PeNeLoPe

I am a SAHM; since the kids are all at school, I find myself with quite a bit of spare time, so had to fill those hours with something other than housework.

We live in the West Midlands of England, close to the Welsh border.

We have quite a few pets: a dog (a 6 months old pedigree border collie called Cooper), two cats (Stella and Becks), a tropical fish tank, a gecko, a hamster and I am sure that the list will grow as we all love animals. As predicted, theres a couple of new additions to the household.. my baby axolotl Nepumuk (he is just adorable) and a tiny african frog called Kermit and i almost forgot about the apple snail Pugwash... loads of babies growing up around here now :)

I am quite shy, so find making friends hard. I love chatting on craft forums though and enjoy trying out new crafts. I am hoping to meet many new people here, who share my love of crafts and other interests.

I love to craft and over the years, I have tried many different things. I used to cross stitch a lot, but have not really done that in quite a few years.

I always have and still really enjoy making cards. My family have gotten used to me not buying cards ever, but making them myself for any and all occasions.

I also love to scrapbook, I mainly do digital scrapping now but I still have a huge amount of stash I stroke and play with regularly. I really enjoy making little brag books and have been trying to keep up with the Mini A Month challenge. I have been keeping albums for the kids, our wedding, our animals and holidays.

I have a silhouette and love to make new patterns and die cuts with it.

I like to use rubber stamps/acrylic stamps/clings (well any kind of stamps really) when I am making cards or when I am scrapbooking.

I like to alter things too. I find it fascinating how I can utilize a cardboard box for a pretty storage container, or turn a little tin into a tiny little scrapbook album. My daughter loves her altered trainers :)

I am also very fond of crochet.. especially since I have discovered amigurumis. I'm still working on a throw for our bed, but I keep changing my mind about the colour scheme.

I love to see family use crafts I made for presents, I recently made everyone shopping bags out of spare fabric, and it is so nice to see those items being used.

I also bake a lot... cupcakes and muffins are the in thing at our house at the moment, but I also love to make "proper" cakes. Though, the cute muffin cases and yummy toppings you can buy are just too tempting.

My husband bought me an android ereader for christmas and it has become one of my favourite toys. I am in the process of loading all of my paper books onto it, then sending the "real" books to the charity shop. It is saving so much space and I can read at night without disturbing my husband. I was a bit skeptic at first, but soon got to fall in love with it. I love reading all sorts of genres, from autobiographies to novels, its all there. I like funny books, serious books and factual books. I really could not choose a firm favourite author, i read them all from H.C. Andersen to H. Zimmern. I adore kiddy books, my favourite is Alice In Wonderland.. or maybe its the chronicles of narnia.. no wait, paddington bear has my heart.. or rather winnie the pooh. I also love all the new children's/young adults books that are coming out. Luckily i have a good excuse to read them all, as i need to sample what my children are reading :) We are all Harry Potter fans, i love the septimus heap series and of course the other classics, such as Lord Of The rings and the hobbit. Trudy Canavan and Cat Patrick are two other favourite authors of mine, along with Neil Gaiman and Tamora Pierce. I also love reading Stephen King and Dean Koontz. The discworld series also features as a favourite in our house. I could go on and on for ever listing all the kind of books and literature i enjoy.

I like to listen to music, I am not very particular and will listen to anything from pop to rock. If I can sing along to it or dance around the room, even better.

I don't watch much TV, though I love some of the american series like army wives, vampire diaries, true blood and cold case. Again, my choices are rather haphazard and there is no real rhyme or reason to my liking a show or movie. I can quite happily get into a disney film and at the same time appreciate something like "An inconvenient truth".

This is just a list of things i like, not things i expect to get!! its there to give my partners ideas.

Craft related:

anything I can use for my cards/scrapbooks

ribbons and fibres

stickers (but not the kiddy reward ones please)

rubber stamps/clear stamps/clings/unmounted stamps, in fact, any kind of stamp

embossing powders

ink pads

anything I could alter, such as notebooks, small boxes, tins and so on

buttons, eyelets, brads

fabric/paper/chipboard flowers

patterned papers (I can even make use of your scraps :) )

anything cupcake/baking related such as muffin cases, decorations, recipe cards, small moulds

fabric scraps

pretty, decorative napkins and tissues

Other things I like:

Photos!!! i love to see the world! i am working on a photo wall, so ill be needing a lot of photos :) places you visit, a pretty flower, a funny animal, interesting road signs.. the only ones i dont tend to use are those with people in them, other than that, there is no limit

scented candles (though prefer foody type smells, vanilla, cinnamon, apple, berries etc please)

lipglosses

funky socks (im a UK size 5)/scarves/bandanas

keyrings

small magnets

letter sets

notebooks

cute pens

little trinkets and treasures

anything handmade with love

I like coffee and tea (my husband is taking an interest in all things green tea, so those i wouldl pass on to him)

postcards

I like all colours, though I tend to prefer bolder/more vibrant colours over muted/pastel ones

puppy toys

sweets/chocolate/candy

pon and zi

hello kitty, especially the gothy one :)

dark dudes

kawaii

anything bento

totes, purses, bags

Things I would LOVE to receive:

some cute crochet stitch counters

handmade bracelets

an organiser for my crochet hooks

patterned papers for my cards/scrapbooks

rubber stamps

amigurumis or anything handmade

altered blank journals/calendars

reusable shopping bags from other countries

i'm intrigued by all the fbs/slam swaps.. i would love to join in some of those, but have not a first idea on what they actually are.. so if you would like to show me, thatd be great

i LOVE christmas and the advent period.. we decorate the whole house inside and out. I love snowflakes, snowglobes, snowmen, stars, ornaments for the house and the trees.. yup we have at least 2 trees :) told you i LOVE christmas.. stickers, papers, gingerbreadmen, ribbon i just adore anything and everything christmas. I love making the kids and my husband's advent calendars each year and i send out lots of mail at christmas time. I enjoy wrapping and giving presents (and also receiving them). I bake a lot during advent...

Things I don't like:

There really arent many things I would not want to receive.. anything rose/lavender/too flowery smelly If I should find something I really couldn't make use of, I would probably reswap it...

People who cant even take the time to post a simple "thanks" in response to a swap packet

I try hard to make a nice swap for you, wherever possible i will try and read your profile and (at least) make sure that i don't send you something that is listed in your Dislikes. I know that i won't be able to please everybody, all of the time, but that's what i am aiming for :)

I send all packages out 1st class Royal Mail (airmail where appropriate) but sometimes Bank Holidays, weekends or just late pick ups, mean that the packages might be delayed. If you haven't received something in a timely manner, I will usually get in touch with you myself, or please, do send me a pm so that we can sort things out :)

I like to take time when i am making something for others, i may not send my swap EARLY, so, if you see that tomorrow is due date and i have not sent yet, it doesnt mean that i am going to flake on you, it just means that i am still putting some finishing touches on.

If i should be late, i will always contact you and let you know. I am old enough to know that some times, life throws something unexpected at you, but i believe, that i should at least try and let you know. Likewise, if you are going to be late, its no big deal, just let me know :)

I usually put a photo of my swaps in my picasa album. So, if you want to have a sneaky peek at your package, and its marked as sent, chances are, you will find a photo there.

I rate on the day i receive the package. If i feel that you have spent time reading my profile and making my swap, i will give a heart, regardless of extras or not :)

I get all excited checking for ratings, so i would really like to read what your thoughts were on my swap. I wont always include extras, as i sometimes rather spend a bit more on materials and the actual swap than throwing in some random bits and pieces that you may end up not enjoying. I love to angel, so, if you have a list of flaked swaps on your profile, chances are that i will include something to make up for one of those.

People who flaked on me:

@scrappinjenn40 (partially suspended) for MiniMail swap (http://www.swap-bot.com/swap/show/86742}

@quiltknit abcd catch up

@CandyLover for Recipe Slambook (http://www.swap-bot.com/swap/show/90312)

@ncbabe for Recipe Card Scavengerhunt #5 http://www.swap-bot.com/swap/show/88338

@craftymom2 Recipe Card Scavengerhunt #7

People who did not rate me:

@trippy Recipe Scavengerhunt #6

@quiltknit abcd catch up