stephiedee

I'm Steph(anie); pronouns: she/her. I'm a nerdly dorkish 41 year old, married to a nerdly dorkish 40-something year old and mother to one nerdly dorkish 22 year old. We all live in Tallahassee, Florida. I'm a homemaker and try to cram as much creative playtime into my day as possible between one boring chore or another.

I am very enthusiastically a homebody, thanks to some major introversion, social anxiety and other personality issues. Making art (and swapping) is my way of coping with the internal junk and connecting with people. Crafting is the great neutralizer; I'll talk shop with literally anyone, damn the shyness and social anxiety.

I’m obsessed with making things. I’ve been at it for awhile now - crafting for at least 20 years (going back to when I scrapbooked my daughter’s babyhood) and I've tried oodles of things. For the past 12 years I’ve been focused on paper/mixed media art and swapping. Right now I’m all about mail art, gluebooks, ATCs, artbooks/zines, and just generally gluing paper to paper. I got myself a Gel Press for my 40th birthday in 2019 and am over the moon about it.

Beyond art and cleaning up messes, meme, movie and TV references rule my world. I enjoy “airplane naps” on the couch, watching entirely too much TV, road trips, thrifting, exploring historical sites, long walks on the beach, candlelit dinners….oh, wait.

News

January 2021
I'm still taking an indefinite break from organized swapping here (both as a host & participant) to focus on more informal exchanging via tags/RAKs and exchanging on other sites. Swap-bot can be a pressure cooker for my anxieties, so for my own well being I'm taking a break from the official business of having to micro-manage things.

That being said, you can always reach me here (or at any of my social media links above + sendsomething.net - I'm # 3806) if you'd like to exchange some random mail art. If you already have my address, send me something; I'll reply in kind.

I host a collage ATC swap (Cut+Paste ATC Swap) on Instagram. It's a bimonthly, international swap. More info is on my profile there if you're interested.

This is the "artsy" side of my craft cave, where I make all the things. You can usually find me here, avoiding housework.

Favorite Things to Make

• ATCs, skinnies, handmade postcards
• artbooks, zines & gluebooks
• stickered up postcards & empty envelopes ("sticker bombs")
• stuffed supply envelopes (random or themed)
• painted papers (gel prints & other methods)
• lists & questionnaires (creative/handmade, not email)
• collaborative projects
• wall art, canvasses, altered art, assemblages, repainted figurines.

Some recent ATCs.

For the TL;DR crowd: in general, I like...

• bright/bold colors, neons, highly saturated colors---all of them

• nature, animals, history, science

• busy patterns, bold design

• 60s-70s-80s aesthetics

• eclectic, bohemian styles, vintage mixed with modern

• modern design & art

• creative, inspiring, funny, sarcastic quotes/sayings & words

• humor, profanity, weirdness, non sequiturs, salads

• pop culture, memes, gifs, TV, cartoons

Favorites

a modest outpouring (lol) of SOME top faves...

• Specific ATC themes: though I'm absolutely open to more than just these...altered Mona Lisa and other art muses, John Tenniel style Alice in Wonderland art, snarky people/animals, tropical flora/fauna, celestial (sun, moon, stars-NOT angels), food puns (these go on the fridge gallery), deep sea divers (helmets only or whole suits), Florida, postage people, symbols (peace signs, evil eyes, plus signs, hamsa), anthropomorphic things, cute monsters, fantasy creatures, creepy/gothic Halloween.

• Animals and Things: RACCOONS! COCKATOOS! But also: gibbons, crows, owls, Pit Bulls, sloths, maneki neko, Boston Terriers, alligators, tyrannosaurus rex, emus, big cats, dragons, gargoyles, goldfish, Sphynx cats, manatees, squirrels.

• Visual Artists: Rex Ray, Edward Hopper, Tara McPherson, Frida Kahlo, Jean-Michel Basquiat, Salvador Dali, Andy Warhol, Marion Peck, James Jean, Vincent Van Gogh, Michael Cheval, Lynne Perrella, Kass Copeland, Sergio Bustamante, Cindy Sherman, Carrie Ann Baade, Lauren YS.

• Art Movements, Design Styles: Memphis, Mid-century Modern, Scandinavian, 60s-70s-80s, graffiti, pop art, Goth, psychedelic art, outsider art, Surrealism, Retro Futurism, Spanish Revival Architecture.

• Television: The Watch, Titans, Derry Girls, Lovecraft Country, What We Do in the Shadows, Doom Patrol, American Dad, Bob's Burgers, At Home with Amy Sedaris, Primal, Judge Judy, Hot Bench, The Mandalorian, The Office (US), Comedians in Cars Getting Coffee, My Next Guest...with David Letterman, Nailed It, RuPaul's Drag Race, Cash Cab, Making It, The Great British Baking Show, Teen Titans Go, The Witcher, The Amazing World of Gumball.

• Music: it's mostly just heavy metal and 90s alt-rock + riot grrrl...some 80s too... Black Sabbath, Metallica, Megadeth, Nirvana, L7, Sleater-Kinney, Hole, Sonic Youth, Patti Smith, Kathleen Hanna, Soundgarden, Siouxsie and the Banshees, Pearl Jam, Veruca Salt, Iron Maiden, Pantera, Slayer, The Cramps.

• Pop Culture Miscellany: Adult Swim, Fullmetal Alchemist, cosplay, Gudetama, Monty Python, stand-up comedy, Batman, Wonder Woman, DC, Soup Store, Socially Awkward Penguin, Doge, Dragon Ball, Godzilla, Walt Disney WORLD (the parks themselves), Star Wars, Darth Vader, Mr. Blobby, SpongeBob SquarePants, Discworld, IKEA, Cookie Monster, Oscar the Grouch, Universal Monsters, 80s cartoons, Nancy (comic strip).

• Famous Folks: Carrie Fisher, Mr. Rogers, Neil Gaiman, Elvira, Bob the Drag Queen, Gary Busey, Lynda Carter, Noel Fielding, David Letterman, Margaret Cho, Mitch Hedberg, Dave Chappelle, Maria Bamford, Nicole Byer, Amanda Palmer, Kurt Cobain, Billy Connolly, Terry Pratchett, Pee-wee Herman, The Irwins, Sarah Silverman, Garry Shandling.

• Clowns: I collect them. Yes I do, don't look at me like that! Clown art, clown statues, clown dolls...and also more easily mailable things like clown images, clown comics from the newspaper, clown stickers, clown postcards! I'll gladly take them off your hands. We have my Aunt Marcia and her collection that I admired as a child to thank for this. I love all kinds of clowns from creepy to cute, but draw the line at Pogo (John Wayne Gacy) and Insane Clown Posse. You can throw them on the fire, thx.

Some of my clowns.

If you're a more visual person, most of these and more are represented on my Pinterest boards: Characters • Art • "Aesthetic" • Misc. • Colors

Supply Stuffs

interesting graph/grid paper • FUN, FLAT stickers • painted papers/palette papers • vintage yearbook portraits • speech bubble shaped things • text printed tissue paper or napkins • flat embellishment things • cancelled vintage postage • neon colored things • bold patterned & brightly colored papers • round color coding labels • gold/silver reward stars • images/background patterns from magazines • collage sheet printables • machine stitched strips of paper • maps • colorful, modern (and by "modern" I just mean 70s and newer 😄), authentic ephemera • Halloween paper items (all year)...

About stickers: I'm not TOO picky when it comes to stickers. I'm not a fan of puffy or epoxy stickers, freebie Highlights types of stickers or Disney, Barbie, Winnie the Pooh, super kiddie themes. BUT I do flagrantly love the Fashion Angels line of sticker books (the ones that are emojis, cute animals, outerspace, fun sayings, etc. - I have Series 1, Series 3, plus another random collection I got at Five Below) and in general anything stylized, kawaii, doodles, foods with faces, animals showing their butts, animals dressed up....just ridiculous and fun/funny stuff, which I guess is construed as kiddie by most. I like more "mature" themed stickers too: florals, succulents, geometric, artsy, faux postage, skulls, occult/supernatural stuff, Violette Stickers...I have The Antiquarian Sticker Book. I mean, if it's stickers, I'm there. Small flakes, vinyl, collections, good dollar store variety. It's a weakness.

Kind of obscure supply bit I love: the holey edges of spiral bound book pages - intact, not ripped. If you unbind a spiral bound book (calendar, journal, w/e) the paper edge with all the holes - I nerd out for that. 😄

I Do Not Care

I'm not bothered by folded or ripped papers, partially used or cut sticker sheets, small scraps of paper, typed notes, metered postage or plain envelopes (unless it's specifically a mail art swap). If you're sending me a postcard, I don't mind stickers, doodles or random quotes instead of a message (it's better than forced small talk about the weather). I know we can't be "on" all the time. Do what's best for you. ✌️

Also, I don't expect extras to be sent with swaps. If I join an ATC swap, that's all I'm expecting: an ATC. I send extras occasionally but only when people are open to receiving them AND I have something they will like. Please don't send me random extra crap just to get it off your desk.

I have dislikes. Sue me.

Strict NO GOs for me:

• Sharks. (phobia)

• Religion. (humanist, not interested in the least)

• Grocery/beauty items of any sort - this includes tea bags/drink mixes, candies, lotion samples, etc. I have Sjogren's, atopic dermatitis, allergies, sensitive everything, so keep it crafty. Please do not Febreeze or perfume any items sent my way! Chemical fragrances are a huge trigger for me. 😖

Simply NOT A FAN:

As it pertains to swapping and crafting, I rather not receive these things or themes...

puffy, epoxy stickers • Tim Holtz supplies • current "everyday" ephemera (tea bag tags, snack packaging, cancelled current US postage) • SUPER vintage themed items (brown on brown on brown on brown) • "gypsy" branded things • Victorian, lacey/ruffles, Lolita fashion, romantic themes, shabby chic themes/styles • political or monarchy related items • steampunk • true crime, serial killers • Pablo Picasso