lttleetoile

Updated: August 6, 2018

My name is Erin. I am in my mid-thirties. I was previously very active on Swap-Bot, from 2011-2014, swapping ATCs, postcards, art and stationery supplies, fabric, and more. I hosted several PC and ATC swaps. When my husband, my two cats, and I moved to Florida in late 2013 (where we grew up) from Virginia/Washington DC, the depression and other mental illnesses I’d managed most of my life flared out of control.

Though I tried to occupy myself with buying a house and making it a home, I completely lost all creativity, as well as interest in anything (including swapping). My illness only worsened and grew more complicated through the years, and despite trying many doctors, therapies, and medications, nothing even took the edge off.

In May 2018, I finally found a duo of doctors that have the skills to help me progress towards happiness, peace, and renewed creativity! The talk-therapy sessions are longer than usual, extremely intense, and completely exhausting. But I am already seeing results: I am slowly trying to begin swapping again - both for the human connection as well as the art (my doctors are absolutely thrilled). I have not actually created anything yet, and that is frustrating, but I haven't given up!

Until this ordeal, I had been “creating” my entire life. I’ve written poetry, created 2-D art in a variety of mediums (including Zentangle), taken thousands of photographs (before phones had cameras), and experimented with a variety of 3-D crafts in paper and other mediums. My favorite was/is mixed media and collage, including ATCs, inchies, twinchies, paint chip bookmarks, albums/books, home decor, and more. In 2012-13, I started sewing and quilting all by hand, finishing many fabric projects, small bags, wall hangings and a completely handmade baby quilt. I love to do things with my hands without thinking - even during my illness, I made over a thousand origami paper cranes, hundreds of lucky stars, and even the favor envelopes for my brother’s wedding.

Right now, I am open to returning to any of those arts, and perhaps trying some new ones. I am actively pursuing the creation of a Bullet Journal, to help quiet my anxieties while also encouraging drawing, decorating, and so on. I am (slowly) cleaning out and decorating a spare room to be safe, creative, and peaceful for myself.

I also used to furiously swap postcards for my collection, numbering in the thousands (half blank/half written?). I was/am working on a collection of USA postcards with different state symbols, like the state bird, flag, map, flower, and picture of the state capital building. I hope soon to inventory my collection so I can post specific requests to continue this goal. I also want to create a similar world collection.

Current preferences: touristy (especially any that would fit into my state or world collections), as well as: any style art, from museums you’ve visited, sports/stadiums, funny and/or cute, nature/flowers, animals, vintage linen postcards, and any of my other favorites listed.

Please send PCs naked (written on/stamped), with the date, your location, swap name, and at least your username. I really prefer 4” x 6” size postcards. Please DO NOT send any of my dislikes or ad/free cards. Unless it’s really unique or would fit in my state postcard collection, please no Florida PCs - I have at least a thousand already!

• Mental health & PTSD Awareness - bust the stigma!
• Colors: all really, but definitely all purples and all blues; also bright pink, red, silver, gold, green, teal/turquoise, black & white, sparkle and shine
• Nature (flowers, butterflies, ladybugs, animals, trees, fruit, everything except non-cutesy birds).
• Cats, kittens, baby animals, almost all animals, except those listed in "dislikes".
• Hexagons - just love 'em! (In decor, design, to color...)
• The theme of time and symbols representing it: clocks, hourglasses, sundials, even just the numbers
• Angels, fairies, mermaids, dragons, and so on
• Cuteness - unicorns, cupcakes, rainbows, kitty cats (or any combination thereof).
• Disney (especially the princesses, female villains, and Alice in Wonderland); Jem and the Holograms, Rainbow Bright, the Care Bears, and other late 80s-early 90’s themes
• Whitney Avalon, the creator of “Princess Rap Battles” and other comedic music on YouTube. Her videos and songs are definitely NOT safe for work - but if you love profanity and extremely inappropriate vocabulary, you'll love her! (I actually am one of her "Patreons", and pledge a small dollar amount towards all of her creations.)
• History (Bachelor's degree/New College of Florida) - specifically modern European, WWII and the Holocaust, women's history, the French Revolution, etc.
• Museum Studies (Master's degree/Johns Hopkins) - I'm interested in learning about the museums in YOUR area, large and small. What was your favorite or most notable part of your visit?
• Simulation fantasy electronic games which sounds really silly being listed right after my academic interests. But oh well. I like games that have an in-game time mechanism: Animal Crossing (ACCF, -NL, -PC), Harvest Moon, Story of Seasons, Stardew Valley, The Sims 3 and 4, and the phone game Dragonvale (I need friends! PM me!)
• My reading preferences currently are young adult fantasy fiction, preferably with princesses, history, ships and sea travel, fairy tales (original or reimagined), or any combination of, happy ending required. (goodreads link above)

• Traveling items: LBs, FBs, bags, anything I have to send to someone else - except for swap specific.
• Gruesome, scary, horror, or gory. Goth, dark, etc is okay.
• Anything with smells, dyes, artificial flavors, etc.
• Items that spread glitter everywhere (glitter itself and items that do not shed at all are okay).
• Most current cultural, animated, or TV characters (except described above).
• Holiday or birthday items, especially no Christmas. (Seasonal stuff is okay.)
• Religious or political anything.
• Bicycles, birds that are not super-cute, spiders, guns, horses (unicorns preferred).

• Anything that might help me get inspired to do something creative. I'm so "blocked" and I'm really getting upset about it.
• ATC kits (or other craft kits, for anything) - send a few backgrounds, coordinating embellishments, and other supplies/elements
• Small punches, diecuts
• Surprises sent with me in mind!
• Washi tape
• Stickers, especially the “vintage” Lisa Frank, Sandylion, and Mrs. Grossman
• Stamps, embellishments, etc of my favorite things
• Precut ATC, Inchie, Twinchie backgrounds/blanks (Maybe others, like Coins or Rinchies?)
• Stamped images (I prefer black ink on white card stock at least ATC (3.5”x2.5”) size.
• Return address labels for me, both cute and professional-looking (not cute)
• Small top-spiral notepads for my purse; other notepads
• Bookmarks - without tassels, ribbon, string/etc
• Old trivia game cards (my husband and I love to quiz each other)
• Print-outs, old Valentines, or similar, that I can use to write love notes to my husband.
• Things featuring the letter E... being my first initial, as well as my toddler made-of-magic niece. (Actually, our last initials are the same too, but we have different last names.) I love to spoil her!

• I urge you to send properly-sized sturdy envelopes secured with lots of tape (especially if it's international), as well as the correct postage!
• Please make sure to rate my swap when you receive it. I always rate within a day of receiving. If you don't receive a swap from me, please message me! I will be more than happy to make things right! If I don't receive a swap from you, I will contact you. If I don't hear from you, I will rate you accordingly.
• Please do not send me anything you would not be happy to receive and don't forget to include your user name and the swap name in or on the swap.