couchart

Last Updated on 9/3/2020

Greetings. My name is Cynthia (or Cindy if you prefer) and I live in the U.S.

I retired in 2018 from a job as a legal analyst. I enjoy creating artwork, mostly drawn and painted, although I also play around with collage from time to time. I usually go by the moniker of Ashazart at other trading sites such as ATCsforAll, International Union of Mail Artists (IUOMA), and PostCrossing, just to name a few. Here at Swap-Bot, I enjoy swapping things such as postcards, collage supplies, ephemera and cool papers, and I have found some great pen-pals here as well, both of the electronic and snail mail variety.

For 13 1/2 years, I lived with a wonderful companion named Asha. I really miss Asha. She was the best friend I could ever imagine. Here is a portrait I did of her before she passed away.

If you are interested in seeing some of my paintings and drawings, you may view them at my WEBSITE and you can see some of my collaged pieces on FLICKR. I generally work in either a pseudo-realistic or surrealistic style. I especially enjoy depicting subjects that are "bent" or unusual, or that view something familiar from a different perspective.

I am not easily offended, so feel free to send me your wild and weird things, the stuff you might hesitate to send someone else. In fact, I really enjoy the odd, rare, out of the normal type of swapping experience, so really, hit me with your best shot!

I like both modern and vintage postcards in all sizes. I don't mind if they are purchased from brick and mortar stores, from online vendors or commercially made via online sites like Zazzle, Redbubble, etc. As long as the quality and content is good, I don't care how it came into being (a rose is a rose is a rose...).

Subject Matter Preferences:

I buy a lot of postcards that depict things that tend towards the surreal or humorously strange. I also go for the downright odd or seriously weird. So, if you have cards like that and you don't know where to send them, I'm your gal! In addition, I love cards showing visually interesting subject matter. I am not offended at all by nudes or subjects some might consider inappropriate. Make my postal carrier's day with something odd or risque! I don't enjoy postcards that are super cute or sweet or religious. If you are looking for specific suggestions, feel free to peruse the list below.

~ subject matter that is surreal, bizarre, strange, weird, off-beat, wild, twisted, odd, humorous, sarcastic, quirky, dark-themed, melancholy, or stark

~ animals (foxes, zebras, rabbits/hares, elephants)

~ unusual birds (flamingos, swans, peacocks)

~ insects

~ reptiles (lizards, snakes, iguanas, alligators, etc.)

~ body-parts (not as in serial killer, just as in the focus is on some part of the body)

~ cactus/succulents

~ nests/eggs/feathers

~ dusk/dawn

~ moon/moonlight

~ clouds (interesting formations)

~ sculpture

~ mannequins

~ buttons

~ book-related

~ postal-related

~ clowns (dark or odd)

~ carnivals/circus

~ pools/fountains

Ephemera & Paper Goods:

I enjoy vintage and/or interesting ephemera and distressed items can be very cool. I have a big paper fetish and I love really interesting paper, whether it be marbled, paste paper, handmade, fancy decorated or old book liner pages. These types of papers, as well as antique wallpaper, old correspondence, ledger pages, patent book pages, diagrams, black and white illustrations or prints, maps, foreign language in cool fonts, old postage stamps, vintage postcards, etc. are always welcome. If it is smelly, as vintage paper can sometimes be, I'd rather not receive it.

Colors:

I enjoy most colors and color combinations, so make it easy on yourself here; but, if I had to choose one color I could do without, it would probably be pink, especially hot pink.

Prints of My Artwork:

I sometimes make hand-made postcards (both collaged and drawn or painted), which I trade with others privately. I also have postcards and ATC prints made of my artwork to share with friends and trade partners. I have these postcards commercially made, so the quality of the postcards themselves is quite good. The quality of the content I leave for the viewer to decide. :-) They are not made as any sort of advertisement for commercial purposes. If I include one of these postcards or ATC prints in a swap, it will generally be included as an extra gift or a sender's choice item or it is for a swap that would call for such an item. It is meant merely to be something I am sharing of myself and I hope you will accept it in the spirit it is given.

~ cute things (Disney characters, Hello Kitty, Kawaii, etc.)

~ holiday themed items (unless the swap is holiday themed)

~ religious items

~ things containing affirmations or words such as beauty, believe, dream etc.

~ sequins or glitter or items with glitter or sequins on them

~ 3-D craft items

I am a very reliable trader/swapper and I have been trading online for 15 years now. It would take a major catastrophe to occur for me not to fulfill any commitments I have made. Typically, I send out my items on the day of, or within a day of, the partner assignments, so if I am your partner in a swap or trade and you have not received the swap item from me as soon as you might expect for it to get from Topeka, Kansas in the U.S. to wherever you live, please be sure to contact me. I've only had a couple of my swap items go AWOL in all the years I've been trading and I have always made it right with a resend.

I also leave a rating for my partners upon receiving my trade/swap items and I appreciate receiving ratings and comments in return. And, as just an optional thing that helps me out, if you are in total love with something I sent you (yay!), I would be delighted if you could briefly describe what the item is in your comments to help jog my poor old memory. It helps me to know what sorts of items are the big hits, but I send out so many things to so many people (which I don't usually log in any really descriptive way because it makes swapping too much of a chore), that I don't always know what I did to earn the love. So, I am glad to know I did something really right, but I'd also like to know exactly what it was! Who knows, maybe I would do it again! :-)