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November 19 update: We have a vicious stomach flu ravaging the house. I will be a bit late on swaps and will be recovered by Monday. It's gone through the entire family and I was not spared. Thanks for understanding.

About my Etsy store: If you email me that you found my store through Swap-bot, please take 50% off your second item of the same or lesser price. It's my way of saying thank you to everyone I've met here, and thanks for getting my store off the ground. Now that I'm disabled it's how I'm trying to cover the kids' tuition.

I joined the site in January and am so grateful I found it! Mother of 3, I enjoy machine embroidery, making gifts, cooking, gardening, reading and music. Especially enjoyable is my first grandchild, born in December '08. I had a series of operations for my knees, the most recent in September of '08, and as a result I've just learned that I am disabled, won't be working in the 'real world' any longer, and will need to make some changes because I'm a chronic pain patient. I'm learning patience, but slowly! One of my goals is to see if I can use my crafting skills to supplement our family income and cover some of the extraordinary expenses related to my situation and our son's condition. Our youngest has Asperger's Syndrome, and if anyone has a child on the autism spectrum, I'd love to share ideas - our son is an honor student at a college prep Catholic high school, and we think he's a miracle. He's inspired both our daughters - one to study to be a teacher, and another to plan a life as a Peace Corps worker. I'm a happy Florida resident - I miss Fall colors, but I can (and do) grow roses year 'round. Gardening is something I'm going to have to figure out how to do now, given my mobility and pain issues. The icon is a photo of our 'camp' in Vermont, where we escape from Florida's hot summers to pre-electricity paradise -- my folks bought the camp 40 years ago and it's Heaven on Earth. Also in Vermont is the wonderful King Arthur Flour Baker's Store - bread baking is a real passion. So if you have recipes to share ... I promise to do my best to think of things which will brighten your day - by reading your profile and tailoring my 'sends' to what I can learn about you. Seeing people ill and in pain during so many doctor's visits has taught me the value of kindness and unconditional friendship. And I promise to find something good in everyone. Rather than rate low, I'll always contact you to see what's up - I hope you'll do the same.

I enjoy the mysteries of PD James and Ellis Peters; biographies of all sorts; and collect old cook books (especially with historical recipes). And old children's books - the older the better, for both the beautiful language and the illustrations. Books on tape are a marvel for those long nights when I can't sleep for the pain.

To watch alone: Gone With the Wind To watch when I need a laugh: My Cousin Vinny. To watch with my family: To Kill A Mockingbird. And there is always something good coming out next week. Cheers for Netflix, which has just about everything!

I'm a veteran card maker but new to scrapbooking. My style focuses on vintage, antique looks, but I'm trying to branch out. Machine embroidery is a hobby, and I produce hundreds of shirts, blankets, and scarves for gifts and fundraisers at church. Always looking for something I can make as gifts, especially things I can make while stretched out on the couch, watching TV with the family - I can't just do one thing at a time (life is too short!).

The Office; Grey's Anatomy; Private Practice; Masterpiece Theatre; anything BBC or Python; Monk (who has Asperger's and OCD); Psych; ... everyone in my family is a 'character,' so we enjoy them every day.

I like anything vintage, Victorian, anything to do with books, baking, history, gardening. Favorite color - all shades of green, and deep jewel tones in other colors (the colors of Fall and the richness of Nature). My favorite foods - cheese, the stronger the better; chocolate; really good bread; anything my kids cook (and everyone in my family is a creative cook - it's our favorite way to spend time together). If you go to the trouble of making it, I am sure to like it - time is so precious that it has real value. Dislikes - I'm not thrilled about modern art but I'm willing to be surprised.

Since I'm in Wish List swaps, I need to make this more specific. Please remember that items don't have to be expensive to make me happy! ... anything handmade! ... die cuts from your machine - esp little aliens and characters ... vintage style papers for cards and scrapbooking ... unusual glass, ceramic or metal beads ... old Women's Day Magazines (my son loves the funny menus from decades past) ... old buttons, doilies and hankies ... anything Flower Fairies themed (if you are a UK swapper, please contact me for private swaps on the papers and stamps) ... plain blank cards and envelopes for cardmaking ... tattered quilts to love into blankets and wall hangings ... old holy cards with Saints pictures on them ... dried Fall leaves (Florida has two seasons: brown and green) ... bread recipes ... funky architectural items like doorknobs and bits of moulding ... unusual wine glasses - singles are great ... china cups and saucers ... wax and wicks - I can use parially burned candles because I reuse the wax! ... floppy disks (I make notebooks out of them) ... Peanuts, Beatrix Potter, and the EH Shepherd Pooh illustrations (also known as vintage Pooh) ... chipboard, cigar or wooden boxes ... empty Altoids tins (any kind of empty tin with a lid is great!) ... book plates to label my books ... photo paper ... formica chip samples for crafts ... anything Mary Engelbreit ... small mirrors ... appliques ... your handmade cards for ideas ... emails or notes from new friends ... a cure for autism.

... anything from a smoking home. Our son has asthma and we couldn't use it. Please try to quit - our kids lost a beloved grandfather to a prolonged, oxygen-dependent illness. Let me konw you are trying and I'll pray without ceasing for you! ... dollar store items. I've probably already bought it! ... images clipped from magazines. I've got plenty! ... this time of year it's tough to send chocolate to Florida. If you want to try, please put it in a plastic bag. I've gotten several packages lately which had all the contents coated in melted chocolate!

I'm collecting material for a web site to help preteens through adults understand how to be a friend to someone on the autism spectrum. The friends our son has made have been the miracles in his life, and made a difference we can't begin to describe. My web site will explain how an autism spectrum individual thinks and interprets the world, so it won't be so scary for people to try to be friends with someone with autism; to have them as a coworker; to be their college room mate. If you know someone on the autism spectrum (including Asperger's Syndrome), please send me a 'profile' of them, describing them, behaviors, and how they are both different and similar to a neurotypical person. No names are needed - I'm trying to include a wide range of personalities so every kind of person can be represented. Bless you for helping. If you know someone with autism or Asperger's, and reach out to them, believe me when I say that you are making a powerful difference. We know!

Flaker is another word for crook. If you can't make a swap on time, no worries - a message would be the thing to do. If you have personal problems, like illness or family matters, I also understand and sympathize. However, if you join the site to look around, sign up for a bunch of swaps, and just drop out because you find something better to do, you are -- frankly -- a thief. People spend money and time on swaps (and postage is not cheap), and send to their partners on the honor policy, expecting something from you. When you drop out, you steal from the group -- take your swap, and therefore get something you don't deserve. That is stealing.
Here are the flakers who have let me down: pocketcraft & 32 flavors: BOTH of my partners for a Ribbon Newbie swap - what are the odds? rainbowcrafter: Try Something New Craft kit- my first flaker. Thanks to the coordinator I did get a package. wooleyduck: Let's Share our Crafts - promises, promises, but no swap. And she's flaked on 20 more folks, but keeps chirping all over the internet. randimarie: the coordinator for RetroKitchen, AND my partner (lauramartin86) flaked on me as well, so there's nowhere to turn for help. cleanfreak25: has 4 aliases on the site, and burned me on the Cupcake Bag Swap. sarashine: flaker for cute purse swap.

Tags coming and going:

Tagged OpheliaQuilts for small M&Ms tin on 9/29