Hi, my name is Sandra and I live in Calgary, Alberta.

For me to remember, but you're welcome to copy and paste.

To post a picture on SB:

! [ ] ( image address pasted here )

Don't use spaces; they're shown here by necessity.

To provide a link:

[ whatever you want to call it ] ( link itself )

Don't use spaces; they're shown here by necessity.

Feb 24/26

I'm not a fan of glitter in any form; please don't use glittery stuff on your art if sending to me; thanks very much 🥰!

Also not a fan of pastel colours - I like BRIGHT!

Feb 24/26

My husband and I are working on a move to BC this year. What to keep (store) and what to get rid of is the hardest part. Does anyone have any suggestions?

Musical people I like:

KD Lang - nobody better than this Alberta gal! Check out YouTube video's with her singing with Roy Orbinson and Mellisa Ethridge and see how, even with her powerful voice, she can harmonize so eloquently.

A couple I love to watch dance

Music, Travel, Love - two wonderful Canadian singers who travel to beautiful parts of the world, sometimes singing with people from that country. This song was sung in my province. They're actually triplets with an older brother - all of them sing.

James Blunt makes me emotional.

Still haven't done this (2026), but I love this idea for storing embellishments and whatever you've "lost" in your drawers and bins!

Sept 2/22
I've complained to my American friends, when mail is late, that the "invisible line" that separates our countries seems to make it impossible for mail to cross. Well, it's NOT an invisible line after all.

See this article

It's VERY visible, lol.

June 30/22
I can't believe that I FINALLY understand what a junk journal is - I love doing collage and stumbled across this video by Margarete Miller showing how to start one. She's the artist who's helped teach me how to collage better.

Feb 24/26 - still haven't made one, but I want to keep the link (just in case).

COLLECTIONS

COINS

I've always had a love of foreign (to me) coins and banknotes, so would love it if you could help me increase my collection.

When sending me coins, please let me know what they're called in their country - as much as I'm appreciative in getting them, I'm not very knowledgeable with what the currency / name is.

Whenever we go on vacation, I try to find pressed pennies. If you have extra's you don't want, they'd be loved. Again, please let me know where they came from.

Trades would be a welcome option!

UPDATED every time I get a new coin

US Quarters (state&park):

AL (1&1), AK, (1&2), AZ (3&0), AR (0&1), CA (1&0), CO (1&1), CT (2&0), DE (1&0), FL (0&2), GA (3&0), HI (0&2), ID (0&2), IL (0&2), IN (0&2), IA (1&1), KS (1&0), KY (1&2), LA (1&0), ME (1&0), MD (1&0), MA (2&0), MI (1&1), MN (1&1), MS (0&0), MO (0&0), MT (0&0), NE (2&0), NV (2&0), NH (3&1), NJ (0&1), NM (2&0), NY (1), NC (3&2), ND (2&1), OH (1&0), OK (0&1), OR (2&0), PA (1&0), RI (3&0), SC (0&0), SD (1&0), TN (1&1), TX (2&2), UT (1&2), VT (1&0), VA (2&1), WA (0&1), WV (1&1), WI (1&0) WY (1&0)

Virgin Islands (1) Northern Mariana Islands - (1&1)
American Samoan Fruit Bat (2)
District of Columbia with Duke Ellington (1)
District of Columbia with Frederick Douglas (1)

Others:

The Drummer Boy (2)
Sacawajwea gold $1 coins (2)
Maya Angelou (1)

Updated each time I get a new coin

Canadian quarters all are 1867-1992, except AB which all are 1905-2005 coins (I have an 1867-1992 one now - thanks, Nitisha!) & one of the SK ones which is also 1905-2005:

BC (1), AB (5), SK (5), MB (1), ON (1), QC (3), NB (2), NS (1), PEI (1), NL (1), YK (2), NWT (1). Nunuvut (NU) didn't become a Territory until 1999.

Would LOVE to get the 2012 dinosaur quarters I just found out about - they glow in the dark!

I just found a little book (Coins of the World); out of the 20 spaces to be filled, only 8 are. I need:

Algeria: 5 centimes
Bahamas: 1 cent
Belgium: 50 centimes
Bulgaria: 1 Stotinka
Colombia: 1 centavo (have)
Cyprus: 3 mils
Czechoslovakia: 3 halere (have)
East Germany: 1 pfennig (have)
Equador: 10 centavos
Ghana: 1 pesewa (have)
Great Britain: 1 new penny
Guatamala: 1 centavo (have)
India: 1 paisa (have)
Israel: 1 agora
Laos: 20 centimes
Spain: 50 centimes
Switzerland: 1 centime (have)
Turkey: 1 kurus (have)
West Germany: 2 Pfennig
Yugoslavia: 1 dinar

Can anyone help me fill it up?

MAP POSTCARDS

On January 2017, I made a list of the map cards I have. The list is updated whenever I get a new map card. Feb 24/26 - this still happens :)

The number beside the country/place is the number of pc's I have of different mapcards; duplicates aren't indicated (but are loved), nor are partial scenes of a particular place (except the Florida Keys).

World (8), North America (2), South America (1)

Canada (8): British Columbia (10), Alberta (4), Saskatchewan (3), Manitoba (1), Ontario (4), Quebec (2), New Brunswick (2), Prince Edward Island (4), Nova Scotia (3), Newfoundland (0), Labrador (0), the Atlantic Provinces (1), the Atlantic Provinces (1 w/o Labrador)

Territories: Yukon (0), Northwest Territories (0), Nunavut (0).

United States (9): Alabama (3), Alaska (12), Arizona (8), Arkansas (2), California (10), Colorado (5), Connecticut (4), Delaware (4), Florida (7), Florida Keys (2), Georgia (4), Hawaii (5), Idaho (5) Illinois (3), Indiana (6), Iowa (3), Kansas (6), Kentucky (1), Louisiana (5), Maine (2), Maryland (3), Massachusetts (4 & 5 of the Capes), Michigan (8), Minnesota (7), Mississippi (4), Missouri (11), Montana (5), Nebraska (2), Nevada (2), New Hampshire (3), New Jersey (3), New Mexico (3), New York (4), North Carolina (6), North Dakota (1), Ohio (4), Oklahoma (3), Oregon (4), Pennsylvania (7), Rhode Island (2), South Carolina (4), South Dakota (2), Tennessee (2), Texas (8), Utah (3), Vermont (1), Virginia (3), Washington (6), West Virginia (6), Wisconsin (7), Wyoming (6), (Territories): Guam (0), Puerto Rico (0), Virgin Islands (1)

Australia (7)

New Zealand: (18) North Island - Wairarapa, Hawke's Bay, Bay of Plenty, Coromandel Peninsula, Wellington & Kapiti Coast, Waikato, Auckland,

South Island - The "Top of the South", Canterbury, Southern Scene

I WOULD BE SO GRATEFUL TO GET THE MISSING PC'S TO COMPLETE MY COLLECTION OF NEW ZEALAND (printed by The New Zealand Souvenir Company) & AUSTRALIA

UK: I have a lot of "parts" of places in England - have a couple of Scotland, a few of Ireland and a couple of Great Britain.

Mexico (0)

Central America (0): Belize, Guatemala, Honduras, El Salvador, Nicaragua, Costa Rica, Panama

South America (1): Venezuela, Columbia, Ecuador, Peru, Guyana, Suriname, French Guiana, Brazil (1), Bolivia, Paraguay, Uruguay, Argentina, Chile

Europe (4): Austria (0), Belarus (0), Belgium (1), Czech Republic (2), Denmark (1), Finland (5), France (4), Germany (4), Greece (0), Holland (5), Italy (3), Norway (0), Poland (0), Portugal (1), Romania (2), Spain (1), Switzerland (2), Sweden (0), Ukraine (0)

I'd love to have a postcard from each individual province/state in any European country that has them!

Others: Iceland (1), Greenland (1), Turkey, Africa (1 of the continent, one of S. Africa), India, China, Malaysia (1), Japan (1), Russia (3), Cuba, Haiti, Jamaica (1), etc etc etc.

I have Bermuda, Tortola, and two of the Caribbean Sea. I have one of the West Indies.

Postcards I need, or need more of:

•Anderson Design Group
•Art of Instruction
•Belle and Boo
•Blue Cats
•Boo and Stu
•Cavellini
•Flags of the World
•IKEA
•Inga Palster
•Inge Look (have a few now, but love them)
•Kaj Stenvall
•Ken Brown
•Lou Paper
•Moomin
•Spirit of the Dog
•Writerie

Ones I know about, and love to get:

•Alice in Wonderland
•Anne Taintor
•Charley Harper
•Coca Cola
•Edward Gorey
•Harry Potter
•Jetoy •Lantern Press
•Maxicard
•Naughty Little People (LOVE)
•New Yorker •Norman Rockwell •Picatso •Route 66 •Vanity Fair
•Pantone

More postcard likes are down below (I like to receive my postcards blank and in an envelope - not written on).

SHAPED PAPERCLIPS August 20/20 - I received an order of shaped paper clips today, and organized them with the others I have. I thought I'd keep track of them here.

February 2025 - I still keep track of them!

1. HUMANOID: head (2), body (1), heart (10), foot (5), hand (2), moustache (1), breast cancer ribbon (1), conversation bubble (1), eyeglasses (0)

2. PETS: dog (11), bones (5), cat (18)

3. FARM: horse (3), pig (6), rabbit (6), goat (1), cow (1), mouse (2), spider (1)

4. ANIMAL (LAND): mountain (1), stag (3), deer (1), elephant (2), giraffe (0), hedgehog (1), bear (7), sloth (3)

5. ANIMAL (WATER): alligator (5), turtle/tortoise (11), dolphin (9), fish (4), whale (5), manta ray (3), shell (1), seahorse (2)

6. ANIMAL (WINGS): penguin (3), swan (1), butterfly (5), owl (1), bat (1), bird (2), flamingo (7), ladybug (1)

7. FANTASY: yeti (4), dinosaur (11), mermaid (4)

8. SEA & SKY: anchor (1), boat (1), airplane (9), planet (10), astronaut (1), rocket (1), spaceship (1), star (4), star/moon (1)

9. FOOD: apple (4), pineapple (7), lemon (3), pear (0), cherry (2), grapes (1), strawberry (3), peach (1), blueberry (1), carrot (1), peas (1), ice cream (10), banana (1), cupcake (1)

10. PLANTS: flowers (13), cactus (3), leaf (1), shamrock (1)

11. HOUSEHOLD: light bulbs (22), envelope (15), coffee mug (4), camera (2), telephone (1), wine goblet (2), clothes hanger (1), clipboard (1), jewel (2), key (2), present (1), small paperclips (6)

12. TO WEAR: bow (1), witch's hat (1), dress (1)

13. MUSICAL: notes (6), guitar (2)

14. SHAPES: circle (9), square (11), triangle (2), arrows (11), rectangle (1)

15: NUMBERS: 0-9

16: WORDS: cafe

17: XMAS: Xmas tree (15), bell (1)

18: MYSTERY: 1

2026

The updates on my profile show both the date AND year, which is a bonus everybody likes. Wish everyone would do this.

Please - update your profile, especially if you join profile-based swaps. I sometimes wonder - are you/your husband/kids still sick? Have you moved? How's the new job going? etc etc. :)

Many statements on my profile are from the early days of SB (November 29, 2008), which many SB'ers will know.

=====================================

Books:

November 4/22 In late January or early February, I started keeping a list of the books I've read (or didn't read because I just couldn't finish it).

Feb 24/26 - I still keep this list; I've discovered that I borrow the same book from the library at times.

I don't see a lot of movies anymore.

I watch them on my laptop now. I have Amazon Prime and I'm a Geek Squad member, so I get a free movie from them once a month.

Feb 24-26

YouTube is also an option to watch short films, which are very good.

I don't watch TV anymore.

Since discovering Swap-bot Nov/08, ATCs rule these days!

2022

I started the Collage Only group, which is mostly surreal.

2018 - ATCs, APCs and postcard making is what I mainly do now. Mixed media and collage is awesome!

My first swap: X~Mas Card Swap International Nov 29/08 - there was over 400 people who signed up, with about 15 people who never sent.

I think I joined SB before this date (is that why I'm an "original member"?), but was banned from a recipe swap, because my profile wasn't long enough (HA, that changed, didn't it)!

I shrugged my shoulders and forgot all about SB; then I found it again! Haven't looked back.

Personal stuff:

I met my husband in 1992 and we married exactly 5 years later. We have a few children between us, all of them grown now.

I'm a camper - my husband and I have an acre sized campsite about an hour and a half away from the city and visit it every weekend if the weather allows. My parents had a place there before us, and that's where we got married.

I'm an Air Force brat, so travel is in my blood - plan to see more of this planet. When we lived in Germany, mom and dad took us camping all over Europe - lucky us. When I was in Germany a few years back, I understood just how brave my folks were - they didn't speak German, but they took us camping everywhere we could go. They were social people and made friends with the ones who spoke English.

July 5, 2011 - last day of my "real" job. Husband retired 2013 and we're content to putter around at home, or the campsite. How did we find the time to do things when we worked??

==========================

LIKES:

I like bright colours - red, yellow, and the different kinds of blue there are.

I like having little kids around, teaching them to cook or do crafts - expand their world. With babies, the first thing I do is have them touch something - usually a plant.

Love the vintage look; things that are old. Things from old books, old tickets, pictures.

The following likes could be for anything to do with rub-ons, stamps, die-cuts, etc.

I like: faux stitching, doodles, trees, wild animals & bugs, birds, ocean stuff, travel, nature, ducks (the real ones, not the rubber ducky ones), horses, grass, lighthouses, fairies, mushrooms, dinosaurs. dragons, pin-ups, tasteful nudes. I'd love to get some decent punch-outs or die-cuts - unusual ones, not hearts and squares (who doesn't have those?)

If somebody wants to trade some punch-outs or die-cuts with me I have a cool carousal (horse) punch, and others (wings) - I can send a list of what I have. Just pm me.

Feb 25/17 - Since this was written, I have a ton more die-cuts to share!

I like pictures that could be incorporated into an ATC - kind of off the wall, or macabre, quirky, not cutsey. Dragons, mermaids, Boris type art.

I like Native art, and masks.

I'd really like it if you wrote a bit about what you're sending me - why you like it and what you'd like me to know about it. Or even just something about yourself!

If you're from another country, I'd love it if you'd send me a coin or two from where you live. I've started to collect all the specialty quarters that I've just learned about on our trip to Florida this year (Apr/18)! Or a postcard (especially a map card), or a postage stamp (used is fine), or anything else different from what I'm used to seeing here.

DISLIKES:

PINK == though I don't mind fuchsia. I don't care for pastel colours. I still remember, as a child, my bedroom walls painted a pale green! So, bright colours, please.

Disney, cutsie, lots of small anything, pet things, stuff for kids (mine are grown), wedding items, stickers with sayings on them, religious themes. Crayon drawings of "cute" things. I'm way too old to appreciate them - I'll give them to the young folk in the family :)

I don't need stickers - don't use the ones I have, so please don't send any. I don't like too much glitter, but I use Wink of Stella. I don't like stickers on the art you send me. Unless it's so nice, you can hardly tell it's a sticker!

If you're sending me a recipe (food or drink), I don't like coffee, coconut, tequila or scotch. I'm not an adventurous person with many types of seafood (oysters, sardines & mussels), though I like fish and prawns (large shrimp).

POSTCARDS

November 4/13

PREFERENCES:

Store bought pc's: I'd like mine sent blank/unwritten on, in an envelope, if it's allowed in the swap (or even if it isn't).

I don't join many "naked and stamped" postcard swaps - I like blanks ones so I can send them on when needed (themed swaps, more than one in an envelope, etc). I also keep many, just because I like them so much.

If you sent the following, you'll be just fine:

map cards, map cards, map cards!! If you have any Canadian map cards, I'd love them. Please take a look at the list of map postcards I have but, again, I don't mind duplicates because I like to join map postcard swaps!

steampunk, retro ads, nudes, naughty, fairies, dinosaurs, sci-fi, fantasy, monsters, old comics, movie posters, some movie stars, space (stars), water (rivers, waterfalls, lakes, ocean - I love water), lighthouses, tropical (palm trees, beaches), ships (rocket, sailing, etc), muscle cars (I used to have a 1972 Challenger - I rue the day I sold it), aboriginal scenes/portraits (from any country), art, bright and colourful (NO PINK or PASTEL for me).

I don't care for touristy postcards (but LOVE map cards). I don't care for reconnoissance art, but I do love Toulouse Lautrec art.

No kittens, puppies or cute things, unless it's a human baby. I do like horses. Not crazy about vintage postcards, unless it's something to do with the above likes. I don't like them just because they're old. I was sent a vintage pc of a Hula dancer - that was fine. Hawaii is a place I've been to and loved.

Handmade postcards: please (if you can), keep them 4 x 6" so they'll fit (10 x 15 cm) in my storage place. These can be sent naked OR in an envelope.

Wishlist:

Blister powder or other type that you add water to and the colours are brilliant
Art By Marlene stamped images, die-cuts, stencils, etc.
Canadian map postcards
shaped paperclips
foreign money (bills / coins)
pressed pennies
US specialty quarters
magazines I'd love (no matter how old): Art Doll Quarterly; Cloth, Paper, Scissors; Stampington & Co.; and, mags like that
1 1/4 in circle punch
word dies or die-cuts
envelopes that a postcard will fit into (4.5 x 6.5" at least)
plastic sleeves for ATCs, handmade cards or postcards
unused low denomination CDN postage stamps (1, 2, 3, 6 cents)
cigar bands (or wrappers)
Braille paper

ALWAYS

I always rate and I don't flake. If I ever do, I'll take this statement off.

Because, why would I want to earn that 3, or (shudder) 1?

If you get my swap, I'd appreciate a rating. If you didn't, please let me know so I can fix the problem. After a month or so, I will pm if I haven't been rated to see if my item made it to your house.

Postal workers in Canada don't work on weekends, so if the send date is a Saturday/Sunday, they won't be postmarked until Monday. I try to have it done before the w/e in those cases. I always give extra time for things - especially overseas, before rating (and will check before giving a 1 or 3). Even crossing the Canada/US border seems to take forever sometimes.

I will put something in the mailbox just down the street on a w/e, and hit "sent" that day, but it won't be picked up until the next p/u day. I don't worry about it, if it isn't due.

I don't automatically give a heart because of extra's. Except for postcard swaps - if you've given me an extra one, from my profile likes, on top of sending me great cards, then why wouldn't you deserve a heart? I always send an extra postcard, and hope my partner does, too.

If something makes me say "wow", you'll get a heart. Hope you'll do the same for me.

I appreciate getting a heart as much as anyone - when you give me one, I hope you love what I've sent.

THINGS FOR ME (and you, if you want):

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