papercraftkath

Hello swapping friends. I am taking a break from Swap-bot. Thanks for the swaps and take care!

Swap-bot brings much joy to my life. I enjoy preparing packages with thought and care and receiving the same from so many friends around the world. I promise to be kind in my swaps and I hope others will do the same. I find it unsettling when people are unkind on Swap-bot because it's meant to be fun.

I would like to do some pen-paling this year. If you are looking for a reliable and easy-going person to write to once a month or so please let me know!

If you are checking in to see my likes and dislikes, here are a few ideas. I love: washi tape, stickers, scrapbook paper, notecards, postcards, book pages, Valentine's cards, ribbon, stamped images and empty Starbucks cards (with fun designs). I also like anything cat, dog, hedgehog, strawberry, floral, garden gnome, mail, coffee/tea, heart, rainbow, cloud, Kawaii, Hello Kitty, Pusheen, unicorn, llama, cactus, flamingo, shark, summer-y, Christmas, Halloween or Valentine's themed. I also have a daughter who is obsessed with bats (the flying ones) so anything bat is great!

Please no scented items or food because of allergies, thank you! Most likely I will love what you choose to send. Just as another side note, I don’t check date stamps on my mail or your sent by dates because life happens and a day or two doesn’t matter to me!

Also please don't feel obliged to send me extras. I'm fortunate to have so many things (and I love them all of course)!

I think it's wonderful how many ways there are to connect with people all over the world through happy mail and swaps. The Internet can be a fabulous place to find like-minded people.

There's nothing quite like receiving a piece of art or writing in the mail, except perhaps sending one. For years I mailed creative little packages to people I knew, who were sort of interested in receiving them, but definitely didn't mail anything back. I was thrilled to discover swaps!

I participate in postcard, junk journal and pocket letter swaps through social media groups. I am on a first name basis with my neighbourhood post office staff. They remember me when I show up with my washi-taped packages and noisy children.

I spend much of my day looking after small people and a dog. Crafting and writing give me a nice break from the day-to-day monotony and also an opportunity to use the creative part of my brain.

I look forward to swapping with you! By the way, I always mail my swaps and save proof of mailing. It can take weeks for items to arrive from Canada. If you have any questions or concerns about something I mailed you, please let me know!

My favourite themes for paper craft projects are birds, butterflies, children's books, the 80s, animals and quotes. I love brights colours, but if I had to pick just one colour it would definitely be blue. I most often make junk journals and ephemera to go with, as well as pocket letters. Shaker tags are my latest pocket letter endeavour.

I think stickers get a bad rap. A favourite part of childhood was my sticker book and I wish I still had it. I have found some vintage stickers in thrift stores and eBay and will one day re-create a sticker book (in an old photo album of course). I also send my kids stickers once a month through the mail and call it sticker club.

My washi tape collection is starting to rival my old sticker book collection. There are so many designs and colours, I find it hard not to buy a new roll when I go to the craft store!

My favourite band is U2 and I love the song "Beautiful Day". My other favourite all time song is "Good Life" by OneRepublic. "Glitter and Gold" by Barns Courtney is a new favourite.

Some Canadian musicians I love are The Trews, Serena Ryder, the RAA, Reuben and the Dark and Ruth B. I have seen most of them live. They are all great, you should check them out!

I love going to the movies and not just for the popcorn (although also for the popcorn). A few years ago I started trying to see all the Academy Award best picture nominees before the awards aired. I am usually able to see most of them in time and a few more from other categories. I like knowing the movies when I watch the awards, but it's also a really good way to see quality movies and often ones I wouldn't otherwise watch.

I enjoy reading thrillers, mostly because they keep me reading (and quickly)! Ruth Ware is a current favourite thriller writer. I also read literary fiction books, but find it harder to motivate myself to read them. The History of Love is my favourite book. It's such an intricate and complex book and the ending is amazing. I go to the library all the time, and the book store too of course.

According to my kids, I watch the news, Grey's Anatomy (is anyone else upset that Alex just left!?) and craft videos. But these are just the ones they know about! I watch dark television shows. I'm not sure why, I'm not a dark person. I enjoy the Walking Dead, Game of Thrones, the Handmaid's Tale and whatever darkness is trending on Netflix. I am almost always crafting when I watch TV!