moonswings

Hi! I'm Katherine, I’m 40 years old, married for almost 13 years to a tech writer/Army Reserves officer (who's very NON-artsy/craftsy, much to my dismay and persistent begging), and I play mom to two geriatric (yet rambunctious) beagle-beasties. And if fate decided to bless us in this regard, I hope to someday also have a human baby, too. We’re working hard on that. :)

I live in Michigan, which is lovely in the spring, summer and fall; but I hate the winters - they can be very depressing for someone like me who hates the cold and has zero interest in snow/ice sports. :(

I've lived in Michigan my whole life, but I've never acclimated to the cold, gray winters - they seem to last forever, and they suck the life right out of me. So if you're my partner in a January or February swap, PLEASE send me some sunshine! :)

I'm an artist by trade and a teacher by necessity (art hasn't been paying our bills lately). I substitute teach for the local schools, and I teach paper arts and genealogy classes for adults in our Community Recreation & Education department.

I was born to be an artist and a crafter - my first memory of playing with art is being 3 years old and stumbling upon a bottle of my mom’s white glue and a jar of multi-colored glitter. I snuck them 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! Needless to say, my mother’s reaction was less than positive when she discovered the dried clump a few days later - SORRY, MOM!!! :)

More than 35 years later, I STILL can’t get enough of glitter, and I've developed a passion for paper along the way, as well.

I got bit by the paper bug after attending a scrapbooking workshop, and quickly realized that I was more interested in the scrapbook papers than I was in the photos. :)

Other than arts and crafts, I also love researching my own (and my clients’) genealogy; traveling to new places and visiting their art museums, antique shops, cafes, and rummage sales; and I REALLY love animals of all furry persuasions (except furry spiders). I hope to have my own petting zoo someday, even though hubby insists he'll never be a country guy. I refuse to give up my dream, though!

Poltically, I’m a liberal democrat and I’ve recently created political art (for the first time!) that reflects my disappointment with our current administration’s belief that, as a superpower, the USA is above the same laws we ask others to abide by (visit my blog for pics of my political art).

I aspire to be a gardener, and I've always fantasized of strolling through a meadow filled with flowers, wearing a long, flowing gown and a floppy straw hat, swinging a straw basket at my side, filling it with fresh flowers... but alas, the only plants that grow in my garden are those that thrive on neglect - who knew tomatoes & basil could grow under those conditions? My summer pasta sauces are amazing! :)

I studied music in undergrad with a 4-year scholarship, and I still enjoy composing music in a classical style for piano, solo voice, choirs and orchestras.

I also enjoy listening to classical music, and I'm basically contemporary-music illiterate. I have NO idea who's popular these days in pop, rock, country, folk, rap, etc. But I can talk about Bach, Brahms, Beethoven and Vivaldi for hours! :)

Another kind of music I really enjoy is classic jazz, especially the old-style vocalists like Ella Fitzgerald, Nina Simone, Louis Armstrong, and their peers.

And I'm a huge Windham Hill fan - I especially love their Winter Solstice CDs and I enjoy listening to them even in the summer. :)

I LOVE reading contemporary fiction, love, Love, LOVE it! One of the pleasures that hubby and I share is a love of reading before bed (I imagine that'll chance if we ever become parents).

I read an average of two novels a week, and I especially enjoy reading mysteries that are categorized as psychological thrillers.

I don't like true crime, horror, or vampire/fantasy books, though. I just get too scared, too quickly & easily. Suspense I can handle, but blood & gore? Not so much.

Papercrafts are, by far, my very favorite, and I make LOTS of ATCs, handbound books, altered books, and greeting cards.

I've been making large abstract art pieces by collaging some of my favorite handmade and specilaty papers, focusing more on the colors and textures than the overall design.

I also enjoy crocheting, and often have a blanket project in progress (which I tend to work on only when we're traveling and I'm stuck in a car).

I recently discovered loom knitting - and I'm hooked (ha ha!). I've been making scarves and hats and now I'm going to try my hand at an afghan on the loom - so if you know of any easy patters for knitting a loom afghan, let me know! :)

ANIMALS: dogs, elephants, pigs

COLORS: deep jewel-toned shades of sapphire, ruby, emerald and amethyst

CRAFT SUPPLIES: rich, luxurious ribbons and fibers, beautifully textured papers, sophisticated stickers and die-cuts, laser printed clip art collage sheets, vintage laces,

DRINK: Coffee, Hot buttered rum

FLAVORS: chocolate, coffee

HOLIDAY: Christmas, but I'm not Christian. I just love the holiday cheer, the reds & golds, the candles & lights, the Christmas tree & greens on the fireplace mantles, the carols... I love it all!

SCENTS: warm fall scents (toasted hazelnut, cinnamon spice, pumpkin, etc)

VACATION SPOT: Venice, Italy

I scare easily, and I really do not like things that might be considered scary or macabre, especially old doll faces - some of them REALLY FREAK ME OUT!

Those UGLI dolls scare me, too - actually, all toys/stuffed animals with pointy teeth or horns or scary eyes just give me the creeps.

I'm totally freaked out by goth stuff, especially skulls, skeletons, vampires, witches... Yeah, I'm a wimp, but I'm okay with that. :)

I'm also not much of a fan of cutesy or cartoon-y things like Hello Kitty or Kawaii or anything featuring tons of pastel colors.

And I really hate the smell of cigarette smoke on things that get mailed to me, so I usually just throw it right into the trash. Sorry - it's not that I judge smokers, it's just that I can't stand the smell.