Hi! I'm Nicole. I'm here because I love snail mail and it's a hobby I can invest more or less time in as the seasons of my life allow.
I rate fairly according to swap-bot's rating criteria. If I receive a swap that meets all posted swap requirements, including being sent on time, I rate a 5. If I personally feel the swap was extra special to me, and that actually happens a lot, I add a heart For those that are new to swapping, and aren't aware, though, I'd just like to point out that it's generally considered very bad form to ask for hearts; it's really subjective. If the swap does not meet requirements, including being unreasonably late, I'll rate a 3. If I feel a reasonable amount of time has gone by and I have not received anything I will contact you first before rating a 1. I try to reflect my swap experience honestly and fairly, both for the person sending to me & the rest of the s-b community.

To those I send to, I pledge to swap unto others as I would have swapped unto me; I'll send on time (and would pm you if for some extenuating circumstance I couldn't), I'll put effort into making swaps that I hope would make my partners smile, and you can always count on me to rate quickly (although I do not check my POB every day, so please don't get nervous if your d.c. says the package has been delivered & I haven't rated the same day; probably just haven't checked my box yet, give me a day or 2;)).
My swap-bot weak spot: replying to profile comments. I will reply to pm's (that need replying) but admit that since I can view comments from e-mail without logging into s-b, I sometimes forget to reply later or they get pushed off my profile quickly by other comments, and there is no way to mark them "unread". So the short of it is: if you really need a reply from me, better to pm than comment, though I do love sweet comments I get that require no direct reply!:)

These days I'm in less official swaps, and enjoy granting wishes for my favorite groups, Wishlist and Cheap Postage swaps, tags, and fun
I have so much fun granting wishes as well as finding happy surprises in my mail box! :)

I'm married & a mom to 2 young-adult daughters, one has graduated from college and is recently engaged, one is a college freshman. We have 2 pets: an arrogant grey tabby girl I adore, and a somewhat naughty but lovable mutt pup :) I am in graduate school pursuing a Masters degree to teach ESOL. My favorite hobbies are hiking/ taking long walks, reading, traveling & exploring near and far, trying new restaurants, learning about healthy living, thrifting, spending time at home with my family and pets, and swap-bot, natch!:) My husband and I recently bought an RV, so we are excited to begin enjoying that!

Places I've visited: Mexico (spent many summers there as a child), Canada, Cuba, Brazil, France, England, Spain, Slovenia, Italy (& the Vatican), as well as Puerto Rico and 25 U.S. states + D.C. so far. I love to travel, even though I'm skittish about flying!

Some Stuff I like

• anchors
• Cats! (especially grey tabbies like my kitty)
• cognac
• cloudscapes,
• Chanel, Dior, or other "boujee" luxury brand name imagery, ha
• Dolly Parton
• dollhouse minis
• donkeys
• farm life images
• Fiestaware
• flowers (faves include: English garden roses, hydrangea, peonies, ranunculus, tiger lilies, wildflowers)
• forests
• French culture & language (took 3 years in hs, visited twice, and trying to refresh my ability with Duolingo)*
• Garfield & Odie
• (Our Lady of/ Virgen de) Guadalupe
• hand lettering
• hiking
• honeybees
• houseplants
• Icons of Eastern Orthodox Christianity
• libraries & literary themes
• lunar phases
• Maine
• matchbooks or boxes (with the matches still in them)
• mountains
• moonrise
• National Parks
• photography
• polaroids
• Pusheen the cat
• RV-ing (we are newly "fifth-wheelers")
• seascapes
• starfish & sea horses
• succulents
• simple living
• sunsets
• sunshine
• travel
• tea time
• View Master toys & reels
• vintage cameras
• watercolor paintings
• whiskey

I believe in the "3 r's": reduce, reuse, recycle! Most of my clothing comes from thrift stores.

POSTCARDS:
If you don't know what to write, I enjoy quotes, song lyrics, haikus, jokes, or simple notes about you or your day.

I would love to receive any postcards from National Parks, especially the WPA style illustrations or any postcards that look like old fashioned travel posters, I also especially like artsy pcs, seascapes, skyscapes, nature-scapes, colorful vintage scenic cards, and any cards featuring the following: mothers with children, images of 2 little girls (because I have 2 daughters), women or children reading, tea-themed, people dancing, hiking trails, cats, women or girls with cats.

Postcards from places I've visited: I never seem to buy enough postcards from the places I travel, and send them all out, then wish I had kept some for my own memories. To that end, I am always appreciative of postcards (or stickers or bookmarks) from any of the following locations-
Europe: London, Paris, Strasbourg, Barcelona, Madrid, Rome, Venice, Slovenia, Italian Alps
South America: Brazil (Goiania, Salvador, Brasilia)
North/Central America: Mexico (Acapulco, Mexico City, Queretaro, San Miguel de Allende), Cuba (Havana), Puerto Rico (San Juan), U.S. (Los Angeles, Tucson, St. Augustine, Amelia Island, Savannah, Jekyll Island, Chattanooga, Birmingham, Nashville, Hilton Head Island, Washington D.C., Pittsburgh, NY City, Columbus OH, Maine- Portland & Bar Harbor/ Acadia)

Teas
I drink tea every day, but I've become a bit picky over the years. I try to avoid black tea, and mostly stick to green blends or herbal teas, especially mint and rooibos. I enjoy NUMI, Runa, or Traditional Medicinals brands, or any organic teas in your stash you feel like sharing and think I might like. This is not because I'm a snob, but with my family history of cancer, I am always looking for ways to reduce potential toxins to my body, thereby being a proactive and good caretaker of my own health. If you are interested in what unhealthy additives may be in your tea, I recommend reading this

crudity, nudity, profanity, or religious/ spiritual imagery in swaps I'm sent (Orthodox Christian iconography is in my likes, so obviously, that's an exception). Thanks for respecting my beliefs and preferences, I'll do the same for those I send to.

the following things won't offend me, but in the interest of full disclosure and saving your postage on things I probably won't use or pass on...

I prefer not to receive:

Please do NOT send me friendship books or sticker bags or other such "pass it along" mail. I don't participate in them, so their journey will probably end with me.

broken or rusty jewelry or other such items. I know some people are very creative with these things, but I'm not.

I don't sew or do any needle crafts so please save your extra needle craft supplies for someone who will actually use and enjoy them.

Also I have been put on a restrictive diet by my nutritionist & physician (no soy, no dairy, no wheat, no peanuts, no corn, no canola, limited sugars- no fun, right?), so other than organic teas, I'd prefer not to receive anything edible.

I have 2 young adult daughters who aren't s-b members but enjoy seeing what I receive in my swaps and love it when I share something with them. If swaps can be fulfilled by sending something they would like, that would be fine with me.

L is 18 & a college freshman. She likes: anchors, Imagine Dragons, One Direction (especially Niall Horan), delicate necklaces and rings, makeup samples, Pura Vida style bracelets, scrunchies, honeybees, sloths... Her college spirit colors are gold & purple. Her favorite movies are both of the Mamma Mia! musicals.

R is in her early 20's. She's a COTA & also does acting work including commercials & extra work in films & tv shows- she has even been a double for a famous actress in a Disney movie. She likes musical theater, singing, playing piano & ukulele, retro/ vintage & bohemian style, cute Halloween & Dia de los muertos themes, the beach, yoga, hiking, FRIENDS & The Office (the tv shows), Schitts Creek & card/ board games. She is recently engaged, so now we are planning a wedding!

I'm just not very crafty. I know to many people this might seem strange because they consider swap-bot to be a craft exchange site. I consider it and use it as a pen-pal/ snail-mail site.
I do keep a collage journal/ glue-book/ smash book, and occasionally take on simpler crafty endeavors.

If you are digging through your stash and supplies and trying to figure out what to send me, crafty things I would enjoy and use include:
* new(er) ink pads to use with the rubber stamps I already have
* good quality crafting glue sticks (not the kind for hot glue guns, the kind for paper crafting:)
* colored pens, colored sharpies, brush markers, colored pencils
* "grown-up" pretty stickers (flat, I'm not a fan of 3-D)
* travel location stickers, like the kind people used to put on their luggage
* handmade envelopes, sturdy
* brooches- new, vintage, etc. None with missing pieces please.
* super longshot wish: anyone who has back issues of Darling Magazine or Magnolia magazine and would be willing to pass them along to me, I would be forever grateful!