TurtleLove

Hello! Thanks for stopping by to check out my profile!!!!

I am very interested in doing private swaps with established swappers. I have plenty of craft books/magazines, albums, and oh so many nice supplies (for scrapbooking, sewing, and mixed media) that I am just needing to "destash."

I'm sharing a recent photo of myself so you can put a real life face to who I am. Although I love the internet and the abilities it affords me (like swap bot) I am still a pretty ol' fashioned girl who places a lot of value in a good handwritten letter, a nice note, a phone call, or best of all...a face to face conversation!

• My most recent undertaking, are a couple projects that are a cross between SMASHBOOK, remains of the day book, and an ART JOURNAL!

• CARD MAKING

• MAIL ART

• HANDCARVING MY OWN STAMPS

• SCRAPBOOKING

• QUILTING AND SEWING

• ALTERING ITEMS

• RECYCLING/UPCYCLING JUNK

• SMALL ARTSY PROJECTS like ATC's, inchies, twinchies, book marks, hand made post cards and altered rolodex cards. (to name a few)

If you are wanting to add something to a swap/RAK for me, please use this list as a guideline.

• I will do back flips for rolls of Washi tape! It is my #1- #99 WISH!
• smash book items
• my chemo angel partner has breast cancer so anything 'pink ribbon' theme that I can add to cards for her would be nice
• punched border strips (especially scallops/lace)
• postage stamps
• maps
• pages from old books
• journaling spots
• die cut shapes from spellbinders, cricuts etc. (labels, tags, florals, etc)
• Tim Holtz die cuts! (haunted house, tickets, dress form, ANY of them please!)
• steam punk items
• nicely stamped sentiments/images
• hand carved stamps
• corks
• rubber or acrylic stamps (even used)
• fancy/unusual buttons
• mulberry flowers, lace, ric rac, ribbon
• metal embellishments, charms, small keys
• stencils/masks
• 100% cotton fabric
• baker's twine (besides red/white, green/white and brown/white)
• tissue paper with prints on it (script, music notes) and pretty napkins for decoupage
• girly/kawaii sticker flakes (individual cute stickers) to be collected in a sticker album

More than anything you can include in the envelope, I appreciate your time, and talent that you put into it's preparation. A nicely prepared swap that is accompanied by a letter is just a VERY very nice thing to receive!

Styles I lean towards include * feminine steampunk * graphic 45 * Basic Grey * Tim Holtz * vintage * and shabby chic.

I also like... * polka dots! * stripes * feminine, shabby, girly * gothic/edgy * skulls (especially Lolita), Halloween

My favorite color combinations are red/teal, brown/pink and black/white.
I really like all colors but right now my favorites are orange, green, blues, pinks, black and white.

• Hello Kitty, sock monkey, Pink Panther, Mr. Potato Head, 'old' Sesame Street/Muppets, Dr. Who, and anything turtles
• vintage Alice in Wonderland items (including stamped images)
• birds, butterflies, dragon flies
• Paris, Eiffel Tower, compass, travel
• new, purse sized lotions, sanitizer, lip balms
• pierced ears and nose
• soft, fuzzy socks (women's 6-7 small feet)
• thimbles (not plain "silver" ones)
• individually wrapped, fruity teas

PLEASE DO NOT SEND ME...

• RELIGIOUS ITEMS
• food wrappers
• product packaging (unless it is really neat like some of the tags on jeans/clothing, or you have altered it in some way like using a cereal box as a base for an ATC)

I strive to make sure that the swaps I participate in exceed the minimum guidelines and I want your experience with me to be a pleasant one. Mistakes happen though, so if you feel that I have not met the requirements, or if you have not received your items on time- PLEASE contact me via a personal message so I can be given the opportunity to make it right.

A NOTE REGARDING THE USE OF STAMPS ON MY MAIL--- since my post office is not very "friendly" about selling stamps, I have decided to switch to the automated machine and use the APC instead. I know the B&W stickers are ugly when compared to pretty stamps, but this is what works for me. I don't sign up for swaps that require pretty stamps.

I used to have a "reason"for my "1" rating posted here, but I am replacing it with this 'blurb."

Simply put, life is too short for me to have to live in the shadow of that one swap. I know I sent it out (twice in fact). If there are swaps/groups on here that have higher requirements to join than my 'score'...I will simply have to take my crafty little butt onto the next one because 'dems da rules" and like everyone else, I have to abide by them. :) This doesn't mean that I "agree" with the rating system....quite the contrary. Too often I see people with a perfect 5 and look at what they sent me and I am astonished. It is CRAP! (let's be honest- if you've been on here long enough you have received swaps that look thrown together, have nothing inside but garbage, and if there was a way to cut corners or do the absolute bare minimum, the swapper took it!) Don't get me wrong, I really enjoy swapbot but lately I am receiving a lot of swaps that do not meet the minimum requirements, & don't have so much as a note inside to say "hi" or tell me what the swap is for. What really makes this a hard pill to swallow is that I have yet to rate down when someone forgets or makes an honest mistake. Life is too short, and we are here to enjoy a hobby. Ironically though, almost daily, I am turned down for swaps, and just today had to leave a group because although I was allowed to join the group, I wasn't able to participate in the swaps?! (they are 4.98+) Now would be a good time to say that I hate stupid rules LOL. Please think twice before rating your partners- give them a chance to make it right, and when the post office fails, use your noodle and judge their work, photos on Flickr, ratings and comments left by partners. There is enough mean and nasty in the world already. Let's not add to it. Thanks

Me in a nutshell...think Dory from Finding Nemo! Yup that just about sums me up. I am a girl who enjoys a variety of hands on crafts...and by hands on I really mean HANDS on! I am most happy when my day includes some form of art and my desk is covered with stencils, paints, inks, and all manner of creative tools! I am usually covered in those same paints and ink and have all kinds of gunk under my nails! For inspiration I am always on the prowl and enjoy browsing Pinterest---OK that is an understatement...I LOOOOOVE browsing Pinterest! We got rid of our cable years ago, and now just occasionally watch some Netflix, and I am just as content to watch You Tube crafting tutorials! (of course while surfing Pinterest! lol)

I delight in making HANDMADE items for friends, and find great joy in sending items via snail mail. I am 'one of those' people, who 99% of the time will always opt to attempt to hand make it from scratch which often means my crafts are a true labor of love. This week for example, I've made my own base Smash Book, two dozen painted background papers, washi tape, baker's twine, and stamped ribbon ...10 yards of it to be exact because I just was having so much fun experimenting with stamps that I just kept going and going! Yes, some would see it as a personality flaw that I can go to the extreme when i set my mind to it, but I would just like to think of myself as very easily entertained! :)

My greatest joys in life are my boyfriend, and our blended family of three children. We also have a four legged fur baby (dog) who thinks just because we named him Elvis that he truly IS King! (honestly, most days he is...) Like the rest us in this family, he isn't normal and has a fetish for socks fresh off your feet. Jump in the shower and when you come out- your dirty socks WILL be gone. Guaranteed.

Outside of crafts, I enjoy reading, couponing, frugal living, cooking/baking, and 'green' living, pinterest, and social networking on Face Book. My other hobby is playing Euro style board games! Our home is laid out to accommodate our collection of games (which number about 570 right now). My definition of the "perfect" day is a morning of crafting with a nice cup of coffee or tea, watching the laundry hanging on the line, birds in the bath or at the feeders, a trip to the mail box for "happy mail," letter writing to pen pals, and then an evening with gaming friends playing board games while enjoying a nice meal from the crock pot! oh and cupcakes! The perfect day just has to have a cupcake in there somewhere! :)