Star7Lily

Greetings from Australia. I live on the top of a magical mountainous hill, in Warwick, on the Southern Downs in Queensland, with my partner, & Misty our dear doggie who acts like the Queen of Sheba, and came to us literally out of the mist and into our door. AND, Twiglet... a Koala who lives in the clump of Gum trees behind our house. Plus numerous colourful songbirds & wallabies (petite gentler version of Kangaroos) How lucky are we!

Sadly my beloved brother who made his goal of becoming American shortly before he passed away so suddenly on 6th October 2014. He had just arrived back in the USA after 2 weeks with his daughters here in Aus. He died of an embolism - massive heart attack. He was a true man, a genuine pearl and my big brother!

I am a Subtlety maker & worked that magic for the Abbey Museum & the Medieval Banquets & now make miniature version artworks for my dollhouse settings. Completely enjoying a long & well earned retirement as a Mines Security Officer from 13 hour shifts and high stress. Still clearing stuff, setting up my art studio cabin. I have two young-stars, now gorgeous independent parent/to be YES, I am officially a Grandmama Sept 2023.

I will always honour my swaps to my partner. And let you know if I am running late with sending, we live 45 minutes drive from the post office or nearest post box, so sending is relegated to shopping days. I rate a heart if i like your swap, the time it takes to lovingly create a thoughtful envelope & piece of work is enough, but a few scraps of vintage tiny prints/cloth or foreign book pages or old style patterned wrapping tissue are very welcome though ;) I like most colours, preferring soft muted palette (see LIKES.)
i love flower gardening and have put in a delightful rose and lily garden to brighten up the harsh landscape. Although I believe in fairies, and like a shell pink, i am not into kitch fairy stuff. Feel a bit too old for all that.

~I am a miniaturist, I have been interested in 'tiny treasures' all my life. The scale I work in is 1:12 or in laymans terms, one inch (2.5cm) = a 12 inch ruler length (30cm). I went to see Queen Mary's Dollhouse when i was 8 and it changed my life as i saw it. 30 years later i was able to visit the Chicago museum, and saw the fantastic Thorne rooms over 40 of them! perfect in every detail... It was through this hobby that i was led firstly into fine needlework, producing as exact tiny duplicates of bedclothes, boutis quilts, robes, underpinnings, etc, as I can get them. I aim for perfection for international standards, probably the only area in my life that I do, so I am proud of myself that I have learnt this discipline. ~Tiny things are fascinating, i once found an almost complete 1" robot!

Georgian Dollshouse & French brocante have me glued to the internet or book. Also Art journaling, altered books as keepsakes in historical themes. As an extension of this, @AnnaM (Lady Elizabeth) and I (Lady Caroline), have created a group here on Swap-Bot - with an 18thC Georgian era theme, (1770-1815) : "At Home with the Georgettes" with the valued input of @user2148 (Mrs Leandrea Wallis of the Rose & Crown Inn) as our co-Founder. Here we made a fictitious village & our members each choose & name their village character, our forum is a happy active arena. We then swap as these characters in creative Regency style swaps & hand written letters. We are even learning how to cut quills and make our own ink and make dyes! A marvelous extension in art. We have also a blog that focuses on featuring our swaps and the village. The link to our accompanying blog is up on my profile,
I have been a textile/doll artist since late teens, I use many mediums into my work. ~Thus anything to do with beading, vintage textile, needlework is thrilling to me, I use them in my dolls.

Baroque music, Tudor etc, wind intrumentals. The humble old recorder, yes folks, those years of torture in the old school hall became quite a passion, thanks to my brother. My first voluntary purchase was a German handmade wood descant, followed by a gorgeous Treble~ the hollow haunting tones and the woodsey smell, pure heaven! Perhaps i spent a lifetime in Medieval times! i can pick a crumphorn a mile away in an orchestral piece. I adore the Cello, after a lifetime of loving Elgar, hearing mums records of Jacqueline Duprey...(realizing the depth of mood one can create by modern Enya, the sound so strirring.) My man encouraged me to buy one, so I am melding with the tonal qualities of my instrument and having a marvelous time. I am in nursery school all over again! In the modern world, I find voice fascinating, pure joy and mood, I have belonged to several choirs over the years. Artists like Josh Groban, pure heaven, Ian Anderson from Jethro Tull! ABBA, Adele, Enya is a favourite songstress. Chorale, I love Musicals, Phantom of the Opera, Les Mis, I sing where ere I go, whether permitted or not (then i do it quietly) Thank goodness I can sing! my kids used to say "be quiet mum!", but that made me more joyous! They didn't want to be noticed, but really didn't mind. My daughter now joins in with me, down the high street.

Bookwise, I adore the classics like Jane Austen, Walter Scott, Shakespeare, I am a very old fashioned girl. Josephine Tey, Ngaio Marsh & Georgette Heyer. I have found a couple of modern authors i cannot put down, Lee Childs, his Jack Reacher themed series really describes my dear brothers character, a gentleman yet willing to step in with a warning first. ditto for Nick Pierce; Kerry Greenwood an Aussie woman who writes the most descriptive natural of women sounding believable in her mysteries... Heavenly Pleasures, Earthly Delights, etc. & Phryne Fisher Mysteries.

I love the earthy nature loving Jeffrey Farnol, for a man's take on Romantic, so English & gentlemanlike, pulls me back everytime, to the winding country roads to where my dad grew up in Surrey. I think perhaps this writer was not unlike my dad, come to think of it. Poetry, Shakespeare's works , Thomas Hood's sonnets ( i was named after his dear wife Jane), Haiku, I love to create prose, something I discovered at College, 30+ years ago, found that what I wrote, reached the hearts of others. I love & am grateful for this gift.
My library has children's books, well illustrated, as this shows me how to create tonal qualities if I am struggling. I have quite an extensive collection, from simple pen and ink, like Winnie the Pooh, or Wind in the Willows to Jane Hissey, Inkpen, for colouring pencil, Brian Froud for intellect, wit and darker themed interpretations; I shall write and illustrate my own childrens book, perhaps for my grandchildren when they join our family. In the meantime, I am quite happy to wait though!

LIKES... UPDATE: I used to drink tea, as the Queen drank it, ie:- brewed in a teapot and served hot with genuine fresh jersey cow milk...be still my beating heart, from the farmer, the cream still sitting on the top. , i loved English Breakfast tea,& Irish Breakfast! Sadly I am no longer allowed to drink them due to the caffeine in the tea. Blah, makes my heart race....oh woe is me, must care for the Heart ... SO NOW I like herbal teas of Rose hip or fruity blends, ginger tea, turmeric blends. & am open to receiving herbal blends (please without Stevia or sweetners).
Colours:-
. I love Teal, French Navy, Cream, Rose pink, Cherry Red, Sepia tones, lime, buttercreamy yellow, Prussian Blue and fresh orange.... to name but a few!

I am fascinated with all religions, cultures learning about different philosophies. goddesses, images, charms or sigils. I talk to the Moon Goddess, Mother Mary, Quan Yin & Jeshua. Having a fling with Georgian & Regency style patterned papers, silk velvet is high on my loves, a piece of delicate lace, silk thread or ribbon, patches of vintage prints would have me in raptures! I love cats and sorely miss my Lily.

DISLIKES? Stevia.
I cannot stand Green Tea, Earl Grey or Lady Grey teas as they are not my cup of tea, ha!. I am allergic to nickel based jewellery findings & chain. I do not go in for little girl pink fairy stuff or Hello Kitty, i am a luscious woman not a kid...but my daughter and sister love them though, so i would pass them on- takes all kinds, teeheee.

Thank you for taking the time to read my profile, and creating your wonderful works of art. As a security officer i have wondered how many people realise just how invaluable their service makes a difference to the lives of others. During 9/11/2001 everyone remembers the incredible valiant efforts of the emergency services, police, ambos/paramedics, fire-brigade. There was one other group who are rarely spoken of or remembered! While the rest of the workforce left the building if & how they could, the only workers that knowingly remained onsite on duty were the Security Guards as it is instant dismissal for us to leave our posts. I would like it to be known although they may have made it to ground level during the traumas, most died manning their posts as the building fell around them. I salute your memories, brave souls.

i value your time and energy in giving to a stranger ... so please feel free to write me. I appreciate your wonderful gift of sharing your art and thoughts. There you are, that will do. Embarrassed now. HAPPY SWAPPING