Yobittles

I am a SAHM of an extremely active little girl and have enjoyed crafting pretty much all my life. I like to do all kinds of homey things like cooking, reading, and crafting in front of the tv. I am going to try taking up gardening this year for the first time, too. We have two adorable rescued shih-tzus, Yoshi and Kubla, who are maybe 9 and 7 years old, though we will never know for sure!

Before mommyhood, I ran my own ebay bead store for two years full-time. Before that, I was a technical writer for an analytical instrument company. I just hated commuting to an office so I could sit all day in a cubicle staring at a computer. I didn't mind the work so much, just the environment was awful. I am so grateful to be able to stay home...

I was born and raised in Calgary, then after University moved to California, then Massachusetts, and have now settled in Minnesota for awhile in a house for the first time. All the moving was so my husband could finish his schooling. (It takes a lot of school to become a math professor!)

I have tried pretty much everything--knitting, crochet, papercrafts, beading, paper decoration, scrapbooking, watercolors and acrylics, but my current favorites are sewing and quilting. I was really into beading for awhile, but I am kind of on a break from that for a bit. I really enjoy and appreciate photography, especially of nature, but don't have the money for a decent camera at the moment...

I really like sewing things from thrifted clothing and fabrics--anything recycled is cool. I also am starting to get into hand-dyeing my own fabric, but don't have much opportunity for such a messy enterprise with my toddler running about.

I want to get more into amigurumi and have a few books, but don't have much of a yarn stash to make stuff from (yet!).

I am also totally addicted to Japanese craft books and love the simple, beautiful style they seem to have. I love the "small and intricate" philosophy versus "bigger is better".

I really like simple and beautiful, with a dash of cute. A lot of retro patterns are nice and Japanese styles and fabrics are my favorites, both traditional and Kawaii-ish, like little vegetables with faces or characters (Mamegoma, Keroppi, and Totoro are my favorites, although soot sprites are also really cute).

For fabrics, I probably prefer good-quality cotton or linen, but I can use almost anything, even small scraps! I like both plain and patterned, stripes, dots, florals and nature, calicos, reproductions (esp. 30's), batiks, and hand-dyed.

My favorite flowers are asiatic/oriental lilies like stargazers, or alstroemeria.

I am a fan of almost all colors. What pleases me most is lovely color combinations, either traditional or unexpected. I can like colors I usually don't like if they are combined with the right accents. I am not fabulous at color combining myself, so I particularly enjoy it when someone comes up with a combination I would not have thought of myself.

I am really not into cutesy (like kittens), country, kitch, or frilly and girly (though my daughter is pretty girly). I don't like anything that has been unique in the past and is now everywhere, like Hello Kitty or Pokemon.

I really don't like cheap fabrics, novelty prints like trucks, crayons, flags, or sports, or many juvenile prints (except maybe frog prints). I am not a "quilt shop fabric only" person, but lots of fabric, especially at bargain places like Wal-Mart, is just crappy. I would rather cut up a good piece of clothing from Goodwill.

I might not be a total fabric snob, but I am a bit of a bead snob... I have no patience for cheap beads.

I have little to no use for random decorative stuff that needs to be on display, like knicknacks etc. I have no place to put them nor a desire to dust them!

I am also not into typical girly things like scented candles, soaps, or lotions (although I do like the Body Shop glycerine soaps).

I don't drink coffee ever or herbal tea at the moment (though black or green tea is ok). I am a vegetarian and am very picky about food, so would rather not receive it unless it is chocolate (I especially like obscenely sweet Canadian and British chocolate bars like from Cadbury and Nestle).

I don't have a cell phone, iPod, blackberry, palm pilot, wear lipstick/eyeshadow, or even carry a purse, so obviously I don't need any accessories for them.

I don't like using animal products, be it leather, fur, feathers, etc. for anything. I only use wool or silk if I have rescued it from a thrift store.

I am also kind of chemically sensitive, so please nothing really scented or from a smoker's home. I am also moderately allergic to cats, so please nothing with cat hair on it :) If you have cats, it should be fine as long as they weren't rolling in whatever you send!

I see many people have a wish list, so I will throw out a few things--(I am perfectly happy if something isn't new, full, or complete, or whatever, but still has use in it):

Seeds for my garden this year. Keep in mind I live in Minnesota (zone 5 maximum) so that limits what I can grow. I really like heirloom tomatoes or anything different and any flowers.

Fabric scraps of any color, almost any size down to about 1.5" square

Ribbon, lace, rickrack, trim, buttons (especially vintage!), zippers, or other sewing notions.

Any decorative thread or fiber. I am crazy about overdyed embroidery floss and pearle cotton.

Any patterns or crafty books, be it sewing, quilting, or crochet, even torn out of a magazine. I like making little girl clothes and accessories, small sewing projects like little zipped bags or wallets, and stuffed animals especially.

Sewing or quilting gadgets like pincushions, needlebooks, bias tape makers, yo-yo makers, rulers, etc.

Any size of decorative paper, even scraps, especially handmade papers.

Any botanical or nature print, including birds.

Small pieces of paper decorated with plain black or embossed rubber-stamped designs that you have made. (I don't want any rubber stamps, but I like using designs from others.)

Yarn, but not from an animal (wool/angora/cashmere/alpaca/silk etc.) and it has to be really soft. I adore bamboo yarn. I am especially looking for yarns to crochet toy food, like lots of beiges, creams, and browns, or variegated yarns are fun, too. I would rather have a few yards of a really nice yarn than several skeins of a cheap, scratchy acrylic.

Beads of a unique variety. I have a really, really big stash already, but if they are unique, like ceramic Kazuri beads or lampworked beads, or sparkly like Swarovskis or fire-polished, I would love them. I also love different shapes of Toho and Miyuki beads, like cubes and triangles.

Anything bento-box related--picks, cups, bottles, chopsticks, or bento boxes themselves.

Cute hair ribbons, barrettes, or hairclips for my toddler. She doesn't have much hair yet, but she will!

Any lullabye or gentle music CDs for my little one to fall asleep to.

I don't watch a huge amount of tv, but I have my few regular shows: The Office, My Name is Earl, CSI (regular, not the others), The Simpsons (I think I have seen every episode, most of them many times!), House, Heroes, Iron Chef, Good Eats, sometimes Oprah if she is talking about something interesting and the Law & Orders if I am not doing anything. If I can't find something to watch, I will usually just leave it on Food Network, (as long as Bobby Flay isn't on!), or maybe the Create network.

I Hate with a capital 'H' American reality shows, they are a pet peeve of mine. But, I do like British reality shows, though, like Gordon Ramsey's Kitchen Nightmares (they wrecked the American version) and more recently Last Restaurant Standing.

My favorite old shows include Arrested Development (so mad it was cancelled), Fawlty Towers, Kids in the Hall, Six Feet Under, and Red Dwarf.

I am fairly picky about what movies I like. I like good action, like the Die Hards, and good (not campy) horror, like the Screams. But, I quickly get bored with long, drawn out melodrama like the English Patient, lowbrow comedies, and really predictable movies. I tend to not like 'Arty' movies as I don't like to have to think about things too much :) One of my favorite movies is the Rocky Horror Picture Show; I have probably seen it/had it playing a hundred times (I like the songs, too). I have really enjoyed the few Studio Ghibli movies I have seen like Spirited Away and My Neighbor Totoro--and I think Grave of the Fireflies is the saddest movie I have ever seen.

For music my favorites are 60's, 70's, and 80's classic rock like Pink Floyd (Waters era) or REM. I also really like Leonard Cohen (older stuff), Blue Rodeo, and sometimes louder stuff like Metallica, AC/DC, and The Offspring if I am in the mood. I usually just listen to the radio and you can tell by my favorites that I am totally out of touch with the current music scene! Most stuff I can enjoy, with the exception of maybe rap, speed metal (or other music with excessive screaming), and really young-ish pop stuff like Brittney Spears.

As far as books go, I don't think I have read a novel in years. I feel bad about it, but I don't seem to get around to it. I mostly read crafting and cooking books. I used to like medical and crime mysteries, but with a toddler I don't seem to have the time.

If you are still reading, wow! I think this is the longest profile on Swap-bot. You can tell I am wordy!