PinkNightmare

Update 8-21-10: I have been frantically preparing for a pair of trips that will keep me mostly away from swap-bot until after Labor Day. Swaps will be sent on time but ratings will be slow coming. If I owe you a rating, my apologies and I promise I'll get to it as soon as I get home!

I moved! I got married! So I have a new name and a new address! I took a break from swapping for a while because it turns out weddings are a huge time-suck, but now things are back to normal (mostly) and my mailbox is sad and empty.

Ask me if I believe in magic and I'll say no, but I still take every opportunity to see it around me. A noise in the woods isn't a bird, it's a werewolf. A strangely formed mound of dirt is probably gnomes, not moles. If I lose something I prefer to believe it was taken by mischievous sprites.

There's not nearly enough whimsy in my life, so I'd love to see some in my mailbox.

Virgin Suicides by Jeffrey Euginades, Neverwhere by Neil Gaiman, Geek Love by Katherine Dunn, the Harry Potter series.

I like Bridget Jones-esque chick lit so long as the main character isn't insufferable. I prefer my fantasy/sci-fi to start out in the mundane world (i.e. Neverwhere, Alice in Wonderland.)

Favorite movie is a toss-up between Clue and Miracle on 34th Street (1947.)

Other faves: Ghostbusters, Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind, Stranger Than Fiction, Noises Off!, The 10th Kingdom.

Also most of the usual born-in-the-80s staples: Labyrinth, The Breakfast Club, The Goonies

Anything Whedonverse, The Office, Pushing Daisies, Big Love.

I'm also a sucker for really trashy reality TV - bonus points if it's on VH1.

I like paper crafts, like Altered Books and ATCs - anything that allows me to be a little messy. The straight lines and coordinating color schemes of scrapbooking is a little out of my league.

I dabble in almost everything: knitting, polymer clay, sewing, paper making, rubber stamping. You name it, I've probably tried it and made a total mess of it.

I like getting crafts that I can't do myself (or am not very good at). These things include knitted/crocheted toys (or anything more complicated than a hat), frou-frou girly bath products and things-covered-in-resin.

I'm more tactile than visual, so while I appreciate pretty things, it's better for me if it has some weight, depth and texture to it.

I like woodland creatures - owls, toads, mice, et cetera - and their humanoid neighbors. I prefer the more 'earthy' ones like gnomes to sparkly fairies.

I do like sparkles, though and glitter. I like the colors pink, purple and turquoise.

I like small containers, like tiny bottles and little tins. They can be filled, altered or made into shrines or empty with the potential to be filled with other tiny things.

I like underdogs and unrequited love.

I like adventure and sea monsters.

I like riddles and treasure hunts.

I like the atmosphere of the old-time circus and anything to do with the Midway.

I like aprons and anything you might see in the kitchen of a 50s housewife.

I like crossword puzzles and brain-teasers, but not the kind that involve math or knowledge of history or geography.

I don't like anything mean-spirited. I'm not a fan of religious material or any quote or saying that implies that everything happens for a reason and will be okay (even if, for example, you've just lost your house, your spouse, your job, all your limbs and your puppy has cancer.)

I'm a vegetarian, so I don't want anything made of dead animals (and I'm allergic to wool and many furs, too.)