StarMouse

I'm Back! I've been helping my older sister live with, and die from, cancer, followed by grief. I'm feeling alive again. I’m painting again!

Farther down in this part of my profile is a LOT of Information about how to make DECO BOOKS andhowtoset up aDeco Book Swap!

**Please Send Snail mail to:

Stephanie Tenacity Lee

1238 Ballantrae Place - Unit B

Mundelein, Illinois

60060-3280

USA

*Thank you all so very much!

SIGH, As of December 2014, my income decreased sharply, permanently. Fewer international and multi-partner swaps. Still love swapping, just fewer swaps!

Have a hug. We all need them. Leave one too!

SEE WAY BELOW FOR LIKES, ETC.

I'm StarMouse. I like bright colors and shiny things! I love making art in many forms with all kinds of things! My favorite color is EVERY color of the rainbow. Well, that and red... I'm a City Mouse who became too disabled to be safe in the city, so I'm now a fairly isolated Country Mouse. On the other hand, I have a decent sized home library, and three public libraries in close proximity!

I ALWAYS send my swaps. PLEASE message me BEFORE rating, if you have not received something. If you don't receive, or the post office eats the swap, we can work it out. I will redo and resend, if necessary. I hate that you might not receive something I sent out!

PLEASE RATE ! I rate everything I receive. If you don't see a rating from me, something may have fallen through the cracks. PLEASE message me a reminder!

Feminist, pro-gay, pro-peace, pro-choice, pro-equality. I'm a Disability Rights Activist and a Peace Activist.

Another note on feminism: I was an activist for feminism long before it was popular. So was my mother and her mother! If you're a woman and you can read this, thank a feminist! If you're a woman and exercise your right to vote in elections, thank a feminist! If you have a job that could also be held by a man, and you earn the same amount of money as the man working next to you, thank a feminist! If you are a single woman and have a credit card, thank a feminist! If you got a mortgage, own a business, a house, condo, farm, or other real estate, thank a feminist! If you have a baby and get maternity leave to bond with your newborn, thank a feminist! If your husband also gets leave when you have a baby, thank a feminist! If you are a bus driver or a police officer or firefighter or minister or hold any job which was once ONLY done by men, thank a feminist! Feminism was never about who holds a door for whom, it IS about EQUALITY in housing, employment and public accommodations, and human rights. It is about having as much respect for women as we have for men, not more, not less. ( It also means if a man sticks his hand up your dress at work, he can be fired. If he forces sex on you, he can go to prison. If he abuses you, stalks you, or terrorizes you, it's NOT OKAY any more! Thank a feminist! I'm 74 years old, and worked at a stock brokerage at 20. Male employees constantly put their hands down my front, or under my skirt. I'm so glad that unwanted touching isn't acceptable any more. I'll always be grateful for feminism! I'm grateful for having had the opportunity to make choices about my life, being able to read any book I want, to choose who will be my life partner, or if I want a life partner. The whole world was marching off two by two, and I wanted to march alone. That's feminism! 50 YEARS LATER, WE ARE STILL WORKING ON PAY EQUALITY!

About voting: Voting is like driving a car. If you want to move forward, Vote D. If you want to reverse our progress, Vote R

When we fall in love with someone, we don't fall in love with their body. We fall in love with their soul: ♂ + ♂ = ♥ | ♀ + ♀ = ♥ | ♀ + ♂ = ♥ Love is Love!

I'm a survivor of Polio. Polio is not who I am, but it limits my activity and walking. I get perhaps four hours or so of active life on my GOOD days. My body is disabled. Sometimes I'm in bed for a few days. There is nothing wrong with my ability to think, reason or create. **To learn more about dealing with chronic illnesses, go read this site: https://butyoudontlooksick.com ** This woman has a great explanation about how disabilities work in real life! look for and read The Spoon Theory!

I have Asthma. If you smoke, please air our out things you send to me. Perfumes and fragrances are a really BAD thing for me. I can have an asthma attack walking past scented candles or the cleaning supply aisle in a store. Incense is worse. "Air fresheners" can make me stop breathing completely.

I live so far below the poverty line that if my income were quadrupled, I still wouldn't reach it. All that means is, I won't be joining a lot of the pricey or International swaps.

I reuse packaging. You may get a padded envelope or a box that's reused. I recycle as much as possible.

I love flowers, make mine painted, paper, or better yet, silk. Love silk flowers!

I loved to bake bread & cookies. Wherever possible, I replaced 75% of the fat called for with applesauce or other mashed fruit. baking is too standing-intensive for me now.

I despise cupcakes, and anything else that desperately needs frosting.

I sing. For decades I was a coloratura soprano, until an incompetent anesthetist damaged my vocal cords. UPDATE: as of July 2014, I know enough "Old Familiar Hymn Tunes" to choke a horse. I probably know all the lyrics to most of the popular Broadway Musicals from 1950-1980.

I speak standard American English, because it's what the nuns taught me in school. I don't think that makes my usage better than yours, or me a better person than you. I think, as long as actual communication is possible, it's all okay. I really try NOT to be a compulsive grammar corrector. (I also shine my shoes. That's all part of a convent education) I know a lot about how NOT to treat people. Kindness is my keystone.

I read constantly, books of all kinds. I have my favorite authors: Page Smith, Sir Terry Pratchett, Dorothy L. Sayers, Robert Heinlein, Ursula LeGuin, I'm a history buff, and read history from all over the world and any time in recorded history.

I had a nasty head injury, and I need to concentrate on taking care of myself. My left brain has some damage. My right brain is having a picnic! That's when I started needing to make art!

One last note: I'm an adult, and I will NOT join a swap in which the coordinator sounds like a mind control freak. I don't mean the "Don't join if you won't send," stuff. I mean the "I will curse you down to the 7th generation and send a note to your dead mother, rent a billboard to humiliate you" stuff.

When I join a swap, I intend to send the item. If I am ill, or in some way prevented from sending, I contact my partner and the host of the swap, and explain.

At 74, I don't appreciate being condescended to, or even subtly (or Not so subtly) threatened. That just is NOT the spirit of swap-bot. When you host a swap, remind people to rate. They might forget anyway, but at least ask!

BASIC INFORMATION ABOUT DECO BOOKS

Deco Books

A bit about Deco books in general.

Partners are assigned randomly by the Swap-Bot program when The host clicks on Assign Partners. When books are sent, you will both send and receive a book. The book you receive is the book you will decorate a page in, and then send That Book in the next swap. Return Information can go inside the front cover or on the outside of the back cover

What is a Deco Book? Deco is shorts for Decorate! It is NOT a friendship book. It is a Small, Traveling Art Book which is made to circulate to other artists so each one can Decorate a page. If you have never made one, generally they are small enough to fit into an envelope, possibly as large as a greeting card envelope. They contain 6 - 8 pages, no more than 10 pages, held together somehow. They are stapled, sewn, beaded, crocheted, or gathered together in some way. Mine tend to be 4 inches by 41/2 inches. I use art paper, not card stock. Roughly 11.45 cm x 10.18 cm) I cut three 4" strips from a standard sheet or two, put four strips together, and fold in half. Then I put them together, and have a ready to use deco book.

After you make your book, decorate one page, then send it on to another Deco fan. The sender decides the theme, and the medium/media of the book. Many people let everyone choose their own theme and media. People may or may not follow your theme. It will be interesting when it arrives home, that's guaranteed.

Write [and check the appropriate boxes when you host a swap] whether your swap is Local (Local to where) or International. Verify current postage rates for where you are, and tell swappers who sign up for your swap to check postage rates where they are. Some deco books are heavier than an ounce.

A Deco Book can be made BY someone FOR someone else. Inside the front cover or on the back cover, put the name, full snail mail address and ideally, an email address of the person to whom the book should be sent when full.

When you Decorate a page in the Deco, make sure your information - Swap Name, Swap-bot name, date, general location, email - is either on your page or on the inside back cover. Please rate your partners for each round.

If you need completely archival quality work, you need to let me know. I will do my best to accommodate you.

Not everything I make is intended to be permanent. I think popular art has the obligation to at least occasionally produce "Temporary Art." Currier & Ives prints are so valuable today because they were considered disposable.

Same with Maxfield Parrish, and dozens of others. Peter Max comes to mind. I really AM over sixty! Peter Max still makes me smile!

I also LOVE Keith Haring! I loved him then, and I still love him.

I used to do yarn bombing. I love using bright colors to make something pretty and fun in an unexpected place. Now that I am less ambulatory, I can't do that at all.

I do mail art, I do ATCs, love postcards. I paint postcards, I love line art, of which Zentangle is one form. I'm not an experienced tangler. I have doodled my whole life to calm myself. I make envelopes from everything paper and pretty. Yes, I'm the woman stealing the three year old magazines from the Dentist's office. Most I deliver to a Veteran’s Hospital. Everyone is grateful that they served, but I have NEVER seen a stack of assorted magazines at a VA Hospital. Donate your old Magazines! I give the pretty pages one more life, before the recycle bin!

I paint in watercolors, alcohol inks, oil pastels, India ink, and whatever is around. I do collage work, I do markers, rubber stamping, potato printing. I use all kinds of things in my work. I've been known to buy a lacy garter belt at a thrift store to cut it up and play with the bits. I rarely buy "scrapbook supplies," although i make exceptions for brads occasionally.

I also like and use maps, used postage stamps, found objects, and ephemera in my art.

If you know about a new art supply and like it, please message me about it and where to get it. I recently saw a Deco Book with a very WET looking turtle! I have been wondering how to make that effect! I have learned that the artist used heat-activated clumping embossing material, and melted it until it was completely clear! I can't wait to get some of that!

When I host a swap, I intend to angel that swap. If my life is a bit too exciting, I might ask for a volunteer to angel for me. If you can, please volunteer to do so.

In addition to Swap-bot, I also have a real life, which occasionally interferes with my swapping! What a joy that is!

PLEASE RATE !

I believe that kindness is better than unkindness. Warm is better than cold. Peace is better than war. Sweet is better than bitter. Sharing is better than hoarding. I also believe that all PEOPLE are created equal, and that friendship and love keep the world going. (RECYCLING also helps a lot)

********************** I do not believe I am obligated to imagine in my head what other people want. They have to tell me. My mind reading ability is permanently broken.

The GOD concept is too big for just one religion.

Spirituality: You believe what you believe, and I will believe what I believe, and we will ALL be kind to each other and be friends. I respect your religious beliefs, and am not at all interested in hearing the details. It isn't that I'm intolerant. I am 72 years old and have heard all I can bear to hear about any and all religions. Actions speak louder than words.

I've had tutored studies in many religions. The most important thing they ALL say is: "Be kind and treat others as you would like to be treated." :-)

The Force Is Strong With This One.

I started reading at about three, and never stopped. I usually have several books going at once. I read history, nonfiction, biographies and autobiographies, fiction, science fiction, fantasy, and did I mention Sir Terry Pratchett? (RIP)

Woodie and Pete; finally singing together again. We'll miss them here, but they left us a lot of great songs. Carry It On!

SING! Make Music with those you love! Singing actually releases beta endorphins in our brains, which make us happier!

This is an image of Peter Yarrow, Mary Travers and Noel Paul Stookey in the last year of Mary Travers' life:

Peter, Paul and Mary made grand music and left us many songs to carry on!

Paul Simon and Art Garfunkle's Concert for Central Park, my favorite concert ever. (except for The Beatles)

I like classical and opera and operetta music.

Lyric Soprano Kathleen Battle - Best voice of my generation.

Japanese Coluratura Akie Amou - Next generation and piercingly, endearingly sweet.

I voluntarily listen to music from the 700s to the 1970s and can tolerate some more recent music. I have an encyclopedic knowledge of Traditional Old Hymn Tunes, (Many years in choirs) and have some Filk favorites, too. (Many years of Science Fiction Conventions.)

I never liked heavy metal, not likely to start soon. I could live forever and never hear more rap or hip-hop, and be grateful. I'm not telling you what to listen to, I just know what gives me a headache.

I love Jazz, Blues, Folk, Oldies, and all of the former Beatles and did I mention The BEATLES!?

Yes, if you are from another planet, these ARE/WERE The Beatles

I've a great fondness for traditional Latin-American folk music. Among my favorite groups:

Los Folkloristas de Mexico

There are seven of them, and they play, among them, hundreds of instruments, including little known Pre-Columbian pipes and flutes. They are declared, officially, "A National Treasure of Mexico."

RIP Rene Villanueva, founding member. He died on tour in Seattle, making the music he loved so much, and taking it to the world.

"An eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth and pretty soon the world is full of blind and toothless people." - Mahatma Mohandas Gandhi

"Yesterday is history. Tomorrow is a mystery. Today is a gift. That's why we call it 'The Present'." - Eleanor Roosevelt

"It's not just what you're given. It's what you DO with what you've got" - David Wilcox

"We only fail by giving up." -Fritz Prels

Survival is a form of resistance. - Meridel LeSueur

“No one can make you feel inferior without your consent.” -Eleanor Roosevelt

“There may be times when we are powerless to prevent injustice, but there must never be a time when we fail to protest. - Elie Wiesel

If I can stop one heart from breaking, I shall not live in vain. - Emily Dickinson

"You may say I'm a dreamer, but I'm not the only one." - John Lennon

I am registered to vote, and I do so (once) at every legal opportunity. I ALWAYS vote. I'm WAY to the left of "white liberal do-gooders", so I MUST vote. I think of the death penalty as society killing people to demonstrate that killing people is wrong.

I read everything, therefore I think. I try to keep an open mind, but I dislike judgmental people! ;-) If you don't register and VOTE, you don't get to bitch about the politicians we get. Elections are decided by the people who stay home sucking their Tootsie Roll Pops instead of voting.

I believe the Bill of Rights is as important as the Declaration of Independence, and the US Constitution. If we don't pay attention to our rights, we will lose them. If you don't read history, you are destined to repeat it.

I say NEVER AGAIN!

Resist Corporate Control of politics! There are rich and powerful people who believe the highest office in America is for sale, because voters are so stupid they will vote for the guy with the most TV advertising time! Don't BE that stupid! Don't fall for that! Read the position papers of people running for office. If they don’t have position papers, their positions aren’t clear to them.

Please VOTE! Our FREEDOMS depend on it!

If nobody has bothered to teach you to read and write cursive, go to your library and ask for a book about it. We take keyboarding for granted. Allow for the possibility that we might not always have technology or electricity. Be able to communicate!

I buy used stuff. If I must buy new, I try very hard to BUY AMERICAN MADE stuff, preferably from a local "cottage industry", rather than a huge corporation. I occasionally buy something made by a third world Woman's co-op, because we MUST support each other.

I don't patronize big box stores, only family owned businesses, wherever possible. There are things I do without rather than deal with corporations who ship jobs out of the country. Apparently I hold a grudge a LONG time: I still won't buy anything form Dow Chemical because of Napalm & Vietnam.

A Corporation is legally a person in the USA, but they don't have a soul, nor a heart. I don't trust Corporations to have anyone's best interests at heart. I think they are in it for the money and to heck with little people. If a corporation looked in a mirror, it would have no reflection. As a dear friend says: "I'll believe Corporations are people when Texas executes one!"

I live simply so that others may simply live.

I consider meat a condiment, and replace white rice with brown rice or Quinoa. If Quinoa is new to you, you need to put the dry grains into a sieve and rinse off the stuff that they use to keep it from sticking together dry, or it's bitter. NO matter what the package says, cooking eight to ten minutes is plenty. You don't want little stringy circles on your quinoa. that's the sign it's over cooked. It should be a bit al dente. I try not to eat stuff that is pre-packaged except decent dark chocolate: 72% or more.

Television:

I watch Public television, especially if I'm sick. The documentaries are interesting, and failing that, it puts me to sleep. My all time favorite teevee show was "My Mother, the Car". I genuinely try hard to avoid cooking shows and gardening/fix your house shows. For the most part, I try to avoid television like the plague it is. It will steal our lives if we let it. I'm old enough to remember time BEFORE television. I liked it! People DID MORE then.

It was as if everyone in America looked at the box, said "Ooooohh, Shiny!" and sat down forever, becoming a nation of psuedo-autistic people, each with the attention span of a gnat. If other countries surpass our students in Science, Technology, Engineering and Math, blame our super-abundance of electronic devices!

Note: I can't carry on a civilized conversation about "Gone With the Wind." or "Birth of a Nation" Dreadful movies!

LIKES & [PLEASE NO]:

SPECIAL LIKES: RED AND YELLOW; Receiving postcards or ATCs; 3-D art or visual-distortion images; altered art! i like pretty images cut from magazines! I have recently discovered shaped paper clips. I am just delighted, but can't find them in local stores.

I love and collect postcards: sending one, just mail it as is. If it's fragile, then in an envelope. Sending several? Envelope, Please! Outrageous is okay, nudity and bad taste is NOT! No potty mouth postcards for me, please. I've raised children. Done with that.

I absolutely am obsessed with (practical type) Chatelaines, and the various little things which attach to them. They are one of my occasional self-indulgences. I had one from an ancestor, It went around my waist, but it was stolen, and it's broken my heart. But I move on. Misery is a crummy life choice.

My other small collection is Netsuke. I tend to collect boxwood Netsuke, that being the least expensive medium except for plastic, and who wants more plastic anything? I only have a few, cats, animals and Buddhas are my favorite subjects.

For those who do small crochet, I'd also love to receive amigurumi:

There is no such thing as too many tiny critters! If you crochet, these little creations are fabulous! they are quick and fun to make,not to mention just adorable! I would love a yoda plus hie for me sister, who has Multiplr Myeloma. (Our lives are never dull!)

Themes: Buddhism, woman-loving-woman, jungle birds, cats, but no fur please! Literature, Fabulous Furry Freak Brother Comic Books from the 1970s, as well as Mr. Natural. Never pay big money for these! I never pay more than fifty cents or a buck.

I'm a big fan of little boxes of all kinds, tin, wood, bamboo, woven. I keep my pretties in boxes so they don't collect dust!

Postage stamps: new, old, mint, canceled, American, International, Invented, & CREATED ones, too! I also collect TINY cardboard templates of plants & animals.

A Copic Marker. These are really high end art markers. I buy one when I can afford it. Please, no dark gray, dark blue, black.

Old Photographs; Ashleigh Brilliant Post Cards, also called "Pot Shots", ephemera, collage bits and pieces; kid's shaped or decorated buttons and vintage or old buttons, My huge button box [which was my grandmother's and my mother's ] got left behind in a move, and I have never really recovered. (I also collect political buttons); Random Acts of Kindness & Images or stories of RAKs; Tote bags; Fabric Paints.

FOODS: Penuchi (Brown Sugar) Fudge; Anise or Citrus Biscotti, Lemon cookies. Coconut Pecan Oatmeal cookies; I drink coffee, and white, lemon, green, jasmine & fruit teas, (PLEASE NO Cranberry, horseradish or GINGER. I want to live! Breathing is more than a hobby for me!)

I love coconut: Lemon & Coconut Oatmeal cookies. Pineapple is always a nice substitute for lemon.

MORE LIKES: Paper-punchies- Don't send me a punch, send me some bits you have punched out with YOUR punches; small rubber stamps (with symbols, critters, Mice, cats) My favorite animals are cats and pangolins. Pangolins are armored Anteaters. When threatened, they roll up into a ball, leaving only their sharp scales spread out to protect them. Even Lions don't mess with them!

Fabric: Kids Prints, Stars, Mice, Fat quarters! Cats, Dragons. I love rubber stamping and really like stamp pads. Did I mention CATS?! Tie Dyed Everything!; Handkerchiefs made from Cotton Children's fabric! hippie themes, peace signs, ribbons, peacock feathers. Feathers in general!

FASCINATIONS: Fabric Shoulder bags with big pockets on both sides; Embroidery; tatting; Handmade Tarot Cards, Imaginary, or expanded concept Tarot cards. There are no cards for Meditation, Birds, Trees, Flowers, Fruit, Animals, Fantasy, Cheerfulness, Serenity, Kindness, or Silence, among MANY others!

I ALSO LIKE: Zen Meditation; Postcards: (New, Old, Vintage, Store Bought, Handmade, Linen!); Stars; Mousies; Stars & Mousies together!

COLORS: Rainbow and VIVID brights; Smaller, multi-media paper pads; Handmade paper, strangely textured papers, fancy colors of papers, birch bark, papyrus, parchment,

Maps and printed music or other ephemera in collages; Hand Made Envelopes; TEXTURE Rubbings! Origami; I LOVE Zentangles; Punchies and Die cuts of all sizes; Pierced earrings with surgical steel wires...

PLEASE, NO: I despise war, violence, racism, sexism, religious fanaticism, oppression and homophobia in all things. I am very comfortable with my faith, I don't particularly want to hear about yours. Fair Warning: If you send me religious stuff, there is an excellent chance it will be cut into bits for art projects. Which is to say, it's okay to send, if it has pretty colors and you don't mind my not reading it.

I don't much favor drab colors. Ecru is the worst, followed by Mauve and Puce. I use stickers, but prefer an honest, even awkward) attempt at drawing. Something sold by a corporation by the millions is rarely art. It's illustration. There is no right or wrong in art! TRY SOMETHING NEW! my second favorite web site is www.postcrossing.com Check it out!

I don't know much about Anime, entertainment, television, celebrities, or video games. I don't feel inspired to learn, either. I will pass them along if I receive them.

PLEASE USE MY SWAP IDEAS! Always feel free to copy my swaps as international or regional swaps. Ideas exist to be free!

Deco Books, (As differentiated from friendship books); Please send no more than two at a time. I love Deco Books, within limits. Pornography will be destroyed. Just don't send it! It's a Federal Crime!

I Love Color

WISHES:

I love Batik, even scraps for making patches.

I wear turbans because of hair loss. They're pricey. Sometimes people who have them don't need them any more. If you come upon one or some, please put them in a zip-lock bag and send them to my snail mail address above. It's bold type.

I LOVE YARN BOMBING! I can't do it any more, but if you do, please, if there are photos, e-mail me with an image:

thestephy at hotmail dot com

My library has annual craft supply swaps. Two days of dropping stuff off, and a Saturday and Sunday afternoon of coming to get free craft stuff! Suggest this to your Library!

PLEASE RATE! I rate everything I receive as soon as humanly possible. I believe one earns a 5 by sending the described swap on time or with advance notice of tardiness. Hearts as appropriate.

I understand about things coming up. Things DO come up. Just let me know!

I don't rate based on if I like something. People have different tastes. If I receive something that meets the swap requirements, I rate 5. I do reserve the right to pass something on to someone who might appreciate it more.

I feel sad when I send out swaps and my partners don't bother to rate. If you receive a swap from me, log in and rate it. PLEASE RATE!

I have a very LOW tolerance for flakers. If you don't send something OR contact me, I hate to do it, but I will rate a 1 or 3. I WILL change the rating IF you contact me AND send a make-up swap within a reasonable period of time.

FLAKERS: I don't need to post your name on my profile. You know who you are. Please DO NOT join my swaps!

As a disabled human, I know things happen unexpectedly. Things sometimes take longer. Communicate with me, please!

KEEP IN TOUCH!