REALITY OFTEN GETS IN THE WAY OF MY LIFE & MY CRAFTING!

right now I.O.U. to:

1.little miss thrifty-Amelie do-gooder swap SENT ( i will keep this up until rated)

2.santa clarita craft lab-Frida Christmas ornamaent (SENT) leaving the note till i am rated..

p.m's have been sent to both of the girls!

this is MY idea of a good time!!!

the above flickr groups are ones that i have begun on flickr, the first s-b stitch n bitch is for all stitch related swaps done thru swap-bot.com (crochet, knit, sewn, needlepoint, cross, stitched atc...as long as it has a stitch & was a swapped item here on s-b in it you can post it!)

altered text group is for just that altered text of any size, atc, postcard etc. (the finished item need not be swapped thru s-b.)

and Womens Trading Cards group is for WTC's created by women! simple as that!! its purpose is to encourage women to create art:) ( those atc's also need NOT be swapped thru s-b...please post as many in your collection as you like:)

for a more detailed bio visit you can visit my myspace, just follow the link above:)

i just have to say, and i only speak for myself, swapping is a blesssing ( many people in the world cant afford housing and food, medical care, etc..) and a hobby,

i understand that sometimes i win, sometimes i loose ( flakers and also that people run into life situtations that force them to put swapping as a last priority as well as that pesky yet ever so needed snail mail system) i dont blame you......if it is an honest issue:) i trust that you are honest, as am i....

moving onward, if something i send does not reach you, usually i can make it up, ( i have stopped swapping big swaps where i am dissapointed when i get flaked on and or that i cant re send my item) just communicate with me....as i will with you:)

so onto happy swapping info about me:)

peace

*if you would like to see my family photos on flickr you must be a "friend" just pm me and i will add you, otherwise some of my atcs are there:)

felting,crochet,knitting ( my skills here leave something to be desired in all honesty), atcs & embroidery, things you can make with paper & cutout images, collage, altered art... i am a novice sewer with only fly by night experience:)

shrines rock!a girl can never have too many shrines around the house! i am so not kidding!

i first joined s-b in october 2006 and i swapped everything under the sun! now i stick mainly to handmade (with 1 partner) and a few swaps with themes i find interesting.

i am drawn to crafts with a darker, macabre theme (i.e. dia de los muertos, tim burton style...dark victorian, gothic, vampyre..etc....) as well as those with a shabby chic,( think amy butler) romantic , or thrift store "smells like my grandmas attic" theme. i adore the cultrual crafts of almost every country! (espically those of india and mexico)

i like matchboxes for all that ther are worth and i do a wee bit of simple beading, i am discovering origami lately but nothing to brag about thus far.

*a note about my crafting

i must admit when i open my mail, every day i am amazed and inspired by so many crafters out there!! i am in some heavy company! my skills are fair and i craft everything from the heart((((*)))) i send only things i would be happy to get myself! however, many if not most of my craftss are made from recycled, upcycled and gifted materials. when i can afford it i do buy some things but know that i can find my crafty supplies anywhere. newspapers,packaging, closeout sales, second hand, you get the idea. (of course a girl is only as good as her trusty printer and internet connection!) so that being said, i do hope you enjoy my little creations!!

i couldnt choose, i love to read, my current reads are "eat, pray love" elizabeth gilbert " "1000 names of the divine mother" published by my gurus ashram "isadora dunacan autobiography" , " a suitable boy" vikram seth &" tipping the velvet" by sarah waters

i am not really into "comicss" but i do read "emily strange" & "nemi" in swedish!lol it takes me a LONG time

not much time for that but i am really into desperate housewives and the "L" word & weeds! OMG! how funny, exactly what does that ay about me?

does online animation count? strindberg and helium, thats all i have to say:)

i will admit however that t.v. in the 70's and 80's was awesome!!! goodness am i THAT old???

again, how can i choose...a few current "must see" films (that doesnt mean they are actually current, just that they are curently my favs... )"darjeeling express" "The Flight of the Red Balloon (Le Voyage du ballon rouge)" & "zeitgeist"

ok some all time favs, darshan- a film about my guru, shri mata maritanandamayi devi, moulin rouge- can there ever be enough campy, vampy burlesque in the world???, bollywood - both the good and bad, in all its dripping with tacky sparkley costumes and smiles ,ameile, il postino, alot of spanish & french films...too many to mention, what about bob? with bill murrary- i just think that is STILL funny, nightmare before christmas, eternal sunshine....,little miss sunshine, the hunger- bowie and catherine....classic beautiful film.....i admit i just love "notting hill" with julia roberts...lalalalala

i love walking in the forest, we do it almost evey day, wildflowers, the color purple, the smell of roses and jasmine,vetivert and sandalwood, the sound of my childrens laughter,eating, cooking ( in that order) listening to the sound of rain falling on the rooftop, silent films and their decadent stars, chocolates made with chili powder & curry brownies, music of all kinds...usually i can be found listening to indian devotional bhajans or world music, tribal fusion (both east and west coast)style & folkloric bellydance, our dog! she rocks...not the brightest candle on the cake but all to sweet,communing with nature thru ritual....you can use your imagination on that one.......among other things.

i love crafting, its my sanity, i love etsy and i love opening the mailbox when i have the time for swapping:)

what I pledged

PLEASE no ....kawaii, overly "cutise" type things..or disney type items,nothing heavy with fragrance, no food items or tea, i will regift them to the neighbors...so please save on postage:) thanks

shrink plastic (or original shrinky dinks)..cant find it anywhere in this darned country!!!

kitchy things for building shrines,

any krylon leafing pen, even used is GREAT!

plastic & paper religious icons of all faiths,

ziplock bags to store craft supplies in, we dont have them here in sweden,

cool beads of all sizes espically wood and glass,

fabric scraps, for making dottee dolls and icicle dolls,

yarn or embroidery thread in lucious colors!

buttons,

empty tins to alter,

random tarot & loteria cards,

anything "dark or macabre", paper ephemera,

rubber stamps you might not use anymore or odd stickers( here is where "cutise" does not matter as my little kids LOVE stamping and stickers! ), maybe paperback childrens picture stories-books in english ( we are a half american family living in sweden and the children speak both swedish and english but of course their picture book experience in english is limited!)

handmade paper... even one nice piece,

anything "ethnic" or cultrual,

funky socks! espically holidays socks, again i really cant get them over here in sweden:(

AND FOR ONE LAST NOTE sadly.... swaps where my partners totally flaked out on me ( i will only list those as of this season)with no efforts of communication on my partners end

1.Goddess matchbox shrine Libby Hitchcock (Trashpunk)this one was angeled for me* thanks drachenfrau!

my list of 101 things to do in 1001 days

post secret... everyone has a secret to tell