It Began With a Pair of Shoes…

doctor shoes

Gabrielledeschain posted these shoes she painted for her oldest daughter.

Her daughter found a pair online that she liked and sent over a picture. But alas, these $80 shoes from Colorado weren’t in Mom’s budget, since Mom’s unemployed because of her health.

But like any good mom, Gabrielledeschain wasn’t going to let that stop her. Gabrielledeschain’s mom even got involved by purchasing a pair of plain white shoes. And because Gabrielledeschain already had the paints, she got to working. Her series of photos on Imgur serve as a creative tutorial on how you could paint your own pair of Doctor Who shoes, customized for your favorite Doctor.

3 Last Minute DIY Gift Ideas!

Comic-Book-Magnets-2

The holiday clock is definitely ticking, and if you’ve still got shopping to do, never fear! You’ve still got time to make something handmade. Take those comic book magnets in the picture above. They’re super simple, and they’d make great stocking stuffers. Just check out the tutorial by Amanda Formaro over on her blog Crafts by Amanda for step-by-step instructions.  She’s even got a separate tutorial on making a comic book decoupage picture frame if you’re looking for something a little more special.

Ewok

Mollie over at Wild Olive has a tutorial on making your very own little, cuddly, Mini Ewok Softie.  This little Wicket would make the best stocking stuffer!

stripy-jack-and-mobile-casey

Got a techie on your list? Why not try crocheting a monster phone case? Trish from the blog Genuine Mudpie has got a great step-by-step tutorial on making this fun gift.

Got some last minute DIY gift ideas? Be sure to share them with us!

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Make Your Own BB-8 Glitter Globe!

bb8globe

This is definitely the droid you’ve been looking for.  Kelly Knox over at Geek and Sundry has a delightful little tutorial on making your own BB-8 Glitter Globe, and it’s the perfect DIY holiday gift (plus it’ll give you something to do while waiting with baited breath for the movie to finally open)! The tutorial includes pictures and detailed instructions for making your own cute little droid. A few clever modifications, and you could probably make this glitter globe into a cute ornament too.  Be sure to share pictures of your glitter-tastic creations!

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Geek Manicures: Nerd Out with Nail Art

Battlestar Nails by Jacki-Adventures in Acetone

With all the interest in unique manicures these days, I love seeking out ways to add geek flair to my nails. So does Jacki at Adventures in Acetone. She has put together a variety of geek manicure tutorials, from the Battlestar Galactica-inspired Starbuck’s mandala seen above, to cute aliens, to multiple Doctor Who-inspired themes, to a cool galaxy.

Each tutorial walks you step by step through the process, with detailed photos and a list of specific nail polish brands and colors.

Have you tried out any geek manicures? We’d love to see your results! Share a link in the comments below!

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Geek Girl Brunch + Comic Book Ornaments

Geek Girl Brunch

I don’t think I’ve yet shared the awesomeness that is Geek Girl Brunch. I discovered it via the Female Geek Bloggers G+ Community, and was immediately intrigued. Ladies getting together to share brunch, drinks, and geek-talk? Sign me up!

The group started in New York City, with its own meetups. They had so much fun together that they decided to roll out chapters, not only across the U.S but worldwide! Sensing I had found my geek tribe, I signed up to be notified about news of the Kansas City chapter. I got an email a few months later notifying me that chapters were forming, and would I like to be an officer to help launch the KC chapter? Because I love my hometown and want to nurture its geek culture, I said yes!

We had our first brunch in July – an informal meetup at the Cheesecake Factory, followed by Star Wars Day at Barnes & Noble. In September we gathered at the Renaissance Festival and strolled the grounds together. Other chapters have enjoyed a wide variety of themes, from a Zombie Crawl to a Xena-themed yoga session to a Pixel Perfect ode to video games.

Next week is KC’s third event, with a “Let’s Get Crafty” theme. My co-leader, another brunchette, and I are each leading a geek-craft. My craft is comic book ornaments, as seen in the examples below. I figured it was an easy introduction to decoupage, but infinitely customizable to whatever comic brunchettes might favor, along with whatever ornament base they might choose.

Comic Book Ornaments by Angie Pedersen

Basic instructions:

  1. Select ornaments in shapes that will showcase an identifiable amount of comic art, in shapes that should be easy to cut out.
  2. Page through your comics for images that will fit your ornament. TIP: If the image you want is too big, you can scan it and resize to fit your ornament. That’s what I did for the Dr. Horrible cube above.
  3. Place the ornament on top of the comic page and trace around it. Cut out with scissors.
  4. Brush Mod Podge (I used matte, but glossy would also work) on the ornament and position the comic cut out on top. Smooth out any wrinkles (a brayer helps here).
  5. Brush a coat of Mod Podge over the surface of the comic image to seal.
  6. Optional: embellish the edges of the ornament with decorative washi tape (see Buffy example above) or acrylic paint (see TARDIS example above). For the Dr. Horrible cube, I colored the top of it with a bronze metallic Sharpie (top not shown).

I hope you will check out Geek Girl Brunch and join in on the fun! If you’re in the KC area, stop by and say hi!

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What To Do With All Those Candy Wrappers

CandyWrapperBag

Now that Halloween is (sadly) over, instead of throwing out all those candy wrappers, why not horde them and make something spectacular? Natalie on Doodlecraft has got you covered with this excellent photo tutorial on making your own Candy Wrapper Woven Purse. So snap out of that sugar coma, gather up those empty candy wrappers, and get crafting!

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