happylilartist

Under construction as of march 13th 2017

I am a 35 year old married woman with no kids, an awesome husband, and three gremlins, err, I mean cats. Art is my life. Knitting, spinning, weaving, felting, art journaling, painting, dyeing. . . I love it all. I am a doodler, but not a draw-er of things. My husband is the one who is skilled with the paper and ink. A day well spent in my book is a day where my hands are covered in paint or dye. Bonus if my hair is a lil' crazy and there is some paint in there too.

I live in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada. Just celebrated 10 years of living in Canada in 2016! Ottawa wasn't always home. I grew up in New York City. By day/my day job, my "9 to 5" - isn't really a 9-5 gig. Nor is it usually during the day. Hmm. I guess I didn't really think that description through. Ever hear that expression, do something you love and you'll never have to work a day in your life? Im one of those lucky people who loves what I do. I work with kids, in a private home. A Jane of many trades - part chauffeur, part chef, kid-sitter extraordinaire. I also play the role of mediator between the kids, homework helper and repairer of dance uniforms and well-loved toys. I fix up scraped knees, wipe away tears, bake cookies, prepare after school snacks, and act as the voice of reason for when enough is enough video games or shows. It's never a dull moment and that's what I like most about it.

**My husband has a profile here on swap-bot, though his account is currently inactive. We received authorization from Rachael some time ago for each of us to have our own accounts, although we do indeed share the same address. His profile is west **

I like most music, really. it depends alot on my mood what i'm drawn to, but I've got a little bit of just about everything in my musical repertoire.

My favorite book of all time is a tie between Boy's Life by Robert McCammon and the Picture of Dorian Gray by Oscar Wilde.

In my opinion, nothing it better than a solid page-turner. I've been known to stay up all night reading for the right book!

Older shows:

that 70's show, 3rd rock from the sun, the x-files, buffy the vampire slayer, dawson's creek, gilmore girls, party of five, fraggle rock, charmed, felicity, i love lucy, roswell, my so called life, csi (las vegas, mostly), the original degrassi high, saved by the bell, and the early 90's tgif's.

more recent:

weeds, big love, true blood, lost, six feet under, dexter, dead like me, nurse jackie, modern family, corner gas, pushing daisies, nip/tuck, breaking bad, unbreakable kimmie Schmidt & Orange is the new black.

Shhh. I secretly love reality tv programs like Hell's Kitchen, masterchef, survivor and sister wives.

altered art, Atc's, baking, beading & beadmaking, bookmaking, calligraphy, cardmaking, collage, cooking, doodling, domestic crafts (decorating, rearranging furniture, refurbishing, re-modeling, etc) fabric art (dyeing and surface design) friendly plastic, & Felting (needle and wet felting), iris folding, inchies and twinchies, jewellery-making, kirigami, origami, painting, papercrafts, paperweaving, photography, pottery, polymer clay, sculpture, scrapbooking, sewing (by hand and machine), textile-art, quilling, weaving, zentangles and mandalas.

I like/love (my favorites)...

*Anything Handmade - if it comes from the heart, it always has a special place in mine.

*Anything purple (deep royal purple is the best, to me!). I also love the color turquoise/teal and yellow!

*Non-mainstream music (I think of this as more like what a college radio station is likely to play, over your more popular radio stations that play top 40 music, or the same songs every other radio station plays)

*Elephants – in photographs, or stylized drawings, figurines, charms, beads, on fabric, you name it.

I Collect: Postcards, ephemera and unusual papers especially in languages other than english, vintage advertisements, costume jewelry, rubber stamps, art,movies, books, magazines about art, bookmarks, artist trading cards, inchies and twinchies, recycled and upcycled materials & handmade pretties, recipes, plastic bags with words/patterns (to make fusible plastic), fabric (particularly greens, purples, brown, and batik), fibers and ribbons, old photographs, buttons, letter n's in any shape color or size, watch & jewelry parts, game pieces, beads, hair wraps & soft headbands, art supplies, jewelry, ear cuffs, postcards (both blank and those written on and sent naked) - handmade or store-bought, photographs (my own, and those taken by others), doilies, wallpaper with great texture, and in fact - anything with great texture!

*Dolls & Toys: Playmobil and vintage toys and any elephants. I don’t really like dolls unless it’s a handmade softie/dotee. Clowns really freak me out.

*Craft Supplies: paintbrushes, paper, ephemera, product packaging in languages other than English, rubber stamps, recycled things, fibers and ribbons, fabric, buttons, old photographs, yarn , game pieces, beads

*Decades/time periods: 1920’s – late 1980’s. renaissance, gothic & steampunk inspired also. big fan of the hippie/bohemian look.

*Colors:

Always Winners: Purple, Avocado or Wasabi Green, teal (deep turquoise) Chocolate Brown, Black

I am always drawn to earthtones (red clay, rusty orange, brown, greens, and jewel tones). I'm a big fan of bold or graphic patterns. My home contains alot of purple, teal, green, aqua, blue and turquoise. The only color I am not so fond of is soft shades of pink ( if forced to pick a shade though, I much prefer magenta!)

*Animals: Elephants, cats, dogs, koalas, birds (especially in silhouette), owls and foxes.

*Randomness:

tea, coffee, art journaling, hot chocolate, chocolate, candy in interesting packaging, the smell of the ocean, landscapes of the ocean, thunderstorms, heart shaped rocks, thrift store and flea market finds, tattoos and piercings, dancing in the rain, handmade art, candles, smelly bath products (I love lush & bath and body works and the body shop), dr. bronners soap, thought provoking quotes, Halloween, theatrical make-up, fountain pens and ink, pretty paper, jokes, tribal and native art and artifacts, packaged foods (especially tea) and sweets, chunky or oversized jewelry, the scent of vanilla, the smell of fresh cut grass, diversity and acceptance, equality, dreadlocks, showing one's creative spirit ('originality'), sazon (a goya seasoning commonly found in the states, but I can't find in Canada), natural scents like hemp, patchouli, sandalwood, and mint.

My furry beasts are curious creatures, so I do ask that you not include a tuck-in like confetti or glitter. If you do include any small items, please contain them to an inner envelope or bag so they don't end up being ingested by one of my furry family. Thanks so much!

I prefer not to be sent food, including tea bags. I love tea, however I have more than enough right now. Thanks!

About Swaps:

Mail I send:

Delivery from Canada to elsewhere in North America takes approximately 5 -10 business days for most letters and small packages, so please be sure to allow enough time for delivery. If you are outside North America, please allow sufficient time for delivery for your country (2-6 weeks), and use my "sent" date as an indicator for when to expect your mail.

Items will always be mailed in a timely fashion (sometimes early, but always by the send-by date). I only click "sent" after I have physically dropped your item(s) in a mailbox, or at a post office. For tag items, I will send you a message to let you know it's in the mail. In the event that you do not receive your swap/tag item and the average travel time for your country (from north america) has passed, please let me know so I can send a replacement. If you receive an item from me that you feel does not adequately meet swap requirements, please send me a message. I only send items that are a quality I'd like to receive, however,if you feel differently, I would prefer to attempt to set things right than receive a negative rating. In the event that I would need to be late on a swap, I will communicate this to you, along with a projected send date, as well as a follow-up when it's in the mail. I don't anticipate this being an issue, but I just want to put it out there, how I'd plan to go about it. I expect the same courtesy from my swap partners regarding if they need to mail a swap late or a swap not meeting requirements.

Canada Post does not process mail on weekends - so there is no saturday mail deliveries and no weekend postmarking, so please go by my "sent" date as per the individual swap for an item being sent on time, and not solely on a postmark date. Ie, If I mail something on a sunday and the deadline falls on a sunday, it won't be processed in the mail center until a monday (when it hopefully receives it's postmark) but it was actually mailed on time. My local Canada post recently informed me that not all mail receives a postmark, so this may not always be a reliable indicator.

Mail You Send:

My mail slot is fairly small, and if the package you send doesn't fit in it, it goes to my local postal outlet. Sometimes it takes me a few days to get there, so if you haven't received a rating from me, this might be part of the reason.

If you are unfamiliar with the process for sending an item to Canada (ie, filling out a customs declaration form and when you need one), contact your local post-office for instructions ( I can try to help too - but I only really know about the USPS and Canada Post systems).

From time to time we get something in the mail that just doesnt suit us. If it is handmade, I will always keep it. If it is something to craft with, I add it to my stash if it's something I can use, if not, I may re-gift it to another swapper. Please don't be insulted by this practice - I like to share things with others that I know they will enjoy rather than hold on to it forever and it never gets used or just toss it and it could've served a greater purpose.

** Please be sure to include the name of the swap and your swap-bot name in or on your package. It makes rating a whole lot easier! A little note about your experience with the swap, how your day was, a favorite quote, or why you send the items you did is always a nice touch, and never goes un-appreciated**

Ratings & Hearts:

I always try to rate an item within a week after I receive it. My policy regarding ratings is simple - I always rate based on effort put into a swap to have it meet requirements, not on skill or ability for craft based swaps. I also like to send messages when I've received a tag item. I award hearts based on effort (moreover, the "heart" that was put into a swap, it itsn't necessarily based on including "extras" but time and effort put into the swap (including extras does not guaruntee a heart anymore than a heartfelt envelope or package does). To put it simply - It makes my day when I get a piece of mail that shows that my partner has really read my profile and tries to send things I like. Even if the mark is missed, I always appreciate when someone takes the time to send things they think I'll really love. I try to rate fairly and objectively (not based on whether or not I like the item, but that it was sent by the deadline and that it met guidelines) .

In the event that I do not receive mail from you and it is atleast 2 weeks past your send by date (and the send-by deadline) I will send you a private message before giving a rating. i like to give people the benefit of the doubt.

I love swap-bot. I take swapping seriously in the sense that I'm accountable for the swaps I am involved in, and at the same time I think it should be fun. I love getting mail (that isn't bills!) so If you feel as though I have rated you unfairly, please send me a message and we can discuss it. I hope swap-partners will afford the same courtesy. I believe that communication is key. I love the wide variety of people on here, various skill levels and talents and truly acknowledge and embrace that variety - so I'm always pleasantly surprised by the things I receive.

I appreciate ratings very much from my partners! I believe the rating system is an essential part of making Swap-bot as a whole and individual swaps successful. It's incentive for people to mail their swaps in a timely fashion, put effort and take pride in the mail they send and most swappers rely on these ratings to join other swaps and groups.

Lateness:

I understand we all have lives outside of time we spend on the computer and sometimes other obligations creep up. If you need to send a swap/tag item late - please PM me BEFORE the swap send by deadline if at all possible. I will weigh this in when completing your rating. I am less lenient if you make no effort to communicate with me, or if you send me a message at the end of the day on the day our swap is to be mailed or after the swap deadline has passed. Obviously, if there are extenuating circumstances, I'll understand, I am human. If you do not let me know that you will be late with a swap, I will rate accordingly. It is my opinion that the person who mails out the swap is responsible for initiating communication.

Flakers/non-senders/non-raters:

I will report flakers (those who flake on swaps I participate in as my partners) and those who flake/don't mark sent on swaps I host will also be banned from future swaps I host. If I am an officer or a member in a group that you flake in, I will report you to the founder. Flaking is something I feel very strongly about - it's no fun to send a package and receive nothing in return - it ruins the fun for the rest of us!

Hosting:

I pledge as a host to take the time to address questions in a timely fashion, and to monitor the swap for suspicious swappers and known flakers. In the event that your partner, in a swap I host, flakes on you, please contact me. I will first try to help you resolve the situation if it's been more than 2 weeks after the send by date (longer if your partner is international) and there is no indication the item has been sent and no communication from the person has been received. If the item was marked sent, I encourage you to wait atleast 2-3 weeks for national mail, or mail on the same continent, and up to 7 weeks for international mail. If at this point, there is still no resolution, I will either help you find someone to angel your swap, or I will angel it myself.

Angeling:

If you stumble upon my profile, and happen to have been flaked on for a particular swap and are looking for an angel, let me know, I might be able to send you a replacement, just send me a message about it, don't be shy! This includes crafty swaps, I'll try just about anything once - if your goal is to get a piece of heartfelt mail in exchange for the one you sent - I'm your gal!

If you angel a swap for me, I will always let you know that I received your angel (by private message). I like to also post your swap-bot name as an angel in my profile, and leave a comment in yours. If you'd rather I not do this, please let me know.

Private messages/e-mails:

I respond to messages in a timely fashion, so send me a message if you have any questions.

• place holder for swaps where my partner has flaked and I've needed an angel*