michellegarrette

Update: Life has been going through some crazy upheaval. Without going into details, swaps had to stop. I'm hoping to return to the swapping community in the future. We move from Hawaii to Oregon tomorrow and things are looking up. Thank you all for your understanding. Please know that I have missed this community dearly!

Update: I received a well-deserved 3 on a Zentangle swap (and will likely receive a second). Life got really in the way, ATCs were lost in my move, and I did not communicate appropriately. No excuses, I flubbed the swap. My partners did/will receive, but very late.

I'm a wife and mother of one toddler girl. I'm also a nurse and an avid cross stitcher. My family and I love hiking and travelling and planning our next adventure.

I was born and raised in Michigan (Go Blue!!) but when I was 28 I decided that the accumulated winters had just made me too cold. Hubby and I sold everything that wouldn't fit in a couple of suitcases, threw those in the back of our truck with our camping gear, drove across the country (amaaaaazing 17 days!), shipped our truck from California, and landed in Hawaii. We've been here 4+ years and I've pretty much thawed out.

I joined Postcrossing in March, then started swapping postcards on Instagram and one of my pen pals introduced me to ATCs. Aaaaaannnnnnndddd I'm obsessed. Totally obsessed.

Please check out my Instagram for ATCs that I've made. Or my Flickr album here: https://www.flickr.com/photos/126959785@N05/sets/72157649081247278/

Where to begin?

My all time favorite book is Crystal Singer by Anne McCaffrey. I have also read her Dragonriders of Pern series 3569 times. At least.

I'm a sci-fi/fantasy (with the emphasis on fantasy) NUT! Lord of the Rings, Wheel of Time, Shannara, you name it, I love it.

I also started an attempt at the top 100 sci-fi novels of all time. I think I'm through 27 or 28. Hyperion by Dan Simmons blew. My. Mind.

But something about me, I WILL finish any book I start. If it hurts me and makes my eyes bleed it's so bad I'll finish it (I'm thinking of you "Undead and Unpopular".....)

I love to hang in bookstores and libraries (they are major destinations on every vacation I go on)

That's the University of Michigan Law Library; we took wedding photos there. And got shushed.

And I will often choose a book by the look and feel of the cover without cracking it open. Have I been burned that way? Yep. But I still do it.

Lately I love travel writing and anything that can evoke a certain place strongly, The Good Earth is on my nightstand right now.

And I'm 3/4 of the way through Lost In Translation on Audiobook. Love Audiobooks!

I love movies.

I could sit in one spot all day and have a marathon of: Harry Potter, LoTR, Star Wars, or Hunger Games.

I also love older movies: Casablanca is special to hubby and I. I will drop what I'm doing and watch anything with Esther Williams or Bette Davis. Those women, omg!

Random loves: The Princess Bride, Stardust, Red Sonja, the Conan movies, Bull Durham, What Dreams May Come, the Count of Monte Cristo.

Oh, and anything with Adrien Brody in it. =D

First, Doctor Who! Hubby and I came to the show a bit late, so we're playing catch up on Netflix. Right now, we're watching the Eleventh Doctor's first season. I like him, but I don't know how he's going to beat Tennant. Just sayin.

We used to watch a lot of Grimm, which I still love, but we fell behind again, (we have a two year old) so Netflix, here we come!

And, Walking Dead! But, the baby will actually watch tv now (mostly in passing while she's tearing from one activity to the next, but still) so we don't watch it when she's awake. It's a bit scary.

Other than that, it's reality TV all the way: Face Off, Ink Masters, Project Runway, Master Chef, Chopped, Top Chef, pretty much any cooking competition show unless it has Bobby Fly on it, and Amazing Race. We want to be on Amazing Race someday.

First, a little story to illustrate my philosophy on preferences: For my last tattoo, I pitched my artist an idea. A general concept. Wouldn't a can-can/Marie Antionette pin-up be fun? And she thought it would. And she asked me for specifics. And I had NONE. None. I sent her one pic that I liked to give her an idea of my style and that's it. She did the rest. And it turned out AMAZING. Why? Because: She. Is. The. Artist. And I've found than when I let an artist (even a would-be or a weekend artist) create something that they love and are excited about it is SOOOOOO much better than if I try to control every step of their process.

That being said, I know I like to look at a profile and be inspired. So...

I love:

-"lost places" (abandoned buildings, tumbling down old houses, castles, old cemetaries, urban ruins, anything that had a time in the sun that has now passed)

-Halloween, Dia de Los Muertos

-vintage/ephemera

-maps

-geisha

-cross stitch

-bumblebees

-peonies

-lilacs

-roses

-women

-books, book stores, people reading

-snow scenes

-pin ups

-tattoo flash

-multimedia

-things from the natural world

-collages

-Harry Potter. LoTR, Doctor Who, Star Wars

-yoga, Buddhism, eastern philosophies

-Paris, London, Athens, Prague, Budapest, St. Petersburg

-kawaii, Hello Kitty, My Little Pony

-sugar skulls

-pagan, elves, faeries, Renfaire

-steampunk

-Hawaiiana

I know that's a long list, but don't feel obligated to use it! If you get inspired by it then good. If not, then alright. I think anything from that list is just a bonus. I want you to create something that speaks to you.

I'm obsessed with Washi Tape, so if you like to use it, feel free to be liberal. I love seeing all of the different types and patterns.

My favorite color is grey. I enjoy all shades of grey or grey paired with brights. There really aren't any colors that I don't like, they all have their moments. I do tend to gravitate toward cool colors.

I love anything with bling or sparkle. I'm not afraid of glitter.

I like sad things. Sad messages and sayings. Sad places. Sad people. Sad is the new happy.

If you've read this far.... If you're also a Doctor Who fan, you can let me know by hiding a tiny TARDIS anywhere on any card. Doesn't match the theme? I don't care! It's the TARDIS!!

I don't care for: -A long list of dislikes. feel free to create and send it to me happily. If I REALLY don't like it, I'll keep it until I come across someone who would, and then I'll spread the creative love that way. =)

I'm pretty new to Swap-Bot (joined 11/24/14), but I have been swapping on Postcrossing and Instagram for quite a while now. I can honestly say I have NEVER flaked on any swap ever. I did send a few late during my move in July/August and I am deeply sorry for that.

That being said, I do live on the island of Kauai in Hawaii in the middle of the Pacific. Sometimes, mail leaves here and arrives surprisingly quickly. Other times..... Well, let's just say that if you don't receive something from me and you think you should have, just shoot me a message and I'll re-send. USPS people are only human. (Even though sometimes they seem superhuman!)

I mostly swap ATCs and I love making them so much that I will HAPPILY make and send a replacement. I will be bummed out that you didn't get my first one, but I will be so happy to be creating again that it won't get me down for long.

Also, please be aware that I mark my swaps as sent when I drop them in the mailbox. So yea, some of my sent dates are on Sundays or holidays. And no, my sent date and my postmark might not always match. But I don't check postmarks on my incoming, I'm too focused on the art inside! And I hope we all trust each other enough to not keep such close tabs. :-)

Thank you.