penandink

I feel lucky to live in a suburb of Portland, Oregon, in the beautiful Northwest. We're centrally located an hour from the beaches, the mountains, and the desert. Yes, it does rain here, but that keeps everything clean and green. Having four distinct seasons and mild temperatures appeals to me. I have been married for thirty-three years to a sweet and funny man, who makes me laugh every day! We have two grown sons, one lives in The Bay Area, and the other is in Kirkland, Washington. I am very proud of both of them! Happily retired from teaching after thirty-three years, I am thoroughly enjoying having time to just be me! I love to travel and go whenever I can! Part of the fun is taking photos and buying postcards wherever we visit. I keep busy playing the piano, reading, working crossword and jigsaw puzzles, and going out with friends. I play in a marimba band, take calligraphy lessons, and I am part of an art journal group that meets regularly. My favorite activity is sitting in my art room, with a Diet Rite Cola and a little bit of candy, listening to music, and PLAYING WITH PAPER! I cut, fold, color, write on, and glue paper almost every day, making little books, envelopes, bags, tags, mail art, Swap-bot trades, and gifts! Simple Pleasures! My big project this year is designing a house! I am having great fun gathering ideas for everything from drawer pulls to fire pits! And the Internet sure makes it easy! I've heard that making all of these decisions can be very stressful, but so far, I am reveling in the profusion of possibilities!

FAVORITE COLORS: Bold & Bright, Fuchsia, Magenta, Orange, Purple,Red, Lime, Teal

FAVORITE PATTERNS: Letters & Numbers, Flowers, Marbling, Maps, Polka-Dots, Plaid, Zentangles

FAVORITE MUSIC: Smooth Jazz, Oldies, Some Pop, Clever Country Lyrics, Zimbabwean Marimba

FAVORITE TV SHOWS: Gilmore Girls, Elementary, Mike & Molly, Nashville, Big Bang Theory, Revenge, Downton Abbey, The Mentalist, Dancing With The Stars, Project Runway, In The Middle, Castle, Modern Family

LIKES: Mail Art, Humor, Paper Crafts, Fun, Chocolate, Traveling, Trying New Things, Art Classes, Musicals, Parties (Giving & Going), Wrapping Presents, Books, Cupcakes, New Shoes, Playing Words With Friends

WISH LIST: Deco Tape, Decorative Napkins & Tissues, Recipes, Book Recommendations, Postcards, Travel Brochures, Sticky Note Pads, Cartoons & Clean Jokes, Wind-Up Toys, Writing Pens, Fun Websites