mle

I am interested in swaps, especially in charm swaps and ATC swaps. I've worked in all sorts of mediums but mostly in paper and jewelry. I like to explore new techniques and mediums and look to have my creativity challenged.

I like making charms and cards from found objects and upcycled materials.

I've made several altered books and enjoy the rebirthing process of turning an unwanted book into a treasure.

I'm an RN and have a side job/apprenticeship at a bindery that restores and preserves old books and occasionally makes new ones.

I am an avid reader.

I like books about food such as Food in History; and Pickled, Potted, and Canned.

I like pretty much everything by Dorothy Gilman.

I like classics by authors such as Shakespeare, Dumas, Austen, Twain, Doyle, and Rand.

One of my top favorite books (I really can't pick just one) is Possession by A. S. Byatt. And I like that she is also a critic - means she writes quality stuff.

I like sci-fi/fantasy/romance by Mercedes Lackey, Tamora Pierce, Douglas Adams, Kurt Vonnegut, Diana Gabbaldon, and Isabel Allende.

I love old dictionaries with lots of pictures and truly aged pages.

I deeply appreciate handmade items... effort & risk taking is always admired!

Altered Books & Journals

Handmade books or restored books (bookbinding) - I like to reback and rebind old medical textbooks and medical books for home use.

The periods I like are the Renaissance, the Romantic period (Rosetti, Wm. Blake), and the "Arts & Crafts" movement (late 1800's to 1920's), the Silver Screen era.

I like Edward Gorey, Erte, Gustav Adolf Mosa, Aubrey Beardsley, William Morris, William Blake, Gabriel Dante Rosetti, Edward Burne-Jones, Frank Lloyd Wright, Dali, Maxfield Parrish, Andrew Wyeth (especially the Helga pictures), N.C. Wyeth, and pre-1900 lithographs. I like modern lithography too, but I really like the old stuff.

Steampunk

Anne Taintor

ATC's

My favorite colors are blue and green - I mostly like all the colors except orange and yellow - especially if I'm going to wear it.

Keys, old postage stamps, old dictionary pages and pictures, old sewing notions (I'm pretty well stocked on buttons and lace at the moment, thanks to so many generous swap partners), old gears, springs, washers, and cogs.

Embossed or punched foil pieces

Vintage anything - but not musty or moldy!

Glass, sparkly beads, gemstone, or metal beads (no plastic please)

Handmade charms

Glitter glue, glitter, confetti (in small amounts)

Old jewelery. It can be broken or have some stones missing. Single earrings are good and things with beads.

Interesting papers - especially handmade, marbled, pages with foreign (not English) languages, japanese paper, odd natural fiber paper, old maps (pre 1900)

Asian stationery sets

natural/ "handmade" wrapping paper from Ikea

Day of the Dead anything - skeletons/calaveras, papel picado, milagros, prints by Jorge Guadaleupe Posada

Mexican folkart - lucho, loteria, etc.

Fairy tales, folk tales and mythology from all cultures. I especially like the illustrations from fairy tale books.

patterns I like include paisley, vintage looking, travel inspired, Victorian and french flourishes. I like fleur de lis, peacock colors, butterflies, asian inspired, French or Latin American roosters (not the cute country ones), feminine - think Victorian, and the artists I listed above.

My favorite rubber stamp companies are 100 Proof Press, Oxford Impressions, Cherry Pie, Time to Stamp, Sugarloaf See-Ds, Blockheads, Stampers Anonymous. I'm putting this in here, not because I need or want any more stamps, but to give an idea of what I like.

I like to travel and plan to see the world. Some of my favorite places are San Francisco, England, Austin TX, and the Sonoran desert.

Not a fan of plastic pony beads, polyester yarn, plastic mesh crafts, needlepoint-type stuff

Not into "cutsey" stuff like Disney, kittens or puppies, babies or children, country or cowboy, sports, school stuff or super girly.

I don't like holiday themes, especially Christmas.

No religious items please, especially crosses.

No Hershey's Chocolate or Cadbury's made in the US by Hershey.