March 9

DIY Handsome Jack papercraft mask

Borderlands 2 has some amazing characters, but the one I loved the most was definitely Handsome Jack.  I was checking out the Borderlands 2 forums recently and came across an old post where user botman made an awesome paper craft Handsome Jack mask.  I scrolled through some of the comments and to my surprise (and delight) he provides instructions later in the thread.

DIY Handsome Jack Mask

I will let his post speak for itself, however he does warn that this is an advanced paper craft and that beginner and intermediate users may have trouble with it.

What are you waiting for?  Visit the thread to download the instructions and you too can rule Pandora.

March 5

Skels and her Geeky Bead Weaving

I love Red DwarfHey there, geek-crafters. My name is Skels and I’m thrilled to introduce myself as another new writer.

I’m British, but currently living in Sydney, Australia. What makes me geeky? It could be my love of SciFi TV and movies, or my crafty habits as a self-proclaimed “tinkerer”. Or perhaps it’s the months and months of my life that I have invested in various MMOs over the years (sup, EU Argent Dawn WoW?!), or it could be that I’m currently studying for a degree in Natural Sciences in my spare time, you know, just for fun.

My all time favourite TV show is Red Dwarf, favourite game is Simon the Sorcerer, favourite movie is Twister and favourite colour is yellow. I like beading, drawing, photography, piano playing, baking, and jewelry making. I’m also a keen amateur astronomer; my most beloved posession is my 6″ Meade telescope.

I’ve been a fan of Geek Crafts for a while now, ever since discovering how to make pixel art keyrings and things out of teeny tiny seed beads. The great thing about pixel art is that it is so easy to reproduce with loads of different crafts – quilts, cross-stitch, bead weaving, pearler beads, even Lego. And who doesn’t love a little 8-bit nostalgia?!

8-bit Bead Weaving by Skels

If you want to find out more about bead weaving there are some really clear tutorials over at BeadItBabe.com. I used the square stitch for my designs, working with 3 mm seed beads and black waxed beading thread. And if you want some geeky designs to follow or inspire you feel free to check out my selection of keyrings and earrings: Click here to see the 8-bit beading set on Flickr.

Until next Tues, stay nerdy! And if you like, follow @Skels on Twitter. Cheers!

January 13

Have a Sleepover with My Neighbor Totoro

Totoro bed

When I was growing up, my brother and I had Charlie Brown sheets. We had nothing like this cozy Totoro bed set – perhaps because the movie didn’t come out until 1988, and I had moved on from cartoon sheet sets by then. But don’t let that stop you now – use this tutorial at Cut Out + Keep to make your own Totoro bedding, complete with head pillow to watch over you while you sleep.

What other bed sets might this inspire you to make? Perhaps a giant Snorlax?

Category: Anime, Craft, Geek, Movies | Comments Off on Have a Sleepover with My Neighbor Totoro
December 23

Come to the Dark Side, O Christmas Tree

Death Star Tree Topper

With Christmas just days away, my brain is still in decorate mode. And believe me, if we didn’t already have a pretty star for the top of our tree, I would be madly scrambling to whip this Death Star Tree Topper together for our celebration.

Meg at Offbeat Home has graciously provided a tutorial for said tree topper, so you can add a bit of the Dark Side to your tree as well. Looks like a quick and easy project!

May the Force be with your Christmas!

Category: Craft, Geek, Movies, Sci-Fi | Comments Off on Come to the Dark Side, O Christmas Tree
October 17

Crafty Copper Cane

If you’ve watched the creation of the Lady Vadore costume with as much fascination as I have, you might be interested to know that Jen has posted a tutorial on how to make an illuminated copper cane like the one she carried. It’s pretty sweet, and it could totally work with any number of costumes. Apparently you do need a Dremel drill press, but if you’re gonna do lots of crafts, that might just be a worthwhile investment.

Category: Craft, Geek | Comments Off on Crafty Copper Cane
October 1

Make your own: Weeping Angel Tree Topper

Happy October everyone!  As we head into autumn and all the fun holidays, here’s a craft idea with a potent mix of creepy and holiday cheer:  A weeping angel tree-topper. Cynthia at Creative Crossings has a step-by-step tutorial, taking a unsuspecting Barbie doll and transforming her into a terror-inducing tree-topper.  If you check out the original blog post, you’ll see some commenters linking to their own angels.