nightswimmer

I love paper. Japanese papers make my heart go pitter-patter, and my ultimate paper adoration goes to chiyogami (aka yuzen). Hand-decorated paper is another weakness of mine, especially marbled or paste papers.

And what do I do with all that paper? Bind books. Create ATCs and collages. Carve and print linocuts. Design greeting cards. Sculpt and sew and otherwise manipulate paper into shapes it couldn't even dream of becoming until it met me.

But to be honest, I find it hard to be monogamous to my paper collection. I love fabric and yarn and embroidery floss too much to let it all linger in my craft closet. So some days I abandon the paper and knit, or sew, or crochet, or embroider instead. And then once in a while, when I'm feeling especially artsy, I'll pull out my watercolours and charcoal and pens and sketch and draw and paint. It's OK, my paper knows I'll come back to it eventually. After all, it is my real and true love.

Some of my other favourite things: silk fabric, fresh flowers, wool felt, handmade books, zentangle, letterpress stationery, homemade cookies, fine art, botanical prints, music, teal and lime green and plum and raspberry and charcoal, Flow magazine, hand lettering, art journals, caramel, coffee, linocuts and etchings, a day in the kitchen, a hot cup of tea, gardening, beads and buttons, ribbons.

I prefer sweet to cutesy, linocut to rubber stamped, natural to synthetic, modern to retro, secular to religious, richly-coloured to pastel, real to mythical.

These days, Bon Iver, Sampha, Moses Sumney, Jamila Woods, Ray Lamontagne, Bruce Springsteen, Fleet Foxes, Iron and Wine, The Barr Brothers, Patrick Watson, Rose Cousins, Beyoncé, Laura Marling, Lord Huron, Evening Hymns, Donovan Woods, Half Moon Run. And, well, music in general. I play piano, ukulele, and guitar (badly). I love singing harmonies (not too badly).

Everything around me -- patterns, colours, textures; architecture, art, graffiti. People. Posters. And light. I love light. Bright, dimmed, glowing, disappearing, shining, glaring, warm, cool, illuminating.

I love to try new things, take classes, discover new ways of expressing myself. I love to be inspired by new techniques and materials.

• Paper! Any kind, especially in rich colours and unusual textures.
• Craft supplies of all kinds. Fabric, thread, wool felt, ribbon, beads, decorative papers, embroidery floss, pens, inks, washi tape, punchies, die cuts, enamel dots, embellishments, ephemera
• Mail art: ATCs, handmade postcards, zines, and hand-carved stamps
• Correspondence supplies: notecards, letter paper, stickers, address labels
• Dark chocolate, especially when it includes unusual ingredients (two of my favourites: pink peppercorns and earl grey tea)
• Drawings and illustrations, small paintings and collages
• Teas of all kinds, hot chocolate, and dark-roast coffee (although I'm not really into flavoured coffees)
• Kits and samplers. Craft kits, spice kits, tea samplers, bath product samplers, I love them all. I'd rather have an assortment of tiny things than one big thing.

• Dirty, broken, or junky things
• Kawaii and cutesy stuff
• "Country" or "primitive" styles
• Artificial cherry- and grape-flavoured things
• Religious items
• Animal Prints

Please do not send me any items that smell of cigarette or cigar smoke.

Profile updated January 5, 2017