bananais

Well, after a LONG hiatus, I am back and ready to swap. My schedule is no longer as hectic, and in my year or so hiatus, I put grad school on hold, finished buying a house, got engaged, then married and now life is loads breezier. Well, schedule-wise at least!

I used to only swap ATCs on here, but I've gotten more and more into other paper crafts swaps.

I love art history. Edgar Degas and Jesus Helguera (Mexican calendar artist) are my favorites. I can appreciate modern artists, too (i.e. Banksy).

I'm a big grammar nerd; my dream profession is becoming an editor for a newspaper or magazine. For now, I'm a bilingual proofreader at an ad agency.

I was born in the wonderful city of Chicago but spent a major portion of my life in Texas (Austin, to be exact!), and it is where I currently reside. It's tough choosing between two beautiful and fun cities, but driving in the Chicago snow tipped the scale.

I studied abroad in Spain for a semester and LOVE all things Spanish. While I was there I explored Paris, Florence, and Rome and apparently looooove those beautiful cities as well. Also, I would like to move to Japan for a few years and immerse myself in their culture.

I find zebra print as well as old-fashioned filigree to be my favorite patterns, but I like a lot of vintage patterns. Vibrant colors are the best! Romantic and rustic styles are fantastic, too.

I don't drink caffeine anymore. But I love herbal teas! I've recently become a vegetarian and my body loves me all the more for it.

I married in October 2010 to a man who makes me laugh on a daily basis. Laughter's the best medicine for any foul day. He's training to be an MMA fighter. Ooh la la.... Love is beautiful :)

I like lovey dovey ATC themes, nothing TOO girly, though. Also, I'm not squeamish about tasteful nudity in ATCs -- it's just another form of art! Bold colors are beautiful when paired with the right contrasting/complimentary colors.

I work best under pressure, thus I'll always wait 'til the last minute to send my swaps. So please be patient and wait 'til after the deadline to hound me about a swap! And if you don't receive anything from me, PLEASE let me know before rating so I can re-send. :)

Music I love: Mostly female singers (i.e. Adele, Kate Nash, Cat Power, Jaymay, Regina Spektor, Etta James, Lilly Allen, Estelle, Billie Holiday, Madeleine Peyroux, Lauryn Hill, Melody Gardot, etc). John Legend, Juanes, Los Secretos, Pink Martini, Reverend Horton Heat, The Stray Cats...pretty mixed. NO country NOR new jazz!

I love reading: art history fiction novels (Chevalier, mainly). Sedaris, Palahniuk, Burroughs, Neruda are great writers in my opinion. Also, the AP Stylebook -- it's a lifesaver when I work!

Foreign flicks, especially British, French, and Spanish films. I love Tarantino's work. I heart Almodovar as well. I hate mainstream films. NO Shyamalan! I'm sick of those spoof movies (i.e. Date Movie, Scary Movie 5 or something like that...).

Ugly Betty, Chelsea Lately,It's Always Sunny In Philadelphia, Desparate Housewives, and (my guilty pleasure) Real Housewives of (insert whichever city).

Scrapbooking, painting with acrylics, collages. Knitting and hand-embroidery (beginners for both). I'm trying to break in my new sewing machine. I like collages and other paper crafts, too.

I hate bad drivers. I hate hot weather (hello, Texas!). I'm not a fan of Kawaii. Grape flavoring can go die under a rock somewhere (I like real grapes, though).

I don't like when people take themselves way too seriously. I'm as forgiving as it gets, and when it's not reciprocated -- well, it just makes the world a difficult place.