saellys

Hey swap coordinators: I am always willing to angel swaps I'm in!

I'm a feminist. I dig everything Keri Smith does. If I see a feather or an interesting piece of paper on the ground, I have no qualms about picking it up, and it will probably end up in a collage or piece of mailart. I have a nine-year-old who loves to draw. Before COVID I drove Uber and Lyft, but now I stay home with my kid and feel extremely fortunate to be able to do that. Back before that, I ran a nonprofit all-girls rock 'n' roll camp for six years.

I can't stand social media and I deleted my Facebook last year--but then started one up again so I could join art supply resale groups. I waste too much time on Instagram and YouTube instead, watching journaling/watercolor videos and making my own. Obviously Swap-bot is the best social media of all because it involves snail mail!

I'm obsessed with beautiful stationery, and rely on other people's YouTube videos to convince me not to spend all my money on the latest cool notebook I find (usually also via YouTube). I aspire to be a minimalist, and I'm still working on convincing myself that the supplies I use regularly are the only ones I actually need. On the few occasions I get to visit a new city, I spend as much time in its art supply or stationery shops as I do on conventional tourist activities.

I play a bunch of instruments, and I sometimes get comments on my recent YouTube videos from people who still listen to the one album I released almost fifteen years ago. I write a lot of fanfic, and will someday have the free time and headspace to write my novel. I also do archery, take horseback riding lessons with my daughter, and recently started longsword training. It's the medieval skills trifecta!

I tend to avoid swaps that involve buying things, as swaps can get expensive just with postage. I also find it intensely difficult to shop for other people (and even for myself--I often have a clear picture of what I want in mind and I usually can't find it in a store), so I prefer to make things instead. I do studio cleanouts semi-annually in my attempt to be minimalist, and a lot of stuff ends up in my swaps from those destashing efforts.

I rate a five if your swap meets the requirements and isn't excessively late without communication. I give a heart if I really really loved what you sent--and if I don't, please don't be offended.

I rate everything I receive within 24 hours, and I go to the post office twice a week. I mark swaps sent ONLY once they're in the USPS's hands. If you don't receive something from me, send me a message and I'll resend it right away.

I have tried and will try just about anything. Perennial favorites include bookbinding, watercolor, art journaling, visible mending, pinhole photography and sunprints, mailart, weaving, hand-carved stamps, zinemaking, felting, embroidery, recycled material collages in the form of postcards and ATCs, leave-behinds for guerilla art, and making watercolor from scratch.

I journal regularly in a Travelers Notebook and I made an online course about it! I love making my own inserts and tip-ins and stationery goodies for my TN, and I even made custom leather covers for my best friends this past Christmas.

MUSIC

Radiohead, Brandi Carlile, Hozier, Laura Marling, Leonard Cohen.

MOVIES

Pacific Rim, The Old Guard, Gattaca, The Empire Strikes Back, Mad Max: Fury Road.

TV

Arthdal Chronicles, Avatar: The Last Airbender, Battlestar Galactica, The Expanse.

BOOKS

The Little Prince, The Wander Society, The Mapmaker's War.

GAMES

Dragon Age II, Gone Home, Kentucky Route Zero, Monument Valley.

COLORS

In pairs: teal and orange, brown and powder blue, vermillion and robin's egg. Alone: purple, grey, chartreuse, mustard. I'm not a fan of pink.

THEMES / SUBJECTS

Vintage, abstract, mail and postage, archery, fantasy.

ANIMALS

Foxes, ferrets, ravens, dogs, peacocks, elephants. I prefer realistic or boldly stylized renditions rather than cartoony "cute" animals.

ITEMS I COLLECT

• Polaroids and vintage photos
• objects from nature (small feathers, seashells, pretty rocks, etc.--nothing that will mold or disintegrate in transit, please!)
• pages from old books
• ATCs
• small antique items whose functions are not readily apparent
• linen bookbinding thread
• wool embroidery thread
• tarot cards
• interesting non-plastic buttons
• washi tape (solid color or abstract)
• letters and mail art
• old skeleton keys
• rosaries with wooden or glass beads

I won't give you a bad rating for including any of this; it's just stuff I'm not into and/or have sensory issues about.

• scented items
• glossy tape samples
• stickers
• tea (I drink it but I'm super particular and always buy the same type)
• glitter/sparkly stuff
• kawaii or conventionally "cute" items
• pink stuff
• holiday-themed items
• cosmetics, moisturizer, lip balm, soap, and the like
• store-bought postcards
• edibles such as candy and other snacks

NOTE: I realize we all work with what we have on hand for destash swaps and happy mail, even when they are profile-based. If it comes down to a choice between sending an envelope that is stuffed or one that is a little sparse, I would prefer you send a sparse one, because I won't get any use out of the items listed here and they will go directly into the trash. This way you save on postage and I save on waste!

catnipitis went above and beyond when she angeled the Destash My Craft Stash swap! People like her make Swap-bot a fantastic community.