Starogardzka

Hello, I am Polish, living in Oxford, England. I'm educated to university level, have worked in academia and publishing. I am married with no children.

I am now (Autumn 2013) returning to Swap Bot after a long break. Those of you who swapped with me might remember that I lived in Poland for a while, taking care of my ailing Mum. Unfortunately, Mum passed away, and her death has affected me deeply. I am now back in the UK with my husband and his family, which helps.

In the circumstances, I got terribly behind with two swaps. I have, however, posted the items now. Hope my partners will find it in their hearts to change their ratings.. A thousand apologies to my partners in these two swaps.

I am keen to participate in exchanges that involve -- not exclusively, of course -- writing, writing supplies, knitting, bodycare, greeting cards, postcards, and scrapbooking. I love classical music, reading (do not like biographies, though...), travel (armchair included), languages, cooking, good tea and coffee, excellent wine and vodka. I also enjoy walking and hiking.

I am afraid of the dark, of ghosts, vampires, wherewolves and similar "paranormal" creatures. I do not watch much TV, and, although I love knitting, I am actually allergic to most types of wool :-(.

My "comfort" things include: books; my local libraries; lovely nightwear, comfy slippers, plenty of albums and photographs to browse through; nice bedding with plenty of fluffy pillows and cushions; moody music; and -- perhaps most of all -- body creams and lotions, including hand and feet scrubs and creams! I love my bathroom; massages; pedicures and manicures; and all we call "pampering"... although I do not wear makeup or style my hair every day... I also love tea, coffee, and a glass of wine does not go amiss, either!

My favourite colours are: pinks; purple and all violets and lavenders; cream; white; organic colours, "naturals" like shades of beige; bottle green; silver; black; and grey. I do not like oranges, yellows, light greens, and what you'd call "neon colours"; I am not keen on most blues (except its very light, pastel shade) as they do not suit my colouring.

I would be very happy to find out about what makes my swap partner(s) tick -- what their interests are, where they come from, what their main motivation in life is, and so on, as long as it's appropriate to the swap, of course.

knitting; cross-stich and needlepoint; papercrafts, especially scrapbooking, collage, and altered art; cooking (is that a craft?); creative writing

What I'd love to receive are natural yarns, especially alpaca, bamboo, bison, camel, cashmere, cotton, hemp, linen, llama, quiviut, microfibre, silk, soy, tencel, and yak. Other kinds of plant fibres would be very gratefully received, too. I have no need for acrylic, acrylic blends, and "novelty" yarns at the moment. I'd be keen on patterns for small projects and/or shawls / scarves / stoles, and handbags / shopping bags.

I also like cross stitch and needlepoint, as well as "primitive stitching". I would love to receive floss (thread) of all kinds, aida and other types of canvas, including muslin for primitive stitching. I would also be grateful for cross-stitch kits, especially from where you live; florals; abstract patterns; samplers; but please no Christmassy or other religious patterns.

I would be most grateful for knitting and embroidery / cross stitch magazines from outside the UK.

I love: body butters (I have very dry skin); body lotions; body, feet and hand peelings / scrubs; lip balms; foot creams; hand creams; luxurious soaps; neck creams. Any fragrance except lily of the valley...

As a budding and hopeful writer, I'd love to receive journals and notebooks of all kinds (I prefer them blank rather than lined but everything will be received happily). I also love letter sheets and stationary of all kinds, including notecards and postcards. Pens, pencils, erasers, post-it notes and similar stuff will also be gratefully received.

Any sort of paper that I could use for scrapbooking, decoupage, origami, and/or letter-writing would be most gratefully received. I would also love to receive multi-layered, patterned paper napkins / serviettes. Any patterns would be fine; however, I prefer vintage, floral, animal, alphabet, and abstract patterns with no "neon" colours.

Any supplies regarding altered art would be most welcome, especially those suitable for altered books. Anything to do with collage (perhaps except stamps) would be gratefully received.

I would be really happy to receive scrapbooking / altered art magazines!

I love good coffee, the darker the better; white and green teas (unflavoured), Rooibosh and Yerba Mate; vodkas from all over the world; wine, preferably dry white (Chardonnay and Pinot Grigio being my favourites at the moment), with Shiraz and Valpolicella leading as far as reds are concerned. I love honey from all over the world, as well as marmalades and jams, so little pots of those would be most welcome! I also like dark chocolate.

I very much enjoy cooking, mostly soups, casseroles, pasta dishes, and vegetarian dishes, although I am not a vegetarian myself. Always open to new flavours and recipes from all around the world!