Nerds Craft it Better - An Open Letter to my Swap Spoiler

I'm participating in the #NerdsCraftItBetter swap on Instagram right now, and I wanted to write a letter to the person who's sending me a package, to hopefully help with the inspiration side of things. So if you're not that person, you may as well just ignore this post. Rest assured, I'll go back to not-blogging right after this is done. :)

Dear Swap Spoiler,

First of all, THANK YOU! I'm so excited you're going to be making something for me, and I'm telling you right now that I will love it no matter what! I just thought I'd put together a post that would help you stalk me online and learn a little bit more about me, because I know that as I look at my own swap recipient's profile I'm feeling a little overwhelmed and not sure where to start!

So, first of all, you can find me online:

Instagram: @StoriedYarns

Pinterest: jessecreations

Ravelry: StoriedYarns

Etsy: StoriedYarns (Please note that a lot of the ITEMS in my favorites are mostly for other people or things I'd want to show my clients, but you'd be mostly safe in my favorite SHOPS.)

Anywhere else, I really don't spend any quality time and anything I post there wouldn't be too helpful for you, I'm thinking.

On Pinterest you'll see I have a TON of boards that I share with other pinners - those are work-related and you can mostly ignore them. The ones you'll really want to pay attention to are the ones for previous swaps I did, the one about colors I love, and the one called "This is me, geeking out."

I am a fan of so many things it'd be impossible to name them all! For examples you can actually see my former Etsy shop, where I dyed yarn inspired by characters from my favorite stories (books, movies, TV, etc.). In general, I love:

• Star Trek (all variations, but particularly the newest reboot, TNG, DS9, Voyager). I self-identify the most with Spock (esp. Zachary Quinto's version) and I love the Vulcans in general. I also really dig Tuvok, the Vulcan who is ALL about the mind melding and is kinda spiritual and cool.
• Doctor Who. I love the newest ones, not the classic episodes/doctors. I think my favorite doctor is Eleven, and Donna's my favorite companion. I also really love the Ponds and River Song. I don't have cable so I only catch up with the good Doctor when he's streaming on Netflix, etc. so I'm a season or so behind.
• Supernatural. Again, I'm a little behind. I was caught up before last year's season came to Netflix, but now I'm re-watching it with my husband so I haven't seen season 8 yet. Everything before that is all good. I can't decide on a favorite Winchester but I heart Castiel in a big way, and also Crowley. 
• Sherlock. LOVE him. I also love Mycroft, and the relationship between the brothers (especially the way their lips curl up on one side when they talk about "other children").
• I used to be a high school English teacher (and before that, an English major). So I love classic literature and young adult literature pretty much equally. Also a big fan of The Dresden Files series.
• The Muppets. I grew up on The Muppet Show, my favorite Christmas movie is A Muppet Christmas Carol, and Gonzo is my favorite Muppet. Also love other Henson creations like The Labyrinth and The Dark Crystal.
• Downton Abbey. Violet is my favorite character. I watch a lot of other British period dramas, too - I think my favorite of those is Call the Midwife. 
• Britcoms. I especially love Gavin & Stacey, the Catherine Tate Show, and The Miranda Show.

I tend to prefer slightly-more-subtle references. For instance, I won't wear a T-shirt with Daniel Radcliffe's face on it but I will wear one that says "Hogwarts Alumni" or something like that. 

Here are some general types of handmade things I would enjoy receiving - I'm trying to incorporate a variety because I'm not sure what crafts you're into, but in general I'm into HANDMADE as a concept so I will love whatever you make me!!

• Wall art - I work from home so my home office is prime real estate for displaying my freak flag on the wall. Currently displayed in that space: pictures my kids have drawn, profane signs and postcards, motivational quotes, book page quotes/art from some of my favorite nerd-doms, a poster of Wednesday Addams, a papercraft TARDIS, some zombies an Internet friend made me, a needle felted owl another friend made me, and a Lego Hamlet minifigure (I'm super bummed I never got Shakespeare to join him). Art prints or small sewn/quilted pieces, embroidery, cross stitch, etc. all welcome here.
• Bags - I love bags and purses. For an everyday purse I need something large enough to hold my wallet and keys plus a small makeup bag and a small knitting project bag. I also use larger tote style bags for other things, and I really like smaller messenger-style or cross body bags. I could SERIOUSLY use a new wallet, one with lots of card pockets and some sort of zipper compartment for coins. Knitting project bags or zipper pouches are also welcome.
• Spiral-bound notebooks, journals, etc. I'm kind of a "paper nerd" and I also love fun pens.
• Pottery - coffee mugs, bowls, containers for other things, yarn bowls, whatever. I love the stuff. I also love any other type of coffee mug, like if you wanted to decorate one for me.
• Yarn! If you're a knitter then you might want to send me handspun yarn, hand dyed yarn, or maybe even just yarn from your stash for my extra item. I'm a fan of any wool or wool-blend yarns, fingering weight on up to bulky. I'm also a spinner so I'd also love wool/fiber. If you're not a knitter then don't worry about this one. :)
• Wearables: I prefer girly-cut T-shirts or other clothing types of items (I'll list my sizes below). I also love jewelry, especially necklaces or rings. I do NOT have pierced ears and I only wear bracelets if they're super lightweight/delicate because I type all day so it's annoying to me to have something clunking against the keyboard. I love scarves, especially infinity style or square/kerchief style. 
• Bath and body stuff - soaps, lotions, lip balms, salves, creams, or even candles. I love scented stuff, particularly spicy/woodsy or fresh. Not a fan of fruity.
• If you're super gung-ho I'd love a quilt, but that's definitely not what I'd call "medium" so please don't worry about it.
• I'd love to add another apron or two to my collection - preferably a more "full coverage" or full apron style, not a half-apron. I don't LOVE to cook but I do enjoy baking and I'm messy when I do it.
• I love stuff with quotes on it, either inspirational quotes, funny quotes, or quotes from any of my favorite nerderies.

Other Stuff I enjoy:

• Tea and Coffee. I usually drink one cup of coffee every morning, and then a cup of tea in the evenings. My favorite tea is Stash Chai, but I like other black teas (regular or with spices). Not a fan of fruity teas. 
• Chocolate. I love everything from white to dark. I don't like fruit or raisins in my chocolate, but I like it plain or with caramel, peanut butter, peppermint, sea salt, almonds, peanuts, pecans, pretzels, etc. Not a fan of spicy stuff, bacon, weird fruits, etc. in my chocolate.
• Lotions, lip balms, soaps, candles, wax melt cubes.
• Nail polish. I'm in an ongoing battle with myself to permanently stop biting my nails, and nail polish helps with that. I prefer darker colors (purple, burgundy/black cherry, dark blues, greys, brown, black). If you've got a good topcoat recommendation I'd love to know about it, too! 
• British crafty magazines, sewing magazines.
• Notebooks and pens, mechanical pencils.
• I might enjoy small-ish hair accessories like bobbi pins or hair elastics with stuff on them. Not a big fan of headbands or other hair stuff.
• I've thought for a while it might be fun to have an ear cuff (especially since I don't have pierced ears) but I haven't ever tried one.
• Fabric! I'm a sewer and a quilter, I love it all from apparel to quilting cottons.

My Sizes:

• I wear a ladies' US 14 in most clothing. I've got a 40.5" bust if that helps. I tend to wear a L or XL in girly-fit t-shirts. I don't usually wear unisex style tees but if you send me one that's L or XL I can probably sew/tailor it to fit me better.
• Shoe size is US 8.5; my foot is about 10" long. Normal width.
• My wrist measures 6.5" around.
• My ring finger is 5.4cm around and my middle finger is 6cm.
• My head measures 23" but I don't usually wear hats (I'm forever on a quest to find one that fits me and looks good but so far no luck).

Ok, I hope that's all been helpful and not too overwhelming! Again, I will love WHATEVER you send, and I'm so happy to get to know you once the swap is over!!!

Jess