firstborn

UPDATE 10/3/11: this month, i am just swamped with work committments & so that means, I need to take a break from swapping for awhile. I hope to get back online here on swap-bot next month. until then, have a great time connecting and swapping!!! xo & peace out, mary ann

just a gal who loves to weld, create art, collect vintage goodness, make zines, do yoga & drink tea.

i appreciate anything that you kindly & generously send my way, especially if i see how much care, love & thought was put into something you've created. :)

some fyi stuff:

i'm terribly allergic to cigarette/cigar smoke...so anything that i receive that is heavily tainted will not be opened & disposed of asap...i'm sorry, but i cannot breathe & the smoke residue triggers wicked headaches... just a heads up to my future swap partners.

i have so much in the way of arty-craftsy supplies & really do not need any more extra bits. i'm trying to declutter my rather chaotic studio & to simplify, simplify, simplify! :) so your wonderfully swapped artwork is all that i would love to receive. seriously, that is true! i just love to swap artwork for artwork, artist to artist...as well as build my growing collection of art from all over the globe. :)

i am inspired by nature, pretty things, old, distressed & rusty vintage things, the garden, good food, cats, birds, butterflies, dogs, my husband, my family, welding (my newest passion/obsession), the ocean, maine (we used to live there!), cupcakes, yoga, tea cups (i collect vintage ones!) & tea time, children (i work with preschoolers & school kids), pastel & soft muted colors (pinks, blues, creams & greens are my frequent "go-to" colors), old flicks, music, the poems of emily dickinson, um... basically, anything & everything that catches my eye, tickles my fancy. :)

eclectic>>>i love most kinds, blues & jazz in particular...tho i enjoy listening to enya, diane krall, norah jones, pink, gwen stefani, mary j. blige, beyonce, sarah maclaughlin, fergie, k.t. tunstall, the beatles, lady GAGA, alicia keys, sara bareilles, jewel, martina mcbride, sheryl crow, colbie caillat, joan jett, regina spektor, '80s tunes,ingrid michaelson for examples...

most genres, except horror...not into that...tho i like a good mystery now & again.

ghost whisperer, charmed reruns, dr. who, project runway, gordon ramsay's shows, dolce vita, dog whisperer, on the road with austin & santino, anything on the bravo and cooking channels, anthony bourdain's shows, cake boss, bbc america to name a few...

mixed media, altered art, atcs, found object assemblages, rubber stamping, paper crafting, painting, drawing, sewing, stitching, embroidery, zines & WELDING

find me also on facebook (followyourblissdesigns), twitter (followurbliss) and etsy (followyourbliss).

i rate swap partners in a timely manner & expect the same courtesy. the thing i find kinda nerve-wracking is not knowing whether or not my swap partner has received my swap. i like to send my swaps early, spend a lot of time & effort making sure i send out quality swaps & i would appreciate that my partners at the very least give me a heads up that they received my stuff. i understand that some may not rate their partners, that is fine by me. but please, be courteous & let me know that you received my swap stuff. as i mentioned, i like to send my swaps early & if you are one of my partners & have not received my swap, please contact me first before rating & let me know what's up. i know from personal experience that stuff can (& does) get lost in the mail... so i am always happy to resend a swap asap. communication between swap partners is key, is what i say!

now a word about hearts...i do love to give them out to my partners. reasons i give out hearts are basically based on the time, effort & care that my partner showed. extras, while nice, are really not necessary if the artwork that is swapped was created with love & care. i appreciate whenever someone has taken obvious pride in whatever she/he has created & the work's quality speaks for itself.

when people don't bother to say "thank you" tells you a lot about their character.

saying a simple "thank you" is always the right & kind thing to do.

thank you.