darkshines

Please don't forget to include a note INSIDE your swap/package do I know who it is from (your swapbot name) and what it is for (swap name, WTA/angel/RAK). I received several parcels without notes in recently I cannot thank you or rate you if I don't know what the items are for!

If you want to swap with me, especially privately, these will be done as rated swaps only. Firstly, because we both get rated (I have been flaked on in the past for a private swap and there is nothing I can do about it) and secondly it helps me to keep track of what I am sending out. I angel a lot of swaps and do RAKs so it is easy for me to lose my head.

If you are waiting for something from me OTHER than a rated swap and it hasn't arrived yet, send me a message as it is entirely possible I have forgotten where I am sending it!

When you post to me, it would be great if you could use picture stamps. My mum and her friends use them to raise money for an air ambulance charity, even regular Queen heads one are good! If you have any stamps, please send them our way, the more the better :)

Me:

I have a Bachelors degree in Theatre and wrote my dissertation on Alice in Wonderland, and I also have a Masters degree in Gothic Studies (I wrote my dissertation on Victorian Mesmerism). I am saving up to do a degree in Parapsychology so if you want to send me anything related to that is cool!

If you need any more information about me, or the things I like, you could always browse my favorited items on etsy, I'm celticroseart!

CURRENT PROJECTS:

Cosplay, cosplay and more cosplay. Current ones I am doing for myself are Alice from Resident Evil: Retribution (the black leather and buckles outfit Umbrella give her), Selene from Underworld: Evolution and Sarah Kerrigan from Starcraft 2. Cosplays I am making for other include Kirito from Sword Art Online, Green Arrow, Halo uniforms, animal ears and tails.....

ONGOING PROJECTS:

I am a stitcher, meaning I will sew any small projects. My main items I am well known for making are collars and cuffs, but I will make anything from corseted tops to cushion covers, purses to cravats. I'm also a cosplayer, and I make all my cosplays from scratch! I prefer to cosplay as movie/game/Marvel comic characters but I have been known to stray outside of those perameters. For the October MCM Expo in London I cosplayed as Sebastian from Black Butler, Loki from Avengers Assemble and Little Sister from Bioshock. For the May Expo in 2013 I am cosplaying as Alice from Resident Evil: Afterlife, Sarah Kerrigan from Starcraft and Selene from Underworld. I also make jewelry, mainly from reclaimed and vintage parts but sometimes beaded. I have used many strange items in my jewelry up to and including animal parts, food, machinery.....!

A collar with a real vole skull on:

A Swarovski crystal ring I made!:

My mum knits! She loves to knit and crochet anything, from hats and gloves to crazy monster plushies! She will try any project as long as it only requires one pair of needles (not circular, for example) as she gets in a muddle. We love weird crazy patterns for like, monsters, bizarre clothing especially hats, or vintage inspired pieces. Also, if you want to send any yarn (wool), please make sure it is double knit or thicker. Other useful things include black dome beads to make eyes from, plushie stuffing, different needles and crochet hooks.

Some of her creations!

The Lust List

Things I would kill a man for. Well, maybe not kill.....:

WIGS! Especially any purple, pastel pink, silver or grey, but any will be considered. I REALLY need an auburn/red ponytail for a cosplay!!!
Anything LOKI related (as in Loki from the Marvel universe) Mmmm......mischief......
Anything Big Bang Theory related, especially Soft Kitty. Did you know they make a soft kitty toy that sings the damned song?! AMAZING.
Anything Futurama related. I would especially love a shirt, plushie Zoidberg or Nibbler.
My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic items, especially those suitable for an adult to use. I would LOVE clothing (I can fit a child's age 5 shirt and upwards), stationary, stickers, bags, pencil cases, hair clips, PLUSHIES (this goes for handmade OR store bought).
I LOVE Marvel comic book heroes, my favourite is DEADPOOL! I also love Iron Man, Thor, Loki, X Men and others. I am not fussy!
Anything I need for my current cosplays- EVA foam, a working blue tooth head set, any second hand costumes/cosplays considered in any size for any gender.

Alphabet of likes!
A is for Altered Art, I absolutely adore it in all it's forms, especially steampunk/vintage styles. From ATCs to dolls to jewelry, I love getting quirky items with reused elements! A is also for anachronisms! I love things like Victorian steam powered ray guns, clockwork space ships anything quirky that melds the past with the future :) A is also for All Saints- my favorite ever clothing store, I will consider anything from there, animals, amethyst, antlers (I am obsessed with the idea of having wearable, real antlers!), Autumn, Alice in Wonderland, antiques, Alkaline Trio, air ships, ammonites, art deco and art noveau, air plants, ATCs, absinthe, and address labels, I always need them and never have them!

B is for b movies! The more outlandish and strange, the better. Even foreign language ones (subtitles are better than dubbed). B is also for bats, buttons, bees, birds (but not sea birds or predatory birds, things like swallows, magpies, ravens, doves. If you are sending me owls, I don't like cartoony cute things, only straight up owls, lol), beetles, Bela Legosi, Bioshock, burlesque and Bosch!

C is for cepholapods! I love all things squid, octopus, kraken, tentacles, Cthulhu.... C is also for clockwork, cufflinks, citrus scents, corsets, crocheting items especially hooks, patterns and yarn, carnivorous plants, charms, carnival, carousel horses and the circus, especially Victorian to 1950s!

D is for DEADPOOL! My absolute favorite comic book character. I would love anything to do with Deadpool, including comics, I can just trade on if I already have them. Especially looking for nice t shirts, or a Lady Deadpool suit! Also, dinosaurs (not cartoon) especially crappy old plastic ones from when I was a kid, daleks, dodos, day of the day, Diamond Candles, dragons, Dr Who, Discworld, or anything dark.

E is for eyes and eye imagery (all seeing eye, Absinthe eye, mesmeric/hypnotic eyes), elbow length gloves, ephemera (vintage Halloween/weird/Victorian please) and esoterica.

F is for fossils, foxes, feathers (natural, not coloured fakey ones), fabric, fat quarters, frankincense, fans (as in Victorian ladies fans, not electric, lol), foppishness, Franz Anton Mesmer, Futurama (the best TV show EVER!), frills, findings and freaks (from circus freak shows to natural mutations, I love anything bizarre).

G is for ghosts! I love the paranormal in any sense, but particularly historical or scientific accounts (no fiction please!). G is also for Giger, the Gothic (not modern), The Green Man, gloves, and gumball jewelry. I always need gumball supplies, so any goofy plastic crap you have lying around would be put to great use! Especially valued are Barbie and Action man accessories (or similar).

H is for horror! I love horror movies, books, anything really. I prefer genuine spine tingly Vincent Price/Edgar Allan Poe horror as apposed to gross out stuff. H is also for Halloween (every day is Halloween in my house), hauntings, hats, hares, honey, herbs and hard candy.

I is for insects. I find them beautiful and fascinating. I have a "dead things box" that dead insects go in, I then turn them into jewelry! I is also for Ilamasqua, one of only two make up brands I will wear!

J is for jewelry! I am a jeweler, I make more jewelry in one week than some make in their lives! I love using Swarovski crystals, clock parts, animal teeth, claws and bones, feathers, metal charms, gumball plastic charms, parts of broken vintage jewelry, anything really! Jewelry bits are always good!

K is for Kingdom Hospital (the best TV show ever that is no longer on air, lol), and knitting items especially cool needles and patterns.

L is for literature. My Masters involved reading a whole lot of Gothic literature, mainly from the Victorian era, and this is what I love. If you send me old Victorian books, you will be my friend for life! L is also for Loki! (Marvel character), Lush (the bath product company, but please take time to look at my allergies listed in DISLIKES), Lovecraft, Lost (the TV show), lolita fashion (especially gothic and aristocrat), Louise Brooks, Lisa Black, and Los Dias de Muertos.

M is for magic! I love all kinds of magic, especially real life. I am Wiccan by religion, but I also ADORE stage magic (especially anything pre WW1), the occult, voodoo, miracles, witchcraft and wizardry, anything MAGIC! M is also for mesmerism- the subject of my Masters dissertation, Marie Antoinette, mourning jewelry, Muse (my favorite band), Mr Mead, the macabre, Mecano, memento mori, militaria, and G4 My Little Pony! I already have figures of Rainbow Dash, Rarity and Fluttershy, but I would love the others! I especially would like Derpy Hooves, Zecora, Nightmare Moon, Vinyl Scratch etc, the more exciting ones. Not fussed on Cadence or Celestia, but boy ponies are cool too!

PONY RELATED UPDATE: If you send me the wrong kind of pony, I will rate you down. There is nothing more disappointing then when I receive a Pony swap and it is full of cutesy girly ponies, instead of the new ones. The items go straight in the charity shop box and I am left with nothing!

N is for nightmares. I love all things dark and weird, nothing is out of bounds! If you look at something and think "Hey, I think this might be too dark for darkshines....." well, just think of my username for a start! N is also for Nag Champa incense, Nine Inch Nails, Nikola Tesla, nautical items, nature, and Night Queen by Spiritual Sky incense, the best fragrance EVER. I get through about a pack a day of this!

O is for OCTOPUS! Tee hee! It is also for Oscar Wilde, outer space (especially space images), obituaries, orange spice and odd things..... P is for Edgar Allan Poe, who I wrote part of my Masters dissertation on, I love his work :), penny farthings, peanut butter!, pins (sewing or hat, the fancier and weirder the better!), old photos (sepia ones, the older and weirder the better), purse clasps, phrenology, palmistry, psionics, parapsychology, and paganism, which is my "religion".

Q is for Quentin Tarantino, my favorite director of all time. If I was stuck on a desert island for the rest of my life and I could only have one movie to watch, it would be Reservoir Dogs, the best movie ever. Q is also for QI, one of my favorite shows, and the Queen of Hearts :)

R is for rosemary, that is my real name! People mis-spell it as RosemarIE, but I have a y, it is the same as the plant (Rose-meh-rhee)! R is also for retro futurism, robots,rabbits (especially white ones), Rammstein, Resdient Evil, ray guns, rockets, and ravens.

S is for Samhain, my favorite day of the year, streamline (the art movement), surrealism (in art, film or tv), sci fi, semi precious stones, Salvador Dali, sewing supplies, Silent Hill, stockings, spats, Sleepy Hollow, Slenderman, SKULLS (especially real animal skulls!), and Sherlock Holmes.

T is for Transformers. Yup, I love those robots, especially the older original 1980s ones. I had Rachet as a child, but never has Optimus or Megatron. Le sigh. Not keen on the newer Transformers franchise but that didn't stop me seeing the first Shia Le Bouf film 13 times in the cinema..... T is also for teacups (vintage or kitsch preferably), top hats, TEA TOWELS (we desperately need some, especially the toweling kind, not so much the plain cotton sheet type), tentacles, taxidermy, Tim Holtz, Tom Waits and Terry Pratchett.

U is for Urban Decay, one of the only 2 make up brands I wear, and uniforms, especially military. I love anything military in general actually, badges, patches, goggles, bags, anything (maybe this should have been listed under M......)

V is for Victoriana, obviously a huge part of steampunk. I mainly collect Victorian literature, especially Gothic fiction, but also anything scientific or occult. I don't mind if they are modern bound reprints. If you need to know what books I already have, PM me :) I also collect Victorian accessories like fans, gloves, hats, spats, cufflinks, jewelry, medicine bottles, calling cards, pieces of lace and bead-work, capelets, buttons, anything small and pretty. Pretty by my definition :D V is also for Vivienne Westwood, especially her Anglomania line, I loves me some bold punky tartan! And Vampires, but please, never ever Twilight, or cartoon vampires or True Blood, or any of that crap. Real vampires are like Carmilla, Dracula, Nosferatu....... Oh, and Vincent Price, of course!

W is for witchcraft. I am Wiccan, so all things witchy are awesome. I try to avoid silly cartoon witchy things, I prefer the more mature serious side of things, but I can loosen up. Anything witchy friendly is awesome, like wax tarts for my burner, herbs, stones, feathers, incense, wind-chimes, gemstones, candle holder, incense holders, stationary, pagan imagery of any sort, artwork, blank Book of Shadows (or even pages). I am especially looking for pagan fabrics and stamps, like hares, cobwebs, moon phases, pentagrams, green man etc.

X is for x rated. Sorry, I just don't want to know. I am not a prude, but my partner is skeptical as it is about this site. Please don't sent me pictures of your junk, or anyone else's. Burlesque is awesome, as are vintage pin ups, I love them, but nothing racier than that please. I have worked in the Gothic fetish industry too long to be shocked or impressed by anything you have to show me. Any offenders will have their images publicly shared and laughed at. Also X Men, which are awesome!

Y is for Yankee candles, my favorite scents are cinnamon, fresh linen, orange spice, lavender, rosemary, cherry, sage and spice apple, but don't let that limit you. Y is also for yarn, we always need more, especially in natural colors, and green! Really hard to find a nice leafy green! Please ensure it is double knit or thicker though!

Z is for zombies! I love all zombies, cartoon, cutesy, Voodoo and Hoodoo, anything. I love zombie movies, books, art and costume, nothing is out of bounds and I am not afraid of gore. I already own World War Z, Pride and Prejudice and Zombies, and The Zombie Survival Guide, but anything else is cool! Z is also for Zener cards, zeppelins and zzzzzz as I suffer from insomnia, so anything you can send me that will help me de-stress, relax and feel sleepy would be great!

Fave colors to wear are black, white, grey, emerald green, purple and red, although I will like anything that isn't neon or too bright.

My house is decorated SOLELY in black, white and red, with accents of grey and steel/chrome, so if you are sending something home decor, please bear this in mind. The only exception is tea towels, which we are desperate for!

Sorry that I have to have this but I have allergies, sensitive skin and views of my own!

Things I DON'T like:
1. *****ANYTHING STRAWBERRY- I am DEATHLY allergic!*****
2. Anything tea tree!
3. Anything cucumber!
4. Anything dairy!

GLITTER! I cannot bear it, I call it craft herpes, NO GLITTER!

Flakers and people who muck me around, anybody or anything racist, sexist, or derogatory to others in any way (especially against disabled people), anything religious except for pagan, sexually suggestive unless it is in good humor (think Carry On film type humor), New Age hippy crap (books about sex majik, tacky plastic Egyptian figures from a dollar store, glittery fairies.......), Twilight, Harry Potter, Disney rubbish (maybe Alice in Wonderland is ok, but let me be the judge), day glo/neon (unless gumball supplies), 1960s, 70s, 80s, modern, bright, futuristic, minimalist, plastic (unless gumball supplies), anything that smells (no cigarette smoke/BO please!).....

Please NO dollar store cosmetics, candles, or personal care products (they irritate my skin) - thanx!

Please take into account the fact that I am pagan if you want to send me anything holiday related! I do not celebrate Easter, New Year, Christmas etc, but I do celebrate Eostre, Samhain, Yule. Please feel free to send me things related to pagan holidays :)

I adore Muse, hence the username! I also love Tom Waits, Rammstein, System of a Down, The Men Who Will Not Be Blamed For Nothing, Mr B the Gentleman Rhymer, Jill Tracy, Misophone. I would 90% of my iPod however is filled with old jazz tunes, I especially love Cab Calloway, Screamin' Jay Hawkings, Vera Ward and Ella and the Inkspots :) If you need to know more about my music tastes, please get in touch. I think I have an account on last.fm still (my username is celticrose_ I think)

Well I am a vegetarian and I am lactose intolerant, I love Girl Scount cookies-the ones I can eat are Peanut Butter Sandwiches, Peanut Butter Patties and Lemonades! cherries, peanut and peanut butter, any dark/dairy free chocolate, gingerbread, spices and herbs, biscuits (gluten free), Twinings tea in orange, mango and cinnamon or blackcurrant, vanilla and ginseng (sealed please), pasta, anything Italian, natural snacks like seeds, nuts and dried fruit or honey. Please don't send me any foods unless they are sealed in their original packets, my allergies are very severe and I cannot risk the cross contamination. Unsealed food goes straight in the trash (taking teabags out of the packet and putting them in a ziplock is not a sealed packet. I mean FACTORY sealed).

Did I mention I love old 1950s b movies? Because I love old 1950s b movies. A LOT. I mean, I must have maybe 200 b movies, from the 1927 version of Jekyll and Hyde to Mega Shark vs Giant Octopus. Don't let that daunt you though, b movies are ALWAYS welcome, the crappier the better! Currently on my lust list are: Night of the Lepus, Moby Dick: 2010, Altitude, Rubber, Swarm, Tentacoli...... Please make sure that if you are sending me movies that I can play them here in the UK!

My other favorite movies include anything dark, weird or that push the boundaries. I love movies like Brick, Wristcutters: A Love Story, Reservoir Dogs, Chicago, Dogville, Brick, Sunshine, Big Fish.... things that are a bit off beat. I also love old black and white films, my favorites include Sunset Boulevard, Arsenic and Old Lace, Kind Hearts and Coronets, Brief Encounter, Lavender Hill Mob, Mrs Miniver and A Matter of Life and Death.

I cannot abide rom coms, jock humor, gross outs or things with talking animals in with the exception of very few movies!

QI, Futurama, Lost, The Prisoner, Twilight Zone, Twin Peaks, Kingdom Hospital, Psychoville, Jam, Brasseye, Big Bang Theory.

It is really hard to find items related to these shows in the UK!

My mum is called Linda, she won't like me saying she is over 60 years old (HA!) and she is the Auntie Linda of Auntie Linda Crafts! She loves to knit and crochet, but can only really use patterns that have just 2 needles otherwise she gets confused. As well as knitting, she loves fairies (all kinds), Tinkerbell, giraffes, rubber duckies, sunflowers, anything related to Breast Cancer awareness (especially unusual pins), butterflies and her family (things like photo frames and albums would be lovely). She volunteers at a club for people with disabilities, both physical and mental, and they always need supplies! They get NO government funding and are thinking of CHARGING the disabled people to attend the club, and many of them could not afford this as they only get benefits. Things the club always needs are bingo supplies (cards and markers), little prizes (suitable for men and women with disabilities, they love little purses, crayons and pencils, key rings, body and bath products and so on), nail polish and manicure supplies (even the men like getting their nails done, it is really sweet!) and snacks like packets of biscuits, candy, crisps etc. If you want to send items specifically for my mum's club, please message me and I can PM you the address :)

I have a brother called Will, and everyone thinks we are twins, but we just look identical, there is actually a 14 month age gap. He has high end Aspergers (a form of autism) and has a very low emotional age (about a 5 year old) but is very intelligent. He loves, and I mean LOVES computers and game related things of any sort (think Space Invaders, Pacman, Sonic the Hedgehog, Mario), Warhammer (especially dwarves), WWE (especially old school, like early 1990s), guinea pigs, Doctor Who, punk rock music and geekery!

We have two little ones in our lives as well!

Taheera is my cousin's little girl, she is 5 and going to big school in September 2011! She loves Hello Kitty, Disney Princess, Minnie Mouse and animals :)

Georgia- Louise (or as we call her, Georgie Loo!) is my best friends daughter and we treat her like she is my mothers grand daughter. They spend every single day together and have such a strong bond. I think Georgie Loo will be a swapper when she is older! She is 3 years old and her favorite thing is the world is "arts and crafts" (her own words!). She loves card making with her nanny, but loves all art and making really. She also loves In the Night Garden, Hello Kitty, gardening, cooking and anything small! She is always walking round with a tiny (kinder egg sized) toy or doll or counter or something!

So they are the important people in my life, feel free to include something for them if you haven't got things from my want list :)

FLAKERS:
NEVER RECIEVED ANYTHING FROM @debspossum for http://www.swap-bot.com/swap/show/139582 would love an angel x

ANGELS:

@Taco5518 angeled for me for some fabric squares :D @kittylover angelled the simple fabric squares for me :)
@kezeven angelled part of @Holly06 s flake by sending me some redonkulous My Little Pony@ Friendship is Magic badges!
@slantedsunlight angelled part of @Holly06 s flake by sending me the books she owed (and more!)
The pentagram swap was angelled but I lost the card to say who it was! I got a beautiful charm to hang in my window ((((HUG))))