This is my actual mailbox. I use it to send swaps on time, if not early.

6/2/2024 I have downsized my swap obligations because I will not be able to be as active here as I once was. I plan to use just one day each month, the third Sunday, to do my swapping and pen-friend obligations. Life is simply pulling me in several different directions right now, so I need to commit to these changes. I apologize in advance to those who have frequently swapped with me, and I know our mailboxes may not be as "happy" all month long. But, if I receive your mail, I will write back & continue to leave my swap ratings within 48 hours of their receipt.

Partner/Coordinator Communication will take place should this status change for any reason.

Missing Mail? Please direct message me before rating. I keep a photo log of swap contents and packaging.

Spoiler-Alert: My Flickr account often has photographs of swaps I’ve sent.

Postage Due? I have a postal scale. 😁 But, if this happens to you please email a picture of your receipt to me and I will promptly reimburse you via PayPal or Zelle. Direct-message me here, and I will respond with my email Or, if you prefer unused USPS postage stamps, I’m also happy to mail you those in-kind. I do apologize for any inconvenience.

Allergy Alert: My home is smoke-free but pet-friendly. I also shed a lot, due to Hashimoto’s. I apologize ahead of time if there’s a hair stuck in the packing tape.😆

Welcome: Reliable, honest swappers for private swaps! I have an assortment of items to share with people who appreciate and can use them!

Enjoy Supporting Small Businesses? This new STATIONERY store near me has the best owners ever! I just love Suada & Brendan! Some of the items in my swaps come from their Lighthouse Paper Co.

Please scroll down to the “Do Not Send” section if you’re just here to review my 🛑 Dislikes list. 🛑 Thank you for your consideration!

🌺Aloha!🌺

My name is 🎵Harmony Joy🎶 (she/her) I like my name because it is a reminder of who I believe that I'm meant to be. Others refer to me as either "Harmony", "Joy", "Harmony-Joy" or 🍪"Cookie" (because of my last name) - call me whichever you please, just don't call me late for dinner! 🤣

My name is musically inspired because both of my biological parents are hippies. I am a Berkeley ☮️-born and Nor-Cal foster-system raised “love child”, who currently lives on the other side of the nation. I met & married my husband in the Sunshine State, while we were both active-duty Air Force.

💞Together, we have three children (2 daughters, 1 son) and one grandson. Children have been my favorite part of life, and I literally get more excited about 💙 Mother’s Day than my own birthday!🎁 This also includes all my fur-babies (past & present). 😉

🐾 At the moment, our fur-family consists of 3 feline & 3 canines: Ella (a Great Dane & Pointer mix), Bubba (an AKC Golden Retriever), a Pit-bull "grand-dog" named Luna, two tortoiseshell short-hair grand-mollies named Lily and Piper. Then, last but not least, Theo, who is my very cuddly ginger tabby grand-gib.🐾 On May 25, 2023 my sweet Kyna (a Carolina Dog) crossed over the “rainbow bridge”. ❤️‍🩹 I miss her every day. She was the best service dog I’ve ever had.

Perhaps you can surmise that I've always really enjoyed my animals. Especially my dogs! I know my pets help me cope with “people's problems” better. 😉

Whether finned, feathered, furry, or humanoid animals, my ohana really is “my whole world” 💕🌎 And I believe that family is who we make it (even beyond DNA).

I’m proud to be a Mama Bear! 🐻🧸 Which is just one more reason why Bettie White will always be my favorite Golden Girl! R.I.P.

My family says I’m “the jack of all trades, master of some.” 😆 I’m simply never bored! 🎨

So, besides my “V.I.Peeps”, I also enjoy many Hobbies:

• (indoor) Alterations, Art-Journaling, Ballroom Dancing, Card-Making, Coloring, Crocheting, DIY, Face-Painting, Genealogy, Painting, Paper-Making, Pottery, Pressed Flower Craft (oshibana), Reading, Sewing, Smash/Scrap-booking, Watching Movies, Weaving, and West African Dancing.

(I own a Gemini Pro, Sizzix Big Shot Plus, Portable Tim Holtz Sidekick, & Cricut Explore Air2)

• (outdoor) Fishing, Hiking, Horseback Riding, Hula Dancing, Kayaking, Rollerblading, Shooting, Stand-up Paddle Boarding, Swimming, and Shopping.

• I 💙 crafting! I like to try new techniques too. My new-found interests are "deco" booklets, ATCs & APCs. However, my portfolio is varied from fiber arts and beading to woodwork and pyrography. My style often varies and is "moody" because I tend to make what I feel. Most of the time I embrace the mixed-media, distressed looks of inky grunge and painterly splatters. However, I enjoy the beauty of clean-and-simple (CAS) designs too.

Due to health issues, I have experienced some hand tremors and blurred vision. These are mostly under control now that I got new glasses and my thyroid medication is optimized. But I'd still like swappers to be aware that there are days that I cannot art as well as others. I will always give projects my best efforts and take my time. This means that I may send swaps very close to their deadline date. It also means that I’m learning to accept imperfections as beautiful, unique qualities and adapt my methods in accordance with the "Wabi-sabi” way. I truly appreciate your patience and understanding. 😊

• My current collections are: Cartophilia (trading cards) to include ATC/APC and the 7-of-❤️’s playing card (in all sizes & shapes)

• I’ve started collecting the 7-of-clubs Poker Cards to use for a memorial project in honor of my late G’Mom Cook 3/17/19-1/1/20. The club looks like a shamrock ☘️ and they always remind me of her! We would celebrate our birthdays together with my mother every year, but since she passed and the pandemic began, that tradition stopped. I’m starting a new tradition of my own now, using these poker cards to record a fond memory, so I can dwell on the gains she gave me rather than the loss of her being elsewhere.💚

• I enjoy listening to audiobooks & many different genres of music. My go-to’s are usually classic rock & reggae. I have an all-in-one Radio/CD/Cassette/Record Player in my craft room, and I 🖤 my vintage vinyl!

• I am most comfortable at the ocean where I can lose all sense of time hunting for sea glass, heart-shaped rocks, and tiny shells to use in my crafts. I also enjoy fishing, but this ol' gal ain't cut out for boats! I've got a fair pair of fins 🧜🏽‍♀️, but no "sea legs!" 🤢

• I enjoy spending quality time at libraries, museums, galleries, or art studios. This is because I really enjoy folk arts & handicrafts. I ❤️ experiential arts.
• In my youth, I enjoyed traveling the Americas and spent time living in Chile as a foreign exchange student! Now, I prefer to travel in good company, whenever possible. However, most of my current travel has been vicarious via postcards.

I 💜 snail 🐌 mail! 💌

• When writing, please use neatly hand-written, printed, legible cursive, or typed font.* No need to stress about perfect penmanship, I’d just like to decipher what you’re saying to me. I also ask that ink colors please be **dark colors on light backgrounds because I cannot see yellow, or baby blue ink/gel-pen colors that are written on white paper very well (this doesn't apply to paintings because I'll most likely be able to tell what the image is. I just cannot read text written in light colors unless they're on a dark/black background). Thanks for understanding!

❤️🧡💛💚💙💖💜🤎🖤🤍

Since this is the "About Me" section of my profile, I think it's important for others to know that I am a frank, what-you-see-is-what-you-get, protective person who does not like drama. I've been on this site long enough to know not everyone here has good intentions. I despise trolls (always have, even when they were a rainbow-haired trend in the 90s) and people who instigate, trick, or bully others are the root of all evil in my book. I'm also a Pisces and my discernment/perception of people has been accurate more often than not throughout life. I'm a hugger (which is important to understand if you ever meet me in person) and a defender of the underdog (which you outta know if you're the bullying kind).

I am a LifeGuard & Peer Support Volunteer

There are many factors that can contribute to suicide risk. An estimated 90% of people who take their own lives have a health condition that is mistreated or undiagnosed. A suicide attempt is a sign that someone is in crisis. It should always be taken seriously and never ignored. That is why I will not tolerate cyber-bullying.

Known offenders are forever restricted from participation in my groups/swaps.

Will you take the LifeGuard pledge?

Report Cyberbullying!

I am 3 hours ahead of Swap-bot time!

FLORIDA hurricane season is from June 1st through November 15th

• As a swap coordinator, I often "close" my swaps a day earlier than the posted date because I am a "night owl" and do most of my work while others are asleep! :-)

• Posted swaps that are left without any interest for 72 hours, might be deleted to perhaps re-post at a different time.

• Sometimes my swaps have a Sunday send-by date even though there’s no postal service because swaps can still be dropped off in the “blue”(outgoing) mailboxes. I often drop by the P.O. on my way to do other errands on Sundays, and once that swap leaves my possession it’s marked as sent!

• Similarly, if I’ve put a swap in my street-side mailbox for outgoing pickup, but the mail carrier doesn’t come, then I will unmark it from being sent that day. I do this because my mailbox is not water-tight and items left overnight can become damp, warped, and unsealed if I don’t bring them back inside the house. Florida is VERY HUMID and we get a lot of afternoon showers. This is also why there may be a lot of clear packing tape on the outer swap packaging.

• I also live on a mail carrier route that’s considered the last stop so, there’ve been a few occasions when my mail wasn’t delivered/picked up that day. But I do check my USPS informed delivery digest daily.

• Since the pandemic began, we’ve had 14 different USPS personnel doing our deliveries.🤷🏽‍♀️ I have been told that Penny, my regular pre-pandemic carrier has officially retired and the route will be up for "bid" soon. UPDATE: Chris “won” the bid and will be our regular mailman now. He doesn’t appear to work the Saturday shift though. We still have a handful of different people delivering on weekends so I’m not yet feeling secure about reliability. The past two months I've noticed what’s put in my box was the informed delivery from the day prior. ⁉️ LATEST NEWS: Chris has moved to a different route and we now have a wonderful mail carrier named “Dottie” taking care of our USPS and a few Amazon items.

• My servicing mail station is still the USPS Apollo Annex of Melbourne, Florida (Phone: (321) 255-7589).

• Date extensions will be granted on a case-by-case basis for reliable swappers who communicate with me. I am a coordinator who understands that real life happens outside of this ‘bot. 💙 I also understand that circumstances can change in an instant, and this site is not a priority when real life happens. But, I don’t think it should take months to log back in and at least post a note on your profile either. So, please let someone know when you’re out of commission. That way we don’t think the worst or grow sick with worry. Please communicate!

• I only coordinate swaps that I am willing/able to angel. I also make a sincere effort to vet each participant before assigning partners.

If you end up needing a swap angel'd, please direct message me after you’ve contacted your partner.

IMPORTANT: When I angel a swap it is strictly to ensure each participant receives something in-kind in return. It is not in any way meant to pressure someone into rating another individual. How someone does their rating is up to that swapper, and none of my business. Even if I ask for kindness and understanding of another person's extenuating circumstances, I will never tell anyone how to rate another person.

• • I {rate} incoming swaps within 48 hours of their receipt. It’s my practice to only archive them once received/rated!
• • I am not concerned with postmark dates. They’re completely unreliable and have been counterfeited by swappers here before. As far as I’m concerned, if I receive the swap described you’re good to go. 👍🏼 🖐 I will never rate a 3/1 without first contacting my partner and coordinator.
• • I try to follow up on swaps if it's been thirty (30) USPS business days from the date I logged my swap as sent, (and at least two weeks from the deadline date) but no rating has been posted. I will contact my partner about a resend because I know postal services lose things sometimes.
• • I appreciate feedback/comments when rating and do try to make the time to respond to raters accordingly. Even “silent” ratings I’ve received will often receive a simple “thank you” to show my gratitude for remembering to rate (although I admit to not being fond of a silent rating). There are times when I cannot respond to all of them. This does not mean that I am any less grateful for the valuable time that you’ve invested in me or the happy mail! I promise. 💙❤💙❤💙❤💙❤💙❤💙❤💙❤💙❤💙

• Hearts here don’t cost me anything! I look for reasons to give them when I rate. They’re not associated with extras that you throw in the envelope (I don’t want/need random toss-ins). And even though it’s fun to see in the mailbox, I don’t rate based on how the package is decorated either (there are Postmaster’s who strictly despise sticky embellishments on mail because it gums up their machinery. Every Postmaster is different and can interpret postal regulations accordingly).

I also don’t over-analyze the giving of a heart by withholding them on type-1 or type-2 swaps (a postcard can feel “extra special” to the recipient even though it’s not technically a “package”! The point is: When your swap shows me that you thought about me, I’m happy to share a heart!

I don’t give everyone hearts nor expect everyone to give them to me. A heart means extra effort or resources were involved with a swap. That’s why I will no longer heart a swap sent completely blind unless it’s specifically meant to be or named a blind swap. Any swap that’s supposed to be profile-inspired needs to have my name inside it somewhere, at the very least.

Why I no longer trust ratings or groups the way that I once did:

• There are swappers here who steal and yet maintain a perfect 5 overall rating.

One swapper in particular, @Allegrae has stolen ATC, postage-paid envelopes, and my late Grandma Cook’s heirloom haberdashery items from me. This dishonesty makes me very angry and I’m not ready to just “let it go” or “forgive and forget” yet. Those who disagree with my reaction to this swapper's poor behavior can steer clear of me and my swaps. I’m not ready to make nice yet and may NEVER be, considering that my Grandma and I were so close. Taking her things from me (whether I intended to share one or not) has completely betrayed my trust. Allegrae knows what she did is wrong and she demonstrates no remorse. That makes me sick. 🤢 But what’s most deplorable is that she says in her own profile how important her grandparents are in her own life, then disrespects mine.

Pictures of the heirloom haberdashery items I sent this swapper and all our communications are on my Flickr page. 9/11/2023 2200 hours: I apologize that I tagged these incorrectly and I have just resolved the matter. Thank you to the two kind members who pointed out my error. These items are now restricted to my albums and should not show up on the site homepage any longer. —————————————————————

To maximize successful happy mail deliveries (and minimize waste), my swap participation/coordination will remain selective and regionally restricted until further notice.

I will also be using Pirate Ship to mail most of my packages because their rates are cheap-aaar! 🏴‍☠️

I’m still trying to get my craft room back in working order! September 2021 brought us broken pipes in the walls which we had repaired via insurance, but then our roof leaked and flooded the front bedroom before Christmas 2022. My house is partly stacked & packed up and/or in a storage unit up the street while we go through the slow process of having the roof repaired and the front room walls redone. All this to say that I have a lot of hidden supplies to create with that are too difficult to dig for and my time-intensive swaps are on pause. I’m fortunate to have a patient husband who lets me do my little swaps at the kitchen table as long as my mess stays on one half of the table and still gives him space to eat!😆

Int’l Mail Suspensions

SOAK Old Postage Stamps

ZIP Code™ - The Basics

Want to make sure the domestic mail that you’re sending is processed quickly and efficiently? Then always use the standardized street address with ZIP+4® format!

Did you know USPS doesn’t want any punctuation in delivery addresses? In fact, all letters are to be in CAPS-lock and black ink on a white/light background.

Example

By addressing mail appropriately you’ll ensure that they are processed smoothly by mail sorting equipment. Using the standardized address with ZIP+4® format alleviates possible delays from manual handling.

Try this USPS lookup tool to find the standardized address and ZIP+4® you’re mailing to:

USPS

📩Postage & Postcards✉ - Handmade postcards are always welcome. But I really do not want any more random blank postcards, please. I am technically trying to get rid of the blank ones that I have because the USPS does not prioritize these anymore, so they get lost more than mail that is in envelopes with return addresses on them because there's no accountability for postcards.

❤️🧡💛💚💙💗💜💗🤎🤍🖤💝 I heart art!

Please share your PC collage, coloring, drawing, graphic design, painting, or photography. I also like receiving “print-on-demand” PCs by Zazzle, Red Bubble, Café Press, Society 6, etc. If it’s a postcard that you think I will enjoy (even if the swap says "No"), mail it and let me know why! I promise I’ll never rate down for thoughtful intentions!

• I will always enjoy used postage stamps from the Post-crossing movement or vintage/retro stamps with postal workers, mailboxes, and letters on them.

🍪🥠Special Request:

Please add a cookie to the back of my postcard🍪🥠

*I also ask that my postcards please be sent ✏written🖊 on, but in an✉ envelope🌎 (if the swap allows a choice). The envelope (or clear sleeve) simply protects the image on the postcard from being smudged or torn by the USPS machinery (and they seem to be arriving damaged more recently).

WISHLIST (a.k.a. Insta-smiles 😃 & hearts 💕)

• Mail with a postage stamp of Ansel Adams or Protect Sea Turtles (I especially LOVE the Leatherback and Green Sea Turtles stamps)
• Die cuts, punched shapes, and/or cut-outs of COOKIES for my junk journal/cookbook 🍪🥠
• Postcard-sized pieces of colorful fabric
• Quilted scraps I can cut into 💙
• ATC-sized Mixed-Media Master-board or painted papers
• Stitched/Sewn Paper Scraps or (tiny) Fabric Snippets
• Typed/Written Poem, Song, Zine, or Story by YOU
• Sheet Music or Pages from Gospel & Spiritual Song Books, specifically the songs “Roll Jordan Roll”, “Wade In The Water”, or “Nobody Knows”
• A Copy of Your Favorite, Tried-n-True Delicious Cookie Recipe
• Dictionary Pages with My Name(s) on them in any language: harmony, joy, cook, or cookie
• Royal Blue Ribbon and Fabrics Scraps (any size bits will do! ;0)
• Fabric bits or book pages with The Jetsons, Sesame Street, 100 Acre Woods, Care Bears, Autobots, or Rainbow Brite characters
• Any ATCs that you don’t want. My only ask is that the cards be correctly sized (2.5” x 3.5”) please. I keep my cards inside standard trading card sleeves in 3-ring binders.

ATC Art I’d 💙 to add to my collection:

1. A St. Patrick’s Cookie Monster w/him wearing a top hat and enjoying shamrock cookies
2. A “Flower of the Month” ATC or APC for July through December

*****WISHFUL THINKING*****

If anyone happens across a “Yellow Pages” phone book from the Bay Area, California circa 1977-78 I’m trying to find evidence of a plant shop called “Heavenly Houseplants & Other Divine Gifts” that was off Telegraph Avenue.

🤙🏽 Mahalo nui loa! 🤙🏽

Favorite Snail Mail Supplies Online

Updated: 6/2/2024

Some A to Z’s of Me!

A: Autobots, Avengers, Avatar-The Last Airbender, ATCs & APCs

(My Fave ATC/APC Themes are: Trees, Star Wars, Marvel/Disney FanArt, Vintage Postage Stamps & Mail/post-boxes, Cookie Monster, Harmony Bear, Cool Phoenixes, Giant Pandas, Polar Bear, ☘️Shamrocks/Clovers🍀, Oceania, Mermaids, Orca Whales & Sea Turtles!)

B: Big Hunk Candy Bars, Bears esp. Giant Panda & Polar 🐼,💙 Blue (esp. cobalt), Blue Cats & Bald 🦅 Eagles

C: Chick-O-Stick Coconut Candy, Celtic Heritage, Clogging, 🍀Clovers, Cinnamon Chai, Chewbacca, Classic Mickey Mouse & Cookie Monster

D: Daffodils, Dancing, Drum Circles/Lines🥁, Dr. Seuss & Decoupage

E: Eighties (era) Ephemera, Elvis Presley, Eeyore & Emerald Green💚

F: Friesian Horses, Fern Fronds, Fleur-de-lis⚜️ & Frangipani (plumeria flowers)

G: Groot, Guitar Picks, Golden State Warriors, The Goonies & GryffinPuffs (I’m a Hogwarts House Hybrid!) 😉

H: 🐾 Husky Dogs 🐾, 💕Heart-shapes, Hibiscus & Harmony Bear (purple Care Bear w/flower belly badge)

I: Ireland, Icebergs & Incredible Hulk

J: *Jordan Almonds, Jade Green 💚, 🏀Jordan #23 & ⚾️Jeter #2

K: Koi Fish, Kiwi 🥝 Fruit, Kliban’s Cat & Koru Loops

L: Leaf Rubbings, Lucille Ball, LEGOs, Luke & Leia Skywalker

M: Marilyn Monroe, Mandalorian, Music Notes, Mulan, Moana, Merida, Monarch Butterflies 🦋 & Maple syrup/leaves 🍁

N: Narnia Chronicles & Notes w/my Name on them 😉

O: Orcas, 🦦 Otters, Origami & Optimus Prime

P: Panda, Polar, Pooh, and Paddington Bears, Princess Bride, Ponyo, & Pansies

Q: Quilled paper, Quail (above) & Quotes (I collect positivity to refer to when I need a morale boost!)

R: Roasted Almonds, ROYGBIV (spectrums-in-nature), Rocking Horses, R2-D2 & Redwood Trees

S: Simply Cheetos White Cheddar Puffs or Snyder’s of Hanover GF Pretzel Snacks, ☘️ Shamrocks, Strawberries 🍓, Smokey the Bear, Sheet Music🎼 & Sea Turtles (the marine reptiles w/flippers)

T: Tigger, Totoro, Tie-dye, Textiles, Tweeds, Tartan & Tribal Tattoos

U: Ukulele

V: VW buses, Valkyrie & Vintage

W: Walkers Shortbread Cookies, Winter Soldier, Wolves, Wicket the Ewok & Wyland Art

X: Xylophones, X-rays, X-men & “X” marks the spot (a pirate’s life for me!) ☠️

Y: ☯️ Yin-Yang Symbols (they remind me of balance), Yoda, Yaddle & The Child (Grogu)

Z: Zebras 🦓, Zines & Zentangle

Here’s a short list of my top ten (in no particular order):

Music –

1. Bob Marley
2. Enya
3. Tim McGraw
4. Iz Kamakawiwoole
5. Swedish House Mafia
6. Ladysmith Black Mambazo
7. Heart
8. Plumb
9. The Cure
10. U2

Books –

1. To Kill a Mockingbird
2. The Terminal List
3. Outlander
4. The Secret Garden
5. I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings
6. Willow
7. Hinds Feet on High Places
8. Call the Midwife
9. Windows of the Soul
10. Twilight: Breaking Dawn

Movies –

1. The Princess Bride (1987)
2. Short Circuit (1986)
3. The Goonies (1985)
4. Tombstone (1993)
5. Star Wars (ALL)
6. Hook (1991)
7. Dances With Wolves (1990)
8. Brave Heart (1995)
9. Whale Rider (2002)
10. The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe (2005)

TV –

1. New Girl
2. Elementary
3. Yellowstone
4. SEAL Team
5. Bones
6. Reservation Dogs
7. Peaky Blinders
8. Longmire
9. Sex Education
10. The Mentalist

Crafts –

1. Altering Playing Cards
2. Trading Artist Cards
3. Handmade Art Journaling (aka Decos)
4. Smash Booking
5. Junk Journaling
6. Painting Papers and Ephemera
7. Coloring with Alcohol Markers and Pencils
8. Drawing with Pastels and Graphite
9. Making mini Albums and Interactives
10. Photo Transferring and Collaging

🚫 Soy Anything (I'm allergic)

🚫 Religious Propaganda (I dispose of dogmas)

🚫 Claymation (plasticine stop-motion) Characters

🚫 Aliens, Albino Animal Imagery

🚫 Dolls, Zettiology Creatures, Zombies

🚫 Monkeys, Gorillas, Baboons

🚫 Scorpions, Spiders, Snakes

🚫 Fragrances, Cosmetics, Jewelry, or Clothing**

• I have been sent very small socks in swaps and it's disheartening because I cannot wear any of them. Think Hobbit Feet! Tiny human socks all get donated to charity for the homeless in our area though (so no waste).

• Some swappers enjoy having a list to “shop” from, while others feel squelched by too many ideas. For this reason, I have tried to create “harmony” in my profile by listing some of the things I like. This is not an extensive listing, 😉 so swap partners can breathe easy because my default mode is to find the good in whatever is mailed my way. 😉 😃 😊

Thank YOU for thinking of me!