LaughingLoon

Returning to this site after a multi year absence to deal with the pandemic, injuries, surgeries and life. Grateful to still be around, and to recognize the names of swappers from Wayback When. Time and health challenges have given me perspective. Not patience, just perspective. I loved the book Little Women as a child. When Beth was ill she amused herself by making little things and dropping them out of the window for passersby and local school children to discover. Now that I can’t drive due to an unrepairable leg injury, this is my equivalent. Thank you for letting me share.

Recovering hoarder, working on destashing a shop’s worth of papercrafting supplies, ribbon and fabric. Know anyone who works in stained glass? I have a full closet of bevels I would love to share.

Disabled with a chronic pain condition about 15 years ago - early retirement gave me time to focus on stained glass and fused glass art and other projects as my situation allows.

Proud parent of 3 grown children with 1 on the autism spectrum; 3 grandkids ages 8, 13 and 16 - they and their parents agreed to move in to ‘help the old people. I am the old people.

Housemom to a 10 player Dungeons and Dragons weekly game preceded by dinner which my son and I prepare. Also feeding the parade of friends who stop by daily.

I spend summers ‘off -the grid’ in a small cabin on a lake in the mountainous northern corner of Vermont. No road, no electricity, no high-speed Internet. In the mornings when I go down to check my veggie garden, it’s not unusual for me to shoo away deer. I don’t shoo the bear; woods rules.

About those grandkids: Daniel, 16 - Miami Dolphins; football; video games; plays in local basketball league; girls notice him (he does not mind) so any guy grooming stuff. T shirt adult XL New glasses and braces.

Hailey, 13 - Spiderman; Sabrina Carpenter; crafts; all things pink; baking. T adult M. Also new glasses.

Maddie, 8 - playdoh, mermaids; Taylor Swift; squishmallows; unicorns; girly hair items. T shirt child 10.

Hoping swapping will give me more chances to create and reduce the supplies - were I immortal there would still be plenty remaining!

Likes - favorite color is green but I also like jewel tones and brights. Strong preference for handmade items - Still using wonderful things made by swappers years ago. Baking gadgets. Hand sewn totes; vintage hankies. Love Jane Austen novels and PD James mysteries; Harry Potter; Peanuts characters;; classic Winnie the Pooh; Mr. Rogers and his simple philosophy of the power of kindness; old movies.

Dislikes - smoke-scented items (family member allergies); political themed items (please let’s all be kind to one another!); raunch (enjoy, just not my thing). Don’t need more stickers.

Know a quilter? I have fabric to share!

If you made it, I’ll love it - your time is a gift.

I work in stained glass and kiln fused glass. I sew simple things and recycle clothes into bags. I make cards and paper crafts. I love to bake (check out King Arthur Baking’s recipe site) and cook. I am a beginning weaver. I felt (my spouse says if the 16th century returns we are all set) but my animals still look like road kill. I used to bead, now do so rarely. I make natural products for colds, skin products (in olden times called ‘simples’). - see 16th century compliment, above. I am (slowly) learning to play the harp. I am all thumbs. I cannot knit or crochet. Took a class and they refunded my money!

My over-the-moon, love-you-forever gifts would be anything with the phrases “the best is yet to come” - Especially on a fork or incorporating a fork. It was my late mother in law’s favorite phrase. Same for the phrase “in a world where you can be anything - be kind” or any Mr Rogers’ quote about kindness. That is in honor of my parents. Vinyl cutouts for walls with these phrases; stamped images; stamps - anything with them!

‘Happy birthday stickers, die cuts or stamped images (I make a jot of birthday cards) Handmade items of any kind Knitted or crocheted washcloths Old sheet music and lyrics Travel sized items and samples ATCs with/about literary characters (including Pooh’s family) Peanuts; Beatrix Potter; Harry Potter; Flower Fairies and anyone from old books Herbal tea (no mint or chamomile, please) and cocoa Autism themed items (not Autism Speaks, please) Mechanical pencils (constantly losing mine) Notebooks - I incorporate them into repurposed old books Short (no-show) socks Charms and metal accents for cards - especially with “hope” Fortunes from cookies Tiny seed beads in transparent colors

I am hoping to give more than I receive, so prayers and poems are my favorite extras rather than “stuff” - all belief systems are welcome.

Please share with others, and not with me: - short pieces of washi tape or ribbon. I have so much! - Odd Envelopes, but handmade is welcome - ephemera - again, overloaded -scraps of paper or fabric

I love chocolate but remember it’s hot in Florida! Don’t send it between May and October (hot cocoa is always welcome, as is herbal tea)

Throwing this into the universe: My son has recently earned his Masters Degree in screen writing . He has just completed a play about the pandemic - with songs, no less, He has a second play in the works about life on the autism spectrum (he is an Aspie). If anyone knows someone who would like to read his with an eye to staging it (for a local theater or a school) that would be incredible!