RainbowSplatter

if you haven't yet, i would LOVE it if you would check out THE UPCYCLED BOOKMARK PROJECT swap i have set up! the idea is to save as many boxes as we can from the landfill and release them into the world as functional art. "saving the world one box at a time", so to speak. :) there is a brand new Flickr group set up for it, but not even all my pics are in it yet since i can't take pics right now! it is a work in progress and viewing it now is a disappointment, but you can see 2 i have made previously there.

i'm not even exactly sure how i stumbled upon this site, but i am so glad i did! it's just what i needed right now. i just put my father into a nursing home because the end of his life is coming sooner than later, and i have resorted to crafting on my sleepless nights. this will give me goals and ideas to keep my mind off of the personal suff going on!

other than that i am a stay at home mom to the most intelligent and personable 2 year old boy on the planet! (well, that's what I think anyway! ;) ) he really is great and brightens up my days.

i listen to anything and EVERYTHING, but i do have to admit that hip-hop has my heart. ESP underground and ESP from the midwest. :) so.. that means i like a lot off of Rymesayers and Doomtree labels. also a pretty big fan of Def Jux and Black Clover.

beyond that i really do listen to anything and everything. from pop radio (which i used to be a GIANT snob about. now it has it's place - much like fast food. consumed in moderation, it won't kill me!) to country (in my boyfriend's truck with a large preference for older country) to classic rock and classical. musicals happen to give me goosebumps! i like punk, gangsta rap, jam bands, alternative, metal, indie, oldie, jazz, 80s!, folk rock, world music (esp Cuban)... the works. i like some electronic (mainly house music), but boy am i picky! there is alot of crap out there! i absolutely LOVE covers when someone really makes a song their own (like Tori Amos covering "smells like teen spirit" or Dynamite Hack covering "boyz in tha hood"!) i am also a sucker for hand claps in a song... no idea why...

i currently lack burning capabilities, so i can't join the mix cd swaps, but i would love to! i love finding new music (or discovering old), so if you feel like being extra nice, i would love your favorite mix!

anything odd that really makes me think, and anything on the Oprah book club selection i have enjoyed. i like humorous attitude, studies of real life, dark & demented fiction, required reading type things, and fun stuff. the Harry Potter series was the last thing i was really able to finish up before i had my son! now i don't really have the chance to figure out what i even want to read! i AM in the market for any Chuck Palahniuk (but fight club), any Junko Mizuno (i hear the pages fall apart quick. i don't mind as long as they are all there!), ANY David Sedaris, some interesting short stories (faves have been "the veldt" by Ray Bradbury and Alfred Hitchcock Presents stories), any Charles Burns graphic novel or compilations (i have Black Hole), Ghost World (another graphic), graphic novels in general! - and anything you can come up with from reading my taste. i love a good read!

everything. seriously. i am not picky here. when i think of ones i really love, i will add them to this section, but for now i am having a little bit of a mental block...

heh. well, for now i pretty much just watch pbs kids shows with my son. i am very impressed with a few of them too, such as word world and super why. great stuff!

mostly, i just make and embellish items for myself. magnets, paper wallets ( a great way to give the boring old gift card and/or cash as a gift too!) woven bags, journals, bookmarks, beaded jewelry... i decorate bic lighters and am always needing more! i'd really love a bright pink. they don't make that color anymore.

i also do a ton of kid's crafts. mostly with my son and i try to do a ton of things with my neices when they come over.

there are a great many things i am interested in trying out right now. ATC, knitting, sewing in general, resin jewelry, scrapbooking, card making... all sorts of things i haven't even discovered yet too, i'm sure!

i am artsy, not artist. let us NEVER confuse the two! i will leave the title af artist to the ultra-talented. ;)

i am obsessed with sugarless chewing gum. polar ice extra is one i always have on hand, but i love trying out the new crazy flavors that trident, stride, orbit and extra are coming up with. when i see a new one, i have to try it!

PINK ROBOTS! i love them. if you can draw, draw me some!

i love anything to do with turntables, cassette tapes, and vinyl records... images, trinkets, or the real thing!

i like a lot of animals, but my favorites would have to be octopus and giraffe. i like other interesting sea creatures and insects as well.

i like large "hippie" sling-type handbags. i love batik fabrics, crushed velvets, and hemp fabrics.

i am falling for patterns lately as i have started to zentangle. i love fish scale and shingle type ones the best. i have a crush on polka dots lately too.

i love beads! i favor glass or semiprecious stone and prefer smallish ones. a large focal bead once in awhile is nice, though. seed beads are great as long as they aren't the standard common ones you can get anywhere. i have plenty of those... :)

i love ALL colors, but my favorites are bluish purples, redish oranges, and kelly green. in that order. ;) i REALLY like silvers and coppers, but i am not so fond of yellow golds. or yellow for that matter. i don't hate it, but it's hard for me to find shades of it that i really enjoy.

color combinations i enjoy are red/orange/purple or any two of those together, rainbow colors together, pink/grey, monochramatic schemes in any color (including yellow!), blue/brown, blue/purple and almost any color with silver!

i like flavored coffee, cocoa, and tea. not usually a fan of fruity teas, but i have received some nice ones... it turns out that i will drink any cup of tea i can brew!

Chocolate? yes please! i love it and i love to get it in the mail! dark is awesome, but i love milk and even white when it is combined with another chocolate. (like hugs or kinder eggs)

i flat out don't like banana flavoring in anything and i am not too big on marshmallow, usually.

scents i like include fruity ones like coconut, pineapple, apple, or lemongrass and other citrusy fragrances, fresh scents like grass, freesia, fresh ginger, clean linen, herbal scents like sage and thyme, and odd scents like play-doh and dirt. i like red currant and thyme tea from bath and body works and enchanted apple from victoria's secret. i also like blueberry/similar berry and nag champa incences.

i am not a fan of perfumey/chemically scents. i don't usually like florals and i am not into vanilla or lavender unless the lavender is real/dried. lavender as a scent makes me feel icky. seriously. please don't send that.

i like crappy, generic, tiny plastic toys. (think "i spy" books!) and i love trinkets and charms, tiny boxes, broken bits and baubles, pretty rocks and shells... basically if it's super small- most likely i won't hate it. i keep all sorts in cookie tins and rotate what gets put on display in ashtrays and small dishes around the house.

i collect rainbow coffee mugs - all so far, from thrift stores. my mom has an awesome eye for finding them and always surprises me finding one i don't have! (i have a ton)

i also collect wheat pennies and foreign coins (and paper currency) with interesting things on them. wheat pennies aren't worth anything, but there is something about their color that i love. i would like to get a mercury dime someday. i've never seen one!

this was a list that came off the top of my head. i sort of threw this together because i really wanted to get started swapping soon! i will come through and update it from time to time.

this is VERY long winded, so unless you are a swap partner - i wouldn't bother reading this! mostly, it is here to make swapping easier on my partners. bare profiles scare the crap out of me when i get a partner in a swap... just didn't want that to happen to anyone. ;)

THIS IS BY NO MEANS A LIST OF REQUESTS! i will appreciate ANYTHING you send me. (even if it's nothing at all from this list. i love surprises!) This is simply a list of hard to find items (i live in a super small community), things i would like to try, or things i don't mind getting used or taking off your hands if they are just lying around collecting dust in your house!

• colored duct tape! any bright and fun color will do!
• color sharpies. any color any style, but i would love to get the double ended ones
• tupperware mini keychains! don't know anyone who sells tupperware.. grr...
• cupcake/cake decorating supplies. sprinkles, liners, food colorings, tips, etc...
• ANY candy molds! used is totally fine!
• watercolor paper.. even one sheet!
• a box of Red Rose tea. any flavor!
• metallic gel pens
• metallic permanent markers. whole pack or any color! ( have plenty of silver sharpies though)
• scented markers!!!!
• any foreign foods/drinks i may try.. i now add the packaging to a scrapbook with descriptions of what i thought, so these are AWESOME to get!
• pocky!
• kinder eggs!
• chocolate covered dried cherries. (love)
• coconut m&ms
• decent paint brushes! used is fine.
• any glue/varnish i might try in my crafting. i'd love to find a high gloss one!
• roller blade cutter
• any funky/different yarn scraps around 18 inches or over are welcomed!
• paper scraps at least the size of an ATC are soooo fantastic to receive! love the variety!
• scrapbooking papers
• street art stickers. handmade or otherwise. i collect color OBEY and would love more. :)
• graphic vinyl stickers in gereral.. skater stickers, urban art stickers... and the like..
• vellum stickers, sticker flakes, and scrapbooking ones are awesome to get in the mail!
• fine and ultra fine glitter. small amounts from your stash are fine.
• a black pigment pen! pretty please?
• plastic 80s bell charms
• mirco machines!
• strange flavor dental floss
• any old art mags like juxtapoz, hi-fructose, art prostitute, tattoo flash... anything with art in it. (bonus points for this stuff)
• ANY type of scrap or extra embellishments you may have. patterned and pretty papers, cardstock, rhinestones, beads, brads, ribbon, fabric, fibers, game pieces, bits and baubles.... anything you want to unload!
• LOVE frosted glass seed beads! i'd like to get some with the whole rainbow available to work with, plus white. i used up my skeins from turtle island beads in Wisconsin. AWESOME bead store, but i live in Iowa!
• zines! would love to get some zines... so if you are destashing..
• and if you are destashing ATCs, i'd like to see some more for technique ideas. esp collage. i've only received hand drawn ones.
• burt's bees pomegranate lip balm! can't get it anymore here. it's my fave and i JUST LOST my last tube!!!
• tea tree toothpicks. i used to get them at the health food store.. live too far away now.
• kawaii loose memo sheets! LOVE to get these!
• kawaii poo items! my best friend and i think her mom would love this stuff... she is Korean and well... she is very comfortable talking about her own poo!

i edit this frequently, so if you think something was here before... it probably was! you could send it anyway, just because i took it down doesn't mean i wouldn't love to still get it. i delete my list and start fresh.. i figure what comes to mind at the time will do just fine!

it is a total joy for me when people send something to my son. dedicate the whole package to him if you want! I CAN NOT STRESS ENOUGH HOW USED IS FINE! feel free to weed out your own children's possessions since we get alot of things from garage sales. why buy new when there is still life left in "old" toys?

• any DURABLE matchbox/hotwheel/tonka type vehicles. esp any different ones like motorcycles, helicopters, cement mixers, etc..
• lacing cards
• really simple dot-to-dots. he loves them! and amazingly.. does them well if it doesn't zag all over the place.. printables off the internet are fine!
• coloring books! esp. smaller sized ones like the little fun pads activity books. (a few pages missing or colored is not too big a deal) he's kind of a little freak and can color as well as the average 5 year old already. :)
• washable markers.
• ANYTHING Thomas and Friends. anything!
• ANYTHING Caillou.
• sipahh milk flavoring straws! WOW we just got some in a swap and he LOVED them. can't find them here yet.
• paint with water books.. even with missing pages is fine.
• paintbrushes! loves to paint, but is SO hard on brushes!
• cute ultra-soft toothbrushes
• he loves stickers and window gel clings!
• board books are awesome... we do have about 200 though.. it might be hard to find something we don't have!
• anything else you think a 2 year old boy would enjoy, feel free to send. he is VERY impressed when he gets something in the mail now. :)