I am a middle-aged married mum of 2 (who loves alliteration.) I was once the regional buyer for a local bookstore and transitioned to the non-profit sector before I gave it all up to be at home with my littles. I am learning to enjoy being home but do miss interacting with different people every day. I am hoping swaps will be a way to embiggen my circle again. Pen pals and Letteran always welcome.

linocut, stamp carving, ink marbling, weaving, crochet, book binding, sewing, encaustic, needle tatting, embroidery, and a dozen others that grabbed my fancy for a bit. I have even tried my hand at blacksmithing and glass blowing.

I have become a bit obsessed with mail art and faux postage of late. Swap-bot may be very good for me or a quicker trip down the rabbit hole.

always having 6 different notebooks started at once, keeping too many scraps of paper, thinking I can tolerate caffeine (it gets me every time), forgetting to charge my laptop and cell phone, thinking my handwriting is legible, automatically changing the font to something without serifs, not spending enough time checking my grammar (I am so sorry grammar police, it will only get worse from here)

anamorphic text, antiquated slang, art nouveau, Baba Yaga, beach glass, book recommendations, canning, clean lines, collective nouns, Joseph Cornell, cosplay, creative swearing, cuckoo clocks, curry, drift wood, Amelia Earhart, Earl Grey, epistolary novels, faux postage, Janet Fish, forced perspective photography, Ganesh, handmade items, honey bees, InuYasha, Eddie Izzard, Japan, kokeshi dolls, lilacs, Micron pens, Tim Minchin, moths, mushrooms, the 9th Doctor, nuns, octopi, the color orange, flat pennies, pin hole cameras, poetry, pumpkins, quirky signs, ranunculus, small bits of nature, snails, Studio Ghibli, the Taj mahal, tarot, tattoos, thrifting, tofu, trees, umbrellas, vultures, wasabi, x-rays, Hiroshi Yoshida, zines & the letter Z

Jane Austen, Charles Baxter, Emma Bull, Douglas Coupland, Jim Crace, Neil Gaimen, Molly Gloss, Michael Koryta, Norton Juster, Alan Moore, Scott Morse, Mary Oliver, Mary Doria Russell, Jody Shields, Brad Watson, Martha Wells (These are really just a few. I read everything and anything except true crime. Why oh why does this exist? Don't we all look at our neighbors a little funny as it is? Do we really need this in our heads? Also I am not overly keen on YA as most of my memories of being a teen are frightful and full of awkwardness. I know there is some truly lovely stuff out there but it just doesn't really move to the top of the TBR list.)

The Big Lebowski, My Man Godfrey, Stranger than Fiction, Kiss Kiss Bang Bang, Scott Pilgrim vs. the World, The Fifth Element, The Lego Movie, Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind, Shaun of the Dead, Gosford Park, Howl's Moving Castle, Read or Die, Still Breathing, Triplets of Belleville, Groundhogs Day, My Fair Lady

I don't let my kids wear heavily branded clothes and we don't have a tv. Throw in the fact that we are all vegetarian and I start to sound like a hippie but mostly we just like to spend our time wisely and appreciate nice things.

I will admit to disliking: clutter, makeup, glitter, The Beatles, disposability and people who do not hold doors open. I also do not like country kitsch, most floral patterns, Wal-Mart, Disney characters, people who hug too long and tweeny colors like teal and magenta. I like the things I own to last forever so I avoid anything too trendy. I am terrified of spiders (but that is only responsible), rip tides, and most large crowds.

I dare you to PM me your five favorite books and why. I will send you a list of book recommendations.

If you like any of them, send me a quick thank you and maybe we can chat about books or crafts or swaps.

If you hate all my recommendations, I will craft you a bit of art mail with my abject apologies and post it to you.

• I prefer labels to stickers. I have almost no use for project life cards or other scrapbooking items. I prefer postcards to notecards.

• I’m currently quite keen for zines and would love to receive some in swaps

• I love the color orange in all fashions: tape, markers, yarn, paper, ink. Any and all forms

• I would prefer no foodstuffs in my swaps. No teas, candy or samples. Thank you!

• Preferred themes: astronomy, libraries & books, stamps & air mail, snails & bees. I also love hand drawn art and doodles.

• I relish the chance to focus on writing a fun letter and sending it in a fancy envelope. Let me know if you would like to exchange letters.

I am fond of meeting new people and would love to get to know you!