centralperky31

10/13/2009: To anyone in whose swap I am or who is expecting a swap entry from me. My mother passed away earlier this month, and I am at my parents' house for the next few months to take care of my father. I will do my best to complete all the swaps I signed up for when I return home in January. Thank you for your patience and understanding.

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IF YOU'RE SUPPOSED TO GET A SWAP FROM ME AND HAVEN'T GOTTEN IT, PLEASE SEND ME A MESSAGE!!! My husband is in the military and we currently live overseas, so sometimes the mail takes a little longer to get to where it's going - and I'd be lying if I said that I never forget to send something. But if there's been an oversight for whatever reason, or you don't get your swap item after a while, I ALWAYS make it up to you!! :) :)

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I'm a bubbly, vivacious java junkie and chocoholic with a penchant for ecclectic things, vintage & antique items and a love of "junking". I do lots of different crafts - ranging from rubber stamping to decoupage, scrapbooking and collage, altered art, ATCs, sewing, embroidery...sort of a Jack of All Trades!!

I love snail mail so I'm always looking for penpals & swappers - I love swapping anything from ATCs to cards, or just plain fun things like stickers, papers, crafty bits etc!

I'm a big bookworm and I just love, love, LOVE to read!! The most recent book I finished reading was Through A Glass Darkly by Karleen Koen, and I absolutely LOVED it - I can't wait to read the other two in this trilogy!! I also recently read Marley & Me and I'm currently reading another canine-themed book (that probably has something to do with the fact that I have two dogs! ): From Baghdad, With Love: A Marine, The War, and A Dog Named Lava.

Aside from that, I read a little bit of everything. One of my favorite authors is Jen Lancaster, because I think her writing style is absolutely hilarious. I also loved Sophie Kinsella's Shopaholic series. I also read non-fiction (political, current events, biographies etc), political/legal thrillers (think David Baldacci, John Grisham, Dave Meltzer etc) but I'm not terribly keen on crime novels. I don't read sci-fi, fantasy, horror or outright romance novels like Danielle Steele, Joan Collins etc.

I love to share thoughts & ideas about books - and I LOVE to get book recommendations. So if you just read or are reading a book that you absolutely ADORE, please let me know! :)

I collect antique/vintage books - not really for crafting purposes, although I do always appreciate any kind of vintage papers when they happen to come with a swap! I just love the history behind a book, thinking about what period it was printed in, what life was like for the person who owned it etc - I just find the story behind books absolutely fascinating!

I LURVE to craft - and I have a deep appreciation for handmade items and artisanal items. I do a little bit of cross stitching and embroidery, although I don't have as much patience for that as I'd like - I usually end up with a half-finished project that gathers dust for a few months (or in some cases, years!).

I'm currently working on scrapbooking, card-making, ATCs and a bit of altered art. I'm still learning the ropes and experimenting, so the results are varied: sometimes I come up with something I totally love, other time I think "EWWW, I can't believe I made this!" LOL. I love vintage papers and ephemera above anything else in the world, so I'm trying to learn how to make beautiful things that incorporate these treasured items.

Aside from that, I like to sew. I'm not terribly good at it - I can sew together a patchwork blanket but I haven't had the patience to teach myself how to sew even a basic tote or a dress. I would love to take a class with a seamstress and REALLY learn how to sew clothes - my dream is to design & make my own clothes! :) :)

Of course, first and foremost are my family and my wonderful husband, as well as our two very spoiled dogs. They are the light of my life! I'd also have to count my best friend and a growing number of penpals in this pile - they all contribute to making me feel happy!

Now to the material things...and here's a bit of a confession: I'm a total clutter bug, grade A packrat! LOL I absolutely just love STUFF! Whether it's antique/vintage linens, old buttons, acrylic & rubber stamps, fabric, books, ribbons or clothes, I LOVE IT!

I particularly love almost everything vintage/antique, especially things relating to travel, household items (linens & lace in particular), books, clothes, accessories and all sorts of other things. I collect antique/vintage china of all kinds; not for value, since I really can't afford that, but just sort of when I see something I like for a price I can live with. I really love anything and everything relating to the WWII era, Victoriana and Edwardian era. I'm also very interested in inventions from the "days of yore" during the industrial age etc.

Last but not least, I love everything coffee-themed. I collect coffee-themed stamps (my absolute favorite one is Like It A Latte by Stampin' Up!) and Starbucks city/state mugs. So far I have one from L.A., London, Spokane, Alaska, Hawaii, New Mexico, Seattle and Atlanta. If there's a Starbucks in your city and they have a mug, PLEASE let me know - I'll be happy to do a swap with you for one or swap you something else for a mug!! :)