MariaW

Hi, I am so excited to have found swap-bot. I love getting and sending things in the mail and I am happy there are other people out there who feel the same way. I moved here from Sweden in 1998 to go to college and I have been in California ever since. I love to travel and getting to know people from other places. I also like camping and hiking and try to do a lot of that in the summer. My hobbies are crafting, cooking, reading and writing. I would love to find some more penpals since I have so much fun writing and getting letters. Please let me know if you don't receive an item from me before giving me a bad rating since I will not flake and I will be happy to re-send.

I graduated from college with an English Degree and I mostly studied fiction and writing. I read everything from non-fiction to short stories to classics to new fiction. I love "Grapes of Wrath" and Edith Wharton's "The House of Mirth". I have been reading Armistead Maupin's "Tales of the City" series and it is pretty fun since it takes place in San Francisco, one of my favorite cities that is pretty close to where I live. Vonnegut, Hornby and Sedaris are other authors I enjoy. I am excited to read anything and I think it is great to get introduced to new and more contemporary authors as well. I do enjoy reading short stories and essays. My least favorite genre is probably romance.

I tend to watch TV shows more than movies. I like Breaking Bad, The Walking Dead, The Americans, Better Call Saul and I also love some of the shows I grew up with, such as Beverly Hills 90210 and Friends. I also have been re-watching Sex and the City from the beginning. I tend to buy shows that I like and I can watch them over and over again.

My favorite colors are pink, purple and red but I love all colors and think it is fun when things are colorful in general. Yellow is a great color that makes me happy, especially for summer related items.

I love cats - black ones especially (maybe because I have one named Amelia lol).

I think octopus are really cool.

I also like ladybugs, bumble-bees, dragonflies, owls and butterflies and peacocks.

I like Winnie the Pooh.

I think cute paper bags, small and large, are really fun and I like to package and send goodies in them.

My favorite drinks are coffee, wine and milk (although not at the same time) and I enjoy patterns with those images.

I am also obsessed with strawberry, cherry and lemon patterns right now - especially for stationery items.

I think mason jars are cute and like stickers, patterns, paper etc. with them.

I love polka-dots!

Even if I am not a big fan of eating sweets, I do like patterned paper, stationery, envelopes etc. with cupcake and bakery patterns on them.

I love etsy and spend a lot of time looking for unique things to buy from there, especially stationery.

As far as stationery goes, I especially like letter writing paper/sets, which are becoming more difficult to find. I like larger papers if I can find them, such as 8.5 x 11, but smaller works too, preferably with lines and matching envelopes.

Kawaii stationery is also great.

I have recently re-discovered cross-stitching and it would be really fun to get kits, patterns, thread etc for that but for now I am trying to keep it a bit more simple so I would prefer if the patterns aren't too large or complicated.

I am a hockey fan and the Detroit Red Wings is my team and thanks to the DVR I watch almost all their games.

I like themes and I love shopping for Christmas presents with that in mind or send my penpals things that have a specific theme in place.

I also like playing board games and cards. My boyfriend and I have been playing yahtzee lately and some of my other favorite games are apples to apples and scattergories. I also play poker sometimes. I love Bingo themes, cards and items.

I like taking baths so anything bath-related like bath bombs, bath salts, bubble bath stuff etc.is great.I also like hand soaps with different smells and bath and body works is one of my favorite stores for that.

I love hiking and camping and already have 2 camping trips planned this summer.

Clowns (they are scary).

Kid stuff.

Please don't send me religious items.

I love to cook! I eat almost anything: beef, lamb, chicken, pork, seafood, pasta, and yes, veggies too.

I love garlic and if it says to put in one clove, I put in three.

I like spicy food as well.

I love trying new recipes and sometimes alter them to my taste. I also try to make up my own from time to time.

I hate mustard and celery.

The only beans I like are chickpeas, lima beans and cannellini beans.

I am not big on sweets. I don't like cake, cookies or anything like that. I do like dark chocolate. But I think cupcakes are really cute and I wish I liked to eat them more but I take one bite and then I am done.

I also like gummy worms and similar items for candy and I do like to snack on chips and crackers. I like to try new varieties and flavors of chips.