kbare

I am primarily a quilter and needleworker. Lately, I have been practicing my outdated drawing skills with some doodling and Zentangles. I have been working in a new journal, with more drawing and doodles. I enjoy paper crafts, but don't do that nearly as much as I might like.

Probably I could best be described as a collector of creative supplies, dreaming of the time to be creative! At some point I have tried nearly every craft imaginable and I probably bought some supplies I haven't used since. (2014 update - still true. Watch for private swaps.)

My favorite colors are things that go with beige - neutrals & cream, green, red, brown, gold, blues that go with brown, fall colors - warm colors. (That rules out kiddie pastels and most colors associated with road safety.) I definitely love colors, especially when they are in a coordinated palette. I also like texture, natural materials, and natural colors.

A friend pointed out that describing color preferences in simple words was difficult, so I put up some photos on Flickr in case that would help - there's a link above. (Once I find my Flickr password again, I will post some of my current projects.)

I love to cook; particularly simple recipes with fresh ingredients. My two favorite foods are coffee and chocolate, followed by cured meats and cheeses. I don't object to tea, but I find I don't often get around to drinking it.

(2014 revision - I have MS and now I drink way more tea, esp. herbal fruit tea; and now chocolate, cured meats, and cheeses are off limits. Poop.)

I'm a gardener - fond of herbs and things that don't croak in the high desert (it's a short list). (2014 update - now in the midwest - Omaha. My tomatoes are happier and the gardening list is much longer, but my towels get stinky from humidity.)

I love to travel - my favorite trip of all time was to Italy! (Soooo beautiful and great food everywhere!!!)

My favorite part of the day is my morning cup of coffee, especially if it's a beautiful morning on my screen porch. (2014 update - still true. No more screen porch, but I can have coffee in my veggie garden and listen to birds.)

I bought my first home in 2008, then discovered I had accumulated way too much stuff to fit in my house - I have successfully decluttered over 2500lb of stuff since Jan 2009. As a result of this, I'm always perfectly happy with edibles, local/regional foods, things I can grow, cook or make, bath stuff, that sort of thing. (2014 - still true, but now in my second home, which is smaller than the first one.)

Halloween is my favorite decorating season, followed by Christmas. I always have a seasonal display set up on a jelly cupboard near my kitchen. I have little ornament trees for Christmas, Easter & Halloween.

I used to live in the high desert of southern Colorado, with a fantastic view of several mountain ranges and a LOT of high prairie/desert. 2014 - Now I live in Nebraska with no view and a lot of trees. My tomatoes grow a lot better.

I still have a cat and a sweetie who travels. I still work full time as a civilian for the Army in the construction field, and quilt, sew or craft any time I can get away with it. And now I have gone back to school for another 4-year degree (in my spare time, I guess - lol!)

I am a FlyBaby, re-growing my new wings from scratch.

Most Wanted: Cotton quilting fabrics in deep reds and cream/neutrals! (I now have three quilts going in these colors.) I can use scraps. Quality is better than quantity - I do prefer "quilt shop" fabric over JoAnn or WalMart-quality fabrics.

1. Fabrics from Moda Everlastings or Double Chocolat, or French General.

2. Neutral/background quilting fabric - beige, cream, tans - blenders, small prints, batiks - always running short of these.

3. Fat Quarters/eighths, charm squares, 2-inch or wider strips, or scraps of coordinating fabric that could be used for a small sewing, quilting, or craft project (mini quilts, coasters, potholders, stuffies, etc.).

I recently used some baggies of coordinating fabrics left over from larger quilt projects for some smaller sewing/quilting projects. I have found my stash to be a little light in some color palettes when working on projects for swap partners. I would love to try using baggies of other people's coordinating fabric leftovers - like the stuff leftover after you finish a kitted quilt project - for some of these little projects.

1. Scraps for Patriotic Pears scrap quilt(designed by Pieces From My Heart) - I'm short the following: deep reds, cream/neutral background, gold/brown. Any scraps 3x3 inches or larger are useful.

2. I'm working on a big quilt and sewing project for my bedroom using batiks. I put up some photos of the colors I'm using on my Flickr page. Look for the set "Fabric I Am Looking For" to see photo examples of the colors in the projects.

Other Stuff:

1. 11"x16" placemat/mug rug sorts of things to go in my dinner/tea tray or on top of my jelly cupboard with seasonal displays.

2. Minature ornaments (1"-ish or less) or small scale garland for my Halloween, Christmas or Easter trees. (The trees are 12-18 inches tall.)

3. Coffee, teas, jams, mustards, honey (especially home, local or regionally made). Recipes or spice "kits" for preserving fresh fruits and veggies or fixing ethnic dishes.

4. Paper crafting/scrapbooking adhesive (the roll-on sticky tape stuff). I don't know why, but I'm ALWAYS out of this when I need it.

5. Micron Pigma pens, especially the 01 size. I use a lot of black and brown, but any color would be ok.

6. In case you want any other suggestions, there is a link above to my Amazon Wish List. I'm also quite happy with Amazon gift cards/codes if our tastes or hobbies don't really match up.

All time favorite movie is Princess Bride, followed by Muppets from Space and World's Fastest Indian. I'll watch nearly anything with Muppets in it or animated by Pixar. I prefer a happy ending with a sense of possibility and hope, not a classic tragedy. I can't sit in the same room as movies with lots of blood/guts/brain splatters, non-stop explosions, or things that jump out of the dark to get you.

I have been re-reading all of Terry Pratchett's books in order on my Kindle. Have recently read some Neil Gaiman stuff I really liked, too. Probably will stay in this genre for a while.

I hardly ever watch TV. Sometimes a show on Netflix. Otherwise, compared to TV, there's always something else I should be doing. I liked Firefly, Eureka, Haven.

I never, ever flake, but I do sometimes miss a mailing deadline. The post office isn't conveniently located and it's very difficult for me to get away from work during the week. Usually the worst case scenario is the Saturday after the mailing deadline, especially if I'm mailing internationally. If I am late mailing to you, I will send you a message to let you know you aren't forgotten.

2014 Update - Ok, apparently I DO sometimes flake. In early 2013, I became ill (I have MS - I had an exacerbation.). Then my job moved. I spent 6 months living in a hotel in Omaha, then sold my house in Colorado, bought a new house in Nebraska and moved over Christmas & New Years. Now I am back in the new house with my stuff and the Post Office is actually right on the way to work. I have about 2 years before we pack up and do it all over again (hopefully minus the MS thing).

I really, really dropped the ball on my last couple of swaps, and if it was you, I apologize and I will be contacting you to make it right. I will be starting back off again with some "newbie" swaps before I delve back into the more complex and time-consuming swaps that I really enjoy. Baby steps.