LindaRuthie

Profile updated February 2010

Member since February 2008

I live in Western Massachusetts, in the town I was born in. I've been married to my sweet hubby since 1991 and my son was born in 1996. I am lucky enough to be a stay at home Mom and even luckier to be homeschooling my son. He and I enjoy mysteries, studying nature, history and collecting things vintage. We like thrift shops, flea markets and yard sales. We all like to travel, but finances keep our trips close to home (New England area). That's OK because there's plenty to see and do in New England. During Spring and Summer, I like to work in my flower gardens. Autumn is my favorite season of the year. I enjoy birdwatching and try to keep the bird feeders in the yard full.
We have 2 pets at the moment, an Eastern Painted Turtle named Neville and a Parakeet named Stormy that we inherited from my MIL, October 2009.

If you are expecting a package from me and it does not arrive in a timely manner, please PM me so I can make it right.
I will rate your swap package, usually as soon as it arrives. And the only way I will know if my package has arrived safely to you is when you leave a rating for me. I love reading your comments!
I reuse packaging to save trees and $.
Please, feel free to re-gift anything I send that you can't use or is not your style.
My home is smoke-free and furry pet-free.
I like private swaps. Just ask.
I swap handmade items and craft supplies. I sign up for a swap when it inspires me to create. I consider anything I send out to be a gift to you, from me and I hope it makes you smile.
When making a craft to send to me, I will be very happy if you make what you are inspired to make. I love to receive an item and say to myself, "I never would have thought to do that".

BOOKS- Most of my reading at this time is whatever we are studying for homeschool. We all love reference books at my house. I enjoy books like "Weird U.S." , local history and legends, including ghost stories.

TV- My all-time favorite show is 'The Andy Griffith Show'. I love to learn something watching TV, so History Channel, Food Network and Discovery Channel are usually what I watch. I find I have to keep changing my favorites here as programs change and come and go. My recent favorite is Castle. I never thought I would spend my time watching 'reality' TV shows but in the past couple of years we have loyaly watched Dancing With the Stars, America's Got Talent and The Next Food Network Star. I also enjoy Ghost Hunter and the like.

MOVIES- I have always loved old musicals from the '40s & '50s. Movies like 'Singing in the Rain', 'Easter Parade', 'Guys and Dolls', 'Camelot', etc. Hubby will watch chick flicks with me like 'You've Got Mail' and 'Sleepless in Seattle'. We enjoy watching family movies like Pixar stuff, Star Wars, Indiana Jones, Harry Potter, Night at the Museum, National Treasure. I do not enjoy watching horror (makes me giggle, which annoys everyone else trying to watch.) or violence.

MUSIC- I grew up listening to my parents music and I still love Big Band and '50s & '60s Rock and Roll. Absolutely my favorite singer is Ella Fitzgerald, with Nat King Cole a close second. My son is hooked on The Beatles and The Monkees right now (got to see Mickey Dolenz in concert on 9/08 and saw Mickey, Davy and Peter on 6/11), so that's usually what we listen to in the car.

I have been sewing and crafting for over 40 years. So, I have a lovely stash of supplies and ideas that I would enjoy swapping. My style of crafting is mostly romantic, sometimes cute and sometimes just fun. I don't mind stepping outside of my comfort zone to make something more suited to your taste. Crafts that I enjoy are;

Embroidery- I've done most types of embroidery. I don't do counted cross-stitch any more but I do enjoy redwork, chicken scratch and silk ribbon embroidery.
Quilting- I have made large quilts and I find that I enjoy planning and sewing the squares more than the actual quilting of a piece. For now, I'm happy to work on piecing and machine quilting small pieces.
Knitting- I mostly have been knitting quick things such as scarves and dishcloths. I have made sweaters (with cables!) and hats in the past.
Beads- I like working with beads, whether stringing them for a bracelet, hanging them from a Dotee or stitching them into my embroidery.
Paper Crafts- I enjoy card making and Row Houses. I have a few scrapbooks in progress and I wish I spent more time working on them.
Sewing- This has been my favorite past time since I was 11. I've sewn most everything at one time or another (don't do slipcovers, draperies or upholstery) from doll clothes to wedding gowns, from dance costumes to holiday decorations.
My favorite thing to sew at the moment are aprons. I have fallen in love with aprons. My favorite are the farm wife styles of the '40s & '50s.Like this. But anything from 1920s-1970s is fun. I collect vintage apron patterns and I have an even bigger collection (hundreds) of pictures of apron patterns on my computer. I would love to make a book showing as many styles as I could find.
Colors- I can't say there are any colors I do not like, but I prefer bright, clear colors as opposed to muted colors.

Vintage and Retro Style * Anything From Victorian to Flower Power * Buttons * Pincushions * Aprons * Fabric * Crazy Quilts * Rick Rack * Beads * Embroidery * Fairies * Snowflakes * Icicles * Walks in the Woods * Chickens * Halloween * Linen Dish Towels * Scotty Dogs * Morning Coffee * Barns * Owls * The Ocean * Word Games * Sodoku * Homemade Cookies * Chocolate * Hot Tea * Felt * Violets * Collecting Sea Shells From the Beach * Scrap Quilts * Lady Bugs * Dragon Flies * Bees * Fireflies * Rhinestone Brooches * Pin-up Girls * Glitter *

Felted Wool or Wool Felt
Glass, Silver or Pearl Beads
Pearl Cotton or Silk Ribbon For Embroidery
Printed Fabric Ribbon
Japanese (or similar in style) Cotton Printed Fabric
Vintage Images to use in paper crafts
Buttons
Peppermint Tea

Skulls
Horror
Anything I can't show my son when I open my mail
Anything with a strong scent