asuenram

I'm a life-long artist, feminist, and daydreamer. I am a mom and a stepmom, have a career in HVAC distributing, and design and sew the majority of my wardrobe. I'm 35 years old, and proud of very year. I play roller derby. I play the trombone. I play with Legos an awful lot. I have a rabbit, a schnauzer, and two cats that like to hang out with me in my studio, often right next to my chair.

If for any reason my package to you gets lost or damaged in the mail, please contact me. I will gladly replace it immediately. I get nervous if you don't rate, because I have no way to know if you received otherwise, so please rate quickly!

I am first and foremost a fiber artist and seamstress. I love sewing, and run the range from quilting and embroidery to fashion and accessories to fiber art collages.

Because my preferred scale for art falls in the "tiny" category, I love making assemblages and collages in matchboxes and the like. I like to make the boxes themselves as much as I like decorating and filling them! 3D paper crafting is addictive.

I like to work with texture and dimension, and the illusion of depth. I can do very basic knitting, and would like to move beyond the basics but haven't worked up the nerve just yet.

I'm an AVID reader, and spend a portion of each day with a book. I have too many favorites to list, but love sci-fi, fantasy, and recently have been really into the urban fantasy sub-genre.

If there's time travel or shape shifting involved, I'll probably read it. If there's a well developed mythology, I'll reread it. If there's a well developed and diverse cast of characters, I'll recommend it :)

Some of my favorite authors include Joan D. Vinge, Patricia Briggs, Diana Gabaldon, Kage Baker, and Robert Jordan.

I mostly listen to 90s Alternative when out and about. I listen to Pandora's Flamenco and Celtic stations when crafting and sewing.

I like screamy punk stuff too, which is great for when I'm forced to do mundane chores around the house. Or for when I'm trying to wake up when I'd rather be sleeping in.

Stars, moons, autumn, the scent of jasmine, fireflies, hexagons, time imagery like clock faces, sun dials, and hourglasses

Art nouveau (think Alphonse Mucha) and art deco (think Frank Lloyd Wright)

Tiny boxes and bottles, miniatures, shadowboxes

Peacocks, dark teal, deep honey gold and scarlet

Small, handmade art is tremendously precious to me. I'm so very proud to display it in my home. I try to surround myself with handmade items (both for display and for use). Handmade just has a special energy.

Religious and spiritual imagery from any faith... I'm pagan, but I collect imagery and art from all paths and cultures. I treasure my little saints, my prayer flags, my tarot cards, my hand woven Brighid's Cross. Hard sell literature, Hellfire & Damnation, and proselytizing aren't my thing though. I have no tolerance for intolerance. Everything is right for someone, but nothing is right for everyone.

The number 14! It's my roller derby number. It's the number on the back of all my jerseys, and I chose it because it has a high personal significance to me. I love working the number into art I create, and would get a thrill to receive art, ephemera, or whatever that contained my number in some way.

Finally added a photo of myself for this site! That's me at a roller derby bout, because almost all of my recent photos are thanks to our fine derby photographers.

Lately I've been fascinated by apothecary bottles and their vintage (or vintage-looking) labels. I love the creepy Halloween ones as well as the old medical ones. So lovely!

I decorate my studio in "Moroccohemian", which is my weird mashup of Morrocan and Bohemian styles. It's a thing now. I've made it a thing.

Think geometric and organic lattices, metal hanging lamps with colored glass, rich saturated colors with lots of texture. Layers of texture! Mirrors and multitudes of candles. Mismatched bottles and jars holding art supplies. Happy clutter, organized chaos :)

Leftovers ;) Since I do so much on small scales, I'm glad for your little leftover bits! Yarn, ribbons, and trim at least 2" long, papers at least 2" square, that extra button, bead, or a scattering of loose sequins... All that is delightful! Tiny little found objects are often perfect for a feature in a matchbox shrine. Broken junk jewelry or that orphan earring that no longer has a mate would also be great!

I like receiving ATCs, and other small scale art to display in my home.

Most importantly, please do not feel obliged to purchase anything for me unless the swap guidelines specifically require it. I love getting new supplies to play with, but feel free to shop your stash and pass along things that no longer thrill you. I'd much rather someone spend their time on me than their money when it comes to swapping :)

I'm not a huge fan of cutesy or cartoon-y stuff, and I only cook when I can't avoid it, so recipes that have more than five ingredients will be lovingly tucked into my recipe box, aka the Box of Oblivion, From Which There is Little Chance of Return. (Unless you have pretty handwriting or you decorate the recipe card... then I'll call it art and hang it up in my kitchen!)

I purchased a home (Dec 2014) and finally feel like I've settled in and gotten my new dedicated studio space working for me. The first stage of renovations are all done, and all the dust has settled (literally and figuratively) so I'm ready to start up some swapping again!