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 single 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 busy granting wishes for my favorite group:)

I also participate in other group wishlists and have so much fun granting wishes as well as finding happy surprises in my mail box!:)

My favorite hobbies are hiking/ taking long walks, reading, traveling & exploring near and far, trying new restaurants, learning about healthy living, and swap-bot, natch!:)

Places I've visited: Mexico, Brazil, France, Canada, England, Spain, Italy (& the Vatican), Slovenia, and Cuba, 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

artsy postcards, bromeliads, cactus, Cats! especially grey tabbies :) , cloudscapes, Darling Magazine (longshot wish: back issues numbers 1-5 & 8), Dolly Parton, dollhouse minis, donkeys, Fiestaware, forests, hand lettering, hiking, Icons of Eastern Orthodox Christianity, lunar phases, Maine, mermaids, mountains, moonrise, photography, Pilot G2 gel pens, Sharpies, seascapes, starfish, sea horses, sail boats, succulents, simple living, sunsets, travel, tiger lilies, tea time, View Master toys & reels (I collect these!), wild flowers, wine corks (the real, cork ones, not the rubbery ones)

I don't purchase things "made in China" if possible. I know it may seem unavoidable, but I do a pretty good job finding alternates!:) I don't like to see useful things end up in the landfill, though, so I will often pass these things on to other swappers who I thing would enjoy them. I believe in the "3 r's": reduce, reuse, recycle! Most of my clothing comes from thrift stores.

POSTCARDS:
I would love to receive any postcards from National Parks, especially the WPA style illustrations
I also especially like artsy pcs, seascapes, skyscapes, naturescapes, colorful vintage scenic cards, and any cards featuring the following: mothers with children, people reading, tea-themed, people dancing, hiking trails.

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 herbal teas, especially mint and ginger/turmeric teas. 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. 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'm kind of a "health nut" and was recently put on a restrictive diet by my nutritionist (no soy, no dairy, no wheat, no peanuts, no corn, no canola, limited sugars), so other than organic teas or truly healthy snacks like natural, peanut-free and soy-free snack bars such as larabars or Rx bars- not peanut, etc) I'd prefer not to receive edibles.

I have 2 daughters ("big kids"- in high school & college) who enjoy seeing what I receive in my swaps and love it when I can share something with them. If swaps can be fulfilled by sending something they would like, that would be fine with me.

L is in high school. She loves volleyball, One Direction & especially Niall Horan, choker necklaces, delicate rings, Pura Vida style bracelets, scrunchies, fun stationery items for writing to her penpal, The Hunger Games series, and most typical things girls her age enjoy.

R is a college student living at home. She is studying to be an OTA and currently works teaching dance to children as well as occasionally working as an extra in film & tv. She loves musical theater, swing dance, ballet/tap/jazz, playing piano & ukulele, retro/ vintage & bohemian style, the original Addams family, mermaids- even Disney's Little Mermaid (never too old for princesses), the beach, being outdoors, yoga, hiking & stars/ galaxy themes, and dried flowers.

I'm just not terribly 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, things I would enjoy and use include:
* interesting/ inspiring/ pretty bits of flat paper ephemera to use in a glue book type junk journal (sketches, magazine cut outs, photos, images, quotes, pretty "grownup" stickers, polaroids, etc...). Please nothing tiny :) I especially enjoy retro (40's-80's) inspired, nature, and farm themes
* real wine corks (not rubber ones)
* colored pens, colored sharpies, brush markers, colored pencils
* "grown-up" pretty stickers
* travel location stickers, like the kind people used to put on their luggage
* adhesive labels/ mailing labels, decorative/ washi tape
* cotton fabric pieces large enough to be used in place of wrapping paper(like a "fat quarter")
* any cute reusable embellishments that could be used as tags or decorations with eco friendly gift wrap alternatives
* super longshot wish: anyone who has back issues of Darling Magazine and would be willing to pass them along to me, I would be forever grateful!