valkyr

News! I am taking a break from swap-bot. But feel free to send me any messages.

My name is Riikka and I am a 24 year old girl from Finland. I recently graduated from art school and now I am a painter/postal service worker. I live with my dear boyfriend in Helsinki. I'm here to share creativity with people around the world.

Please have a closer look at my profile if you are wondering about what I like and what to send me. Click the links above if you want to see what I make and a small list of my Etsy faves. Don't hesitate to ask if you have questions.

• Painting, especially with watercolours and egg tempera
• Making decorative books, collages & other mail art stuff
• Forests and long, silent walks in nature
• Mushrooms
• Computer adventure/role playing games: Machinarium, Grim Fandango, Chrono Trigger, Anachronox, Monkey Island, Syberia, The Longest Journey and Sam&Max
• Cinemas, art museums and galleries
• The dreamworld and other bizarre things that happen in my subconscious
• Traveling, especially slow traveling by train, boat, bike or foot! I have never been outside of Europe though.
• Food and wine! Cooking and baking! Yum.
• I'm crazy about organic colourful fruit. Like avocados, juicy sweet pears, mangos and blood oranges. Seriously. They're some of my favorite things. I also collect avocado seeds. Why? I don't know. They're pretty.
• Taking care of the environment
• Colors: Anything from ocean colours and dark blue through purple to cherry red is a favorite of mine. I like earthy greens and browns as well. I especially love and use bright and strong colors with unusual combinations. There is no color that I hate.
• Scents/spices/tastes: Coconut, rose, ginger, citrus, liquorice, chili, most fruit and berries
• Animals: dogs, goats, birds, whales, pangolins... but I do like almost all animals!
• Punk/grunge rockers
• Comic books and authors: Tank Girl, Powr Mastrs, Peanuts, Jason, Moomins, Hure H, Tales of Woodsman Pete, Walt and Skeezix, Mon Fiston (My Boy) and Locas 1&2
• Doc Martens boots!
• Time travel
• Weird, cute and scary shit

Indie and singer-songwriter stuff. Electronic, instrumental and progressive rock! Music that is eclectic. Please give me recommendations. My long-time favorite band is Rilo Kiley.

Beck, Bill Callahan, Kaki King, Battles, Ariel Pink's Haunted Graffiti, Lady Gaga, Nine Inch Nails, Nirvana, David Bowie, PJ Harvey, Elliott Smith, Joy Division and Animal Collective. Tuomas Skopa, Sydän, sydän, Taipuva Luotisuora and Päät.

I've watched every episode of Prisoner, The Wire, Arrested Development, House, Dexter, True Blood, Six Feet Under, The Office (UK), Firefly, Battlestar Galactica, Lost, Monk and Ugly Betty. I also like The Simpsons, Family Guy and South Park. The reality show geek in me loves the Next Top Model shows and Project Runway..

I am currently watching the new episodes of Dr. Who with my boyfriend (who has watched it plenty more than I have). :)

I'm only thinking about putting together a movie list because it's a bit difficult.. I love love watching movies! I would like to say that genre has nothing to do with it but the ones I really like are movies that have some element of darkness, fantasy or sci-fi in them. For example, Donnie Darko, Back to the Future and anything by Darren Aronofsky.

Please don't limit yourself to these and feel free to ask if you're not sure! :-) Communication is good, though I do like surprises. I love handmade things and I accept things from thrift stores or used things, as long as they are in good condition.

• One or two teabags (I have so much tea already! You can send bigger packages if it's a tea swap or if it's really really good..)
• Candy! Chocolate! Anything edible!!
• Vegetarian recipes
• Earrings and necklaces. Kitschy, vintage, weird and/or colorful.
• Hair accessories and beads for my dreadlocks. Would love a dread wrap!
• Knit and crocheted things
• Something to keep me warm. (for socks: my shoe size is European 37-38, US 7)
• A zine
• Fabrics, yarns, ribbons, buttons etc.
• Tiny things! They are accepted and loved.
• Crafting materials, like paper with patterns and bright colors or handmade paper. Even tiny pieces are fine! Or any other flat items I can use in crafting.
• Paint (watercolor, gouache, acrylic dry pigments..) and paintbrushes
• Blank art postcards
• Weird and cute mascots/dolls/creatures
• Seashells and anything to do with them! They are my favorite nature-thingy.
• Soap bars!!
• Something steampunk or Day of the Dead/Día de los Muertos

I also accept happily any other postcards and stationary, especially kawaii stationary and such.

• Strong scents (essential oils and other natural scents are fine in moderation), try to keep cigarette smoke out of the mail packages as well please
• Coffee (if you accidentally send me some, my boyfriend can drink it :D) or coffee flavouring
• Black currant flavoring
• Oil paints
• Pastel/pink glittery crafting materials. I've received so much of this super girly stuff so please, give it to someone who really appreciates it! It doesn't matter if there is just a little bit of it.

I always rate you if I have received your swap! And I will message you before rating a 1 or 3. I expect the same from you. Please contact me if I forget to rate for some reason! Or worse; if I forget to send! That hasn't happened yet though.

If you are waiting for an international package from me, please give it at least a couple of weeks! Sometimes they have taken over a month to arrive from Finland.

I was flaked on by @swinginginthetrees in the swap I love socks! - angeled by @lukrecja