Just a general note - my Flickr hasn't been updated in years, but my blog and/or Etsy stores will occasionally contain spoilers - so if you are expecting a swap or tag & would like to be surprised, don't look!

August/September 2015
Although I will still be checking in on occasion, I'll be taking a break from swapping for the foreseeable future, due to life becoming extremely busy this year. You're very welcome to keep up with my creative projects via my Etsy Store, Twitter, or on my website. Thanks! :)

June 6th, 2013
I moved house in February this year (2013) - just a note for anybody who might have listed my previous address for future contact.

Things I like to make & do:

I love books and fairy tales (but not fairies). I read a lot.
I love experimenting with crafts, letterfolds, faux postage and mail art.
Lately, I've been experimenting with vintage postage stamp collage.
I'm fascinated by fonts, creative hand-lettering and typography.
I can't use a sewing machine, but enjoy occasional small (& simple!) hand-sewing projects.
I used to do a lot of embroidery design, and small-scale tapestry weaving, too.
I love to discover new creative obsessions, but can never predict what will
capture my imagination next. I just love to create new things.
I love writing zines about the things I love.

A bit more about me:

I'm very fond of quiet space and time to think.
I'm a very grounded, earth-bound person who nonetheless
spends quite a lot of time in a world that's not quite this one.

I am very happy to live with my husband in a permanent state of 'creative disorder'.

I will always appreciate anything handcrafted, handwritten or (in the case of books)
pre-loved over something storebought. Bookmarks or anything that can be used as such are always very welcome.

Just for the record, and odd though it may seem, I don't collect ephemera (with the exception of used, vintage postage stamps).

I like stuff made out of kraft card & paper, simple stylised imagery, hand-printed, hand-drawn etc. I love relief prints & hand-carved stamps. I appreciate functionality (e.g. a card to send, an address book to use) over a purely decorative item. I appreciate multifunctionality even more! I have fondnesses for pockets & secret tucked away surprises, for all things postal, and for stylised bird imagery (not necessarily combined!). I enjoy zines about mail art and upcycled/recycled crafts.

These are some of my Etsy favourites:

I like simple organic motifs such as seed pods and dandelions.
I love garish retro wallpaper & curtain patterns from the 70s, like this:

Most of the swaps I do are within my group:

Zines, mail art & other cool stuff.

I'm swapping minimally these days - honestly, my time is so limited, it's probably unlikely I will agree to a private swap. On the other hand, it never hurts to ask! If you are trying to lure me into swapping, these are some things I'm more likely to be tempted by...:

• Zines about mail art or upcycled/recycled crafts

• Stray, unwanted, used vintage stamps (I have lots of non-vintage used stamps available for trade!)

• Handmade notebooks/bookmarks/stuff embellished with your original relief print artwork

• Old books of traditional fairy tales - the originals by Grimm, Andersen, Perrault et al (not abridged versions). I'm looking for pre-1980 paperbacks - poor condition absolutely fine so long as not scrawled all over: wanted for re-crafting, so the tattier the better to alleviate literary guilt.

• Re-imagined fairy tales - original artwork, revisionist stories, creative accessories etc.

• Although I don't sew much, I do collect cool retro fabrics - anything from (approx.) 4" square up to a fat quarter would find a welcome home with me.

• Eco-bags(/totes) in interesting fabrics or with retro/quirky patterns are always greatly appreciated, handmade or otherwise. Long handles preferred! ;)

Tags I owe or have sent:

• all up to date!

~

Tags I'm waiting for:

• all up to date!

~

Flaked swaps & tags:

• Join the Club by @Christie1981
• A Month of Sundays by @halcigone
• Twice Upon a Time by @smilesandsunshine
• A Handcrafted Fairy Tale: Hansel & Gretel by @haveyoumetlisa
• An embroidered fairy tale bookmark (Once Upon a Time PIF tag, December 29th) - @haveyoumetlisa
• Rumpelstiltskin in a 32ct matchbox (Once Upon a Time Boxed fairy tale tag, December 29th) - @haveyoumetlisa - very kindly angelled by @HollyHox - thank you, Holly! :D
• Twice Upon a Time by @kayceeann

From the Mincing Mockingbird: