bluemonkeymama

Profile updated on 4/22/19.

Please note: I have a new address as of November 2018.

SPOILER ALERT I sometimes post photos of ongoing swaps on flickr and my blog. Don't look if you'd rather be surprised!

I sometimes weigh my swaps at home and use postage stamps rather than taking them to the PO. I use the USPS site to calculate postage and make every aim to get it right, but if for some reason my swap comes to you with postage owed, please don't be afraid to let me know and I'll make it right. Thank you!

For swappers interested in Gelli printing and other types of monoprinting, check out my group The Print Shop. It's a small yet active group with at least one swap running pretty much at all times, and a forum with tips, techniques, a monthly WTA, and links to monoprinting info and inspiration.

About Me

I am a mom, artist, cook, traveler, music-lover, devourer of books and one who enjoys the little things in life. I've been obsessed with crafting/making art since I was a teenager, and generally try to spend time at my art desk every single day. Creating is my passion and acts as therapy for me, whether it's paper crafts, mail art, playing with polymer clay, mixed media, crochet, sewing, or cooking. I'm happiest when I have a project going, and I love to stay busy. I refuse to accept boredom as part of my life!

Even though I'm "settled" now, I'm a traveler at heart. Inspiring places I've been: New Zealand, London, San Francisco, Alaska, Hawaii, the American Southwest. Places I'd love to go: New Orleans, Mexico, Morocco, India, Thailand, Peru, Italy. Dream road trip: drive the ALCAN Highway with my dad, and on life's wishlist: see the Northern Lights.

I am very open-minded and am not easily offended. Swear words and dirty jokes welcome, haha.

Note: I do reuse packaging - there's enough waste filling our landfills!

FYI: Swapping and making arts/crafts means a lot to me, and I take pride in what I make and send. Know that I will always give my best effort and put thought and heart into what I make for you. If you have not received from me in a reasonable amount of time, PLEASE let me know and I will make it right!

I only mark a swap sent after dropping it in the mail box, or I return from the PO after sending.

If you'll be late sending your swap to me, please let me know. As long as we have good communication, it's all gravy. However, please don't lie to me, or take advantage of my understanding attitude. Then it's no longer "gravy".

Hosting: A note for any and all swappers who join a swap I host - if you ever encounter any problems with your partners, in either sending to you and/or rating, please don't hesitate to contact me. I'm more than happy to help to resolve an issue to the best of my ability. I always check profiles before assigning partners, but in the event that you are flaked on, I will be happy to angel, or, if I just can't for some reason, I will do my best to find you an angel.

What I pledged

I love all kinds of arts and crafts - mixed media, collage, crochet, handmade books, polymer clay, sewing, altered books, ATC's, rubber stamping, handcrafted jewelry, photography, mail art, stamp carving, assemblages, art journaling,.. I'm probably forgetting 2 or 10 things, but you get the idea.

I like to work with: acrylic paints and mediums,
watercolors (and watercolor pencils!),
ink,
soft pastels,
rubber stamps,
canvas,
fabric,
beeswax,
watercolor paper,
spray paint,
found objects.

I make:
mixed media ornaments,
polymer clay beads, ornaments and what-nots,
greeting/note cards,
journals,
drawstring pouches,
mixed media collages,
handcarved stamps,
crocheted items,
handmade postcards,
charm bracelets and necklaces,
ATCs,
anything that strikes my fancy.

Favorite artists

Nina Bagley
Lynne Perrella
Anne Bagby
Nick Bantock
Misty Mawn
Seth Apter
Tracey Long
Andrea Joseph
Jude Hill
Judy Wise
Michael DeMeng
Mary Beth Shaw
Ann Baldwin

I love bright, bold colors. My favorite colors are turquoise and teal blues, chartreuse, and light orange, but I really like all colors. Lately, I've been very much into neon and tropical color combinations.

I love
* really old things
* rusty bits
* sea glass
* feathers
* vintage ephemera
* black and white/sepia photos
* postage stamps (especially ones from outside the US)
* mushrooms
* handwritten letters
* old postcards
* ledger paper
* batik
* artistamps/faux postage
* urban/rural decay
* weathered wood
* sock monkeys
* cemetaries
* the moon
* moths
* trees
* thunderstorms
* snow
* mountains
* the ocean
* the desert
* teapots
* cowgirls, especially vintage cowgirl images and whatnots
* gypsies and gypsy culture
* Native American culture
* vintage clip art: flora, insects, food/bottle labels/advertising, zodiac/astrology, astronomy, body parts/medical books, celestial, travel, postal
* travel ephemera: ticket stubs, postcards, luggage tags, brochures...
* Moroccan architecture and design

As you might guess, I'd love to receive items or artwork with blue monkeys on them, especially blue sock monkeys.

**A few months ago I became the proud owner of a 5 year old Scottish Terrier named Fergie. I am absolutely in love! I would be thrilled to receive anything to do with Scotties (because I'm apparently now one of those crazy doggie parents, haha). Update 4/22/19: Fergie passed away January 2018. She was the best dog I ever had the pleasure of being owned by. In May 2019, I am bringing home a wheaten male Scottie, name TBD. :) **

My preferences often veer towards the old, vintage and quirky, or unusual. I also love the gritty look of lots of layers, textures and ink splatter. Mixed media and collage are where I really feel at home. I gravitate towards the more detailed, grungy and "artsy" than the cutesy, girly or folksy. I can play on both sides, though, and also enjoy bright colors and some cute things, like woodland creatures and trees/mushrooms/plants.

I love treasure hunting at flea markets, junk sales, garage sales and thrift stores.

I love receiving handmade stuff!

Favorite scents: vanilla, citrus.

Favorite tastes: sour candy, spicy stuff, dark and milk chocolate, chocolate with additions (like nuts, fruit, crispy rice, etc.), all citrus!, coffee (dislike flavored coffees), black or spiced teas, Thai food, cranberry, lime (did I mention citrus?).

I love to cook and love all foods, especially ethnic foods - mostly asian. Always open to new recipes! Oh, and I also love to garden - flowers and vegetables.

POSTCARDS
I am swapping more PCs now than when I first joined, so thought I'd add a little section of my likes. I like both storebought and quality handmade PCs. I love PCs of the ocean, forests, mountains, lakes, the desert, architecture... I prefer beautiful landscapes and photographs to touristy-type PCs. I also love artsy, vintage, unusual and black and white PCs. I'm not overly picky, really, just wanted to give my partners some direction.

Pilgrim at Tinker Creek (and everything else she's written), Annie Dillard. American Gods, Neil Gaman. Imajica; The Great and Secret Show; Everville, Clive Barker. The Essential Rumi, Coleman Barks. The Air-Conditioned Nightmare; Stand Still Like the Hummingbird, Henry Miller. Barbara Kingsolver. Anne Sexton. Joseph Campbell. Richard Brautigan. Nick Bantock. Roger Zelazny. Tom Robbins. John D. MacDonald.

Gillian Welch. The Black Keys. Florence + The Machine. Alabama Shakes. Taj Mahal. The Killers. Radiohead. Tool. A Perfect Circle. Neko Case. Johnny Cash. The Beatles. The Carter Family. Eddie Vedder. Sarah McClachlin. Tori. Natalie Merchant. The White Stripes. Kings of Leon. Neil Young. Jack Johnson. Pearl Jam. Tracy Chapman. Tenacious D. Pink Floyd. Death Cab for Cutie. Modest Mouse. Cowboy Junkies. Dead Can Dance. MGMT. Cat Power. Wilco. Tom Petty. Sinead O'Connor. Iron & Wine. Fleetwood Mac. Janis Joplin. Nickel Creek. PJ Harvey. Adele. Ray LaMontagne. There's tons - basically, I have varied tastes in music. Don't like modern country, metal where all you hear is screaming, or teen pop.

30 Rock. Modern Family. No Reservations. NOVA. Independent Lens. Squidbillies. Adult Swim. Chappelle's Show. The Daily Show. The Colbert Report. Firefly. MASH. Pushing Daisies. Discovery Channel. History Channel. Kids in the Hall. Northern Exposure. An Idiot Abroad. Golden Girls. It's Always Sunny In Philadelphia. Arrested Development. The IT Crowd. NEW FAVORITES: Doctor Who. Trailer Park Boys. Archer. Vera. The Fall. And the British show Sherlock is my new favorite thing! If you're not watching it, you should be!

Signs. 300. Nacho Libre. Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind. Waitress. Ghostbusters. Cold Mountain. Sherlock Holmes. Labyrinth. Fight Club. Choke. The Invention of Lying. Vibes. The Royal Tenenbaums. Indiocracy. Box of Moonlight. The Piano. The Shipping News. American Beauty. Fantastic Mr. Fox. Monty Python and the Holy Grail. Life of Brian. Indiana Jones. Waking Life. North By Northwest. Pulp Fiction. Inglorious Basterds. I Heart Huckabees. Adaptation.

I'm really not super-picky, but here's a few things I'd rather not receive/don't like:

*lavender-scented stuff
*really girly stuff
*cutesy or country/prim items
*racist, sexist or homophobic messages
*religious items (though I do like religious iconography)
*sports
*Disney
*I'm not into Twilight or Harry Potter
*mean people
*drama

The number one reason I joined Swap-bot was to swap handmade items. I do enjoy swapping storebought stuff, too, but this is second to my love of creating and receiving handmade. I do not require extras to rate a heart. I don't mind extras, and I sometimes include them myself if I see something on your profile I have/can make that I think you would really like, but I would rather you put the extra effort into your creation than send extras. I will not rate down for extras, of course, but know that they aren't necessary.

Some of the swaps I've sent out:

Christmas ornaments created using paper mache bases and Gelli prints (monoprints). Made for a swap in The Print Shop group.

Inspiration card (front and back) made for a swap in the Inspiration Station group.

ATCs made for a swap in The Print Shop group.

ATCs using my own Gelli prints. For a swap in The Print Shop group.

Lizard Diptych ATCs made for the Mystery Supply Swap in The Paper Dragon group.

Eggshell Mosaic Magnet made for Eggshell Mosaic Technique swap in The Paper Dragon group.

I'd like to add a little section here for special thank you's. I've received some amazing things here, not only through swapping, but also via RAKs and giveaways. I want to give a shout out to swappers who have been so kind and generous with me but I wasn't able to rate due to some things not being actual swaps. (If you've sent me something along these lines and don't see your name here yet, I apologize. I just decided to do this - June 16, 2011 - so it may take me a bit to go through and list everyone.)

@wickedred An amazing swapper who sent me an over the top package in celebration of her having 200 hearts. She included things from 2 of my favorite artists, including a signed copy of Dusty Diablos by Michael deMeng and postcards by Nick Bantock (!). The awesomeness didn't stop there, and it's a package of goodies I won't soon forget, full of inspiration! Thank you so very much!

@spotteddogs She has offered some really fantastic RAKs in the PFs, and I have been the happy recipient of a few. I am humbled by her generosity.

SWAPS I DIDN'T GET RATED FOR

One of my partners, @halcigone - now partially suspended, didn't rate me for Season's Greetings/Winter; PRNMK PCs #6

Kids Handmade PC Swap - Newbie Friendly!! Not rated by one partner: @Beckaroo ; also flaked on by one of my partners: @HarrietAnne , now partially suspended. The host of this swap, @irishfaerie9 , has had her account deleted.

I was not rated for the Fragmented Embellishments 2nd Round swap by my partner @paperfairys . She has deleted her account, unfortunately.