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
January 14

Fleece Dragon Age Plushies

Dragon Age dolls by eitanyaI’ve been eyeing Jo Roberts’s (AKA Etianya) amazingly detailed fleece plushies, hats, and scarves on DeviantART for a while now. Not just for their warm snuggliness, but because they are beautifully hand-crafted pieces of geek art.

She’s captured characters from video games such as Final Fantasy, Super Mario Bros., and World of Warcraft. The ones that stole this Bioware geek’s heart, though, were her Dragon Age: Origins plushies.

Not only has she made some adorable stand-alone dolls of party faves Alistair, Morrigan, and Zevran, she’s also indulged the romantic side of her clients by custom-making dolls of their Gray Warden with their tru wuv. Even sweeter, she’s designed them with magnets so they can kiss.

Say it with me: “D’aaaaw!”

Category: Craft, Geek, Toys, Video Games | Comments Off on Fleece Dragon Age Plushies
December 28

Poison Ivy plush is sweet venom

poisonivyplushBatman villain Poison Ivy is best known for her ability to control plant life, using it to wreak havoc on Gotham City. Now, Michele Legendre adds “criminally cute” to the super-villain’s list of powers, and not even the Dark Knight will be able to resist Ivy’s sheer adorableness.

Spotted on DeviantART, this plush Poison Ivy is handmade out of eco-friendly felt made from recycled bottles (which is quite appropriate for this “green” crusader), safety eyes, and airbrush paint.

Michele has worked her stitching magic to make sweet, softie versions of other comic book and video game icons, such as Hellboy and Scott Pilgrim‘s Kim Pine. 

EDIT: Her Etsy store, Deadly Sweet Plushes, is open for business again, and she’ll begin accepting custom orders mid-January 2011.

Category: Comics, Craft, Geek | 1 Comment on Poison Ivy plush is sweet venom
November 15

Spaceman Softie

Spaceman SoftieI spied this wonderful green-haired spaceman softie in the Geek Crafts Flickr pool by yermit. This led me to yermit‘s Flickr photostream of all sorts of lovely softies and then I clicked through to her Etsy shop and you can buy them!!! You *must* click through and see everything. I love her use of textures! Love it!

Category: Craft, Geek, Sci-Fi | Comments Off on Spaceman Softie