freespirit66

After many years in the non-profit sector (with the last 8 of that founding/operating/directing a children's art and farm camp), I'm now a stay-at-home mom who homeschools my two daughters.

This is perhaps the most challenging - and rewarding - position I've held. I feel so fortunate each day that I get to spend teaching and learning with the girls.

I enjoy photography...and documenting everyday life around the home...including homeschooling, crafts the girls and I do, cooking, the pets (4 dogs, 3 cats, miniature horse, and pony), nature, and wildlife. Come visit MY BLOG to read about life at the farm.

When I have breaks from homeschooling, I make translucent window stars (like these window stars I made). The stars have been such a fun and creative way to add some beauty to the home, and to daily life.

I enjoy participating in swaps and meeting new people throughout the world. Receiving mail filled with creative work by others is so inspiring!

For a look at my work, please visit either my Flickr site and look under "Things I've Made" or to my Etsy shop to see handmade things I sell.

About my Daughters

Sophia and Olivia are 17 and 15 years old. Both were born in China and adopted at 11 and 10 months respectively. Both are loving, generous girls who care deeply about others - people and animals.

Both play the piano, and Sophia also plays the harp. They take classes through a homeschool co-op to connect with other children and learn new subjects - like ceramics, photography, public speaking, and logic. Sophia also takes three PSEO courses each semester (college courses that are free and paid for by the state of Minnesota).

The girls and I enjoy birdwatching since there are many types of birds here (we live on almost 10 acres of which we've kept the majority in its natural state). We enjoy going on nature walks and discovering animals that live or pass through here (deer, pheasants, fox, coyotes, snakes, owls, eagles, and turkeys).

Photography, embroidery, colored pencil, sewing, quilting, and Saori weaving.

I enjoy trying new things. I have tons of ideas that I've clipped from magazines for scrapbooking, but haven't sat down to do that yet.

Since being a part of Swap-Bot, I've tried new projects which have been fun and challenged me creatively: ATCs, dotee dolls, altered matchboxes, inchies, and button fairies.

My favorite colors are purple and green.

Lilac, lavender, rose, ylang ylang, sandalwood, patchouly, and lemon.

Peter Gabriel, Talking Heads, U2, Barbra Streisand, Enya - any artists along that line. I also like new age and classical music. Will listen to jazz. Enjoy listening to music from the eighties. I do not like rap or other offensive music.

BOOKS:

I read MANY books to my daughters and enjoy books that are well-illustrated and have a good story line, especially those that are classical or “old-fashioned" (ones written in the 1930s-1950s).

The books I enjoy tend to be from several sections in the library: arts/crafts, inspirational, and non-fiction about something I'm learning about or teaching my daughters (I homeschool them).

"There is no life I know, to compare with pure imagination. Living there you'll be free, if you truly wish to be." - Willie Wonka and the Chocolate Factory

"If you find it in your heart to care for somebody else, you will have succeeded." - Maya Angelo

"May the sun bring you new energy by day, may the moon softly restore you by night, may the rain wash away your worries, may the breeze blow new strength into your being. May you walk gently through the world and know its beauty all the days of your life." - Apache blessing

"You have everything you need...if you just believe." - Josh Groban - Believe (Polar Express Soundtrack) Lyrics

These movies are ones I could watch many times and they wouldn't get old for me: Defending Your Life; The Birdcage; Dead Poets Society; The Truman Show, Wizard of Oz; Willie Wonka and the Chocolate Factory; Sound of Music; Arsenic and Old Lace; Mrs. Doubtfire; Best in Show, and Waiting for Guffman. Don't have large blocks of time to watch movies, unfortunately.

• Small gifts to put in my daughters' Christmas stockings or under the tree

• Japanese fabric - anything larger than 6"x6" would be great!

• Essential oils - any oils are welcome so I can try new blends.

• Fountain pens for doing calligraphy/Spencerian handwriting - they should have a flexible nib. I'm looking for the kind where you don't have to dip them into ink since I'll be teaching my oldest daughter how to do calligraphy and would prefer not to work with ink initially.

• Assisi embroidery patterns - Here's an example: Assisi Embroidery Pattern.

• Bubble bath soap.

• Japanese Craft Magazines - Anything related to felt food, making little stuffed animals (mascots), sewing, and/or quilting. Would love to see "Cotton Time."

• Anything from my favorite items on Etsy or Amazon - Etsy Favorites or Amazon.com Wishlist.

• Sashiko Fabric - Am looking for pre-printed fabric with different sashiko embroidery patterns on it.

• Craft Magazines that You Are Done Looking At - Ones that I enjoy are Living Crafts, Home Companion, Somerset Studio, Cotton Time, and any craft magazine (especially ones that focus on paper crafts.

• Something for my Daughters - If anyone feels inclined to send something to the girls, I know they would LOVE it.

~~~~~~~ Please Note: Please do not send items that smell of smoke. I have asthma and allergies (Sophia has allergies as well), and smoke is something neither of us can handle well. Even if your item is beautifully constructed, but it smells of smoke, I unfortunately cannot have it in the home. Thank you for understanding. ~~~~~~~

Sophia - is 17 years old and likes:

• anything that is lime green and robin's egg blue for her room; or purple

• horses

• cats

• gum (mint)

• harps and harp music

• make-up

Olivia - is 15 years old and likes:

• anything that is blue

• dogs

• art supplies and kits - Prismacolor color pencils and markers; etching kits; paint-by-numbers (complicated ones)

• wolves

• Skittles