shinyserra

Thanks for stopping by my profile!

A little about me...

I am a wife, a homemaker, a dog mom, a chocolatier, a crafter, an artist, a writer, a bargain hunter, a gamer, a snail-mailer, and a Swap-Botter. That pretty much sums me up.

A huge part of my life is my pups. I have 4 pooches who keep me on my toes and keep me company all day. They are my 4 sidekicks. In case I'm in a swap for them...

Lola- mountain feist mix (Loves any biscuits/treats and the only chewies she'll eat are Good-N-Fun brand - any type)

Pickle- mountain feist mix (Loves rope toys, stuffed squeaky toys, any biscuits/treats, and chewies and bones of any type)

Goldie- cocker spaniel (Loves the rubbery LOUD squeaky toys. Seriously, the louder the toy the more crazy she is about it. The Dollar Tree has some great ones. Loves any biscuit or treat or chewy/bone)

Chewy- silky terrier (we just inherited him when my mom passed away in June 2018. He loves small treats and bones, not much of a toy guy)

Cooter- red-eared slider- aquatic turtle (eats ReptoMin green floating reptile sticks and freeze-dried shrimp small or large for a treat.)

      My sister & her pennies:

My sister, Amy, lives a ways away from me in Minnesota. We talk on the phone and Skype all the time though. She collects squished pennies and is always looking for more. So any that you send me will put a huge smile on her face!

      The types of art I enjoy making:

Drawing, Painting (acrylic, watercolor), ATCs, Collage/Mixed Media, Zentangle, Assemblage

      The type of writing I enjoy doing:

Poetry, Short stories, snail mail, list making, journaling

      The type of crafts I enjoy:

Painting wood figures/signs, Anything glitter related, Scrapbooking, Card-making, Embroidery (especially doodle-stitching), Applique, Decoupaging, Quilling (mainly 3D quilling), Altered things

      Mail Art/Pen Pal Related Interests:

Round Robins, long and short letter pen pals, flipbooks, pen pal journals, postcards

Postcards: I like handmade, Paris theme, mail/postal theme, peacocks, turtles, cocker spaniels, vintage, Greetings from, Keep Calm, Nirvana, humor, riddle, fun artsy ones, mermaids, under the sea theme, Where's Waldo, graffiti, sparkly or shimmery)

      Other things I enjoy:

****Reading - Stephen King, Janet Evanovich, Jodi Picoult, Christine Feehan are my fave authors. I have all of their books! I also enjoy other comedy, romance, drama, and non-fiction books.

****Watching movies (Netflix suggestions welcome)

****Watching TV shows (literally too many to list but among my favorites are Grey's Anatomy, Scandal, Orange is the New Black, Bachelor series, America's Got Talent)

****Hulu (suggestions welcome)

****Nirvana - this is my favorite band of all time and I love anything Nirvana or Kurt Cobain

****Tea - I love to try new unique flavors, teas I can't find in the US, TAZO or Twinings brand teas, fruity teas, not a fan of chai, matcha, chamomile, spearmint, or cinnamon

****Bowling - I bowl in a league every fall/winter

****Dogs

****Peacock everything!!!

****Anything chocolate-related but not actually chocolate (such as chocolate bar magnet or candy stationery)

****Playing phone app games (Brightwood Adventure, Diamond Diaries Saga)

Carnival glass (I collect it all...I must have hundreds of pieces) I LOVE finding old carnival glass advertisements or price guides at thrift stores

Tupperware (I have tons but always feel that I need more LOL) I am currently in search of Tupperware stencils, pencil sharpeners, toothpick holders, keychains, magnets, and button covers. I would also love any vintage Tupperware advertisements or ephemera - I am open to a private trade if you have any of these

Solving puzzles of all types and/or riddles. I love jigsaw puzzles and am currently in search of peacock puzzles, as well as any that are postal themed.

Psychology/mental illness - I have a mental illness and I also went to school for Psychology, it has always been a passion of mine

Anything vintage or Paris-related I love

Kawaii- I especially love the food-related things but all Kawaii is great

Altered things (Altoid tins, puzzle pieces small and large, matchboxes, composition notebooks, cigar boxes,)

      Art/Craft Supplies I Use/Love:

Pens (Favorites are gel pens/water chalk pens, dip pens & fountain pens, Le Pens, Inkjoy gel, Micron, and fineliners) I use Le Pens for almost everything!,

Copic Sketch series markers

Prismacolor anything and everything

Tobacco-related ads or propaganda (especially vintage) - If you have an old magazine a lot of times there's a full page cigarette ad - I love those! Also, I collect vintage tobacco cards

Beads/Buttons

Lisa Frank - new or vintage

Stickers - any type but reward/teacher - I really love large stickers and large sticker flakes

Stationery/ Postalettes/ Memo Paper/Small cute papers to make swap cards on - La Papierre is my all time favorite stationery brand and I would love to receive some of their older stationery (I just signed up for their subscription service) so I am open to doing a private trade if anyone has any to share

Unused Postcards/Stamps

Address Labels with my name & address

Printed swap cards

Anything Ernie the Envelope

Anything air mail/postal themed

Rubber stamps/cling stamps or stamped images

Mixed Media supplies - napkins, tissue paper, gesso, texture paste, art stones, spray inks, chipboard shapes (any and all), gel medium, mod podge, ephemera, Inka Gold, shimmer spray, any other different mediums for mixed media

Metal junk, plastic pieces and shapes, broken or unwanted jewelry, keys, paint keys, shoehorns, bottle openers, can openers, charms, gears and cogs, steampunk itmes (anything I can glue down and paint for assemblage art). I like interesting shaped things and small things that add interest to a piece - for example a small plastic elephant or a button in the shape of an octopus or an old emblem off of a car, etc. Junk drawer stuff!

      My favorite Colors/Color Combos:

Bright blue/turquoise

Peacock colors (turquoise, purple, blues, greens)

Vintage/Worn colors

Metallic Gold or Rose Gold Food:

I am a diabetic so I have to have sugar-free and low carb candy and snacks. Low carb and sugar-free recipes are welcome.

MY CURRENT WISHLIST:

Peacock anything

Lettersets

Kawaii goodies

Stickers for decorating envelopes (so no puffy, foam, etc.)

Vintage or faux vintage ephemera for junk journaling

Long letters

Decos

Handmade magnet

Printed napkins for decoupage

Mermaid anything

Envelope of random ephemera

Anything by Dyan Reavely or Tim Holtz

A note with your Top 10 favorite Netflix movies

      Dislikes:

Teacher/reward stickers

Anime (except for Deathnote)

Children's items/Mom - themed items (I don't have kids)

Alcohol (Alcohol related ads, stationery, items are fine just not alcohol itself)

An empty mailbox!

If you have not received a swap from me please send me a message before rating a 1. I never have and never will flake on a swap. I will extend the same courtesy to anyone who's swap I have not received. Thanks! :)