mimimaitri

I am a Jack of All Trades and Master of None, i.e. I am curious about nearly everything, but am not necessarily expert at anything. By day I am a biologist and professor. By night I am a crafter/artisan in many media in my basement (which right now looks like a craft store exploded), a vegetarian cook, yoga lover, music lover, friend and wife.

I have a dear friend who has done swaps for a long time now, and rather than just looking with jealousy at her swaps, I'm joining up!

Most of my work is inspired by nature, in terms of colors, textures and content, too. That said, I have eclectic tastes, and love all kinds of crafts and fine art. I am most happy when I get to integrate found objects/recycle old objects while I am crafting.

*Beadwork (off loom and on loom, delicas and tiny seed beads are my weakness) to make all kinds of jewelry.

*Knitting (scarves, hats, mittens, flowers, washcloths, blankets, and strange creatures/animals). These days I mostly just stare at my beautiful yarn stash.

*Origami! It's the perfect mix of science and art.

*Sewing (clothes, belts, bags, quilts/ and quilt art, 18th century costumes (my wedding dress started it all)). I also make beads and brooches using fabrics.

*Photography/collage with my photos.

*Painting: Just learning.

*Polymer clay (for jewelry).

*Barbie pink, neon colors, glitter, and anything referring to princesses.

*Things that are thought to be really "cutesy," unless they are cute because they are surprising, odd, or a bit creepy.

*I'm not a big junk food or candy eater (unless you mean chocolate, which is the food of the Gods, so please feel free).

*Stickers.

*While I find stamps and coins to be interesting and beautiful, I don't collect them, so please don't waste them on someone as ungrateful as me!

*Otherwise, I am very easy to please! I an optimist!

*My list of books to read is mile high, and I never seem to have enough time to read on-fiction. So, if you have a favorite poem (shorter than The Inferno please :) ) or a short story, I'd love to get a copy of it in a swap.

*I love trying different cuisines. But when I shop in an Indian imports store, for example, I only know what a third of the spices are. I'd LOVE a recipe that uses an uncommon-to-average-Americans spice or ingredient, and some of that spice/ingredient if possible. The only pre-req is that it is a vegetarian recipe, or adaptable for vegetarians.

*I drink tons of tea. Anything that isn't fruity I'll drink.

*Scraps of interesting fabric and paper and small balls of yarn are always welcome for the stash.

*Do you have a favorite knitting, quilting, or beadwork pattern? I'm a medium/slightly advanced knitter (still afraid of sweaters and detailed lace, but you can push me there), a medium level quilter, and an advanced beadworker. A picture or two with instructions would be truly fabulous.

*I'd love a CD mix of your favorite tunes, whatever they are.