sunflowerpoems

07/10/2022: Recently I've been missing mail - both incoming and outgoing. Our local post offices haven't been been able to make their regular routes due to a lack of labor so all of our mail is moving at a very slow rate, and on top of that mail seems to be going missing more frequently than usual. That being said, I'm going to stop participating in swaps for a while. I don't want to have people resend to me, and I don't want to make anyone wait for resends. If you still haven't gotten any mail from swaps in May or June, please reach out and I will resend them! I hope the postal service is in better shape soon so that I can continue to send out happy mail!

Hello there!

I'm Makenzie, a 22-year-old girl from rainy Washington. I love mail swapping because I like to receive things that I can put in my journals, from notes to ephemera to art. My journals are a place I put beautiful things so that I can flip through them and feel my heart fill. I'm also an artist; I decorate the walls around my desk with pretty things and I use collected items in my mixed-media art.

I've been drawing for many years now. Typically my pieces are mixed-media; I use mostly markers and colored pencils but occasionally work with gouache and oil paint. I would love to talk with more people who draw, since I don't have many other creators in my life who aim to continually practice their art. My Instagram where I post my pieces is @thepoppyandthedaisy or message me for my penpal information if you'd ever like to chat!

I have two cats, Daisy and Poppy. Daisy is a gray and white cat who loves to snuggle. Poppy is a brown tabby who loves to play.

My mom gifted me her stamp collection, and I mostly collect nature-themed stamps and any stamps from Ireland. My collection is mostly made up of flowers, plants, mushrooms, birds of prey, songbirds, landscapes, European architecture, women with botanicals, fruits, vegetables, and farmland/farm animals. But really, I'm happy to receive any stamps, because if I don't add them to my books I can trade them!

Things I Love

• muted, neutral colors
• pastels
• vintage book pages
• botanical illustrations
• floral ephemera
• cats
• hedgehogs
• birds of prey
• songbirds
• plants
• greenery
• mushrooms
• dried flowers
• oranges
• strawberries
• blueberries
• gladiolus flowers
• bees
• teas of all kinds!
• fairies & elves
• enamel pins
• subtle Disney
• Studio Ghibli
• handmade art
• poems of all kinds
• pretty photos
• wax seals
• stamps (see above)

#

Please Don't Send...

• bright colors (save for yellow)
• neon colors
• glittery things
• food
• coffee
• washi samples
• stickers with large borders
• tourist postcards
• unicorns or mermaids

I don't give hearts out based on extras. I give them based on the quality of the mail I'm sent and how likely I am to use it in my journaling. I take care to send out packages tailored to the recipient and I give hearts when I can tell that my partners have done the same!

I will not rate a "1" without contacting you first, and I will give ample time for you to reply and make things right should anything ever go awry. When I rate "3", I will do so honestly and will give you the opportunity to resend should you choose to do so.

I do not monitor postmarks; I don't think it is ethical to try to control someone else, especially if it is just over mail. I trust that you are sending on time, and if not, I believe you have a reason.

I hope that you grant me the same graces.