I have a pretty extensive profile, which I update often, (05/10/22 last update,) so grab a cup of coffee or tea and stay awhile...if you've been here before, you'll likely find a few new things...or if you prefer, just jump right to the most relevant information pertaining to the swap we are in! Above all, I hope that you find something that makes you smile while you are here!

Please note

I live in a rural area, and our post office isn't always as precise as it should be with placing postage on envelopes, or handling packages. If you ever receive a swap or tag from me with postage due, or simply do not receive a swap or tag, PLEASE let me know! I always send my stuff, and unless it's a simple card, I always take it to the post office. I will always reimburse you postage costs, and work to find or replace lost mail! Likewise, things do not always get postmarked when I drop them off, sometimes they are postmarked at the sorting facility which can be several days after I've dropped them at the local office. If you ever have any question as to when something was mailed, you can note the date it was marked sent. I do not mark things sent unless I have physically placed them in the mailbox, or dropped them at the post office.

If you've sent your swap to me, and haven't received a rating, please let me know! My life is crazy, and sometimes it may take me a few days to open all my swap mail. I always rate each one as I open it. If you haven't received something from me, please let me know because it has gotten lost in the mail. I ALWAYS, ALWAYS send out swaps of time. I don't sign up unless I can complete them!

I'm an extremely blessed, Christian mom of 5 beautiful children, aged 19,17, 17, (twins) 11, and 10. My youngest two children we adopted from China, so international adoption and advocacy are a huge part of our lives! We love the Chinese culture, and hope to be able to go back one day to visit.

Adoption is a journey. If you or someone you know is interested in learning more about adoption, please let me know and I will help you with some resources!

Four of our five children have special needs, (all pretty minor,) so I always love connecting with other moms who have special kids! I'm recently divorced from my soulmate, though it was 24 years of living in a terribly abusive relationship. I am still healing mentally and emotionally and know I will be for a long time, but I am very proud to be strong enough to have left and be standing on my own two feet. I’m learning how to navigate the world as a single working mom but loving every minute of it! We also love pets, and currently have 2 dwarf winter white hamsters, and a dog. I also love to cook (especially bake,) and I hoard recipes! I have about a dozen Pintrest boards devoted to recipes of all types from beverages to desserts to snacks to international. I adore good quality dark chocolate, reading, coffee, and anything art related! I'm an artist at heart, and I have taught mixed media classes, and classes on making ATC's and Inchies in the past. I love to alter almost anything, so you'll see me either participating or hosting lots of these type swaps ;-) If you're a mixed media artist, send me something you've made, and I'll adore it! I also love to sew, although I've not found time recently to do any. I've completed 3 bubble quilts, and a queen sized quilt top so far! I believe art takes many forms, and tattoos are one form I adore. Want to hear a funny story? Ask me how I got my first tattoo! (And if you have asked before and I never answered you, let me know, lol, sometimes I simply forget to sit down and write ya back, so please, pester me at will!!) I currently have my next tattoo already decided upon. It will be my parents handwriting from cards that says “love mom, love dad” over my heart in the shape of a heart in memory of them. One last interesting thing about me is that I am an ordained minister and I’ve performed a wedding. I hope to do more in the future, as well as offering my services for memorial services.

My belief system is basically this...treat others the way you want to be treated. I believe all people, should have the same rights and privileges. I understand not all people, especially Christians agree with that. I only share this because it's a huge part of the person that I am. I believe God wants us to love one another, and I strive every day to do that through my actions, and to share what I can through the abilities He has given me. I do not tolerate people who are judgmental and I abhor intolerance.

I have always been a very open minded, and I like to think, open hearted person. Through my years, I have done loads of volunteer work, everything from working in a vets office as a child, to volunteering at homeless shelters serving meals, to a semi permanent volunteer job at an HIV/AIDS clinic in my college days. I have donated blood most of my adult life, and am part of the bone marrow donor registry, and I try to raise awareness about adoption. My latest volunteer job was to manage one of the local tornado relief centers for 6 weeks when a rash of tornadoes swept through our state on April 28, 2014. I enjoy being able to help others in some small way, and feel the Lord has blessed me in the ability to help.

I love to share my passions through private swaps, so if you see something in my profile that entices you, shoot me a message and we can work one out! I'm not a stickler for rules, but if you are sending to me and know you will be late, communication is vital. In all my time on swap-bot, I have only been flaked on a few times, and I know life happens, but please know I will rate according to swap-bot policy in almost all cases. I live with fibromyalgia, and chronic migraines, so my crafting sometimes takes a back seat when my body doesn't want to cooperate. It's yet another reason I almost always send my swaps quickly. I usually always have a start, especially on labor intensive swaps before I even sign up. I will never send you something that I think is of sub-par quality, and it will never be quickly thrown together, rather I know to allow myself a few extra days in a swap in case my body needs them ;-)

I swap for the joy of swapping. This is my happy place, and I try to embody the true spirit and joy of swapping without being too critical or nit picky! If you receive something from me, it's something I've put time, thought, and love into. If for any reason it fails to meet your expectations, let me know and I will do my best to make it right. If you take the time to send me something, I would appreciate it if you show me the same curtesy. I love opening my mailbox each day and seeing what treasures await. Some days it's quite literally what gets me out of bed lately with all we've been going through! I'm quick to rate a heart if I can see you've put your best foot forward, and any effort into the swap, and I don't rate a 1 or a 3 unless you force my hand. I'll always try to work with you before rating down.

About my swap name...I am called Barbara by basically everyone who knows me. I once had a dear friend who called me Babs and that's where I got that part of my ID. The "mom of 5" part is pretty self explainatory, lol! So few people explain their choice of swapper ID but I find it interesting to find out how people chose one, so I figured why not explain my own for anyone else who might be curious!

I am an avid reader and I've always got a few books going. Currently: Reading the Rachael Hatch series by L.T. Ryan and Brian Shea. I also listen to several podcasts while in my car, currently I’m addicted to Crime Junkie and The Deck. I will read just about anything other than regency romance type books, (honestly any romance, though I did finally break down and read the Outlander series which was very good,) and anything that makes you cry. My favorite genres/authors include: Stephen King, Ted Dekker or spooky or horror related things, vampire/witch/elves/magical such as The Paper Magician, The Night Circus, or The Weather Warden series by Rachael Caine. I also enjoy true crime, and biographies on occasion. Additionally I love reading about historical places, such as castles, especially in the context of the lore surrounding them. Science fiction is not really my favorite genre either...but I'm open to suggestions of things you love! As you can see, I am almost always immersed in some sort of reading, lol!

Desperately seeking Moomin and Irina Zeniuk Blue Cat postcards sent blank in an envelope

I am really easy to please. If you put any time and thought into what you send, I am sure I will adore it, and I always appreciate anything that is sent my way. This list is is not me asking for you to send me things...Its simply for those looking for ideas, of things I like and can use, or for anyone wanting to know a bit more about my likes and loves. I never expect extras In a swap, and I always rate based on the effort you put into the swap itself!

Just a quick lil' FYI... I marked things that really make me jump up and down and squeal with joy in bold ;-)

Colors:

My very favorite color ever is Pantone 318u It's nearly impossible to find as most things are more teal or turquoise, or a softer sea foam or mint green color, but I'm feeling love for pretty much all greens and blues and purples...and rose gold and copper are my favorite metallics! I honestly love just about all colors though earth tones tend to be my least favs.

Current Swap-Bot Interests:

Postcards, happy mail

Current Personal Projects:

No current projects

Themes I'm Digging

Anything unusual and fun

Anything uplifting, such as quotes or stories.

Rosie the Riviter

Also always into Fairy tales and Grimm Fairy tales..images, book pages, stickers, postcards, anything at all!

General Stuff I Enjoy:

Anything and everything Pittsburgh Steelers related. I'm a huge NFL fan!

Cool, funky, artsy, whimsical anything...images, stamps, art you've created

Beautiful Mail...any and all, nothing makes me happier than opening the mailbox and finding something amazing waiting for me!

Articles or full magazines on tattoos, or any type of mixed media art or papercrafts.

Free Random Ephemera I Find Groovy Baby:

pretty pieces of tissue paper (gift wrap type tissue) Tissue paper can even be used and folded! I use these for backgrounds in a lot of the art I create

Clean "grass" typically found in sushi takeout plates

Parking, movie, dry cleaning, public transportation ticket stubs, anything and everything.

Clean interesting food packaging, (like buck wild chip bags, or the images of the retro Dr. Pepper ot Mt. Dew boxes) Anything really that has an I testing image on it

Interesting images cut from magazines, books, or other sources to use in my art journals, or on postcards or ATC's

Other goodies that make me giggle:

FDC (First day covers) old or new

DCP (Digital color postmarks) especially searching for the cats from the "pets" collection and the aqua and orange from the "colorful celebrations" collection!

Playing cards...I love collecting different ones, as they are all so unique! I have quite a few vintage ones as well as lots of more current but still cool ones...send me one or two of any suit, I just like the backs ;-)

cigar boxes, or used tins that I can alter

pressed pennies and quarters

Anything fun that is cat or llama themed

Interesting or vintage high quality images to use in ATC, APC, PostCards, and art Journal pages I create

Tarot cards, singles or a full deck needing lots of these for a project

Maps or pages from a map book

Edward Gorey anything

fibers, interesting ribbon, interesting yarn...for making tags and bookmarks, especially in shades of blue, teal, and yellow!

holiday shaped sequins which are also called table scatter, and micro beads in any color or theme (at this time I have an abundance of Christmas themed scatter, but would love any other holiday or shaped sequins)

Sticker flakes... love using these on postcards, so any and all, especially Pusheen

Unused Postage stamps, especially the lick and stick kind!

Pretty used postage stamps, especially from outside the USA

Unusual or pretty mailing labels I can use on packages and letters

Any empty packages from seeds you've used (I love to use these as envelopes in my art journals, or to include extras for swaps!)

dresden German scrap or trim, any style, any color

vintage or boho funky jewelry (can be broken) beads, metal pieces, charms, old typewriter keys, game pieces, etc... like this

Seeds of happiness here is a link to what these are, and you can do a search to see if there are stores in your area that sell them. I collect these and love every single one regardless of color or style!

small wrapped gifts for My Christmas stocking(I collect gifts all year, and open one on days I really need a pick me up. I try to save as many as possible for Christmas!)

EdibleTreats I enjoy:

Dove dark chocolate plain or with pretty much anything except chili pepper. Trader Joe's speculoos cookies, or dark chocolate bars with speculoos butter ❤️ I've also recently discovered I enjoy Russell Stover milk chocolate boxes chewy with nuts! The only dark chocolate I dislike is Hershey's Special dark, and the only milk chocolate I like is Snicker's bars or the above mentioned RS. Please don't send me chocolate from mid April-mid November though as it will just become a puddle in our southern heat.

Fresh Made taffy (if you live near a place that makes it daily...we only get it when we go to the mountains every 3-4 years.) -not saltwater taffy, but the pulled kind!

Goodies for Those I Love:

Decorative Wooden pencils. This may seem strange, but we go through pencils like water, and so they all love having fun new pencils because mean ole Mom only buys the boring old Ticeronga brand yellow ones,

Card games. We have Uno, Marvel Uno Flip, and Dos currently. Would love to have Old Maid, Go Fish, and other Uno games especially.

Fuzzy socks (adult size) for my three older boys

Nail polish, cute little purses, bags, newborn girl baby clothes, Barbie clothes, play dough, quarters for the toy vending machine or bath bombs for my daughter

Legos, gift cards to Dollar General or Dollar tree, any type of candy, kids sunglasses, nerf darts, bath bombs, tiny wooden or foam puzzles or models, quarters for the toy vending machine at our grocery store for my youngest son

Goodies for our pets:

Our dog, Freckles, loves pretty much any type of treat though we do not give her rawhide

Our hamsters Harry and Ron love Timothy hay twists, freeze dried meal worms, millet, unsalted seeds and nuts, wooden and sisal toys, and any sort of cardboard tubes or hides

Christmas Fun:

I participate in Stocking stuffer swaps year round. Generally I prefer Santa to Snowmen, but I'm quite happy to receive winter themed goodies since Christmas ones will just get packed up for a year before I can use them. A few ideas of goodies I would love to unwrap Christmas morning...

Anything mentioned in or inspired by my above likes

Warm fuzzy socks

Address labels for packages

Postcards

Good smelling hand soap or hand cream

Bath or shower bombs

Dark chocolate, or Ferror Rocher, or Reece's Pieces

Knitted or crocheted Scarves or hats

Miniature blank canvases

Chalk, paint, puff or sharpie pens or markers

Unmounted, cling mounted, or wood mounted rubber stamps (see my ETSY Wishlist for ideas, or gain inspiration from my "Art of Inspiration" below)

Fun tweezers (the kind with painted ladies, lol!)

Itty bitty weather stickers found at The Sticker Attic Shop on etsy

Those tiny kits you find at the bookstore checkout, like mini bonsai kits, etc I have always had a strange fascination with them!

Rolls of terrifically tacky tape or refill rolls for scotch ATG gun (I use both the archival and non archival kind)

Any kind of paint brushes, even foam ones

Art kits...think ATC kits, or project instructions and supplies needed for tiny projects, such as macrame braclets... definitely can be handmade

Winter themed stickers...not Christmas, more like snowflakes, snowmen, etc

Pretty or interesting alphabet stickers

Packages of microbeads

ATC's for my collection

Christmas ornaments... they can be dollar store ones, but make it something you'd hang on your tree, most of mine are glass in a variety of colors, shapes, and themes

Interesting Decks of playing cards or an assortment of single vintage cards

Things from my ETSY or Amazon wishlists

Pretty pot holders and kitchen towels, dollar store ones are great, and Walmart often has them for .98 too! And I adore handmade ones!

Handmade dishcloths

Nail polish in any color, with or without glitter or other fun stuff, though yellow is my least fav.

And, just FYI, I don't use a stocking I place my gifts into a large decorative box, so it's ok to send any size item. I've been asked that a few times as people have sent me larger sticker sheets, and dollar store coloring books, and just wanted to put it here for the future ;-)

Here are a few artists whose work inspires me in different ways. Click the artist's name to go directly to their website.

Carrie Todd:

Tim Holtz:

Finnabair:

Click each artists name to see their website!

Teesha Moore:

Aren't these artists amazing?!?!

And here are a few of my favorite websites for art supplies:

I love the beautiful image sheets and fun ATC kits found here at Your ATC Store.

The blog Artfully Musing found here is just breathtaking...seriously! They have extremely beautifully detailed projects, that they show you how to create yourself using products forums mostly on the website Alphastamps

I also adore shopping on ETSY where some of my favorite shops include:

The Sticker Attic Shop which sells a huge selection of planner and happy mail stickers. If she doesn't have what you want, simply send her a message and she will create it for you, and quickly! The customer service is top notch, as is the shipping speed...and don't get me started on the extras! Tell her I sent you and you may just get a deluxe sampler sheet for free with your order!

Another ETSY fave is 32 North Supplies which has a huge selection of vintage and dresden trim for a great price.

I also love the Etsy shop Vera Lane Studio and think they have the BEST digi stamp selection anywhere online.

And for those who love to color, at The Chubby Mermaid you are sure to find something you can't live without! She sells a variety of mail order coloring books, as well as a huge selection of instant download pages in subjects varying from Bible verses to zombies and everything in between!

And last but not least, if you are a stamper, my two favorite stamp supply websites can be found at:

Deep Red Stamps where every order always nets a free stamp and excellent customer service...

and Red Lead Paper Works which has a beautiful variety of stamps, stencils, and collage sheets.

I hope you'll check these out and find some inspiration of your own! If you've got a favorite site, I would love for you to share it with me!

I used to wonder why people loved receiving "simple, boring" postcards in the mail...well, I've realized how very wonderful these treasures really are. Postcards are a way to explore art, culture, and the world around you with ot ever leaving your house. I am now a very avid postcard swapper on multiple sites, and have found that I have the following preferences.

I am currently desperately seeking blank Moomin postcards sent in an envelope!

Things that make me squeal

Edward Gorey postcards... Creepy and whimsical

Naughty Little People...Simply hilarious!

Anything snarky like Anne Taintor or Grumpy Cat

Anything from my Etsy postcard Wishlist, (or similar styles)

Maxi cards (postcard designed to match the stamp)

Lenticular postcards (the plastic kind that "move")

Gotochi postcards... Hard to find, but so cool!

Things I love

Pittsburgh Steelers related

Vintage children's story book art like Classic Winnie the Pooh, or Beatrix potter

Unusual Alice In Wonderland (I've got the Dover sets, and Disney... looking for offbeat and odd versions)

Unusual animals...skunks, jellyfish, bats, lizards, etc

Funny, or artistic cat postcards

Shipwrecks

Weird roadside attractions, or things like "Keep Austin Weird, and Area 51" in other words, real life unusual and quirky stuff!

Snail mail or mailbox themes

Anything related to my likes list such as mermaids, gnomes, fairies, etc

Other likes

Hand made postcards

Touristy postcards that show interesting sites

State maps

Vintage postcards

Anything quirky, unusual, offbeat

Anything you find beautiful

Animal postcards, any kind

Lighthouses

Trains

Ships

Waterfalls

Sea life, especially jellyfish

Not so much into

City skylines

Ariel views of beaches or cities

Tourist postcards that don't really show anything touristy...you know these type

Definitely no

Greeting card fronts torn off and sent as postcards

Meter strips instead of stamps on a postcard

Clowns

Other notable preferences

-Naked ~vs~ in an Envie...either way is fine, but if cornered I'd say naked please. If you write on the postcard though, I do prefer it stamped, even if it's just an artist stamp.

-Ad/free cards are fine by me, as long as they fit my list of likes (and for ad/free postcard specific swaps, of course any are fine)

-The Zazzle debate- I LOVE Zazzle postcards! Even if a swap says no Zazzle, feel free to send me one. Yes, I've ordered many, and yes, I've gotten a few that were a bit "off" that I did send back, but overall these are very well made and I still don't understand why so many people dislike them.

-Size matters...I keep every postcard that is sent to me. I really don't care what size they are, but if you're debating between a few different sizes, here's how I store them. Anything 4x6 or smaller goes into a 12x12 album which frequently gets looked through by guests. Anything over that gets put into an open shoebox sized storage box on a shelf in my art room and gone through periodically. Really special and unusual oversized postcards get added into the 12x12 album. (I create custom pockets in 12x12 page protectors to hold them using a fuse tool.) Maybe that will help you decide, because really, I keep them all!

I'm generally easy to please, and appreciate anything you take the time and money to send. I definitely have one steadfast rule...

I hate clowns...please don't send me mail with clown stamps, or stickers, or images.

Other things I prefer not to receive, but will work with you on include:

Please don't send me items with a strong smoke smell. My son has asthma that is triggered by smoke, and I have severe allergies affected by smoky packages, so this isn't merely a request of preference, but for health reasons. If you're a smoker, contact me privately and we can work something out, or at least I know to air the package/letter out before bringing it in.

Please don't send me anything with foul language or that's overtly sexual in nature...I often open mail in front of my kids. However, if you do feel like something in this category would be appropriate to a swap we are in, please mark the outside of the envelope "for your eyes only" and I'll be sure to open it away from my kids.

~disclaimer...none of the artwork featured on my profile is my own. It is of art I've found inspiring in some way. You may view my art by clicking the link to my Flickr page above!