Geekify Your Valentine!

These valentines featuring thick framed glasses would be an excellent alternative to candy this year, don’t you think? As a clever response to the “no candy” policy that some schools implement during Valentine’s Day, Melanie Blodgett created the idea for a more visually sweet type of confectionery over at her blog, YouAreMyFave. In addition to the tutorial, she offers a free printable(!) which can be found here.

What an amusing addition to any cardboard Valentine’s Day mailbox! After swapping candy hearts, kids (or coworkers!) can pretend to be their favorite bespectacled hero. A sugar rush AND school/office-appropriate cosplay…what’s not to love?! :)

Looking Good Printable Valentine via YouAreMyFave

Category: Craft, Geek, Toys, Tutorial | Comments Off

February 12

Captain America Clothing Crafts

Even though Captain America 3 isn’t scheduled to come out until 2016, and Avengers: Age of Ultron is coming out in May, Steve Rogers would say that every day is a good day for Truth, Honor, and Patriotism!

http://such-heights.tumblr.com/ — Loki Mocks Captain America in Thor 2 from such-heights on tumblr

If you’d like to display your love for Captain America, there are several fashionable DIYs for you to do so!

First, Comm Couture created a freedom trifecta of Cap Pacs for herself and her two sons, in less than one day! She used some different colored felt , some straps, and voila!

Deviantart user AcidDaisy took the stars and stripes to a whole new level with her fashionable Captain America Dress. She also created an incredibly helpful tutorial on how to make your own as well!

Lastly, if you’re looking for a more subtle homage, Tumblr user Tehnakki came up with a beautiful floral emblem of Cap’s Shield to decorate her sweatshirt with, making it a wonderful example of geek chic. She’s posted the pattern shapes she used, as well as a pdf with detailed instructions for everyone who’d like to try it themselves.

Hopefully that was enough of the First Avenger for you! Happy crafting!

Category: Comics, Craft, Geek, Movies, Tutorial | 1 Comment

January 28

Guardians of Geekdoms

Hello All! I’m sure most of you have seen Guardians of the Galaxy by now (and if you haven’t, why?? Go, go! I’ll wait.). Baby Groot is undoubtedly one of the cutest things to hit the big screen, and I joined the masses in trying to create my own version of him for a friend’s Christmas gift.

Since I couldn’t find any plushie versions, I decided to make my own, and documented the process so I could make a Baby Groot tutorial!

There’s only one baby Groot that I believe is cuter than mine:

Featured on FashionablyGeek, Reddit user S7ar-lord’s wife made this costume for their baby boy for Halloween, and Guardians of the Galaxy director James Gunn tweeted the picture, saying he was “out-cuted”.

If retro-media is more your style, there’s crafts for you too! First, in honor of the “Awesome Mix Vol. 1” that Peter Quill aka Starlord listens to, 30MinuteCrafts created a printable cassette tape box, perfect for any cosplay, or just a geeky place to keep things!

If you’re looking for a place to keep your valuables, Paul Mason the DIY Guy, from Geek & Sundry Vlogs, has posted a cassette tape wallet video tutorial so you can protect your cards and ID in a truly awesome way.

Hope that’s enough geeky awesomeness for you, and happy crafting!

Category: Craft, Geek, Movies, Tutorial | 1 Comment

January 12

Geeky Winter Hat Patterns and DIYs

I don’t know about you, but it’s cold where I’m at. Cold, grey, dead . . . Can you tell I hate winter? To combat my own winter doldrums I love using fun and ridiculous winter hats. It’s hard not to laugh at a Yeti hat, no? (I bought this one at my local grocery store, but you can find one here.)

There are plenty of great patterns and DIYs for geeky winter hats on the intarwebz, so I’ve rounded up a few to help you with your own winter blues. The first is this great, free crochet pattern on Ravelry, by SnappyTots, for a Police Box earflap hat. This would be a fantastic gift for the Whovians in your life.

This hat would be perfect for my 2-year-old nephew. He loves the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles as only a two-year-old can, with a deep and abiding wuv. As much as he loves Turtles, he hates wearing winter gear no matter how cold it gets outside. This hat, though, he might never take off. And you could probably find the fleece you need in the scrap/remnant bins at your local fabric store (or in your own stash). You can find the pattern and instructions, all by PiePopper, here on Instructables.

I’m a huge fan of Sharknado, and I absolutely fell in love with this Shark Attack Hat DIY on Instructables (also by PiePopper). It’s not technically Sharknado inspired, but it’s definitely shark-tastic.

Last, but not least, he is: Yoda! I don’t knit, but this hat pattern with giant Yoda ears makes me want to learn. The pattern is free on Craftsy, and it’s by Kaira Anne Designs. The pattern is sized for a child, but she’s got a link (http://aknitica.com/2010/10/01/how-to-knit-a-hat/ ) in her description to a tutorial on how to knit a basic hat, and the tutorial has some tips on sizing.

Make your Bedroom Bigger on the Inside With this TARDIS Fold-Down Bed

The Time Lords of Gallifrey know a thing or two about interior design. Blogger and DIY-er Stubbs from “The Stubby Thumb” wanted to to make her guest bedroom a little bigger on the inside, and since “Murphy beds” were a little too expensive, she decided to make one of her own.

Since Murphy beds are the ultimate space maximizers, it only made sense to build it using Time Lord technology: bigger on the inside! If you’re interested in making something like this, check out the complete blog entry/tutorial that Stubbs compiled over at her blog. Even of you don’t need a Murphy bed, you can use her guidance to turn a door, closet or table top into your very own TARDIS.

Category: Craft, Gadgets, Geek, Girly, Sci-Fi, Tutorial, TV | Comments Off

January 5

Geek Out With Free Hand Embroidery Patterns and Tutorials

This year, don’t just let your geek flag fly. Hand embroider that geek flag with your favorite quote or character.

If you enjoy the Dresden Files, you’ll love this free hand embroidery pattern designed by Jennifer from Sew Hooked. Check out her blog and Craftsy store for more original pattern designs.

I’m totally Sher-locked myself, so this next free hand embroidery pattern by Jordan F (username: dozmuffinxc), as found on FandomStiches.com is something I’m definitely going to try.

The only thing is, I look at these fun patterns and can’t help but wonder, how do you make a quote or line drawing into an embroidery pattern. I did a little digging and found this awesome tutorial on making your own hand embroidery design from Angel and Amy on their blog Tada! Creations.

And then I found another tutorial on color tinting your embroidery using crayons and an iron. The technique is so easy, but the impact of the final product packs a real wallop. I found this tutorial on Urban Threads, and it’s got great step-by-step instructions with pictures.

Links of Interest

Find the Sherlock embroidery designs here http://www.fandominstitches.com/2011/05/fiction-and-literature.html, along with tons of other free patterns spanning a huge breadth of fantoms.
Download the Dresden Files hand embroidery pattern here http://www.craftsy.com/pattern/embroidery/hand-embroidery/paranoid-quote-embroidery-dresden-files/102451, and don’t forget to check out Sew Hooked’s Craftsy store and blog for more great ideas and patterns
TaDa! Creations has got the really good tutorial on making your own hand embroidery designs here: http://tadacreations.blogspot.com/2010/02/hand-embroidery-tutorial.html
Urban Threads has got another really good tutorial on color tinting your hand embroidery with crayons here: http://www.urbanthreads.com/tutorials.aspx?t=PRH1071
More Sherlock on Geek Crafts!
More Dresden Files on Geek Crafts!
More embroidery projects and ideas on Geek Crafts!

Category: Craft, Geek, Myths & Urban Legends, Sci-Fi, Tutorial, TV | Comments Off

Geek Crafts

Where geek and crafts collide