E

reads. writes. does this most of the time. also performs. sometimes dances. wishes she could do this more of the time.

dreams of traveling to antarctica.

would love to see Tom Waits on Martha Stewart making planters out of old tires. would be happy to send you long, hand-written letters pretending YOU are tom waits, as long as you promise to write back (and the response cards smell like motor oil and patchouli).

• PAPER: letters, postcards, envelopes, stationery, maps, atlases, almanacs, old photographs, dictionaries, encyclopedias, old magazines (especially adverts), polaroids, small books, altered books, old books, strange books, stickers, ephemera.

• NOTIONS: buttons, beads, ribbon, lace, fabric scraps, string.

• BOXES: up-cycled containers, very small containers, embellished containers, matchboxes, tiny dioramas, toy theaters.

• PENS: felt-tipped, calligraphy, brush-tipped, multi-colored 'clickies', sharpies.

• MISCELLANY: astronomy, red foxes, karaoke, salsa dancing, muji, quantum physics, opera, sailing, ugly/strange/curious objects, hand-written letters, pacifism, stamps (rubber + postal), the myth of the American West, so-bad-it's-good items, live art, train travel, propaganda posters, russian literature, cinnamon, idiosyncratic paper kawaii (coffeecups and sugarlumps with faces, for example), typewriters, kitsch.

Tom Waits * Neutral Milk Hotel * Johann Sebastian Bach * Beirut * The Mountain Goats * Arvo Part * The Decemberists * Kaki King * Iron and Wine * Frederic Chopin * The Magnetic Fields * Phillip Glass * David Bowie * They Might Be Giants * Calexico

• color: a steely shade of slate blue

• animal: red fox, california condor

• guilty pleasure: chocolate + hazelnut

• beverage: green tea

• place, at the moment: eastern wyoming

• film: dreams (akira kurosawa)

• word, right now: fiat

• puppies and kitties

• hot pink or pastels

• fruit teas

• candy

• meat