December 18, 2024: Just wanted to update ~ I'm feeling better and life is nearly normal again! I just wanted to wish everyone a Fantastic Holiday season no matter how you celebrate!

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I'm going to shorten this whole cellulitis hospital surgery episode ~ I find it depressing! It happened, it's past, I've caught up and feeling better :) February 2025

I'm enjoying my return to creating ~ at least on my level! I will always do my best, which may not be equal to someone else's best work, but it's all I have...

I am now in atrial fabulation constantly, so they've added warfarin to my list of drugs and mix that with the low dose chemo and some days I am a mess! But I find that creating really helps, so thank you to those that swap with me, getting the mail is a joyful event most days, rather than just a box full of bills! Physically I can no longer do many things I used to; the lawn and general maintenance are a just not happening :( However, I am grateful to just still be here!!

October 2023 ~ well, I'm back! trying very hard to catch up in real life and on swap-bot! I am basically maintaining physically, but I truly need to begin to make gains soon; living alone has made these past couple of years pretty challenging and just plain difficult for this old gal.

Okay, so on to the fun stuff :) I soooo missed crafting while I was ill and well-meaning friends helped to clean my dining room and living room; I lost tons of art and journal ephemera. The problem with junk journals is that until they're completed, they look like... well, junk!! Along with my wonky arthritic hands, I now have issues with a cataract causing sight changes, but I am still pushing ahead with drawing and doodling - even though I can't really see clearly with or without my classes right now! (I know, makes you just want to trade/swap with me huh?!)

***Please, if I let you down when I became ill, please reach out to me so I can try to make things right. I really love the swapping and feel so bad for the folks I failed...

I live 1/2 mile in the woods and cannot walk to my mailbox, so if I am going somewhere, it's a drive for me. Also, it's still very common for me to lose power for extended time periods. I lost power early in June during those extreme heat days - although I don't have AC anyway, so it wasn't a bad hardship. Mostly not having access to water annoys me the worst. (I tend to keep at least 4 or 5 gallons all the time).

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About me:

I am a retired/disabled elementary reading specialist teacher ~ I love to draw, doodle, paint, and craft.

I live alone in a log cabin in the woods with a couple of super cats. I like to read and bake, old movies are fun too! I like mysteries and novels ~ I also have a bunch of puzzles (sudoku, crossword etc.) books lying around. I own quite a few DVD's too, because there are so many movies I just don't mind watching again, and yes I do have the entire Harry Potter series ~ both book and DVD :)

I have RA; and fibromyalgia, diabetes and now heart issues, so when I am able and my hands are willing, I like to cook, draw, crochet and try all sorts of crafts. Sometimes I even finish one :) Since I live alone, it seems my whole cabin is a craft room some days! I often have 3 or 4 partially read books lying around the place and art projects in various stages of completion ...

I usually have a few mysteries in progress as well as a fiction or two ~ I'm not a fan of pure romance but humorous/comedy romance is okay!

I also used to write, so I love journals, and junque journaling ~ and art journals are just an extension of that... I've been trying my hand at creating/binding art/junk journals and while it hasn't always worked as planned, it's been fun. My biggest problem right now is storing and then finding the papers, ephemera, etc I've been collecting for these journals!

I recycle, upcycle and just try to re-use everything! I use a variety of papers, from junk mail to old maps and damaged books for art & crafts. This is because I am poor and also, I'd like to be far less wasteful. I think we're becoming too much of a disposable society and that saddens me. I have actually refrained from purchasing things in the grocery store because of too much packaging. Cardboard boxes I can re-use but when an item is packaged in a huge amount of plastic, I often will pass it up!

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I do not join swaps that require me to purchase pre-cut or designed art materials; I cannot afford them or the extra postage; any fancy scrapbook paper or stamps I own were either gifts or thrift store purchases ~ I am very poor! I love to "art", but I also need to live and it's very close right now! So, that's just me :)

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The colors I use the most are warmer earthy tones. I know neon has a place, but I find it often too glaring. Otherwise, I love all colors and am not too picky in that respect :) I will admit that last summer I looked at the clothesline one day and noticed I had 7 shirts/t-shirts all in different hues of red!

I respect art of all styles, but I am not fond of gory images. I also am not overly fond of cute "safe" rainbow type images, but I understand others are and if that is their style then so be it! I feel the same way about religious art ~ it doesn't often speak to me, but if it's your passion, then go for it! I feel that we make art for ourselves & not to please another. We can tailor our style to gift to another person, but our style just is.

Collections: I love papers and save just about every different kind of paper I come across, up to and including maps, old book pages, brochures and even takeout menus that are unique in any way. I love ocean related themes (I lived for years on a cabin cruiser in the Hudson River in NY), poetry, and cats & dogs. I would be so happy to receive the Cryptoquip puzzle from your daily newspaper!! I love them and sudoku puzzles. I really don't want to do the entire alphabet of likes here, but I do love crayons (plain old Crayola or the like) they're one of my favorite art tools. I love flamingos and the smell of freshly cut grass or cedar. I love a good thunderstorm and rainy days do make me blue...

As for daily likes and dislikes, I'm pretty easy going usually. I love my coffee throughout the day, hot or iced! I drink way too much of it, and in the evenings, I often switch to tea! I love tea almost as much as I love coffee & I enjoy a wide variety ~ love to try new blends too!

I guess if I had to choose a motto, it would be "live and let live."

One of my pet peeves are people who always complain they are bored. I have been too tired, just not willing to do something, or run out of time, but I have never ever been bored!!

Also, I live in an extremely rural area, and I won't mark "sent" unless I have posted an item. However, my mail carrier may or may not pick up & have the mail processed - depending on her schedule, so sometimes I realize the actual postmark may be a day off from my marking an item "sent." This is just life here :)