kindledwhimsy

Wishing all of my swap-pals (present and future) a very ...HaPpPy mAiL dAy!

Hello everyone!

My name is Ainslie, and I am a snail mail fanatic! :o)

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I am generally a quiet and "artsy" soul. I am an amateur Jill of several trades; I like to write, read, paint, draw, sew, knit and will try just about anything crafty at least once!

I am a mom and I share my life with one remarkable, free-spirited, and clever three-year-old girl, my loving husband/friend Bart, and long-time feline-friend, Smokey. We are a fun and quirky bunch - with off-beat style and a knack for making up goofy songs! We are also expecting our second child in January of 2014!

Jan. 20th 2014 Update: I am now the proud Mum of another healthy and beautiful little girl, born Jan. 13th 2014! As a result I will be on a bit of a hiatus from swapping for a while, but will check in every now and then, because it's just too hard to stay away! :o)

Hmmmm... Here's where we get specific!

The way I see it, music (amongst other art-forms) is like a web - with different styles sharing certain commonalities, traveling in the same direction and then splintering off into new directions... . Like most people I find myself drawn to a variety of sounds... dependent on all sorts of ever-changing factors like the weather, my mood/energy... Blah , blah, blah!

Okay....Here is what I have been listening to lately mixed with some unmovable (Canadian Spelling) favourites... I also LOVE being introduced to new music, so please please feel free to share what you've been listening to! Really, I'd like to know! :o)

Counting Crows, The Beatles (older stuff), Stars, Mumford and Sons, Tegan and Sarah, Sarah Harmer, Mother Mother, Bedouin Soundclash, The Guess Who, The Sounds, Weezer, Josh Ritter, Cake, Metric, The Velvet Underground, Dave Matthews Band ....

And although they take much more time, I also have a soft spot for mix-tapes. :0)

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Some of my favourite books/authors, if for no other reason than they made me laugh, are anything by Christopher Moore, On the Road, In Praise of Slow, 1984, Good Mail Day, My DiY, I Know This Much Is True, She's Come Undone, High Fidelity, The entire Harry Potter Series, All I Need to Know I Learned in Kindergarten,and This is it ( which is the title of the book AND a convenient way to end this list!) Nice!

Literature for Children

I adore the work of Mo Willems, Robert Munsch, Eric Carle, Sheree Fitch, Charles Shaw... I could go on, but will leave it at this for now.

I also have a special place in my heart for felt stories - and the human connections that can be made through the art of story telling.

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Let's see... I like to dabble in a variety of mediums; painting, mixed-media collage, knitting, sewing and making hand-made jewelry.

I make hand-made accessories... earrings, necklaces, bracelets, pins, purses...

... hand-made cards and envelopes for all celebrations (birthdays, anniversaries etc...) for friends and family.

With a heart-felt thanks to swap-bot, I now have a raging interest in ATCs and various forms of mail art

I have also tried my hand (successfully) at making lip balm and bath bombs.. . Lol! Like I said, I am an amateur Jill of several trades!

I am a collector of scraps, bits and pieces, odds and ends and - well, anything else that falls in between! The idea of creating something new from something that has lost it's original purpose is - invigorating!

I recently found this really great quote, that sums up this part of me SO completely.

*"So you see,imagination needs moodling - long, inefficient, happy, idling, dawdling and puttering." * :o) -BrendaUeland

What I'm trying to say is that I have a passion for the artistic things in life, and nothing makes me feel more in balance and in touch with myself than a good creative project! ... Besides, hand-made goods just make the world more interesting, don't you think!? :0)

Here are some all-time favourites mixed with some that have recently struck a chord with me...

Labyrinth (dig that crazy david bowie!), High Fidelity, Nick and Nora's Infinite Playlist, The Goonies , Adventureland , So I Married an Axe Murderer Little Monsters, Teenage Bikini Vampire, Superbad, Briget Jones's Diary, Mermaids, Away We Go, Elf, Hot tub Time Machine ( it had no right to be as good as it was!), The Last Unicorn, Reality Bites, Empire Records, Zombieland... And I like a good B, cult or "'spolitation" film thrown in here and there - just to step out of the ordinary!

I really don't watch a lot of tv, but there are still a few shows I like tuning in for or watching again on DVD: How I met Your Mother, The Office, Love it or List it, Game of Thrones, Freaks n' Geeks, Home Movies (this is a cartoon), Futurama, any Simpsons repeat, Check it Out with Dr. Steve Brule (which is definitely the STRANGEST thing I have ever seen on tv!) I like a good ol' Golden Girls episode every now and again too! ... I really have a thing for anything Muppet related (Jim Henson was a creative genius with a big heart!)

Anyway, I really only tune in for a laugh or two before hitting the sack!

• anything that YOU have made I will LOVE! :0)

• If you want to try out a new medium - I am your audience! Take some creative risks and tell me about your experience and the process!

• notes about your day/ your likes and even gripes. You can speak easy (and swear if it feels right!).... just add something that personalizes whatever you are sending... A nice long letter is an automatic heart!

• asymmetrical designs and repeating patterns

• collage and mixed media

• 50's vintage images (especially those with funny captions!)

• I LOVE decorated envelopes; the crazier the better!

• red licorice...mmmm! :0)

• play lists, mixed cd's and tapes

• coffee (no "instant" coffee, please)

• hot chocolate

• chocolate

• anything recycled/reused or up-cycled or
  re-purposed

• hand made cards and envelopes

• I LOVE hand-made jewelry and accessories

• ATCs

• natural bath products (soap, bubble bath etc...)

• burt's bees products

  (my skin is very forgiving!)

• easy vegetarian recipes (but no mushrooms please!)

• tea lights - with natural scents

• knitted mittens and scarves (infinity scarves are nice)

• knit slouch hats

• the muppets

• any fabric cast-offs

• spiral-bound noteboooks

• coincidences

• the right song at the right time :0)

• i consider myself spiritual, but not religious

• getting my hands dirty

• being around people without being the centre
  of attention

• autumn

*** No Thank you...***

• please DO NOT cut up children's books as art materials if there is ANY chance that they could be read again or repaired... It breaks my heart to see NEW lovely books hacked apart. Magazines are transient; snip away!! :o) But, books are meant to last!

If, however, a book is less than a shadow of its former self, I would rather see it transformed into art than discarded. Thanks to @rubyrose for opening a dialogue and bringing up this valid point. :o)

• I would prefer NOT to receive instant coffee. I just cannot drink the stuff! Thanks for understanding! :o)

Once upon a time, in the land of high school, I used to have long green hair.... yep! I was also the first person in my entire town to have ever had their eyebrow pierced... This says much less about my “trend setting ways” and far more about how tiny my home town was (and still is I suppose)! My hair is no longer green, but since 2006 has been going through a little “rebellion” of its own... Why do gray hairs have to be sooo wiry?! Is it not enough that we endure this (thankfully slow) change in colour? Ugh, frivolous but a pet peeve none-the less! I still have the eyebrow ring though. The funny thing is that I also wear glasses and so the ring is not always apparent when people first meet me. When they finally get a glimpse and ask me, in surprise, when I had it done, I get to say it was 17 years ago! Hahaha! It’s a nice link to my past and I have no immediate plans to get rid of it. I also have two small tattoos. The first was a birthday gift to myself when I turned 21. The second came a few years later. They are of my own design and both done in green ink.

I met my husband in 2001 - just a few days after my birthday which you might have noticed was 9/11. We were each out with a few friends at a great bar here in Ottawa called Zephod Beeblebrox.... Everyone was feeling fairly vulnerable and uncertain about what the immediate future was going to look like. My friend and I were ordering a couple of beers when we were approached by a cute guy with a goatee and his friend. "Goatee guy" and I have been together for nearly 12 years! Finding your perfect match is really an extraordinary thing!

What can I say about Bart? He has been so supportive of my swap-bot activities that if anyone would like to tailor swaps to his interests, I know he would really get a kick out of it! Here is a small list of suggestions, but he's easy to please!

• milk chocolate
• anything related to sci-fi or fantasy fiction
• a cool bookmark
• fav colour is blue
• fav number is two
• anything related to Beltane or the Autumn Equinox
• anything Irish (that's where his roots are)
• any surprises you have up your sleeve!

Thank you! I know he will be very excited and appreciative of whatever you send! :0)

My Daughter

... just a few suggestions

• art materials, children's rock music, story-books for children 4+...

I always try to tailor swaps to match the interests of my partner (even if it is not a swap requirement). It is my goal to make you feel good!

If for ANY reason you do not receive a swap from me, please send me a private message before rating. If for some reason your package does not show up, I will gladly make you another... Going to the mailbox only to find bills and fliers when you are expecting something special is NO fun and I don't wish it upon anyone!

I promise to rate and leave comments as soon as I receive your package and I hope that you will make time to do the same. I'm always glad to know when a piece of mail makes the journey safely!

Cheers! Ainslie

** For my own Reference...**

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