xxkarenlxx

I know it looks like I don't swap much. I do send out lots of tags and RAKS but formal swaps are a different breed. I'd participate more, but most of the swaps I am interested in seem to fall in a timeline that doesn't work for me. So, I wait for the next one - and sometimes that wait is a long one. I do take a crazy amount of pride in the things I send out.

As far as groups go, I at least read many of the groups I'm in a few times a week. Of the remainder, many aren't active at all and instead of dropping them I check about once a month and hope that they become more active. If you have an issue with the amount of groups I belong to, please ask me about it.

I am living the American Dream. I am beading my heart out and taking care of my amazing husband. We've been married for 14 years now and are still best friends. I have a 24 year old son who recently moved back home and is going to school to be a fire fighter.

I love beading, my pet stingray, my dog Holly, the colors green, teal and purple,good tea, gel pens, things that are colorful, reading, learning new things, camping, travel, sharing my stuff, writing long chatty letters, and spending time with the people that are important to me.

I live three blocks from Lake Michigan and vacation as often as possible in a place surrounded by water. My favorite vacations currently revolve around cruising and Puerto Vallarta, MX. I find a kind of peace in the water that I've not experienced anywhere else. I am fascinated by tropical fish and creatures that call the ocean home. If it isn't a stingray, then the more colorful the better.

I don't have much appreciation for coffee, licorice, being lied to, and people who don't honor their commitments.

If you are sending to me, I'd appreciate it if you would use real stamps for postage when possible. I really like to see different stamps. Thanks a bunch.

Please also know that if you send me something and I don't send you a thank you note or post a note on your page it is because I didn't receive anything from you. Not because I am thoughtless.

My taste in music runs the gamut from hair bands such as Warrant and Cinderella to current bands like Hinder and Bare Naked Ladies with a compliment of Celtic music and such classics as Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers. I also am partial to country and jazz. Some of my other favorites (not mentioned above) are: Harry Connick Jr., Sarah McLaughlin, Mary Chapin Carpenter, Nickleback, Tim McGraw, John Mayer, Norah Jones, and Metallica. I also have a deep appreciation for songs that tell stories.

In no particular order, and just a few movies I really enjoy: 10 Things I Hate About You, Blast From the Past, Pushing Tin, A Knight's Tale, the original Good Bye Girl, Braveheart, Close Encounters of the Third Kind, Drop Dead Fred, Hackers, The Princess Bride, The Boondock Saints, The Deep, Into the Blue, The Harry Potter Movies, The Lethal Weapon series, Benny and Joon, Rounders, the Oceans 11, and 12, White Oleander, Some Kind of Wonderful, Billy Madison, National Treasure, 50 First Dates, Fool's Gold and The Color of Friendship. I also love movies that deal with theft such as Heist, The Italian Job, Entrapment and The Score.

Seems like most of my favorite television isn't here any more. I loved Boston Common, Yes Dear, Friends, The Riches, The Shield, InJustice, Dharma and Greg, Still Standing, Smith, Oz, Saving Grace, Medium, Big Love and Two and a Half Men. As far as shows that haven't been cancelled yet, Shameless was totally worth the wait... and when time allows I watch Supernatural, The Waltons (reruns), Bones, Dexter, House, The Most Dangerous Catch, Whale Wars, The Closer, Iron Chef America, Chopped, Cupcake Wars!, Cupcake Girls (it's like a train wreck - I just can't look away) and the Chiller channel. I enjoy the specials the Food network puts on where people have a certain amount of time to build a cake or a sugar sculpture.

Beading, Rubber stamping, beading, sewing, bead weaving, crochet, beading, cross stitch, beading, enameling, bead embroidery, letter writing & emailing, and beading. And next on the list when I have some time will be lampworking. I already have all the equipment except the gas tanks and the flashback arrestors. Oh, and did I mention beading?

I also love to read. I enjoy just about every genre except military history and I'm not much on romances. Fairy tales and folk lore hold a special fascination for me. My favorite authors include Dean Koontz, J.K. Rowling, Janets Fitch and Evanovich, and Michael Crichton.

I'm currently looking for the books listed below. Paperback and previously loved are more than welcome.

The Ice Limit, Thunderhead, Riptide and Dance of Death by Douglas Preston and Lincoln Child

The Manhattan Hunt Club - John Saul

Anything by John Sanderson except Invisible Prey, Chosen Prey,Storm Prey and Wicked Prey

Brother Odd - Dean Koontz

Losing It and Gaining My Life Back One Pound at a Time - Valerie Bertinelli

Series of Unfortunate events books 3 through end except 5,6,9,10 and 11- Lemony Snickett

Freakonomics - Stevens Levitt and Dubner

Son of a Witch - Gregory Maguire

Harold and the Purple Crayon - Crockett Johnson

Any Dresden Files book except numbers 1, 2 and 6- Jim Butcher

The Sisters Grimm

Any of the vampire books out now.

I have the following books for trade:

Twilight by Stephanie Meyer great condition

Pilo Family Circus by Will Elliott great condition

Duma Key by Stephen King in used condition

Shake Loose My Skin by Sonia Sanchez good used condition

Water Tales by Alice Walker used condition

Door to December by Dean Koontz used condition

Tick Tock by Dean Koontz good condition

Angels and Demons by Dan Brown

I'd love to swap for these.

My Little Ponies - the actual plastic horses in any size ever made - with or without mane and tail, and I don't care if it has been colored or spray painted on - even with sharpie.

Unusually shaped or antique sequins

Glass beads

Glycerine soap from Bath and Body Works

Colored markers and colored pencils

Zines you are finished with

Rubber stamps and ink pads you are tired of

Gel and Micron pens

punchies in any color except newsprint/packaging

Back issues of: Food Network

Real Simple

Quilter's Newsletter

Stitch

Any cross stitch magazine

Quilt World

Things I can send you:

Beads :)

Books in a wide array of genre

Hand stamped cards and images

A piece of custom jewelry is possible

Postcards

Puzzle magazines (new but back issues)

FBs

Stationery

Artistry, Beadweaving, Beaches and Bagpipe Music, Citlalmina - my baby granddaughter, Color, Daylight, Etsy and Embroidery, Fabric Postcards and Flower Gardens, Green, Holly (my dog) and Home Cooking, Indy Business Support, Johnny Depp, Knitting and Kiva, Lake Michigan, Mail (the Snail Kind), New Pens, Outdoors, Peace, Quilting, Rubber Stamping and Renaissance Faires, Sewing, Temoc (my surrogate grandson), Under the Sea, Violets, Water, Yarn for Socks, Zillion Other Things.

Celebrate my 25th wedding anniversary

Take a world cruise for at least 90 days

Go to burning man

Read 1,000 more books - 995 left to go - Testimony by Anita Shreve, Property of by Alice Hoffman, Gone South by Robert R. McCammon, Storm Prey by John Sandford, The Taking by Dean Koontz

Vacation in Prague - so far just weekend trips

Run a 10K

Attend Masquerade Ball Labrynth of Jareth

Write a cookbook

Vacation in Australia

Become fluent in Spanish

Meet some rainbow family

Participate in a flash mob - the artistic kind

Plan and make a quilt for my bedroom

Have a successful bead business

Vacation in Ireland

Learn to scuba dive

Roll down a mountain in a Zorb sphere

Learn to noodle for fish - and get a big one

Experience zero gravity

Camp in all 50 states

Take surfing lessons in Hawaii

Publish a pattern to a bead magazine

Lose 110 pounds - only 96 more to go

Things I've done from the bucket list

Visit crater of diamonds state park

@Laurenk - random flat envie from the PF - August 3, 11

Mailbox Madness LPW#8 prize from @penguinparade Dec 19, 2010

Write Now Group Bingo #6 prizes from @kap397 @Marquettegirl July 2010

rating from @papercaper - Stickers for the kids #3 - May 13, 11

Vicarious Traveler QTA by @Mn8X

Kitchy Corny Postcard swap by@summerlion

Chow Down in Your Town PC by @user8685

Spare Sticker Swap #6 by @Turkeyboy

Lace and Ribbons by @celia who promised twice to send

ATC Objects 39 cent envie swap flaked by @Sbates78 - the coordinator