whalephant

Hello!

I'm the mom of 3 boys (12, 9, and 5) and the CEO of a tech startup. Crafting, of all kinds, brings me joy. Papercrafting, especially card making, is my favorite at the moment. I also throw pottery, but the multiday process is tough given my job and family life.

Though I'm new to formal swapping, I've loved snail mail my whole life. Even when it's just bills, getting the mail is a highlight of my day.

I teach a snail mail elective at my son's elementary school. We create cards, envelopes, notes, and art and then send them out into the world, either to each other or to nursing homes for folks who don't have lots of family. We also did a big mailing for kids displaced by the bushfires in Australia.

I believe the practice sharing handmade kindness is good for the soul. I'm super excited to share crafty goodness through the post.

I love modern art and mid century modern furniture. If I could live in the Mad Men set, I'd be in heaven.

I travel a ton for work and pleasure. I think getting out of your daily bubble is key to developing empathy and kindness and respect for others. This year my family and I went to China and are going to the middle east and Tanzania. I hope that I get to experience learning about other places and cultures via swaps.

My favorite colors are gray and blue. Does gray count as a color?! At the moment I'm really loving crafting with a rose quartz and gray combo.

You can find my craft instagram at http://https://www.instagram.com/whalephant_handmade

Indie rock and alt-country have my heart at the moment. Dolly Parton, Bruce Springsteen, and the Beastie Boys are my life long loves.

I am deep into making handmade cards! I love: - stamps - dies - washi (oh washi tape, you are magic) - heat embossing - and all things cardmaking

I am working to have better handwriting but find it super hard.

I also crochet, quilt, sew, and do pottery. These I do less often these days because they are hard to fit into my schedule.

I love hilarious women and am grateful we have so many good shows in the streaming age. I also can't get enough of historical fiction. Recent favs include: - Fleabag - The Letdown - The Crown - Downton - Call the Midwife - Anne with an E

Mad Men is my always favorite. Be still my mid-century modern loving heart...

I used my first ever paycheck as a teen to subscribe to Martha Stewart Living and have been a subscriber since. I once had every single copy!

I am inspired by the clean lines and colors of Scandinavian design. In addition to Martha, I love Lotta Jansdotter, Benita Larsson, and Jennifer McGuire.

I love food and flower gardening! Every year I over plant tomatoes and grow at least one things expressly wrong for my zone just for fun and experiments sake.

I'm going to plant lots more cutting flowers this year. Wish me luck!

I love birds. Like a lot. My kids call me the crazy bird lady. So sharing anything with a bird theme will go over fantastically. I have a pet parrotlet (the smallest species of parrot) named jasper and 6 backyard chickens. I find it nearly magical that they lay colorful eggs for us each day.

I have loved dance, especially ballet and tap, since I was a kid but never was able to take lessons. I have been struggling with exercise (kids, hard job, long hours, and, let's be honest, going to the gym is way more boring than crafting!) but dancing is a joy! So 2020 my year of dance.

I started with a beginner ballet intensive and my first tap class ever. I'm already feeling stronger and leaner. Whoohoo! I'm working toward dancing 4x per week. Words of encouragement or mailed high fives on this journey gratefully sought!

As part of my trying to be healthier, I also stopped eating meat. I'm trying hard to eat the Michael Pollan way, "eat food, not too much, mostly plants." I'd love great recipes or tip on eating that style, especially cooking for kids who are less excited about it.

Unfortunately I'm allergic to tree nuts. Such a bummer. I also dislike mushrooms and seaweed.

I drink a ton of tea-- green, black, white, herbal. All of it and love trying new things. I bought tons of gorgeous white tea in China and drinking it feels like a fancy luxury.

Some other things I love: turtles, especially sea turtles. Sea themed and colored crafts. Kawaii cute stuff. List is things that move you-- books, songs, movies, art, foods, people, etc. Stories of strong women, especially entrepreneurs. Graph paper, lines, grids, dots.

Some things that aren't my jam: Disney, super heros and other similar characters, religious/scripture/patriotic themed crafting.