SweetClementine

Updated January 4, 2012

WISHLIST GROUP: I'll be happy to help you with addresses. Please allow a couple of days for a response. Thanks!

Please don't let my lengthy profile scare you, I just want to give a lot of options to make shopping for/sending to me easy and fun rather than a guessing game! :-)

To tell you a little about myself, I am a 36-year-old mom of 2 young children, married for 14 years to my best friend from high school. We met in a karate class...but that's another story! I have a Master's in Education and was formerly a Spanish teacher and a gifted & talented specialist. If you are Spanish-speaking, I am "Spanish reading"! ;-) Just go easy on me; my Spanish is getting very rusty! I am now enjoying staying home with my 2 kiddos (girl 6, boy 4 years). I am continuing in a volunteer position that I've held for last 9 years as an advocate for gifted children, and I'm an active volunteer with the local school also.

My home is non-smoking, but we do love animals! We have an ancient cockatiel (almost 16!) who named himself Birdie and a rescued Labradoodle named Tofu Loki. We really believe in giving animals another chance for a happy home; if you're looking to add a pet to your family, please consider adopting a homeless animal from a rescue group, humane society, etc. There are some great animals out there needing loving homes!

Important info: Grapes, raisins, onions, chocolate, and Xylitol sweetener are toxic to DOGS. Be very careful around your pet. My pup spent 3 perilous days under a vet's care due to a raisin-eating episode in April 2010!

I pretty much stick to sewing, fabric, and needle arts crafting. I'm a huge fan of embroidery and enjoy making things like embroidered flour sack towels. I sew SIMPLE things like reusable tote bags (like Morsbags) and have been a quilter for 11 or 12 years. I started out piecing and quilting by hand but bought a machine to speed things up! I still love to quilt when I can find the time (machine piece & hand quilt). For now, I'm sticking to smaller projects that I actually have a hope of completing! I also have an interest in felting sweet little things.

I truly enjoy learning new things. If you assemble a kit to teach me something new, I will undoubtedly love it and give it a try! I could make an embroidery kit for you if you're interested. :-)

Fabrics: I purchase only quilt-shop quality fabrics. I would prefer to receive a smaller amount of quality fabric than a larger amount of lesser quality. These are some examples of my "fabric style". I love bright, modern fabrics, but I also love vintage reproduction fabrics (especially 1930s) and Japanese-import juvenile novelty fabrics. :-)

I don't do paper crafts, scrapbooking, crochet, or knitting. It's not that I don't like the idea, just that I'm out of space and time. But I'm VERY interested in seeing what you make in these areas.

Prior to having children, I was an avid reader. Now it's difficult to find time to fit in anything of length. I'm still always in the middle of a book; I'm just super slow getting through one!

I most enjoy crime, mystery, and suspense novels, like Jeffery Deaver and Patricia Cornwell. I also enjoy series like Harry Potter and Twilight. I really love to write and hope to find time to write my own book some day.

I also read cookbooks, crafty books, and magazines for a quick fix. My favorite magazines are Country Living & Clean Eating. I prefer mostly cooking and science-related magazines with an occasional quilting/sewing magazine thrown in for good measure. :-)

I also collect:

• children's books in other languages with simple words and lots of pictures
• books of quotes and sayings, especially bilingual ones with English translations
• cool vintage classics and vintage cookbooks
• copies of Shakespeare's THE TEMPEST (sentimental reasons for my daughter!) in any language.
• copies of Sherlock Holmes for my son (vintage or in languages other than English)

As the founder of the Edibles Group, I'm sure you'll believe that I adore receiving international foods. I will love:

• Something typical of where you live or locally made

• Something edible that you have good memories of. Tell me a little about it!

• Sweets~I just can't help myself with sweets. I love all kinds of candies, especially fruit-flavored candies, gummy candies, toffees, malted candies, white chocolate, nutty sweets, and marzipan. But I'm NOT picky! ;-)

• I love See's peanut brittle & Awesome Peanut Brittle Candy Bars and Fannie May Trinidads. Unfortunately we don't have See's and Fanny May candies in Texas!

• I especially enjoy citrus flavors (orange, lemon, lime, grapefruit).

• We like spicy foods and spices in general.

• Things I REALLY LIKE that many people don't: coconut, nuts, peanuts, white chocolate, marzipan, dates, figs, mushrooms, asparagus, tomatoes, & spinach.

• I cherish receiving tried and true family recipes and keep them in two recipe boxes to fit cards that are 3 x 5 inches/76 x 127 mm or 4 x 6 inches/102 by 152 mm.

• Local and vintage cookbooks are prized. I read them as if reading a "regular" book. :-)

• I'm not so fond of: artificial sweeteners (I get headaches; Splenda is OK.). I also don't enjoy fish-flavored snacks (though I eat fish), strong black licorice, tea bags, chewing gum, or red meat (beef, pork, etc.).

• I like chocolate, but it arrives as a melted puddle between April-October.

If you live in one of these places, I love these things that I can't buy here:

• Chicago & Milwaukee~ The Spice House spices, especially Back of the Yards seasoning rub
• Canada ~ Montreal Schwartz's steak seasoning for my husband; I'd be interested in trying the poultry spice too.
• Europe ~ mini Haribo packs of candies; we can get the gold-pack gummy bears in mini packs but that's it. I love them all! :-) My son LOVES Dragibus. Star Mix is my favorite.
• France ~ caramel, thin, crunchy orange chocolate cookies (I seem to have lost the name of them!). Dragibus by Haribo, especially for my son (though I LOVE the blackish purple ones and eat them all!), and crepes (especially the chocolate ones that you warm in the microwave).
• Germany ~ mini Haribo packs (Star Mix, etc.) and any local brand of gummies, vegetarian foods and mixes. @Mello sends the neatest crafty things from Germany too--love them!
• Italy ~ Goleador gummy candies (have tried cola and fruit; love them both!), i Gelatini candies--YUM!
• Midwest, USA ~ Ken Davis or Roscoe's barbecue sauce
• Peru~ Sacha Inchi nuts, La Iberica caramels (especially castaña and coco).
• Spain ~ chocolate bar with cornflakes & peanuts together (I think it was a Ritter Sport?), paella spices, Carmencita salad seasoning
• Sweden ~ fruit soup mixes
• UK ~ Horlicks Malt & Caramel flavors, Marmite cashews, peanut puffs
• USA ~ See's peanut brittle, Awesome peanut brittle candy bars, & molasses chips, Fanny May's Trinidads, or anything from Trader Joe's (we don't have these shops where I live!), anything regional or locally made

• Reusable cloth shopping bags that I wouldn't find here in Texas: international, non-English, or farmer's market ones especially. Just something different to spice up a trip to the grocery store! ;-)

• Locally-made items and handmade things

• Anything "cultural" really~I love stuff from other places, in other languages, etc.

• Mexican items~i.e. Dia de los Muertos, La Virgen de Guadalupe, Frida Kahlo & Diego Rivera (Hey, I liked them before they were so cool! ;-) I took 150 8th graders on buses to see the Diego Rivera exhibit when it was in Houston, Texas in 1999.)

• Anything orange-themed (the fruit, not the color)

• Anything songbird-themed--especially swallows and sparrows, love the retro-styled ones like for vintage tattoos

• Fruit (especially citrus), vanilla, coconut, and nutty scents & tastes (if it's an "edible" scent, I generally like it)

• Old black & white photos--my favorites have old cars, dogs, candid children, bicycles, or holiday themes, but I like any old photos, really! I make copies for artwork and never destroy the original.

• Dragons (my son's name means "dragon")

• Copies of Sherlock Holmes for my son, especially vintage ones or those in languages other than English

• Copies of Shakespeare's THE TEMPEST (my daughter's middle name) in ANY language :-). We have English, German, and Greek.

• Fabric~cotton fabric, especially vintage or ethnic fabrics, 1930s/40s reproduction prints, Japanese juvenile prints, fabric from where you live (cotton preferred)

• Colors~ I'm very eclectic about color choices and there's very little I don't like. I usually choose bold, vivid colors over pastels, but yet I like the faded, vintage, shabby chic colors and style too. I adore Jadeite green and really love robin's egg blue too. I probably gravitate slightly more towards blues, purples, and greens.

• Vintage embroidery/applique/quilting books, iron on transfers for embroidery, and vintage buttons

• Handmade kitchen accessories (dishcloths, towels, etc.)

• Recipe cards with your handwritten recipes on them!

• Private swaps~Is there something you want from the US or from Texas in particular? Is there an American edible you'd like to try? How about an exchange for something I've hand-embroidered or simply sewn? Send me a note~if my calendar's not too busy and you are an established SB member, I'd be glad to swap with you!

• Artificial sweeteners often give me headaches, though Splenda is alright

• Smoky, perfumey, or floral scents or tastes (migraines). If someone in your household smokes, please make an effort to send a swap that doesn't smell smoky. If a smoky swap arrives and it is something I can't wash, I may not be able to use it. Thanks for your consideration.

• Jewelry made with metals other than sterling silver, stainless steel, or 14k gold (metal allergies-boo!)

• Wool due to allergies--I don't mind something like an ornament made with wool felt. I just get itchy, rashy, & sneezy if I wear anything with wool in it.

• Commercial characters (Disney, Winnie the Pooh, Barbie, and other popular cartoony characters)

• I have a very eclectic style (world travel, vintage, kitschy), but I just don't care for old-fashioned, country-styled things (apples, geese/ducks in bonnets, roosters, teddy bears...)

• Religious propaganda (stickers, music, and other items meant to promote a particular religion), though I do like religious items if they have cultural significance and do like the religious iconography of the Catholic church. I am respectful of others' religious choices, and I hope for the same in return.

• Chocolate doesn't do too well in the Texas heat from about April-October. If you do send something chocolate during this time, please wrap it separately. White "chocolate" withstands warm temperatures better.

• Bubble gum/chewing gum

• Tea bags, unless it's really special--I have my own stash and don't drink it too often. Teabags without individual wrappers seem unsanitary and will never be used.

• Supplies for crafts I don't do (such as scrapbooking and other paper crafts, knitting/crochet, polymer clay, etc.)

• Red meat...but I can't imagine you'd be thinking of sending me that! :-)

• Please save destashed items for someone who would appreciate it more. I freshly make or buy each item I send for a swap with my partner in mind. I appreciate the same consideration. :-)

Here's a little information about my children in case the swap pertains to them.

My 6-year-old daughter "L" is into:
* The colors pink, purple, green, and blue
* Anything "science-y"; she doesn't get grossed out and likes anatomy-related stuff, insects, etc.
* Arts & Crafts projects, coloring, stickers, and anything related to keeping a journal
* Copies of Shakespeare's The Tempest in any language
* Wears US size 6 clothing
* ANY mail for her, including postcards--she is always interested in where things come from and asks questions to learn more about the different places

My 4-year-old son "D" is into:
* Anything with wheels or dragons
* Balls, Puzzles , Blocks, Legos
* Disney's CARS, Bob the Builder, Handy Manny, Thomas the Train, Fireman Sam
* Sherlock Holmes books in any language or a vintage copy
* The colors blue and yellow
* He's a giant for his age and currently wears US 5T or 5/6 clothing

SENDING: I am completely reliable with a good moral compass, and I ALWAYS send out my swaps. I usually send in the last couple of days; I'm always adding to the package and fine tuning up until the very end. I like to include a note in the package to make the swap more personal. If you are expecting something from me and it doesn't arrive, please PM me and we'll get it worked out! Please also note that the post office I use most frequently is an annex and swaps may not be postmarked until the following mail day if the larger post office has already collected the mail from their facility for the day. Rest assured, I sent on the day I marked the swap as sent.

RATING: I have refrained from rating a couple of times as I felt it more fair than rating a 3 in these particular cases. If I've missed rating you, please never hesitate to send me a PM so I can hop to it! I appreciate those who remember to rate me as well. Regarding hearts: I give them out liberally when I can see that my partner has made an effort to personalize the swap, go above the minimum requirement in some way (not random extras), and/or include a longer note. I always appreciate receiving hearts, as it means to me that you have really enjoyed what I have sent to you. My goal is to always bring a smile to my partner's face. :-)

SENDING ON TIME: I also appreciate swaps that are sent on time. It puts me in an awkward position when I receive swaps that were sent significantly later than marked as sent or more than a couple days past the send date, as I feel that merits a 3. If you PM me before the swap due date to ask for more time, then I'm happy to work with you. Thank you for your thoughtfulness on this matter.