lttleetoile

November 5, 2024 I’ve moved back to Virginia!! Home sweet home! And though I might not be quite in the blast zone (if for some reason the very worst come to pass), I’m close enough to the city to die of my injuries within a day. (Address in my profile has been updated!)

Tons to do at my new house, my new yard/garden, and my newly re-traumatized brain (moving is a big trigger for my Complex PTSD, and it’ll take some time to settle).

That’s all for now, I am currently attempting to like Christmas this year by decorating a slew of trees. We’ll see how that goes!

October 27, 2023
Back again! I'm mostly here to support my friend in her Lewiston RAK request (see the forums), but also looking for "something" I'd enjoy doing - my postcards? ATCs? what new things are being swapped?

My interest level in anything is in the negative, and I am terrified of the coming months of holidays, husband taking business trips, family visits, and more. It takes me quite awhile to recover from something as my mother-in-law visiting for the weekend, and fears of the future stresses make me shut down. Maybe something fun for the sake of fun is just what I need - probably in small doses to start, so I hope you will not fault me as I take it slow.

I think I also have some updating of this profile to do, but all in good time.

A clarification regarding holidays: it’s okay to send holiday items if it is specifically a holiday swap. Otherwise, please no holiday items, seasonal ones are greatly preferred!

June 2, 2023

I am still alive! I am checking in hopes that someday or even someday soon, I will want to swap again - and wanted to explain my continued absence so I don't get flagged.

I have been unable to function or find interest in anything - including reading, swapping, art, friends, leaving the house and more. I have Complex PTSD from the continued emotional and psychological abuse and neglect I endured throughout my childhood.

As described below, I was finally diagnosed correctly in 2018, and I began to understand I do not have clinical depression and anxiety; I am depressed, anxious, etc, because these are symptoms of C-PTSD. Unfortunately, healing myself is just that, only something I can do, which I am having extremely difficulty in doing.

But, I actually signed on today to look at what some of the swaps are "about" - their subjects, themes, etc. Since I have problems with interests - I thought I might find ideas or inspiration from the swap prompts. My doctor wants me to use art therapy as much as possible and I have written a few poems. And my brain is telling me it wants to "art."

So we will see what happens next.

December 21, 2018

NOTE: I am taking a break from intense swapping starting in January of 2019. I am really feeling “behind” in life, and need to refocus my priorities and spend more time on myself. I will join a few swaps here and there, but I'm not sure how active I will be in the future. I love Swap-Bot, but I need to keep my stress levels low so that I can take care of the most important thing in my life: myself!

October 29, 2018

My name is Erin. I am in my mid-thirties. I was previously very active on Swap-Bot, from 2011-2014, swapping ATCs, postcards, art and stationery supplies, fabric, and more. I hosted several PC and ATC swaps. When my husband, my two cats, and I moved to Florida in late 2013 (where we grew up) from Virginia/Washington DC, the depression and other mental illnesses I’d managed most of my life flared out of control.

Though I tried to occupy myself with buying a house and making it a home, I completely lost all creativity, as well as interest in anything (including swapping). My illness only worsened and grew more complicated through the years, and despite trying many doctors, therapies, and medications, nothing even took the edge off.

In May 2018, I finally found a duo of doctors that have the skills to help me progress towards happiness, peace, and renewed creativity! The talk-therapy sessions are longer than usual, extremely intense, and completely exhausting. But I am already seeing results: I am slowly trying to begin swapping again - both for the human connection as well as the art (my doctors are absolutely thrilled). I have not actually created anything yet, and that is frustrating, but the ideas keep coming, so I will keep trying.

Until this ordeal, I had been “creating” my entire life. I’ve written poetry, created 2-D art in a variety of mediums (including Zentangle), taken thousands of photographs (before phones had cameras), and experimented with a variety of 3-D crafts in paper and other mediums. My favorite was/is mixed media and collage, including ATCs, inchies, twinchies, paint chip bookmarks, albums/books, home decor, and more. In 2012-13, I started sewing and quilting all by hand, finishing many fabric projects, small bags, wall hangings and a completely handmade baby quilt. I love to do things with my hands without thinking - even during my illness, I made over a thousand origami paper cranes, hundreds of lucky stars, and even the favor envelopes for my brother’s wedding.

Right now, I am open to returning to any of those arts, and trying some new ones! My doctors have suggested that I focus less on verbal art and art that makes a statement, and more on non-verbal art done for fun. Finger painting and Play Doh or clay anything were suggested. Have any other ideas? Send it to me!

I also used to furiously swap postcards for my collection, numbering in the thousands (half blank/half written?). I was/am working on a collection of USA postcards with different state symbols, like the state bird, flag, map, flower, and picture of the state capital building. I hope soon to inventory my collection so I can post specific requests to continue this goal. I also want to create a similar world collection.

Current preferences: touristy (especially any that would fit into my state or world collections), as well as: any style art, from museums you’ve visited, sports/stadiums, funny and/or cute, nature/flowers, animals, vintage linen postcards, and any of my other favorites listed.

Please send PCs naked (written on/stamped), with the date, your location, swap name, and at least your username. I really prefer 4” x 6” size postcards. Please DO NOT send any of my dislikes or ad/free cards. Unless it’s really unique or would fit in my state postcard collection, please no Florida PCs - I have at least a thousand already!

• Mental health & PTSD Awareness - bust the stigma!
• Colors: all really, but definitely all purples and all blues; also bright pink, red, silver, gold, green, teal/turquoise, black & white, sparkle and shine
• Nature (flowers, butterflies, ladybugs, animals, trees, fruit, everything except non-cutesy birds).
• Cats, kittens, baby animals, almost all animals, except those listed in "dislikes".
• Hexagons - any (In decor, design, to color...)
• The theme of time and symbols representing it: clocks, hourglasses, sundials, even just the numbers
• Angels, fairies, mermaids, dragons, and other mythical creatures; animated or otherwise.
• Cuteness - unicorns, cupcakes, rainbows, kitty cats, other (or any combination thereof).
• Disney (especially the princesses, female villains, and Alice in Wonderland); Jem and the Holograms, Rainbow Bright, the Care Bears, and other late 80s-early 90’s themes
• Whitney Avalon, the creator of “Princess Rap Battles” and other comedic music on YouTube. Her videos and songs are definitely NOT safe for work - but if you love profanity and extremely inappropriate vocabulary, you'll love her! (I actually am one of her "Patreons", and pledge a small dollar amount towards all of her creations.)
• History (Bachelor's degree/New College of Florida) - specifically modern European, WWII and the Holocaust, women's history, the French Revolution, etc.
• Museum Studies (Master's degree/Johns Hopkins) - I'm interested in learning about the museums in YOUR area, large and small. What was your favorite or most notable part of your visit?
• Simulation fantasy electronic games which sounds really silly being listed right after my academic interests. But oh well. I like games that have an in-game time mechanism: Animal Crossing (ACCF, -NL, -PC), Harvest Moon, Story of Seasons, Stardew Valley, The Sims 3 and 4, and the phone game Dragonvale (I need friends! PM me!)
• My reading preferences currently are young adult fantasy fiction, preferably with princesses, history, ships and sea travel, fairy tales (original or reimagined), or any combination of, happy ending required. (goodreads link above)

• Things or words that are religious, political, or discriminatory in any way. Even things that might be construed as such. If in doubt, don't.
• Holiday or birthday items, especially no Christmas. (Seasonal stuff is okay.)
• Gruesome, scary, horror, or gory. Goth, dark, etc is okay.
• Traveling items or bags: anything I have to send to someone else - except for swap specific.
• Anything with smells, dyes, artificial flavors, etc.
• Items that spread glitter everywhere (glitter itself and items that do not shed at all are okay).
• Most current cultural, animated, or TV characters (except described above).
• Bicycles, birds that are not super-cute, spiders, guns, horses (unicorns preferred).

• Stamped Images: I usually prefer them in black ink on white card stock, but am open to creative mixed color/paper combinations! Please leave blank space around the image (not cut out around the image/not “fussy-cut”)! Any subject is fine, except please no holiday or seasonal!
• ATC kits (or other craft kits, for anything) - send a few backgrounds, coordinating embellishments, and other supplies/elements
• Rubber or cling stamps
• Washi tape
• Stickers, especially the “vintage” Lisa Frank, Sandylion, and Mrs. Grossman
• Embellishments, ephemera, diecuts, punches
• Precut ATC, Inchie, Twinchie backgrounds/blanks
• Embroidery thread, string, elastic, etc, for making friendship and other bracelets and necklaces (just starting this)
• Unique beads, about the same size of a pony bead, any of the little alphabet beads
• Return address labels for me
• Notepads, swap cards, small notebooks (handmade okay!)
• Bookmarks - without tassels, ribbon, string/etc
• Old trivia game cards (my husband and I love to quiz each other)
• Print-outs, old Valentines, or similar, that I can use to write love notes to my husband.
• Things featuring the letter E... being my first initial, as well as that of my toddler made-of-magic niece.
• Surprises! Anything sent with me in mind and/or will make my day!

• I urge you to send properly-sized sturdy envelopes secured with lots of tape (especially if it's international), as well as the correct postage!
• Please make sure to rate my swap when you receive it. I always rate within a day of receiving. If you don't receive a swap from me, please message me! I will be more than happy to make things right! If I don't receive a swap from you, I will contact you. If I don't hear from you, I will rate you accordingly.
• Please do not send me anything you would not be happy to receive and don't forget to include your user name and the swap name in or on the swap.