Bramblebelle

Hi guys!! I know it's been AGES since I have been around but the last two years have been a heckuva roller coaster ride!

After my mother in law passed in 2011 we inherited her estate. The move literally took over a year to finally be completed. Well, sort of complete. Imagine trying to combine a large household from a 62 year marriage with that of a thirty year marriage plus that of an adult child with live in boyfriend. We STILL aren't really settled.

THEN my daughter gets a little bit pregnant! YAY my first grand baby!! Very excited about that, we started making plans, and room.

THEN, early last year I was diagnosed with uterine cancer. They ran a ton of tests, including a mammogram, and found a little anomaly. Really? I don't have enough going on? ROFL! So, blessedly the anomaly turned out to be just that, but for awhile there I thought my head would explode!

I went in for robotic surgery, a total hysterectomy of all my internal girly bits, and was home by 6 pm. The pathology seemed to take forever to get back but they THINK they got it all.

Less then two weeks after the surgery my daughter goes into labor and has to have a c-section. They thought the baby was too big for a safe birth. Fortunately they over estimated and she was just a bit over 8 pounds of gorgeous healthy baby girl.

So that's why I haven't been around but I am back now and ready to get back to swapping!

I love all media and allow no limits! The only downside is a certain pallor to my skin, if it were not for my dogs and photography and a love for camping, I would never see daylight!

Should it ever come up, my adult daughter is also a swapper here, WillowBWeeping , we share the same addie, it HAS been cleared by admin, all is good.

I love all music, but my favorite stuff would be Irish Folk/Pub music, and Classic Rock. Favorite artists include The Irish Rovers, Clancy Brothers, Tommy Makem, The Chieftains, music from the 40s - 80s, Meatloaf and Pat Benatar top my list. I grew up on a diet of Folk music, a little Country and Big Band stuff, oh, and I do love me a good bagpipe now and then!

Recently I came into possession of my late father's album collection, so I am becoming a student of 30s, 40s and big band. Slowly. Very slowly. His Jerry Clower and Justin Wilson are seeing a lot more action than his Sinatra and Tchaikovsky.

THIS list would be HUGE if I let it. Every available inch of space in my parents' home is covered in book shelves. Reading was more important than eating when I was growing up. Stephen King, Dean Koontz, David Eddings, Jim Butcher, Jean Auel, Anne McCaffrey, Jules Verne, H.G. Wells, Edger Rice Burroughs, Nora Roberts, Janet Evanovich, Laurell K. Hamilton, Tom Clancy, James Patterson, the list goes on and on.

Raiders of the Lost Ark! I love adventure movies best, old horror and really, REALLY bad animal flicks too. Gimme a rampaging herd of flesh eating frogs and I am a happy viewer! My tastes in movies are too varied to list, but a few would be; all the Indiana Jones, Star Trek and Star Wars series, Lord of the Rings, The Quiet Man is WAY up at the top, almost every zombie movie ever made, anything Mel Brooks, Sci Fi/Fan stuff, etc. There's something in EVERY genre that I like, really, but this gives you an idea.

Don't watch a lot of TV, and NEVER reality shows. Walking Dead, Bones, Orange is the New Black and Big Bang Theory would be about the only stuff I ever watch with any regularity. I have discovered Netflix and am hooked!!

Oh geez.....

Pencil/charcoal/Pen & Ink/Pastel sketching/Oils/Water Color/Acrylics/Air Brush/Stenciling/Trompe L'oeil/murals

Photography

Sewing and Needle arts. Quilting, Dolls, Clothing, Plushies, Embroidery, Crochet, Knitting, Weaving, Felting, Cross Stitch, etc.

Thrown/coiled/slab pottery, mosaics, sculpture, etc. Metal clays and Polymer Clay

Jewelry design. Beading - Weaving on loom and off, creating Beads, wirework, gemstones, etc.

Paper crafts, card making, scrapbooking, handmade papers, ATCs, etc. Rubber Stamping, Quilling, Origami. Mache. Collage.

Cooking/cake decorating/candy making

Wood carving, building, burning

ATCs and Inchies are my current passion.

Recently I have become interested in Steampunk, but any upcycling/recycling/shabby chic type stuff is good.

Building up the nerve to spend some cash to get started in Stained Glass.

Collecting media is ALMOST as good as using the media. I am a supply junkie, and learning new techniques my passion. Mama says I am fickle, but I prefer to think of myself as renaissance *snicker.

The color blue, Cobalt, Sapphire the best, bottle blues, all blues, greens and purples next. ALL colors are good. Rich gemstone colors, muted tones, brights, pastels, in that order.

Floral scents. Tuberose, Gardenia, Honeysuckle, Rose, Orange Blossom, etc.

All fabrics and fibres, rich colors and soft textures best, but all fabrics are yummy. Sheer, heavy, smooth, nubbly, bright, dark, pale, fabricfabric fab AHHH!!!!!!

Coffee is the nectar of the Gods. The Gods like tea too, but they like coffee better *nod nod nod. Nor will they turn up their noses at chocolate, sweets, or mashed potatoes!

Things Wiccan, Astrological, Tarot, Runes, herbs, incense.

Faery Tales, Mythology/Folklore, Vampires, Werewolves, etc.

Anything of nature, animals, plants, bugs. I am a passionate camper and bird watcher. I love anything from the natural world, hummingbirds and dragonflies are special to me, weasels are great but all animals and bugs are loved and appreciated.

Dragonflies. Bugs in general, but dragonflies specifically.

Birds. Hummingbirds and Ravens and Crows and all the Raptors, but all birds are wonderful.

Gardening. I love working in my yard. Container gardens, seed beds, etc, love it all. Flowers, veggies, cacti, it's all good......

Heavenly Blue Morning Glories are my favorite flower. Dahlias are a close second. Lilacs, Wisteria, Irises, Roses, bah, I love ALL flowers, even dandelions......

Minerals, wood bits, seeds, pods, sea glass and the like.

Dolls. Art dolls, Dotees, etc. Voodoo dolls. Puppets. ALL puppets, sock, marionette, muppet, finger, etc

Anything that can be altered to make something else. Cigar boxes, tins, wooden boxes, old purses, frames, the list is endless.

Bits. Ribbons, yarns, beads, findings,

Victoriana of all sorts. Some Gothic influence. Steampunk. Things with a strong cultural feel to them.

Odds & Ends, Bits & Pieces, Flotsom & Jetsom.

Handmade is always preferable to store bought. I will probably never even join a store bought swap, unless it is a very unusual one. I want to see what YOU can do, and if your heart is in it, I WILL love it!!

DIRT!! I have dirt from the Dead Sea, River Jordan, Jamaica, Salem Mass, the Coliseum, all over. SO, if anyone wanted to tuck a bit of soil in a baggy, that would be an extra I wouldn't mind getting.

I also collect Tarot Cards, Runestones, cobalt glass, blue and white china, teapots and cups/mugs, cookbooks (esp. vintage).

Mean narrow minded people.

Sad endings

Stickers. almost never use'em.

People that squash bugs for no reason.

Sock Monkeys scare me..........seriously....... i know they get up in the middle of the night and stand over your bed and stare at you. People take a lot of risks with sock monkeys. RAISE AWARENESS! Sock monkeys are NOT your friend.......

HOSTS AND PARTNERS!! If for some reason, after a reasonable time, I do not rate you, PLEASE send me a wink and a nudge. I will ALWAYS rate, but if for some reason I don't, it's always going to be just a slip of my rather loose memory.

If you are going to be a bit late, just let me know! I won't rate down for a small delay if there is communication.

Oh, and about extras. As much as I love getting them, I will NOT give hearts for extras. I give hearts for the work you do. If the art you send shows that you cared enough, that's heart worthy.