ATTENTION KNITTERS

I've recently come across an AWESOME website
The Mother Bear Project they have a pattern that you can knit (or crochet) to make a bear. They send these bears as comfort to children infected or affected by HIV/AIDS in emerging nations. It's really awesome and so very simple! If you're interested in getting the pattern or checking it out, please PM me!

Well okay, onto the important ME stuff haha -

I live in Palm Desert California with my boyfriend and 2 dogs. I have a doxie mix named B-Bop and a miniature dachshund puppy named Rocksteady (we call her Rocksy). I have the best boyfriend, Brendan, we just bought our first house together Dec. 08. It's scary and awesome at the same time! When the weather permits, we like to work on the yard and are constantly trying to improve it and make it OURS :-) I love postcards (Stamped and written on), movies (No Scary Movies!), traveling, knitting, crafting, sewing, my family, my dogs, all things dachshunds, music, fantasy/sci fi books! I love to read as much as possible.
I love love love Nightmare Before Christmas! I love all that sort of Halloween stuff. Not the really scary stuff but I love this holiday. I hate haunted houses though. I don't know why people try to talk me into them, they seriously make me want to cry. I don't know why!
I'd love to have a garden but I live in the desert and not much can survive 120deg. I love Zoo's gadgets, pockets (on things like dresses where you don't expect them), pictures, my iPhone (when is swap-bot going to have an iPhone app??? I would pay money for that!!), magazines, food, sunshine and rain. I volunteer at the zoo once a week and I love the goats that I work with! I wish I could do it more often! This is a picture of me helping hold to to get her nails cut
I like to keep all the books I've read and hope to one day have a library. I just bought an awesome stamp on etsy that says from the library of.. and I'm going to stamp all my books :-) I LOVE getting mail and being friends with our mail carrier. I love going to doggie events and hanging out with my dogs. I love to create and would love to someday make a living of it somehow! Sewing is a new hobby and I want to make so many things!! Wish I had enough money to buy everything I want haha I've started collecting dachshund fabric. Anytime I see something new or different with doxies on it, I HAVE to have it!
I love to drink tea, I love when people put thought and effort into things. I'd like to be more in tune with nature, I wish I lived somewhere where I felt more in touch. I miss real trees. I love things that are homemade and with love, I'm amazed by people that can make things so well. I love trees and the ocean, but I live where we have neither. Hopefully one day I'll have at least one if not both :-) I love the 40's and 50's, the style, the look, everything. I would love to have a style like that. I also love the look of Mad Men, his wife is a good example of the look I love!! My mom is the one that got me interested in this site (and in postcrossing). She's a mail carrier so I figure all the mail I send out and receive is like job security for her haha She's the best mom in the world.

Misfits, Beatles, Styx, Rush, Tool, Starship, Allison Krauss, Flogging Molly, Edgar Winter, Queen, I love old rock and Roll mostly! Also love my dad, he's a drummer, I always love to watch him play especially with the Sugar Daddy Swing Kings!

• The Sookie Stackhouse Series, love the show too!
• the Mercy Thompson Series, similar to the sookie books, but less vamps/more wolves/coyotes
• the Night Huntress series by Jeanienne Frost
• Jean Auels books
• the black dagger brotherhood series by JR Ward
• Harry Potter series
• Everything by Marion Zimmer Bradley, especially the Avalon series Forest House was the first one I read and fell in love,
• Fiona McIntosh, her trilogies are soo great
• Charlaine Harris or
• Patricia Briggs.

I like mostly fantasy books, vampire books, werewolves crafting books, things about old ireland, celts and such. I seem to like books with female leads, mostly paranormal, vampires, werewolves, little bit of romance tossed in (but not just regular romance books booooring) or in the past. I'm also a big X-men fan! I'm always open to new things/authors! If it has vampires, wizards/witches, werewolves or something of the sort theres a good chance I'll like it! Also I really like trade paperbacks for some reason. The ones that are bigger then a regular paperback but still paperback and smaller than a hardcover. They just fit my hands better I guess :-) But I'll take anything!!
You can check my amazon wishlist for books I'm interested in and my goodreads for books I already have. I update both regularly!

I love watching TV, I'm a big HGTV fan! Also love these shows:

• LOST! I am obsessed with Lost!
• Chuck
• Heroes
• Dexter
• Fringe
• 30 Rocks
• True Blood
• The Office

I have a serious movie problem. We got all the time and have Hundreds of them at home! Off the top of my head, these are some faves:

• Boondock Saints
• Office Space
• Newsies
• BioDome
• Nightmare Before Christmas - :LOVE Nightmare stuff, have a psuedo collection going!
• Outsiders
• The Notebook
• Portrait of Dorian Gray
• all the Harry Potters
• Yellow Submarine
• Grandma's Boy
• I love you man
• the whole X-Men franchise (including the new Wolverine)
• Usual Suspects

I'm pretty new to crafting! Really I just love making things! I like to scrap a little, I knit a lot, I'm just learning how to do anything beyond a scarf or square shape so any hints would be helpful. I'm learning to sew and I totally LOVE LOVE LOVE it. I would love some patterns and ideas! I like to make tote bags/simple purses, I would love to make dog clothes or pet related things, and just things that I can give people as gifts! I just really really love making things! Any patterns, thread, floss, fabric is welcome! I also have just started making cards and am having a blast. I LOVE rubber stamps (clear cling ones are great too). I'm have lots of fun making holiday cards! I would like to learn to make soap and things like that, I like to make things for my dogs, I like to make presents for friends and family. I'm really interesting in anything crafty so if you have something cool, tell me about it! Also, I was recently at the craft store and saw the Friendly Forest embellishments/paper stuff and fell in LOVE. I think all of it is SO cute! Anything from that line would be GREATLY appreciated! and with my new love of sewing, I've gotten quite obsessed with fabric! I especially love dachshund or dog related to I can make bags for the Dachshund Rescue and I love reto-y looking fabrics, pretty and cute things :-)

• Also, I'm not really into ATCs, Dotees, Slams, FBs, Deco? Actually I don't even know what half of those things are but I see them on the site a lot so I just wanted to put that out there haha
• Also, I have a TON of scrapbooking stuff, so if anyone wants to trade for other stuff let me know! I need to get it off my hands!!

Things I can Make or Have for Trades:

• tote bags
• knitted scarves
• handmade dog collars
• zippered pouches
• quite a few mystery books
• postcards
• scrapbooking/papercraft embellishments
• crayon and paper holder for kids
• checkbook holders with card slots
• book covers
• i have an extra set of plastic size 15 (10mm) knitting needles
• quite a few older scrapbooking magazine, all in good condition
• i'm still learning to make other things, will add them here as I get better haha

I love postcards! Any kind is good, but I love cards with dachshunds, beaches, castles, beautiful scenery, animals of all kinds! Also, due to a REALLY bad homemade card, please don't send these to me. If you're just going to glue two pieces of paper together I would rather get nothing at all. No ad cards or cards in envelopes! I like my cards naked! Thanks!!

My boyfriend is into building and making things, he's very good at it. He likes video games and tools and learning about computers and such. He's amazingly talented at what he does. My dogs are B-Bop and Rocksy. B-Bop is 3, he's a doxie mix, about 13 lbs and recently passed his canine good citizen test! Rocksy is about 10 months, miniature dachshund. She's about 8 pounds but thinks she's 50. She's super sassy! We're new first time home buyers, love working on the house and making it better. I try to cook but not always successful. I'm more of a baker. Trying to grow a garden, but we'll see how it goes. I hate laundry and mopping, but love to vacuum.

I don't mind handmade items, but I don't want junk. Please don't just glue two pieces of paper together and call it postcard. I always send out on time and I rate as soon as possible. I love swapping and am open to private swaps, especially anything wiener dog/dachshund related, fabrics, BOOKS, or anything crafty really! Thanks! FLAKERS I really look forward to every swap I do and it REALLY bums me out when I get nothing in return. So here's the couple I've been flaked on so far:

• Stuff a Pair of Socks! - feistyfoodie - she said she resend 6/1, will update when I receive
• $25 Amazon WishList Surprise! - LoveOfKids she's now fully suspended
• A Nice Relaxing Evening Swap - chunkamonka account deleted
• Beachy Swap - johaha111 hasn't been on in weeks. Angeled by * @kthankxbye * - Thank you!!
• Sender's Choice PC Swap-June (US Only) - @RadioactiveEmo - angeled by host @stiffneck78 Thank you!
• Handmade Bags Swap - @postalmomma - said she sent but never received, said she'd resend but hasn't been on swap-bot since. Bummer.
• International pen pals - @dejavuthriftshop - hasn't been on Swap-bot since she "sent". Angelled by awesome host * @aubreysmommy912 *

NON RATERS

• Grab a Book Swap USA Only - @friendshipforever - sent me a message saying she got it but never rated now is partially suspended
• Doggy-licious... Treats for Our K9 - @SHELTIEBLESSED - delivery conf says it was delivered but never rated

• Postcard Chaos Swap #1 - @crush - is now partially suspended, probably not coming back!

  If things change and I receive these then I'll take them off the list. Until then here they stay.

Of course anything you think I'd like I would love to receive! I'm also open to private swaps so if you're interested, PM me and we'll set it up!! My favorite swaps are usually tea swaps, book swaps or profile swaps. But I'm open to anything! I just really love swapping! Here are some things I really would love to have:

• yarn (some I really like is Moda Dea Tweedle dee. SO awesome, but I can only find it online here! Also want to try Spud & Chloe but don't have it here!)
• cool fabric - especially if it has dogs and dachshunds on it. Or cool retro prints
• cool buttons ( I have little jars I like to fill up)
• stamps and inkpads - anything, rubber or clear whatever that stuff is called :-)
• zippers
• cool patterns, for anything, sewing, embroidery, knitting. i love making bags or wallets things that I can give as gifts :-)
• anything with a coconut or citrus (more grapfruity than lemony) smell
• teas, especially greens and herbals
• books -see above! I'm trying to read as many books as possible in 2009! My goal was 100 but I don't think I'll hit it, so I think my new goal is 75. I also keep all my books, I want to have a library one day!
• things for my dogs
• anything dachshund related, I have short hairs, black and tan and chocolate and tan
• recipes, I'm a crappy cook but i want to learn!
• tote bags
• bamboo knitting needles - I realized I like these much more and basically only have size 6 and 8 in them, I want all size and also circular needles.
• any kind of holder, jars, pockets, drawers, I love organizing and having places for everything.
• homemade soap (I think you people that make it are so cool, I wish I could do it!)
• postcards
• egyptian stuff - I hope to see the pyramids one day!
• Irish/Celtic stuff - I want to go to Ireland So bad!
• candy - if it has sugar in it, I probably like it!
• anything related to the show Lost
• anything Nightmare before christmas!

That's all I can think of for now! I'll add things as I think of them! I hope this helps you!

I feel weird putting things I don't like, but hopefully this will help people out when doing swaps with me. I'll continue to add as I can think of things

• I LOVE Chocolate but please don't send it between basically Apr-Oct.. It gets WAY too hot here and always melts
• black licorice
• coffee
• scary movies (like gory stuff, I don't mind good movies, just not Saw and junk like that)
• Kawaii/Cutesy stuff - just not into it
• yucky bugs
• I don't really wear much jewelry, but no earrings at all please. They all bug my ears
• free/ad postcards
• incense or patchouli

Boy this dislike section is harder then it sounds. I'll keep adding as things pop into my head!