purplewhimsy

About me: I love walks under the moonlight on the ocean beach, connecting with friends, and dark chocolate. I am a hippy at heart.

I love nature, thinking, pondering, wondering, being filled with awe.

I love the smell of fresh brewed coffee, warm toast, GINGERBREAD, lavender, lilacs, lily of the valley, ocean breezes, and spring rain.

I enjoy going on serendipitous rides, and poking through used bookstores, old general stores, thrift stores and dollar stores.

Anywhere a bargain can be found, I like to find it!

I am 50-ish, blissfully partnered for 17 wonderful years with my true soulmate (who happens to also be an artist), and together we share a home with 2 cats and 2 delightful Pomeranians to keep me company during the day while my various health challenges, severe chronic pain, and other disabilities keep me home.

I used to be very active here on Swap Bot, but I grew tired of the swaplifters, and some very mean-spirited people here, and having to deal with the constant disappointment. Money for postage was always a challenge. And not finding any swaps worth participating in when I knew I would send out a great package but most likely get little more than crap back was tiresome.

My craft of choice changed to knitting, and there are very few good knitting-related swaps. the few people I finally connected with here were, some of them, still very "stuck up." I live not that far from one, and she has never once expressed an interest in meeting up for coffee, even when it was suggested by others in the group. I could tell she avoided me like the plague. Oh she was cordial, but not really friendly, if you get my drift. Why do I need that in my life?

And then I found the magic of Ravelry!!! Oh my, what lovely people are there! Always helpful and nice! We create magic on the Rav forums. I am one of the leaders of a very very very active forum with over 2000 members, and that's only one of hundreds of groups over there! It is a thing of beauty!

I have made some true online friends there. So many choices for participation, including swaps that don't get swaplifted, and people who share freely of their knowledge and love to help others. So opposite of the attitude I mostly find here on Swap Bot. Over here, its all about what can I get. Over there, it's all about helping each other. Huge difference!

So, obviously, my limited time for participation is better off spent somewhere friendly and nice. I found a tiny bit of that here, but not much. I've found bucket fulls of it over on Ravelry! There's just something awesome about knitters!

Good luck everyone! Hope you don't get swaplifted too many more times! Or baited and flamed over in the forums. It's so sad to see, because Swap Bot had so much potential, but not great leadership.

Maybe I'll be back......

I adore: RETRO HOUSEWIFE!
LITTLE BIRDIES, OWLS, SCOTTY DOGS, CATS, HEDGEHOGS, PENGUINS, FAIRIES, WOODLAND FORESTS, cupcakes, mushrooms, GNOMES, chickens
Dots & spots!!
Aunt Grace/30's pastel repro's
Gingham!
Mary Engelbreit
Almost anything food/fruit, coffee, tea, citrus
Winter themes like snowflakes, snow folks, gingerbread people and such are GREAT!

Color schemes I love:

red, aqua, pink and white
Anything purple and/or pink
Brights: Purple, kiwi (lime), fuschia, bright blue, orange, yellow
Pastels: pink, aqua, lavender, yellow, blue, very soft green Black & white; red & white; blue & white; but NO red, white & blue together, please!
Marbles (brights & pastels); tonals, Lavender/purple & yellow

Fabrics I don't care much for: mosty anything "dark" or "primitive" or "country" or americana or 4th of July/flag-themed. I also don't do Christmas and Halloween themes.

1. any magazine in good condition (faves would be craftsy, homemaking, recipes, women's mag such as Woman's World or First, but not fashion mags)
2. used cozy mystery or cook books
3. dark chocolate
4. embroidery supplies (pattern, tea towel, floss, needles, etc) PREFER DMC or ANCHOR FLOSS ONLY
5. sewing supplies (fabric, thread, pattern, magazine, book, etc.)
6. knitting supplies (needles, yarn, magazine, etc.)
7. craft or art supplies of any kind
8. dollhouse/fairy door (why? see http://www.urban-fairies.com)
9. old apron (not modern butcher-style) or pattern or anything related to old aprons
10. anything else of your choice (my profile probably gives good ideas)

Beauty goods such as make up or lotions. Items with a heavy scent or perfume. Incense. Dolls. Novelty yarns. Christian items. Country style type stuff. Anything that smells of cigarette smoke.

I love to decorate my home, and my taste is very colorful, whimsical, and artistic. I'm beginning to like "shabby chic" and cottage styles. My kitchen has eggplant-colored walls, and decorative items related to coffee.

I don't do Christmas, but I loves me some happy, colorful snow peeps and gingerbread peeps, too. I also like to decorate the house with seasonal garlands...... spring-ish things for spring, kites and beach and ocean-y things for summer, harvest-y and leaf-y things for autumn, and snow peeps, gingerbread peeps, tiny sweaters and mittens and hats for winter. Just nothing that looks/says Christmas, but anything that's generically WINTER is fine.