Rillaith

I'm a web geek with a love of all things crafty, especially paper related. I read extensively (mostly crime/mystery, fantasy and horror), have 5 cats, have a love/hate relationship with London (will work there, wouldn't want to live there - I live about an hour west in a small town instead), and a tendency to hoarde Stuff if I think I could ever make something with it one day.

I participate in a large LARP system called Curious Pastimes, and play both computer and board games. I can't remember the last time I watched TV, and consider that a good thing (although I do watch a ciouple of series on DVD occasionally). I like digital art/craft as much as physical, but am much better at creating something from other things than something from scratch, whatever the medium.

I'm still relatively new to a position of senior management as the Technical Director for a small but fast-paced media company, and have been known to vacillate between extreme self-doubt and supreme professional confidence when the hormones get too much for me! I feel much more settled with the enormity of the role, but it sometimes eats me up for weeks at a time with little warning when goalposts change.

Mostly crime/mystery fiction, with doses of Fantasy, Horror, and occasional generic/humourous stuff. I avoid chick lit like the plague, reading just the funniest stuff on odd occasions.

Particular authors include Terry Pratchett, Laurell K Hamilton, Janet Evanovitch, Dean Koontz, Kathryn Fox, Patricia Cornwell, Kathy Reichs, James Patterson and many more.

My BookCrossing profile linked above is a reasonable indicator, too, and even links to my BookCrossing wishlist.

I don't generally read magazines, except for my monthly subscriptions to Papercraft Inspirations and my current favourite, Craft Stamper.

For starters - Papercrafts (card making, rubber stamping, collage, scrapbooking - although not enough photos to do it! - papermaking, and more), sewing (badly in the main, and mostly for LARP costume), model rocketry (2-foot high things that go WHOOOSHpop and get lost half the time).

I used to do a fair amount of cross stitch, but haven't in ages - especially since you can no longer take needles onto aircraft. Fortunately, there are plenty more uses for embroidery threads! I'd love to try quilting but daren't start for fear of the STASH HOARDING MONSTER that takes over my brain.

I love all kinds of creativity and crafting, but often lack inspiration for where to start, and end up collecting supplies and not using them. (And eventually, using them for something totally different.) SwapBot challenges help me get started, and I've been a lot more creative and productive since joining in.

I've been making ATCs for a few months now, and am still enjoying them immensly. I originally found that without either a theme or a challenge it was hard to start, and even now a prompt is a huge help. I've also recently discovered how much fun - and how easy - acrylic paints are to use, and have been exerimenting with paintings and painted backgrounds for ATCs. I took the plunge and bought myself some cheap little box canvases and want to try my hand at some collage-like abstract painting.

As already alluded to, I'm a massive hoarder of bits and bobs, so I always have my eyes out for things I can use in crafts. I love the little embellishments, beads and gems and fibres and all that fun stuff, and I appear to have a minor addiction to paper. I have very little access to "vintage ephemera" as charity shops throw stuff like that out round here, and my parents are older (so my grandparents are long gone) and had a thorough clear out a few years back.

I also succumbed to the stash-enhancement temptation despite claiming to be trying to avoid doing so, and have accumulated a respectable variety of rubber stamps (I'm partial to unmounted ones for value - and I can always use more!), several lovely colours of ink pads (my favourites are the Distress inks and Colourbox Catseye stacks), and a basic selection of embossing powders. I've even carved stamps myself, which are absolutely delightful to receive in swaps!

Indie, folk, rock, heavy metal. Anything from the Saw Doctors or Jonathon Coulton to Metallica, G'n'R, Nirvana and Marilyn Manson via Enya, R.E.M., Fat Boy Slim and Tori Amos!

I like to say "eclectic" but many may argue with that ;) For me, it's about the sound more than the words, because unless they're clear I struggle to catch them, so rarely bother trying.

All the CSIs, Numb3rs, Supernatural, Spaced, Doctor Who, Spooks, Dresden Files... Not that I get round to watching it much. I haven't turned on my TV except for the Xbox or a DVD in months...

OK, I have always really struggled to pick favourite movies. For one, my favourite depends on what I've seen lately (and lately, that's not been much).

I like good horror/thriller movies - the kind that are up there with the Saw series, Final Destination 1-3, and the Silence of the Lambs - gripping, creative, not so formulaic as many. enjoy a lot of spoofs, the Scream & Scary Movie films were hilarious, and I've enjoyed most of the National Lampoon type, although I wouldn't rate them as favourites!

I particularly loved Sleepy Hollow, Pleasantville, and Sin City for their technical visual appearance as much as anything else - the combination of black and white, colour and re-coloured footage working fabulously.

I don't like romance, historical or war films, have seen nearly no animated/japanese style films, and grew out of Disney's kids stuff a while back.

Oh, and I liked the 3 new Star Wars WAY more than the originals ;)

I've got a weird allergy to grapefruit. People keep mentioning in descriptions to post your allergies, so even though I can't imagine something with grapefruit being sent, there we go. Similarly, although I love coffee and red wine, they don't love me, so even things like chocolate coffee beans are out (sigh)! If I had to describe myself in one-word extremes, these would be some of what I'd say. (Everything is lovely, mind - other people's dogs are great to play with, and gold looks lovely with deep rich reds or autumnal colours - but I wouldn't choose to have a dog or wear gold!)

• Silver not gold;
• Cats not dogs;
• Cool colours before hot;
• Naturals before pastels;
• Environment not consumerism;
• Hoarding not anti-cluttering;
• Alternative more than mainstream;
• Material more than ethereal;
• Sensation not intuition;
• Spiritual not religious;
• Understated before overdone, unless it's shocking!

Favourite colours are blues and purples, black and silver, and cool greens. Don't usually like red or pink, but in the right places they're perfect. Yellows and oranges and warm browns come somewhere in the middle.

Ah, yes, and I don't wear jewellery (except potentially for LARP), nor have pierced ears, nor wear make-up (except face paint, for LARP again). I make up for it with a love of Lush (although not enough time to use much) :)

Please message me if your parcel hasn't arrived and you think it should have, or if you're expecting to hear that I've received yours. Please remember that the majority of people I swap with are international, and factor in an extra helping of patience in expecting packages.

From the UK, worldwide parcels sent by Airmail normally take up to 2 weeks, and Surface can take up to 8 (or more!).

FORUM SWAPS

Stuff I Owe:

• Chaitea profile surprise (due Jan 16)
• WeaEatCrayons ATC Forum Tag (due May 9)

Stuff sent out, awaiting receipt:

• Happyturnip oriental style ATC (posted Feb 13)
• Runningoutofroom profile surprise (posted Feb)

Stuff Owed to Me:

• Caffinna surprise ATC (tagged Jan 2)
• Girthta surprise ATC (tagged Jan 14)
• Dreamerkins poly clay ATC (tagged Apr 16)

OTHER SWAPS

Angel packages I owe:

• ShandaPanda, 2 Altered Text ATCs (agreed Jan 6)
• Alisa, 2 Altered Text ATCs (agreed Jan 6)
• Decorated Eggs ATCs (offered Apr 22, waiting on info)
• International Postcard swap (offered Apr 22, waiting on info)
• Foreign Language Quote postcards (offered Apr 22, waiting on info)

Angel packages sent out, awaiting receipt:

• Angstly Altered Art ATCs (posted Dec 13)
• Craftymomma Altered Art ATCs (posted Dec 13)
• WildnCrazy091972, ATC Stuff (posted Apr 17)

Formal Swaps Owed to Me:

• Bec craft recipe card (due Aug 24)
• BrandedEclipse sticker ATC (due Oct 1) to be angelled by StuffbySteph (posted Dec 2, never arrived?) to be angelled by Dreamerkins (offered Apr 10)
• blackdovejanuary1 Layered rubber Stamp ATC (due Oct 5)
• pinkdragonfly2 5 ATCs (due Oct 31)
• babybear76 5 ATCs (due Oct 31)
• ixazalvoh 1 ATC (due Nov 5)
• temair Letter to Santa ATC (due Dec 5)
• suzagrace9 Hidden Hearts ATCs (due Feb 10)
• christina - Butterfly ATCs (due Mar 14) being angelled by Weeatcrayons (offered Mar 27)

Angelic folks
Thanks and halos to the lovely Agonysdecay, Cherrythepig, Pinkyrocks, Sally & TerryF.