Mar1l1ze

Oct 2016 - It seems that the SA postal gremlins are at it again. Slowing down on swaps as incoming mail into South Africa is being very delayed (not unusual for normal envelope to work through system in 6 weeks and parcels take longer as they pile up at customs). This is obviously affecting ratings to my partners. Outgoing mail is fine and travels quite a bit faster. Finishing up my current swap load and then waiting out the crazy season. If you have sent a swap and haven't been rated - I am waiting for your treasure to land :) I rate pretty much when I get the swap. Do not approach resends without contacting me first please - this is truly a waiting game and only in special circumstances will I be ok with a resend (international post is expensive!).

I have registered for my BCom in Industrial and Organisational Psychology in June 2014 - hoping to finish mid-2017. To tackle an adventure like this in your 30’s is quite daunting, but it’s time for a change :) There is an exam round every 6 months, so there will be periods where I am more active than others to make space for prep.

I pledge get my art on! I am loving mixed media (still) and am exploring layering different elements and textures. Digging deeper into watercolours this year. Want to shake this barrier of 'I'm not an artist 'cause I can't draw' I created for myself. More online art classes! Really sink my teeth into my love for mailart :)

The following is my kinda gig:

• ATC's
• Handmade postcards
• Naked postcards (sent through the mail)
• Inchies, Twinchies, Rinchies etc.
• Mailart envelopes sent nekkid through the mail
• Art journal brag pages ;) Pics are fine
• Technique stuff - let me at it!
• Altered stuff 'n things

• Hello :) My name is Marilize. Quite a tongue twister to say and if I ever have enough courage / stupidity to down a bottle of hard liqour, I'll mess it up too - hahaha. So let's go with Liz. Or Mar. Got called Mar for the first time on SB and I kinda liked it.

• I am fluent in English and Afrikaans (close to Dutch) and can probably swear at you in German (my Dad had colourful language spilling out of the garage as he was tinkering away on the bikes / car / other garage bound activity - lol)

• I am currently a Project Administrator at an Economic Development firm in Cape Town, South Africa. We have our own little house that we tinker with when we have the energy. We are hoping to get the garden sorted out once and for all (we have tried a variety of things).

• I have 3 tattoos. I choose my art and artist with care. It has been a wonderful experience thus far and I am looking forward to a lifetime of captured memories following me through life :)

• We have two rescue dogs that for all ends and purposes are our kids.

• Meet Blue - Blueboy - Handsome furboy. He is a rescue from the SPCA and we got him at 10 months (estimated age). They found him wandering around the streets and we nabbed him immediately when he could go for adoption. We went in looking for a labrador, and came out with a Border Collie x Husky. He is addicted to the ball, has furballs the size of ewoks and talks to me all day long. I love this crazy kid. Here ya go, meet Blue:

Oh hi there

Boop!

• Little Maya Papaya, Princess Fluffbutt, Queen Bee is a Border Collie crossed with an unknown - I strongly suspect a toypom or similar. When that little face popped onto the SPCA adoptions page, my heart was won over. She is SO tiny - she fits under Blue's belly - hahaha. She is smart, fun and cute to boot. We got her at 6 months and these two are a handful, but close as peas in a pod.

Hi there!

Playing tug of war - there is equal winning and no nastiness.

• My crafting has developed over the years but my heart still lies with paper. I love playing around with art techniques and mixed media. I fluff around in my art journal whenever I can. Altered things are lovely. Handmade and I have come a long way and will do so for years to come. I have even had a market stall for almost 2 years - an interesting learning curve.

• I have not done any formal art classes, but love attending virtual classes on techniques.

• We are non-smokers and hubs is highly allergic to cat hair. If your swap has cat hair on it (and I mean swimming) please let me know via PM so that I don't open it around him. Or put a note on the parcel. I do like to brag with my loot, but sending the love of my life into a serious asthma attack is not really on my "To Do" list. Thank you for understanding.

• My curiosity introduced me to the world. I have a seen and heard a lot, so I am very open minded. Please do not err on the side of caution with your creativity. Knock my socks off with the artist in you. Well made, from the heart items will always make me smile. I can appreciate both the lighter, cute side of life and the darker, more serious side. Moods are like the seasons after all. There's a time and place for every one.

• I grew up in a small town (Walvis Bay, Namibia) and upon moving to the city, found my personality finally form and blossom. I laugh out loud with gusto, love my curves, love good food, love having a chilled evening with friends, go for amazing walks in the forests around the city with the fluffs and have a nerdy streak leaning towards the scifi and urban fantasy arenas. I appreciate growing older and have found that thus far my 30’s are more fun than my 20’s were. I embrace my ‘fine lines’ and think make-up is a fun toy, but by no means necessary to face the world. I lean more towards the ‘Dove’ definition of womanhood than Cosmo's 15-ways-you're-doing-it-wrong-AGAIN - blergh.

• BOOKS

I am always reading something, hopping from one book to the next. I’m into a good story more than specific writers, but off course, we all have our favourites ;)

Epic stories (Stephen King's Gunslinger), some crazy fantasy (Gaiman and Mieville) and airplane fodder (Jodi Picoult) always get my attention. My favourite book of all time has been read at least 7 times so far. It's a dramatic and sizable read and every time I tackle it I find something new to appreciate. It's 'Fall on your knees' by Ann Marie MacDonald. Not for the faint hearted. I got it from someone's bookshelf they were throwing out - books and all. I swapped it and 4 other books for a bottle of Coke. The rest of the books has flown into the world to become someone else's favs. 'Fall' found a place in my heart and home - we'll grow up and old together. The covers are tattered and the pages are all well pawed-at. This book has my heart :)

Fairytales are just fantastic. I prefer ferocious and naughty Fae over Tinkerbell any day. The Grimm Bros knew how to tell a story and I am hoping to expand my reading into other dark fairytale writers. Please suggest some for me to sink my teeth into.

BTW - we have 6 fully stuffed bookshelves in our house and making space for more. All read by either one or the other. With all this treasure, we feel like pirates hoarding the loot...Highly flamable loot - hahaha. We also have a bookshelf for rotating books - the ones you read and then release back into the world. I love second-hand books and have volunteered in 2 organisations helping them sort through the piles of donations. We love the cycle of buying and donating and will keep doing it for the rest of our lives.

• SMALL SCREEN BIG SCREEN

Okay, I'm a total addict for movies and TV. Netflix launched in SA recently - it changed my life! So here I can spend talking for DAYS. Again, It all boils down to stories I guess. Tell a good story and I'm in there. Or something with an awesome twisty twist. A good ol' popcorn flick is best watched at the cinema and a tearjerker at home. Under the blankies and with a giggling hubby in the background. Oh, and scary flicks. LOVE them. Not the slasher porn stuff (I mean c'mon, Saw-series was a mess!), but the stuff that makes your skin crawl, because what if it's true... dumdumdum. Like Paranormal Activity, Blair Witch Project or 1408. Ooh - American Horror's got me all kinds of skirrid. I love how good TV is these days - we are really spoiled for choice. I'm a GOT'er, Penny Dreadful makes me swoon, The Winchester brothers should come save me for their own best interest ;)

Some good 90's stuff like Idle Hands, Empire Records, Mall Rats etc. It cements my youth.

Romances that will stand the test of time like Time Traveller's Wife, Love Actually, The Notebook etc.

MUSICALS! Oh yes. I'm a fan. Sorry for screaming in your ear, I'll reign it in a tad. Chicago above all, and yet to see Wicked, but know it'll be a favourite. Madame Butterfly made me cry my eyes out - and the only Opera I’ll watch.

Very much into Indie, Asian Cinema, B-grade stuff. C'mon, test me to see if I've seen it :)

I'll give everything a shot and have probably been exposed to most of 'em. Even the most obscure things.

A list of all the things I discovered while playing around on the 'Bot and my craftroom:

• I like to collage different textures together.I fell in love with Mixed Media after being introduced to it on Swap Bot by some amazing artists in our midst. You guys inspire me and I will openly stalk you on social media.

• I do not do drama and gossip. I would rather go make something with my craft toys. I love to participate in groups and will get back into hosting once I find my swapping rhythm again - and time! Eish!

• I like vintage. Really like it. Who would've guessed? Even the 're-created vintage' look does it for me.

• I have met some amazing people through Swap Bot and I can safely say that if I ever have the opportunity to travel to the States, I will need at least a month just to give out hugs of appreciation. I love meeting people from around the world - tell me about your hood!

• I love doing private swaps. I prefer 'make me' over 'buy me' swaps any day.

• I'm not naturally gifted with creating from scratch (like say someone that can draw / paint) but I'm having a lot of fun with putting different elements and techniques together.

I heart for good swaps, not extras. Extras are always appreciated, but I love the effort that goes into a good swap much more :)

Respect the send-by date. I am getting rather irritated with the dismissal of the send-by dates by good swappers. I hand out deserved 3's guilt-free. If you are more than 3 days late on your swap, let me know beforehand with a really good reason please. Respect me as your partner in this regard and I shall do the same. As a permanent international I wait a long time for my swaps and I postbox hover in anticipation - please do not spoil it for me.

My profile is a work in progress and I fiddle with it often. If we are partnered for profile specific swaps, don't let this freak you out. If you saw something here and you added that and now it's gone, it will not make a difference in the rating. We both know what was on here and I will not go all crazy lady on you :)

I am not a flaker - if the item I owe you has gone AWOL, please contact me first.I allow a minimum of 4 weeks for things to reach me or my swaps to reach you. Then we start stalking our mailpersons. If nothing rocks up at the '6 weeks' mark, we resend. Simple :)

Things that make my heart happy:

Colours:

• Although blue and green draw me in quicker, I appreciate all the colours. Orange and I are working on our relationship - it’s a rocky road, but we’re getting there.
• Any dirty pastels. Think dusty brownish rose more than baby pink. Like someone took the pastel and got it all mucky.
• Pastels over brights any day. Neon makes my head hurt...

"Look / feel":

• Whimsical
• Dark
• Vintage
• Humorous / Sarcastic
• Nerdy
• Unique / different
• Mail art

Make me LOL - I have quite a loud and infectious laugh. Feel free to set it free. My DH will appreciate it. Show me to that place online that has you in stitches. Tell me a joke. All of this is cheaper than therapy :)

Insightful stuff - make my brain earn it's keep. Teach me something. Anything :)

Rats! I love 'em. Creepy or cute. If it has a rat on it, it'll go to my ever expanding rat shrine corner in my craft room. My hubby and I have had the pleasure of 6 ratties that climbed into our hearts over the years, but that is an adventure we have put to bed. They are lovely pets and all 6 had unique personalities - we miss them dearly, our sweet little girls.

Border Collies. Never thought I would be a Collie kinda gal, but whadya know - I love my two furbabes and can always do with more Collie stuff :) You know, I'm a dog person. So really, any doggie thing is welcome. Cats are probably cool, with an allergic Dad and hubby, they just never really featured in my life. Except for Simon's Cat. That one is cool :)

Woodland critters like owls, squirrels, hedgehogs, foxes. If I could live in a cottage in a forest I would be in heaven.

Trees or related themes like leaves, forests etc.I love the concept of wisdom and in nature a big ol' tree represents that for me. I love the texture of the forest (bark, leaves, needles) and find a walk in the forest calms my senses like nothing else can.

Spring and Autumn over Summer and Winter. I love the in-between colours and feel of the seasons.

Handmade with love and care... Unique. One of a kind. Your time and effort. Appreciation overflow.

Acrylic / cling rubber stamps. Used and destash ones are absolutely fine. If you wanna set up a private swap to trade from our stashes, let me know. Stamped images on white paper/card that I can use in my collague work will be much appreciated. Inkadinkado, Graphic 45 and Lawn Fawn = swoon! Update When I visit America (see how I slipped in the when and not a stupid if) I shall bring back a container of these. A container of acrylic stamps - that is my US souvenir stash ;) And peanut butter cups - hahaha.

Used postage stamps I love the stuff. I don't mind what the condition is - I am not a collector. I use 'em in my crafting, so will prob find something to do with them.

Butterflies Who knew? I like them pretty winged creatures. Took a whole Swap Bot to make me realise that - hahaha.

Ephemera Yeah - titbits of yesteryear. I use it in my art journals and other crafting things. I prefer vintage, but have used modern in weird places ;)

Sentiment stickers / diecuts. Words, phrases, etc. Great way to round off a mixed media bit.

I don't take offence easily so please set your creativity free :)

I love this man! and I'm with him on the stuff as below

Overly religious material of any kind, unless I'm in a swap that calls for it. I respect everyone's religions, but there might be someone else who will appreciate it more than I will. Please pass it along to them instead.

Not really into country - music or theme. There is someone else out there that'll just jig with pleasure, so send forth to them instead.

I love whimsical cute and am not really into Kawaii cute. A cute face every now and then is great, but if you have a choice, rather give them to someone who is Kawaii crazy :)

Just mentioning the cat hair thingie again. PM me if your swap is potentially swimming in cat hair so that I don't open it around hubs. He's got serious allergies. Thanks for understanding.

Things that were slapped together / dirty / broken etc - anything with a min-effort-for-max-reward attitude behind it. I send what I am proud of and really do appreciate it in return. Please do not send something you would not want to receive in return.

Please package your swap well. It travels all the way to Cape Town, South Africa. It will be going through a load of hands and machines - not all of them gentle and kind. I don't mind cutting through a roll of tape to get to your piece of art. Oh - also please put on the swap "NO BENDING" - as much as I love our mailmen, they do tend to get creative.

FLAKERS

Jip - there it is. The dreaded flaker list. I have this up to thank my angels publicly for having such huge hearts.

SWAPS:

• Flaker = @Laurenbujo - K...is for Kinky swap Angeled by @VivaLaDiane (who blew my socks off - teehee)

• Flaker = @scrapcowando - Trying ATC's series # 2 - ♥ Love ♥ Angeled by @Juju (who is a zentangle master!)

• Flaker = @Chicklit - QUICX-mas 50 stamps swap #64 Angeled @Rhynah sent me the most fantastic selection of stamps.

• Flaker = @mostenson - Mail Art #2: Clocks. She hosted as well :( Angeled @mizvicky who made such an amazing little piece of mailart amazingness :)

• Flaker = @CraftiNana - WIYM: Just the Letter ATC Series, Letter B Angeled @blueapplegallery was the host and sent me some great ATCs :)

TAGS:

@MommytheMaid for the following tags in Creative Correspondence group:

• "1/5 ain't bad" game - Woodland creatures diecuts. Not angeled yet

• "Something to make you smile" game - cupcake anything Angeled by @nasreen Holy moly!

A little spot where I keep track of my non-rated obligations (like group games) and stuff like that: