November 27

Lego Craft: The Last March of the Ents

Last March of the Ents - lego project

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.

Last March of the Ents lego project - Ent aflame

Last March of the Ents lego project - Treebeard with Merry & Pippin

Links of Interest:

Category: Books, Geek, Movies, Toys | 1 Comment on Lego Craft: The Last March of the Ents
July 10

Amigurimi Coraline

“I have no plans to love you,” said Coraline. “No matter what. You can’t make me love you.”
— Neil Gaiman (Coraline)

Crochet Coraline doll - amigurumi patternThat may be what Coraline said to “the other mother”, but you won’t be able to say it to this adorable amigurimi by Ravelry poster, Sharon Rose, aka Homemade Obsessions.

I love her little yellow boots, her key necklace, and the drapey blue hair, and of course the button eyes are perfect. (Even though, I have to admit, they creep me out a little bit.)

The blog post includes the pattern, and stepped-out photos for attaching the pieces and hair.

Also be sure to check out Sharon’s patterns for Wybie and the Ghost Girl.

In case you haven’t heard about Coraline, it’s a fantasy/horror novella by British author Neil Gaiman, published in 2002. There was a graphic novel adaptation, published in 2008, and illustrated by P. Craig Russell. The stop-motion animated film was directed by Henry Selick, and was nominated for an Oscar for Best Animated Feature in 2009. [Historical facts per Wikipedia]

Now, unrelated to Coraline, but related to Neil Gaiman…have you seen the footage of the Minnesota Public Radio interview with Neil Gaiman, where they call Mythbuster’s Adam Savage and he does a short singing stint in the voice of Gollum?  According to theonering.net, it “contains so many different brands of geekery it might shut down the internet.” You simply must see.

LINKS OF INTEREST:

http://homemadeobsessions.blogspot.com/2011/06/ghost-child-doll-inspired-by-coraline.html
Category: Books, Comics, Craft, Geek, Movies, Toys | 1 Comment on Amigurimi Coraline
June 3

Elvish ABCs Prints

Elvish ABC PrintsHaving been raised in a bilingual home, I know how helpful it is to introduce a child to both parents’ languages as soon as possible. However, what do you do if your partner is fluent in a fictional language?

Thankfully, Denise Giffin is two steps ahead of the curve. Her charming and educational Elvish ABCs for baby’s nursery will have your little geekling learning that “A” is for “Aras” (deer), “B” is for “Brog” (bear), and “C” is for “Cabor” (frog).

You can buy the set of three at Denise’s Etsy shop, Tie Dye Jedi, which is full of lovely J.R.R. Tolkien-inspired prints.

Now, if only there were resources for those half-Klingon households…

Category: Books, Craft, Geek | 2 Comments on Elvish ABCs Prints
January 28

Lots o’ Lord of the Rings

Hobbits, wizards, elves, and kings.
What’s not to love about Lord of the Rings? 

Many a crafter has been so inspired,
to knit, sew, or sculpt from this story admired.

But some feel the need to go a bit further,
to celebrate this story with a touch of odd fervor.

So check out these crafts, both geeky and unique,
and I promise I’ll stop rhyming in faux-Tolkien speak.

Eye of Sauron Journal

Sauron Journal

Etsy seller ArtBug offers this one-of-a-kind Eye of Sauron journal, perfect for scribbling down all your evil plans. What I love about this most of all is that the eye friggin’ LIGHTS UP.

Hobbit Feet Baby Booties

Hobbit Feet baby booties

I’ve seen various incarnations of these crazy hobbit-feet slippers, but none so cute as these wee baby booties. Knit some up for your own little hobbit with this free pattern offered by Penwiper. Grown-ups can also get in on the hairy foot action with this Hobbit foot pattern from The Unique Sheep.

Door of Durin Beaded Necklace

Door of Durin beaded necklace

It took Etsy seller Whitestar Jewelry 15 hours to hand-bead this striking Door of Durin necklace.  What impresses me more is the story behind the store, as the maker uses beadwork as a way to soothe her bipolar disorder.

Frodo Plush
Frodo Doll

Craftster member MumbleFord wasn’t content to simply buy a plush Frodo from a store. She had to make her own! I think he turned out even cuter than the original. She was also generous enough to share her pattern, so you can make your own hobbit.

Map of Middle Earth Cigar Box
Map of Middle Earth Box

The latest LOTR swap on Craftster yielded some amazing projects, from replica cloaks to an amigurumi Bilbo. What impressed me the most, though, was this map of Middle Earth burned into a cigar box, made by Craftster Gommeriffic. Perfect thing for hiding your Old Toby in, eh?

Eye of Sauron T-shirt
Eye of Sauron Tie Dyed Shirt

Throw Led Zepplin’s “Ramble On” on the turntable and rock out with this crazy Eye of Sauron tie-dyed T-shirt, available from Portland-based Etsy seller Tie Dyed Monkeys.

Miniature J.R.R. Tolkien Art Doll
JRR Tolkien clothespin doll

The man himself, adorably immortalized in clothespin-doll form. Debbie Ritter (Etsy’s Uneek Doll Designs) also has a little C.S. Lewis doll. Makes me wish she had a dollhouse version of the Eagle and Child pub they used to meet in!

Category: Books, Craft, Geek, Movies | 3 Comments on Lots o’ Lord of the Rings
October 31

Pumpkin Roundup

I hate the smell of pumpkin so I was thrilled to see such a long thread on Craftster (and a couple other places) of jack o’ lanterns that I don’t have to look at in person. Here are the geekiest:

1. Muppets Dr. Bunsen and Beaker by knottie on Craftster

2. Carl Sagan by Kirk Mona on Twins City Naturalist

3. CSI Crime Scene by ConcreteJungler on Craftster

4. Dr. Who Dalek by sloth003 on Craftster

5. Lord of the Rings Gollum by bethiej78 on Craftster

6. The Simpsons Itchy & Scratchy by knottie on Craftster

7. Knit 1 Purl 2 by domUNIQUE on Craftster

8. Star Trek Spock by patty_o_furniture on Craftster

9. Twilight Team Jacob by patty_o_furniture on Craftster

10. Wall-E and Eve by knottie on Craftster

11. Where the Wild Things Are by miss catbread on Craftster

12. Flesh Eating Zombie by teriyakimoto on Craftster

13. Star Wars R2D2 by Derringdos on Flickr

Category: Books, Craft, Geek, Horror & Gore, Movies, Myths & Urban Legends, Sci-Fi, Science, TV | 1 Comment on Pumpkin Roundup
April 18

Make Your Own Gandalf Hat

gandalf-hat

Seems like the people in my house aren’t the only people enjoyingthe Lord of the Rings marathon airing on TNT this weekend. I mentioned it on Twitter and got several “@replies” that they were all doing the same. So in the spirit of the twelve straight hours of Lord of the Rings, I thought it might be fun to share a little how-to Make Your Own Gandalf Hat. Sally Pointer, hostess of the Pointy Hat Gallery, has featured this great Gandalf hat, complete with a little how to linked here. A list of supplies includes heavy weight felt, a sewing machine and patience (perhaps you could do this project while watching twelve straight hours of Frodo’s adventures?).

Category: Books, Craft, Geek, Movies, TV | 4 Comments on Make Your Own Gandalf Hat