katcon

Hello! My name is Kat, and I'm a 29-year-old grad student living in Michigan, USA. I grew up on a small family farm but live in the city now, and I think both ways of life can be lovely. In my free time, I like to read, craft, paint and sketch, garden, and spend time with my friends and partner. I also have a border collie and four cats that I adore.

I love swapping and have been a Postcrossing member for over a year now. Beyond postcards, I also enjoy swapping ATCs and other mail art. I have also experimented with mixed media art as a hobby, so I am excited to explore that art more in swaps as well.

My craft room is a grab bag of different crafts that I enjoy, from fiber arts to digital painting. A few of my favorite crafts are:

☘︎ Knitting & crochet

☘︎ Postcrossing

☘︎ Junk journaling, collaging, mixed media

☘︎ Sketching and painting

☘︎ Journaling & bullet journaling

I collect:

☘︎ Postcards

☘︎ Stickers

☘︎ Stationery

☘︎ Washi tape

☘︎ Fountain pens/ink

I like to integrate my collections into my crafting and swaps. I'm eager to start experimenting with some of my more unique fountain pen inks.

My favorite craft is a kind of collaging/junk journaling using things I find around the house and outside. My favorite part about crafting is that it doesn't have to be one medium.

I love being pushed to think beyond conventional arts and crafting through creative prompts. I completed my first "Wreck This Journal" about two years ago and am now working on my second!

One of my favorite things to do is listen to audiobooks while I craft. I am currently reading Pachinko by Min Jin Lee. I'm halfway through and love it so far.

My favorite book at the moment is Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, and Tomorrow by Gabrielle Zevin. I also really loved:

🕮 The Invisible Life of Addie La Rue by VE Schwab

🕮 Where'd You Go, Bernadette by Maria Semple

and pretty much anything written by Emily Henry.

My favorite part about receiving postcards is being surprised by them. I welcome homemade postcards if the swap allows, and I feel that a really detailed list of what I want would take some of the fun out of swapping. I don't collect any specific kind of postcard, though I do really enjoy doing those "ugly" postcard swaps because I enjoy seeing the cards other people don't want anymore. So, if you read through my profile and thought of a good card for me, just surprise me and send that one! If you still don't know what to send, take a look at my likes below.

If you don't know what to write and there isn't a prompt, tell me about what you love the most about your community.

In general, I'm happy with most anything I receive, as long as effort was put into it. However, I always appreciate knowing a bit about the person I'm sending to, so here's a list of some general themes I enjoy:

🍓 Fruits of all kinds

🍄 Mushrooms and flowers

🍃 Rainy/windy day vibes

☕ Cozy vibes and hot tea

🍂 Autumn

🏕️ Campfires and camping

🌺 Bright colors (see my favorite color scheme below)

Note that this is not an exhaustive list! I also put together a list of some of my favorite things if you still need help choosing:

🎨 Color scheme: cornflower blue, yellow-orange, and bright pink

☕ Drink: hot tea of all kinds

🍊 Fruit: nectarines (if I have to choose)

🪸 Sea creature: coral (and other invertebrates)

🦇 Pollinator: bats

🦗 Insect: praying mantis

🦋 Flying insect: butterfly

💠 Flower: Bluet

⛰️ Landscape: mountains

🪷 Body of water: lakes

🦡 Animal: possums

✂️ Craft: mixed media collage

🧵 Needle craft: embroidery

🌨️ Season: Winter

If you're making or assembling a swap, feel free to use or include any of the following:

☘︎ Stationery and washi tape

☘︎ Bright colors and glitter (don't glitter bomb me though!)

☘︎ Anything handmade

This isn't an exhaustive list, but rather an affirmation that any of these items will be appreciated.

I don't have many particular dislikes, but I will ask that you save any kiddie items for people who will use them. Also, please don't send me a bunch of extra low quality/scrap items if you're just trying to get rid of them! I will appreciate your swap with or without extras.