tigerlilly327

I took a break from swapping for a while when life got messy -losing my job ,finding and buying a house 4 hours from where we lived and dealing with the subsequent move, looking for a new job that seemed to be a needle in a haystack, then finally finding a new job with a 45 minute commute each way in a totally new field and learning the skill set needed for it... I finally started to find my groove enough to really miss crafting when the whole Covid-19 crud hit. I was an employee at an essential business, but turns out I wasn’t essential. Preventative cost cutting to keep investors positive for future growth sucks a$$. So now I find myself unemployed again, missing crafting, and with no hope of socializing beyond my husband and dogs. And if I keep getting more dogs I think my husband might have a mental breakdown. So Swap-bot to the rescue. It’s April of 2020 and I’m ready to slowly dip my toes in the pond again.

I'm in my 40's not that that really means I've ever truly finished 'growing up'. In my immediate family there's me and my DH (previously known as LBF - Lovely BoyFriend), and our two rescued dogs - mini poodle mix Buster and his sister maltese (?) mix Lucy . As of January of 2020 we’ve added to the family with Baylee. She’s another apricot poodle but bigger than Buster. The shelter said she’s most likely around 8 but I think she’s closer to 10 or 11 (my vet doesn’t believe them either), and is mostly blind ( sees light and shadows and shapes but not much else) and is more than half deaf. She’s our derpy princess and I say that with more love than you can imagine. I’ll post pictures here soon.

I don't have any kids (nor plan on having any) in my life aside from being Aunt Ickie to my niece. She is my jellybean and I'm so glad my sister had a child so I didn't miss out on the fun! I've a twisted sense of humor that not everyone gets, and am not easily offended unless its something thats just simply wrong (such as racist jokes), so if you have something you think is funny for a swap, I'd love to see/ hear it!

Eclectic is just a fancy way of saying weird. ; ) There's such a wide variety of things that I adore... Pulp fiction art, vintage (think 30's -50's not 70's and 80's) fashions, Tigger, all kinds of dogs (even kind of ugly ones), horses, midnight and cult classic movies, anything in a shade of purple, collage art, ephemera, scrapbooking stickers and papers, ATC sized papers, rubber stamps, stamped images, inks, notecards, tattoos (real and fake), chocolate (especially the really dark kind - just keep in mind please that 90 degree weather can start in May here), miniatures, mixtapes (mix cd's now), sushi , tea - even loose leaf (but not chai please), pirates, books of all kinds, kitschy or vintage purses, wristlet purses, cookbooks, stars, the scents of grapefruit mint and vanilla, and creamsicles just to name some of them. I collect vintage rhinestone brooches ( I even had them mixed in with the flowers in my bridal bouquet), dog figurines from the 50's and earlier, and kitschy or unusual cookbooks. If you ask DH, he'd probably say I collect crafting supplies. ; ) I'm not overly into Kawaii things, but I do think Sumikkogurashi is adorable - especially the lizard (dinosaur). If an effort is made to NOT include things from my don't like list, I'm generally thrilled with the swaps I receive.

The list of what I don't like is much smaller... The color orange (unless it's a soft coral-y orange), the smell of lavender, incense sticks, eggplant, horror films, 70's fabric patterns, and Hannah Montana-ish Disney and Nickelodeon shows, and slap dash thrown together no effort made swaps. I'm also not really into religious items - any religion.

I sometimes make beaded bracelets and necklaces that some people like enough to pay me for. : ) I have a stash of beads that seems unending. I also like papercrafts like making cards, bookmarks and ATC's. I LOVE receiving ATC's and I've made some, but they just seem so inferior to the artwork I see so many others creating. I don't think I'm very artistic, but I do like being a lil bit creative. If you get me in a swap and you create ATC's I'd love to have one! I've also recently learned very basic crocheting and have discovered a hidden addiction to yarn.It's just so warm and fuzzy! I am trying to tame the beast though, so I really don't need any more. When I was packing to move I wound up donating a fully stuffed garbage bag full of yarn to my local thrift store. There is such a thing as too much of a good thing! This past Christmas I made my very first lap quilt for my MIL and found that I really really like fabric. It seems like washi tape is beginning to crowd out my other crafty addictions. That stuff is just soooo much fun! I have a ton, and I'm always drooling over new rolls online. Poor DH... My crafting ADD means he's always stepping around a new bag of supplies for something.

The only TV we watch is on Netflix, Hulu, or Amazon Prime. Lately DH and I cozy in together for Gotham, Big Bang Theory, The Goldbergs (Wonder Years for the 80's!) and FaceOff, while I watch Downton Abbey and Dr. Who on my own. I also really like shows like Flea Market Flip and Rehab Addict.

I'd usually rather read a book. I like a wide range of authors and genres, but some of my favorites are cozy mysteries and slightly paranormal mysteries (like the Psychic Eye series by Victoria Laurie). I use Paperbackswap.com and Bookmooch.com for book trading. I'm tigerlilly327 on there too.

Oh this is a big list! There is no particular order for these favorites. Its too much like asking Grandma to list her grandkids in the order of how much she loves them!
The Breakfast Club, The Nightmare Before Christrmas, Moulin Rouge, A Lot Like Love, Love Actually,About Time, Bennie and Joon, In July, About The Looking For And Finding Of Love (those last two are German films) and the list goes on ....

I'll listen to almost anything but Gangsta Rap and sappy old Country music. I'm around opera and classical symphonies as well as instrumental, movie soundtracks, industrial, some punk and ambient music when I'm with DH. Left on my own, I've got 80's new wave, indie rock , or singer/ songwriter tunes playing. My favorites include Jack Johnson, Jason Mraz, New Politics, The Bleachers, Luke Combs, Eric Curch, Brandy Clark, Weezer, Queen... the list goes on and on. Right now the cd player in my car has a line up of Saturday morning cartoon theme songs done by punk / alternative bands, a compilation cd with artists like Morcheeba and Cocteau Twins, music from The Gilmore Girls, an old Weezer cd, and a mix I made years ago with a bit of Norah Jones, Garth Brooks, Bob Dylan, and Dire Straits on it. I'm kind of all over the place with music.

Books - I'm on paperbackswap.com and bookmooch.com with the same user name as here. I update my wishlists on those sites regularly so you can check there for some hints about books I'd love to receive.

Thrift Store Wishlists -

Lefton dog figurines - these are my favorites!! - if you find any in good condition I'll gladly do a profile based or specific request private swap for it. (I like vintage Napco dogs too, just FYI ;D )

Peach and light / soft blue kitchen items - my kitchen has that lovely early 60's peachy coral tile. I might as well embrace it!

Jadeite / light green milk glass items - my bathroom has apple green tile. Jadeite compliments it perfectly! Someday when we finally buy a house I want a vintage look kitchen with lots of jadeite on display. A girl can dream, right?

Old books with great illustrations or pictures for cutting up and making ATC's with are very appreciated

Remember Grandma's old rhinestone brooches? I LOVE those things. I especially like the clear or aurora borealis stones, but colored stones are fun too. And if it's broken, I don't mind. I have a soldering iron and a willingness to try fixing or re-fashioning. = )

Since he's such a big part of my life and some of the swaps I've been in have included him, I should probably list a bit about my LBF -now DH. Here are a few things that might help future swap partners. He's :

• a vegetarian who very much watches what he eats -so no animal products in food items sent for him please (gelatin, eggs,ect. although he does eat cheese)

  • a serious peanut butter addict. Really! PB&J sandwiches are usually inches thick. If I don't stop him a whole jar can be gone in a single day. He only eats reduced fat PB though, so I guess it isn't too bad for him.

  • not too much of a candy fan unless it's peanut butter-y, although he does like Werthers, Mikes & Ikes, and green M&M's. (weird, I know)

• straightedge (SXE) so nothing with alcohol or caffeine (he likes the smell of coffee though)

• an artist- he draws mostly with black gel pens in sketchbooks or on his new computer do-hickey art pad.

  • into art magazines like Juxtapoz, ImagineFX, and others with photopshop / computer art tips.

• into anime and cosplay (makes great costumes - you should see his Kratos!)

• into classical music, songs from the 30's and 40's and music like MIA, some French punk / rap ? music, Tipsy, Busdriver, and some video game music (think Final Fantasy)

• dresses very 'skater / surfer' usually (as in tees and board shorts with Vans). Most of his tees are comic book based or from a lootcrate - except his favorite Fat Rabbit Farm ninja bunny shirt.

  • other random likes: street fighter, ninjas, japanese weaponry, photography, red and white color combinations, fan films on YouTube (he's made a few), NPR radio, graphic art Tshirts in XXL ... I'll add more as they come to me!

  Thats about all I can think to add here. If there are any questions, please PM me. :)

We were lucky enough to find Buster wandering on the street (as a dirty super skinny unfixed mess) a month before our wedding in 2012. We couldn't have a dog where we were at the time, but through the amazing help of family, we were still able to adopt him. My Buster is the best wedding, birthday, Christmas, and Valentine's Day gift I've ever gotten all rolled into one. He's a complete lovebug who is happiest curled up next to us. He gets into wildman mode sometimes and does these mad crazy 8 dashes around the apartment making the funniest huff sounds that end with him grabbing a toy and throwing it for himself until he's tired out. I couldn't have asked for a better dog.

I did ask for another just as good though! DH's work hours were changing and Buster was going to be home alone a lot more. That just wasn't fair to him,so DH and I decided to get Buster a sister for company. We had Mama's boy, so a Daddy's girl was only logical, right?

We've gotten lucky again with Lucy. She joined our family in March of 2014. The shelter could only tell us that she was a stray that was found in horrible matted condition (as the picture shows) and in addition to a spay surgery they removed a mass from her abdomen (they're unsure if it was only fatty or possibly cancerous- it wasn't tested) and foxtails from in her ears. Lucy is a wonder though and I can't imagine not having her as part of our family. She still won't let most people pet her (she shies away), but has decided that kids aren't most people and will sit patiently while they pat her. Lucy also has a fascination with birds and likes to go watch them whenever we go to the pet store. She doesn't bark or jump at them, either! She just sits nicely and watches while wagging her tail.

Buster is 11 pounds of therapy, energy, and love, with just a dash of clown thrown in, and Lucy is just a bit chunkier now at almost 17 lbs (!!) and just as lovebuggy and even sillier. If I'm in a swap that is pet based, they both like small (little mouths) squeaky toys, little tennis balls , beggin strips and dried liver type treats, small 'cookie' type treats for the doggie puzzle (that Buster figured out much too easily) and of course those really gross looking dried / smoked bones. Homemade edible treats are welcome as long as you send an ingredients list with it (Buster has a slight allergy to something but we haven't been able to pinpoint it just yet. he just gets really itchy sometimes.) Handmade toys will be played with joyfully. I don't dress either dog up in clothes aside from a coat if it's chilly out. I have been wanting to get a bowtie for Buster though,and although she seems like a tomboy kind of girl (we call her our moose), maybe a bow on Lucy's collar would be cute too. If sending Buster and Lucy an edible gift, please try to send only made in the USA or Canada type products. I've lost all faith in any sort of quality control happening with pet items from China. Please also don't send rawhide bones. They aren't very good for them and we found a great more digestible replacement that they get once in a while. They're a bit more expensive then average dog treats so I'd rather swappers treat their own pups to them!

If any of the swaps I join are kid-centric, it will be for my niece Hana. She's 9yrs old (as of 11/2015 - god I feel old!). Hana is a reader like her auntie. She likes animal based chapter books (not too easy but not full out novels) and stories about girls her age. She also likes paper crafts like making cards, as well as making jewelry with Auntie's excess bead stash. She collects rocks and minerals wherever she goes and just got a rock tumbler to polish them with for her last birthday! Hana also likes : the color red, all kinds of animals, going hiking with her mom, sushi, drawing, is willing to try all different kinds of crafting, and isn't a very princess-y pink kind of girl. If you have any questions regarding sending her something for a swap, please feel free to ask me. She's funny and a bit precocious and not picky at all. Along with the rock tumbler she got a box of rocks and thought it was hysterical that she had to unwrap a box of rocks for her birthday! :)

Flaked On By

Thankfully this is a short list

• @nelliebugsdotcom (Sadie Lankford) for 2010 Booklog - 1st Quarter - she stated she mailed it. Her profile has since been deleted.

• @juiceejewels (Laura Cramutola-Little) for Candy From Where You Live In The World 2 Swap - marked sent but nothing arrived no response to PM or emails.