Star7Lily

After 8 years on Swap-bot I thought it time I update my profile to the present.

Greetings from Australia. I live on the top of a magical mountainous hill, in Warwick, on the Southern Downs in Queensland, with my partner, & Misty our dear doggie who acts like the Queen of Sheba, and came to us literally out of the mist and into our door. AND, Twiglet... a Koala who lives in the clump of Gum trees behind our house. Plus numerous colourful songbirds & wallabies (petite gentler version of Kangaroos) How lucky are we!

Sadly my beloved brother who made his goal of becoming American shortly before he passed away so suddenly on 6th October 2014. He had just arrived back in the USA after 2 weeks with his daughters here in Aus. He died of an embolism - massive heart attack. He was a true man, a genuine pearl and my big brother!

I am a Subtlety maker & worked that magic for the Abbey Museum & now make artworks for Gallery22 in my town. Completely enjoying a long & well earned break as a Mines Security Officer from 13 hour shifts and high stress. Still setting up my art studio cabin & growing lilies & roses in my favourite place, cold windy Warwick where i spend quality time with my lovely man, on the southern border. I have two young-stars, now gorgeous independent adults.

I will always honour my swaps to my partner. I rate a heart if i like your swap rather than any extras, the time it takes to lovingly create a thoughtful piece of work is enough, but a few old or foreign book pages or old style patterned wrapping tissue are welcome though ;) I like most colours, preferring soft muted palette
i love flower gardening and have put in a delightful rose and lily garden to brighten up the harsh landscape. Although I believe in fairies, and like a shell pink, i am not into kitch fairy stuff. Feel a bit too old for all that.

~I am a miniaturist, I have been interested in 'tiny treasures' all my life. I went to see Queen Mary's Dollhouse when i was 8 and it changed my life as i saw it. 30 years later i was able to visit the Chicago museum, and saw the fantastic Thorne rooms over 40 of them! perfect in every detail... It was through this hobby that i was led firstly into fine needlework, producing as exact tiny duplicates of bedclothes, boutis quilts, robes, underpinnings, etc, as I can get them. ~Tiny things are fascinating, i once found an almost complete 1" robot!

Georgian Dollshouse & French brocante books have me glued to the pages. Art journaling, altered books as keepsakes in historical themes. As an extension of this, I and @AnnaM have created a group here on Swap-Bot with a Georgian era theme, (1770-1815) : "At Home with the Georgettes" where we have a fictitious village & our members each choose their character, our forum is a happy active arena. We then swap as these characters in creative Regency style swaps & hand written letters. Calligraphy, illuminations, alphabets, texts; We are even learning how to cut quills and make our own ink! A marvelous extension in art. We have also a blog that focuses on featuring our swaps and the village. The link to our accompanying blog is up on my profile,
I am textile/doll artist, I use many mediums into my work. ~Thus anything to do with beading, antique textile, needlework is thrilling to me,
i value your time and energy in giving to a stranger ... so please feel free to write me. I appreciate your wonderful gift of sharing your art and thoughts.

Baroque music, Tudor etc, wind intrumentals. The humble old recorder, yes folks, those years of torture in the old school hall became quite a passion, thanks to my brother. My first voluntary purchase was a German handmade wood descant, followed by a gorgeous Treble~ the hollow haunting tones and the woodsey smell, pure heaven! Perhaps i spent a lifetime in Medieval times! i can pick a crumphorn a mile away in an orchestral piece. I adore the Cello, after a lifetime of loving Elgar, hearing mums records of Jacqueline Duprey...(realizing the depth of mood one can create by modern Enya, the sound so strirring.) My man encouraged me to buy one, so I am melding with the tonal qualities of my instrument and having a marvelous time. I am in nursery school all over again! In the modern world, I find voice fascinating, pure joy and mood, I have belonged to several choirs over the years. Artists like Josh Groban, pure heaven, Ian Anderson from Jethro Tull! ABBA, Adele, Enya is a favourite songstress. Chorale, I love Musicals, Phantom of the Opera, Les Mis, I sing where ere I go, whether permitted or not (then i do it quietly) Thank goodness I can sing! my kids used to say "be quiet mum!", but that made me more joyous! They didn't want to be noticed, but really didn't mind. My daughter now joins in with me, down the high street.

Bookwise, I adore the classics like Jane Austen, Walter Scott, Shakespeare, I am a very old fashioned girl. Josephine Tey, Ngaio Marsh & Georgette Heyer. I have found a couple of modern authors i cannot put down, Lee Childs, his Jack Reacher themed series really describes my dear brothers character, a gentleman yet willing to step in with a warning first. ditto for Nick Pierce; Kerry Greenwood an Aussie woman who writes the most descriptive natural of women sounding believable in her mysteries... Heavenly Pleasures, Earthly Delights, etc. & Phryne Fisher Mysteries.

I love the earthy nature loving Jeffrey Farnol, for a man's take on Romantic, so English & gentlemanlike, pulls me back everytime, to the winding country roads to where my dad grew up in Surrey. I think perhaps this writer was not unlike my dad, come to think of it. Poetry, Shakespeare's works , Thomas Hood's sonnets ( i was named after his dear wife Jane), Haiku, I love to create prose, something I discovered at College, 30+ years ago, found that what I wrote, reached the hearts of others. I love & am grateful for this gift.
My library has children's books, well illustrated, as this shows me how to create tonal qualities if I am struggling. I have quite an extensive collection, from simple pen and ink, like Winnie the Pooh, or Wind in the Willows to Jane Hissey, Inkpen, for colouring pencil, Brian Froud for intellect, wit and darker themed interpretations; I shall write and illustrate my own childrens book, perhaps for my grandchildren when they join our family. In the meantime, I am quite happy to wait though!

LIKES... I do drink tea, as the Queen drinks it, ie:- brewed in a teapot and served hot with genuine fresh jersey cow milk...be still my beating heart, luckily I've found my own darling man who buys it from the farmer, the cream still sitting on the top. , i love English Breakfast tea, but my all time favourite is Irish Breakfast! I love herbal teas of Rose hip or fruity blends. Colours:-. I love Teal, French Navy, Cream, Rose pink, Cherry Red, Sepia tones, lime, buttercreamy yellow, Prussian Blue and fresh orange.... to name but a few!

I am fascinated with all religions, cultures learning about different philosophies. goddesses, images, charms or sigils. I talk to the Moon Goddess, Mother Mary, Quan Yin & Jeshua. Having a fling with Georgian & Regency style patterned papers, silk velvet is high on my loves, a piece of pretty lace, silk thread or ribbon would have me in raptures! I love cats and sorely miss my Lily.

DISLIKES? I am allergic to nickel based jewellery findings & chain. I do not go in for little girl pink fairy stuff or Hello Kitty, i am a luscious woman not a kid. I cannot stand Earl Grey or Lady Grey teas as they are not my cup of tea, ha!. my daughter and sister love them though, so would pass them on- takes all kinds, teeheee.

Thank you for taking the time to read my profile, and creating your wonderful works of art. As a security officer i have wondered how many people realise just how invaluable their service makes a difference to the lives of others. During 9/11/2001 everyone remembers the incredible valiant efforts of the emergency services, police, ambos/paramedics, fire-brigade. There was one other group who are rarely spoken of or remembered! While the rest of the workforce left the building if & how they could, the only workers that knowingly remained onsite on duty were the Security Guards as it is instant dismissal for us to leave our posts. I would like it to be known although they may have made it to ground level during the traumas, most died manning their posts as the building fell around them. I salute your memories, brave souls.

There you are, that will do. Embarrassed now. HAPPY SWAPPING