Update 2/8/12- Well Hello There Swap-bot, long time no see, ahem. I've been gone for about 9 months, my utmost apologies to those who are missing swaps from me, personal messages will be sent to you. I've deleted the many many many updates that I had from Jan 2011 to I think June 2011 describing my family crisises and physical illnesses. Let's just say that I went from being a great thoughtful swapper to a lousy swapper, from resends, to not being able to make the packages, after like 15 or more ones I just pulled up and ran. It was awful.

Well, I'm back, for better or for worse. I've missed the bot, I haven't been very crafty at all off the bot and I'm here to make amends, send my errant packages and hope for the best. I know that I probably will not be able to join the really great group swaps but I hope to earn everyone's trust in the long run. First I'll make up the 4 missing packages, then I'll start off slow and sure.

I missed you guys SO MUCH!! I love to craft and be crafty!!! If you have any questions please feel free to contact me.

Take care, Karen

Everyone who has received packages from me know that I try to do my best work which sometimes makes me a little slow in sending. I read profiles and make each swap profile based even if it's not supposed to be. .

My profile is way too long. I apologize in advance. I'll be working on shortening it soon.

Just a bit about me and what I love:

I don't do scrapbooking but I LOVE scrapbooking embellishments. There is amazing stuff out there. Glue on or stick on gems. Brads, eyelets, beautiful filigree and engraved metal bits. I'm so in love with brads that look victorian, black paper flowers,. Especially the glue on frames in copper and brass. I love it.

Favorite Themes

Dark Victoriana, Baroque, Marie Antoinette, steampunk, Graveyards, creepy children (sorry if I've offended anyone but I think we've all seen creepy images of victorian children), the Addams Family (especially Wednesday and Morticia. Alice in wonderland anything (please no Tim Burton). Anything Elizabeth Bathory or Catherine the Great.

Skulls, skulls, and more skulls (and skeletons).I love human and Bird skulls, But, I don't care for silly skulls or skeletons. I love anything romantic and dark.

I LOVE making ATC's and matchboxes. I've just started since joining swapbot and I'm addicted. Little bitty treasures are my newest passion. Especially steampunk, Marie Antoinette, Halloween, Dark Victoriana, mermaid themed, unusual themes, etc.

I've recently started a polymer clay fascination. The possibilities seem endless and I can't wait to get really going. If anyone has any tips or tricks, extra skulpey or molds hanging around, think of me.

I'm very interested in altering items. Especially domino and scrabble tiles (I don't need any more of those) Images of preraphaelite or any images that would fit on a domino tile would be awesome.. Flat things that I could glue onto the Domino Tiles - think of my favorite themes.

Newest Wishlist items:

My very newest wishlist item is one of those handwriting stamps- major expensive I know but they are so so cool. So, if anyone has an extra (received an extra in a swap) or is feeling extremely generous one day- I would be you major bff. (I recently got laid off this June so I can't buy any new supplies (not even stickles!).

*Ranger's/Tim Holtz book "The Compendium of Curiosities." I really do love this book. It has so many great techniques. Anything would do: used, new, or a scanned copy either printed or saved to a disk). I wish I could get it myself but .... oh well.

I just got a heat gun for Mother's Day (I have 2 furbabies) so I really need stuff to heat and melt.

EMBOSSING POWDERS!! If you'd like to share your embossing powders w/me I would be so appreciative.

INK PADS!! I'm in love with ink pads. Especially those little tiny things with all the different colors, like the cat's eye ink pads. Any type of ink or colors. Oh my goodness, just thinking about all the ink pads out there and all the different colors makes me all quivery inside.

A non-stick craft sheet or even just part of one. New or used doesn't matter to me.

Edgar Allen Poe postage stamps!!! New or used I do not care. You can buy them online at usps.com.

Glue Dots.

Also, I'm in love with pink and black Parisian styles and Marie Antoinette, and all types of barouque. Especially images. Actually any type items and embellishments would be welome. Cream and black, . Pink and Black.

I love Chandelier anything- silhouettes, rubber and acrylic stamps.

Label Plates - like you find on a card catalog at the library.

Clear acrylic or glass cabachons any size.

Acrylic or rubber handwriting stamp. so beautiful and so many options!!!!

*glue dots

*I have a long addiction to rubber and Acrylic Stamps!!!!

I am in desperate, desperate, need for a Handwriting Stamp.

My favorite themes that I love but do not have are parisian, chandelier, vintage postal cancel stamps , steampunk, victorian, celestial, suns moons, hourglass, pocket watch, skulls (but not cute skulls) oh my gosh, there is just so much out there!!

Please NO daisies or cute stamps like monkeys or horrible words like memories and love.

*paper punches!!!!!!!!! or things punched from paper punches. Someone sent me some borders of a graveyard and beautiful skeleton trees. They are almost gone and I'm So Sad. So anything punched out or from one of those crickut type machines. I love the Martha Stewart Raven and Bat punches. If you have one of her punches could you send me some black ravens or bats. Maybe some creepy borders.

*Beautiful and mysterious papers.

*Black cats

*Ribbon- see below.

*Black Buttons with rhinestones or cameos.

*Really nice paper and cardstock, etc.

*cameo's- you can get these at bead stores.

*black lace, cream lace, especially black crochet trim.

*rub on letters and images!!!!

*dry embossing templates.

*stencils. Really cool stencils of skulls and things.

*french parisian style cardstock or paper

*Velvet ribbon any color

*satin ribbon any color

*ribbon ribbon ribbon. please NO disney characters or holiday themes or childish images.

*museum quality art- especially pre-raphaelites and rennaisance.

*Apothecary type items and bottles. Antique prints of animals and insects.

*Sideshow oddities.

*napkins for decoupage with beautiful roccoco designs. preferably black and white. Please no floral themes. I don't really have the same tastes as most people.

*black and white striped paper or tissue paper.

*Postcards with Museum quality art- preraphaelites, the decadant periods, and rennaisance art are my favorites.

*crafty magazines like Somerset or a stamping magazine. Cloth paper scissors, Stamplers' Sampler.

• If it's a profile based swap and you're still not sure or in a hurry a Gift Card to Michaels or Borders books. (I'm trying to find places everyone can get a gift card for. (I don't have a target or walmart near me)

I'm really not hard to shop for:

Lately I've been getting a lot of people saying they had no idea what I'd like. So I'll try and make it a bit easier. I understand that I have esoteric and strange tastes compared to a lot of people out there but I am easy to shop and pick stuff out for.

Recently I went to Michaels for the first time in more than a decade. I Love their awesome scrapbook paper. I'm not sure how to describe it. I love paper with chandelier type scroll designs and antique looking designs. I love old looking writing. They had paper with diamonds that shimmered. Oh, I bought many pages of it. I LOVE it.

I LOVE skeleton keys and metal bits in the shapes of keys. I collect little drawer pulls off jewelry boxes and antique door plates and key holes. I love old strange metal bits. I use them in art work and crafty projects.

I love little bitty things especially wood and metal itty bitty things. I've found really amazing things that were used to decorate doll houses with. Little frames, clocks etc. I guess I love antique and really really old vintage dollhouse decorating bits and peices. like frames dishes and books. I love little metal charms and bits. Little picture frames that are 1 to 2 inches.

I love love love cameo's, silhouettes, and cabachons that have images engraved in them. They aren't expensive at the bead store. please no colored glass rocks or cute sayings in them. I really don't like cutsie stuff like happy sayings, bad drawings of people doing stuff or a monkey saying hang in there. yuck.

I LOVE lace. Especially black lace. Next time your at the fabric store go to the trims section for lace and you can find black and cream lace for like 1 or 2 dollars a yard. I'd be your new best friend if you sent me black lace trim.

I have a new passion for acrylic stamps and of course rubber (my forever favorite). Especially stamps that have lots of vines and filigree. I would be your new bestest friend if you sent me rubber or acrylic stamps with awesome designs. Especially from Clearly impressed - stampington.com and other Victorian type, steampunk type, tim holtz type, You guys know what I mean- right? I think they are referred to as Art Stamps these days.

I would love paper punches that are in the shapes of things- flowers, ravens, bats, spiders, insects, birds, butterflies, anything.

I love paper. I prefer darker colors like, black, burgundy, navy blues, etc. But I've seen really beautiful paper at Michaels and many other craft stores. I love beautiful scrapbook paper. Many of you out there buy cardstock in bulk packages. I'd like the ones that are too dark or strange for you to use. I also love love love sparkly paper in pink and rose colors- again with the marie antoinette theme. I love sheetmusic. I love old dictionary pages.

Paper, paper, paper. More and more paper please. I really love and need plain colored and beautifully patterned cardstock. I love vintage, jewel tones, patterned paper with bats, cool antique chandelier designs, etc.

Favorite Colors

Colors I love: Black, Grey, Cream, Jewel Tones, odd colors like olive green, chartreuse, strange colors mixed with black ie: olive green and black, black and pink. etc. Anything black & white, black & grey or black & pink.striped is a plus.

I love Ribbon

I love Ribbon and embellishments in Jewel Tones, Black, and Cream: velvet, satin, lace, cotton, organza, grosgrain, tulle- anything goes with ribbon - just no cutesy images please or plastic ribbon that you wrap gifts with, or childish ribbon.

Beads. I'm prone to jewel tones and of course black, grey, and gunmetal. I love metal seed beads and tiny metal beads in general.

Favorite Themes:

• Victorian images.
• Creepy and artistic rub on images but- no sayings or words please.
• Owls, Ravens, Crows..
• Halloween- especially vintage.
• Skulls and Day of the Dead (Dia de los Muertos), Santaria, Voodoo.
• Cats- especially black ones.
• Spiders and insects in general.
• I love Anatomy-zoology and human.
• Zombies, vampires, monsters in general.
• Creepy Gargoyles, Gothic Architecture,
• Vintage zodiac and esoteric images are always appreciated and loved.
• I love rennaisance style era icons and religious iconography- I love Art History. Especially Saints.
• Gothic and gothicky stuff,
• The Addams Family- the original,
• Poe,
• Lovecraft,
• The Nightmare before Christmas-anything Tim Burton or Burtonesque- especially black and white striped anything.
• Ravens, Crows, Owls.
• Taschen- the publisher.
• Antique patterned paper.
• Film Noir,
• Tiki, Voodoo, Santaria, Dia de los Muertos
• Gargoyles, Gothic Architecture,
• religious iconography, rennaisance art.
• Colors like jewel tones and olive green.
• Vintage zodiac and esoteric images are always appreciated.
• Zombies, Horror, Gothic,
• images from Victorian, Art Nouveau,
• Black Cats,
• Zombies,
• Spiders,
• Cool Font Letters,
• Anything Vintage Halloween or Scary Halloween.
• Anything with Victorian Images.
• Day of the Dead.
• esoteric and zodiac images.
• Religous Saints- especially dutch masters and rennaisance art.
• Art Nouveau, Symbolist, the Decadents.

Food stuffs:

Black & Chai tea- I do Not like fruity teas or ginger tea. Chocolate- I do NOT like cheap milk chocolate or super dark chocolate. I love anything with caramel and nuts- yumm. I don't eat fish or anythng fishy. I"m a vegetarian. I do love sesame candy.

Accessories: Knee hi socks Vintage buttons and new buttons- especially black and rhinestone.. Jewelry with cameo's.

Favorite movies

I love watching movies: *Universal Horror movies *Hammer Horror films *Zombie Flicks *German Expressionism. *Film Noir *Silent film *Really awful science fiction movies from the 1950's ("Frankenstein meets the Space Monster"). *Love anything slasher and gratuitous from the 1960's and 70's.

Favorite books

I read a lot!! Lately: Urban Supernatural stuff, Horror, Mystery, Laurel K Hamilton, Jim Butcher. I love the old classics: Poe, Lovecraft, etc. I love: Vladimir Nobokov, Mikhail Bulgakov, Kafka, Gibson, Anne Rice, I read a lot of Poetry, Keats, Byron, Baudelaire Rimbaud, Poe. I love Jungian philosophy and old medical texts.

Favorite Music

MUSIC- I listen to A LOT of late 70's & 80's Goth and Punk. The Sisters of Mercy, Siouxsie and the Banshees, Bauhaus, etc. I love Gypsy music anything with violin and cello. New music I love- The Dresden Dolls, Miss Derringer, Sopor Aeturnus,

I have strong crafty tendencies and have been really crafty lately. I go thru long periods of collecting ephemra (sometimes weeks once a couple of years) then I'll go crazy with the craftyness. I love to make Jewelry, I've started getting into cutting and pasting onto anything I can get my hands on. I've been collecting cards books and clip art for years and have finally started putting it to use. I just got a color copier and scanner (free street find!!) so I don't have to cut up and use up my wonderful collection.

Dislikes

• I don't like alot of things but mostly:
• Tourist postcards.
• Cheap dollar store items- I'd rather get dollar items from other stores.
• Disney Characters (except the villians)
• Anything like Spongebob
• Mary Englebright type stuff
• cheap stickers,
• stickers with sayings on them (unless they say death, and die, and morbid curiosity).
• abstract art
• polyester
• tie dye/peace signs
• pop music, top 40.
• cute country styles.
• things for children or nursery items.
• bright colors -unless they are ironic pairings like bright green and black.
• please no dollar tree or dollar store items (I can buy them myself). I prefer other dollar items from other stores.

I have 2 cats, a tarantula, and a wonderful husband- Vajra

Flaked on- but if the person sends I always take off their name and swap- of course. This is just to warn others out there. I always give people many chances to make up for their missing packages.

Profile Matchbox- March 2010- flaked byAllison Passero (somuchlaughter) and the coordinator has been suspended.

Jewelry Findings Oct. 2009 by jill roebenack (jillville) I was looking forward to this one.

Ancient Egypt ATC by Valériane Eulry (Bastet)- Angeled by Amy (the juicebox)- beautiful.

Quick Happy Halloween Matchbox by Melissa Naftel (MinnieMelissa)- Angeled by Rachel Johnson- (beautiful winter wonderland matchbox)

Handmade Halloween Ornament swap by- Aleena Yaktine (matchboxbaby). Angeled by Sheilabeepers (yay).