bluehairedmary

Hey there! I took a little break from Swap-bot but I'm back and ready to swap. I'm starting slow and waiting for ratings before I fill up my dashboard. Feel free to message me!

I pledge to rate on the day I receive a swap. I have gotten upset over some swaps that were rated very late, feeling like the packages I worked so hard on went into oblivion. It is stressful when partners can't even bother to rate, comment, or answer a PM. Sigh. So, please rate when you receive something and PM when you are missing something.

I'm a 47 year old working mom of two friendly and ultra cute kids, a 17 year-old and a 15 year-old. Crafts are my passion, what I do when I'm stressed out. I'm happiest when I'm with my children, husband, or making things. I love chihuahuas, but my best girl Assata passed away about 6 years ago. We can not really have a dog in our current situation, which makes my heart sad. Along with the two little ones, my husband, working full time, all the sewing, knitting, and crocheting, I've got my hands full.

I am half-Korean and half-Caucasian. I consider myself Asian American; I grew up with both cultures, giving me a different worldview and perspective on issues of culture and race. My favorite foods include tofu, Korean bbq, and veg sushi. I love learning about different cultures, languages, and lifestyles. I love traveling and experiencing new places. I lived in England for a semester in college and loved it! We spent our spring break in Amsterdam, France, and Brussels. I've lived in South Korea as a child and many different states because my dad was in the military.

In 2007, I lost my first born child, after I developed pre-eclampsia. This came less than a year after I lost my mom suddenly due to heart failure. Those years were hard, to say the least.

After a difficult, very high risk pregnancy, we finally welcomed our beloved son Ishmael. He is the new love of my life and I'm grateful for every day I have with him. He is 17 years old! I can't believe how quickly he's grown!

We also welcomed our new baby girl Naderah. This pregnancy was normal, but the twice daily shots made it pretty interesting. She is such a healthy and beautiful little girl! She's been smiling since her first week! I still can't believe this perfect little girl was inside of me!

I include my losses on my profile because that's part of who I am, as much as my two beautiful children and husband are a part of my life. Grief and joy are somehow with me everyday. It is different with everyone who has had a loved one pass away, but this is my way. With my friends, I can truly talk about this stuff and not have to hide it and pretend like everything is okay all of the time. I am not asking for sympathy, but if I am sharing who I am on this site, then this is part of it. Otherwise, I probably wouldn't swap at all. I hope that makes sense.

I don't really expect you to send things for my kids. I keep the items I receive - even stickers! - for myself! Sometimes I share, but swapping is my hobby.

As I said, I'm a crafter. I started knitting from the age of 8 and have added to my crafty ability ever since - crochet, cross-stitch, sewing, and embroidery. I make lots of general crafty stuff too - magnets, scrabble bracelets, plastic canvas, etc. I do some paper crafts too, but needlework is really my passion.

Nowadays I am knitting shawls, hats, scarves, socks, cowls, sweaters, and fingerless mittens with sock yarn and the occasional dishcloth with cotton yarn. I love indie dyed yarns in all weights, but right now I prefer sock yarn and DK weight yarn.

Yes, I am thrifty. Thrift stores and yard sales are my favorite shopping places. Most of my clothes come from thrift stores, even my shoes! Don't worry, though, I do shop at regular stores too, especially for my swap partners. I've found the neatest vintage postcards and built my Christmas card collection at thrift stores.

Over the years, my fabric collection has grown a yard and fat quarter at a time! My general style or aesthetic is modern and bright. Think high-contrast and vivid colors. I also love Asian inspired fabrics. I love vintage fabrics and patterns. Turquoise is my favorite color these days, but I still love pinks and other blues. I love Japanese and French crafts, too.

I've been collecting postcards since college, but mostly art, artsy, beautiful, and interesting or weird cards. I love animal cards and vintage cards. I don't know what to do with touristy, cityscapes or scenic cards, so please no thank you. I do appreciate any snail mail I get lately (really, I do), but honestly, I don't keep these cards and feel bad about it. I generally keep the touristy cards of places I've visited but not others. I prefer non-touristy cards, vintage cards, and some scenic cards without many words on the front. Zazzle cards are okay with me, too.

I joined Postcrossing because I love sending and receiving postcards so much. I still prefer non-touristy cards, but I just love the mail.

After making my first ATC's, I fell in love with making them! It allowed me to be creative and very detailed and achieve a sense of completion. Of course, these were for a swap, but I had to make some for myself, too!

• The Matrix
• Hate (French movie)
• Fight Club
• Pride & Prejudice (the A&E version)
• Galaxy Quest
• Black Swan
• The Lake House
• Crazy Rich Asians

• Star Trek: The Next Generation
• X-Files
• Criminal Minds
• Project Runway
• Medium and Ghost Whisperer
• True Blood
• The Big Bang Theory
• Top Chef
• NCIS

• Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen
• Midnight's Children by Salman Rushdie
• The Known World by Edward P. Jones
• The House of Mirth by Edith Wharton

Yes, I was obsessed with the twilight saga, which led me to devour Charlaine Harris' Sookie books and many other vampire/werewolf books Some of the best include: Sunshine by Robin McKinley, Night Road by A.M. Jenkins, and The Black Dagger Brotherhood series by J.R. Ward. I have moved away from paranormal romance to romantic suspense and contemporary romance. I loved the Virgin River series by Robyn Carr. I love reading self-published or small-press authors as well. Two of my favorites are Roxie Rivera and Rachel Grant, very different from each other, but both excellent authors. I'm currently reading literary fiction, thrillers (The Girl on the Train, Gone Girl, etc.), and non-fiction like Trevor Noah's Born a Crime.

I graduated from college with a double major in creative writing and political science. These are two things close to my heart. I continue to write both poetry and prose, and you can find some of it on my blog. I participated in NaNoWriMo for several years and even completed it one year. Maybe when my kids get older or life gets less busy, I'll try again!

• If you could, where would you max out a credit card? JoAnn's (where have you been all of my life??), Michael's, Target (where I have maxed out a card or two) and Ikea
• Why do you like the music you listen to? I feel a connection to the lyrics or it's just really good (i.e. Radiohead)
• What are your favorite colors? Pinks (not hot), blues, turquoise
• Do you collect anything? Vintage postcards, weird postcards, craft books (especially about knitting or cross stitch), books, fabric, cotton and wool yarns, and everything owl
• What's your dream job? Writer; For now, my job as a teacher is exceedingly good, something I usually enjoy and am good at
• Favorite cosmetics brands: Oh, I hardly wear anything at all, except chapstick! Occasionally, lipstick, like parent conference night! I do love a good body wash and Lush bath bombs
• Favorite scents: Lavender, jasmine, rose
• Favorite flavors: hazelnut, dark chocolate
• Favorite magazines: ReadyMade, Adbusters, Interweave Knits, Interweave Crochet, Piecework, Giant Robot, Marie Claire Idees, Stitchery
• Favorite piece of jewelry: a mother of pearl locket that holds a picture of my husband and resized footprints of the son we lost, a purple "tiger's eye" ring which belonged to my mother and my engagement ring
• Favorite Holiday: Halloween
• Favorite season: Fall and Spring
• Coffee or tea? I just got a Keurig machine and am addicted! So send those K-cups my way! I also take green or black tea if it's individually wrapped.
• Where would you go on vacation if you could go anywhere? Japan or Vancouver
• What kind of geek are you? I'm a book nerd, a video game addict (e.g. Mario Bros, etc.), chess player, and Trekkie. Plus I still wear a calculator watch!

• fabric - FQs or charms
• Japanese crafts/fabrics
• zakka anything
• deco tape
• washi tape
• DMC brand embroidery floss
• handmade sewn items
• cotton yarn
• wool yarn (either fingering or DK weight)
• bamboo knitting needles
• craft books or patterns
• unused postcards (non-touristy, animals, vintage art)
• Jetoy cat postcards
• ephemera for ATC making
• geeky stuff like office supplies, notebooks, felt tip pens, sharpies
• Kawaii memo sheets & lettersets
• Hannari Tofu stuff - so cute it hurts
• Super Mario Bros. items
• 80s stuff
• nice soaps
• small notepads or notebooks
• listpads or memo sheets
• address labels
• stickers (just NOT sticker flakes)
• owls, squirrels, mushrooms, birds, llamas
• robots, geekery
• things made from recycled or reused items
• handmade things by YOU!

• touristy or glossy scenic postcards (not so much)
• sticker flakes or loose stickers
• puffy stickers or 3-D stickers
• images of death (skulls, the word death, x'd out eyes)
• furry or glittery yarn
• acrylic yarn
• matchboxes
• licorice, gummy candy
• fluorescent colors
• patriotic or religious images or quotes (including Easter - I DO exchange Christmas Cards but prefer non-religious ones)
• your political beliefs
• Disney or character specific products
• anime or manga - I can give stuff to my daughter
• lotion (I just have too much right now)
• candy-flavored lipbalm
• cheap or unwanted dollar store items
• packages that don't have a hand-written note included
• swappers that don't rate

• washi tape
• washi tape samples
• cute notepads or notebooks
• handmade envies
• handmade address labels
• handmade swap cards
• handmade pouches
• knit or crocheted dishcloths
• crocheted bookmarks
• stickers
• notecards and postcards

Flaked on by:
@tehrenanaiis - Not the Usual PCs in an Envie
@madpoetics - Put a Hat on it altered PC swap
@Annelies - Christmas Card Express 2011 - angelled by @coolbaker5
@lorijean - Embroidery Floss Swap - angelled by @slamophile
@missflowers - Tiny Profile Surprise in a 1-stamp envie #2 - angelled by @nyansan
@daisiessnailmail - 4,3,2,1 fun swap