds
• Ancient goddesses
• Mermaids
• Giraffes (not cutesy)
• Elephants (not cutesy) • Sea creatures of various kinds

Things that are not ever welcome in my house:

• Heavily perfumed things (candles, sachet, incense, etc. -- I have allergies)
• Coconut and things that smell like coconut
• Homophobia
• Religious paraphernalia or propaganda

Things I don't care for or have no use for:

• Cat stuff (don't hate 'em, just don't wanna swap 'em)
• Precious Moments and similar sentimental or cutesy stuff
• Angels
• Disney
• Tea & Coffee
• Children's stuff -- I don't have kids
• Earrings (I do not have pierced ears)
• Teacher stickers
• Things with inspirational sayings on them (like "breathe" or "dream"). I don't like being told how to feel. Unless it's something you made; that's different.

I am also not a fan of babies with wings, or babies in dunce caps, or babies dressed in cute outfits to look like something else (Anne Geddes stuff), or that sort of thing. (Nothing against babies per se!).

ALLERGIES: I am allergic to cats, dogs (yes, I have dogs, but they are hypoallergenic -- some breeds are worse than others for me), mold, dust and cigarette smoke. I'm not compulsive about it, but I'd appreciate your efforts to keep my swaps relatively free of the things that make me wheeze (especially the cat hair!). So, you know, just don't smoke while petting your cat and making my swap in a damp basement, and I"ll be okay.

I make ATCs, Rolodex cards (2.5 x 4), digital collage, cards, altered art, photography, rubber stamped things, matchbook shrines and other kinds of paper art. Lately I've gotten into Rolodex cards (2.5 x 4) and want to fill my Rolo! @Crescendo got me hooked on charm-making and stickpin-making too.

I am learning to sew and crochet but lame at both. I like a lot of crafts I'm not good at. Attempting to learn to crochet all by myself (any suggestions?). I will try any craft once.

I really like scavenger hunts!