kawaii

Hello!

I like...

birds, kawaii, gadgets, dark humor, nerds/geeks, the weird, supernatural, and the fantastic

I enjoy...

taking pictures, people watching, succulent plants, deltiology, piano, thrifting, research, candlemaking

Suggest...

currently working on these collections: (in no particular order)

• identified islands, rivers and bodies of water
• dining rooms and bedrooms
• candles (anywhere on the postcard)
• sea creatures
• taxidermy
• commemorative event gathering cards (festivals, bowl games, inaugurations, etc.) stadiums, amphitheaters, any large gathering place
• graves/cemeteries/dead themes
• postal-related
• people in uniforms or cultural dress
• large letter and 'Greetings from' cards
• vintage South, especially North Florida and Georgia
• Eastern and Middle Eastern sites in Western places (Chinatowns, Asian restaurants, temples, monuments -- anything of Asian influence located in the Western Hemisphere)

Topics always appreciated:

• royalty, historical, presidential figures & any Pope
• capitols, emblems, symbols, insignia, flags
• aerial or night views of your town, country, region
• UNESCO World Heritage Sites
• cultural styles, music, folklore
• political cartoons
• Lantern Press
• lighthouses
• Ken Brown
• Leeds
• non-touristy, unusual, weird, humor, & adult themes...I am not easily offended

• map postcards of anything! Since I have many state maps, I would especially love any country, city, regional, park, or transportation map, even schematics. Check out my map collection on Flickr. You can see I've worked hard on this collection!

• vintage linen and chrome cards of any of the above categories

• more suggestions are on my Postcrossing profile.

Prefer...

store-bought, labels/titles on postcard front (no mystery cards), interesting stamps, trivia about your location, anecdotes about yourself, information about the postcard subject. Maps and die-cuts/odd shapes in an envelope, if possible.

My Postcard Swaps

I am not one to send out cards immediately after partners are assigned. My enjoyment in swapping postcards includes reading partner profiles to get to know each person, and then lingering in my collection to find the right ones to send. I usually send closer to the swap date and always before the deadline.

I try to rate received swaps as soon as possible. If for any reason you have not received any of my swaps or my rating for you, please contact me.

Swap Swamp USA - Postcard Exchange Group

I am an admin for this group of 100+ mostly Postcrossing and Swap-Bot people on Facebook. Prior to this group I only traded on swap-bot, and I have found this more personal way of swapping to be a great alternative! In the Swamp, we exchange all kinds of postcards with people from all over the United States. Chat about postcards, your collection, and postcard hunting. Members may randomly send postcards to other members, offer/show-off postcards on the group wall, play postcard tag, and participate in organized group swaps. The Golden Rule – mail a postcard in return, if someone sends you one. USA addresses only. Swap Swamp USA on Facebook. Also check out our new Swap-bot group - Swap Swamp USA on Swap-bot

Prefer anything weird or unusual, Japanese or Korean, especially San-X, Kamio, Crux, Mindwave, Q-Lia, & classic Sanrio. I also love any Dark Horse stationery, both the kawaii and the unusual art. I have not, however, found much kawaii I don't like.

I am also in love with envelopes! I love teeny-tiny ones, vellum, metallic, odd shaped, anything out of the ordinary. Seeing one in my mailbox makes my day.

Not a huge fan of really girlie stuff, pink, or hearts -- except the ratings kind . With two little girls, however, I have come to tolerate and appreciate a LOT of girlie stuff! :)

Candlemaking

I'm a candlemaker. For many years, I had a studio downtown in Tallahassee's Railroad Square art park. I sold candles regularly and taught candlemaking classes/workshops. In 2000 I was fortunate to author Candlemaking for Fun & Profit, a technical candlemaking guide - re-published in 2010 by Random House as an e-book for all digital platforms. I wrote all the candlemaking and candle shop how-to, and craft business guru Barbara Brabec wrote the general craft business stuff at the end.

It was a great hobby when I had hours of time to devote to melting wax and finishing candles. Now my two little girls take up much of my "spare" time. Now I make candle gifts for Christmas, and now I try to make some candle batches whenever I can.

Sewing

I liked to sew before I had kids...but I hadn't had time to sew for quite a while! But now my youngest has taken an interest. I love showing her how to sew, mainly making quick stuffed animals and tiny kawaii dolls to keep her interested. When my husband was performing I made him lots of sparkly pants...he is too tall for anything cool off-the-rack...

Postcards

So lately I've come to enjoy collecting and sending postcards. This is why I'm on swap-bot. I have very little time to devote to crafts nowadays and so this pastime is great for me because it doesn't take too long and I can work on cards while multitasking everything else. I also like to file and categorize them...I'm just weird that way.

Gardening

Ok...It's not technically "crafty" but another big pastime of mine is gardening, indoors and out. Bought a great house in summer 2010 on a rare acre lot inside of town. Some nice trees around the edges and a few old camellias, but for the most part, a big blank empty space that I will transform into my gardening wonderland. When it's not 100 degrees outside, I'm working on veggie patches, chicken coop, butterfly garden, annual beds, and kids' gardens. Inside, I work on seed starting and babying my houseplants.

I love the Daily Show,The Walking Dead, Game of Thrones, Project Runway, House Hunters Int'l, How It's Made, Lip Sync Battle, Hot in Cleveland, Jimmy Fallon, Stephen Colbert, SNL, the Muppets, and Portlandia. I also love everything Monster High, including the webisodes and TV specials.

Jack Black, Will Ferrell, Johnny Depp, The Rock, Tim Burton, Hitchcock, Wes Anderson, Peter Jackson, Monty Python, Coen brothers, sci-fi & space movies, Marvel superheroes, James Bond, & disaster flicks. Not a big fan of chick flicks and drama, but sometimes I am compelled to watch.

Billie Holiday, the Beatles, Queen, Prince, Duran Duran, Ween, the blues, and whatever my husband is performing or listening to...I love his taste in music! Also dabble in techno, pop, and rap - I can listen to most everything, especially if it fits into my workout playlist.