leashingfear

• My profile is mostly in list form because I just think it's easier to read that way from my end, like when I go to a partners profile to see what they like for a swap. And it's long because I hate going to someone's profile to see what I can get/make for them that they'll love and finding a very vague list of likes or none at all, or just in general no information about what they might like.

• Private swaps are always welcome! I'm currently especially looking for anyone outside of the US & Canada who would want to do regular or one time private tea swaps of 10 or more bags at a time, and/or sometimes loose tea. Also, anyone who can send European Starburst or Kinder Eggs in exchange for something I might have

what I'm doing most right now:

• hand sewing small felt items...stuffies/ornaments, magnets, tea wallets, keychains, pouches, etc.
• learning modular origami beyond lucky stars and cubes
• bottle cap crafts
• beginning to work with polymer clay
• trying to learn to crochet...any help in that area would be welcome. I have a few books for beginners, but some of the illustrations are so unclear, so I started looking up videos online & they're still confusing sometimes. Argh.
• re-learning embroidery (forgotten most of what I learned when I was a kid)
• making cards
• always many random projects going on...right now, a fleece quillow, altering/upcycling some old clothes...

other stuff I do:

• re-using anything to make something new. I'm constantly finding random secondhand items that I buy just because I think I might be able to make something with them or use them in some project or another.
• mail art...chunky book pages, journals, camera mail, naked mail. I was big on penpalling when I was a kid (started about age 9), then I quit writing letters & just swapped slams & decos in my late teens/twenties, which I'm thinking of getting back into again. (slams & decos (or maybe just decos), not penpalling)
• machine sewing...reconstructing, and simple stuff like skirts, totes, etc., although my machine is in need of repair right now. :(
• fashioning things out of duct tape
• cooking and baking. I've been selling vegan cupcakes & cakes on the side for a bit now.
• I used to make jewelry a lot, but rarely do now except for myself or as gifts for loved ones if I find something that would make a cool piece.

random things

• animals
• sustainable living
• biking
• adventure
• nature/being outside
• thrift stores/garage sales/antique shops and vintage stuff, especially old toys and games
• etsy
• marriedtothesea and some other web comics
• fifties style diners (I want to design my kitchen like one--when I actually own a house someday)
• the 1920's, 1940's, 1950's...
• The Onion
• wild daisies, and lilies of all sorts, but especially calla lilies & lily-of-the-valley)
• traditional looking gnomes
• cute toadstools, owls, deer, raccoons, squirrels, skunks, rabbits, snails, hedgehogs, opossums...woodland creatures & that sort of thing
• pigs, seahorses, cats (domestic and large/wild), spiders, bats, ducks & Canadian geese, mourning doves, polar bears, cows, all apes, armadillos--just to name a few other fave animals
• skulls & sugar skulls
• cupcakes
• dark, macabre, "goth" things
• Halloween♥
• kawaii
• vodka
• the word fuck
• kitsch
• wordplay
• word games
• the ocean, and water in general
• fire
• philosophy
• chaos theory
• absurdity
• abstract thinking
• old metal lunchboxes
• pinup girls, either vintage or more modern like with tattoos & such
• long walks at night
• party-type board games (example: Balderdash, Pictionary, Loaded Questions, Taboo, CatchPhrase...any recommendations are more than welcome!)
• card games (recommendations also welcome!)
• Plants vs. Zombies
• Tetris & Dr. Mario
• xbox, wii, NES, Atari
• Scramble, Hanging, Draw Something and more via iphone...pm me if you wanna play
• winter/snow/cold weather (but not wind)
• thunderstorms
• summer rain
• tattoos
• hockey (Sabres, Rangers, Amerks, Canadiens, Blackhawks...)
• the beauty in things that aren't usually considered beautiful
• ancient cultures
• cryptozoology and paranormal stuff
• and literally tons more.

I love dark/macabre things, and sickeningly cute things, and they're even better when they mesh with each other.

some pop and kawaii characters I enjoy: (in no particular order except for Smurfs being number one)

• Smurfs (old school only, not like the recent movie)
• Snagglepuss
• most Hanna-Barbera characters
• Jim Henson (except for the newer Sesame Street Muppets-Zoe, Baby Bear, etc. Pretty much anything post-Elmo sucks.)
• Hannari Tofu
• Foamy the squirrel
• Droopy
• Felix the Cat
• Pucca
• Domokun
• classic Pink Panther
• Totoro (and other Ghibli)
• Animaniacs (esp. Wakko)
• Monokuro Boo
• Nyan Nyan Nyanko
• Kutusita Nyanko
• The Lorax (again, old school, not like the recent movie)
• Sneetches
• other Seuss
• Emily The Strange
• Deery Lou
• Lenore
• Kogepan
• Gloomy Bear
• Bad Taste Bears
• South Park (especially Butters)
• traditional looking gnomes
• Miffy
• Popples
• fantasy-style faeries (more Amy Brown, less Mary Cicely Barker)
• kawaii food
• sentimental circus
• Betty Boop
• Skelanimals
• Puss in Boots and the gingerbread man (from Shrek)
• Bizarro by Dan Piraro
• Pearls Before Swine
• Retail
• Garfield
• almost any san-x, Sanrio, Crux, Q-Lia, Cram Cream, and so on...kawaii galore. :)

things I collect:

not much really, as I'm not big on clutter...mostly collections that I've carried over from my childhood.

• plastic smurf figurines, and anything else smurfy as long as it doesn't look like the digital smurfs from the recent movie
• kneehuggers
• old metal lunchboxes (not new/repro)
• kawaii lunch sacks and bentos and bento accessories
• muppets stuff (mostly muppet show & Henson movies (Labyrinth!!), not so much Sesame Street, although Grover is my fav. muppet)
• pretty much anything functional/useful (i.e. not knick knacks that are just going to sit on a shelf, etc.) in zebra print
• some old hollywood stuff...Lucille Ball, James Dean, Audrey Hepburn, Gene Kelly, etc. --mainly usable stuff like mugs, purses, jewelry, ornaments, etc.
• any classic Hanna-Barbera cartoon character stuff, especially Smurfs and Snagglepuss
• I still have my old Strawberry Shortcake dolls stored away, just b/c I can't seem to part with them. I definitely don't want any of the newer S.S. stuff though. I also still have a shitload of Garbage Pail Kids cards from back in the day. :)

colors/patterns/themes I like:

• I'm not too picky about colors...I like most. Earthtones and gemtones are my favorites...especially burgundy/maroon, teal, kelly green, most shades of purple, blue and green, orange...
• I'm quite a klutz, so white isn't the best option for clothing.
• I'm not super-crazy about pastels, but they're okay. I do love buttery yellow.
• I hatehatehate gold, and beige/khaki
• I love flowers, but I'm really picky about floral prints. Most of the time, they look way too country for my taste.
• "retro" or mod patterns, graphic prints, etc.
• polka-dots!!!
• toadstools, owls, deer...woodland things.
• anything Halloween/occult related, especially bats.
• zebra print!!
• other animal prints
• I like fruit & vegetable motifs, especially cherries, but again, nothing too country looking. (I don't like Mary Englebreit.)...more like rockabilly style cherries.
• some other food-cupcakes, tofu...
• Indian (the country, not "Native-American") or Moroccan styles...swirls, spirals, & the bright or Earthy color combos, elephants, etc.
• some fav. color combos: black, white & red, or any two-color combo of them, black & bright/bold pinks, teal & brown, sky blue & buttery yellow & maybe some sea green...that beachy look, any combo of earthtones-fall colors...

literature

I don't read nearly as much as I used to, actually not much at all these days, but I love... Cometbus, Plath, Bukowski, Orwell, John Green, The Devils Dictionary, per-zines, themed zines, vegan cook-zines, Henry Rollins, Seuss, Francesca Lia Block, Augusten Burroughs, Dave Eggers, Kerouac, beat poets, other poets, Palahniuk, Joyce Carol Oates, classics, non-fiction, coming-of-age stories, memoirs (mainly from regular people, not celebrities so much, but some celeb memoirs are good), vegan cookbooks, humor, short stories, some in the bizarro genre, and of course art/craft/diy type books...I hate most popular fiction, like John Grisham, Danielle Steel, etc. I'm not into Twilight or Harry Potter, or Hunger Games, thanks. If I don't feel like I can't put a book down after reading the first 20-30 pages, then I usually won't finish it. I love antique or vintage vegetarian cookbooks, and etiquette or beauty books or pamphlets. Also, pamphlets about the dangers of drugs or alcohol from the '70's and '80's. Oh, and old cookbooks put together by churches or community groups and the like.

music

my last.fm profile, which I went for a long period not using, so it isn't quite accurate as far as newer stuff that I like, but you get the general idea. There's also a lot that just doesn't get scrobbled b/c it's on vinyl.

film

lots of old movies, musicals, & rat pack stuff...I love old hollywood. indie, foreign, suspense, silliness, bad horror, zombies, so-called cult movies, Jim Jarmusch, Tim Burton, Wes Anderson, Kevin Smith, Terry Gilliam, Michel Gondry, Hitchcock, Coen bros...

Zooey Deschanel, Ryan Gosling, Jason Schwartzman, Kevin Spacey, Vincent D'Onofrio, Gene Kelly, Steve Martin, Audrey Tatou, James Dean, Audrey Hepburn, Fred Astaire, Parker Posey, Maggie Gylenhall...

tv

Jimmy Fallon, Criminal Minds (Spencer Reid is my dream man), Weeds, South Park, The Office, Community, It's Always Sunny In Philadelphia, What Would You Do?, various cooking/food shows (Cupcake Wars!!), The Middle, The New Girl, Big Bang Theory, Two Broke Girls, Glee, iCarly (seriously, it's cute & hyperbolic), Project Runway, that's about it. Older tv: I Love Lucy (and other Lucy shows), X-Files, Gilmore Girls, anything from Joss Whedon, Dead Like Me, Golden Girls, MSCL, Monty Python's Flying Circus, MST3K, Carol Burnett, classic SNL ('70's to mid '90's), Kids In The Hall, Mr. Show, Family Ties, Blossom, Daria, Freaks & Geeks, Seinfeld, Friends...

veganism

I've been vegan since 2000, and vegetarian since 1992. Honestly, in terms of swapping, I feel that this should be treated as an allergy. It's not just a dietary choice. It's a lifestyle & ethical belief. As far as swaps, fabric & food would probably be the only issues, so that means no wool, leather, feathers, silk, angora, mohair, other fur...I know those last three aren't very likely, but just in case. Click here for a pretty comprehensive list of the most common animal ingredients to watch out for in food items. I don't join many food related swaps unless they're specifically for veg'ns, b/c I always feel like I'm being a pain in the ass with all the exceptions, and most people aren't as well-trained in ingredient reading as us silly vegans. :) Recipe swaps aren't a big deal, b/c I can easily veganize almost anything or just pass the recipe on to someone else I know or re-swap it. If you have any questions/concerns about the veganism of something you want to send me, please just ask. I don't bite. Well, unless I know you really well. ;)

food dislikes

• I don't eat anything with any artificial sweetener (aspartame, sucralose, etc.)
• watermelon and anything flavored like it (such as candy)
• okra (slimy mushy southern crap)
• eggplant
• don't like cabbage as a main ingredient (okay in spring rolls or something where the flavor is masked more, but I've never liked stuffed cabbage for example)
• asparagus.
• I hate dried coconut. Coconut flavor is okay, but just the texture of dried coconut makes me gag.

tea and other drinks

I join a lot of tea swaps, so I thought I should add a section devoted to tea. :)

what I DON'T like:

• anything apple or apple-cinnamon flavored (okay for other food & such, but I don't like teas flavored that way)
• rooibos (don't like it, but I can give it to a friend or pass it on in a swap if that's what you wanna send)
• chocolate flavored tea (same as above)

favorites:

• Yerba Mate, plain or flavored. I drink this daily.
• Nordqvist and Teekanne teas!! I loooove receiving these.
• hojicha green tea, plain or flavored
• fruity herbal teas or almost any herbals
• green and white teas, plain and most flavors
• Bigelow Constant Comment
• any interesting flavors or flavor combinations in any type of tea or herbals
• fruit flavored black teas...I don't drink much plain black tea. I like it, but I prefer flavored black teas. Plain black is fine though b/c I use it for iced tea in the summer & add what I want.
• any mint flavored tea, whether it's actual tea or herbal
• medicinal herbal teas (I like a lot of Traditional Medicinals brand)
• Loose tea is great, just make sure you let me know what it is exactly.

other drinks

• Emergen-C packets (vegan varieties only)
• I rarely drink coffee, but sample size packets of flavored coffees are fine for when I do. I drink it more in the summer, iced.
• Those drink packets made to be added to a bottle of water are cool, as long as they don't have artificial sweeteners. I've seen some that use stevia. If you can find unsweetened iced tea packets like that, I would be so excited. :)
• I've never seen any vegan hot cocoa packets. I've only seen mixes in canisters, so don't bother with hot cocoa. :) I rarely drink it anyway, and I make it from scratch with real chocolate or cocoa powder when I do.
• K-cups are fine for anything, if it's coffee or tea. If it's something I don't want, I can pass it on to my sister.

candy

• love any hard candy, especially wint-o-green Lifesavers, starlight mints (esp. green/spearmint ones), anything fruity, those filled strawberry candies, the peanut shaped candies with a little pb filling, anise squares, etc.
• maple sugar candy
• Bottlecaps
• European Starburst (I can pass on American ones, but I would love to have European ones to actually eat...they're vegan, while American ones aren't)
• Mary Janes and peanut butter kisses (the ones in black & orange wrappers around Halloween that no one else seems to like)
• Goldenberg's dark chocolate Peanut Chews
• Ring Pops or other suckers (no Blo-Pops or Tootsie Pops)
• fun novelty candy and candies that come in small cute tins
• Botan rice candy
• Skittles
• Pez
• Zotz
• Ginger Chews and Gin-Gins
• strawberry Twizzlers
• raspberry Panda licorice
• Airheads
• Sour Patch Kids
• Swedish Fish
• Sunkist Fruit Gems (especially grapefruit)
• Fruit Leather and similar things (Target has their own brand of something like that)
• dried fruits like raisins, etc. don't like dried apples or bananas though
• please no gummy candies other than the ones I listed unless it's something cool that probably isn't found in America or is hard to find here
• I very rarely chew gum
• please nothing sugar-free or otherwise containing artificial sweeteners

other snacks

Trying to think of things that come in small packages...

• Cracker Jacks
• Teriyaki Primal Strips
• nuts
• savory trail mixes (meaning no m&m's or yogurt things), Asian mixes (rice crackers & sesame sticks, dried peas, etc.)
• Luna bars, Clif bars, etc. as long as they're vegan ones
• Alternative Baking Company cookies (love lemon poppy seed)

For any drinks (or food), if the packaging is written in a language other than English, please let me know what it is/what the ingredients are.

• sizes: size 10 or 11 foot, so for socks, the generic 9-11 size for women is good. I can't wear "no-show" socks. They always slide down in my shoes and sometimes don't even stretch enough to fit my big feet. Anything that goes over the ankle or higher is cool. Tops: in regular mens size t-shirts-medium or large, or x-large in boys...in juniors-it seems like they keep getting smaller, and they vary so much from brand to brand so it's best to go with XL I guess...in misses-medium or large, and long-sleeves are usually too short for me in misses.
• I don't smoke, don't allow smoking in my home (you have to go out to the porch if you wanna smoke), and am never around smokers long enough in public or when I'm doing mail for that to be an issue at all for anyone with smoke sensitivities.
• There's definitely a possibility of cat hair being in anything I send, so if you have an extreme allergy, let me know & I'll try to be extra careful. Or, maybe we just shouldn't be partners? :(
• I don't have any known allergies other than the seasonal variety and possibly bees, but I don't know how a bee could get trapped in a package. :)
• Most packages I send will be in re-used packaging.
• I'm not very easily offended. Art should be a free expression. Cursing, nudity, any subject matter, et cetera, is all fine with me. Within reason, that is. Meaning if you're a bigot in any way and want to send me something full of hate for any group of people (an ethnicity, lgbt, etc.), don't bother.

Monkey♥...

...my cat. :) She likes almost any toy that she can fit in her mouth to carry around or fetch (yes, she plays fetch), anything made of fun-fur, random ribbons and yarn or things made of/with them, and she loves anything that makes noise, and of course she loves 'nip. She only eats top quality food & treats or canned tuna/chicken/sardines/etc. for humans, but mainstream stuff is fine for swaps too because I feed some local ferals and make frequent donations to the local humane society.

things I'd love to see in my mailbox, in no particular order:

• Well, first of all, anything handmade is always better than store-bought, in my opinion, so make me something I'll like if you're so inclined.
• duct tape, any color, most patterns, preferably Duck brand, and especially sheets...haven't been able to find them locally yet.
• punchinella (so hard to find!)
• deco tape and washi tape, small or large and partially used rolls are fine
• old skeleton keys that aren't too rusted or corroded (a little is okay)
• European Starburst candy (American ones aren't vegan, but European ones are)
• postsecrets...send me one (anonymously, of course)!
• zines, zines, zines!! Or just direct me to a zine you think I'd like, or any cool distros.
• craft supplies & ephemera...nifty embellishments, charms, mulberry papers, vellum, other differently textured papers, cool images, brads, raffia, buttons, beads, fake flowers, ribbons, fake leaves, paper punches, rubber stamps, embossers/diecuts/etc. that are Cricut or Sizzix compatible, etc.
• fun band-aids...I currently have Hello Kitty, owls, Peanuts, Lisa Frank, neon colors, Muppets, and more, just as examples. Duplicates are fine...I don't think I go more than a week without needing a band-aid for one thing or another...klutzy girl, I am. :)
• kawaii memos, mini memos, or stationery (don't really use the envelopes though)
• origami paper, all sizes, and paper strips for lucky stars, straws for straw stars...
• black & white photos of just about anything, especially old ones
• small handmade stuffies or amigurumi (especially amigurumi, since I can't make them myself...yet. :))
• non-silk, non-wool secondhand funky or fugly neckties
• if you're a knitter/crocheter, I love hand/arm warmers or fingerless gloves-I prefer them to cover my knuckles and go as close to the elbow as possible. I have tons of knitted scarves though (that's as far as my knitting skills go), so no more scarves, please. Fleece lined knitted mittens would be cool.
• cutting off some old jeans to make shorts? I'd love your scraps! I want to make a patchwork denim throw/blanket. Send the whole pantleg, or decent sized square/rectangular pieces. Back pockets would be awesome too.
• sea glass
• embroidery floss
• scraps of any frilly/stringy looking yarn
• Special Effects or Manic Panic hair dye...any color other than yellow is cool, but make sure it says "vegan" on the label of any Manic Panic. All Special Effects is vegan. Partial bottles/jars are okay, like if you tried it and didn't like it or something.
• Rainbow brand henna in shades of red (again, partial containers are okay)
• 100% cotton fabric in funky patterns or solids, preferably at least 1/3 yard per piece, or fat quarters.
• felt (no wool and preferably recycled poly felt aka "eco-felt") pieces in any color, at least about the size of a cd case or larger. Actually, even smaller bits are cool for things like eyes & such.
• any small-ish (5x7 to 11x14) artwork you think I'd like that is also suitable for framing...yours or someone elses...even a greeting/note card. I actually have a few greeting cards in frames on my walls.
• back issues of these magazines: Sassy (I'd love you forever!!!), Made, Craft, Readymade, Utne, Bust, Nylon, Found, Bitch, Craft Paper Scissors, almost any health related ones, or any others you think I'd like. I don't like mainstream women's mags, or tabloid/celebrity mags.
• cute cupcake liners/papers, any size--mini to jumbo.
• cupcake toppers/picks
• your favorite fabulous vegan recipes, esp. for baked goods/desserts
• small maneki neko figurines or other maneki neko items
• secondhand books (see "literature" above)
• kitsch!! Anything vintage/antique from the 20's to the 70's...especially the '20's and '50's, and '70's kitchen stuff--in those ugly olive/orange/mustard colors.
• altered barbie dolls, or other altered toys
• any sort of vegan goodies...sweets & other junk (or healthy) snacks. I loooove teriyaki primal strips!
• vintage/antique half aprons
• cutesy, funny, or vintage shot glasses, no souvenir ones, please.
• one inch buttons (pinbacks, badges, whatever you want to call them) or bottlecap magnets/pins involving anything I like
• novelty socks, but no christmas or easter, please. Snowmen are cool though. looove Halloween socks :)
• old high school yearbooks or pages from them, the older the better
• books or pages from books that are in any language but English
• old library date due cards & envelopes
• any size Sharpies in any color, felt tipped pens, any other smooth-writing really inky pens (not your average ballpoint), gel pens, fun, or kawaii pens or pencils regardless of the ink.
• tea...see preferences above
• any kawaii stationery items with bad English translations
• quality incense (not from drugstores or grocery stores, etc.--good Indian stuff) Balsa wood is my favorite. I like nag champa, and "Super Hit", patchouli, lemongrass, woodsy, citrusy, fruity, or light floral scents...musky scents give me a headache.
• scented oils or vegan wax tarts/beads for use in a tealight diffuser
• unscented vegan tealight candles
• Anne Taintor style stuff
• anything with a sense of irony or sarcasm. I'm a sarcastic bitch. :)
• pretty much anything involving anything I like is cool. :)

things I wouldn't be so thrilled to receive:

The first two are the only ones I'd be kind of annoyed with. Of course, I'm not terribly picky, b/c I can always pass things on to someone else who'll enjoy them, but it's always better to get stuff you love & will keep, right? :)

• anything that isn't vegan (except for recipes).
• most religious items. Thanks. I do love learning about religion, but I don't like proselytization, and I'm atheist.
• anything with US flags on it, or that is otherwise overly so-called "patriotic". Ironically, a lot of Americans don't know the meaning of patriotism.
• anything too "country" looking.
• most Disney things, except for their version of the Cheshire Cat. Oh, and I love Mary Poppins. I had a crush on Dick VanDyke's character as a kid. :) Toy Story stuff is okay too.
• Suzy's Zoo, Precious Moments, Happy Bunny, Diddl, Harry Potter, Spongebob, Pokemon, Twilight...
• I hate gold jewelry.
• dotee dolls, icicle dolls, button faeries...they're just ugly to me...I don't get it.
• lotions and body sprays, or any other cosmetics or toiletries unless you're positive it's vegan and also doesn't contain any parabens.
• My hair is super short, pixie-like, so no hair accessories that are meant for longer hair. I do like cloth headbands/scarves or fun bobby pins/small barrettes/clips for when it's a little longer but I can't do the hard plastic or metal headbands that rest behind your ears. They give me a headache.
• romance novels, crime, law, or horror novels
• I do like Hello Kitty, but everyone I know knows that, and she has been super mass marketed everywhere in America in the last few years, so I constantly get little HK goodies from family & friends instead of any other kawaii. So, I don't mind getting HK stuff, but I'd rather be sent things involving other kawaii characters & such if you're going to send me kawaii stuff.