sofiafenntatum

Hi! I live near the Oregon coast in a small town in the country with my husband, daughter, and two dogs. Our puppy is an adorable Australian Shepherd, and our sweet older dog is a miniature Shitzu. I am studying Cultural Anthropology and Social Psychology part time. We live in a valley surrounded by one of the largest national forests in the US, with mountains that can be seen in every direction. The vineyards in Oregon are breathtaking, especially Kingwood Estates. Living in the Willamette valley is great for wine tasting, visiting small breweries, and a thriving local art scene. I visit Portland, Salem, or Newport as often as I can for the museums. This spring we went to two TEDx conferences, which was fantastic. We go to all the interesting lectures we can find, and watch a lot of documentaries. I plan to work in the non-profit sector one day. Fun fact: we are very non-traditional, my husband does all of the cooking, and it's amazing.

I enjoy sending and receiving mail, both within the US and internationally, because it's fascinating to see a glimpse of what life is like elsewhere. I love to travel, although it has been limited to the US mainly, but we intend to travel internationally one day. It will be hard to choose where to go first! Germany is at the top of the list, as well as Italy, France, Spain, the UK, India, just to name a few.

I love all types of cards and postcards, especially of sunsets with landmarks or beautiful architecture in the background. I love art, just about any type aside from abstract. Mucha, Kahlo, Klimt, Rivera, Van Gogh, Vermeer, and Hiroshige are among my favorite artists. I love to receive cards that show what other places look like, even simple pictures. I would love it if you could write something about where you live and what life is like there.

I am really into painting, drawing, journaling, altered books and making jewelry. I don't scrapbook, I make altered books for my journaling. I save everything when we travel. I also do a lot of writing, mostly short stories and some occasional poetry.

General Wish List:

I am totally happy to receive found things, second hand, hand made, original art, or something that you already have that is listed on my profile wish list.

*Matryoska or nesting dolls, handmade dolls

*Sugar skulls, Day of the Dead

*Coins, paper currency, hand made crafts/art, postage stamps, particularly in languages other than English.

*Pressed pennies.

*Key chains, local touristy things.

*Fridge Magnets of any thing interesting, inspiring, beautiful, unique, or of animals, city/landscape, state or country, etc.

*Spiritual/sacred items: prayer beads, miniature carvings, prayer cards
from all religions and cultures. Rosaries, malas, inexpensive medallions of patron saints or artwork on cards.

*Tarot card decks

*Postcards/cards; vintage, new, etc. Favorite themes: Art, religious temples, cathedrals, scenic views, people, famous landmarks, ruins, castles, cities, animals, and anything with languages other than English.

*Tea. I love all black and green teas, especially caramels or vanilla blends. I drink herbal tea in the evenings, all types. My only dislikes are plain green tea or rooibos.

• Chinese New Year type envelopes

*Nutcrackers, doves, reindeer

*Angels

*Glass or crystal beads

*Hand made decorations, coin purses, jewelry

*Anne Taintor type sarcasm

• The animals I love are foxes, dogs, wolves, horses, whales, elephants with trunks pointing skyward, dolphins, and hummingbirds, birds of all types. I also like some mythical creatures, such as phoenix's, dragon's, and unicorn or pegasus art.

My favorite colors are along the pink to dark fuschia spectrum or sky blue to Indigo spectrum, especially with combinations of gold or silver. I also love crimson red. I have different color schemes in every room, so anything I receive can be incorporated into my collection somewhere. I frame my favorite cards, others I pin around my very large world map, which I am marking with all of the places I have received mail from.

I particularly love day of the dead sugar skulls. All Souls Day is something I celebrate as well.

I also collect Christmas decorations and trinkets of all types. Especially ornaments that are shiny and sparkly that can be on display the rest of the year. I make crystal, glass, and painted wood and ceramic decorations every year for gifts, as well as crystal and glass bead bracelets with toggle clasps. Nice beads in glass or crystal would be much appreciated for crafting with, in any color.

I like kawaii, love sentimental circus (theres something about that rabbit), anime, etc, but not a fan of Disney characters, Harry Potter or Twilight themes.

Favorite books in fiction: The Handmaid's Tale, The House of the Spirits, The Book Thief, The Pearl That Broke It's Shell, The House on Mango Street, The Secret Language of Flowers, Tell The Wolves I'm Home, 100 years of Solitude, The Alchemist, The Red Tent, anything by Hemingway, Shakespeare, Toni Morrison, Jodi Piccoult, Anita Shreve, Isabel Allende, Vonnegut, Tolstoy...too many to list.

Non fiction: The Meme Machine, In The Realm of Hungry Ghosts, Meaning, Medicine and the 'Placebo Effect', The Psychopath Test, Man's Search For Meaning.

Favorite movie: Frida. Also, Amelie, Cloud Atlas, Something The Lord Made (with Alan Rickman), The Fountain, The Grand Budapest Hotel, Bladerunner, Say Anything, Practical Magic, Chef, The Age of Adaline, The Wedding Crashers.

The shows we watch are Orphan Black, Game of Thrones, The Walking Dead, Modern Family, Last Week Tonight.

Thanks for reading!