songtoisis

I'm relatively new to Swap-Bot but not to swapping! I'm a vegan pagan living north of Chicago with my toddler son and my very tall husband.

My aesthetic is contemporary and cute and calm. I like nature-inspired things and kawaii stuff and chic contemporary design. Simple. Chill. Feminine. Nature photography. Tree and leaf imagery. Worn things with some history, some charm to them. I'm always searching thrift stores for books (especially children's), cartoon sheet sets, Muppets memorabilia, vintage dishes, quilts and handicrafts, 1980s toys, crystal or decorative bookends. I love dish towels, comic books and music boxes, too. I try to get my son all his toys, coloring books, books, and board games by thrifting for them.

I love, in no particular order: vegan food/books/cooking, hiking, scrapbooking, ModPodge, sewing, the Muppets, the X-Men, thrift store hunting, used book shopping, young adult fiction, and BPAL perfume. Add to that vintage dishes, anything autumnal, beach glass, Victoriana, history, archaeology, anthropology, museums, theaters, stationary, stickers, foreign currency, crystals and minerals, Tarot, Runes and other divination forms, as well as all things witchcraft-y. (Except patchouli. Yeah, sorry.) Love to travel, all the time, all over the place, and put antique shops and thrift stores on all my "must do" lists for new cities or countries.

Growing up, I wanted to be an astronaut, a jockey, or a ballerina. I'm still fascinated by space-themed things, horses and riding, and dance.

I'm cheerful, fun-loving, and optimistic and that shows in the things I like, generally. I'm a huge fan of animals, cheery skulls, hearts, weather. I love nothing more than things illustrated with faces that shouldn't have faces--like carrots and rain clouds. I like things that are cheerful, grateful, ironic, inspirational, fun. Poetry or inspirational works about gratitude, optimism, being present appeal to me.

I'd also love swaps for my son, who's 3 years old, and would consider anything chosen for him in mind to be a gift to me. :) He devours books, has uncannily good luck at board games, and befriends every animal (real, imagined, or toy) that he encounters.

I don't keep current with music. I love mix CDs from people because then I can be exposed to new things--I enjoy all genres except for death metal or any other kind of wail and scream kinda stuff. Some past hits with me have been Natalie Merchant, Postal Service, Snow Patrol, Scotland Yard Gospel Choir, Frank Sinatra, Neil Diamond...Dave Matthews Band. Melodic, good lyrics, danceable. I love classical music, instrumental piano, and other atmospheric albums as well. I would love some Irish, Scottish, or Swedish folk music.

Favorite Youth Book Series: Satin Slippers, The Saddle Club, Silver Blades, Silver Skates, anything by L.J. Smith, Little House on the Prairie, Black Stallion

I'm drawing a blank! I love Anne McCaffrey. Sherman Alexie. Jane Austen. Janet Evanovich. Gaelen Foley. Mark Twain. Maya Angelou. Elizabeth Peters.

Also, embarrassing as it is, I love (well-written) historical romance. I like knowing ahead of time sometimes that the girl will get the love of her life and have her happily-ever-after.

I also love survival/shipwrecked stories, sci-fi, anything with strong female characters, paranormal stuff.

I love history books, diaries and journals, or biographies of historical figures.

The Muppet Movie, The Great Muppet Caper, First Knight, Sense and Sensibility, The Long Long Trailer, Love Actually, Princess Bride, Toy Story, The Little Mermaid, Beauty and the Beast, Top Gun, Mr. Smith Goes to Washington, Dave, Black Stallion, Dangerous Beauty

Project Runway, Top Chef, Moonlight, The Muppet Show, She-Ra: Princess of Power, Fraggle Rock, Blood Ties, Survivor, House, Extreme Makeover: Home Edition, Deserving Design, The Vampire Diaries

I do not want to receive: incense, animal products (leather, feather, bone, silk, fur, musk, dairy, egg, pearl, gelatin, etc), earrings (my ears aren't pierced), Christian/Judeo/Islamic-themed items (I'm not offended by them, but I am not of those faiths), smoking-related items, or anything musty.

Baby Graeme, my son, isn't much of a baby anymore. He is three years old. He wears a size 4T. He loves dress-up clothes, Viewfinder reels, Schleich animal figures, Care Bears, My Little Pony, Blue's Clues, Between the Lions, and Muppet Babies. He watches shows on both VHS and DVD. He loves to paint, stick stickers on things, and color in coloring books. He adores plastic pretend food and puppets of all types. He loves to read, can read, and is also frequently read to--you can never go wrong with books for him. :) He also loves board and card games geared for 4-6 year olds.