devilspigeonhole

I’m actually a few days late posting this (25th April 2013), but here goes:

PLEASE NOTE that I will not be home from the 22nd of April 2013 to the 19th of May 2013. I kept swapping to a minimum leading up to my departure to ensure that everyone received and got rated before I leave.

I will also not be home from the 26th of May 2013 to the 20th of September 2013. This shouldn’t be a problem as I won’t be joining public or group swaps until I’m home again in September. There are two private swaps coming up in June 2013 so don’t be surprised when you do see swaps on my dash - my partners are aware of the fact that I am not at my registered SB address and that they will be sending to an alternative address.

In both instances I will have limited internet time, but will try to check email and log on to SB to read/answer PM’s at least once a week.. Thank you for taking the time to read this, and happy swapping.

I'm a 38-year old that loves all sorts of crafty stuff and all forms of stationery. No pen, paper or stick of glue is safe near me!! :D

I'm an avid Snail Mail fan and enjoy sending and receiving mail so much it should be illegal!

Reading has been a passion since I was about 7 years old - took to it like a fish to water and never lost my fondness for it. When I don't/can't sit down to read, I like to listen to audio books. I normally read non-fiction, but also like novels based on historical figures. The odd one out is T. Pratchett... - I love his witches, and can't get enough of their antics and (for lack of a better word) wisdom! :D

TV never really appealed to me, and I only watch TV when there is a good movie or an interesting documentary on, or when watching DVD's.

I've always loved fairy tales, and my favourites are (in no particular order): The Frog Prince, Diamonds and Toads, Hanasaka Jiisan, The Little Mermaid, The Princess and the Pea, Shita-kiri Suzume, and The Steadfast Tin Soldier.

Hmmm - difficult one! Mail Art, sewing, quilting and cross stitching definitely take up most of my time, so they win hands down. As long as my hands are busy I'm one happy girl.

We travel often, and then I tend to spend a lot of time on crafts I can make up a small 'travel kit' for. The good thing about that is that I tend to try my hand at crafts and techniques that at home, I normally would not have considered. Being out of the house is no excuse for idle hands and brain-melting boredom, right?!

I have two typewriters, and I use them often. The red typewriter is called 'Baby', and the funky-70's-yellow one is called 'Boeing'. Yes. My typewriters have names. Yes. I'm weird. If you're ever in a letter swap with me, you will probably get a letter typed on one of these manicure-destroying machines. :)

Quite easy to please as I'm not too fussy and believe that there is no such thing as bad mail! There is however, such a thing as insulting mail. Insulting mail is when you send me broken, torn, smelly, half-used items. Not cool - it really does insult me that someone can think so little of a swap partner. No-one deserves your old and busted crap. If you want to get rid of such items, take a walk to your trash can and dump it.

Coffee, coffee, coffee... My favourite beverage! Not only will I inflict serious bodily harm on someone for a cup of it, I like anything and everything connected to it. Tea is not my thing, so I don't drink tea. Ever.

Because I spend a good deal of time writing letters and doing Mail Art, anything connected with that puts a smile on my face! I'm not really the cutesy type (except when the mood takes me) and prefer 'classic' things - good writing paper, fountain pens, wax seals, letter seals, rubber stamps, etc. At the moment I have a 'thing' for stationery with a nautical theme, and I'm still trying to figure out where that love came from so suddenly!

I have a wicked sense of humour and like the piece of mail that makes you laugh out loud as much as the next person. :D Pretty hard to offend, truth be told. That being said, the two things that will offend me, is racism and people trying to shove their religion down my throat. Despite my username, I do not run around doing the devils work, polishing his horns, buffing his hooves and stoking the fires of hell - thus, am in no need of being 'saved'.

A Yankee Candles lover - everything but the fancy diffusers.Firm favourites are anything flowery, clean smelling and beachy. The spice, fruit and holiday/seasonal smells just doesn't do it for me. My all time favourite was Egyptian Cotton... - it was very popular in general, so how on earth could they discontinue it?!? Bad, bad Yankee Candle! :(

I don't wear any make-up at all, except for clear lip-balm (not lip-gloss). Nail polish/varnish - now that's another matter! Any dark or blood red nail polish is automatically bought, loved and used! :) Indie and Franken polishes are always fun - no matter what colour they are!

Not much of a collector but I love globes and maps in all shapes and sizes and in all forms - from vintage to novelty to handmade items. What can I say? I've never met a map/globe-related item I didn't like! Maybe my love of maps and globes come from the fact that I have no sense of direction whatsoever and couldn't find my way out of a shoe box...

There's really only one thing I dislike, and that is dark chocolate. Make that two things - not a fan of minty things either. Candy and chocs I enjoy include french nougat, Jelly Beans, Jelly Babies, Crispy M&M's, Smarties, Skittles and caramel filled chocolate. My all time favourite sweet treat is Kit Kat, and I love trying out new Kit Kat flavours.

My favourite flowers are Pansies, Sweetpeas and Gerberas.

I don't really have a wish list, but I do realise that it makes things a lot easier for partners in certain kinds of swaps. PLEASE NOTE: although I would enjoy receiving things from this list - it is exactly what it says: a Wish List, and not an I Want List. I not only appreciate every single item that I receive, but also the time, effort and money you have put into sending something to me - a complete stranger!

• Something handmade by you
• Pretty sewing pins
• Tags (manila weight)
• Letterpress stationery (postcards/notecards/paper)
• Blank address labels (mailing labels)
• Your favourite recipe
• Onion skin writing paper
• Airmail labels
• Tissue paper
• Your favourite poem/quote
• Paint chips
• Low denomination stamps from your country
• Edward Gorey items (notecards/bookmarks/stationery)
• Sea glass
• Nail Art striping tape (any colour)
• Small pigment ink pads: black, red and white (e.g. Colorbox, Ink Dot, Versacolor, etc.)
• Blue and white ceramic beads
• Calligraphy marker (smaller than 2.0, any colour)
• Calligraphy marker (5.0 in white or powder/light blue)
• Anything featuring typewriters
• Anything featuring mailboxes
• Fat Quarters
• Fabric scraps - bigger than 3x3" / 8x8cm

A note on how I rate:

I rate according to the SB criteria. As easy as that. (Fair and honest rating is the only way to find out what a swapper is like - both the good and the bad.)

Communication is vital. If you are going to be late mailing out a swap - please let me know before the send by date. I know that life sneaks up on us when we least expect it. If you don't communicate, I will rate a 3 no matter how fabulous the received swap is. The send by date is not a suggestion, but a deadline you agree to the moment you sign up for a swap.

If I receive nothing from you after what I consider to be a reasonable amount of time, I will PM you. Once. If I hear nothing from you after a few days, I will rate a 1.

There is a lot of what can only be called 'guilt-rating' going on. I will not be guilt-tripped into a better rating. Save yourself the effort of trying, because I will not budge on this issue.

Mailed out my 100th swap 24.01.2013 :)