imaventriloquist

I'm obsessed with all things paper and have oodles and oodles of it. I especially love ephemera such as old photographs, magazines, books, catalogs, letters, postcards, used diaries/journals, and am constantly looking out for these treasures. I adore handwritten letters, nice penmanship and the art of calligraphy. I have a little posse of people I write to on a regular basis and love making little packages to go along with my letters... I am mildly obsessed with zines, gnomes, bento boxes, junk shops/flea markets, Etsy and spicy chai tea. I also collect postal paraphernalia - mailing labels, stickers, rubber stamps, (vintage) cancelled postage stamps, letters, mailboxes (or lil' replicas), old used envelopes with cancelled stamps, etc.

I'm married to a wonderful man who's a filmmaker/writer/vegan and Mom to a creative little person who is constantly writing stories and taking photographs.

I love to travel! Toured Scandinavia, Switzerland and L.A. a few summers ago and fell completely in love with Norway! Japan was amazing and I can't wait until my next visit! NYC was pretty cool, too (I ♥ Brooklyn!) but there's still so much to see - if time and money were no object. Next stop: Canterbury, London and Paris!

I love keeping a journal, admiring people's sketchbook & journal pages, chocolate cake, caramel tea, typography/graphic design, Japanese stickers/fabric/stationery (such as Kawaii), vintage pin-up art, cupcake imagery, writing, taking photographs, Scandinavian design, Elsa Beskow, Shinzi Katoh, Hansel & Gretel books, free postcards (with cool/corny images), art, my family and run-on sentences...

Please note: I follow a predominantly vegan diet (but still eat seafood - pescetarian).

Rant: I HATE receiving cheap dollar store items or things that were clearly just sent to fill an envelope with no thought involved. I always try to send quality items and extras so when I receive garbage in return, it's very disconcerting and I do rate accordingly. Also, I'm very sensitive to smoke and would prefer not to receive items that smell like an ashtray.

Very ecclectic tastes ranging from Queen, the Police & Tom Petty to Daft Punk, Ween & Flaming Lips to rap (Public Enemy, KRS One & Crime Mob) to Yann Tiersen. Favorite: 80's music.

Love documentaries, horror films, foreign films, Alfred Hitchcock, 80's movies and many more...

Fond of Apprentice UK, Project Catwalk/Runway, Mad Men, So You Think You Can Dance, LOST.

Papercrafts especially cardmaking, collage, journaling, rubberstamping and bookbinding. I hate cooking but enjoy baking. Would love to learn how to draw and do printmaking. Great admiration for those who sew & knit, and marvel at the beautiful things that people create.

[Please do not send me regular/boring (e.g. dollar store) scrapbooking paper or cheap stationery unless it is vintage, kitschy, Japanese, Kawaii, corny, bizarre or off-the-wall cheesy]

• Used bookstores
• Black and white photography, Polaroids, cheesy photos
• Ephemera (I ♥ ephemera!!!)
• Female imagery
• Beautiful illustrations
• Vintage children's books
• 80's anything (music, movies, fashion which I don't wear, btw)
• BOP, Sixteen, Tiger Beat magazines (from the 80's and earlier)
• Ryan Gosling with facial hair
• Mushrooms (imagery, that is! Think: red topped mushrooms with little white dots)
• Juxtapoz and Giant Robot magazines
• Art galleries & museums
• Cobble-stone streets
• Memoirs and diaries
• Thinking about the special people and experiences in my life!

[Very curious about Paganism/Wicca and would love to learn more from someone knowledgeable.]

I'm always open to personal swaps so please, feel free to PM me.

I have tons of handmade paper for trade (including others in assorted textures, colors, patterns), as well as postcards (mostly, artsy or cheesy), ephemera, stationery, notecards, journals, etc.

I love making up little goodie packages, as well, so if you'd like to do a goodie bag swap, please let me know. :)

Also known as My Dislikes or the No-No List:

• NO Gospel/Christian music/imagery/anything - unless, it's vintage &/or kitschy/corny. (This, despite attending an all-girl Catholic school and being married to an ex-altar boy. Much prefer Gothic, Buddhist, Wiccan or other spiritual imagery.)
• NO Disney paraphernalia (Don't get me wrong, I love Disney and have been to Disneyland three times and Disneyworld once but I just don't wish to receive any Disney products unless it is vintage, pre-1960.)
• NO food items with dairy or animal products in it (and yes, this includes eggs)
• NO Floral imagery (unless, it's Japanese or something Gocco'd or screenprinted, letterprinted, silkscreened, etc.)
• NO Animal imagery (unless, it's kitschy/corny/Kawaii-cute or Gocco'd or screenprinted, letterprinted, silkscreened)
• NO Sappy sayings/sentiments
• NO Mary Engelbreit-ish items, country or folk crafts (much prefer DIY/modern/kitschy crafts)
• NO Cute (I really don't care for "generic" cute) - UNLESS, it's Japanese (such as Kawaii), Korean, classic Scandinavian, European
• NO Floral prints/items
• NO Garbage/trash/crap (items that were clearly not chosen for me but included in an envelope in hopes to receive hearts - please save it for someone that will appreciate and enjoy it)