bluehairedmary

I do blog about my swaps and post pics on Flickr of my swaps, so don't peek if you're expecting something from me!!
I pledge to rate on the day I receive a swap. I recently have gotten upset over some swaps that were rated very late, feeling like the packages I worked so hard on went into oblivion. It is stressful when partners can't even bother to rate, comment, or answer a PM. Sigh. So, please rate when you receive something and PM when you are missing something.

♥♥ I'm a 35yr old mom of two friendly and ultra cute toddlers, a 4 year-old and a 2 year-old. Crafts are my passion, what I do when I'm stressed out. I'm happiest when I'm with my children, husband, or making things. I also have 3 chihuahuas - our eldest Assata passed away just recently. So, along with the two little ones, my husband, the dogs, all the sewing, knitting, and crocheting, I've got my hands full.

I am half-Korean and half-Caucasian. I consider myself Asian American; I grew up with both cultures, giving me a different worldview and perspective on issues of culture and race. My favorite foods include tofu, Korean bbq, and veg sushi. I love learning about different cultures and lifestyles. I love traveling and experiencing new places. I lived in England for a semester in college and loved it! We spent our spring break in Amsterdam, France, and Brussels.

I lost my first born child, after I developed pre-eclampsia. This came less than a year after I lost my mom suddenly due to heart failure. The last couple of years have been hard, to say the least.

After a difficult, very high risk pregnancy, we finally welcomed our beloved son Ishmael. He is the new love of my life and I'm grateful for every day I have with him. He is 5 years old! I can't believe how quickly he's grown!

We also welcomed our new baby girl Naderah. This pregnancy was normal, but the twice daily shots made it pretty interesting. She is such a healthy and beautiful little girl! She's been smiling since her first week! I still can't believe this perfect little girl was inside of me!

I include my losses on my profile because that's part of who I am, as much as my two beautiful children and husband are a part of my life. Grief and joy are somehow with me everyday. It is different with everyone who has had a loved one pass away, but this is my way. With my friends, I can truly talk about this stuff and not have to hide it and pretend like everything is okay all of the time. I am not asking for sympathy, but if I am sharing who I am on this site, then this is part of it. Otherwise, I probably wouldn't swap at all. I hope that makes sense.

As I said, I'm a crafter. I started knitting from the age of 8 and have added to my crafty ability ever since - crochet, cross-stitch, sewing, and embroidery. I make lots of general crafty stuff too - magnets, scrabble bracelets, plastic canvas, etc. I do some paper crafts too, but needlework is really my passion.

To make room for the baby, I cleaned out my stash pretty well, maybe too well. For instance, when I started my ripple blanket, I had to go out and buy acrylic yarn because I didn't have any! I had purged my acrylic stash, but it didn't mean I could afford anything better for an entire blanket!

Yes, I am thrifty. Thrift stores and yard sales are my favorite shopping places. I've only splurged on expensive-ish yarn for some baby items.

Over the years, my fabric collection has grown a yard and fat quarter at a time! My general style or aesthetic is modern and bright. Think high-contrast and vivid colors. I also love Asian inspired fabrics. I love vintage fabrics and patterns. Pink is my favorite color, but I am really into aquas and blues lately. Pink and brown, turquoise and brown. Yum. I love Japanese and French crafts, too.

I dabble in handmade cards, postcards, and envelopes. I've scrapbooked once upon a time, but don't have the time or extra money for it right now. I've been collecting postcards since college, but mostly art, artsy, beautiful, and interesting or weird cards. I love animal cards and vintage cards. I don't know what to do with touristy, cityscapes or scenic cards, so please no thank you. I do appreciate any snail mail I get lately (really, I do), but honestly, I don't keep these cards and feel bad about it. I prefer non-touristy cards, vintage cards, and some scenic cards without many words on the front. Zazzle cards are okay with me, too.

I just joined Postcrossing because I love sending and receiving postcards so much. I still prefer non-touristy cards, but I just love the mail. Visit my profile over there and we can set up a direct swap!

After making my first ATC's, I fell in love with making them! It allowed me to be creative and very detailed and achieve a sense of completion. Of course, these were for a swap, but I had to make some for myself, too!

• The Matrix
• Hate (French movie)
• Fight Club
• Pride & Prejudice (the A&E version)
• Galaxy Quest
• Black Swan

• Criminal Minds
• Law and Order: Criminal Intent
• Medium and Ghost Whisperer
• Project Runway
• Top Chef

• Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen
• Midnight's Children by Salman Rushdie
• The Known World by Edward P. Jones
• The House of Mirth by Edith Wharton

Yes, I was obsessed with the Twilight saga, which lead me to devour Charlaine Harris' Sookie books and many other vampire/werewolf books. Some of the best Sunshine by Robin McKinley, Night Road by A.M. Jenkins, and The Black Dagger Brotherhood series by J.R. Ward. Visit my blog to see the list of 72 books I read in 2011 and what I'm currently reading.

I graduated from college with a double major in creative writing and political science. These are two things close to my heart. I write both poetry and prose, and you can find some of it on my blog.

• If you could, where would you max out a credit card? JoAnn's (where have you been all of my life??), Hobby Lobby, Target (where I have maxed out a card or too), Ikea
• Why do you like the music you listen to? I feel a connection to the lyrics or it's just really good (Radiohead)
• What are your favorite colors? Pinks (not hot), blues, everything except neon colors
• Do you collect anything? Vintage craft supplies, craft books, books, fabric, cotton and wool blend yarns, owls, interesting and artsy postcards
• What's your dream job? Stay at home mom and published writer. For now, my job as a teacher is exceedingly good, something I usually enjoy and am good at
• When is your birthday? July 14, Cancer
• Favorite Cosmetics Brands: Oh, I hardly wear anything at all, except chapstick! Occasionally lipstick, like parent conference night! I do love a good body wash and Lush bath bombs.
• Favorite Scents: Lavender, Jasmine, Rose
• Favorite Flavors: hazelnut, dark chocolate
• Favorite Magazines: ReadyMade, Interweave Knits, Interweave Crochet, Piecework, Giant Robot, Adbusters, Marie Claire Idees, Stitchery
• Favorite Piece of Jewelry: a mother of pearl locket that holds a picture of my husband and resized footprints of the son we lost, a purple "tiger's eye" ring which belonged to my mother, my engagement ring
• Favorite Holiday: Halloween
• Favorite Season: Fall and Spring
• Coffee or tea? These days just coffee. No tea please!
• Where would you go on vacation if you could go anywhere? Japan or Brazil
• What kind of geek are you? I'm a book nerd, a video game addict (e.g. Mario Bros, etc) chess player, and Trekkie

• fabric (just to give you an idea - Amy Butler, Denyse Schmidt, Erin McMorris, Kaffe Fassett) - FQs or Charms
• Japanese crafts/fabric
• zakka anything
• DMC brand embroidery floss
• handmade sewn items
• handmade apron
• cotton yarn
• wool blend yarn
• bamboo knitting needles
• craft books or patterns
• unused postcards (non-touristy)
• cute kitchen towels
• geeky stuff like office supplies, graph paper, felt tip pens, sharpie pens, handmade paper
• Kawaii memo sheets & lettersets
• hannari tofu stuff - so cute it hurts!
• Other Kawaii stuff
• Super Mario Bros.items
• 80's stuff
• nice soaps, incense or candles
• unique, blank journals & notepads
• address labels
• Owls, squirrels, mushrooms, birds
• robots, graph paper, geekery
• things made from recycled or reused items
• handmade things by YOU!

I added this category because I've seen it in other people's profiles.

• touristy or glossy scenic postcards (not so much)
• stickers or sticker flakes (have a lot already)
• anything to do with death (no skulls, the word death, x'd out eyes)
• furry or glittery yarn
• acrylic yarn
• matchboxes
• licorice, gummy candy
• tea (I just have too much right now)
• too flowery fabric
• fluorescent colors
• patriotic or religious imagery, quotes (including Christmas or holiday items)
• Disney or character specific products
• Anime or manga
• lotion, I have too much lotion already!
• candy-flavored lipbalm
• cheap or unwanted dollar store items
• packages that don't have a hand-written note included
• swappers that don't rate

Flaked on by:

@tehrenanaiis - Not the Usual PCs in an Envie
@hippiechick1955 - Asian Pacific American Heritage Month Book Swap
@madpoetics - Put a Hat on it - altered PC swap
@Annelies - Christmas Card Express 2011 - angelled by @coolbaker5
@lorijean - Embroidery Floss Swap
@missflowers - * Tiny * Profile Surprise in a 1-stamp envie #2