truth-seeking nerdling, Messianic Jew.

also a wife and mother and cook and reader and artist and dancer and quite a number of other things.

I read too much. I'm always on the internet and always looking something else up. I'm not good at day-in, day-out work, though I do manage to keep our house clean and the dishes washed. But I much prefer to work intensively for shorter periods of time, which actually means swaps are quite a good option.

My college degree was in Mechanical Engineering. I haven't decided yet if that was a terrible mistake or not.

I love sunshine and yummy food and watching the rain and discovering new things about God.

everything.

okay, not everything. I don't do much with the fiber crafts (crochet/knit/sew etc) though I've given most of them a try at one time or another.

Most of the time I work with paint and paper and glue. And/or designing graphics on my computer and cutting them out with my Silhouette SD. I'm learning to doodle, and I've been practicing some fancier lettering styles.

I like to cook and read and write and so on. I've done quilling and sculpture and cloth dying and block printing and I really want to try screenprinting at some point. I'd love to build furniture, too.

From time to time I make hand-carved wood mezuzahs. I'm not all that experienced at making them, but I do love to send them to others. For those who aren't interested in the usual passage for the scroll inside, I love to select another verse or poem that will bless the recipient every time she (or he) sees it.

I've also written a novel, and I might write another. Only apparently writing a novel only works if I write 5,000 words a day for two weeks, and that way I don't get the laundry done.

I like making ATCs. I also like making larger mixed-media pieces, though those are harder to swap :) I also like designing and creating my own diecut shapes with the Silhouette, so I'd be happy to swap those. I cut them from cardstock or paper or (my favorite) from contact paper for stenciling or reverse stenciling.

Likes: bright colors, fractal designs, beautiful typography/lettering, all sorts of words, interesting phrases, art that's linked to science in some way, flowers and leaves (especially ferns), birds in flight, shiny things, phoenixes, stars, galaxies, spiderwebs, abstract swirls and swooshes, scripture verses (especially ones that are a little esoteric), cool quotes

My daughter (Tirzah, will be four Jan 2014) has a room I've decorated with a (very loose) "birds in flight" theme. She shares it with her sister Kaylee (born Nov 2012) and I've added a few tiger-related artworks to be her theme. So anything to do with those two themes will be very welcome.

Dislikes: I'll put up with anything in small doses :) I'm not a huge fan of the distressed vintage look (genuine ephemera are cool though), I don't really go for branded characters (Pooh, Twilight, etc) I'm not a huge kawaii fan but I don't mind it either. I don't really like things that are scary or spooky, though more anatomical images of bones and things are fine.

I have a very odd relationship with collage. I kept thinking I'd love it, and then I'd never do it. Except now I find I do like collage as long as it's mostly shapes cut from painted papers. Maybe I'll expand over time. Maybe I won't. Long story short, I probably won't use any ephemera you send.

And unless something is actively harmful (which seems unlikely) I'll be happy with it. I love to get glimpses of your heart and mind, even if we have nothing in common. Especially when we have nothing in common. How else are we going to learn?

Favorite Topics: I'm actually fascinated by how other people think, so hearing about things that interest you is great. I also like science (especially physics), chaos theory, theology, myths and fairy tales, family, community, new crafting techniques, star-gazing, cooking, music, and art inspiration

Wish List: nail polish, glitters and glitter glues, your favorite recipes, ribbon, embroidery thread, essential oils, gel pens, washi tape and deco tape

No candy, no commercial Christian items (and if you're crafting for me, I'd prefer if you would use "Yeshua" instead of "Jesus" as I prefer to have my family use His Hebrew name. But if you forget or whatever, it's not that big a deal. My main issue with commercial Christian stuff is how cheesy it usually is, not the wording)

I'm an INTP, for those familiar with the Meyers-Briggs system. I like abstract concepts and analytic thinking and beautiful imagery. Sometimes all mixed together.

And Messianic Jews, for those who don't know, are Jewish people who believe that Yeshua (Jesus) is the promised Messiah of Israel. If you want to think of it as a cross between Christianity and Judaism, that's okay. You can learn more here

Anything by Georgette Heyer. I have two dozen of her books and I've read most of them over a dozen times. I think I've read all her romances and I'm working on tracking down the rest of her murder mysteries.

Several books and stories by Connie Willis, though some of her work is too dark for me. Bellwether is probably my favorite book of all time.

Anything by G. K. Chesterton. I read his books when I need to feel better about the world and about myself.

Some stuff by C. S. Lewis. I went through a real Lewis kick in college, but it has faded.

Lots of silly fluffy fantasy, like Discworld and Temeraire and Zahn's Star Wars books and so on.

It seems to be a thing to state which version of the Bible one uses. My default was NAS for a long time, but these days I tend to read Amplified because the words are so much richer. But I bounce around a lot. I also love looking up the original Hebrew or Greek words.

• The Fifth Element
• Walk, Don't Run
• Emma
• Pride and Prejudice
• Bride and Prejudice
• Die Hard
• Ocean's Eleven
• The Italian Job
• Spider-Man
• Star Trek
• Princess Bride
• Lord of the Rings

we don't watch all that much television, mostly for lack of a tv. But we watch a few shows online:

• Community
• Big Bang Theory
• Castle
• Leverage
• White Collar
• Star Trek or Star Gate to relax

and I own Firefly on DVD

I have terrible taste in music. It's not that I can't tell good music from bad. I can. I just usually don't care.

I do, however, require reasonably happy lyrics. Sufficiently good music can outweigh depressing lyrics, and nonsense lyrics are okay as long as the phrasing is clever. Instrumental pieces will be relegated to the background.

I don't like things that are dischordant or shouty or harsh.

What does that leave? Most pop and rock, modern country, Broadway musicals (I love me some musicals) and a few other random things.

• Beatles
• Billy Joel
• The Secret Garden
• The Producers
• Third Day
• Lady Antebellum
• Zac Brown Band
• The Music Man
• Marty Goetz
• Raffi
• Trout Fishing in America
• Taylor Swift
• Mamma Mia!

etc etc etc

I'm really enjoying swapping!! I've gotten into the habit of making extra ATCs for ATC swaps, which keeps me busy while lowering the risk of losing track of swaps. So don't be surprised if you get two or more ATCs instead of just one. I put a lot of work into my swaps and I love getting swaps in the mail. I promise to rate promptly and fairly, and I hope you will return the courtesy.

I've noticed a few people have reservations about those who have done lots of email swaps, since electronic swaps can be used to inflate ratings. I've done a couple of email swaps when something catches my eye (especially when I can't sleep - I'll just write the email then and there, ready to send when partners are assigned) but it is not with the intention of inflating my ratings. Art swaps - especially ATCs - are far more satisfying

Reverse Stenciling:

if you got a swap from me and it has a bit of contact paper included, that's a reverse stencil. I usually label them on the back, but if I forgot you should be able to tell what it is by holding it so the light catches it right. To use it, put down a first layer of color (paint, collage, whatever) and seal it (I usually use mod podge). Once it is dry, stick the contact paper shape on your artwork. Use the actual shape, not the stuff around it. Make sure you take out any bits inside the shape - the centers of e's and a's and so on. If your shape is delicate or has many parts, a strip of masking tape makes very good transfer paper. Once it's well stuck down, paint over it with your second layer, and pull up the contact paper when your second layer is dry. The second layer will be the background, and the first layer will fill the shape.

FLAKERS :(

flaked on by @TheTimeChild for Your Name Means Feb 2012