GingerChewRaccoon

Hello! I am a whimsical young womyn who lives in a city in the midwest, though I prefer to spend my time by the river or the great ocean-like Lake Michigan. I devote much of my life to making crafts, Mail Art, & penpalling. I'm also a dancer (Belly Dance & Romany/Gypsy-Style Skirt Dance), novice Herbalist & Wild Forager, Birdwatcher, & an enthusiastic Gardener. I love being out in the natural world, especially near water but also the Deep Woods (I adore moss & Ferns), Marshes, Cold Snowy Fields, & strangely the Desert (I think it's an inexplicably romantic landscape). I'm an avid collector from all of my nature walks. i.e. feathers, interesting leaves, petals, rocks, abandoned bird nests, intricate animal bones, etc... I like storing them on shelves but also integrating them into my art occasionally, hope you don't mind! :)

There are quite a number of crafts that enchant me, including Embroidery, Cut & Paste- Collage, Drawing (mainly animals), Rubber Stamping, creating ATC's, decorative stationery, & altering my clothes in interesting ways.

I'm Especially Excited about trading handmade crafts! Also, I think Recycling/Upcycling is important- & I like to send/receive mail that has been saved from the landfill.

• I love animals! Esp. Whales, Birds, Octopi, Raccoons,Otters, Foxes & Wolves, Manatees, Sea Lions, Hedgehogs, Deer, Rodents, Honey Bees, etc. All our dear to my heart though. :)

• Dance Imagery-specifically Belly Dance, Roma/Gypsy themed stuff, Flamenco, CanCan, Bollywood, Burlesque (basically anything pageant that involves sparkles or bright colors)

• Magical things, witchy stuff, Goddess or nature-based themes.

• Fantastical creatures are special to me- including Selkies & Mermaids, Werewolves, Gnomes, Succubus/Vampires, Harpies, ancient Goddess figures, Fairies, etc.

• Herbalism, Gardening, Permaculture, seed bombing, anything to do with growing plants

• My very favorite colors are Sea Foam, Aqua, Turquoise, & Teal. Maybe those are shades, but also there's no color that I hate. (too much pink can be overwhelming though)

• TEA - all kinds! I like medicinal herbs especially, & would be SO ecstatic to receive homemade blends.

• I love swimming, the ocean, lakes, rivers, etc. Basically I'm a total Merm & like water imagery.

• Vintage photographs, postcards, ephemera.

• Cooking (vegetarian) & baking sweets.

• X-changing Mail Art is my passion, so decorated envies, pc's, & stationery are a great joy to find in my mailbox.

Some books that I love include Buffalo Gals & other Animal Presences, The fifth Sacred Thing, Pigs in Heaven, Pilgrim at Tinker Creek, Silent Spring, Dance of the Dissident Daughter, Women who Run with the Wolves, Ruby Fruit Jungle, Herbal Rituals, Neither Wolf nor Dog, Ladies First, & the poetry of Pablo Neruda & Rainer Maria Rilke.

As for music, my first love was Punk Rock, artists like The Clash, Bikini Kill, Crass, Patti Smith, Huggy Bear, Rosa, & Madeline Adams. I'm also eclectic, with sounds like Neutral Milk Hotel, Robyn, Cake Bake Betty, Patsy Cline, Cyndi Lauper, Two Gallants, Johnny Cash, & even a little Rihanna at times...

-I'm not opposed to receiving certain religious ephemera, particularly priestess/Goddess, or nature-based matter. Regarding Christianity- I'm ONLY interested in images of The Virgin of Guadalupe, the Black Madonna, or Dia de Los Muertos. Thank you. :)

Please, I am not a fan of nationalism & therefore would rather not receive patriotic propaganda, if possible

-I'm very difficult to offend when it comes to racy/naughty themes. I don't find nudity or sexual references to be obscene, so no worries there.

MOST IMPORTANT: These are simply preferences. However, if it's all you have for the swap, please don't hesitate to send. :)

I'm a compassionate grown-up, and expect my fellow swappers to be as well. I understand if you have to send an item late, just let me know. If you don't get a an item from me, or if there's a problem, PM me 1st and I'll fix it. And... Hopefully once you've gotten my item you'll be so kind as to rate so I don't have to worry. Thanks, let's keep this fun!

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