Milokissyfur

I'm Amanda.. a cat lover and crafter. I go through phases of crafting every free moment or not at all. Currently, I am focusing on caring for my dad in my home. He recently fell very ill and had been in a nursing home but my husband and I have decided that our home will be a better place for him. We could all use some prayers, encouragement and positivity for sure-- (:

Originally, I am from southeastern Virginia but have lived in Cleveland, San Diego, and now my husband (+ 3 loved cats) and I live in Illinois.

I have mainly worked in the horticultural field as a profession and really enjoy sharing my passion for plants and growing things with others. Recently, I worked at a center for developmentally disabled adults-- they had a wonderful gardening program there and was an amazing place to work. I hope to get out and do some gardening this year.. I see so many possibilities in my yard.. one small step at a time.

Honestly, I am not hard to please... I can find usefulness in most things and if I don't find something to fit my needs or styles, I pass it on to someone else. That simple(:

Creativity has always been a big part of my life-- as long as I can remember. As a child, I had a little self made art studio in the corner of my grandfather's wood shop. Today, I sell my handmade items in my etsy store, MKF - kitties & clips.

• Paper crafting. I've made greeting cards, journals, scrapbook pages, altered books & pages, and altered playing cards.

• Beading was my "thing" for a while and I did a few craft shows, selling my items. I've gotten away from it, however I do still enjoy it sometimes. My beadwork has gravitated into mainly the realm of hair accessories and earrings. I try to incorporated unique items into my creations, such as miniatures, vintage unwanted jewelry, and buttons.

• Sewing- I enjoy patchwork and Japanese paper piecing techniques for quilting.... and apparently, I collect fabric, haha.

• Planning-- I have an A5 kikki k light blue watermelon print planner & a coral A5 Carpe Diem planner. I love anything I can use to decorate my pages. Page flags, sticky notes, pens, clips, charms, washi samples, insert, stickers... I'm also interested in midoris and journaling. If anyone is interested in privates planner swaps, let me know-- I even have some actual A5 planners I would be willing to trade.

I enjoy using quite a variety of things..

• Anything vintage or retro... even reproductions
• charms, beads, jewelry findings, cabochons, resins
• old unwanted or mismatched jewelry
• small cracker jack or gum ball toys
• miniatures-- dollhouse items, fairy garden items, mushrooms, polymer clay minis, foods, desserts
• vintage or repro: magazine pages, ads, postcards, images, book pages, color plates, bridge talleys
• sewing notions-- vintage, trims, pom-poms, twill tape, ric-rac, scalloped, gold metallic, velvet, buttons, yarns
• fabric & scraps-- vintage, kawaii, velvet, corduroy, felt
• washi tape-- samples are so fun!
• stickers! enamel dots/shapes!

I can't pick just one or two... so heres a zillion...

• anything vintage, retro, or repros
• colors- rainbows, all colors, pastels, mint, mustard yellow, earth tones, olive, coral, aqua
• clothespins-- new, old, plastics, colors
• bows, clouds, strawberries, moons, mushrooms, gumball machines, sprinkles, donuts, cakes
• the art of Liana Hee
• ballet, ballet shoes
• paper doll themes
• Hayley Mills
• The Headless Horsemen, pumpkin heads
• cute Japanese and Korean themes
• Jetoy, choo choo cat... do you have anything choo choo cat?!!! I'm crazy about these cats!
• Misfit toys-- especially the polka dotted elephant
• circus or carnival themes- vintage, new, repro, steampunk, stamps, anything. Ringling bros or other
• Rainbow brite, rainbows in general
• pinup girls-- images, postcards, advertisements, clippings, anything... vintage or reproduction
• unicorns, my little pony- new or vintage
• CATS, seahorses, otters, DEER, foxes, bluebirds
• Mermaids- vintage images mainly & whimsy
• Alice in Wonderland- all versions (the old art illustrations are my favorite or vintage disney/children's illustrations) Also, mod versions from the 60s and 70s & steampunk
• The Wizard of Oz- vintage, black & white, steampunk
• bugs
• Christmas-- cutesy, pastel, pink, vintage, snow globes, deer
• constellations
• airmail
• 80s cartoons
• little red riding hood
• biscotti

I am and always will be a sucker Green Day. The Rolling Stones, and The Smiths are a few others I adore.

Into the Wild & Hearts in Atlantis are my FAVORITES! In crafting, I like to use: Vintage illustrated disney and children's books, poems, nursery rhymes, lyrical books, quote books, retro plant books, Alice in Wonderland, Vintage magazines- life, look....etc, Fairy Tales, Dandelion Library, Rand McNally Elf Books

• snakes or snake skin
• nickelodeon
• cigarette smell
• poorly printed/unclear/blurry computer images
• mustache theme
• hurt feelings