Kettu

Hi there! I'm updating my profile a bit. I've been here on and off for quite some years, not super active but I like to do a more thorough swap every now and then.

I like giving and making gifts & other stuff to people--it's often somehow more motivating than making things for myself. This is mainly the reason I joined in the first place.

I do different crafts and am probably most at home with sewing and knitting. I like freehand embroidery and jewelry making and prefer second hand materials. I have studied a bit of carpentry but don't have the tools to make much. I'd like to do more painting, but it takes time that I rarely seem to have (or let's face it: I'm a bit too lazy as well).

I collect: postcards with foxes, tea (all kinds as long as it doesn't have milk or other animal ingredients--black, green, herbal, flavoured, spicy, all fine!) and tea pots, cute & pretty letter paper, fairytale books, stuff I could make other stuff out of--for example I've got lots of broken bike tubes. And buttons. You never know when you need one, right?

My favourite fiction genres are fantasy and magical realism (writers: Angela Carter, Ursula le Guin, Neil Gaiman, Margaret Atwood, Terry Pratchett, Philip Ridley...) especially with a gothic touch. That's where my aesthetic senses lean to, as well. I'm into pretty much anything related to witches, be it the storybook kind or neo-pagan.

I'm pagan though I don't follow any specific tradition (and am a bit sceptical about how traditional and old they actually are). Halloween/Samhain (Kekri in Finland) is my favourite sabbat, Yule the second favourite.

Please don't send anything made with animal ingredients! I'm vegan and won't have any use for them. No milk, egg, gelatin etc. No leather, wool (nor angora, alpaca, silk) or feathers either (found/second hand is ok). Thank you.

I haven't got much use for makeup or other cosmetics. I seldom wear earrings and I'm extremely picky about them, so it might be a safer bet to send them for someone else.

I DO like pretty much anything with pictures of foxes on them (especially postcards!). My loved ones like items with bunny rabbits, so they won't go to waste either. I also like bears, real-looking and kawaii ones, but not Winnie the Pooh or other traditional teddy bears.

My favorite kawaii characters are Sumikko gurashi, Rilakkuma, Molang and Sentimental Circus characters.

I collect cute letter paper, animals and plants are my favourites but abstract ones (especially with polka dots and/or stripes) are nice too. I also collect stickers and deco tapes, mostly with cute animals but I'm looking for minimalistic trees/leaves/plants too! Especially autumn-themed (it's my favourite time of the year).

Circus related things and round paper lanterns are pretty much always aesthetically pleasing to my eyes. I wear jewelry but am quite particular about it. You can send me beads etc. though because I also make jewelry.

I sew and knit, so yarn, fabric and other craft stuff are welcome. Black or autumnal colours (moss green, greyish blue, fox red...) are my favourites. Just no wool.

As I mentioned above, I like to drink tea and collect different kinds. My current favourites are apple flavoured black tea and some fruity green ones, based on sencha.

Cooking and baking are nice to do and (vegan) recipes welcome! I'm not much into cupcakes though, I prefer my bakings with lots of juicy filling. If you have a recipe for a vegan lemon pie (edit: found one, but can't have too many!) with no special ingredients, please share :) I like my candy sour too.

I generally like illustrated postcards more than ones with photographs. I collect fairytale books and especially like illustrations of forests or witches. And foxes, bears & bunnies.