Hi! I'm an American living in Berlin, Germany...I'm a formerly avid synchronized swimmer (can't find the time now!) and love things such as learning new languages, traveling, writing, collecting stickers, reading, etc. etc.

I'm a mom to two children - my beautiful little girl that was born on July 2010 and my precious baby boy who was born on November 2013. Since becoming a mom, I've learned how much effort it takes to be one! I guess you don't understand how much your mom did for you until you become a mother yourself :o)

• I reuse packaging and envelopes when I mail items out.

• I also use notecards only to protect the swap, I never write in them because I figure that you can then use them again, either for another swap or for a letter :) When sending me a swap, if you could do the same, that would be awesome!

I pledge to rate the day I receive a swap!

I also pledge to not send you any CRAP! I always really carefully read my partners' profiles and try to only send items I think they would like and use. If I'm having trouble getting a swap together, I ASK my partner what they might also like. I would really appreciate it if my swap partners would do the same, thanks!

If you have any questions or problems, please just send me a message and will get back to you as soon as I can. I'm a very honest person and do make sure that I send out each swap on time. In the case where I am late, I also inform my swap partner beforehand. I send all of my swaps and would never cheat someone out of their share. Please take into consideration that I am 6 - 9 hours ahead of people in the US and 7 - 10 hours behind people who are in Australia / New Zealand, but I will respond to you as soon as I can! I'm usually only logging on when my kids are asleep, if I haven't passed out with them.

Most everything! I love being exposed to new music, I'm a very open person!

I enjoy reading all sorts of books. Book recommendations are always appreciated.

I appreciate independent sorts of films but also enjoy blockbusters. I have a tendency to really like films that put other people (and past boyfriends) to sleep...for example: 1. Harold and Maude....2. Watership Down...3. Somewhere in Time....4. Birth...etc. etc. etc...

My recent favorite movie genres:

• Generation X

• Dystopian

• Steampunk

• Paranormal love stories - for example, the Twilight series, Let Me In, Warm Bodies...

I enjoy and miss American television! Reality t.v. (Survivor, The Amazing Race), documentaries, comedies, anything. I also like British t.v. as well. With German television, I usually like to watch their comedy skit shows and their documentaries are pretty good. Other than that though, I really don't enjoy German television. :o(

At the moment, I'm not doing any crafts...hardly any time for it with my little ones! However, I first started creating crafty sorts of things when I was 7 (sewed my first felt Christmas ornament), my grandma taught me to use the sewing machine when I was 11. Since that time though, I really didn't do much with sewing, besides the occasional clothing tear repair, sewing a button that fell off or creating a synchro headpiece for my competitions. With Swap-Bot, I've been able to get back into creating for fun and have sewed stuffies, my first Dotee and made Whimsey Jars.

Other things I enjoy sewing / creating are things such as handmade bracelets, bookstrings and hair accessories. Hope to finish a t-shirt quilt which I have put off for years!

Since sending larger packages from Germany takes too long (a birthday present to a friend in the US once took 3 months to arrive!!! :o( ). I'm only interested in trading items overseas that can be sent at the "Letter Rate", which means any size letter or padded envelope (up to 500g, which is about 1 lb.). Within Europe, sending packages is fine with me. The German Post is surprising, some items sent internationally can arrive in 5 working days, some items take a few weeks, please be patient because I send all my swaps. In the case where an item has not been received, please contact me before rating so we can work something out, thanks! :o)

NOTE TO MY AMERICAN SWAP PARTNERS:

Shipping from the US to Germany can be very expensive! Please ship "International First Class" and NOT Priority...you can save about 1/3 of the price. Also, it seems that every pound costs around 10 dollars, so please keep that in mind in terms of what sort of items you send. Also, to reduce the weight, you can do things like....remove packaging & use lighter envelopes. If you send me a DVD or CD for example, you can just send the DVD and paper without the plastic container...just make sure the DVD / CD is protected with harder paper.

I’ll like anything you can send that doesn’t cost you much to ship! For example...

• Cute stickers (modules - from those sticker strips like Sandylion or Mrs.Grossman) or sticker sheets

• Vintage 80's stickers

• Kawaii memo sheets (loose, any size, shape, character or brand - I don't use them, just like collecting them!)

• Sticker flakes

• Cute plastic / cellophane gift bags that I can use to send out flat memos

• Plain clear cellophane bags that I can use to send out my stickers in

My favorite Kawaii character is Gotochi Kitty, otherwise known as Regional / Local Hello Kitty.

I like pretty much all Japanese Kawaii and love being introduced to new styles / characters

• Jewelry making supplies like lobster clasps, wire for making beaded bracelets, earring hooks (silver-toned), earring head pins (silver or gold-toned), or those small silver crimp beads for the ends of bracelets / necklaces

• Embroidery thread, any color at all

• Postage stamps from your country on the envelope you send me :)

• Decorated envelopes - I love seeing your creativity! It's all going in my Swap-Bot smashbook :o)

POSTCARDS

I'm the Group Founder for "Free Postcards 'R' Us' which is a postcard group for people who enjoy sending and receiving free postcards (handmade, freebie / ad, upcycled notecards & greeting cards, cardboard packaging, etc.)

I love receiving naked (written on, not in envie postcards). If at all possible, please use different stamps, rather than the standard Global Forever stamp. I love US stamps and would love to see more of the variety that is out there!

If anyone wants to send me any interesting blank freebie / ad postcards, I'd be happy to take them. Either for myself or to use in swaps!

Topics you could write to me about (just ideas off the top of my head here....)

• Your favorite movie
• Describe the view from your window at home
• Tell me about a funny / nice / interesting / sad / frustrating thing that happened to you recently
• Tell me about a typical day in your life
• Where have you traveled to and what are some of your favorite places in the world
• Do you believe in reincarnation? If so, what do you think you were in a past life?
• If not, what historical figure or past culture do you feel a strong interest in and why?
• Have you ever seen synchronized swimming and if so, what do you think of it?

THEMES

• Snoopy

• Pegasus / Unicorns

• Matryoshkas

• Kokeshi dolls

• Synchronized swimming, for example, vintage books, or magazine clippings, or postcards, sometimes you even see synchro stamps from different countries. I also collect synchronized swimming pins.

FOODS

• Kool-Aid (I can’t find it in Germany)

FAVORITE COLORS

blues, greens, magenta, burgandy, royal purple

MISC. ITEMS

Things I don't mind receiving if you are having trouble figuring out what in the world to send me:

• Handmade envies

• Cute Band-Aids

• Loose Stickers (cute)

• Stretchy cord / leather cord for making bracelets

• Girl Scout Badges / Fun Patches

I'm not interested in receiving the following things...

• Scrapbooking items...I don't do scrapbooking so don't have much use for this.

• Embellishments - I don't need them, please don't send them to me!

• Sewing supplies (like fabric, thread, etc.) because I have no time for this.

• Stickers of this sort....cars or boyish themes, Panini, advertisements, handmade, stickers from trading card packages.

• Bad quality stickers (meaning...don't send me dirty, bent, previously used stickers or stickers from various sources that are just all stuck together on a sheet, please...).

• Please no Scrapbooking / 3D Stickers!!! (You know...Jolie's brand, or any sort of cardboard sticker with a little foam sticky circle on the back...). I just like flat stickers that I can put in my photo album. (Stickos brand is perfectly fine, as long as the design doesn't look like scrapbooking stickers.)

• Teas (I have plenty at home and find that the best teas I've had are from here)

• Rubber stamps - I don't use these, better to send stuff like this to someone else.

• Book pages...I have absolutely no use for these.

• Recipe cards

• Chocolates with chili flavor, raisins or marzipan, white chocolate

• Make-up

• Jewelry - it's not that I don't like it, but since my daughter's birth, I don't wear it.

• Diddl stuff....I've been surrounded by it since I've been living in Germany all this time. It's o.k. but not my thing.

• ATCs - I'm not really interested in them unless you make pretty amazing ones :o)

• Anything broken, junky or in crappy condition

• Cat hairs! (I like cats, but don't appreciate their hair on my stuff)

• Things that smell musty or like they come from a smoker's home (one time, I bought some stickers from ebay that smelled like they'd been sitting in a damp basement for 20 years....gross).

TAGS!

So for my own personal reference, my tag lists:

Tags where I've posted with no response yet:

Tag - Freecard Group

Tags / RAKs / Angels / Wishlists / Rewards to be sent:

Tags / RAKs / Wishlists I'm waiting for:

Tags / Wishlists / RAKs sent and waiting for confirmation from receiver:

TAGS NEVER RECEIVED (possibly due to stupid postal system losing it or due to the person being a flaker):

• Pick 2 - Global from @tonewadventures

• International Swapper > Pick 2 Swaps from @penpallingfool

• Cheap postage tag you're it from @Tiffany17

• 5, 4, 3, 2, 1 Tag ~ International from @TeaCupHippie

NON-CONFIRMED TAGS:

• Freecard Group Tag to @TexyDeb

• 3 hot drinks with a twist tag to @celloplyr

• Tags Addicted > Stickersheet Tag! to @audio

• Tags Addicted > I wish for - Tag to @marthy

• Sticker Friends - Pick 2 tag to @mammarazzi84

• cheap postage, pay it back to @Areona

PEOPLE WHO NEVER RATED ME:

• Postage Stamp Bag Swap # 4 - @leeler

• No-Spending Swap #15 @KateandOli

• Quick Rating Swap International....With A List!!! @genre9

• Simple Stationery Swap #2 @KatZep64 -

• We Luv Surprises @iThaleia

• ~P~ is for...Dotee @RedRobbin

• i love sticker sheets...3 @stacirose

PEOPLE WHO FLAKED ON ME:

• 20 Stickers + 10 Memos - @mustadahlia

• Newbie: Snail Mail Envie # 3 - @NickiBurns (*Angeled by @provadia - swap host *)

• Snail Mail Envie # 14 - @Savanna82

• GROUP: QUICK Postage stamp bags swap #71 - @Desiree1962

• GROUP: QUICK Postage stamp bags swap #75 - @Desiree1962

• Used Postage Stamps - Newbies welcome! - @Desiree1962

• Private swap - @KickassPeanut

• Taste of your country 2! @kawaii1989

• Random Sticker Mix for Everyone! @planter (*Angeled by @MissU )

• Belly Dancer Dotee Swap - International @Fanniky (*Angeled by @madamegooseberry )

PEOPLE WHO FLAKED ON SWAPS I HOSTED:

• 10 Newbies Swap - Postcards # 1 @RachanaVaidya

• 10 Newbies Swap - Stickers # 1 @pinkfloyd311 & @racehlwilson46

• Newbie Friendly Swap - Send Me A Handmade Bracelet @NancyJoMo

• Get To Know Me and My Town! Internatl. Penpal Swap @blackbirdsings

A VERY SPECIAL MESSAGE TO ALL YOU FLAKERS....

Calling someone a "flake" or a "flaker" is just a nice way of saying you are a thief and a liar. If you sign up for a swap, and do not follow through on your commitment, yet receive something out of it, that's just like stealing. We ALL have lives here on Swap-Bot and have to learn to balance all of our commitments in life. If you cannot handle being fair and playing your part, then don't sign up!!!!