Deluxx

I am slowly getting back in the swing of things after a very difficult summer. I want to thank the many truly wonderful friends on Swap-Bot who have helped and supported me through this ordeal. I can't say how much it means to me. I also want to thank the swap partners who have been patient with my delayed swaps. You are very understanding and I appreciate it very much.

Do I owe you a rating? I think I'm caught up on all my ratings after being out of town for 3 weeks, but I may have missed one. If I owe you a rating, please don't hesitate to PM me to give me a poke! I hate when people don't rate me so I don't want to be delinquent in rating others!

I always try to be a good swapping citizen! I always rate within a day of receiving something, so if you haven't heard from me about something you sent, please do drop me a PM.

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 almost 20 years whom I finally was able to marry in California a year ago July. (Of course, now that Prop 8 has passed, I'm not sure how long our marriage will be valid...) I am old enough to know better than to tell my age.

Proud member of the sisterhood of Delta Gamma Crappa!

ANGELS @runswithscizzors and @crescendo are extra special angels who angeled swaps for me while I was away dealing with some very difficult family stuff. I send them giant bouquets of hearts!

@Lisapotterylady is a wonderful angel! She sent me a great package for No Spending Swap. @Raven generously angeled the Rubber Stamped ATC (thank you!)

FLAKERS @irishdancefaerie on the No Spending Swap @MFYBD on the Rubber Stamped ATC. Still hoping she'll turn it around... :(

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. I like textures of all kinds; I'm very tactile. I like gadgets and computers (I'm a tech geek). True vintage ephemera is delightful.

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.

Themes or designs I like: * Oz stuff (I collect it selectively, mostly related to the books) * Wheaten Terriers (my kids) * Vintage Halloween things (it's my favorite holiday) -- but more spooky/creepy than cutesy * Sparkly, shiny stuff of all kinds * Polka-dots * Eggs * GLBT things * Humpty Dumpty * Birds * Ancient goddesses

Stuff I like:

• Rubber stamps and everything to do with them (ink pads, embossing materials, etc.)
• Vintage Christmas Pins (I collect them too)
• Cooking and kitchen stuff
• 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, cards
• Boxes, containers, bags, purses, holders of all kinds, pockets (I hoard them)
• Gift wrap
• Ribbon

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 and would just trade away if you sent them:

• Cat stuff (don't hate 'em, just don't wanna swap 'em)
• Precious Moments and similar sentimental or cutesy stuff
• Angels
• Disney (except Eeyore... I have a soft spot)
• Tea
• Children's stuff -- I don't have kids
• Fairies (there are exceptions to this one)
• Earrings (I do not have pierced ears, so if sent to me these will be re-gifted)

I'm 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.

Lost, Dancing with the Stars, So You Think You Can Dance (do you see a pattern here? :) Judge Judy, all kinds of home shows on HGTV, Flipping Out, American Idol, The L Word, Project Runway ("Make it work!"), The Office

ATCs, digital collage, photography, matchbook shrines. I am learning to sew and crochet but lame at both. I like a lot of crafts I'm not good at. I've started getting into rubber stamping and I think I am in trouble... Attempting to learn to crochet all by myself (any suggestions?).

I do not scrap, but I do altered art, ATCs, and other kinds of paper art. Am starting to make charms, enjoying beads and buttons a bit, altars and altered books and tins.

Discovering the world of Swap-Bot has introduced me to a lot of new things. Many of them I have heard about but never received. I would love it if someone sent me any of these things so I can learn!

• Amigurumi
• Chunky book/Fat book
• Biscornu
• "Ugly Betty"
• Altered book
• 'zine
• Monster Doll / Monster Mascot
• Skinny
• Twinchies
• FB
• Cram