foreverpackrat

I'm a grandmother of four living in the state of polution...New Jersey! It really isn't so bad here in the south though because they are working hard to clean it up. I love being close to the city when it's needed but also only a few minutes from the country to sooth my soul. I have three boys...twins and a singleton. The single one helped my mind find it's way around the bend and the twins turned it to complete mush! I love em though and would not trade them for anything. I don't go in the water but I dearly love the ocean and the beach. The constant sound of the surf is so calming along with the smells of the salt air and the salt marshes as well as the songs of the sea gulls. You can always tell when you're close to the beach!

I am a self-taught artist and I love altered art, especially ATC's! I have swapped a bunch on flickr and now have a great collection with loads of variety. I actually like doing all kinds of artsy stuff especially if it involved paper and like when I'm pushed into new art territory. I'm looking forward to swapping a lot of things on this site!

First, I love my Bible. For sheer entertainment, I just LOVE, LOVE, LOVE thrillers and murder mysteries. Guess I lead such a quiet life now that my kids are grown, that I need to add excitement in a safe way. I am also in love with Jan Karon and her Mitford series. Some switch from murder huh? They are such wonderful books though. Another series I am in love with is Janet Evanovich. Her books make me laugh like an idiot!

I am hooked on anything paper but I save everything under the sun. Just look at my ID~foreverpackrat! The name fits perfectly. I love vintage things but am not particular to any color, but most of what I do turns out vintage with brown included for aging. Guess maybe cause I'm vintage too. I have to admit, though, I'm developing a liking for pink and aqua...quite a departure from vintage. I especially like slide mailers, ATC's and note cards. I'm also a fan of things with wings, especially children. I love making ATC's with them too.

My first love is sacred music, especially old hymns. It just seems to sooth my spirit. Second, I like soothing music...jazz and semi-classical is my favorite along with oldies...REAL oldies. Now I know oldies are not soothing to a lot of people, but I like them for their singability and fun.

I love scary movies but not slasher and bloody ones. Jack Nicholson in "The Shining" is my all time favorite! Another one is "The Innocents" from the late 50's...still scares the crap out of me! Aside from scary, my favorites are "On Golden Pond" which was filmed where we used to vacation. Also, "Fried Green Tomatoes" because it reminds me of the summers I spent with my Grandmother, especially the setting. I guess I just like variety in my movies too!

I collect all kinds of things but I especially love vintage hankies, doilies, embroidery work, weird rubber stamps for altered art, unusual ribbon and vintage sheet music. I love to collect, thus my ID...foreverpackrat! I'm in love with vintage jewelry that I can use in my crafts...earrings, pins, necklaces. I also use a lot of old and vintage photos in crafting. Oh, and buttons, buttons, buttons! I also have a big white box filled with all kinds of paper scraps that I use in collages. You would not believe where I get some of my images!