saellys

I'm a feminist. I dig everything Keri Smith does. If I see a feather or an interesting piece of paper on the ground, I have no qualms with picking it up, and it will probably end up in a collage or piece of mailart. I spend a lot of time thinking about going on tour with my band, Smokemonster. I have two dogs who are awesome. I write letters and I make zines and I'm starting a rock 'n' roll camp for girls in my hometown in southwest Missouri. My handwriting is awful.

I had a baby in October 2011! If you're inclined to include any baby things in swaps, please make them gender-neutral. I am all about handcrafted baby items made with natural materials. Bright colors are great.

I tend to avoid swaps that involve buying things. Reason number one is that I don't have a lot of money and participating in swaps can get expensive just with postage. Reason number two is that I find it intensely difficult to shop for other people (and even for myself--I often have a clear picture of what I want in mind and I usually can't find it in a store), so I prefer to make things instead.

I rate a five if your swap meets the requirements and isn't excessively late without communication. I give a heart if I really really loved what you sent--and if I don't, please don't be offended. Not only am I super picky, but Swap-bot is mainly a reason for me to do creative things on a regular basis, and I actually keep a very small amount of the items I receive; usually I reincorporate them into other swaps as extras. 'Tis better to give, as they say.

I rate everything I receive within 24 hours, and I always send my swaps and communicate if they will be late. I go to the post office twice a week and I don't mark my swap sent until it's been dropped off there. If you don't receive something from me, send me a message and I'll resend it ASAP.

I blame my dad's tendency to take on a new hobby/moneymaking venture every six months or so for my own crafting ADD. I have tried and will try just about anything (though I'm not a fan of scrapbooking since so much of it is based on products and not actually making things from scratch).

Perennial favorites include bibliopegy, hand-carved stamps, zinemaking, friendship bracelets, mailart, painting (watercolor and acrylics, usually, but if I'm feeling ambitious I'll do oils), recycled material collages in the form of postcards and ATCs, custom envelopes, leave-behinds for guerilla art, and small assemblages. I've recently gotten into felting wool.

MUSIC

Radiohead, Gogol Bordello, Leonard Cohen, Laura Marling.

MOVIES

Gattaca, The Empire Strikes Back, Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind, The Fall, 28 Days Later.

TV

Sherlock, Game of Thrones, Battlestar Galactica.

BOOKS

A Game of Thrones, 1984, The Golden Compass, The Little Prince.

COLORS

In pairs: teal and orange, brown and powder blue, vermillion and robin's egg. Alone: purple, grey, chartreuse. I'm not a fan of pink.

ANIMALS

Foxes, ferrets, ravens, dogs, mice, sparrows, peacocks, elephants, giraffes. I prefer realistic renditions, or at least stylized representations in the tradition of Native American or African tribes, rather than cartoony "cute" animals.

ITEMS

• one-inch buttons
• Polaroids and vintage photos
• objects from nature (small feathers, seashells, pretty rocks, etc.--nothing that will mold or disintegrate in transit, please!)
• ATCs
• small antique items whose functions are not readily apparent
• skeins of embroidery floss
• linen bookbinding thread
• tarot cards
• interesting non-plastic buttons
• washi tape
• wool roving
• baker's twine
• letters and mail art
• vintage date stamps
• "Hi, My Name Is" labels
• old skeleton keys
• rosaries (especially with wooden or glass beads)

• scented items (I have no sense of smell)
• stickers
• tea
• glitter/sparkly stuff
• kawaii or conventionally "cute" items
• holiday-themed items
• cosmetics, moisturizer, lip balm, and the like
• store-bought postcards (it's more fun to make your own!)
• edibles

catnipitis went above and beyond when she angeled the Destash My Craft Stash swap! People like her make Swap-bot a fantastic community.