moonswings

I'm a genealogical researcher, speaker, and educator who is self-employed and works full-time from home doing research for clients or preparing genealogy presentations for conferences and institutes.

My husband & I have been married for 25+ years, and have always lived in Michigan, which is lovely in the spring, summer and fall. Winter is another matter entirely (unless you love the cold and snow).

We don't have any children but have an adorable 10-year-old, 20-pound, black & white beagle/Jack Russel mix named James. We live on a remote, rural piece of property out in the country, and James loves being a country dog.

I was born to be an artist. My first creative memory is of being 3 years old and coming across a bottle of Elmer's glue and a jar of multi-colored glitter. I took them both into my bedroom, tipped the glue upside down, and watched in amazement as it pooled into a palm-sized puddle on the shag carpeting. After rubbing it deeper into the carpet, I added a healthy sprinkling of the glitter, rubbed that deeper into the carpet, and was delighted at the resulting creation! My mother, discovering the hard, dried palm-sized creation a week later, was not so delighted.

50+ years later, I still cannot get enough of glitter (especially in shades of bright pink/fuchsia), and I've developed a magnificent passion for paper, as well. During our recent move, I discovered I have enough specialty paper to last me for about 5 more lifetimes. :-)

I studied music in undergrad with a 4-year music scholarship focused on composing music in a classical style for piano, choirs & orchestras. Take a wild guess how marketable that was. That's why I'm a genealogist. :-)

I also enjoy listening to the local NPR station and classical music station, but am basically contemporary-music illiterate. I have no idea who's popular these days in pop, rock, country, folk, and rap music.

I love reading contemporary fiction, historical fiction, and cozy mysteries. My favorite books are Carlos Ruiz Zafon's, and Pamela Schoenewaldt's. Both authors' writings are so incredibly different from one another, but I love them immensely and re-read their work every couple of years.

Papercrafts are, by far, my favorite. For many years, I taught various paper arts classes at our local Rec & Ed. I love making greeting cards (which I've done almost exclusively for the past few years), ATCs, art journals, handmade books, and altered books.

I collect new or used stamps from any country to use in artwork. I prefer vintage (pre-1970) stamps that were printed with only a single color, regardless of subject matter. I especially like the old 1¢ through 10¢ stamps (including the 1/2 ¢ stamps) that are printed in all blue, all green, all red, all brown, or all purple/pink. If you do not have these for a swap, my next favorite are those with birds or butterflies.

COLORS: My favorite color is glitter! Especially if it's pink/fuchsia. I also love deep, vibrant jewel-toned shades of amethyst, sapphire, ruby, and emerald.

IMAGES: Birds, butterflies, flowers, trees, maps, sheet music, oceans/lakes/streams, mountains, farm animals, dogs

DRINKS: coffee (unflavored) w/cream, sparkling white wines, bourbon, and pre-Prohibition cocktails.

VACATION SPOTS: Venice, Italy; Paris, France; any rural English, Irish, or Scottish countryside; and deserts in the American southwest.

HOLIDAY: Christmas. I love the holiday cheer, the reds & golds, the candles & lights, the Christmas tree & greens on the fireplace mantles, the carols... I love it all!

I scare easily & dislike things that might be considered scary, dark, or macabre. I'm also not a fan of cutesy or cartoon-y things. Please don't send the following:

• bugs
• robots
• skulls
• skeletons
• vampires
• zombies
• witches
• doll faces
• clown faces
• Hello Kitty
• Kawaii or similar
• anything religious
• anything sci-fi or post-apocalyptic
• anything with smoking odors