bobilani

June 20, 2013 ~ This past month has been a nightmare and my doctor is now talking about doing a hysterectomy.

May 17, 2013 ~ I've decided to remove all of my updates from this year and sum up here. I've had some pretty serious health stuff to deal with and had a surgery early March. Recovery was rough, then I got the flu, got behind with a bunch of stuff on here and in life (just got around to having my car smogged yesterday - was due in February - yikes). I'm still dealing with health stuff. On top of the condition I mention in the next paragraph, I am now dealing with pcos...which sucks...a lot. I have one very late swap that I owe to a very sweet, patient partner who will get an amazing package of awesomeness before the month of May is out. One of the reasons I haven't sent it yet is because I want it to be absolutely wonderful. So that's why there is a late swap on my profile, why I am not very active on here at the moment and why I may not answer pm's right away. I hope everyone who stops by to visit and read this is having a beautiful day! :)

bobilani ~ pronounced "bobby-lonny"

Please let me know if a swap hasn't arrived before leaving feedback - as it is very important to me to make sure you receive your swap - and please see the last section of my profile for more info about my swaps - thank you! Also, I have a rare, non-contagious disease, Intracranial Hypertension, that causes me some unpleasant and painful symptoms. It rarely affects my swapping, but when it does, I communicate with my partners and let them know if there will be a slight delay.

I live in California with my hubby, daughter (age 16) and our fur family which includes a fluffy cat, a stripe-y cat...and a not-so-furry fish. I love Disneyland and can often be found there haunting the mansion.

I do various things for work that include photography, writing, jewelry making, and art. I used to teach dance before my health went south. When people ask me what I do, my usual answer is "airship pirate." :)

I'm forever chipping away at a college education and am still getting those lovely gen ed classes out of the way - but I'm very close to finishing - yay! Then I can finally transfer to the university.

I listen to all sorts of stuff and have favorite bands from just about every genre. I will say that three bands that I have loved since I was a young teen are Oingo Boingo, Erasure and Alphaville.

I love this song, video and message - Free Hugs Campaign

~ Labyrinth ~ Serenity ~ Tim Burton films ~ 50 First Dates ~ Lt. Robin Crusoe, U.S.N. ~ Lilo & Stitch ~ Moulin Rouge ~ Alice in Wonderland ~ The Corpse Bride ~ The Nightmare Before Christmas ~ Forrest Gump ~ Indiana Jones ~ LOTR ~ Hocus Pocus ~ Practical Magic ~ Mr. Holland's Opus ~ Up ~ The Birdcage ~ To Wong Foo Thanks for Everything, Julie Newmar ~ The Fifth Element ~ French Kiss ~ Little Miss Sunshine ~ Moonrise Kingdom ~ Ghostbusters ~ So I Married an Axe Murderer ~ Empire Records ~ Stardust ~ Amadeus ~ The Aristocats ~ The Truman Show ~

And lots of other comedy, romantic, action, fantasy, adventure and independent films. Old movies and teen movies from the 80's have a special place in my heart too. ♥

Firefly, Doctor Who, Psych, Monk, House, The IT Crowd, Tiki Bar TV, Spongebob Squarepants, Portlandia, It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia, The Family Guy, Bob's Burgers, American Dad, The Amazing World of Gumball, The Walking Dead, Criminal Minds, Cold Case, NCIS, Law & Order, CSI (all of them), Being Human, The Vampire Diaries, Columbo, The Nanny, According to Jim, New Adventures of Old Christine, Cupcake Wars, Double Divas, Dance Moms. Crime/Detective type shows. Stuff on the TLC channel and Adult Swim. And a bunch of other stuff. I probably watch too much TV. I don't watch everything all the time though...I just watch what I can, when I can.

Cartoons!!! :)

I no longer get the travel channel - so bummed! - but that used to be a favorite too.

Did I mention Firefly? Ah yes. I did. Just making sure. Seriously. Addicted. Why do they always cancel the brilliant shows?

Photography, writing, zines, journaling, art journaling, mail art, designing and making jewelry and accessories, costume design, making stuffies/plush, drawing, painting, stamping, collage, working with anything sparkly or shiny such as rhinestones/glitter/sequins or steampunk elements or natural elements like seashells, stamped metal, just about anything from the Klutz book series ("kids" crafts are so much fun!), crocheting (learning), and trying to find the time to do the thousands of fun things I've found on Pinterest...so addicted to that site!

(side note - I'm taking a little break from ATC's and Dotee dolls...I got a little burned out.)

I love to write! ZINES! Short stories, journal entries, blog posts, letters and lists. I'm a member of listography.com - an awesome site if you love to make lists, and NaNoWriMo.

Other hobbies include eating chocolate, singing in my car and singing silly songs to my cats.

I have a wide range of interests, so this list is long and ever evolving. The world is an amazing place filled with awesomeness!

• Halloween
• Owls
• Cats, black cats, the Cheshire Cat
• Crows and bats
• Any of the Disney cats or owls
• Disneyland's Haunted Mansion and New Orleans Square
• Things that are whimsically macabre or the cute/fantasy side of goth.
• Disney villains - especially Maleficent, The Evil Queen, Captain Hook and Yzma.
• Rumpelstiltskin from the show Once Upon a Time
• Steampunk items (think airships and airship pirates, clock/watch pieces, goggles, skeleton keys, antique keys, monocles, pocket watches, Absinthe...anything!)
• Alice in Wonderland (any version)
• Pink flamingos (they go with the Alice theme nicely)
• Bunnies (love white rabbits - again the Alice thing)
• Filigree, swirls, damask
• Dia de los Muertos
• Tim Burton, Edward Gorey, Vincent Price, Edgar Allan Poe, Neil Gaiman
• French things, the Eiffel Tower, Fleur-de-lis
• London and English culture
• Mermaids
• Pirates
• Tiki Culture, Hawaiiana, Polynesian
• Mid-Century Modern and Tiki Modern
• Polynesian/Hula dance themes - I used to teach it and still practice sometimes when I'm feeling up to it.
• Ukuleles
• Pineapples
• Sea glass, seashells, abalone
• Sea turtles, octopuses, seahorses, crabs, koi fish
• Seagulls
• I love Disneyland's Enchanted Tiki Room, The Jungle Cruise, Adventureland and the hotel's new tiki bar - Trader Sam's.
• Vintage Disneyland - especially things like the Tahitian Terrace, the hotel waterfalls, the hotel lagoon.
• Lilo & Stitch (1st movie only), Finding Nemo (love the turtles), The Little Mermaid, Peter Pan.
• Woodland - owls, sparrows, bunnies, foxes, squirrels, hedgehogs, deer, cute little critters, birds, trees, pinecones, leaves, etc.
• Monsters, zombies, goblins - cute, whimsical or funny ones.
• Rubber stamps and stamp pads - gently used is fine by me! Also love hand carved stamps!
• Tim Holtz and 7 Gypsies stamps, designs and products
• Zetti style art (Teesha Moore is awesome)
• Zines - any kind - love them!!
• Stripes and swirls - Tim Burton-y type - I love black and white stripes!
• Long letters and lists - seriously love to read letters and please feel free to write about anything you wish - I'm not easily offended.
• Sealing wax and wax stamps (for letters)
• Pins/buttons with fun, geeky or sassy things on them.
• Maps
• Geekery
• My zodiac sign - Cancer, crab - and my Chinese zodiac sign - rat.
• Garland, bunting (strings of festive pretties to hang around my home)
• Strands of lights - especially colorful ones like pink, blue, purple, mint green. I prefer them not to flash. I have them in various places in my home year-round. They are magical! :)
• Vintage, distressed style - like it came out of an old, possibly haunted house
• Marilyn Monroe
• Lip balms/glosses - love sweet flavors like chocolate, vanilla, coconut, pineapple and offbeat flavors like rose or tea.
• Rain, clouds, fog, stormy skies, umbrellas/parasols...and dusk is my favorite time of day.
• Photography - color, b&w, polaroid, infrared, lomo, diana, holga, vintage - it's all good :)
• Vintage cameras and images of them
• Vintage buttons - love rhinestone ones!
• Theatre and costumes
• Masquerade masks
• Lanterns, lampposts, chandeliers and rooftops
• Paper lanterns
• Celestial (moon, stars, sun)
• Hearts - love whimsical shaped ones
• Sparklie stuff like sequins, rhinestones, crystals, beads, charms, glitter, etc.
• Moonstone, labradorite, rose quartz, olivine, ruby colored crystals...actually any colored crystals - love sparklies!
• Postcards - written on or blank in an envelope. Handmade or store bought or ad cards. I don't mind either way. As far as subject...surprise me! :)
• Bookmarks, book thongs/ribbons. I really love handmade or upcycled.
• Note cards or stationery that feature something that I like or in one of my favorite colors.
• Moleskine notebooks (or similar) - prefer unlined, but I'm not picky.
• Circus/Carnival themed things (no clowns)...really love vintage, fantasy or Tim Burtonesque...but all is awesome.
• Sharpies - various widths and colors, though black very fine point is what I tend to use most.
• Pilot Varsity Disposable Fountain Pens - black ink.
• Any smooth writing pens are always appreciated. Black ink is my favorite.
• Prismacolor and Copic markers
• Colored pencils, watercolor pencils
• Hello Kitty and Kawaii is cute, happy and makes me smile. I especially like anything cat or bunny related and I love the San-X Sentimental Circus stuff! ♥
• Candles (see scents below) I'm a sucker for Yankee Candles and soy candles on Etsy :)
• LUSH - expensive, I know, but samples are cool!
• BPAL - so many I want to try - imps would be most appreciated in any scent!
• Perfume oil samples from various Etsy shops in my favorites (just search "perfume" within my favorites).

TEA...I love individual, sealed tea bags in various flavors. My favorites are flavored black teas (chai, spice, cinnamon, vanilla, orange, peach, etc.) and plain black teas (Irish Breakfast, English Breakfast). White and green teas are okay, but I don't seem to drink them very often. Herbal teas are nice - I like chamomile and the sleepy time teas. I don't really like fruity herbal teas and please don't send licorice flavor or rooibos teas (I think I may be allergic to rooibos - always have a weird reaction to it). I know licorice root is an ingredient in some blends - those are usually okay as I can't taste it. I just wouldn't drink something that is supposed to be pure licorice flavored.

MUNCHIES...Unfortunately, due to having more than one rare chronic condition (seriously, what are the odds? I wish I were this lucky in Vegas) I must abstain from a lot of things to keep the pain at a minimum. The upside? Maybe the scale won't say, "one at a time, please" anymore. ;)

SCENTS...vanilla, coconut, sandalwood, patchouli, lavender, nag champa, amber, sage, tea, lilac, spices, pumpkin spice, cinnamon, apple or apple spice, sweet smells, pink grapefruit, Hawaiian florals. I wear The Body Shop vanilla line almost daily. I'm a big believer of the healing power of essential oils and always have bottles of frankincense and lavender nearby. I also love the smell of old books, ice rinks, rain and water rides.

I tend to like most colors, but here are my top favorites...

• black
• deep crimson red
• purples
• blues (especially navy and teal)
• greens (esp. olive and sage)
• deep pinks
• gray
• steampunk colors (antiqued metals, browns, rust)
• jewel tones
• colors of fall/autumn and Halloween

I love, love, LOVE to read! When I was a kid, my parents would reward me for things by asking if I wanted to go to the toy store or the bookstore. I always chose the bookstore. :) My favorite genres are children's literature/young adult, mystery/suspense, classics, art and photography books, fiction/literature, fantasy, thrillers...uh, I think I like just about every genre! :) I love short story collections. Neil Gaiman and Francesca Lia Block are probably my top two favorite authors. I also love Shakespeare, Jules Verne, H.G. Wells, Edgar Allan Poe, Edward Gorey, Scott Westerfeld, Stephen King...I could go on and on...

I don't like to be negative, but after swapping for a while I feel there is a need for this "do not send" list. If I do happen to get something in a swap that I can't use, I will pass it on or donate it, so you don't have to worry about it being tossed away.

• I don't smoke and when I smell it, my allergies and headaches get worse. However, if you are sending to me and you smoke, it's cool...just please don't try to cover it with a fabric softener or a bunch of perfume. I appreciate the gesture, but that stuff can be worse than the smoke smell for me.
• Certain scents will aggravate my headache issues. The ones I listed in my "love" section are usually fine. I know for sure I cannot handle Avon or Victoria's Secret perfumes at all - every one of them triggers a migraine.
• Mary Engelbreit
• Clowns
• Black licorice
• Artificial sweetener
• Gum
• Wintergreen and strong mint
• Animal heads on human bodies...I don't get that kind of art...kinda creeps me out - and not in a good way. (not to be confused with animals in clothing or costumes, which is totally different and mostly cute)
• Country farm-ish type decor (things with images of roosters and such)
• Americana
• Sports themes
• Bloody, gory stuff (my taste in goth is toward the whimsical, fantasy and cute side)
• Religious items.

I have been swapping for about 7 years now. I always send my swaps, so if something has not arrived to you in a reasonable amount of time, please pm me so I have a chance to re-send. It's very important to me that my partners receive their swaps! :) Also, if you are sending to me and are going to be late, that's cool...just pm me to let me know so I don't worry that it got lost in the mail or something. I totally understand that life gets really busy and things come up that we haven't planned for. On that note, if I am going to be late, I will pm you before the deadline to let you know (and beg for mercy LOL). I believe that this is supposed to be a fun hobby so I stay away from drama and such :) If you have any questions, just pm me! Thank you for reading :)

Reminders to myself...

Re-send Zombified Brooch to kezeven