leiapico

i am a girl in my 20's living in seattle, wa, usa. i live with my long-term boyfriend and our insane cat, hildegaard. she is trained to use the toilet and nuttier than a fruitcake. she pals around with her stuffed hedgehog, henry weinhard. i also have a dog named poppy who likes to bite the faces off stuffed animals. i am almost finished with a bachelor's degree in biology (focusing on marine biology and seaweed), going to become a high school teacher. in my spare time i read, draw, paint, crochet, make little toys from felt or fabric, and play a ton of video games. i am a guitar hero fanatic.

if anyone wants to talk to me over IM, my AIM screenname is leiapico.. just make sure to mention that you're from swapbot!

if i send you an ATC that just isn't your style, please feel free to send it on to someone else! i don't mind if my ATCs are traded on. i would much rather they be sent to someone else than stuffed in a drawer. :)

i am not at all offended by nudity or swearing. please express yourself! :)

smoking popes, the shins, coheed & cambria, death cab for cutie, our lady peace

an interesting mix of pop/rock/punk. mostly rock. i like smoking popes and the shins the best because they make me feel so happy. even the songs with sad words have an uplifting melody.

The Hero and the Crown & The Blue Sword by Robin McKinley, Ender's Game by Orson Scott Card, the Harry Potter books (I love Snape!)

i have also been reading a lot of Neil Gaiman and have enjoyed everything from him so far. i will read just about anything that is thrown at me. i prefer sci-fi or fantasy, but i will read it if you liked it and send it.

grindhouse, pan's labyrinth, amelie, the little mermaid, labyrinth, his girl friday, the cat returns, howl's moving castle, spirited away, the iron giant... i will watch just about anything as long as it is not horror (except zombies), romantic comedy, or crude humor. i prefer sci-fi, nature documentaries, and action films.

firefly, battlestar galactica, 24, planet earth, house, desperate housewives, veronica mars, lost, heroes!

i paint with acrylic and occasionally watercolor (pretty much exclusively pictures of animals and robots)... brushes are always appreciated cough, i sew (by hand for now, but i'll be getting a sewing machine soon!) felt & fabric small animals and robots, i crochet... going to try my hand at amigurumi soon. i have dabbled in scrapbooking, but i haven't gone beyond the basics. i am open to try new things, because i love to make things and you never know if you'll like it or be good at it until you try.

i play a lot of videogames. mostly rpgs and action games, but i have been known to play halo, and i love guitar hero. i worked at gamestop for a year and EB games for 2 years. i read a lot of webcomics-- penny arcade is my favorite. i am a big game nerd and i guess it must show because people i meet are never surprised when they find out... when they find out that i love to do crafts, that's when they get surprised! i wonder what that says about me. anyway...

as far as candy, i love chocolate, especially cadbury or any kind of milk chocolate. i really like peach and grape artificial flavors. i also love ramune-flavored stuff, and any kind of "energy mint"... you know, the caffeinated ones.

i love halloween! it is my favorite holiday, and i always go all-out. i especially love bats, black cats, and ghosts. i don't really like scarecrows.

my current favorite colors are pink, brown, purple, and grey, and any combination of the four. i like all colors, though.

my favorite animals are raccoons, kitties, octopuses, crows, bats, and cuttlefish, but i love all animals except horses and parrots. cuttlefish are my favoritest, but most people have never even heard of them. i love anything to do with weird sea life. as a biologist and naturalist, anything that has to do with plants or animals is awesome.

i am a sockaholic. i think i only have two pairs of plain socks, for when i need to dress formally. i love cute and patterned socks! especially ones with animals on them and for some reason "punk" style socks (like, with pink skulls, checkered, black and white striped, etc). i do NOT like ankle socks (the little tiny ones that end just below your ankles), socks with pom-poms or things that stick out or dangle, or toe socks. but "normal" socks are awesome! please, send me socks! i am greedy for them. also legwarmers. i prefer the tighter kind of leg warmers that have elastic so they stay up rather than the floppy ones that droop down around my ankles. that does not keep my legs very warm!

speaking of those things.. i avidly collect.... hoard.. kawaii stationery, toys, stickers... you name it. sanrio and san-x are awesome. mamegoma, pandapple, nyanko, cinnamoroll, chococat, tenorikuma, and badtz maru are my favorites right now. i also like q-lia characters a lot. any kawaii things are awesome, and the weirder the english translation, the better. i love anthropomorphized objects, especially food, like cupcakes with cute faces or a sushi roll with a cat head.

if you are interested in setting up a private painting, ATC, kawaii or little stuffed animal swap, please let me know! i just started ATCs and i think i'm addicted.

i am not religious myself, though my boyfriend is hindu and i love indian culture, so hindu items and figurines always have a place in our home. i am not offended by religious items at all, but for the most part i have no real use for them. if you decide to send something from your religion with thought and care, it will be received in the spirit with which it was given.

things i would like to receive: anything handmade, stickers, sanrio/san-x/kawaii anything, robot-themed things, toys, candy, containers & boxes, culturally themed things from japan, india, or whatever culture you are from, cat toys, cool nerdy-themed items, great yarn or fabric, art supplies, sewing supplies, paper crafting supplies, notebooks, pens, postcards, cool fantasy themed items, drawings or paintings by you, ATCs, zombie-themed things, handmade fridge magnets, cute socks!

things i would prefer not to receive: cheesy scrapbooking supplies, "country kitchen" themed things, clothing, kitchen items, cooking supplies, dark chocolate, wafer candy (like kit-kats), patriotic stuff

forum trades list
if i know you have received it or i have received it, it gets taken off the list.

i owe
girlonaglide - 2 handmade postcards
owed to me