bobilani

PLEASE READ: There is swap related info at the end of my profile as well as this little section so please see that too. Basically, if you have not rec'd from me in a reasonable amount of time, please pm me so that I can re-send if necessary! In my years of swapping, I have come to realize that the postal system is not perfect and things do go missing occasionally. If you have rec'd from me, please let me know by leaving me a rating so that I don't panic that it got lost. It's very important to me to make sure that my partners always receive their packages! :) Thank you!

And now on to the fun stuff...

I live in California with my hubby and daughter. We have lots of furbabies including a fluffy cat, several rats, a bunny (whom I lovingly refer to as Commander BunBun), a guinea pig, and very hungry fish. Even though I live in "sunny CA", the area I live in is by the ocean and very cold about 10 months out of the year. I can often be found at Disneyland, even though it is about a 2 hour drive from me. I can't get enough of New Orleans Square and the Haunted Mansion. I have to ride it every time I'm there :) I'm shy, quirky, compassionate, and have eclectic taste. I love bookstores and could spend hours in them. All things paranormal fascinate me. Sometimes stuck in the 80's. I find humor in most situations and like to make people laugh.

As for work, I've taught dance (Polynesian, jazz, tap, ballet, lyrical, etc.) most of my life. I'll be opening a studio in the next few years. After much soul searching, I've decided that is my goal. Choreography comes naturally to me and I enjoy teaching and costume design.

I'll listen to just about anything ranging from new age to Rob Zombie :) Here are some of my favorites...

Oingo Boingo, Erasure, Live, Cher, Mika, Duffy, Evanescence, Brandi Carlile, James Blunt, Hot Hot Heat, Nick Cave, HIM, Creature Feature, Jesse Cook, Billy Idol, David Bowie, The Beatles, Cyndi Lauper, Billy Joel, Alphaville, ELO, Adam Ant, The Cure, The Cult, Sarah Brightman, Depeche Mode, Rob Zombie, Rammstein, Marilyn Manson, Antique Toys, C.G. Ryche, Drew Tretick, Bond, 80's (esp alternative 80's) and way too many more to list...

The Antique Toys is my brother's band. Check out the site for free downloads...I especially like the song UCSI (ultra-caffeinated space invaders). They might get signed soon, so download free while you can! :)

I love this song, video and message - Free Hugs Campaign

I am not fond of rap or hip hop. I like some country, but it's not a favorite. I'm pretty eclectic when it comes to music though and will give almost anything a listen to. I like joining the mix CD swaps to discover new music.

Oh, I love so many...but here are the top of my favorites: Labyrinth, REPO! The Genetic Opera, Ladyhawke, Practical Magic, Stardust, LOTR, The Crow, Sweeney Todd, Iron Man, Pirates of the Caribbean, Harry Potter, The Fifth Element, The Nightmare Before Christmas, The Corpse Bride, Edward Scissorhands, Vibes, Moonstruck, Xanadu, Moulin Rouge, Hocus Pocus, The Frighteners, So I Married an Axe Murderer, Empire Records, Love Actually, The Full Monty, 50 First Dates, Tank Girl, Clerks I & II, Mallrats, Dogma, most of Disney animated or not, and the list goes on...

Monk, Psych, My Name is Earl, The Office, Reaper, Pushing Daisies, Dead Like Me, Numb3rs, A Haunting, Bones, House, Burn Notice, So You Think You Can Dance, LA Ink, Gene Simmons Family Jewels, The Family Guy, The Simpsons, Robot Chicken, Carnivale, Dr. Who

Drawing, painting, stamping, collage, making beaded bracelets, just about anything from the Klutz book series ("kids" crafts are so much fun!), crocheting, sewing, making bookmarks and ATC's, flower faeries, dotee dolls, painting little trinket boxes, stuffies, altered books/journals.

I love to write! Short stories, journal entries, blogs, letters, poetry, zines and lists. I'm a member of listography.com - an awesome site if you love to make lists!

Other hobbies include dance (of course), photography, reading, movies, music, and singing in my car :)

I really like faeries, dragons, owls, crows/ravens, whimsical and silly cats, unicorns, the Eiffel Tower, black and white photography, candles, incense, celestial themed things, hearts, sparkley stuff like glitter and sequins, crystals and stones, millefiori, dainty beaded bracelets, herbal and black teas, Coffee, Bonne Bell Lip Smackers lip balm in Dr. Pepper flavor, mix CD's/tapes, postcards, bookmarks, used books, Moleskin notebooks, zines, ATC's, Amy Brown, Nene Thomas, Froud, Spinestealer art, seashells, sea glass, the beach, Hawaiian things - especially vintage, tikis, VW Bugs, Moroccan inspired things, cute day of the dead skulls, gnomes, goth stuff, Skelanimals, cute bats, dotee dolls, cats, treasure chests, pretty beads, Chinese good luck charms, ultra fine point Sharpies, pressed pennies, windchimes, fun/whimsical hats, Bollywood, Marilyn Monroe, Audrey Hepburn, Tinkerbell, Sleeping Beauty, Alice in Wonderland (especially Chesire Cat & Mad Hatter), Disney villains, Winnie the Pooh, Remi and Emile from Ratatouille, Garfield, Scooby Doo (original), Animaniacs, Emily the Strange, Chococat, Charmmy Kitty, Kuromi, Monokuro Boo, Suzy's Zoo, Hoops & YoYo, Lenore, Boots (the San-X black kitty cat), anything by Tim Burton.

TEA...I'm pretty open to most flavors of tea and am into trying new ones. I love Zhena's Gypsy Teas Oh, I should mention that I don't like licorice flavor and am not a big fan of mint.

COFFEE - I'm a new fan of this wonderful stuff! I especially like flavored coffee...things like vanilla, swiss chocolate almond, etc. Yum!

I also love non-dairy hot chocolate, chai tea lattes made with soy milk and hot apple cider - especially in fall and winter.

CANDY...buttered popcorn flavored Jelly Belly jelly beans, Atomic Fire Balls, fruit flavored Tic Tacs (especially orange ones), Ring Pops, dark chocolate (must be vegan), Sour Patch Kids, Swedish Fish, Sweet Tarts, Fun Dip, Smarties, Dots, Pez. I have a small collection of Pez machines :)

My favorite scents are vanilla, spicy fall scents like pumpkin spice, cinnamon, apple. Lavendar, sandalwood, Hawaiian florals, sage, jasmine, patchouli, frankincense, NagChampa. I'm a big fan of essential oils and use them daily (frankincense and lavender heal everything!). I also love the smell of old books, ice rinks, and water rides.

I love fabrics in almost every color. I especially love fabric with a fantasy or celestial look to it. Batiks are very pretty too - lots of pretty color combinations in those :)

I'm always in need of various colors of embroidery floss, felt squares (no wool) and fat quarters.

Any ATC supplies are always appreciated - paper scraps, interesting photos, magazine clippings, old book pages, glitter, embossing powders, and anything else you can think of that could be put on an ATC :)

Deep Red/Crimson, Purples, Blues (esp Navy), Olive and Forest Green, Amber, Black. I prefer rich jewel tones (don't really like pastels). I love the combo of black and white!

I love retro patterns from the 60's - swirls, flowers, bright. I also love Moroccan or Indian (country - not native). Spirals and swirlies.

I'm vegan, so please don't send any animal products (feathers, fur, leather, wool, etc.) or things with animal ingredients. This shouldn't really be an issue since I usually join ATC and writing swaps. I guess it would just be a concern if you are making me a dotee doll or something. There are so many pretty things to use as art embellishments without having to use something from an animal.

Although I love Disneyland, I don't really like the classic characters that much (Mickey, Minnie, Goofy, Donald, Pluto, Daisy - you get the point) Please see my Random Stuff to see the characters I do like. Most perfumes give me a headache and I can't use most lotions. Please don't send religious stuff unless it has to do with Judaism, Buddhism or Wicca. Mary Engelbreit, clowns, black licorice, mint flavor - especially wintergreen. Gel pens because they smear too much. The color yellow - unless it is in a celestial theme or barely in a fabric pattern - just not anything solid yellow is what I'm trying to say :) I'm also not a fan of butterflies, dragonflies, ladybugs, insects in general (I appreciate seeing a real butterfly, dragonfly or ladybug flying around outside, but don't like images of them).

Francesca Lia Block, Jonathan Stroud, Neil Gaiman, art and photography books (love the Fotolog book!). I love reading young adult books. Love the Harry Potter series and the Spiderwick Chronicles. Anything mystical/fantasy/dark like things to do with faeries, witches, vampires, creatures, etc. Vegan cookbooks/recipes, animal rights books. I've discovered a new love for Manga :) I also love short story compilations like the Chicken Soup for the Soul series or short stories by Stephen King. They're great when you don't have a lot of time to read :)

I am always so incredibly happy to find used hard cover books on Amazon - especially when I can find them for like a dollar! :) I love buying used books because they always feel broken in and have a sense of history to them. I also like the fact that I'm not contributing to the chopping down of more trees. And you can't beat that old book smell :)

I love zines! Do you write one? Let me know! Maybe we can trade :)

I have been swapping for about 2 years now, mainly in Yahoo groups. I have never flaked on a swap. I am generous with ratings and give hearts for a good swap. I love to swap and penpal because it is so much fun. I stay away from any drama in the swap world. Who needs it? We're here to have fun!!

what I pledged

I always send my swaps, so if you haven't received something and you are concerned about it, please pm me! I am even more excited about sending than I am receiving so I will be very disappointed if something does not arrive to you, so please let me know if anything ever happens so I have a chance to re-send. If you are sending to me and are going to be late, just let me know - I will understand - just please communicate with me. Sometimes I am late too, unintentional, but it happens and I am always grateful when I have understanding partners. Thanks :)