hppyjessa

I'm Jessa, an American girl living in Jerusalem! Read more about me and my adventures on my blog, Shalom Sweet Home (click below):

I'm a graphic designer, writer, artist, crafter, and cook, a student of the world and a young wife to my best friend, the 6'3" Ecuadorean astrophysicist! Here we are in our matching Converse.

I will listen to anything from Turkish rock music to ragtime to 70s folk music to techno to Top 40 to digeridoo. I like anything! Try me! :)

I LOVE books! My favorite books are those that make you think; either really well-written fiction with wonderfully deep and quirky characters and unordinary concepts or situations... or non-fiction books from which I can learn something, especially on interesting or bizarre subjects. But I'd have to say my favorite books are still the Griffin and Sabine trilogy by Nick Bantock--- a MUST-read for anyone who likes mail art!

Paper crafts! Art journaling! Scrapbooking! Decoupage! Jewelry making! Watercolor! Crochet! Calligraphy! Photography! Making my own clothes and accessories! Gardening! Cooking! Baking! Giving old things new uses! Anything vintage!

I love to travel! I consider myself a world nomad, having lived in four countries and over eight U.S. states and traveled all over the world.

I speak Spanish fluently and I love to read and write it; please feel free to write to me in Spanish if you are able. I also speak a little Russian, which has been mostly distilled into the parlour trick of writing names in Cyrillic. (Let me know if you want yours!) I'm currently learning Hebrew and can give that a shot as well. :) I'm also fascinated by other foreign languages and other alphabets; I moonlight as a Linguist and I collect the phrase "I love you" in any language I can.

Please let me know if something doesn't arrive and I'll re-send! :) Also, I re-use envelopes and packaging and occasionally write letters or send mail on odd scraps of paper... I'm a firm believer in upcycling! :)

I HAVE NO FOOD ALLERGIES OR DISLIKES. I will try anything once, and will most likely love it, so please feel free to be as creative as you like!

WISH LIST

If you're totally stuck, here are a few ideas of things that I would LOVE to get, but I also LOVE surprises, so please don't feel like you have to even look at this list...

NEEDS

• STEREOVIEW CARDS! (A common and cheap find in antique or junk shops--They look like a postcard with two of the same photo side by side.)
• Small and unusual items for my cabinet of curiosities.
• 16mm films (1930s-1960s-ish, silent) for the projector I repaired!
• American candy (chocolate!), fruit snacks, tea, drink mixes... anything American really. Tastes are quite different here in Jerusalem, and when I get a little homesick, a little taste of home is just what the doctor ordered! *Stamps, used or unused, from anywhere in the world! The astrophysicist and I are collectors!

WANTS

• Postcards! (I especially love very old postcards that have already been written on and sent way back when.)
• Tea! Any flavor, especially unusual ones!
• Old hardback books, especially in foreign languages or having to do with science, travel or music.
• Herbs and spices.
• Recipes or cookbooks of any kind.
• Anything local to your area. Quirky souvenirs.
• Ephemera in foreign languages.
• Books and letters in Spanish. (I would love to have a Spanish-language pen pal, if there are any takers...)
• Catholic ephemera, especially kitschy. Milagros, saint medals and tiny rosaries.
• I LOVE St. Jude, St. Francis, Mary Help of Christians and anything Schoenstatt!
• The little "Santos" Homies (I mean the plastic figurines from gumball machines, haha) -- I still need San Juan Diego and Our Lady of Guadalupe!
• Anything Catholic or Christian is welcome in our home, and so is anything of other religions or beliefs! I love to learn about cultures and beliefs the world over!
• Anything Salvador Dalí. My favorite painting...

• Anything Ecuador.
• Anything Russian or Hebrew.
• How to say "I love you" in your language.
• My name in foreign alphabets.
• Anything for the home, kitchen or garden.
• Mix CDs or music recommendations – the more unusual, the better!
• Tidbits of inspiration; poetry, quotes, anything well-designed, anything that makes you stop and think.
• Anything Brian Andreas, or, if you are an artist, anything in his style...

• Anything handmade or unique.
• Anything in it's second life or later ("upcycled").
• Anything bird-related.
• Anything vintage.
• Small old bottles, especially with corks or in odd shapes or colors.
• Recommendations for books, movies or fun and cheap things to do.
• Old photographs. New photographs.
• Buttons (the pin kind, not the sewing kind.)

Thank you for everything! Happy swapping! :)