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January 6

Friday Roundup: Crafts With a Bite

Hello, all! It’s time for the Friday Roundup!

As part of this week’s post, I have a confession to make: I really enjoy reading what I call “stupid vampire novels.” The good ones are more in the “urban fantasy” genre, but a lot of them, to be honest, are best characterized as “paranormal romance.” (Let’s step back a minute and reflect on the fact that that’s a whole genre unto itself. Right? I know.) I’ve read all but one of the Sookie Stackhouse books (and watched a season or two of True Blood), all of the Anita Blake books, all of the Kitty Norville books (yeah, she’s a werewolf, but it counts), and, yes, that other series that I’ll leave unnamed. That other series could be its own roundup, I’m sure. This isn’t that roundup, though.

As much as I’d love to share some Kitty Norville crafts, there aren’t any (or, if there are, they are well hidden from Google)! I was shocked! We’ll all have to band together, as a Geek Crafts community, and remedy that. ;)

Happily, though, there’s a wealth of Sookie and Anita Blake craftery out there, and I’m here to bring you some of my favorites from Etsy.

First up, these very fun Sookie Stackhouse book cover earrings, by maryfaithpeace. It sounds like she puts a lot of work into these—there’s even “page ridge detail”! You can mix-and-match or buy two alike! I love it!

Next, a charm bracelet, admittedly based more on True Blood than on the books, by Creative Accessories. (Who, by the way, has a coupon code up right now—and offers a plethora of geeky jewelry. Nice!)

Here’s one for any ladies wanting to do some easy cosplay: a Merlotte’s waitress t-shirt, by Scarlett Fabric (also sporting a coupon code!). A couple of red marker dots and this shirt makes an easy Halloween/convention/costume party getup!

If you’re really into the costume, you might want to add another element: scent. Mannaia Frangrances has you covered, with “Bon Temps,” which she describes as “A dark, distinctively southern scent for the vampire, fairy, or fangbanger with taste. Includes notes of magnolia, sweet iced tea, wisteria, bougainvillea, and a good dose of peach.” I’m … kind of intrigued. It sounds nice.

The next one, I admit, I hesitated before deciding to post. I’m a little tired of the “Keep Calm and Carry On” thing—it’s a fun historical reference, but, for the time being, it’s probably been played out. I think. Then again, I laughed when I saw this pendant by Red Hot Kitten, and I would totally wear something like it. So maybe there’s a bit of play left in that meme.

Now, on to Anita Blake. Perhaps because she doesn’t have a TV show or a movie, there are fewer Blake-themed crafts out there. But she has a comic (there goes that paycheck), so crafters do have some imagery to work with. Here’s a card holder (ooh, a library card!) with an image straight from the comic, by Japip:

A different print from the comic appears on these earrings, by WenSi Shop. The guns dangling from the photos of Anita make it much easier to identify her, I think. ;)

Alternately, she could look more like the Anita Blake in this print by Tara Fortin—which I love, by the way:

And, finally, to leave you with something just a bit macabre, here is a necklace by Bottled Up Creations, featuring a “hand sculpted human heart” in a bottle, with a note saying “My heart belongs to Jean Claude ♥ [signed] Anita Blake.” This one kind of creeps me out. It probably wouldn’t be everyday wear for me. But Halloween? Oh yes. I would totally rock this necklace on Halloween!

A few of our past vampire-themed craft posts:

January 3

Hunger Games Afghans

Are you as excited about the first installment of the Hunger Games movies coming out in just under 3 months?  My geeky love for literature about dystopian worlds had me eating up the Hunger Games.  I stumbled upon this great pattern for afghans based on each of the books on the Hunger Games Down With the Capitol site (They also have a slew of other craft patterns pertaining to Hunger Games too!). Perhaps something to keep you cozy in the theater?

 

 

 

 

 

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January 3

Nood the Noob

Nood the NoobDoes everyone hate writing introductions for themselves? I’m considering doing the whole thing in third person and instructing you to read it in a TV-announcer voice… but it just wouldn’t be the same without a spangly curtain to hide behind. Ug, ok, here we go…

Hi, I’m Noodle. No relation to The FSM; it’s a nickname I picked up working in New York one summer, during another excruciating introductory event. We were going around the circle, telling everyone ”what we want to get out of working together;” the platitudes were getting more vomit-us by the minute. The girl directly before me explained that she wanted to (I quote) ”Learn a new recipe for soup, so as to combine the best bits from all of us into one nourishing whole.” I, completely inexplicably came out with ”And I want to be the noodles in your soup, absorbing all the goodness.” And thus The Noods was born.

I’m still not sure if they realised I was joking.

Continue reading

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December 31

When Worlds Collide

When Worlds Collide

Years ago, a fifth grader walks into her local library and finds a new series about dragonriders on a planet named Pern.

Some years later, another young girl half a world away discovers a series about a planet named Discworld.

Neither knew at the time that these two worlds were on a collision course with each other and would one day meet up in the wizarding world of Harry Potter but they did. That is where I met Muggs and for the past few years have shared back and forth on our respective favorite fandoms. Recently, she began reading Anne McCaffrey’s Dragonriders of Pern series and, in return, I began reading Terry Pratchett’s Discworld series. We’re both hooked.

Of course, being a crafter, and a geek crafter at heart, I began searching for patterns and crafts related to the new series and found some. One of my favorites is the adorable Swamp Dragon, foun which grows to a length of two feet, especially in the books Guards! Guards! and Men at Arms.

Steph Conley has created a “lifesize” knit pattern for these dragons. I introduce you to Flynn the Swamp Dragon.

Knit in worsted weight yarn, he doesn’t take much yarn do to as she made hers from recycled sweater yarn. A seven inch zipper is sewn into his stomach to turn this into a nice hiding place for special things.

You can find more Discworld crafty goodness on her blog.

 

 

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December 29

“Having a luck dragon with you is the only way to go on a quest!”

Ohhh, you guys, you are not going to believe this! I found an eReader/tablet cover that looks like the book from The Neverending Story! (Am I dating myself, here? I hope not. I loved that movie when I was a kid and can still quote large swaths of it from memory.)

The cover is made by GrimcatProductions, on Etsy, and it is delightful! As the product description says, “Modern digital book readers and tablets can holds thousands and thousands of books – truly a never-ending supply!”

I’d really like to have one of these, but my Sony Reader Pocket Edition already has a very pretty case (also from Etsy). You’d better believe this Neverending Story cover is on my wish list if I upgrade, though! And then? Maybe I’ll finally read the book. (I’m a terrible librarian, sometimes.)

December 13

Tutorial Tuesday: Book Pendant

t’is the season to make stuff for people because you’re too poor to buy them actual gifts from actual shops :-)

That being the case, here I am again to help you find awesome tutorials from around the interwebs. Here’s Malmow‘s stack-of-books pendant, she tells you how she made it here.

Great for bookworms and student friends alike, you could even try and etch tiny tiny titles and authors on the teeny tiny spines, DO IT!

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