milamilamura

Hey there! I’m Camila, from beautiful Santiago, Chile. I’m a freelance translator and simultaneous interpreter. I work mostly as an interpreter and I love it, I get to meet so many different and interesting people and I basically get payed to learn something new, isn’t that awesome? Well, it’s exhausting too, but I wouldn’t change it for the world! I’m not a big fan of translating though, but I do enjoy working from home every once in a while…in my PJ's.

I’m also a blogger and a shopaholic, so my blog is mostly about hauls, tips, DIY, beauty and anything else I’m interested in, which can be a lot. I’m also interested in languages, I’ve been studying French since like forever and I’d love to know about you and your culture, as well as any words and phrases in your language.

I'm a crazy cat lady, I have three beautiful cats: Chofi (the mom, a caliby), and her children Kate & William (black shorthair / orange white long hair tabby). They are the sweetest things in the whole world!

I love getting my craft on and thanks to Swap-bot I’ve been able to learn so many different techniques and meet such wonderful people! I love creating mail art, flipbooks, pocket letters, anything that I can pop in the mail. I also love working on personal DIY projects and I have more hobbies than I can think of. I believe a lifetime won't be enough for me to do all the things I want to do, the places I want to visit, the tv shows I want to watch, the books I want to read and the things I want to learn and try. But I do my best and I always keep myself busy.

Important note: Mail to and from Chile can take several weeks. I sometimes receive my mail after 2-3 weeks, but 8 weeks is also normal, so I always wait at least two months before considering anything as lost. And even though the Chilean postal system is not the fastest or the most reliable, my incoming mail is very reliable (lucky me!). I use registered mail for my outgoing mail, so if you're waiting for one of my swaps, just contact me and I can share the tracking number with you. I have an app on my phone called TrackChecker and I get daily updates with the status of my outgoing mail, that way I make sure everything arrives safely, but if for some reason it doesn't, I'm always happy to resend :)

• Craft supplies: I love working with paper and I’m happy with anything I can use on my DIY projects. I love scrapbooking, smash journaling, making cards, flipbooks, pocket letters, mail art, shaker cards, notebooks, etc. So I’m always happy to receive papers, stickers, ephemera, die cuts, ribbons, trims, wax beads and seals, embellishments, sequins, glitter, washi tape, ink pads, stamps (cling on or rubber), tags, even glue. I do embossing and have a Fuse Tool, so I’m always happy to get new accessories to play with these tools. I also love watercolors, brush pens and embroidery. And I love handmade things, so it would make me really happy to receive something handmade by you, or any other artist.

• Hot drinks: I’m a tea lover, I have several cups of tea a day. My favorite is black tea, but I’m also happy with green or herbal tea (rooibos or white tea as well). My favorite flavors are chai, caramel, peach, blueberry, maple, pumpkin, I like almost anything. Dislikes: Herbal tea with hibiscus or rosehip (any tea that will turn red), tea with sugar or sweeteners (for lattes that's ok). I have been starting to like coffee, mostly flavored and I of course love hot chocolate! I also like matcha, iced teas and loose leaf tea as well (factory sealed).

• Food: I’m a vegetarian, so I’m happy with edible goodies as long as they have no meat or gelatin. I can have eggs, dairy and honey though. I love candy, chocolate (dark/milk/filled) and savory snacks (sweet too!). My favorite flavors are peanut butter, maple, salted caramel, pumpkin spice, mint, marzipan, cinnamon, yum! Oh and I love love love Dandies (vegan marshmallow) and vegetarian gummies!I Both are hard to find here. I love most flavors except for liquorice and I’m not a big fan of raisins, I love other dried fruits though. I love to bake and sometimes I cook too (my mom is the greatest chef I know) so I’m always happy to receive new recipes and spices, love them!

• Postcards: I don’t collect postcards, but I really like them. I prefer illustrated postcards, but I’m also happy with touristy, commercial, animals, funny, weird, offensive, love them all!! And specially love when they're written! If you ever join a swap where the requirements say the postcard should be unwritten, please feel free to write on it (if you want to of course). I like them so much better that way and I of course won't rate you down for doing so :D

• Party Planning: I celebrate pretty much anything, and I absolutely love party planning. I think if I wasn’t an interpreter I’d be working as a party planner, or an interior designer, I’m super passionate about both things, so that means I’m always happy to throw a party and decorate my house. I’m always thinking about the next upcoming event and love the fact that my family jumps on board right away. I'm great with decorating, my mom is an awesome cook and my sister loves to help her. And my brother and dad, well…they love to eat, so we make a pretty good team. I'm always happy to receive cute paper napkins, paper straws, place cards, balloons, party invites, gift bags (for party favors), party decor, you get the idea. All items and themes are welcomed, Halloween, Christmas, Spring, Summer, Winter, Fall, Classic, Vintage, Tea Party, Picnic....anything really!

• Favorite themes: Cats, animals, galaxy, unicorns, mermaids, geometric shapes, glitter, girly, airmail, Alice in Wonderland, The Wizard of Oz, tea party, little red riding hood, fairy tales, vintage, kitchen, Christmas, Halloween (love folk art!), pretty much every holiday. I also love anything with little houses or matryoshkas!

• Favorite colors: Pink!! Rosegold, gold, turquoise, white, green, blue….I like bright colors and pretty much anything that glitters. I like pastel colors as well and neon too.

• Eco friendly: I don't mind receiving opened/used items, as long as they're not rubbish of course. So any cling on stamps, stamp pads, opened/incomplete packs with paper goodies/stickers.....reused/recycled/upcycled envelopes and other items, yes please! I love getting eco friendly goodies in the mail.

• Religion: I'm not a religious person, so I’d prefer if you didn’t send me religious items. I do like Buddhism though, as a philosophy more than a religion, so Buddhist items are welcomed.

• Beauty: I’m a huge fan of beauty products, makeup and glitter. Glitter is life. I only use (certified) cruelty free brands, which are super easy to find. Here’s PETA’s list of brands that don’t do animal testing and here’s the list of brands that do test on animals. Some of my favorite (affordable) brands are Wet n' Wild, NYX, Essence, Catrice, Physicians Formula, E.L.F., Burt's Bees, EcoTools, Bath & Body Works, The Body Shop, DM, Balea. I also love Too Faced, Urban Decay, Jeffrey Star, Kat Von D, Anastasia Beverly Hills, Milani, Tarte. Favorite beauty products: Facial masks, hair masks, hand lotion, feet lotion, bath bombs, shower gel, etc. Favorite makeup products: Eyeshadows, eyeliners, highlighters, primers, colored mascara, brushes, blush. I love every single color, gold, silver, black, pink, peach (I love anything peach!), purple, etc. (I have fair skin, blond hair and green eyes btw). Dislikes: Animal tested products, foundations, primers, anything that needs to be matched with the skin tone (because it's best if I pick them myself).

• I have no use for: Coloring books, kiddie/reward stickers, I’m not a big fan of kawaii but if I receive something I can’t use I’ll just give it to someone else. Since I'm a vegetarian, please no leather or feathers, thank you!

I’ll use this section to name some of the things I’m currently into, items I can’t easily find here, or some of the collections I’m building. Just in case there’s something you can help me with, but please know I'm very easy to please and if you were kind enough to make or pick anything else for me, I'm sure I'll love it.

I’m working on a recipe smash book and I’ve received lots of recipe cards and other paper goodies I can use in it, but since I’m planning to make some more smash books and this is a theme I really love, I’m always happy to get recipe cards (blank or with veggie recipes) and other kitchen themed paper goodies.

My next projects in line are unicorn/mermaid themed, and both items are not easily found here, so I’d be happy to get my hands on some more of these goodies. I’m also obsessed with anything fall related, and I’ve been in such a fall mood all year long!

Pompom trim! I love it! Enamel dots, Nuvo Drops (jewel, crystal, glitter, crystal gloss), shaped sequins, alphabet stickers, Distress ink pads. I’m a big fan of Flow magazine, love their paper goodies!

Some teas I'd love to find: I love Bigelow tea and I've been obsessed with flavors like "Caramel Apple", "Eggnog'n", "Ginger Snappish", "English Tea Time", "Peppermint Bark", "Pumpkin Spice" and "Salted Caramel". I also love Karel Capek teas, any of those gorgeous teabags would get me over the moon!

I collect anything Alice in Wonderland, including books with different illustrations. I don’t have a huge collection, but I love getting my hands on anything Alice related, postcards, stamps, paper goodies, I’m happy with anything I can add to my collection.

I also collect fridge magnets from different countries, touristic and unique/cute ones as well. I have tons of them now and a big percentage is thanks to all the wonderful swappers who've contributed to my collection ♥

Postage stamps, my mom has a huge collection that she started when she was a kid and I've started to contribute with some stamps as well (thanks to some lovely swappers). I also like to save the really cute ones for my smash journal.

For the past few years I’ve begun to really love books, and now I’m always reading something! It all stated when I was a kid and discovered Harry Potter, and several years later, I realized there were tons of other interesting books that I’d enjoy reading. My favorite genre is murder mystery, I love Agatha Christie and Agatha Raisin. I also love classic children’s books like Anne of Green Gables, Little Women, Heidi and A Little Princess (I bought the Puffin in Bloom collection and love it!). I have a super cozy reading nook in my room and I’ve been adding new books to my shelf. I want to get my hands on a few more classics, and finish reading The Fairy Tales of Brothers Grimm and Fairytales of Hans Christian Andersen, which are some of my favorite books (plus the covers and illustrations are gorgeous!). I also love seasonal books, like fall books, Christmas books and I’ve been building a small collection of those as well. You can check my Goodreads profile here and my Book Depository wishlist here, I prefer a million times Better World Books though, I just love used books and finding great deals!

I also love reading magazines, I love the Issuu app, I have tons of digital magazines saved on my profile. Too bad Tea Time Magazine is no longer there, I love that magazine.

Favorite movies: I love comedy, action, fantasy, classic and Christmas movies. I can’t watch horror movies. Some of my faves are Wedding Crashers, Love Actually, Just Friends, The Wizard of Oz, Alice in Wonderland (the Disney version), Julie & Julia, Superbad, Ironman, The Avengers, It’s a Wonderful Life, Breakfast at Tiffany’s, Vertigo, Rear Window, Charade, among so many others!

Favorite tv shows: Downton Abbey, Mr. Selfridge, Call the Midwife, Vicious, Sherlock, Brooklyn Nine-Nine, This is Us, Friends, True Blood, Gossip Girl, Outlander, The Great British Bake Off (with Mary Berry), Cuckoo (1st season only), The Fresh Prince of Bel Air, Somebody Feed Phil, Stay Here, The World’s Most Extraordinary Homes, Grace & Frankie.

Favorite music: I love pop, rap and electronic music, and I love partying and dancing! Some of my favorite artists are Clean Bandit, Avicii, Tiesto, David Guetta, Martin Garrix, Martin Solveig, Flo Rida, Justin Timberlake, Drake, Snoop Dogg, 50 Cent, Katy Perry, Rihanna, Lady Gaga, Macklemore & Ryan Lewis, Ke$ha, Eminem, The Black Eyed Peas.

Thanks for stopping by!