smilernpb

Edited: 10 October 2011

Hi, I'm Nicola. I am a 31 year old working mum-of-three living in the North East of England, United Kingdom.

I LOVE Swap-Bot (perhaps a little too much!). I love both sending and recieving letters, postcards and packages.

2010 was a really tough year for my family, due to an operation - a left hip arthroscopy - that my husband had. This operation was a result of many years of hip pain he had been having following a slipped oepefisis as a teenager. Due to the nature of his self-employment (being a motorcycle instructor) and due to to lack of help from the UK Government (through the benefits system) he had no option but to close his doors for the last time in the November. It was a truly heartbreaking and long drawn out decision, one sadly, we eventually had little control over. As a result, our family has undergone a complete role reversal. Hubby, still unable to work due to his constant hip pain, now looks after our 2 year old daughter during the day, and collects the older two children from school.

I really do appreciate the time and effort that people put in putting a swap together. However, it is important to know what your recipient likes and dislikes are, and so here we go:

HERE ARE SOME THINGS THAT I LIKE! :o)

Mugs (as in 'something to put your drink in') - anything with an interesting design on. China ones or those travel type ones (which would be pretty good for work, actually).

Scented 'sampler size' candles or scented tealights. I like fruity, bakery and/or flowery smells and I totally LOVE the Yankee Candle brand, and also the Partylite Candles.

Chocolate/sweets/candy also anything chewy/gummy (although please read my 'dislikes' below).

I love bath and body products eg. full size and/or sample size bottles or sachets of things like shower gel, body lotions, bubble bath, lip balm, face masks that kind of thing. If you are from the UK I love the Sanctuary Spa stuff from Boots!

Stationary - notebooks (A5 or A6 size), nice writing pens (any colour), lettersets and/or notecards (however, please I prefer notecards to be made from thicker card, and not thin paper).

Flavoured hot chocolate/cocoa sachets (but please NO coffee/mocha!). I love the Land o' Lake flavoured sachets and would like more of the following flavours only: Caramel, Butterscotch, White Arctic, French Vanilla, and Supreme.

Baking supplies - anything like sprinkles for cakes/cookies, cookie cutters (either metal or plastic), icing sachets, decorated cupcake/baking cases, recipe books etc. Time allowing, I like to bake this kind of thing with my eldest two children.

Anything Cath Kidston.

Anything Moomin!

Socks - I am particularly fond of the LONG knee high socks, but any kind are good. I have huge feet for a female - I am UK size 9. However, most 'one size' socks fit me OK.

I like comedy, romantic comedy and chick flick type DVD's (DVD Region 2 - Europe please) I do not mind previously watched DVD's as long as they are in good, watchable condition.

I enjoy reading chick flick books. I will read almost anything and really don't mind second hand books, as long as they are in good, read-able condition.

I am a UK size 12/14 which usually converts to a M.

My favourite band is METALLICA. Hubby and I went to see them (twice) in Norway in April 2010, and a four day holiday turned into an eleven day nightmare as we got stuck there due to the Ash Cloud! And we have just seen them at the Knebworth Sonisphere Festival in the UK in July.

Postcards from where you live, or where you have visited - with or without a handwritten message. If you choose to send them, I prefer them sent NAKED (no envelope).

My favourite colour is YELLOW. I also like purple, pink and silver.

Themes/designs that I like: strawberries, CUPCAKES, hearts, polka dots, OWLS, cats/kittens and BUTTERFLIES.

MY DISLIKES - please do not send me :o(

Anything coffee/mocha or aniseed flavoured. This includes coffee!

I'm not into papercrafts, so anything of this nature I cannot really find a use for.

Also, quite importantly - I am allergic to NICKEL, which is found in some costume jewellery. If you are in any doubt, please don't send me something that 'might' contain nickel. I'd rather not take the chance.

I will be taking part in some children's swaps, and so, in anticipation of this:

Bradley (male) is 9 years old. He was born in September 2002. His interests (besides his Nintendo DS and PS3!) are dinosaurs, trains/toy cars/trucks, and he LOVES Lego. He likes tattoos/stickers and colouring books/writing pads and pencils/pens. His other likes include Bakugan, Sponge Bob Square Pants, Fairly Odd Parents, Horrid Henry, Finneus and Ferb, Dinosaur King, Harry Potter, Hot Wheels/Matchbox cars (including the colour change cars) and any family/Disney film. He loves DVD's (Region 2). Because he is tall, he wears clothing suitable for a 10 year old. His favourite colour is green. He does not really eat candy/sweets - he prefers chocolate.

Megan (female) is 6 years old. She was born in March 2005. She also loves Lego (although her collection is much smaller than Bradley's, much to her disappointment!) and she likes Barbies, Moxie Girls and any kind of doll figure/teddy. She likes Harry Potter, Sylvanian Families, Disney Princess, Sponge Bob Square Pants, Harry Potter, High School Musical, Hannah Montana and Hello Kitty. She likes typical girly things like little handbags/coin purses and lip balm/gloss. She also likes colouring books/notepads, pens/pencils, and she enjoys books, comics/children's magazines and tattoos/stickers. M has a dolls house and would love anything that she can add to it. She would wear clothing suitable for a 7 year old. Her favourite colours are pink, purple and silver! She can be quite fussy with chocolate and candy/sweets but she does like lollies/suckers, but please only red or purple coloured ones - just don't ask why! lol

My second daughter, Bronte is 2 years old. Clothing wise, she would need 2-3 years. She loves Fisher Price Little People, Peppa Pig, Hunf, Tweenies, Dora the Explorer, however, saying that, she will play with pretty much anything, especially if a) it's not hers and b) she's not allowed to! Haha.

Finally my lovely hubby P is a size XXL in t-shirt. He likes white chocolate, motorcycles, Metallica, Aerosmith, keeping and tending to his marine fish and brewing his own beer! :o)

My current wishlist items are as follows:

From Anywhere:

Anything cupcake related - by this I mean either anything decorated with cupcake/s or things that will assist with the making of cupcakes/cookies.

Cupcake or biscuit/cookie recipe books.

Address labels - but PLEASE ensure you spell my name and my address correctly! (Believe it or not, I've been stung before!)

Thimbles - Bradley brought me one from a school trip towards the end of last year and I now have a collection of....FIVE! So I would like more to add to my collection! :o)

Anything Lego including figures, bricks, accessories and base plates etc (for Bradley and Megan - to share).

Barbie clothes - any kind (for Megan).

Any dolls house item - e.g. furniture, decoration, family person etc. (for Megan).

Specifically from the USA:

American Pop Tarts: Chocolate Chip, Hot Fudge Sundae, Frosted Chocolate Fudge, S'mores, Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough, Cookies and Cream, Apple Strudel flavours.

American Candy/Chocolate: Butterfinger, Mr Goodbar, Baby Ruth, Milky Way, Coconut M&M's, Hersheys Cookies and Cream chocolate, Hersheys Symphony Toffee and Almond chocolate, Now and Laters. I would absolutely LOVE some more Moose Munch Chocolate bars! :o) I have had them a couple of times and they were YUMMY.

I would really really LOVE the Yankee Candle Lip Balms in the following flavours: Buttercream, Sparkling Vanilla, Christmas Cookie, Sweet Strawberry and Vanilla Cupcake. Or any other fragrance.

Dr Pepper Lipsmackers. I did have some but I have no idea where they are now. :o(

PLEASE mark any packages as a 'GIFT', if you are given the option to do so. This is because I could get charged an import duty on them (especially if you send from the USA and outside of the EU). In the (albeit unlikely) event that I get charged an import duty, I regret that I will NOT be able to collect the items that you have sent me.

Finally, I am NOT a flaker, I always send my packages, if for any reason you have not received your package, please PM me and I will ALWAYS re-send (after a reasonable amount of time has passed since the first package has not arrived). I always rate when I receive swaps.

Thanks for taking the time to read my profile! :o)