Straylight

UPDATE! -- My husband and I are in the process of moving to a new location. Thus, I've put a halt to all my swapping for now (since nearly everything is packed!) The last few of my swaps are in the mail... if you don't receive them shortly, PLEASE LET ME KNOW!! I will still have 'net access and I want to be sure to fulfill all of my obligations.

Hopefully we will be settled in a couple months and I can begin joining swaps again. Until then, Happy Swapping and keep in touch!

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I'm currently working in a library as a children's specialist (aka a children's librarian who doesn't have her masters degree yet.) Thus, I have a certain fondness for children's literature themes (think classic Winnie the Pooh, Peter Rabbit, Eric Carle books, Margaret Wise Brown books, etc.)

I love nature and the outdoors. My husband and I try to go camping at least once a year, and we have kayaks we take out regularly as well. I greatly enjoy hiking in the mountains and I'm fascinated by the wildlife one can find there.

My favorite season is Fall. Watching the trees change color is always fun... but not as nice as smelling the woodsmoke of your first fall bonfire.

My favorite holiday is Halloween (I'm told I have a slightly gothic tendency at times), and we usually throw a big costume party for our friends each year.

I've been crafting in my spare time for years, and my interests in that realm are pretty far reaching.

At the moment we have only 3 pets. Smokey, Al, and Basil.

Smokey is our stray gray hunter who adopted us last fall. He barged into our house and declared it his in all his kitty-glory.

Al is my leopard gecko. Would you believe she was a yard-sale find? Her owner was moving to CA and couldn't take her with, so I gladly adopted her. She's been mine for 3 or 4 years now.

And last, but certainly not least, is Basil. He's my hooded rattie! He's the friendliest rattie I've ever owned, and he loves to ride on shoulders. Yogurt treats are his favorite, but he's always glad for some scritches along his sides, too.

Black is a good favorite with which to start. After that, I prefer cool colors with deep blues being my favorite. Especially Indigo verging on violet, or trailing away to a deep sea green.

However, I do love the colors of autumn. Bold or deep reds, oranges, and yellows are wonderful when mixed... a memory of autumn and flames.

Bold colors always thrill me. I tend to shy away from pastels, but they have their uses, too, from time to time. I don't particularly like pink for much of anything.

I tend to prefer silver over gold where metallics are concerned.

I've tried a little bit of most things including cross-stitch, quilting, sewing, batik & tie dye, spinning (drop spindle primarily), beading, candle making, scrapbooking & photography, rubber stamping and even some knitting and painting. I love making things with my hands.

My favorite crafts would probably be nearly anything dealing with fabrics (sewing, batik, quilting, etc) beading and digital photography.

I've just recently tried my hand at creating ATCs. The more I work with them, the more I enjoy them!

--={ What I Pledged }=-- If you ever do not receive a rating from me, please pm me!

Forever and ever, 'The Crow' has been my favorite movie. I still can't watch it without the urge to cry. Along with it, though, I present to you some other favorites:

'V for Vendetta'

'Six-String Samurai'

'Edward Scissorhands' (Pretty much anything by Tim Burton is an instant favorite. Oh, and almost anything with Johnny Depp, too.)

'Shaun of the Dead'

'Stardust'

'Sweeney Todd: the Demon Barber of Fleet Street"

This will be another tough one as I like a wide range of music. My most recent and longest-lasting favorite has been Nightwish. Maybe I should qualify that -- Nightwish with the OLD lead singer, Tarja.

Beyond Nightwish and another band called Within Temptation, my tastes range pretty widely. I'll keep working on a more complete list. Here are some to start:

Massive Attack

Orbital

Evanescence

Midnight Syndicate (mostly for Halloween purposes, but fun to listen to at any time when you're in a dark mood)

Nine Inch Nails (I prefer Reznor's older stuff, though... i.e. Halos 2, 5, and 8)

Argyle Park

Type O Negative

Enigma (for when I'm in a quiet mood)

This list will constantly be under modification as it barely begins to scratch the surface of my interests.

I'm hazarding a dangerous subject for me... Books. Once I get started on this topic, it can be hard to stop me.

Maybe I should start with genres. I prefer Science-Fiction and Fantasy with a heavy emphasis on Cyberpunk. I also enjoy a good Horror or Thriller novel from time to time.

Some of my favorite authors include Neal Stephenson, Neil Gaiman, William Gibson, Pat Cadigan, Peter Watts, Roger Zelazny, Philip K. Dick, Alfred Bester, George R. R. Martin, David Eddings, C.J. Cherryh, Jennifer Roberson, Richard K. Morgan, Poppy Z. Brite, Stephen King, Lewis Carroll, Jeff Noon.... I'm sure this list will change and morph over time.

My all-time favorite Cyberpunk book is "Snow Crash."

Maybe I should just list 'wild animals in general' as this favorite. Here are a few at the top of my list (real and mythical):

dragons (eastern and western), dragonflies, ravens (and crows), ratties, cats (large and small), wolves, red-tailed hawks, salamanders & newts, luna moths, gargoyles, griffons....

... of the seemingly Random Variety!

I adore dark chocolate, tea (looseleaf or not) and tea accessories (teapots, teacups, etc.), thunderstorms (I LOVE a good storm), skulls, candles, feathers (natural color, not dyed), lavender (the herb), traveling, camping, nature, mountains, beaches, bonfires, late nights, the full moon, stars, wandering along city streets in the late evening, concerts, board/card games, spending time with good friends....