Calliope

UPDATE: I am going to be unable to swap for a little while, as we are working through a family crisis. All swaps that I am currently in will be sent on time. I look forward to getting back to swapping as soon as possible.

I am a 50 year old stay at home mom and homeschooler. I have a wonderful husband, we have been together for 28 years, and two fun and creative teen boys, who love the beauty of nature and are passionate about the environment. I love all things nature, and love all kinds of animals (from creepy-crawly to warm and cuddly). My sons often call me Mother Nature. My family loves going camping, hiking, snowshoeing, and cross-country skiing. I have been quilting for about 15 years, and have collected a large horde of fabric. I have been making art quilts for a few years, and would like to venture further into fiber arts. I love all colors, all types of art, and am always fascinated by what other people create. For fabric swaps I prefer unique fabrics (batiks and hand dyed are my favorites) in any color. I usually tend to stay away from calico fabric (although I have a pretty large stash of it),
We had two beautiful guinea pigs, named Beezle and Abby, who we loved and adored for the almost seven years we had them. Beezle was a rescue guinea pig, who was found in a cage in the front of a local pet store, and although she had been through a lot, and had a lot of issues, we had to have her in our lives. We got Abby as a companion for Beezle, and fell in love with her the second we got her. They really were the sweetest, most gentle animals I have ever shared my life with. They have passed onto their guinea pig afterlife, and I hope they are spending their days in a warm, sunny meadow filled with clovers. We were heartbroken to lose them, and never had a chance to recover from the loss of our first beautiful girl, before we lost our other sweet girl. If only death weren't so sad, I would have a house full of sweet critters.
We also have two beautiful 18 year old rescued red eared slider turtles named Mack and Yertle, they are sweet girls.
I am a fitbit walk-aholic, and am lucky enough to live in a beautiful, small town in western Massachusetts, where I can spend many hours a week walking in the woods. Walking is my quiet time, a time when I get a chance to clear my mind, and be inspired by the beauty around me.

George Winston, Mannheim Steamroller, Grateful Dead, REM, The Church, Echo and the Bunnyman.

Prefer Independent films, foreign films (they really make you pay attention), documentaries, and kids movies. My favorite stupid, fun movie is Zombieland. My favorite cartoon is Scooby Doo. My favorite animated film is Nightmare Before Christmas. Wallace and Gromit movies are also a lot of fun. I also love ParaNorman, The Crow, Legion, and a few other horror movies.

Walking Dead, American Horror Story, Supernatural, Doctor Who, Grimm, Bate's Motel.

Quilting, fiber/fabric manipulation, knitting, felting, mixed media art. Would love to learn how to draw trees, animals, flowers, and other subjects from nature.

Likes: Animals, birds, insects, reptiles, amphibians, I adore guinea pigs, frogs, squirrels, chipmunks, mice, voles, rats, and owls - but really all animals are amazing, beautiful creatures. - Nature - Batik and hand dyed fabric - Halloween/Monster fabric - Christmas fabric - Butterfly/Dragonfly fabric - Rocks/Minerals - Dragons - Fairies - Christmas - Halloween - Handmade items (I will love anything anyone makes by hand) - Butterflies - Socks - Fiber/Yarn of all types - Glass beads - Witchy/Wicca/Pagan things - I love tea, right now my favorites are Assam, and Darjeeling, but love any and all flavors of tea- I received washi tape in a few swaps and love it - I am a really easy person to make happy.

Dislikes: People who don't take the time to get to know a person as an individual, and instead judge them based on that persons religious beliefs, the color of their skin, who they love, what gender they identify with, how they dress, what their economic standing is, the list could go on and on.

My oldest boy (19 yo) is an organic farmer and maple syrup producer, who loves all things nature. He is an avid hiker, rock hound, and naturalist.

My youngest boy (16 yo) is an amazing fly fisherman (catch and release only). He also loves hiking, playing the banjo, and all things nature.

I spent about 5 years reading nothing but kids/young adult books, so I could discuss them with my homeschooled sons. My favorites were Harry Potter, and the Fablehaven series. We just read 'A Tale of Two Cities', it is by far the most beautiful story of love and sacrifice (which my boys didn't seem to pick-up on), I have ever read.

I love animals, and feel very connected to them. I don't like anything made with animal fur/skin. I use only cruelty free beauty and cleaning products. I don't like anything that has to do with hunting or trapping. I am a vegetarian, I do not eat any animal products, other than eggs, which I get from a neighbor who has the most affectionate chickens on the planet. Plus, since she considers them members of the family, she keeps them when they stop laying. They do deserve to have a happy retirement after all they hard work they do. I have a friend who has Merino sheep, and I am able to get my wool from her, so I know that the animals are loved, and are sheered gently by an expert. We own a lot of woodland, and think of it as a sanctuary for a variety of animals. We have a lot of squirrels, chipmunks, rabbits, deer, a male moose (who always gets into our gardens, no matter how high the fence), bears, owls, lots of different kinds of birds, unfortunately we only have a few bats left, raccoons, possums, skunks, porcupine, the occasional pack of coyotes roam through, plus many other critters. We want to get honey bees, and are trying to figure out how to keep the bears away. We are big advocates for bats, bees, butterflies, and other pollinators which are dying off at alarming rates. We are also advocates for frogs, and are saddened by the rapid loss of many species. As I am writing this, I have three male, wild turkeys, gobbling, and strutting about outside my window.

I am not a religious person, although I consider myself to be spiritual. I would link that spirituality to more of a wiccan/nature based belief system. Please do not send me anything to do with God or Jesus, or anything Bible related. I live my life trying to be the best person I can possibly be, and help those (including non-human creatures) who are in need of some compassion.