Babette323

Hi! My name is Marcie...and I'm a Swap-Bot-aholic....well, maybe not; but I'm always looking for an excuse to make or buy something neat for someone else and Swap-Bot certainly makes that possible.

I live in Tennessee but didn't grow up here. I've lived a lot of places (and enjoyed shopping in every one!). A partial list: Colorado (I grew up there), Washington, D.C. (went to college there), Baltimore, MD (went to law school there), Maine (worked there for a bit), New Delhi, India (worked there for a bit), Milwaukee, WI (worked there for quite awhile).

I have two dogs--Lucy (a beagle who is also known as Lucy-Goosey and, in her naughtiest moments, as Lucyfur) and Chloe (a corgi-golden retriever mix who is, in fact, the prettiest dog in the whole wide world); and a whole passel of kitties. (Well, four kitties: Harold, Maude, Phillip and Andrew). I'm not some crazy animal hoarder or anything-- I just enjoy having a busy house with lots and lots of pitter patter

I have a pretty eclectic mix of crafty-type hobbies: a little knitting, quilting, sewing, cooking, baking, felting, decopauge-y mixed media stuff, glass lamp-work, the list goes on.

Also, I recently bought a house and have a yard for the first time ever(!) so I'm trying to get the hang of gardening. I'm starting with containers on my patio this year while waiting for the grass to establish itself. I'm quickly amassing an assortment of fun and quirky containers for gardening and have started an honest-to-goodness watering can collection.

Since joining Swap-Bot I've discovered an absolute love for whimseys and matchboxes and other swaps that require assembling an eclectic (but themed!) collection of items. For me, the best part of any of these swaps is the challenge of making something that I hope my partner will like while staying within the prescribed "rules" of the swap.

I read all the time (when I'm not crafting, gardening or doing something with my menagerie, natch) so I'm just going to go with favorite authors....

Jeffery Eugenedes
John Irving Michael Chabon Laurie Notaro Jennifer Wiener Bryan Lee O'Malley Dave Eggars

I like cute little stuff... miniatures and kawaii, etc. Really, I love tiny little trinket-y things of all types: little animals, tiny little dolls, etc. I ESPECIALLY love when stuff comes in little self-contained kits. Like those itsy bitsy farms from the dollar store with a plastic barn that opens and holds fences, animals, hay bales. I remember having this big, plastic ice cream sundae as a kid that opened to reveal a dollhouse for tiny little dolls--I think they were precursors to Polly Pockets-- and I've been obsessed with kits like that ever since.

Obviously, I love books and stuff about reading (see "I'm a big reading nerd" above for more detail).

I don't really have a favorite color--I tend to like discovering interesting color combinations instead. I usually stay away from really dark shades like hunter green, maroon, etc., but I could definitely be pleasantly surprised by someone combining hunter green and burnt orange in a cool pattern. (hmm.... hunter green and burnt orange brocade...). I love chocolate brown with almost any other color.

I'm always saving odd bits of paper from magazines, labels, you get the idea, that have arresting images. Some I use for collage and a lot I just hang on the bulletin boards on my office wall as "inspiration".

I really love well-illustrated and/or written kids' books. They're sometimes like poetry in their complex minimalism.

Random products from other countries. I swear, I buy more souvenirs in grocery stores than anywhere else. I love going home with French toothpaste and a weird box of ear cleaners from China and baby cologne (yeah, it exists) from India.

reusable shopping bags/tote bags sparkly stuff flocked ANYTHING goats owls fancy owls deer sparrows polka dots food with faces the letter "M" folk art profanity, especially if it's funny foreign signs/advertising trivia anything that comes in a set

pictures of children kissing. Blech! Disney stuff "Inspirational" items Cinnamon anything Wolves Board Games