nigatsubebe

UPDATE 10/18/21

I haven't been doing as many swaps lately. There's been a big push to make + sell as much as possible with the double hit of rent going up by 1/3 next year AND my insurance dropping. Not that they covered a bunch of braces and assistive devices an EDS patient needs anyways! >D Splint rings ALONE are around ~$125 each. Those cover... uh... 1 joint. on one finger. ... how many do I still have? .... yeah. Hahahaha... I'll be slightly busy. Wish me luck!

I'm a kimono and natural fabrics collecting weaver + sewer. Sometimes gremlins take my things. My DH puts up with my habit of stuffing the apartment to the rafters with craft stuff and textiles, so I think it's a good idea to trade some of it out!

My mom's postcard, ephemera, + handmade art shop ("small art" + gifts, like large tags, weavings, etc.) is Shabby2Beautiful.etsy.com

She listed a LOT of authentic vintage postcards, no reprints or digital downloads. There are also handmade art supplies for journaling and other art forms.

What supplies do I use?

Yarn + fabric:

Natural materials such as 100% cotton, hemp, wool, alpaca, linen. I don't end up using tencel or bamboo because it uses so many chemicals to make, might as well just buy acrylic. I do have a lot of acrylic, though, as I prioritise secondhand materials over newly-made.

Beads:

Mostly stone, bone, and metal. I'm always looking for sterling silver or gold, but I use copper, brass, and other metals too! Tigertail and other findings are always needed. I do like reclaimed, clean thrifted things!

Paper/Stationary:

I do papercrafting and stationary and have a penchant for "dark" stuff- old-school romantic Goth, Victorian, and Steampunk styles appeal greatly. "Black Forest during Fall/Winter" is a commonly recurring theme. I have too many postcards right now- a few photo boxes filled, but I always take very old Japanese postcards (which get archived.) Stationery is great too! I tend not to use magazine cutouts since I can get stacks of magazines for free locally.

Painting:

I'm dabbling in acrylic painting and have lowest-end watercolour sets. I haven't decided if this is something I'll take up. Mixed media and watercolour paper is always useful + welcome!

Misc.:

I love old mirrors, things with leaf motifs, asa no ha (geometric hemp) patterns, feathers, delicate Venetian-style lace, and various shades of blues, grey, and shades of deadleaf orange.

Off-site I tend to sell and trade for very different things. I have a rather large stash of kimono fabrics, books, dried herbs, video games, and even foodstuffs.

Sometimes I'm looking for specific things to barter for- kimono in very good condition, the 1976 copy of DOMA Codex Rosae Crucis, black and grey laces, etc. I'd be willing to trade half my supply stash for that Codex edition! But the list is always changing.

• Weaving (I have a 16" rigid heddle loom right now, but I formerly rigged various objects for frame looming or 'nature looming'.)

• Sewing basic items

• Quilting

• Archiving vintage + antique Japanese postcards of the karyukai (geisha, maiko, tayuu, oiran)

• Papercrafts like art journalling, scrapbooking, and some bullet journal/art journal hybrid work for daily use.