cabaute

I am in my 40's, very happily married and child free. We have two dogs that we love dearly, a Wire Fox Terrier (Emma) and a Welsh Terrier (Charlie).

I love seeing the individuality that each person brings to a swap, and honestly I love making and sending more than receiving (but that does not mean I want to be flaked on!).

I appreciate all religious viewpoints as long as what is sent doesn't seem to have been selected to "preach at", judge or condemn others behavior. I like and appreciate viewpoints from Paganism, Judaism, Buddhism, Christianity, Daoism, Hinduism, and any others that I don't know enough about to explicitly list. I believe in the underlying message of love that religions seem to have at their core.

The smell of cigarette smoke triggers my migraines, so if it's possible to avoid it, I really, really appreciate it. I'm sensitive to scents in general, but appreciate mild scents from nature (lavender, mint, rosemary, cedar, vanilla, etc.) if it is relevant to the item being swapped. I would say to use the rule "if in doubt, leave it out."

If you have allergies: I have two dogs who are constantly with me, and since I come into contact with them, some of "them" (hair or whatever) could possibly come into contact with you.

I collect:

• Interesting animal group name ATCs (e.g. a "murder of crows", a "parliament of owls", a "pod of whales", etc. - the more unusual the better, there are lots of sites with lists of these to choose from!)

• Location ATCs - your state or country represented

• Terrier (dog breed) ATCs - mine are Welsh and Wire Fox Terriers but any terrier represented is great (I don't collect ATCs which are just generic "dog" themed, per se, although as this is one of my likes I would still enjoy them)

Here are some of the TV shows I like:

• Supernatural
• Stranger Things
• Taboo
• Vikings
• Peaky Blinders
• The Magicians
• Star Trek - Discovery
• Firefly
• Battlestar Galactica (newer)

Other Likes:

• Tea - I like almost every kind... I prefer caffeinated teas, enjoy herbal or fruit teas as well as 'dessert' flavor teas. I don't care for Chamomile or 'sleepytime' teas so much.
• Burt's Bees, especially the pomegranate or acai berry lip balm
• Dark chocolate
• Coffee (I have a Keurig at home, so K-cups are AWESOME, but I also have an aeropress + grinder, so whole bean or ground is great) - dark roast coffees are my favorite but I also like some of the Hazelnut, Chocolate, Rasberry kinds
• Washi tape
• Cute baby animals
• Zentangles
• Edward Gorey
• Humor
• Kawaii
  • Tarepanda 🐼
  • Mamegoma ᶘ ᵒᴥᵒᶅ
  • Beerchan
  • Berry Puppy
  • Sabo Kappa
  • Sumikko Gurashi
• Nature
  • Planets
  • Science (molecules, etc.)
  • Botanical prints / images
  • Birds
  • Wildlife
  • The four seasons (all together or any individual season)
  • Trees, especially particular trees such as Oak, Maple, Birch, etc.
  • Mountains
  • Sunrises and sunsets
  • River rocks, unusual rocks or stones
  • Driftwood
  • Stars - both astronomy and star shaped items
• Almost all general geekery
• Art
• All things Tim Holtz
• Handmade tarot cards
• Astrology (esp. Capricorn and Aquarius - I'm on the cusp :) )
• Anthropomorphized food
• Baking
• Cooking
• Gardening
• Fruits and vegetables
• Little-known local sights
• Oddities and curiosities
• Sassy/Offensive/Naughty - as long as they are not disrespectful of a particular race / religion / etc.
• For international partners, items that show something that is unique to your country (characters, places, words, anything!)

• Interesting Animal Group Names (like this: http://www.sandiegozoo.org/animalbytes/gotquestionsgroups_list.html)

• MUG RUGS... I have a whole board devoted to them, here: http://www.pinterest.com/cabaute/mug-rug/ I would love to receive a seasonally appropriate mug rug (if it's Christmastime, Christmas or New Years' themed, if it's October, Halloween themed, February, Valentine's Day, etc.).

I don't like:

• Mainstream Disney cartoon characters (the ones that they've made a bajillion "direct to DVD" movies of or that you see all over the place) - BUT - if we're on a cartoon/animation themed swap and that's all you have, that's fine!
• Disney Princesses
• Reward stickers (I'm not a teacher; I don't have any use for them)
• Chamomile tea
• Junk... I really try to be gracious and I understand that people don't all like the same thing, but please don't send anything that looks like it could have just gotten pulled from your trash bin.
• Long dislike lists combined with short and/or hard to satisfy "like" lists (!)

I really enjoy reading about what's going on in your part of the world and with you, and getting to take a little mini vacation while I appreciate the item that you took the time to send to me.

Most of all - have fun, I'm easy to please, and thank you for swapping with me!!

I love classic romances like Jane Eyre and Pride and Prejudice. I wish men still wore hats and were gentlemen, though I don't miss the sweeping discrimination that went along with it.

I like "young adult" book series, including Harry Potter and The Hunger Games.

I love Stephen King's Tower Series, The Stand, and On Writing, but have been too chicken to read his horror works... yet.

All that said, if I go to the library I typically head for crafts, cooking, or gardening, and if it comes to fiction I'm usually perusing the latest mysteries.

I love to make things, but I am not faithful to a single craft. I sew, make envelopes, decorate ATC's... I have done papercrafting, beading, knitting, poly-clay, and more. As a result I am constantly experimenting to try out the next thing. My crafting is sort of like a box of chocolates - you never know what you're gonna get!

I feel that hearts can be over-given, so I apply the standards and expectations that I hope would be used by my receiving partner when rating. If something meets the bare minimum of the swap criteria (and in some cases, I've received packages that really just barely scrape that bare minimum line), I will give the bare minimum rating for meeting the criteria (5).

If you include extras, or show that you put some thought into what you sent, I will give a heart - even if what was sent doesn't match my personal tastes. Extras or signs of thoughtfulness relative to my profile = a heart. NOTE: Junk is NOT an extra... pages ripped out of a magazine, a bent 6" piece of ribbon, etc. Please don't send stuffing - you can't put lipstick on a pig. ;)

Specific to postcards, when I send a card out, I ALWAYS:

• include a personal message, even if it's just a note about the weather or something silly
• Try to "jazz up" the message area of the card by using colorful inks, stickers, tape, etc.
• Look at my partners profile, and try to pick out something they will like. Sometimes this is HARD or my partner's like list is hard to match... but I do my best.
• If my partner mentions liking unique stamps in their profile, I'll use special stamps on their card **

** I no longer do this, since a recent PC arrived ripped in half b/c someone wanted the stamps!!!!

I work hard, take a lot of time, and send extras in hopes of earning a heart from my partners. I choose to reserve the heart rating for partners that make an above-minimum effort.

I feel that I am very blessed and that as long as I am here, I should give back for the blessings that I receive. If you know of someone that is going through a rough time or could use some "happy mail", send me a message and I'll be happy to drop a card in the mail to them.

If you do not get my end of a swap, please PM or email me before rating. I will ALWAYS send. If you have not gotten something, it has been lost. Please let me know and I will be glad to re-send.

Thanks for reading my profile. Happy swapping to all of you!