katehawk

MOST IMPORTANT: all my information about swapping is in the last section under "swap information". PLEASE READ ALL OF THAT BEFORE WRITING ME WITH ANY QUESTIONS! thanks so much!

hi, my name is kate hawk. hawk isn't my real last name but it's been my nickname for close to 10 years so sometimes i feels like that's more me than my real last name! i started crafting when i started a sober lifestyle and began attending aa meetings. it was the greatest choice i made for myself (the meetings AND the crafts). in the past i would make collages (my favorite), paint, draw & sew. it feels good to be getting back into those things.

i have done two charity events for alex's lemonade stand and raised around $10,000 in 2 years to help find a cure for childhood cancer. having had 2 cousins (1 survived, 1 did not) battle cancer at young ages i want to make sure families in the future never have to hurt the way mine did. i also like to clean out my closet every few months and donate to good will. the more i give to those who need the more i feel my life is full.

i'm big into recycling, reusing and other mother earth friendly ways. i would love tips for how you keep the world safe and loved if you have any.

another thing about me is that i'm a neat freak and am obsessed with keeping things organized and easy to find / access. if you have any ideas on how to do this better or differently, i'm all ears!!

i'm the kind of person who is very passionate about whatever i'm doing and all that i like. it sometimes is a blessing and other times a curse. i tend to get ocd and perfectionist about things because i want it to be just right. but i always mean well and want the best for people in my life, even if it's just a brief encounter on here in a swap.

i put this into groups and lists. if i put 1st to last that's the order of my most favorite and on, if i didn't put that then the list is random. well, as "random" as it can get for alphabetical order.

while i realize this list is very specific please think of it as a guide line only and be creative! i love thinking out of the box and so trades that are similar are always welcome & appreciated. any questions, please ask. i'm here to get creative and make friends along the way. :)

COLORS [1st - last]: purple, green, black, blue - i like darker colors like maroon instead of red. but any shade of purple or green or blue = AWESOME!

INTERESTS / LOVES: astrology, astronomy, badtz maru, beat boxing, brass knuckles, break dancing, disney [movies listed below], fairies, halloween, history, hugs, laughing until my tummy hurts, lyrics, mythology, old school nintendo, old time things [cars, fashion, designs of products & advertising], pirates, postcards, quotes, robots, roller coasters, serial killers, star [shape], steampunk, tape cassettes & mix tapes, the 7 wonders of the world, the jewish faith, thunder storms, tour buses, unicorns, urban legends, vinyl records, wolverine, zombies

FLOWERS: daises, lilacs, orchid, snap dragons, sunflowers, thistle, tiger lilies [and every kind of flower that looks like sunflowers or daises]

CITIES & COUNTRIES: austin [tx], china, chicago [il], england, egypt, germany, greece, holland, india, ireland, italy, japan, las vegas [nv], new york [ny], paris, philadelphia [pa], st. lucia

ANIMALS / INSECTS: bees, butterflies, cats [big, small, wild, demestic], dogs [specifically boxers but i love any dogs], dolphins, giraffes, ladybugs, penguins, pigs, rats, spiders

DECADES / ERAS [1st to last]: 1800s [oregon trail, wild west, civil war, etc.], 1920s, 1940s, 1950s, 1960s, 1970s, anything and everything 80s [music, movie, style, toys, tv, etc.], victorian, renaissance

CELEBRITIES [i buy any and every magazine with the 1st two on the covers]: beastie boys, drew barrymore, bill cosby, christina aguilera, judy garland, laura ingalls wilder, meat loaf, michael cera, philly phanatic, seth rogen, will ferrell

ARTISTS: banksy

i have 3 book shelves and they're not all filled up yet, but my goal is to have them all end to end with books i've read or collected. i enjoy children's book from my younger years and collect older versions if i can find them places like a library sale. i love books about history and people's lives but my favorite is a well written fiction of any kind (mystery, romance, humor, classic, etc.). true crime stories are always a good late night, stay up and scare myself kind of story too. below, again, is just a sample of some books i love more than anything. i also have MANY MANY MANY books on my wishlist.

some of my favorite reading material: perks of being a wallflower, my horizontal life, acid house, secret life of bees, like water for chocolate, smashed, the world according to garp, catcher in the rye, the wonderful wizard of oz, the cat who ... mysteries series, the celestine prophecy, baby sitters club series, little house on the prairie series, graphic novels

i could easily spend an entire day listing all the movies that mean something to me in one way or another. whether they made me laugh, cry, think, forget, etc. but these are a high light of some of my all time favorites that i will watch over and over again and feel just as great as if it were the first time seeing it.

i'll watch when it airs on tv even if i own the dvd: reality bites, kids, donnie darko, when harry met sally, labyrinth, all of the final destination movies, the neverending story, the dark crystal, goonies, suburbia (from the 80s), back to the future (2 is my favorite), welcome to the dollhouse, the wizard of oz, bad santa, elf, juno, punch drunk love, you me and everyone we know, i ♥ huckabees, idiocracy, ninja turtles 1-3, little miss sunshine, all over me, whatever, hook, adventures in babysitting, don't tell mom the babysitter's dead, clue, clerks, mallrats, the crow, flight of the navigator, batteries not included, edward scissorhands, pirates of the caribbean, office space, superbad, seven, grandma's boy, little monsters, ghost dad, high tension, serial mom

disney favorites: the black cauldron, aristocats, ratatouille, sleeping beauty, lady & the tramp, monsters inc, pete's dragon, lion king, aladdin, beauty & the beast, the little mermaid, oliver & company, robin hood

same as with movies, this only begins to scratch the surface of my musical interests and taste. i enjoy nearly EVERYTHING (which is why i hate the question "what's your favorite band"). be it jazz, classical, country, hip-hop, rock, punk, pop, foreign / cultural i have an appreciation for it all. i will say i'm not a fan of most metal, rap or most music on the top 40 unless it's pop. i also have a weak spot for musicals (soundtracks AND movies).

you know my head is bobbing and i'm singing along if these are on the radio: beastie boys [FAVORITE!], journey, the faint, innerpartysystem, get up kids, good charlotte, mary pranksters, hellogoodbye, army of me, nsync, britney spears, poison, meatloaf, the bravery, scissor sisters, dogs die in hot cars, harry chapin, vice squad, germs, the addicts, rocking horse winner, kelly clarkson, the killers, kill verona, the end of radio, hall & oates, rancid, john mayer, christina aguilera, billy joel, grateful dead, nirvana, pearl jam

songs i'll listen to on repeat for hours: pass the mic - beastie boys, don't stop believin' - journey, motivation proclamation - good charlotte, solidarity - rancid, old stewball - peter paul and mary, sunday morning sunshine - harry chapin

broadway and musicals usually become movies or vice versa; both rule: annie get your gun, grease, music man, les miserables, phantom of the opera, cats, rent, a chorus line, annie, high school musical, little shop of horrors, wizard of oz

i feel like i'm jinxed and any great tv show i get into never seems to last or does stick around and starts to suck. i obviously (like the majority of america) have a love for reality tv too. while i prefer the ones that are a challenge of some kind i definitely get into some of the ridiculous ones just for laughs. anime is also something that i really enjoy watching although i don't know any specific shows. i'm also into the educational stuff and will stop on any channel airing a forensic show [reality preferred].

old, new, canceled, british, reality it's all here: arrested development, dexter, pushing daisies, dirty sexy money, modern family, merlin, community, one life to live, bones, house, cold case, jimmy neutron, fairly odd parents, naruto, freaks and geeks, invader zim, undergrads, clone high, young ones, myth busters, alf, mad men, quantum leap, battlestar galactica, my so-called life, golden girls, tin man [mini series], popular, party of five, voltron, ninja turtles [the early 90s cartoon], degrassi: the next generation, 30 rock, fringe, absolutely fabulous, the office [uk version], forensic files, cold case, samantha who, saved by the bell, united states of tara, royal pains, merlin, heroes, talk soup, best week ever, late night with conan, chelsea lately, ace of cakes, project runway, top design, shear genius, top chef

baking, riding my bike, world of warcraft [horde - troll hunter], jigsaw puzzles, crossword puzzles, camping, making collages, crafts [atc's YAY!], sewing, legos, video games, urban exploring, going to concerts, texting, going to the ballet, going to see musical theater [list of my favorites in a list above], writing short stories, playing board or card games, getting tattoos [i have 10 so far], traveling [only in the u.s. right now, but i really hope to get out of the country and see the world someday soon]

cupcakes [EVERYTHING cupcakes: making, eating, decorating, the way the look], mac & cheese, brownies, chocolate, all fruits [especially: peaches, star fruit & all kinds of berries], all veggies [especially: zucchini, brussel sprouts, asparagus] soups & stews, indian cuisine, bacon

postcards, stamps, coins, anything that has to do with: rats, cats & pigs, books, 80 memorabilia [mostly toys like: smurfs, voltron, my little pony, ninja turtles], tattoos on myself [hehehe], baking accessories, anything with cupcakes on it, crafting items, magazines with drew barrymore and beastie boys on the covers of them

ABOUT THE NEXT 6 MONTHS OR SO: the fall / winter months are quickly approaching and while i will still be doing swaps i wanted to write to everyone that this is also a time when depression becomes very heavy. i have days at a time where even getting out of bed becomes something i do more crying about than actually starting my day.

thankfully i'm on medicine, starting to get help and put my life together. i just want people to respect that i want to do these swaps but for me leaving the house in general is tough and in the winter leaving my bed and putting a smile on my face is even harder.

IN GENERAL: i tend to run a little behind with sending my swaps but i will ALWAYS, ALWAYS, ALWAYS get them sent out. i have some social anxiety and leaving the house to go to the post office sometimes takes a lot of courage on my part. it doesn't help that the post office seems to always be the biggest hassle on the planet anytime i go in there.

i also try my best if i know i'm having problems and running late to write everyone i'm sending to and let them know there is a swap coming so you don't think you're forgotten.

it's rare i'll run behind on ratings, that's usually if i'm away from home (which doesn't happen that often).

i give extras in just about everything i send that have to either do with the swap or things in your profile.

my favorite kind of swaps are ATC and postcards. i collect postcards & ATC's are a blast to make. i also love recipes; desserts are my favorite. i am in a baking pastry program so the more new and exciting tips, eats or even gear i can get the better! i'm also starting to get into the matchbox swaps and LOVE them!

TO PEOPLE SENDING TO ME: i wait a LONG time for swaps to arrive after the send date because i respect that life sometimes gets behind us and it may be late. but after 2 weeks or so i'll write you and, hoping all is well, ask where the swap is. after a few more days if i don't hear from you and see nothing in your profile about something happening i'll wait just a few days more before rating with the unfortunate "1".

the same goes for swaps that may not follow the exact guidelines of the swap rules. i would rather give you the chance to redeem and resend then get a "3" rating.

i ask that since i rate every swap i receive that people would do the same for me. so far i have had one swap that someone hasn't rated me on (a butterfly for me ATC) but i keep hoping she will remember and will rate me. :)

PLEASE DO NOT SEND: paper: i have so many endless amounts of scrap paper that the more i get it's becoming overwhelming instead of useful. unless you can find paper w/ cupcake patterns, that i would greatly appreciate! stickers: unless i'm singed up to a sticker swap, i am all good in that department. i love stickers, but it's just gotten out of hand w/ the amount that i have. i don't want to sound unappreciative to those who have sent me either of this, it was very sweet and i do love getting extras. i'm just saying for any future swappers, no more paper scraps or stickers please. thank you!