thevioletgypsy

APRIL 2017 NOTE: To all my December 2016/January 2017 swap partners - Apologies for not sending my swaps. I'm working on them now. We have had multiple illnesses and deaths in our family, a difficult burden to handle. I'll be contacting each of you shortly to reconnect.

NOTE: Please contact me if you don't receive a swap from me within the assigned timeframe. I comply with all swaps but cannot be responsible for USPS delivery. Mail does get lost and I'm happy to resend if lost or damaged en route.

I'm of the salt-and-pepper haired generation with a myriad of interests ranging from reading fiction and non-fiction to neuroscience, crafts to metaphysics and spending time with my grandchildren..

I'm an avid journaler and penpaler, wannabe artist and mail artist (love collage and ATCs), enjoy computer and iPhone games, playing with my smartphone, interacting with my three grown children and 6 grandchildren. I enjoy living with my partner, Jeff, making collages, ATCs, journals, greeting cards, and doing simple book-binding, participating when I can in online discussion groups of interest, and researching and learning new things. I particularly like NASA, rocks and minerals, and Neil deGrasse Tyson.

I participate in swaps as I can and and make sure I send to my partners something I would want to receive myself quality wise. Please email me if you've not received a swap of mine in a reasonable amount of time. I will always email you if I'm going to be late with a swap but it's good to check with me as well. Awhile ago I was VERY late sending a swap due to some family crises thus the reason for the lowered rating.

I love to listen to music of just about any type and don't have a favorite kind of music or songs because of this. This being said however, I do like Alan Parsons, Bruce Springsteen, folk, blue grass, classical and country alot, and have my Pandora station tuned into these most of the time when I'm home.

Again, I love to read just about any kind of book and therefore don't have a favorite author. I tend to enjoy non-fiction books more than fiction but again, have an eclectic interest in the types of books I read. In fact, it's not unusual for me to go to the bookstore or library and pick our a book to read there that's about something totally new to me. This new reading opens new doors of interest for me which I enjoy. Right now I'm reading a non-fiction book on writing e-books, some ATC books, a Quaker fiction book, a few assorted magazines, and always looking for books about Pompeii, Italy.

I enjoy dramas, action movies, and intelligent comedies vs. slapstick ones. I don't go to the moveis often however, preferring to wait until I can see them on tv. (The last movie I watched was on Netflix, Memoirs of an International Assasin, with Kevin James, which was very funny) I also enjoy watching old movies, especially war movies (land and sea) and some of the old western movies and, I like "B" movies, just not horror full of blood and gore or vampire ones.

Favorite television programs are I especially like The Big Bang Theory, Scorpion, NCIS, Modern Family, Chopped, Jeopardy, Wheel of Fortune, Castle, Bones, and and was sad to see Castle end. .. One of my favorite tv programs a couple of winters ago was, believe it or not, Robot Combat League which unfortunately, was not renewed.

My favorite crafts include paper collaging (cut and paste), making ATCs, greeeting card making, and narrative journaling which isn't really a craft but which I tend to make crafty, the way I do it. I love to journal and have been doing it for years. I wish I still had all of my journals from years past. I keep them now today but over the years in the past had to let go of them due to cross country moves, lack of space, and a myriad of other reason.

I used to do alot of scrapbooking years ago and still use alot of scrapbooking supplies in my journaling.

I've also tried my hand at "art journaling" but somehow the atist within always gets stuck. I have the materials (paints, etc) and supplies to play but time gets away and lack of workspace also stymies me in addition of course, to the "wannabe artist within" saying "ha ha ha, VG, no creativity for you today!"

Lately, I've been making alot of collage greeting cards to send to my penpals and friends. I'll be posting them on my Etsy website soon.

I've also made soap, handmade paper from recycled products, children's crafts (with my grandchildren), and love making ATC cards.

My other interests include:

Penpalling - I've been penpaling for 56 yrs. and still write to my first penpal.

Receiving and exchanging notecards, blank greeting cards, stationerys, different kinds of paper, and postcards (vintage and new) of all kinds but I especially like postcards of birds and flowers.

Crystals, minerals and gemstones

Archaeology and sociology

Religious and spiritual art and sculptue of all religions and spiritual beliefs

"Addicted" to reading many different kinds of magazines at the bookstore and library

Like my morning "before-work" coffee and love english and Irish breakfast tea.

Like the colors purple, red, grey and blue

Enjoy nature and going for walks in the park and near water; love to see and listen to birds singing in the trees; watch squirrels play, fish swim

Dislike shopping, do nearly all my shopping (except grocery) online

Don't understand still after many years, how to play chess.

I'm a member of our local postcard collectors club. I'm also a "postcrosser", trading postcards with people around the world and Lex Letter Exchange.

Love to attend classes by Stampin Up and Close To My Heart demonstrators...actually any kind of cardmaking class ..... actually I enjoy learning just about anything and enjoy taking classes of all kinds, online and in person.

I'd love to receive:

• Blank postcards, new and vintage (quirky, floral, birds, maps)

• refrigerator magnets

• stationery / notecards of all kinds

• mailing ephemera

• mail art

• mail art supplies

• art or artifacts of all religions and spirituality

• paper of any kind

• journaling cards

• smash book items

• sticky notes

• mini handmade books, scrapbooks, journals,, and photo albums

• handmade file folder journals

• mail art

• washi tape

• rubber stamps

• handmade junk journals

Dislikes (or please don't send): * candy or any food product * perfumes, makeup items * hair products * Hello Miss Kitty, Disney, Pixar, animal related items