Justine

I want to thank everyone who's been patient with me while I have my little medical crisis... I've had to drop a few swaps that have mail dates that will coincide with my surgery, but everything I'm still in should go out on schedule or early.

I have three children. I'm from New York City originally and live in a small town in Connecticut now. If I'm in control of the path I walk, I'll never live in a city again, any city. I work a lot (a tedious full-time retail operations job and I fill in at my SOs shop), so I really have to PUSH myself to make time for the things I love doing. Got to fill my life with good things; I'd burn out otherwise.

Scrapbooking: I prefer a simple style, and like Stacy Julian and Becky Higgins stuff. I use solid colors way more than patterns, but I love metal and 3D paper embellishments.

Stamping: I collected "cute" stamps when I started, and am more into collage images now - though I do still have some adorable stamps that make quick cards and such.

Paper arts: cards, postcards, bookmarks, candle wraps, luminaries, like that.

Knitting: I just taught myself to make socks, and am holding a pattern for a reversible button-down cardigan that I can't wait to try. I'm rather slow, though, so it'll probaby take me til next winter to finish...

Crochet: baby blankets, ornaments, thread crochet. My ggm was a pro at this, and made beautiful bedspreads that would take me years and years if I tried.

Embroidery: cross-stitch, but mostly sampler stitches and ribbon embroidery. I design my own stuff mostly, and have taught embroidery at shops in the past.

I read A LOT, and have finished more than 50 books since the 1st of the year. I've read three books in the last five days, trying not to go mad from boredom. I'll buy anything by Anita Shreve, Alice Hoffman, or Jodi Picoult. I read a lot of fantasy (wizards/dragons and such) - especially Earthsea, Pern, and Deryni books. I'll read and re-read the classics. Finished the seventh Harry Potter in a day (ok, I'm a geek ). Just finished Lucky, The Sunday List of Dreams and Dancing Naked at the Edge of Dawn, am reading another Kris Radish now, and have more than 50 unread books on hand (love love love discount bookstores).

wow, um... nickelback, creed, greenday, maroon 5, matchbox 20, ben folds five... 50s music and a capella groups (cheesy but lotsa fun) 60s and 70s rock. country. early billy joel. some classical, jazz, blues. not big on disco, rap or hip-hop.

My SO owns a video store in a small Connecticut town, so I have access to lotsa good movies (and lotsa bad ones, too) I will watch certain movies again and again, including Shawshank Redemption, Empire of the Sun, Arthur, Notting Hill, Good Will Hunting, Michael Collins, The Thomas Crown Affair (remake), The American President, The Professional, Man on Fire, City of Angels, Gigi, French Kiss, any version of Pride and Prejudice but especially the A&E, the original Jane Eyre, Life is Beautiful, My Life as a House, Wit, A Bronx Tale, Suicide Kings, The Tiger and the Snow, Hitch. Best movie I've seen lately: Fracture.

Books! I own quite a few books I haven't read yet, and I don't use the library much because if I really love a book, I want to own it.

Candles (citrus and berry scents).

Craft supplies that I must live long into an active old age to use up...

Snowmen.

Christmas ornaments of all kinds but especially handmade.

For that matter, anything handmade; I have a shelf that holds handmade gifts I've received, and display several past art swaps on the walls of my home.

Tumbled crystals and worry stones - blue lace agate, green moss agate, leopard jasper.

Bookmarks and book thongs.

a crocheted cotton baby blanket. a knitted fabric scrap handbag. I've also got a pair of socks half done (beware the dreaded one-sock syndrome; next time I'll use two sets of dpns and work on both at once!) A sister, sister-in-law and best friend are all expecting babies this winter (two girls and one surprise!), and I'm doing albums for all and a blanket for one - busy hands, full heart.

I don't watch TV. I have no pets since the last of my ferrets died in 2005. Chocolate IS a food group. I have, several times, let my children have ice cream for breakfast (and joined them, actually). I have three tattoos - got my first one at the age of 33. I'm divorced. I'm not as liberal as I was before I had children. I love to learn new things. I'm a fiber/textiles/paper junkie. I love sunrises and sunsets, the shore, the mountains, pewter, copper, dark distressed wood, babies, a good cry, the written word. I read all the books I buy for my kids before I hand them over - and I really like most of them, especially Alice Hoffman, the Eragon books, the Inkheart series, Circle of Three, Harry Potter, The Dark is Rising series...

Intolerance. Ignorance. Kelly Green. Vegetables. Getting up early. Apathy. Platform shoes. Cruelty. Geometry. Red roses. Plastic furniture. Anime. Moving. Packing. Unpacking (grrr). Metallic fabrics. Glittery glitzy sequin-y stuff.

Browns: chocolate, taupe, cream, mocha.

Greens: sage, celery, avocado, apple (sounds like a recipe...).

Blues: pool blue, navy, slate, dark country blue.

These are the colors I wear and have in my home. I also love - Muted tones: old rose, antique violet, barn red. Sherbet colors: raspberry and orange.

Not too many colors I don't like, but royal blue and kelly green are yucky.

I use DMC floss numbers to talk to friends about color, which is odd, I guess, but works like it's another language. "not the 312, more like the 932..."