Calcitrix

I've been painting most of my life and just discovered ATCs! Floored by the awesome idea. I'm into anything art-related, including fine arts, beading, scrapbooking, and paper-making.

I will send every swap I'm a part of, though I hand paint ATCs so they don't go out the first day I get my partner(s). If you haven't gotten something, it's probably sitting in my mailman's car. Let me know and I'll resend.

I also rate--sometimes if there are a bunch coming in for one swap I'll wait until I have a couple to do at the same time...but I'll get there.

I have a surplus of scrapbooking paper and embellishments, handmade paper, decorated paper, ATC blanks, beads, natural materials (dried flowers, pods, grasses, fossils), and foreign coins. I also have a great source for local sweet clover honey, creamed honey, and beeswax. I might have, depending on the time of year, handmade soap. I also print notecards from my watercolor paintings and ATCs.

I'm always looking for magazine pictures, old book pages (esp. foreign language), different paper, different beads, different notecards, local maps, art magazines, and random crafty items.

Nature, esp. leaves, water, birds of prey, insects, turtles; Egyptian mythology; Labyrinths and hedge mazes; coffee and tea; shadows and silhouettes; mythical creatures; puzzles; words and word play;

Foreign coins, old/vintage prints (especially animals), old artists' paintbrushes, children's books, mechanical pencils

Bits of fabric or ribbons, different kinds of paper (especially watercolor paper), beads, shells, stones, tiny containers, markers, interesting photos or pictures from magazines. I paint watercolor, oil, and acrylic, draw with pencil and colored pencil, and pen&ink. About the only medium I don't use is pastel. If someone were to send me non-crafty items, he or she couldn't go wrong with a non-flavored coffee of some interesting bean variety or a tea that's good.

I really only watch(ed) Stargate Atlantis. Sometimes I remember to watch Law and Order SVU, Psych, and the Venture Brothers. Favorite ex-shows: G.I. Joe, Robotech, Stargate SG-1, Wonderfalls, Dead Like Me, the X-Files, Futurama, Ghost in the Shell.

Nothing fits in this category, because if I don't care for an item I will use it to make a gift. If you completely surprise me with something random and so complex that I must master a new skill before I can even use the item, chances are I will learn it just to try it. Challenge me. Expand my horizons.

Making paper. I've done it with girl scouts, but I've only used construction paper or newspaper as the base, and the result has been chunky and odd. If anyone has good instructions, link to a video, or something with pictures, let me know.