erikawithak

UPDATE: I have been sick and going into false labor this week which has kept me from doing much, including swaps. My doctor doesn't want me doing much right now, but I am trying to get all my swaps done and sent. Some may be late, but all WILL get sent out!

***********I'm extremely sad...and I guess guilty until proven innocent. I am partially suspended because someone accused me of having another profile because that user and I have the same last name and 1st initial...and now because that person signed in last right around the time I signed up. I know many of you don't believe I am not eedwards, and that's OK. There is nothing I can say that will make you (or SB who hasn't returned any messages) believe me. I have a baby coming, and SB is just not worth the stress of being seen as a bad swapper or something because of this, so I have decided to finish the swaps I have and not push the issue further. All I can do is be a good partner for my remaining swaps and show that I deserved to be on SB. Thanks to all of my awesome partners who have been so nice and understanding!

*****************I am home out of state for the month of July. I have brought my swap stuff with so I can still do Swap-bot! If you would like to get rated earlier message me for the address I will be at and send your swap there from now until the last week in July. I would really appreciate receiving mail while home on vacation! *****************

UPDATE--Had my ultrasound on 6/27 and found out my baby is a girl! Her name is going to be Adalee. So excited!

Hi! I am a 27 year old mother of a 7 year old boy, and currently expecting my 2nd, a girl, on September 27th. I have been married to the father of my kids for 8 years now. I have a Bachelor's in Art, and am a student at Southwestern College in Santa Fe, NM (USA) studying art therapy and counseling. I love to write (mostly nonfiction but I am in the process of a fiction novel as well), (junk) journal, and make jewelry and art, my favorite mediums being wire work, bead weaving, bead embroidery, book-making, knitting and cross stitch, drawing, and collage. I also like to make dolls, alter stuff, ATCs...well almost anything! I collect stamps (postage, but I like rubber ones too!), sent postcards (especially sent with international or unusual stamps, or stamps which match the theme of the card--see below), and spiritual/religious items from any and all paths.

TV: HBO's Game of Thrones and Girls. I like cartoons as well, especially Adventure Time and Regular Show and I can't forget my childhood favorites Ren and Stimpy and Rocko!

Books: Anything by Stephen King, but especially his Dark Tower series. The Wheel of Time series by Robert Jordan. The Mistborn series by Brandon Sanderson. Jostein Gaarder's Sophie's World (well anything by him). Books by Julia Cameron. Anything on self help, crafts (jewelry especially), therapy, and spiritual matters.

Magazines: Somerset Studio and its many offshoots, Bead and Button, Bead Trends, Artful Blogging, Where Women Create, Breadwork, Beautiful Jewelry, Bead Unique, anything craft related really! I like quality fashion magazines every once in a while for eye candy too :)

Music: I like rock, especially alternative, my favorites being Incubus, Green Day, and The Beatles. I also like Foster the People, Naked and Famous, and more.

Movies: LOTR, Shawshank Redemption, Practical Magic, Detroit Rock City (nostalgia from high school!).

Wishlist:

1. Custom addy labels stating I am looking for international penpals, collect postage stamps, and will take stamp bags!

2. Postcard and ATC protector.

3. A large(ish) map I can use to keep track of penpals.

4. A bento box set.

5. Kawaii stuff--preferrably genuine and not in English!

6. Moomin stuff--postage stamps included!

7. Something from my list or other sections below.

Things I like: Things from your country that I can't get in the US, fibers, art history, fun papers, book or dictionary pages (especially medical or scientific), collage bits, postage stamps (see below), stamp bags (I promptly send these on!), postcards, maximum cards, international currency, blank journals, filled journals, junk journal things, ephmera, broken jewelry I can reuse, chocolate (especially Cadbury Wonderbars! Please no dark chocolate), candy bars from other countries, traveling, all colors!, seed beads, beads (except plastic or acrylic), gemstones, sweetgrass, smudging herbs (except sage, hate the smell!), fetishes, artsy or kawaii stickers, kawaii food-related stuff, The Moomins, fantasy, owls, Santa Fe, mountains, little glass bottles, embellishments, vintage, chain, little envelopes for embellishing, tags, stationary, wire, fashion, etc!

Stickers and Rubber stamps: I love anything realistic, artsy, steampunk, odd, weird, horror related, even gross. The more unusual the better! I really enjoy dimensional stickers. And I like the clear cling rubber stamps. I will probably love anything you send!

I have a 7-year-old boy named Aidric who would love to receive mail, too! For any swap if you want to send him something addressed to him instead of me it will be greatly appreciated. His birthday is coming up in July. He loves Spongebob, Legos, Thomas the Tank Engine, Angry Birds, Adventure Time, books (especially early reader), cars (Hotwheels especially, but not so much the concept or "fake" cars), geography (he's into capitals, states, and cities right now!), state license plates, flags, the planets and outer space, stickers, temporary tattoos, oh and did I mention Spongebob?! He also has a LeapFrog Tag reader and loves to get books for it!

John (my husband): My husband kinda thinks my love of mail, swapping, and stamps is silly, but a surprise for him would be nice, too! He loves American football and anything related to Brett Favre, video games, Korn, Stephen King, writing, and especially weight lifting and survival and doomsday stuff. He was also in the US Army so he likes Army veteran stuff.

My Collections:

STAMPS: I collect pretty much any stamp I can get my hands on but I particularly collect:

US MINT commemoratives.

From the following countries: Japan, India, Norway and other Scandinavian countries, Netherlands, and any Asian country.

Themes: Crafts and jewelry, fashion, art (especially impressionist/post-impressionist--Van Gogh), food, space, dance, cartoon characters, gemstones, owls, mammals, transportation especially trains, tattoos, plants, mushrooms.

Stamp-collecting related stuff: Glassine envelopes, general album pages, mounts (I don't like to use hinges).

Stamp bags--I will take excess if you need to send some on!

Please don't send if possible: Great Britain Queen Elizabeth stamps, American flag or liberty bell stamps, most stamps with people unless that person is an artist, musician, or otherwise well known.

PCs I collect:

STAMPED PCS! Nothing with the barcodes. I looove to receive ones with unusual stamps at that and even more if the stamp was themed with the card. I don't have any maximum (maxi) cards (PCS with a matching themed stamp and cancellation on the front) but would love to start collecting them, so those would be greatly appreciated!

Cards from around the world--especially Norway where my family is from (stamped with a local stamp).

Topics: International flags, US state maps, landmarks, or license plates--more for my son than me. I like art-related, landscapes, almost anything really I guess.

Messages: I would especially love a tidbit about the stamp on the card (theme, year, type, what it says if not in English), about where you are from (even facts about your city like population and such--my son loves this stuff), a quote, or anything profile related!

PENPALS: I used to have quite a few penpals when I was a teenager but currently have none :( I would love penpals from around the world, but especially from Asia, Norway and other Scandinavian countries, the middle east, and Africa! PM me if you need one from the USA and we can set up a private swap! I like pretty letters, but this is not required. I am planning on making a "book" out of all the letters I have gotten from penpals.

CURRENCY: I also collect coins and paper money from around the world!

ATCs: I just started working on ATCs again and am collecting them.

Themes: ATCs with postage stamps, art (yours or someone else's), dark themes, odd or weird. I will like anything you send though if it is quality work!

Sage, Americana, plastic or acrylic beads, any cheap jewelry supplies, dark chocolate, tea (I never get around to drinking it!).