SouthsideTracie

Hello! I'm Tracie from South Bend, Indiana, home of Mayor Pete! If you're wondering, as a lifetime local, I can verify he's the real deal - as smart, committed and experienced as he says he is and seems to be ;-)

I'm going to meet Pee-wee Herman in March 2020 as part of his tour for the 35th anniversary of Pee-wee's Big Adventure! This wasn't even on my bucket list because I would have never thought it was possible. Big $ splurge for me, but I'm crazy happy that I did it.

I take swap details and deadlines very seriously and I will NEVER flake on a swap. If you ever don't receive a swap from me, let me know and a replacement will be in the next day's mail.

One of my pet peeves is when I receive a message from a swap partner who is going to send late "due to life" and then I see that she is, literally, in dozens of swaps. Please don't let a compulsion to keep your mailbox packed negatively affect what and when you're sending out. We're all here to have fun and nothing brightens a cruddy day like a thoughtfully put together swap in the mailbox.

I'm a small business advisor by day and I have a freelance copywriting side hustle (evenings and weekends). I also resell on Poshmark, Depop, Etsy, Ebay and at an antiques mall. Mom to Mixi the cat and Pip the dog.

• Recent adventure - Bob Dylan for my 9th time
• The Beatles
• Bob Dylan
• Bruce Springsteen
• Michael Franti
• Rockabilly
• Howlin' Wolf
• Chuck Berry
• Patti Smith
• The Clash
• Blues
• Old school punk
• Old school hip hop
• Most recent read: Ta-da! Finally finished Great Expectations by Charles Dickens, partly because the main character (Pip) was the inspiration for my dog's name and partly because I enjoy the challenge of understanding how language was used in different eras. Also LOVED The Dutch House by Ann Patchett, Testament by Margaret Atwood (sequel to A Handmaid's Tale) and Talking to Strangers by Malcolm Gladwell.
• The Stand by Stephen King
• Margaret Atwood's Oryx and Crake trilogy
• John Irving novels
• 100 Years of Solitude by Gabriel Garcia Marquez

• Recent views: Avengers End Game (finally!), Blinded by the Light and Yesterday
• A League of Their Own
• Romy and Michelle's Class Reunion
• Wes Anderson films
• What About Bob?
• Groundhog Day
• Schitt's Creek
• Blues Brothers
• X Files
• British crime dramas
• Chicago Cubs baseball
• NBA and college basketball

• The Body Shop strawberry, olive or mango shower gels and/or lotions
• Organic, cruelty-free shower gels and lotions
• Small business brands
• Aveda, Alba, Mario Badescu, Pacifica, Dr. Bronner's, The Honest Company
• Lush soaps, including/especially the small bars
• No lip balms, please. I have enough to last a lifetime (no kidding!).
• Fruit and flower scents are my favorite. I seem to be sensitive to lemon scent (even though I love it) - it aggravates my asthma
• Handmade, aromatic soaps
• I don't have a bathtub so as cool as bath bombs are, I just use them to make my drawers smell good ;-)

If you're in an Etsy Favorites or Amazon Wishlist swap with me and you can find one of my items from those lists for less money (Tim Holtz items, for example), go for it! Please make sure it's an exact match, though. Thanks!

• Quilting
• Fabric art
• Brush pens
• Art journals, junk journals
• Die cuts, Cricut, paper crafts
• ATCs - I love Tim Holtz products for ATCs
• Handmade envelopes
• Altered postcards
• Anything with sparkles

• My favorite color is blue, particularly aquamarine (blue leaning just a tiny bit toward green).
• Retro design, especially 50s and 60s
• Letter sets, notecards, vintage stationery - I've been lucky to come across so much lovely vintage stationery lately
• Sparkles, glitter
• The moon, stars and the sun
• Fabric scraps or squares - 1", 2", 3"... up to 6"
• Animals, especially dogs, squirrels, sea turtles and raccoons, bees (anything with these themes)
• Die cuts in any of my favorite themes
• ATCs
• Paper ephemera of almost any kind for junk journals
• Sunflowers, peonies, lilies of the valley (they remind me of my grandma's house)
• Upbeat, motivational messages
• Girl Gang-themed items
• Whimsy
• Milk chocolate - on its own, with nuts, with crispies, with creamy centers (Cadbury Eggs!), Reese's peanut butter cups - especially the minis!
• Gummies - bears, worms, mini bears, peach slices. But not gummy sours.
• Black tea (including flavored black teas) - store brand black teas are usually very good.
• A quirky sense of humor
• Pixies (with the little hat, no wings, a little mischievous)
• Stickers (not reward, kids, letters or free, please), I recently discovered AliExpress - how did I survive without that website?
• Quilts
• Swatch watches (really anything 1980s-themed)
• Fabric - bright patterns, Laurel Birch, Kaffe Fassett, florals, dog- or cat-themed, Christmas-themed, lime green, turquoise, mustard
• Vintage Barbie
• Mid-century modern
• The 1980s were my decade - big hair, Madonna, Cyndi Lauper, neon colors, mini skirts, spike heels (reason for my 2012 foot surgery), rockabilly, new wave, thinking I could have that much fun forever
• Art glass, glass art, stained glass
• Thrift shops (I'm gaga over thrift shops!)
• Michigan, my Michigan (anything Michigan themed, Kalamazoo-themed, Lake Michigan-themed)
• Paris/France/French
• Ireland/Irish
• Belgium
• Marvel super heroes
• Kindness
• Pens and pencils (Nothing too nice, I work with clients and my writing utensils disappear fast)
• Essential oils (but please don't solicit me if you sell them)
• Michael's, Hobby Lobby or Joann gift cards (for swaps with a specific $ amount - like stocking stuffer, holiday gift swaps, etc.)

• Politics
• Racism
• Religious messages
• Animal cruelty (even jokes about)
• Crude humor
• Gratuitous nudity
• Sales pitches
• Dark chocolate
• Green tea, herbal tea, rooibos tea
• Gum of any kind (I have a lot of fillings and crowns)
• Stickers that are meant for children - very basic design, limited intricacy, cartoonish characterization, are obviously for children
• Gingham fabric - I made a big exchange years ago and had a lot of gingham that I used. I have made gingham everything and so now I don't like it.

• I love used, in good condition items. My best Christmas as an adult was when my family committed to giving only garage sale, auction, thrift stores items.
• Mini journals, handmade 'zines, ephemera for collaging
• Rubber cement - I go through it like crazy
• Scissors (I can never find a pair when I need them)
• Used BH&G and McCall's quilting, Threads, Cloth Paper Scissors, Altered Clothing or any Stampington & Company magazines
• Vintage or themed measuring tapes (I can never find one when I need one)
• Handmade envelopes - some of you are so talented!
• Any flat item in the following themes: Bees, sea turtles, Paris, squirrels, raccoons