Update: *Sept 2012 - Judy is back in Korea, starting the university fall semester of ENG CON II with her ESL students. Daughter halfway through Grade Two. Peace, contentment, renewed joy and affection and relationship in her marriage, living in 'ora et labora' much of the time. Starting an online art & spirituality class at Abbey of the Arts this fall and really looking forward to it. Google 'Way of the Monk, Path of the Artist' and see what you think! In the process of simplifying her life, she has cut back on Swap-bot and many other online occupations, but would be interested in a few quality art swaps from time to time. Contact her personally on Facebook (Bard Judith) if you are interested!

Oh, where to start? Mozart, Maddy Prior and/or Steeleye Span, Bach, Robin Mark, Händel, King's Singers, Chieftains, Michael Card, Sting, Great Big Sea, Mark Knopfler, Andrea Bocelli, Enya, Gregorian, Paul Simon... she listens to anything from medieval through renaissance to baroque (though not keen on the twiddly romantic types like Liszt), plus ethnopop, folk (not country, big difference), fusion, jazz. She fails to appreciate the appeal of heavy metal, rap, funk, trance, etc.

Hmmm...a few from among her top thirty or forty favorites authors would have to include Terry Pratchett, Lois Bujold, Guy Gavriel Kay, Tanith Lee, Brian Jacques, Sheri Tepper, Mercedes Lackey, St. Paul, David Gemmel, Ethel. M. Dell, Walter Wangerin, J.R.R. Tolkien, Philip Yancy, Charles Dickens, David Eddings, Rosemary Sutcliff...

Also addicted to the free online fin-de-siecle books on www.gutenberg.org, Victorian lit, 'The Message' version of the Bible, and anything by Gene Stratton-Porter. Faery tales, folk tales, medieval lit! And yes, she loves children's books, from Alcott and Baum through Carroll, Dahl, Jones, Nesbit, Milne, Sendak and Seuss, down to Viorst, Yep, and Zindel...

Homeschooled (practically illegal forty years ago) and homeschooling (her mother had an Encyclopedia Britannica, a gigantic library, and a mimeograph machine: Judith has the WWW, personal publishing software, and a printer...) so reads extensively and eclectically: fantasy, ecology, interior design, sci-fi, classics, historical fiction, magazines, blogs, cereal boxes....

She is a dross artist - which basically means that she incorporates recycled, discarded, used, pre-loved, repurposed, and other 'un-new' elements into her art as much as possible. Driftwood, postal stamps, rusted metal, labels, household items, paper ephemera, seaglass, fabric scraps, and the like will all find a new home in her artworks. Mostly she works on three-dimensional pieces such as art dolls, shrines, collages, jewelry, etcetera - but also enjoys ATCs, 'scrapbook' journal pages, and creating digital art!

Google (because you can find anything!)

Facebook (guilty pleasure)

Popular Science (keep up with the times!)

Instructables (PopSci meets Martha Stewart)

Free Realms (fantasy-adventure quest game online)

Santharian Dream (fantasy world-building site in the style of Tolkien, Jordan, Lackey, and other masters)

Gutenberg (read old books! Online! Free!)

Jango (music)

Spoonflower (print your own fabric)

Neopets (just because of her daughter)

Oddee (really, really guilty pleasure)

Dadcando.com (awesomely beautiful things to make and do with your children)

Swapbot (um, newest passion)

She rates and comments as soon as she gets back from the post office and has opened the swap - same day.

She clicks 'Sent' after she gets back from the post office and has mailed the swap - same day.

Judith's Favorite Artsy Things:

ERAS:

THEMES & MOTIFS:

Alchemy/transformation/borders/faith, words/text/writing/languages/fonts/typography, women's issues/liberation/freedom from abuse, art/crafts/creativity, fantasy/faery tales/science fiction, simple living/ecology/spiritual housecleaning, décor & interior design, flowers/plants/herbs/nature, trash/junk/garbage/recycling/dross art, birds/eggs/nests/dragonflies/angels/faerie, travel/postcards/stamps/mailart/visas...

COLOURS:

MATERIALS:

Printed/textured/metallic/coloured papers, thin leather, metallic foils/faux 'leaf', laces/ribbons/fibers, thin fabrics (small-scale prints), rubber stamps, cardstock, stationery...

REALIA:

Dragonfly/butterfly/bird wings, little boxes in any material, little glass bottles, decorative brads (any metal or shape, favor bronze), rusty gears and bits of metal, broken jewelry, old keys, wine and other labels, shrines/icons/devotos/milagros, recipe cards/vintage kitchen items/labels, 1-12 scale miniatures (Victorian or Asian), sheet music, old book pages, library pockets, file folders, word cards, game pieces, lenses/slides/glass pebbles...

EPHEMERA:

Stickers (particularly gem/frame/lens/word/floral/vintage or other motifs as above), playing cards of any size and sort, old postage, faux postage and related products (rubber stamps, stickers, scissors) die-cut/punched/molded paper/cloth flower shapes, old advertising (kitchen/bath/apothecary), engravings/woodcuts/prints, travel items...

STYLES:

Things She Loves Making:

ATCs, Postcards, Collages, Shrines, Matchboxes, Assemblages, Altered Things, Recycled Anythings, Tags, Bottles...

Not-so-Favorite Things:

(stuff that would be wasted on her; 'pearls before swine', and all that... if your favorites are in this list, please don't take offense, just smile and show off what YOU can do with them!)

Her personal faith is the foundation upon which she builds her life: her relationships, her personal code of conduct/eched/honour, her honesty and integrity in dealing with others, the effort she puts into her art and craftswomanship, the way she teaches her students, raises her daughter, and chooses clothing to wear in the morning. She believes in 'letting your light shine' (which means that the flame of your soul should be an appealing hearthfire over which one can warm one's hands and cook one's food, not a conflagration that sears, or a glaring searchlight that intimidates and interrogates...).

This is one of Judy's ATCs, done in icon style, gilded and encrusted with faux 'gems'.

Some Wishes for A Faery Botmother

Disclaimer: Do not read if you are likely to consider specifics a 'shopping list' - some people actually like to try to get things exactly as their partner would love it, while others prefer more general suggestions. There are both types of 'wishes' on this list! If you would like to do a private swap for any of these things, Judith is always ready to provide a) "a profile surprise to match" b) "an Asiana Envelope" with coins, calligraphy, hanji paper, labels, etc., c) Korean stationery/stickers/kawaii, or d) "your-suggestion-in-this-space"!

(tosses a shiny token into the well and closes her eyes)

She wishes for.....

• something/things from the 'Realia' list above (oooh, you have to go look....)

• note - the links are not there for people to 'buy her stuff' but are literally a guide to the sorts & style of things she loves.

• 1/12 scale Victorian-style miniatures (anything - food, furniture, rug, vase, etc.) - almost any miniatures vintage-era or earlier, but her dollhouse is more or less Victorian...

• a unique figurine (She collects odd chess pieces, milagros, mini statues - 1 inch to 3 inches, usually, so they'll fit in her Cabinet of Curiosities!) - wood, ceramic, metal, fabric...

• a small icon or small icon prints that can be mounted or altered (prayer card size is fine! She particularly likes Catherine and Francis, or Mary, or the Trinity)

• an A4 ephemera collage sheet on one of her favorite themes ( see above, lots of choice!)

• the kind of 12 x 12 scrapbooking papers that are designed to be cut up - journalling tags or prompts, headings, frames, accents, mini collage sheets, typefaces, etc. Four or five of those could be cut in quarters to fit in a regular envelope...

• vintage kitchen theme stuff - ephemera like labels and ads, of course (there are some wonderful reproductions designed to peel and stick on your own spice jars and baking canisters, for example), but also little things that help set the tone. Judith has a collection of miniature pots with print on them - ceramic jam pots in French, mustard containers ditto, half-size mason jars embossed with logos, little enamel salt cellars, that sort of stuff. Almost every dollar store and certainly every thrift store will have several similar pieces to choose from!

• bits of ribbon, fabric, fibers, fancy wools, mixed yarns, leather thongs, etc....it's hard to find good assortments or collections here, only bulk packages!

Last, but certainly not least: If you actually read & enjoyed Judith's whole profile all the way down to here, and you think you could be kindred spirits, do send her a PM for a private tag/swap!