NOTE: I post pictures of my swaps on Flickr... so if you want to be surprised, don't look at the pictures!

My name is Jennifer, and I am a happily married 30 year old Christian (got married on 07/07/07!). I have a little 10 year old beagle named Dottie. I'm definitely NOT a girly girl as i love to surf and snowboard. I live in Southern California (just outside Los Angeles), but lived a few years in the San Francisco bay area, and was born and raised in Hawaii. I am an Asian American: half Okinawan and half Chinese and possibly enough Hawaiian to fill my little finger :). I love traveling and love all types of cultures and food. (My husband and I went to Italy for our honeymoon! and to Paris for our 2nd honeymoon!) I love baking, cooking, and eating! I love food so much that I've made it my job to protect it (i work as an Agriculture Specialist for the federal government). so, being an "aggie", i love bugs, plants, and animals. and, i have a pet tarantula named piggie. :) i am also a utilitarian, so i love stuff that is cute/beautiful/artsy and FUNCTIONAL. :)

and just to explain my user name: hippofairy... some one once asked me online if i was a big fat gay guy. no i'm not. my reasoning for my name is: if a hippo had a fairy what would she look like? a manatee! i think manatees are beautiful. and i love hippos so what could be a better name?

what I pledged

Also, i always aim for hearts and appreciate the same in return. i only send packages that i would love to receive. and i love to give hearts too. send me extras! :) i give hearts!

and, if you are supposed to receive a package from me and it hasn't arrived yet, please contact me before rating me a "no send." i will do what i can to fix the situation (like, if the package got lost in the mail, i can try and put together something and resend). Much Mahalos!

FAVORITE CRAFTS:

sewing (easy stuff like stuffies, totes), paper crafts (like notcards and greeting cards), beaded jewelry, pin back buttons, soy/beeswax candles

COLOR PREFERENCES: ocean colors (blues and greens), night colors (purples, blacks/greys, starlight white), and forest (deep greens, browns)

Dashboard Confessional, Linkin Park, Bob Marley, Blink 182, Smashing Pumpkins, Nirvana, Dance Hall Crashers, Weezer, Rock/Alternative, all Hawaiian, Christian

stuff anywhere from classical to heavy metal, but not too much into rap/R&B or country.

Da Jesus Book, my NIV bible, all Harry Potter, books by Neil Gaiman, the Chronicles of Narnia, The Inheritance Series (Eragon, Eldest, Brisinger), the twilight saga (my favorite is the uncompleted "midnight sun"), classics,

and more murder/mystery and fantasy... not so much into gushy romance or horror

and i love crafting and cooking/baking books and magazines too.

AND i'm loving audiobooks on CD, too. especially radio theatre! :)

Films: Amelie, Nightmare before Christmas, WALL-E, Dirty Dancing, Top Gun, Dark Crystal, Lilo and Stitch, The Little Mermaid, Casablanca, the Shining, Little Miss Sunshine, Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory (the old 80s version), Labyrinth, films by Bitterfilms (like "billy's balloon" and "rejected"), Wallace and Gromit (and Shaun the Sheep), Hayao Miyazaki films (like Spirited Away and Totoro and Princess Mononoke), and I LOVE MUSICALS (like Singing in the Rain, the Sound of Music, Grease)

Television: NCIS, House, Heroes, Good Eats, Ace of Cakes, Everyday Italian, Travel Channel, and Fine Living, Martha Stewart, Sponge Bob Square Pants, The Muppets (Jim Henson), Invader Zim, Top Chef, Life, CSI:Miami (i think it's the funniest show on TV!)

WISH LIST

• cloth / fabric napkins (trying to be a "green" household)
• metallic DMC embroidery thread
• leather thimble (like this one)
• wooden or metal spork
• letter opener
• 1.5 inch, 2.5 inch or larger round and/or scalloped punch
• long handle spoon
• small or extra large utensils (wood or metal)
• shrink plastic sheets
• Black Apple embroidery pattern
• Bon Voyage embroidery pattern
• embroidery transfer/tracing paper
• transfer pencil
• bead cord knotter
• printable cotton fabric
• cameos
• quickie glue pen by Sakura
• metallic gel pens (any color, but especially red, silver, gold and copper)

Other themes / lovely goodies

• Paris & French themed goodies (I just came back from a trip to London and Paris and totally fell in LOVE! :) Paris is a marvelous place and i can't get enough of it!)
• shabby chic (especially blues, reds and blacks, antiqued silver and bronze): damask, toile, chandeliers, Eiffel Tower, fleur de lis, trees, birds, flowers, crystals, dragonflies, silhouettes, lily of the valley
• anything from my ETSY FAVORITES!
• books (i'm trying to read 2 books a month... and reading and releasing most of the books. i love Bookcrossing!)
• University of Hawaii stuff (i'm an alumna and a huge fan of their football and men's basketball programs),
• Christian (not Catholic) stuff,
• Twilight stuff (I like Edward, Alice and Carlisle the most),
• anything from Bitterfilms/Don Hertzfelt,
• candy and chocolate (i love love love dark dark chocolate, but please only send chocolate between October and April, as it gets really warm down here in Southern California and they might get all melty),
• insect/buggy things, especially damselflies, dragonflies and cicadas (but no roaches!),
• kokeshi (Japanese) or menehune things (they're like the Hawaiian Leprechaun),
• homemade body wash and lotion,
• tea, I LOVE YOGI TEA! and, herbal and decaf preferred, (and my husband likes to drink tea too, so if you can, please send 2 of the same)
• something for my dog (she would love some treats or small toys),
• shirts (i wear a mens small or womens medium. if in doubt, get the medium), panties (medium cotton low rise bikini or boycut. no thongs or Brazilian cut please!),
• and craft/cooking books or magazines (anything that will help with my current crafts),
• POSTCARDS! i'm hippofairy on postcrossing.com. i like them written on and sent "naked" (stamped and weathered, not in an envelope). i prefer store-bought instead of handmade or free/ad cards, and especially like to get postcards of FOOD, recipes, mulitview and scenic tourist cards, real animals (especially bugs), story/legends, BIG letters that spell out the name of the place and have pictures in them, 3D, and license plates.
• and BAGS! (tote bags, zipper pouches, mini bags)

and i'd love you forever if you sent me a pair of knitted/crocheted socks (cotton or bamboo, not wool)!!!!

CRAFT GOODIES:

• FABRIC! (cotton please! fat quarters or scraps or bigger... damask, toile, food/cooking/baking, fruits/veggies, science, bugs, ocean, bold florals, turtles, asian, blues, greens, purples, browns, London/Paris/Italy, echino, Jennifer Moore, Robert Kaufman, Alexander Henry, Joel Dewberry, Amy Butler, Japanese import), paisley
• sewing stuff (buttons, sewing and embroidery thread, etc.),
• fabric ink (stamp ink and pens)
• beads (crystal and pretty glass only) & antique brass/silver/gold findings,
• I LOVE DIY KITS! i admit, i have crafting A.D.D.... i have a totally short attention span! and tend to buy lots of supplies and then end up moving on to the next project... go from sewing to paper crafting to polymer clay... so kits are good for me, since i can finish one and move on to the next. :)
  
  1. a needle felting kit
  2. a handbag/totebag kit
  3. a stamp-carving kit
  4. a cute sewing kit for a stuffie or feltie
  5. an embroidery kit with some cute patterns

but i'm pretty easy to please, so if you like it... i probably will too!

I DON'T WRITE TO THIS BE PICKY... just to let you have more information about me and what i don't care for. if you put your heart into the package i will be happy with anything you put together for me.

• earrings (don't have pierced ears. well, i have one on the top of my right ear, but i have a stud for that one already that meets my work uniform standards),
• plain green tea (i have loads of Japanese tea that my mom buys for me, but flavored is welcome),
• candles & candle holders (i make my own),
• wine glasses or shot glasses (since i don't drink alcohol, i don't really have much use for them),
• pinback buttons (i have tons of these all over my backpack and bags, so i don't need any more... and i make those too),
• calanders (i get oodles of them in the mail for free every year and i think i have enough for 2009),
• recipes for seafood (my husband is highly allergic to all seafood),
• feathers (i'm allergic to down),
• wool (it makes me itchy when i wear it, but for stuffies it's okay),
• ATCs (but, make me a postcard and i'll be happy!) or dotees (they are so cute, but i don't know what to do with um),
• white chocolate, fruit/mint flavored chocolate, sweet sour (no pineapple on my pizza please), licorice, cherry, melon/cantaloupe (allergic), artificial sweeteners
• really pink stuff (combined with other colors is okay),
• clowns and dolls with human faces (i find them creepy!),
• stuff that smells like smoke,
• Cockroaches (they scare me!),
• cosmetics, like perfume/body sprays and make-up, (don't wear or use. my nose is too sensitive!)
• coasters (got lots of them!)

I've been on Swap-bot for a while, and have had a few experiences with flakers. I haven't gotten angels for these swaps yet.

Will you angel for me?

• If My Life Were a Movie swap. - flaked by monket and i sent my partner my package and it got returned. all the other participants in the swap flaked. so, i still have the package i made up, if someone wants to swap! :)

• Recycle, Repurpose Fun - flaked by craftygirlinflorida - angelled by craftygirl
• 200 Die-but paper punch pieces swap - flaked by smilemore - angelled by paflip25
• Mythical themed postcards! - flaked by shikafeminista - angelled by Justmeth81
• Crusher's Canine Christmas Swap - flaked by DelishDish - angeled by Dragonfli
• Postcards Plain And Simple - flaked on by MrsMJ - angeled by ogma
• We Love Funny Postcards #1 - flaked on by sukisho100- angeled by DebP
• Quick stuff III - flaked by scrapgirl & unpetitasterisque
  • angeled by cauchy81sk mmmm..... yummy dark chocolate! i love it! :)
• Tourism postcards - 'wish you were here!' - flaked by RedRachel - angeled by MrsAnnaSue & jacani
• WHR DO U LIVE? POSTCARDS! 2!! - flaked by shutupheather - angeled by MrsAnnaSue
• Family Postcard - flaked on by MrsMJ - angeled by LaurenRhodes and MrsAnnaSue
• Postcards_Lots of Em! (2) - flaked on by Badwolf - angeled by 17papergoddess and MrsAnnaSue
• 20 Postcards Swap - flaked by Jewelstonefly - angeled by MrsAnnaSue
• Flower Postcard Swap - flaked by Dekkie - angeled by MrsAnnaSue
• Just a simple postcard swap - flaked by carlinha - angeled by MrsAnnaSue
• Postcards, pretty please!#4 - flaked by gooseberries - angeled by 17papergoddess and MrsAnnaSue
• Your Hometown Postcard Swap - flaked on by Misspolly - angeled by MrsAnnaSue and Barbara
• Quotecard Postcard #17 - flaked by JennieMaeD - angeled by MrsAnnaSue
• Quotecard Postcard #13 - flaked by swapattack - angeled by MrsAnnaSue
• Any postcard will do.... - flaked by Sarahj4077 - angeled by ButterflyPrincess
• Sweet Sixteen Postcard Swap - flaked by MartiKnitsSF & carlinha - angeled by ButterflyPrincess
• {US Only} Naked Mail - flaked by Popeye - angeled by ButterflyPrincess and Barbara
• Just Because Postcards - flaked on (but finally made up) by RedLucha - angeled by ButterflyPrincess, 17Papergoddess and groundhoggirl
• Exotic tea swap - flaked by noticatoxin - angeled by ButterflyPrincess
• Panties and a Surprise IV - flaked by wendypoo - angeled by ButterflyPrincess
• International Women's Day Postcard Swap - flaked by wooleyduck - angeled by mindy
• Two for Tea, ANY Tea for Two! New version - flaked on by enchantednightbird - angeled by Susi
• softie critters - flaked by orangesugerplum - angeled by IlonaH
• FLORAL Postcard swap - Quickie - flaked by NicoleAnn - angeled by groundhoggirl
• US version - Favorite Color whimsy jar - flaked by goosiilove - angeled by homeandheart
• SEW PRETTY HOMESTYLE: A Fresh Breath of Spring - flaked by epdeans - angelled by TC

If you are swapping with me from a foreign country (anywhere other than the USA):

Please do not send any of the following to the United States, since they are restricted or prohibited in international mail: * Alcoholic beverages:
U.S. Postal Service regulations prohibit sending alcoholic beverages through the mail (18 U.S.C. 1716(f)). * Other restricted/prohibited items:
There are other categories of merchandise whose importation is also restricted or prohibited. These include, but are not limited to certain foodstuffs (meats/meat products, fresh fruit), certain domesticated and wild animals, some plants (seeds and other propagative material), products made from endangered species, narcotics, and certain weapons. (The Customs regulations governing these classes of merchandise may be found in Title 19, Code of Federal Regulations, Part 12.)

Most of the items that are prohibited or restricted are regulated by other government agencies; the Customs Service enforces those regulations on their behalf at American ports of entry. The penalties for attempting to enter restricted or prohibited merchandise vary according to which law has been violated and, in some cases, can be severe.

A more complete list of prohibited and restricted articles is available in our brochure, Know Before You Go, which lists the agencies whose import regulations—governing, for example, hunting trophies, flowers, or small arms—Customs enforces. Please request this publication from your local Customs office if you have detailed inquiries about products or merchandise you suspect may be prohibited or restricted.

Additional information on importing merchandise can be found on the U.S. Customs and Border Protection website at www.cbp.gov