ChelleHames

Hi Friends!
(02/07/20)
Taking a break from swapping for a bit. I'll check back periodically.

Please don't send extras (I don't rate based on extras anyways), I have SO MUCH and just don't have room for it all. I really need to destash...

This list is to let you get to know me a bit more.

1. I LOVE THE COLOR ORANGE! All shades... I love other colors too, especially bright and jewel tone colors, but ORANGE is the best!
2. I love to travel.
3. I love to read.
4. I love music, television, and movies.
5. I love to make art. Currently, I do more paper ART (greeting cards) than anything else. But I also cross stitch, paint ceramics, draw, make bookmarks out of many different medias, zentangle, paper collage (with embellishments sometimes)...
6. Birds, especially artsy/funky/whimsical birds in bright colors
7. Stickers, of all kinds!
8. Printed papers
9. Fridge magnets from across the US and around the world
10. Tea! A very spicy Chai is my favorite, but I drink most teas! I have found that I do not like flowery teas like jasmine. They smell good, but I don't like the taste. :( I think my taste buds are changing...)
11. Star Trek
12. Doctor Who
13. Sherlock (BBC) and Elementary
14. Firefly
15. Minions (from Despicable Me)
16. Chocolate!
17. Embellishments: bling!, clips, brads, ribbon, bakers twine...
18. Cutouts, punched shapes, etc...
19. Steampunk
20. Butterflies
21. Vintage
22. Sparkle and Shine! I love glitter! The more the better, I say! I absoutely don't mind if you use glitter and sparkly things on the art you send me!!! And I won't rate you lower for loose glitter! ;)
23. Baby animals especially, but big animals as well
24. Washi tape and other decorative tapes
25. favorite fragrances: anything fruity, clove
26. Postcards... I like touristy, vintage, funny, handmade, anything really! (I think) I prefer them naked with a note from my partner. But, if the swap calls for sending them in an envie, that's good too!
27. Angels!!! Thank you to @AnitaHames for angeling the SS: Christmas washi in a note card USA only! Love the Washi and the Washi note card!!! Thank you @flowerchild for angeling Winter & Christmas Washi Fast Swap! Love the beautiful washi you sent!!! Thank you @OrigamiGrace for angeling CPG Oct '16 Senders Choice PCs - US Only! Now I want to go to Australia! @OrigamiGrace for angeling CPG Snowman Profile Bling - Global. Why would you flake on an electronic swap?!?!?!
28. Sweet swappers with giving hearts! @pkpeace who sent me a wonderful birthday surprise (2016). @Sandara333 who, just out of the blue, sent me the most awesome box of goodies for Christmas (2016)!

I give hearts for those that go above and beyond on the swap, not on the extras sent. I do not expect extras in swaps. And really have too much of my own stuff, so, please dont send extras.

Not much...

1. I don't do friendship books, deco books, or smash books. Just really don't know anything about them...
2. Some flavors: banana, pumpkin, flowery teas.
3. Cigarette/Cigar smelling things. I don't mind if you smoke, it's your life and your choice, but try your best to not sent me smokey art. Thanks! :)
4. Real spiders give me nightmares, especially tarantulas! Eeeeek! I don't mind pictures of them tho, especially at HALLOWEEN!
5. Non-raters and people that don't respond to messages.
6. Flakers!

My niece, @BugLeigh is now my roommate, as of November 2017. Initially, we did not have the same address, but recently admin answered our messages and now we do have the same address. She is an established swapper and we do completely different swaps. Just wanted to be transparent about our address and swapping!

I purchased a postal scale so I can send my mail without having to go into the post office. If you receive a package from me that does not have enough postage, PLEASE let me know. It was not intentional and I will reimburse you!

If you do not receive a swap from me, PLEASE let me know. I will resend. You can message me through swap-bot or my personal e-mail [email protected]. I've already been flaked on (one of my first swaps! :'( BOO!) and I did not enjoy the feeling. I will not do that to someone else. I spend a lot of time on and put a lot of thought into my art and want to share it and get all the accolades from my partners! :) I won't flake! I won't be late unless it cannot be avoided (death, dismemberment, that kind of thing), and I will notify you if that type of thing happens.

I also find it sad that anyone would have to place info like this on their profile... :(

I'm a 40 something kid-at-heart. I'm happily single and have no children.

My sister @AnitaHames got me started here. She's been swapping for a while and finally talked me into joining. I'm enjoying it so much! My oldest sister @JocysMom is swapping now as well! Her daughter, @BugLeigh has also begun swapping! We are a crafty/artistic group!!!

I'm a Registered Nurse working in a Neonatal ICU. I love my job! It's so rewarding watching these tiny babies grow and get healthy and strong!

I work 12 1/2 hour shifts 3 days (in a row) a week. And I work at least 2 extra shifts a month (I have a very expensive hobby and travel habit)! I have a "6 days in a row" off stretch, which is when I usually work my overtime shifts. The rest of my work days are crammed into the rest of the month. Whew, this is a very exhausting schedule, but I LOVE my job and the time it gives me to live my life. I'm putting this here so you can see that if I'm working, I may not get back to you the day I read a message. And, when I'm working, I can't create (I need my sleep). So, if you need to get in touch with me, be patient, I will get back to you ASAP. And, if you need me to resend, be patient, I will resend. I may have to wait until I'm off work to recreate your swap.

I volunteer for the March of Dimes Arkansas Chapter. I make footprint cards for the babies in the NICU @ my hospital. I also help with Kangaroo Care week (March), Read-a-book-athon (March), NICU Reunion (April), MonsterBash Fundraiser (October), and Prematurity awareness month (November), and other fundraisers, and functions held at my hospital for mom's and families of newborns and premies.

5/23/16 -- 400 Swaps completed!!! Woot! Woot!!
7/16/16 -- 500 "5's"!!! WaHooo!!!
12/9/16 -- 500 Swaps sent!!! Sweet!

I am a paper artist! Mostly I make greeting cards. I also make book marks, ATCs, Inchies, Artist tiles of all sizes, envies, mail art, and scrapbook. I draw a bit; zentagles and doodles mostly. In high school and college I drew a lot.

I also dabble in ceramic painting, ornament making, cross stitching...

I love printed papers, stickers, cutouts, embellishments, and anything ORANGE!

I have a small Cricut and a Big Shot. I have a lot of Stampin' Up products. And, thankfully, I'm lucky enough to have a craft room! It should be a guest room, but... Priorities!

I learned how to "arm knit" and made a lovely, tho messy, infinity scarf! Now I want to learn how to knit for real!

"Picking five favorite books is like picking the five body parts you'd most like not to lose." Neil Gaiman

I love to READ!!! I've always loved to read! Yes, I was a book nerd in High School, and proud of it! I always bring a book along, just in case. It stresses me out if I forget one...

A few of my favorite books (and series): Harry Potter series, In Death series by J. D. Robb (aka Nora Roberts), Scarpetta series by Patricia Cornwell, Odd Thomas Series by Dean Koontz, Stephanie Plum series by Janet Evanovitch, Thursday Next Series by Jasper Fford, The Parasol Protectorate series by Gail Carriger, The Book Thief by Markus Zusak, The Road by Cormac McCarthy, The Call of the Wild by Jack London, The Diary of a Young Girl by Anne Frank, A Wrinkle In Time by Madeleine L'Engle, The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy by Douglas Adams, Charlotte's Web by E. B. White, To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee, The Tale of Despereaux by Kate DiCamillo, James and the Giant Peach by Roald Gahl, The Call of the Wild and White Fang by Jack London, Anne of Green Gables by Lucy Montgomery, Are You There God? It's Me, Margaret by Judy Blume...

I'm in a book club. We meet monthly and typically read a book a month. Current Book Club Book: The Invisible Library by Genevieve Cogman

Some of my favorite books we've read in book club: The Thirteenth Tale by Diane Setterfield, The Art of Racing in the Rain by Garth Stein, Homer's Odyssey: A Fearless feline Tale, or How I Learned about Love and Life with a Blind Wonder Cat by Gwen Cooper, Odd Thomas by Dean Koontz, The Ocean at the End of the Lane by Neil Gaiman, Life After Life by Kate Atkinson, Uprooted by Naomi Novik, The Martian by Andy Weir.

That said, I'll read just about anything! I prefer fiction. Sci Fi, Horror, Mystery, Young Adult, funny! My "guilty pleasure" is a good historical romance novel set in Regency England (a little earlier/a little later as well). I really don't feel guilty about that tho! ;)

I listen to a lot of different types of music from Classical to Metal. My all time favorite band is the Eagles. But I also love Muse, Jewel, Blake Shelton, Volbeat, Adele, Hurts, Mumford and Sons, Apocalyptica (cello's on steroids!), Katatonia, Within Temptation, Device, A Perfect Circle, Five Finger Death Punch, Alter Bridge, Jonsi and Sigur Ros (indefinably beautiful music!), Sonata Arctica (melodic metal, beautiful!) Thousand Foot Krutch, Tool, Disturbed, Journey, CCR, Eric Clapton... I could go on and on...

Mostly I listen to Hard Rock, Rock and 80's music (what can I say, I'm a child of the 80's)... I also like a little Country and Heavy Metal \m/ (even Death Metal)!!!

Favorite Television I'm a bit of a SciFi nerd and British TV nerd. My favorite television series': Doctor Who, Sherlock, Star Trek (all series, but my favorite is The Next Generation), Firefly, Warehouse 13, Criminal Minds, Psych, The Graham Norton Show, NCIS, Mike & Molly, The Big Bang Theory, Modern Family, Haven, Grimm, Person of Interest, Face Off, Falling Skies, So You Think You Can Dance, Wipeout, Top Chef, Project Runway, Ripper Street, Copper... I watch a bit too much TV...

Favorite Movies I love going to the movie theater to see a movie! The big screen, the sound, the popcorn... It's the whole experience. I lean towards Sci Fi, action, and comedy; but I do enjoy a good drama, suspense, and the occasional romance as well. Don't really watch horror movies, they give me nightmares! Eeeeeek! It makes me sad that movies are so expensive these days. I don't get to go as often as I would like because it costs too much... :-/

I love to travel! Anywhere, anytime.

Summer 2018 was a trip to northern CA and an ALASKAN CRUISE! Alaska was beautiful! I really want to spend more time there! Spent 2 weeks in Iceland in 2017. We had wonderful weather, which was a good thing since everything we did was outdoor related! Even though the country is small, we still didn't have time to do everything we wanted! We gave it our best shot!!! We do need to go back in the winter for the Aurora Borealis. ICELAND was AMAZING!!! Getting home, on the other hand, not so much. After delayed flights, some misplaced luggage, flat out lies from Air Canada employees, a cancelled flight, sleeping in a freezing airport, more misplaced luggage, and 41 hours of travel time, we finally made it home.

Spent 3 weeks touring England, Scotland, and Ireland through a College English course. We hit all the great "Literary" sites: Shakespeare's birthplace, Potter Farm, Thoor Ballylee, the Lake Isle of Innisfree, the Lake District, Warwick Castle, Coole Park, Glamis Castle... And many other places. It was an amazing trip and I fell in love with the UK and Ireland! My sister went on the trip as well. And in June of 2015, my sister, her husband, and I went back to England, Scotland, Wales, and Ireland! We did some of the same stuff as before, but a lot of new stuff as well: Loch Ness, The Doctor Who Experience, The Isle of Skye, Skellig Michael (super cute PUFFINS!)... It was amazing!!!

I have also cruised Italy and Greece (with my sister). Another amazing trip! Venice is beautiful! Rome is exciting! Athens is so vibrant! Santorini and Mykinos were absolutely tranquil! And the food! Oh my!!! During this cruise we also made a stop in Turkey (the bazaar!!!) and Croatia.

I'm working my way through the USA as well. Summer 2018 was a trip to northern CA and an ALASKAN CRUISE! Alaska was beautiful! I really want to spend more time there! My sister lives in northern CA, so I will be spending more time there in the future. I've also been to New York City (Statue of Liberty, Coney Island, Broadway play, Brooklyn...), Washington DC, Hawaii (O'ahu), the Grand Canyon (Arizona), the Painted Desert and the Petrified National Forest (New Mexico and Arizona), the Garden of the Gods, Pikes Peak, Rocky Mountain National Park, Estes Park and The Stanley Hotel, Denver, Boulder and The Celestial Seasonings factory (Colorado), Yellowstone (Montana and Wyoming), Devil's Tower (Wyoming), Devil's Den, Custer State Park and Needles Highway, Badlands (South Dakota), Kalamazoo, MI, San Diego and Los Angeles, Dallas, Houston, San Antonio, Atlanta, Norfolk and Virginia City Beach, VA, and the Florida Gulf Coast.