stephiedee

That's me, Steph (she/her)! I'm a 40-something nerdy, social misfit from Florida. I live with my husband and adult daughter in Tallahassee, Florida, amongst the pine trees. I was born and raised on the coast in the Tampa Bay Area (200 miles south of here). I love my state, crazy as it can get some times.

I'm a homemaker and try to cram as much creative playtime into my day as possible between one boring chore or another. 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.

I am very enthusiastically a homebody, thanks to some major introversion and social anxiety (and general anxiety, let's be real). I have the social instincts of a goat sometimes. 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.

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 and thrifting.

Private Swaps

I don't like to blindly promise things, but if you want to do a private swap, I'm 99.9% sure I'd be down for it, lol. ATCs, mail art, paper goodies, arty books, painty papers...a week doesn't go by where I haven't worked on some project(s). If we've swapped 0 or 100 times before, I don't care, name a project and let's do it! TBH I'd be thrilled just to be asked to do a private swap.

HAHA! ahem.

Besides swapping here, I'm on ATCsforALL (same name), IUOMA, sendsomething.net and host a monthly ATC swap on Instagram.

This is the "artsy" side of my craft cave, where I make all the things. You can usually find me here, avoiding housework. I'm very lucky in that we were able to find a house with a converted garage, so I get my craftroom to myself and we still have a guestroom/game room.

I'm very much a maximalist when it comes to design/decor/art and recently discovered a thing called "cluttercore" so, yes....sign me up for that, too. I was into that way before it was cool, baby. 😵😂😉

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)
• wall art, canvasses, altered art, assemblages, repainted figurines.

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My style leans a little eclectic. I love making things in a scrappy, colorful, busy collage style. I love quirky/offbeat characters, irreverence, humor and not taking (artsy) things too seriously. Though I can also throw down the classically pretty, "proper" styles when the time/mood calls for it. I mix together any sort of paper things I can get my hands on: office supplies, stationery, gift wrapping stuff, thrifted books/mags, catalogs, scrapbooking supplies, handmade papers, printables. I'm a thrift store stalker and discount department store hunter.

Some recent ATCs.

I like a wide variety of stuff and constantly crave eye candy. Hopefully, if you're looking for ideas for personal swaps or happy mail, you can find some below.

That being said, most of the swaps I join/host are handmade sender's choice swaps (or technique/theme based). I really love seeing people's creativity and knowing how much they enjoyed making something how they wanted to make it. Be you, do you, enjoy yourself and I'll appreciate whatever you make. 💖

Happy Makers

I love bright, bold colors. I don't have a favorite; I love them all. Turquoise, chartreuse (current craft cave color), sunshine yellow (current kitchen color), hot pink, deep purple, candy apple red. I love rainbows, neons (both colors and neon signs), brighter pastels, unusual combos.

I like all kinds of themes/styles involving lots of color: Zetti, outsider art, 70s/80s aesthetic, graffiti, mixed media collage, boho hippie, psychedelic, Memphis design, cyberpunk, retro futurism.

Happy, upbeat art is my jam, but I also like the darker side of things, too. Spooky, macabre, Gothic art, occult, anatomy illustrations, magick, phrenology/palmistry charts.

Here's my aesthetic board on Pinterest. If you get it, I'll give you a cookie.

I like all kinds of animals with the exception of sharks. It's a phobia I've had all my life, I don't know why (because they're f*cking scary?). Anyway! My favorite land animal is the raccoon. My favorite bird is the cockatoo. My favorite sea animal is the manatee. My favorite tree dweller is the gibbon. My favorite reptile is the alligator. I love dogs and cats. Snakes are cool. Frogs are neat. Bugs are fine in moderation - I do love butterflies and moths especially.

I'm a nature lover, even though I don't get out in it much (thanks to sun sensitivity and allergies). I love beaches, palm trees, gardens, old forests, wildflowers, big boofy flowers (Camellia, Persian buttercup, Dahlia), flowering trees, canopy roads (we live right off of one), big leafy plants.

I've always been a history nerd. Geography and history were always my favorite subjects in school. I love learning about cultures (old & new), their art and food especially. Regions of particular interest: Asia, South America, Caribbean & Mexico.

Pop culture is huge in this household. We are a comic-loving, video-game-playing, Netflix-binging, TV-show-quoting, GIF-responding trio of misfits (my daughter, husband and myself).

Some Obsessions

Like I already mentioned, raccoons and cockatoos are some of my absolute favorite animals. I am forever following memes and scoping out videos of these guys on Instagram. Pitbulls and Rottweilers are 2 other animals I seek out daily. I also check on our backyard squirrels daily (used to feed them, but I could tell husband was getting exasperated by the monthly expense of squirrel food. They have selective palates!). Update April 2021: have now installed a DIY birdbath (a tomato cage + planter plate) and anxiously watch for visitors!

I'm a nerd for houses - particularly Spanish Revival style, Mid Century Modern and bungalows. But honestly, a cool kitchen or bathroom will stop me in my tracks no matter what house it's in.

I collect Star Wars paraphernalia relating to the original trilogies, with a focus on Darth Vader. I like the newer movies fine, they just don't hit the same as the classics.

I also collect clowns. Yes, I'm one of those weirdos who likes clowns. I like all kinds from the creepy to the cute to the artsy - but not the Insane Clown Posse or actual murder clowns (like Pogo/John Wayne Gacy). I don't care too much for the new Pennywise, either. 🙄

Swap-specific Likes

ATC themes/imagery: altered Mona Lisa (also: Lina Cavalieri, Theda Bara) • John Tenniel's Alice in Wonderland • cheeseburgers • strawberries • lemons • tropical flora/fauna • Floridiana • Spring & Summer aesthetics • celestial art (sun, moon & stars - NOT angels) • deep sea divers (helmets only or whole suits) • lava lamps • light bulbs • Buddha/Budai (the classic one/the fat happy one) • anthropomorphic creatures • fantasy creatures • symbols (peace signs, evil eyes, plus signs, hamsa) • cute monsters • Ugly Dolls • Junker Jane style dolls • VW Bugs/Buses • old rusted out trucks • aliens • flying saucers • funky houses/shacks • skulls, skeletons, Grim Reaper • creepy, vintage, Gothic (not too cutsie) Halloween.

Paper supplies: interesting graph/grid papers • fun, FLAT stickers • painted papers/palette papers • vintage yearbook portraits • city road maps (tightly concentrated road grids) • random comic strip panels • speech bubble shaped things • text printed tissue paper/napkins • rubberstamp images on tissue paper • found words from books/magazines • any flat embellishment type things • bold patterned & brightly colored papers • gold/silver reward stars • images/background patterns from magazines • diverse collage imagery (people of color) • machine stitched strips of paper • authentic ephemera (70s and newer) • paper bombs - random 1 oz./1 stamp envelope of STUFF • RED paper items (I don't have much red in my stash) • mailing supplies (envelopes, large sticky labels, postcards, note things).

I recently discovered the joys of ordering stationery stuffs on AliExpress. If you want to chat about it/exchange, hit me up!

Postcards: I don't collect any particular kind, but I'd love any featuring favorite imagery I've mentioned or any sort of modern art or handmade. And I really don't care what you do to fill out the postcard; you don't have to tell me a story or go into the details of your day. You don't even have to write anything; free free to sticker it up, doodle, whatever.

Stickers: stickers bring me joy! I like uh lot of kinds EXCEPT puffy/epoxy, planner specific, Highlights variety and Disney princesses/Winnie the Pooh/Dora/whatever character is popular with preschoolers at the moment. That being said, I do really love some very kid-centric types of stickers: the Fashion Angels line of sticker books (I have Series 1 & 3), kawaii, doodle, original (no brand) characters, silly animals, unicorns, smiley faces, foods with faces, cute things, rainbows, stars - I'm even OK with reward stickers of the general enthusiastic saying variety ("you're awesome", "way to go" not "A+ student", etc.). I also enjoy more mature stickers: floral, botanicals, non-silly animals, occult/mystical, faux postage, scrapbooking stickers....stickers, stickers, stickers!

It's OK!

I'm not easily offended by swear words, snark, weirdness, dark humor, nekkid people or fart jokes. I AM offended by willful ignorance, blind nationalism, bigotry, anti-feminism, misogyny, people not respecting pronouns, people not respecting simple boundaries, feet and the word "envie". 😖

Top 3 worst things to send me...

• sharks. I think I went over this. 😂

• religion/religious items.

• edibles of any kind, including tea bags and candies.

Don't Care For/Don't Use...

• puffy/3-D/epoxy stickers.
• "purse turds" (e.g., paint chips, shopping tags, food packaging).
• Tim Holtz/Dina Wakley/Jane Davenport, etc. branded supplies.
• antique aesthetic, Victorian, shabby chic style paper craft supplies.
• lace, blingy stuff, fabric, chunky embellishments, buttons.
• patriotic/monarchy stuff; most holidays with the exception of Halloween & the wacky ones.
• coffee/tea themes, wine/boozy themes, 420 culture.
• true crime, serial killers.

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Thank you for coming this far and taking any of these things into consideration.