Xira

Hi! My name is Barbara. I´m 45 and mom of Milla (12) and Elena (8). I am married to Maikel.

When I was young I had a lot of penpals. I remember the excitement when a letter or postcard was in the mail. Maybe saving it for the evening to read it without being disturbed. Extra fun it was when there were little surprises like stickers or something inside. Later at highschool I had this friend Mirella who I exchanged notebooks with, near-works-of-art and a complete diary of that time. A few years ago I discovered Postcrossing, you can still find me there. I can also be found on Instagram as postcrossingxira. I wanted to try something new, so here I am.

I think it will be fun to get to know you a little through snailmail...Can't wait:)

I love to read fairytales and fantasy. For example Feist, Diana Gabaldon, Neil Gaiman, Weis&Hickman and Robin Hobb. Also love the world of Harry Potter, just re-read all the books with my oldest daughter (we’re both Ravenclaw as it turns out). My favorite fantasy creatures are dragons, love them!

On TV/Netflix I like Outlander, Once upon a time, Downton Abbey, Friends, That 70s show, New girl, Gilmore girls, The Crazy Ones, PLL, Suits, Orange is the new black, Game of Thrones and Greys Anatomy. Films I love are Dirty Dancing, Grease, Twilight-series, The Hunger Games, The neverending story and Labyrinth (an oldie with David Bowie).

I'm crazy about chocolate. I love the scent of coffee...but I do not drink it. Tea I like is fruity (herbal not so much). My favorites are forest fruit, mango, cactus, lemon, rooibos, earl grey and strawberry.

For me there is something special about the paintings of Ans Markus, Leonid Afremov, Marc Chagall, Salvador Dali and Kandinsky.

And I love creating and receiving mail-art of course! I love mixed-media; I like things with a story; worn, torn, splattered uppon, you get the idea:)

Colors I love are Scotland-green, turquoise, purple, nightskyblue and summerskyblue.

I love stamps! They are little works of art. I collect birds, flowers, butterflies, trains, ships, children's books illustrations and artstamps.

I also have a preference for envelopes, especially decorated ones. If the swap calls for written and stamped / naked no problem of course. I will never rate down if you use an envie anyway but be grateful instead. And if there is a choise I’d love an envie; it feels like opening a present!

...what to send me: I am currently looking for fun paperclips and die-cuts. I also like the following: *dragons, fairies, mermaids, unicorns *illustrations of flamingo's, cacti and plants *steampunk *magnets *washi *craftsupplies *(handmade) bookmarks *stickers *stationary *black-and-white and sepia *retro/vintage/fifties/twenties *3D cards *handmade cards or envelopes *ATC's *message-in-a-bottle *merry-go-round *lighthouses *old trains *dresses *castles *Alice in Wonderland *moon and stars, rainbows,(errupting) volcanos, storm/hurricanes *Cherry blossom *Martin Wiscombe, Santoro Gorjuss, Silke Leffler, Jolinne, Limoon, Camilla d'Errico, Mila Marquis, Aimee Stewart,PaPaYa, Pip Studio *Mokaffe, Kazuko Taniguchi, Candy Bird, Juri Ueda, Amy Sol, Inga Palzer, Lorrie Mc Faul *Where's Waldo?

...what to write me: tell me about your favorite mail-experiences. Or share what you are having doubts about. And, if money was no issue, what painting or artwork would you buy and what do you love about it? What do you think is a little crazy about yourself? This should get you started but I would love to hear about your day just as much. Adding a (short) letter to your swap is a sure way to get a heart from me. It will make my day. Thanks for sharing!

From time to time I like hosting swaps. I allow newbies because I was one too once. I will angel those swaps or find another angel but I so hope that won't be necessary. Happy swapping!