Lauriez

HEY EVERYONE-JUST A HEADS UP THAT I AM TAKING A BREAK FROM SWAP-BOT FOR AN INDEFINITE TIME PERIOD! I SHOULD BE ALL CAUGHT UP WITH ALL RATINGS FOR SWAPS RECIEVED AS OF JUNE 30. HOPE YOU ALL HAVE A GREAT SUMMER FULL OF FUN! ~XO~ **PLEASE NOTE!* I WILL BE OUT OF TOWN FROM MAY 26 THROUGH JUNE 16! I WILL BE KEEPING UP WITH SWAPS DUE BUT OBVIOUSLY WILL NOT BE ABLE TO RATE ANY SWAPS I RECIEVE IN THE MAIL DURING THAT TIME PERIOD, SO PLEASE DO NOT WORRY IF MY RATING FOR SOMETHING YOU HAVE SENT ME IS A BIT LATE! THANKS SO MUCH FOR UNDERSTANDING AND HAPPY SWAPPING!

UPDATE MAY 5, 2012
BIG THANKS TO EVERYONE FOR YOUR KIND WISHES AND THOUGHTS ABOUT MY SONS HEALTH. HE IS DOING OK, ON ANTI-SEIZURE MEDS AND SO FAR SO GOOD. WE HAVE OUT OF TOWN GUESTS FOR A WEEK SO I AM BEHIND ON "NORMAL LIFE" WHICH INCLUDES RATING SWAPS, SO PLEASE DO NOT WORRY-I SHOULD BE ALL CAUGHT UP SOON AFTER THEY LEAVE, HOPEFULLY BY AROUND MAY 12 OR SO. THANKS FOR YOUR UNDERSTANDING!

UPDATE MARCH 27, 2012 MY SON HAD ANOTHER SEIZURE LAST WEEK, AND HAS NOW BEEN DIAGNOSED AS EPILEPTIC. IT IS EMOTIONALLY DIFFICULT AND WORRISOME NEWS. THANK YOU FOR YOUR KIND THOUGHTS THAT HE WILL STAY HEALTHY, STRONG AND SAFE AS HE LEARNS TO DEAL WITH THIS CONDITION. I BELIEVE THAT I AM NOW CAUGHT UP WITH RATING ALL SWAPS I HAVE RECIEVED UP UNTIL TODAY.THANK YOU AGAIN FOR YOUR PATIENCE, CARE & CONCERN.

UPDATE MARCH 15, 2012: I AM FINALLY BACK HOME IN SEATTLE AFTER A MONTH IN ST. LOUIS! MY SON IS DOING FINE! AND I SEND A GREAT BIG THANK YOU HUG TO EVERYONE WHO WAS KIND ENOUGH TO SEND ME WISHES AND THOUGHTS FOR HIS RECOVERY AND WELL BEING! I ENJOYED ALOT OF TIME WITH HIM, MY DAUGHTER, GRANDSON & FRIENDS, BUT AM HAPPY TO BE BACK HOME AGAIN! I HAD ONLY BEEN HOME FOR A FEW DAYS FROM OUR MAUI TRIP/WEDDING/HONEYMOON, SO NOW I HAVE PILES OF LAUNDRY, MAIL,SWAPS, NEWSPAPERS, MAGAZINES, ETC. TO CATCH UP ON FROM THE PAST 6 WEEKS! I PROMISE I AM GETTING TO OPENING & RATING SWAPS AS SOON AS I AM ABLE TO, HOPEFULLY I WILL BE ALL CAUGHT UP WITHIN THE NEXT WEEK! THANK YOU ALL AGAIN FOR YOUR KIND COMMENTS, THOUGHTS, UNDERSTANDING & PATIENCE! ~XOXO~

NOTE! UPDATE AS OF FEB. 15, 2012: MY SON WAS RUSHED TO THE HOSPITAL AFTER A FALL WHICH CAUSED A SEIZURE. I FLEW TO ST. LOUIS TO BE WITH HIM AND WILL BE HERE INDEFINITELY. I WILL DO MY BEST TO SEND OUT SWAPS WHICH ARE DUE WHILE I AM HERE BUT SOME MAY SLIP THROUGH THE CRACKS UNTIL I RETURN HOME TO SEATTLE. PLEASE BE PATIENT ABOUT ME RATING SWAPS RECIEVED TOO. RIGHT NOW MY SON IS MY PRIORITY. THANK YOU FOR UNDERSTANDING AND PLEASE THINK GOOD THOUGHTS FOR HIS FULL RECOVERY. THANK YOU HUGS TO ALL!

UPDATE 2-13-12: HI SWAP FRIENDS! I AM HOME SWEET HOME FROM MAUI AGAIN, AND WITH A NEW HUSBAND! LOL! YEP, I GOT "MAUI'D"! WE HAD A "SECRET" MORNING WEDDING CEREMONY ON A SECLUDED BEACH AND IT WAS AMAZING! I AM WORKING ON GETTING BACK INTO "REAL LIFE" NOW AFTER BEING ON ISLAND TIME FOR 2 WEEKS... I RETURNED HOME TO A LOVELY STACK OF SWAP GOODIES, SO PLEASE BE PATIENT WITH ME IN GETTING THINGS RATED! THANKS A BUNCH-ALOHA!

ALOHA, SWAP PARTNERS! * PLEASE NOTE!* I will be out of town (Maui!) Jan. 23-Feb. 12. I WILL be keeping up with/mailing out any swaps that are due during that time period, HOWEVER, I will be a bit behind on rating because obviously I will not be home to get my mail for over 2 weeks! I promise to catch up as soon as I am able to upon my return! So if you have sent me a swap and not recieved a rating, please do not worry! MAHALO!!

UPDATE -OCT. 25, 2011: THANK YOU JULIA! ~xoxo~ I am hoping to soon be easing back into a few swaps here and there...I have missed the creative exchange & stimulation as well as the connection to others I get through SB! Just need to pace myself better and not get so caught up in joining every swap that appeals to me I guess! I got too overwhelmed having too many swaps all at once & it became something stressful instead of fun & inspiring as it should be! Thank you to everyone for being so patient with me as I took a little hiatus. Hope to swap with you again soon! :)

UPDATE- SEPT. 8, 2011: I am down to one swap and that will be it for me for awhile. Again I apologise to any swappers who have not received a rating from me. Didn't expect to have to "bow out" from swapping, but there is too much else going on in my life right now that has taken precedence. Thank you for understanding and I hope to be "back" in the near future.

Aug. 23, 2011 Hello all of my wonderful fellow swapper friends! This is difficult for me to have to say, but due to circumstances beyond my control, I am going to be away from / less involved with Swap Bot for an indefinite period of time. I will still be checking in peridocially, signing up for swaps here & there, and absolutley sending out swaps I have committed to, but I may not be able to read messages, reply to comments & ratings or rate the swaps I recieve. I apologize for any inconvienience this may cause you and apprieciate your understanding. I really love the creativity & connections SB has blessed me with over the past 18 months and hope I can maintain my involvement here eventually, even if on a very reduced level. Namaste~

HELLO EVERYONE! I'm a fun-loving, happy, positive, outgoing, love - to- laugh person who doesn't act or feel her age! (just don't make me say the actual number outloud...do the math! lol!) I lived in the midwest (St. Louis, Missouri area) all my life, until 3 and a half years ago, when I moved to the Seattle area to be with my soul mate (and husband as of 2-1-2012!) Jeff, and started a brand new amazing life! We have an epic love story, having met some 20 years ago, then criss-crossing paths throughout the years as we survived horrid, unhealthy relationships, until finally the planets aligned and fate brought us together for good-where we should have been all along! I feel finally able to express my true self in so many ways, with someone who accepts, encourages, supports and loves me for me! He feels the same way for the first time, and it is so amazing after some of the hell we both went through with others, that we are happier together than we ever dreamed possible...well actually, happier than we always DREAMED might BE possible! :)

My kids still live in St. Louis-my beautiful daughter Kaelyn (26 & an awesome hairstylist) & her fiance Jake, blessed us with a precious adorable grandson-Ryatt- in Sept. 2009, and my cool son Trevor (23) is an amazing graffiti artist, skateboarder, musician and hockey player who definitely "marches to the beat of his own drummer"! Jeff's daughter Janelle (22) is a beautiful, bright & creative English major college graduate (and engaged to my best friends son, whom I have known since before he was born!) Fun, huh?! I miss them and all of my lifelong friends terribly, but do so love my charmed life here in the beautiful Pacific Northwest with my knight-in-shining armor who treats me like the princess I am! (lol!) I am lucky enough to be able to take trips to visit them about every 3-4 months, and it is nice that when I am there, they are all mine & I don't have to share them with the rest of their big extended/estranged from me (ex's) family!

I do not have to work (lucky me!) and do not drive since moving here (sold my convertible before moving here and cannot/do not want to learn to drive Jeff's stick-shift truck!) so i don't really have (m)any friends or social outlets here right now. Jeff & I are so content in one anothers company and sort of live in our own little secluded world as drama/stress free as possible! But a girl does need girlfriend time...so I was happy to recently discover a wonderful little local place called Black Door Studio, where the owner/artist extrordinaire Julia, supports,nurtures, teaches, shares and provides a haven for artists & creative types to come together for workshops, classes, groups and all things inspirational for our artistic endevours and journeys! I have become friends with her and we enjoy weekly thrift store/garage sale road trips! (she is also the one who got me involved in Swap-Bot!) Hi Julia Jae!

My passions incIude animals of all kinds-especially our three hilarious Basset Hounds-Max, Dottie & Annabelle-all rescues!I believe strongly in adoption/rescue of pets, and am completely against the breeding of dogs when there are so many unwanted innocent dogs being killed in shelters. I am pretty easy-going about most things, but one of the few things that can really turn me fierce is the abuse of innocent animals.

I also love taking photos (i am NEVER w/o my camera!), creating, reading, writing, music, traveling (i can make a road trip out of going ANYwhere and get such a thrill in exploring and finding the uniqueness and simple joys in someplace new, even if it is just the next neighborhood over from me!).

I'm a thrift store/flea market/garage sale/ rummage sale shopping JUNKIE!!! I rarely buy much of anything new, and am lucky that there are DOZENS of great thrift stores in the Seattle area! I LOVE the beach, (lucky for me we live just a few miles from several beaches!) AND my mom lives in Sarasota Florida on the beautiful Gulf of Mexico (aka "paradise"!) where I also am lucky enough to visit about once a year! I am a vegetarian/aspiring vegan who eats healthy! If I could only give up the cheese...I just have not yet found the strength to yet...(and feel mucho guilt over that...)

My happiest moments are spending time with those I love, creating & just enjoying life to the fullest! I am very laid back, easy going, easily pleased, drama free, open hearted, and grateful for the abundance of blessings I am surrounded by! I believe that every moment is a chance to create your own reality, that your thoughts become things, and that people are far more powerful than they realize to create the life they want and deserve! I also believe in karma, paying-it-forward, the transformational power of love and and the basic premise of "The Secret". I strive to enjoy each day as the gift it is and to realize how my thoughts, words and actions-no matter how small, have the abillity to touch, change and affect others and the entire world. I am FAR from perfect but believe that acting out of fear and love is the key to peace, compassion and contentment, so that is what I try to remember to do...

I LOVE TO READ! Whenever I am asked what my favorite toys were as a child, all I can think of is books (and Barbies!) Maybe that solitary form of "entertainment/play" comes from being an only child...?! I usually try to read for a few hours daily (oh the joys of being jobless!) and my tastes run the gamut...usually something that makes me think and feel, situations & characters i can relate to and get involved with which stir some emotion and leave me changed in some small way...i also love perusing many different magazines-though since they are too expensive to buy, i spend hours at bookstores or the library catching up as often as i can, and often get past issues of my faves from our library used books area. I also enjoy non-fiction on healthy eating, spirituality, realtionships, animals, self-improvement, arts and crafts, and local interest. Some favorite authors include Jodi Piccoult, Alice Hoffman, Elizabeth Berg, Alice Munro, Julia Glass...and a newly remembered/revived reading passion of mine has recently been childrens literature! My kids are grown now but I have often lamented the bygone sweet hours of reading to them, and have discovered that it is still sweet to read kids books even if you don't have a kid to read them to! So Jeff & I have begun a new morning routine activity of sitting together in our big comfy bay window bistro chair, sipping our lattes and reading kids books to one another! There are so many wonderful stories and illustrators to indulge in and I have found such pleasure in sharing the simple, fun tales for little ones and how they spark my imagination and sense of wonder! I especially enjoy stories about or from an animals point of view, classic fairy tales with worthwhile lessons (and a happy ending!) and vintage or interesting/unusual illustrations and stories teaching about natural beauty and life/love lessons. And I collect anything relating to "The Little Mermaid" (just not the Disney version please!)

I LOVE WATCHING MOVIES!!!!...so i have lots of ever-changing faves on my list! I most enjoy romantic comedies, exciting adventures, REALLY GOOD scary movies (of which there are SO / TOO few!), anything that makes me laugh or cry or has a deeper more spiritual meaning, and changes/challenges my thinking even the tiniest bit (and preferably all of those things in one movie!!) Not at ALL into gratuitous violence, gore or slasher flicks! Faves off the top of my head: Elf, Stardust, Finding Neverland, Moulin Rouge, Garden State, Dogma, Lars & The Real Girl, Princess Bride, I Love You Man, Still Breathing, all LOTR's, Sweeny Todd, Wedding Crashers, Pretty In Pink, Across the Universe, Christmas Vacation, Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind, 3,000 Miles to Graceland, The Majestic, The Birds, Forgetting Sarah Marshall, What Dreams May Come, Elizabethtown, all the Pirates of the Carribean flicks, The Holiday, 50 First Dates, Kingdom of Heaven, Gladiator, Meet The Parents, Role Models, Sex and the City, Liar Liar, Big Daddy, Sleepless in Seattle, The Mummy movies, My Date With Drew...

Some of my very fave actors/actresses include Johnny Depp, Drew Barrymore, Zoe Deschanel, Kate Winslet, Jennifer Aniston, Penelope Cruz, Adam Sandler, Jim Carrey, Orlando Bloom, Ryan Reynolds, Will Farrel, Jack Black, Selma Hyek, Gwenyth Paltrow, Angelina Jolie,Owen Wilson, Robert Downey Jr.,Kevin Kline, Nicholas Cage, Tom Hanks, Kate Hudson, Ben Stiller, Matthew McConaughey, Russell Brand, Kirsten Dunst, Brendan Fraiser, Kurt Russell, Michelle Pfieffer, Reese Witherspoon.

Going out to the movies is SO expensive these days, so we usually only go a few times a year, saving it for something REALLY special-like JOHNNY! There is a really cool theatre nearby which has huge seats and serves awesome food & drinks before/during the movie (and also has $5 movies on Tuesdays) so if there is a movie we simply must see on the big screen, we usually go either there or to one of the historic landmark theatres or Cinerama in downtown Seattle which has a HUGE screen! I am not a very "material/techno toy" kind of person, but i am REALLY coveting a huge screen tv so we can watch the hundreds of movies we rent own (even tons of VHS!) on a big screen!

I don't watch much tv...probably less than 10 hours a week average! My one tv vice is kinda embarassing...I have never missed an episode of "Desperate Housewives"! Other than that, I like "Accidently On Pupose" with Jenna Elfman, (now cancelled), Oprah, "Two and a Half Men", "Cash Cab", reruns of "Sex and the City", "King of Queens" & "Friends". Mostly we watch the Nightly News, and also love Nova, PBS & the Discovery & History channels. I completley DESPISE "reality" tv of any sort! I basically feel that most of what is on tv is a waste of time and would prefer to be DOING something! (like creating, reading, playing with my dogs, being online, exploring, being outside, making my OWN reality!)

In my younger days (!) I worked in several record stores for about 10 years, was an avid concert go-er and knew practically EVERY band that exsisted! However...these days, I'm sorry to say that while music is still a huge part of my everyday life, I am not all that up on the billions of bands out there and kind of poohpooh the idea that anyone can be a star thanks to YouTube! My all time faves continue to be bands such as Counting Crows, 311, Chris Isaak, Velvet Revolver,Enya, Dixie Chicks, Our Lady Peace, Inxs, the Mavericks, Wallflowers, Elvis, Collective Soul, Big & Rich,Sarah McLachlan, Enigma, Inxs, Patsy Cline, Incubus, the BoDeans, and whatever else random I hear on the radio and like! I REALLY love quiet calming background New Age-y/instrumental music to work to, and ambiant music to fall asleep to. Also enjoy some contemporary Christian music IF it is not too preachy...

I have been a photographer since taking 2 years of b & w photo studies in college many moons ago...! I often exhibit my photographic images in local businesses and have participated in many local art festivals, fairs and artwalks, and love the one-on-one connection of meeting new people and hearing their responses to my photographs. I make a little money doing it but my greatest reward is getting positive feedback and making someone smile or bring a memory to someone by sharing my photos. The most dreaded (and unanswerable!) question often posed to me is "so what do you take pictures of"?...haha! If you look at my photo share sites, you'll know why! (i take pix of anything & EVERYthing!) And as soon as I can commit to managing my time better, I really hope to start actually listing & selling on my etsy shop which I opened over a year ago!

I have recently been able to devote myself to my art full time, because of no longer working outside the home (which is SO AWESOME to me-thanks to my wonderfully supportive BF!) and have been attempting to expand my creative endevours exploring things like papercrafts, repurposed clothing (and other items), assemblege jewelry, soy candle & goats milk soap making, collage, altered art, ATC's and whatever i happen to see that i fall in love with and think i want to try to do...even though it often ends up looking like a second grader made it! I am currently obsessed with altered art, handmade postcards and those little glass square charms/pendants made with pictures/photos/etc. ephemera in them, which i find people love & are selling very well at the art events i vend at! (both which make me very happy!)

COLORS: black, aqua/sea blue, garnet/wine/burgundy, seafoam & emerald green, and pinks of all shades, hues & intensities!(esp. pink & black or pink & brown together!)

MONTH-SEASON-HOLIDAYS: Oct. / fall or July (summer is PERFECT here in the Pacific Northwest!), birthdays, Thanksgiving, Valentine's day

YUMS: I am a vegetarian with aspirations to be vegan...I eat healthy-(no fried foods, butter, (bad) oil, no HFCS, no cow's milk, as little sugar as possible, no soda, as little processed foods as possible, local, fresh, organic, etc.) I could live on hummus, cheese, pita chips, brown rice, any & all fruits & veggies, homemade pizza, Greek food, huge salads, GOOD chocolate (but have a weakness for Hersheys too! bad bad me!!)

QUENCHERS: water, red wine, chai tea, latte with oat, rice, soy or almond "milk", (but ick! NO Starbucks for me, though I do collect some stuff for the mermaid logo!)

I COVET,COLLECT,WISH FOR, ADORE, & AM INTRIGUED BY: ANYTHING relating to mermaids, sock monkeys (old and new), manatees, vintage & just old family b&w photos, old childrens books/ illustrations-esp. fairytales, fairies (LOVE artists such as Nene Thomas, Amy Brown,Brian Fround, Linda Ravencroft, etc), smashed/pressed pennies, art deco/nouveau, polka dots, interesting images/funky old ads/illustrations from magazines, books, maps, Bibles, etc. to use in art, pin-up girls, vintage tiki & beach/surf related things, 50's era stuff,cool buttons & charms & beads & such to make jewelry-basically all manner of cool goodies to incoporate into artwork,Basset hound stuff, weird graphic t-shirts, Hello Kitty, cool/unusual/funky purses, boots & shoes (size 10), thrift store clothes (for me-size lg. in tops, size 8 in skirts, dresses, & pants) or to alter/recycle/upcycle or sell, anything Space Needle, Golden Gate Bridge or Eiffel Tower related, sweater/plush monsters, Bath & Bodyworks, Lush, Pacifica or handmade soaps and lotions in non-food/super sweet fragrances (except i DO love the smell of cinnamon,coconut and coffee!), Medieval/Renaissance era, snow globes, vegetarian/ vegan /low fat recipes, coffee or wine related items, glittery-sequin-sparkly-beaded-fringe-rhinestone things, cool glasswear i can make into something else, altered art, old paint-by-numbers, beach glass (REAL/found, NOT store-bought/fake!), goddess/pagan, UFO/paranormal, animal advocacy,old hotel/motel signs... WOW...i'm kind of a pack rat, huh?!

I do NOT like/tolerate: violence, spiders, smoking, snakes, extreme hot or cold weather,anything mint, judgements/mistreatment based on race, religion or sexual preferences, animal abuse/neglect of ANY KIND, meat, small dark spaces, extremely high places,lying,high maintenence people, reality tv,whiners, ungratefulness, drama queens, gossipers, people with negative attitudes who do not realize how lucky they are with all they have in comparison to so many others in this world!

I think that the ability to exhange creations, knowledge & ideas along with providing support & encouragement, and sharing laughs, joy, curiosity and frustrations with so many "yet-unmet friends" out there like this is amazing and awesome! I will only sign up for/participate in swaps that mean something to me, and promise to strive to create something I would be thrilled to own! I may not be all that talented in traditional art abilities such as painting, drawing or sewing, but my heart, mind and eyes are always open to possibility and my goal is to bring a smile to my swap partner with what I send! And btw-I believe you can never have too many friends, so if you are on Facebook, look me up & friend me! :)

Note...YIKES-i have been flaked on ALOT over the past 2 months...sigh. I am a very easy-going, understanding person...i totally get that "regular" life comes first and can sometimes get in the way of creating.i often don't even notice that a swap is late in arriving to me. i believe that everyone has the best intentions... if I do happen to notice I have not recieved something, I will first check your profile to see if you have posted anything to explain why the swap may be late/missing, and if not, I will send you a message letting you know that I have not recieved it...but only once, and if you do not reply, you get the lowest rating, because that is what i am supposed to do. I used to think it was not even my responsibility to "double check" on missing swaps, but I have been having ALOT of issues with MY mailed swaps disappearing into postal never-neverland lately, so I will first assume that this is the situation with "YOUR" no-show swap as well! I DO take pix of almost all of my handmade swaps (not pc's) and post them on my Facebook art page, so I will usually direct you there so you can see "proof" that I made it for you! But PLEASE, if you DO know that you will have an issue making/mailing on time, no worries, just let me know! Since joining in March 2010, I am sad/mad/hurt to find that i have been "flaked" on like 17 TIMES!! That seems sorta sucky, and I feel "bad" giving a "1" rating, but if I get nothing then that is what i am supposed to do. Kinda not fair to join just to get things without giving back too, I mean, that is the FUN of swapping...exchanging art and ideas and the "love" that comes out of creating! sigh...oh well. Not losing sleep over it but still...be considerate enough to communicate any issues or you run the risk of swap bans. I take my swaps seriously, and it is very important to me that I am known as a trustworthy, committed swapper. It's not that hard to play this fun swapping game, really. But please play nice.

The above being said... A GREAT BIG THANK YOU TO ALL OF THE AMAZING ARTISTS AND WONDERFUL SWAP FRIENDS OUT THERE WHO MAKE THIS SUCH A FUN PART OF MY LIFE! I AM SO HONORED AND THRILLED TO KNOW THAT YOU TOOK YOUR TIME TO MAKE ME SOMETHING SPECIAL, UNIQUE, HANDMADE AND FROM THE HEART! I CHERISH ALL OF MY SWAP "GIFTS" AND AM SO AWED EVERYTIME I OPEN ANOTHER OF MY DAILY PRIZES (as my bf calls them! lol!)! HAPPY CREATING & SWAPPING!