January 4

Jewelry for Band Geeks

Clarinet key earrings-140848-BOA by Hangups in KC

Any Band Geeks out there? My husband played trumpet in his high school marching band, and continued as a member of the University of Wisconsin Marching Band. Now my daughter is following suit, playing his horn in her school marching band. Over the past 20+ years, I have attended and cheered at many a band performance, and developed a definite soft spot for those musical type geeks.

So I am pleased to toot the horn (couldn’t resist the pun) of a local Kansas City duo who is making some pretty cool things out of retired band instruments. Hangups in KC has created the Band of Angels Retired Instrument Jewelry Collection, crafting unique handmade items such as clarinet key earrings (pictured above), guitar string bracelets, and a necklace from repurposed violin wood.

These ladies are passionate about their craft and their commitment to using repurposed materials. I love their brand vision and message, and that they are giving new life to retired band instruments in a unique way. And bonus –  they give 30% of every sale from the collection to Band of Angels, a non-profit that collects used music instruments and makes them available to kids in need so they can join band and orchestra programs. Nurturing future generations of band geeks is something I can get behind!

For Christmas, I gave my daughter one of Hangups’ ornaments made from a retired trumpet mouthpiece. She thought it was pretty cool, then when she heard it helped other kids get started in band, it became an even more meaningful keepsake. Band mom win!

Trumpet ornament by Hangups in KC

Are you a Band Geek? What instrument did/do you play?

Category: Craft, Geek, Girly, Music | Comments Off on Jewelry for Band Geeks
April 21

Paculele

In the world of Geekery, there’s embroidery, a variety of foods, poly clay, unbelievable yarn creations of every sort and the list keeps going. However, I’ve never in all of my days seen the combination of  Woodwork + Music + GEEK!

May I present the Paculele! It’s a ukelele with the body as Pac Man and the tuner is Blinky the ghost! I think I might have found the perfect Holiday gift for my ukelele playing Geek Husband!

You have got to check out celentanowoodworks’ other creations on Etsy. I think my all time favorite is the Roc Em Soc Em robot version.

Pac Man ukulele paculele by celentanowoodworks on Etsy.

Category: Computers, Games, Geek | Comments Off on Paculele
February 3

Mixtape Postcards

Who doesn’t love a mixtape? Lovingly created, song by song by someone who cares enough about you to not only use their double tape deck to transfer a song from one tape to another, but even sit next to the radio for hours, waiting for the right moment to hit “record” when that perfect Descendants song came on the radio.

Or should I say, who over 25 doesn’t love a mixtape? Eh, whatever. Anchortag captures the fun and romance of a mixtape, without the need for a working tape deck. These Mixtape Postcards would make an awesome Valentine, and they are for sale at her Etsy shop!

Category: Craft, Geek, Girly, Music | Comments Off on Mixtape Postcards