princesskate

I live in Arizona where the temperature on the mail truck is usually well over 100 degrees (F). Chocolate and other candy makes it just fine in the winter (November - March), but it will be a melted puddle any other time of year!

My favorite colors are green, blue, purple and rich chocolate brown. I love peacocks, and am crazy about anything with peacock feathers on it.

I recently completed yoga teacher training, and although I am not ready to teach yoga, I really like anything related to it!

I love to cook and eat although I have a lot of food allergies so my cooking is a very "creative" process!

My favorite holiday is Christmas, although I celebrate it as a totally secular holiday. I just love the Christmas tree, the cookies, the smell of the holiday, and the presents!

My partner and I have two cats who think they are the most important people in our lives and a not quite so demanding pet turtle. The younger cat keeps me company as I create most of my swap packages.

Things I don't love: cartoons, Disney, hello kitty, kawaii, strong political or religious statements (ok in a discussion with friends, not necessarily what I want in a swap package).

I like anything but opera and country. Well, I am sure you could find something else I don't like, but I have very eclectic taste in music.

Right now I love the Rogue Traders, Il Divo, Apple in Stero, Caravan Palace, the Dandy Warhols, and I am on a big retro kick with everything from the Beatles and Monkees through the 90's in regular rotation on Pandora.

Project Runway, MasterChef (US and Australia - especially Australia), the Block (AU), Love Island, the Great British Baking Show, Take Two, Fixer Upper, Hart of Dixie, the Amazing Race, lots of other reality tv (especially Australian when I can get it!), and plenty of shows that have been canceled years ago but I get to revisit through Netflix.

Knitting, sewing, beading, cross stitch. I am also intent on learning how to do Hawaiian Quilting and trying to decide if I want to jump in to a full quilt or work my way up!

My all time favorite book is the Swiss Family Robinson - I love it so much I have about six copies and one on my smart phone so I am never without a version of it! Aside from that I mostly read non-fiction - I love books about cooking, travel, food, natural science and history.

Round The World Camera Marathon This swap involved one single use camera making it around to everyone on the list to take one photo. It never made it to me. I'm not sure where it was lost, but unfortunately, the person down-stream from me gave me my only one star-rating for this swap. As I don't know where it was lost, I don't feel comfortable identifying the person up-stream from me as a flaker as they might have been flaked on as much as I was.

Handmade Prayer Flags #4 Flaked on by: BlazingMoon & UndeadRedhead

Simple Square Swap #7 Flaked on by: Gogga Angeled by bstitched

Craft a Cookbook for Your Partner! (Extended) Flaked on by: rhebee

Artist choice 5 x 7 inch painting*Sept. Flaked on by: rhebee

I have been in a few swaps lately where people have requested more information on what I might like, so here is my best attempt at a wishlist:

1. I love any supplies for my crafts (listed above). I am especially drawn to natural materials and anything special and unique. If you don't live in the Arizona (where I am currently), remember that something which is commonplace for you might be special or unique to me!

2. I love to travel, anything that would help me to explore a new place from my own sofa would be great - right now I am building a list of places I would love to go in the next few years.

3. I am a passionate cook, any new recipes or cooking implements would be great! I cook without gluten, and rarely cook with animal protein. I also can not have cow dairy (butter, milk, cheese). I know that makes it a little harder to pick out recipes for me, but anything that is gluten free and vegan is usually a pretty good bet! I am not afraid to cook something with dozens of ingredients and many different pots and pans.

4. I have two cats (Lada, age 1 and Elijah, age 14). Lada loves toys (plastic bottle caps and the paper packets from copy paper are some of her favorites despite having dozens of "real" cat toys) and is always racing around with them and then loosing them under the furniture. Elijah like to sleep - mostly under the bed, but occasionally cuddles. He is our grumpy old man and isn't much interested in being indulged! If you want to add a toy for Lada though I know she (and I) would love it.

5. Will add more as I think of it :)