Geek Crafts

I have a few movies I watch over and over and over again this season, that always put me in the holiday spirit. And I’m sure most of you, like me, can’t sit still and watch a movie. You have to be doing something, whether it’s crocheting, sewing, cutting, drawing, (anything you can do on the couch, really).

Well this season, why not make something from your favorite movie, while watching you favorite movie. You could even race and see if you can finish your craft before the movie is over. No pausing the DVD for bathroom breaks, that’s cheating. Here are a few I’ve found.

If you grew up in the 80’s, like me, you know all about the forgotten Henson Classic, The Christmas Toy. It was released on DVD a few years ago, which is great, because my VHS copy recorded off the TV was really wearing out. Now you can make your own Mew, and have the “cat toy, people toy” argument until your heart’s content.

Check out CRAFTYISCOOL1 ‘s beautiful work.

My next favorite is another Henson great, Emmet Otter’s Jug-band Christmas. (something about Jim

Henson and Christmas just go hand in hand) Check out this amazing needle felted work from REMAINSOFTHEDAY.

The Muppets make great crafting projects, because they are made out of felt to begin with. It’s a lot easier to recreate than a person, although, this next boy looks pretty amazing in felt. Here’s an Emmet Otter I crocheted.  

Check out Ralphie’s bunny costume, from A Christmas Story, made by Etsy Shop My Little Cabbage.

So go grab your supplies and your remote, cuddle up on the couch with that blanket you made last week, and whip up some great crafts to go with your movie. How cute would it be to give someone the DVD of a great Christmas movie, and one of these crafts to go with it?

Ooo, now I know what to get my Secret Santa……….

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We’re deep in Christmas gift-list-making mode at our house, making sure the kids have made their lists, with enough options to divvy up amongst the grandparents, aunts & uncles, and us. Does anyone else have to coordinate all that? It’s enough to make me want to sing a version of “OY to the World”!

Fortunately, if you’re running out of ideas for the geek(s) in your life, Etsy’s got you covered with their Treasuries. Redd takes care of posting great Treasuries here, but for even more ideas, just search for “geek” at Etsy. I promise you will get many more ideas than you have gold-pressed latinum.

Do you have a geeky gift guide Treasury put together? Feel free to link us up in the Comments!

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As the sister of a “Legomaniac” growing up, and now wife and mother to some modular block-building aficionados, I am quick to recognize the imagination and talent required for the more epic Lego projects. I have posted about some I have seen, such as the Sandcrawler made of Legos.

Enter now the Ents. Or the last march, thereof.

OneLug, a “fellowship of builders consisting of Brandon Griffith, Alyse & Remi Gagne, and Bruce Lowell”, has recreated The Last March of the Ents – in Lego form. This is how they describe the project:

“Taken from the Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers, this Lego model displays the epic battle as depicted in the film version of the timeless book. The base of the model is 305 Lego studs(8ft.) in diameter and the tower Orthanc stands 228 Lego Bricks (7ft. 2in.) tall. The battle consist of 23 Ents and 100+ Orcs.”

The Flickr gallery includes 75 photos and two videos, with some crazy-awesome close-ups to show the creators’ imagination and attention to detail. Definitely worth a click-through.

Links of Interest:

• The Last March of the Ents Flickr gallery
• More Legos crafts on GeekCrafts
• More Tolkein crafts on GeekCrafts

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I am a lifelong Star Wars fan – I have a picture of my brother and I sitting on our couch in our sweatshirts with Star Wars iron-ons on them, after seeing the first/fourth movie in the theaters (the aforementioned photo is not the same as the one pictured above, however).  Thirty-something years later, and I have just learned of the existence of Wookiee Life Day. And I just missed it – it’s celebrated every November 17th.

May the Fourth – definitely heard of it. Revenge of the Fifth – yep, know that one too. But somehow Wookie Life Day slipped by my Death Star radar.

Perhaps it had for you, too? Allow me to educate.

According to TheForce.net, “On November 17, 1978 The Star Wars Holiday Special aired for one time only on CBS in the United States. Featuring an odd story about Chewbacca reuniting with his family to celebrate the Wookiee holiday of Life Day, it has gone on to live in infamy among Star Wars fans. The special includes appearances and strange musical performances from the cast of the original Star Wars movie, as well as Bea Arthur, Art Carney, Harvey Korman, Diahann Carroll, and Jefferson Starship. To no one’s surprise The Star Wars Holiday Special is renowned for its overwhelmingly negative reception. Lucasfilm has never released the Holiday Special to the public after its initial broadcast, but it has lived on through video recordings and sharing among friends.”

Yes, it was that spectacularly bad. Those of you with a strong stomach can watch about 7 minutes of it courtesy of YouTube: Star Wars Holiday Special – “Happy Life Day”. Be forewarned – Princess Leia sings.

But what can you make to properly celebrate Life Day, you ask? Also according to TheForce.net, “All you need is a way to watch The Star Wars Holiday Special and some Crimson Snuggies,” but I’d also suggest a nice fresh batch of Wookiee-ookies. Shayne posted about the Star Wars Cookbook previously, but I was able to track down the actual cookie recipe at StarWarsHolidaySpecial.com.

Then you could serve the wookie-ookies to a whole party of WookSQUEEs and SQUEEwoks, if you can handle the cuteness factor.

What about you? Did you do (or make) anything fun for Life Day? Had you heard of Life Day before?

LINKS OF INTEREST:

• StarWarsHolidaySpecial.com
• Star Wars Holiday Special on YouTube
• Wookie-ookies recipe
• WookSQUEE by SKotkinCreations
• More Star Wars crafts on GeekCrafts

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Today is the day.  I can hardly believe that Minecraft is not a full game yet, but it’s true.  Today Mojang AB, the creators of Minecraft, will be releasing the official Minecraft 1.0 version live at MineCon in Las Vegas.  I wish I could be there.  However, since I can’t be there, lets look at some truly awesome Minecraft inspired crafts.

To start things off, take a look at this Creeper Purse by Blindmoon on Etsy.  Now you can look stylish and still send everyone around you into PTSD induced seizures.

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Or how about this absolutely adorable Minecraft Chicken made out of Fimo Clay.  StarPhoenixx from Etsy makes tons of cute clay figurines but this chicken made me squeak.

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The cake doesn’t have to be a lie with this Plush Minecraft Cake by EeeBeeDee on Etsy.

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We all know how much I love coffee cozies.  I can’t get enough of the things, yet strangely I don’t use them on my actual coffee.  Either way, you have to love this Creeper Coffee Cozy by LilacsLovables on Etsy.  She calls it a “Mug Cozy” but I don’t think you can even USE mugs for anything other than coffee…right?

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How are you supposed to dig around in your mines without the proper tools?  Well, diamonds are expensive, so how about these Perler Bead Diamond Magnets by GumballNinja on Etsy?

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Have you ever looked at your tissue paper dispenser and thought to yourself, “What am I doing with my life?”.  Me too.  You can solve that problem by pimping out your dispenser with a cool Minecraft Grass Cube Tissue Box Cover!  But where could you get one?  How about from sockmonkeyfun on Etsy?

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I bet that, like me, you don’t have any friends.  What?  You do have friends…can you share?  No….right then.  Well, since you have SO MANY FRIENDS, I suppose you must collect them.  Why not add one more to the list, you friend hog.  This Minecraft Pet Wolf Statue, by DandelionBlow on Etsy, won’t ever pick you last for dodge ball…again.

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Since you  have so many friends, why don’t you marry one?  All you need is a diamond ring like this Minecraft Inspired “Diamond” Ring by tinybackpack on Etsy.

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Alright.  As usual, I have saved the best for last.  This Minecraft Plush Pig is Adorable.  I love it.  I want to own it.  ClosetMonsterstoys on Etsy make all kinds of awesome pop culture plushies, but this pig is just too awesome for words.

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That’s it for this week.  I’m off to patiently refresh the Minecraft page until the full version is released.

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Quite aware that I am dating myself, I have fond memories of watching “The Muppet Show” when it was actually on TV (which premiered in 1976 – groan…). As my husband also shares an affection for the distinctive puppets, our kids have grown up with the movies as well – one of our Christmas traditions is to watch The Muppet Christmas Carol. Good times. We’re quite looking forward to the next installment, when “The Muppets” launches on November 23rd.

So for today’s roundup, I thought I would offer up to you a bounty of Muppet-related craftastic goodness. First up, a fabulous crochet Animal hat, from Etsy shopowner, TeeterTotterTot.

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This Miss Piggy Cameo hairpin from Katey Bree Designs is really interesting – where would one get a Miss Piggy cameo??

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Beaker is one of my favorite characters, so I love the idea of the two of these guys “peeking out” from a framed cross-stitch (PDF pattern available from LizzyStitches). How could you look at this on your wall and not smile?

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This Kermit the Frog cup cozy looks like a quick and easy Muppet craft – and kid-friendly, too, since it’s from Disney Family Crafts.

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Made up of 16 different blocks, this Muppet quilt by Roxy Nova is one impressive project! Be sure to click through to revel in close-up shots of each block.

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The sweet fuzzy bits on this crochet double pom baby hat by Naturally Hooked would really make any baby look like a sort of muppet!

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I almost wish I wore glasses so I could have a reason to make this Professor Honeydew glasses holder amigurumi project! Heck – maybe I don’t need a reason!

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I’m going to have to start soon, if I want this Yip Yip costume for next Halloween – which I do! Love these!

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Finally, give your own Muppet shows with this fantastic Muppet puppet theater from Someday Crafts!

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OK, OK – I won’t leave it that. Here’s a little bonus: OK Go’s version on the Muppet theme song.

Links of Interest:

• Crochet Animal hat
• Miss Piggy Cameo hairpin
• Professor & Beaker cross-stitch pattern
• Kermit the Frog cup cozy
• Muppet quilt
• Double pom Muppet baby hat
• Yip-Yip costumes
• Muppet theater
• OK Go take on Muppet theme song
• Muppets.com (via Disney.Go.Com)
• More craft roundups on Geekcrafts

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