March 26

Needlefelted Spock

Needlefelted Spock

Everyone’s favorite Vulcan celebrated his 82nd birthday today! Or rather, Leonard Nimoy, the man behind the Vulcan did. Happy birthday Mr. Nimoy, and of course, live long and prosper. And that’s from the very handsome “Li’l Spock” as well! And the person who created Li’l Spock? Kay Petal, of Felt Alive. She’s a needle felting artist who creates the most amazing sculptural dolls. Be prepared to be blown away.

March 26

Instructable: Magnetic Pac-man Calendar

Pac-man Calendar

I love this submission we received. It’s such a simple idea that it’s one of those things you think “why haven’t I seen this before?”. The board is a metal plate, and all the pieces are magnetic so re-positionable for maximum retro-geek fun. I’m definitely planning on giving this a go. We get heaps of stupid free advertising fridge magnets in our mailbox, so perhaps this is a good way of upcycling them!

Head over to instructables.com for the How-To written by ChrysN. And don’t forget to post some pics below if you give this a try yourself! I’d love to see this applied to other games, such as a Space Invader calendar where each invader is a day of the month and you get to blow one up each morning – it would be especially nice to kill Mondays!

March 26

Nightmare Before Christmas Cake Balls

Nightmare Before Christmas Cake Balls

Geek-a-Bites author Nikki is a freelance illustrator from Austin, Texas. She gladly combines her love for pastry and pop culture. On her blog, you can find photographs of mouthwatering cookies, cake balls and fondant figures inspired by games, series and childhood classics.

Although I’d love to show every scrumptious craft she has created, I’m just going to feature the most recent one, a collection of Nightmare Before Christmas cake balls that Nikki submitted herself. Cake balls are a sort of oversized pop cakes without sticks, coated with chocolate, fondant or icing and often decorated. Yes, I never keep up with the baking trends either!

The balls look awfully detailed. They’d be perfect for a Halloween party or a birthday in my darker, teenage years. It’s hard to pick a favorite, but the tiny hills with the pumpkin patch and crescent moon are surely adorable!

March 25

Star Wars Tumblers

Star Wars Tumblers

I’m always looking for the perfect gift for soon-to-be married geek couples or that awesome friend who seems to have everything already.  I know I’ve mentioned geekily functional items already — well, that is most definitely applicable when it comes to geek gift giving, as well.

The fine folks over at coryativ Etched Glassware have created three adorable 10 oz tumblers (a fancy name for a flat-bottomed drinking glass with no handle) with Star Wars designs etched onto the glass.  You can choose from Rebel Alliance, Insignia of the Galactic Empire, and New Jedi Order Symbol.  One tumbler is $10.00, or you can buy 2 for $18.00.

Head over to their website and check out their other designs, as well.  Better yet, think about what custom geeky glassware you’d like to give as a gift or use in your home, since they also love doing custom work.

March 25

Book Review: How to Price Crafts and Things You Make to Sell

How to Price Crafts and Things You Make to Sell

So you’re into making geek crafts. Your house is being over run by them. No matter how many you give away, there are always more. Maybe you should start selling them! Or maybe you’re already selling them. Crafters have a tendency to undersell themselves and sell their pieces for far too little.  How to Price Crafts and Things You Make to Sell by James Dillehay teaches you that you as an artist are worth more. In the 5 years or so since I started selling online, I have read many books on the subject. This one is by far the best. I even put it to the test the other day and charged a reasonable price for something and the customer didn’t bat an eye. If you don’t value your work, how are others supposed to? While this book is not inherently geeky,  this book provides useful tips, strategies and resources so that you can have the best business possible. So give it a shot!