Monday, February 28, 2011

Cinderella, R2D2, and Tasha Yar

I'm still working on my recap of the Miami Comic-Con, guys, but I had to share my favorite shot right away:


John and I happened upon this little Cinderella solemnly flipping through the pages of a book and showing them all to R2D2, who was responding enthusiastically with beeps and whirs. The few adults around were standing back to avoid disturbing the pair. After grinning madly at the cuteness for a moment, I silently asked her father (just behind her and out of frame) if I could take a picture. Then, when I quietly went down on one knee a few feet away, the little girl turned to look at me for just this one second before returning studiously to her task.


It was only after I downloaded the photos at home that I spotted Denise Crosby (Tasha Yar of Star Trek: TNG) in the background. And you know what? This is exactly why I love conventions. Where else can you find actors and fans, sci-fi and fantasy, and kids and adults all mashed together in one glorious melting pot of geekery?


More pics and goodies, coming soon!

Friday, February 25, 2011

Kawaii Capsule Cuties

A long while back I featured some of Jerrod Maruyama's oh-so-adorable art, which soon had me on a rabbit trail of Kawaii-inspired cuteness.

Ok, maybe less "rabbit trail" and more "obsessive hunt." And you know what that means, right? Time to foist my obsession onto yooou guuuuys! [sing-song]

First off, have you seen the Cutie style Disney characters?




They've been around for a few years now. My favorite, though, is the much rarer *angry* Cutie Donald:



Add a bunch of indecipherable duck swearing, and I am powerless against this kind of cute.

I haven't been able to find much Cutie Donald here in Orlando - much less his angry version - but here's my little cubby shelf devoted to him:

The toy on the left is a solar-powered head bobble, and the globe was a candy container. I also have a small collection of pins on my special "Donald pack" that I bring to the parks sometimes:

If you want to be complimented by random 12-year-old girls, just wear this.

Although my cutie Tigger purse actually gets a lot more use:

I mean, c'mon: it's orange.

Anyway, the Kawaii/Cutie style is still pretty scarce here in the U.S. (except for pins, of course), so you can imagine my envy when I see websites from Japan or Singapore filled to the brim with the most fabulous Kawaii Disney adorbz:


via Capsule-licious


(If you just heard a *thump* that was me fainting over the Donald & Pinocchio charms.)

via Vinyl Aficionada Toy Collection

These are all "capsule toys" (or "yujin") from vending machines, which are quite the rage in Japan. I've yet to find a place online or off that I can buy them. (All the sites I've found only sell to locals - no shipping.) It pains me, guys. It really does. Will someone please open a capsule toy store here in the States so I can throw my money at them?

Ok, two more:

These come with little suction cups! Ack!



If you want to drool and squee some more, check out the three sites I just credited above, or do an image search for "Disney yujin toys." Or leave the "Disney" off, and behold all the fabulous candy-themed, Sanrio, Mario, and Sega goodies, too. Believe me, if you like this style, it's all good.


Oh, and while I was hunting these images down I did manage to find one brand available online: Cosbaby.


They're not cheap - averaging $15-$20 each - but I've seen these on various toy sites from time to time, and also on Ebay. (They're also larger than most capsule toys: about three inches tall.)

Here's the Toy Story set:

Isn't Buzz the best?

I mean, sure, they're not "yujin" cute, but they're still pretty darn cute.



Well, that's all I've got, guys. If you know of any sites selling capsule toys internationally - or even just ones with more photos of them - then please share your links in the comments! My obsession needs feeding. [crazy eyes]


Oh, and if you're ever in Japan, and want to buy me a souvenir, rest assured that I really don't need any more toys, and I'm happy with what I have, and what am I saying get me one of everything! EVERYTHING, do you hear??

Wednesday, February 23, 2011

Five Fabulous Geek Tees

I'm still re-working a t-shirt tutorial for you guys (meaning I've now ripped out so many seams I had to take a break so my facial tics could relax), so in the meantime... let's go SHOPPING!!

I mean, sure, half my closet is geeky t-shirts, but you can never have too many, right?

Right?


Submitted by Lindsay S., Stay Puft and Carry On, $20.00

Must. Have.


"What Would Geordi La Forge Do?" Tee, submitted by Kelly, $29.99

Made me laugh. I'd actually love to see this design with every Star Trek character... and then I'd buy the Janice Rand one, just to be different. And Q. Gotta have Q!


This next one is pretty subtle; most people will only see a metro line map:

Submitted by KNS, Lord of the Rings "There and Back Again" Tee, only $10.00!

However, it's *actually* a map of the lands in Middle Earth. Aw yeeeah.


Amping up the adorabletude for you crafty crochet types:

Found via SuperPunch, by Doomed to Live Studio.
(Currently out of stock, but she also has an "Octoknitter" design for $15.)

So here's the problem: I don't crochet, but I still want this. But then I'd feel like a phony, 'cuz I don't crochet. But it's so CUTE, and I WANT it. Is that so wrong?

Maybe if I took a crochet class, I'd gain enough "crochet cred" to wear this shirt.

I mean, I *did* once crochet a hideous mauve scarf-thingy as a teenager, which somehow turned into a bag. So there's also that.

Hm.

Am I over thinking this?



And finally, the Dark Side is staying alive:

Submitted by Katrina, Darkside of Disco T-Shirt, $19.99

Bwahahaa!

'Course, now I can't get that song out of my head. Drat.

Oh, and I believe all of these shirts (with the possible exception of the Crothulhu) are available in both guys' and girls' cuts, so no one can feel left out. With the possible exception of crocheting guys. (Sorry, crocheting guys.)

Seen a great geeky t-shirt lately? Share your links in the comments!

Monday, February 21, 2011

Coin Purse Tutorial & Give-Away!

Since you guys seem to like these crafty tutorials, I've got a great one for you today from Epbot reader Marilou G. of Clothdragon.

Marilou has spoiled me with not one but two fabulous Epbot-inspired goodies. First, this cutey-patootie clay 'bot:

Click here for her blog post on it.

And then most recently with this fabulous little leather change purse:

Isn't it great? It's been hanging on my gray messenger bag purse since the moment I got it. And, fortunately for any of you who'd like to give it a whirl, Marilou made a tutorial here!


But wait, there's more!


Marilou *also* sent me the first pouch she made, which she [cough cough] sort of happened to forget to add the 'bot's ears on:
Still, totes adorbz, am I right?

And, since I'd be insanely greedy to keep both pouches, I'm going to give this one away to one of you, with Marilou's blessing.



So, for your chance to win this one-of-a-kind, handmade, earless Epbot 'bot leather coin pouch, just leave a comment below. I'll choose a winner at random at 10pm EST tonight, and I'll announce the winner both here, on this post, and also on Facebook, so be sure to check back!



The contest has ended, and the winner is vicTORIa, who commented at 3:46pm! Congrats, and please e-mail me your mailing address, vicTORIa.

Saturday, February 19, 2011

Saturday Steam 2/19/11

Check out this amazing "flapping push toy" by Bob Basset:

Molded leather, wood, brass, and little gears in the portholes?

Now THAT is my kind of "toy!"

Many more shots here
I assume those leather wings flap as you push it along the floor, but I'd be hard pressed not to lock it up in a glass display case for fear of damaging it. It's just so gorgeous!

And speaking of great steampunk'd toys, how about a Rubik's Cube?

Matthew A. found this over on Instructables. It's called a Blind Man's Cube, because you can solve it by touch rather than sight. However, all that metal detail goes great with a steampunk aesthetic. (Plus, wouldn't you love to see some gears on this?) Even better, this isn't a difficult mod, so head over to the tutorial to learn more.


A lot of you have been sending me the new Panic! At the Disco's music video, The Ballad of Mona Lisa this week. It is definitely steampunk; the band even recruited the famous League of Steam to be in the video, as well as to help with the costumes and props. (I recognized Mr. Crackitus Potts first thing.)

I had to watch it two or three times before I fully "got" the storyline, but then again I was also distracted by all the steamy eye candy. Heh. Check it out:



And finally, for hours of fun browsing, be sure to bookmark LiveJournal's "Steampunk Style" forum. You'll find oodles of great clothing, jewelry, sculptures, and more. You can thank/curse me later. :D

Seen anything particularly steamy this week? Then tell me about it in the comments!

Monday, February 14, 2011

Candle Sticks

The other day I was swapping out my Christmas-scented candles (evergreen, cranberry, etc.) for my regular, every-day scented candles (anything that smells like it came from a bakery), when I noticed a problem: my candles are ugly.

I mean, they're just your typical glass jar candles, but the labels...well, just look at this thing:

Yeah. Classy.
(Smells heavenly, though.)

Anyway, I turned to the Internet, and about an hour later I had this:

Better, right?

I'd hoped to find some really detailed apothecary labels to give the candles a more vintage vibe, but it turns out antique French cologne labels are much easier to find, and in some cases work just as well.

Next I turned my attention to my bundles of Bath and Body Works candles. Thanks to sales and coupons we ended up taking home maybe half a dozen of these things over the holidays. If you're not familiar, they look like this:

Which is fine, I guess, but a little modern for my taste. I wanted something with a bit more character to display.

Like this:


Or this:

(I also have a weak spot for Art Nouveau.)

I could have stopped there, but those chrome lids are too modern and show every fingerprint, which is super annoying. So, a quick blast of primer and bronze spray paint later...

Much better.


Then I discovered two fantastic labels by Inka of Altered Artifacts, so I printed one of each:

The one on the right is a vintage apothecary label (woot!) and the one on the left is, again, for French cologne. (I later sprayed that lid bronze, too.)


Now, because it's Valentine's Day and I love you (awww), I've assembled a bunch of great graphics and links for your own candle-labeling endeavors:

- The Graphics Fairy has massive archives of free, downloadable goodies like these:

Wednesday, February 9, 2011

My Treadmill Desk

A long time ago I spotted a treadmill desk on Instructables, and was instantly intrigued. As someone who routinely spends 12+ hours a day on the computer, this seemed like a great way to get off my butt without sacrificing work time.

That first design I saw was essentially just a shelf mounted to a wall for the monitor, with another shelf erected around the treadmill arms to serve as a work surface for the keyboard:

Overall the setup seemed a bit clunky, though, and you had to face the treadmill into a wall, which wouldn't work with the small space we had to work with in our back room.

I talked to John about it, and we agreed that really all we needed was a single shelf to hold a laptop and mouse, since we planned to use this as a supplement to our office desktop, not a replacement. We started researching treadmills, and within two weeks found a nice fold-up model - a bit shorter than most, so it would fit our space - for $250 on Craig's List.

Here it is in our back room:

An eyesore, yes, but worth it.

Here's the worktop:

John's shelf is so seamless that some of our friends thought it actually came with the treadmill. I love how streamlined it is. He designed the shape of the wooden board to fit around the arms, rounded the edges with a router, and then painted the whole thing satin black. The entire process only took him a few hours, and cost $15.

The trick to such a simple design is finding a treadmill with arms that can support a shelf this way. As you can see, John used large U bolts to fit over the arms and support the shelf with wing nuts screwed in from below. It's extremely strong and stable. The wing nuts also make the shelf easy to remove, in case John wants the extra space for running. (Although so far he's been able to run even with it in place.)

John measured me ahead of time to make sure the keyboard would be at the best height for typing, so it's extremely comfortable to use. Typing and mousing are easy, because I walk at a casual stroll. The first day I walked and worked for four hours straight without a second's thought. Then I stepped off and nearly collapsed from jelly knees. Ha! After that I kept it to one-hour increments as I built up my stamina.

Here's another reason the eyesore is worth it:

In addition to working, I can also use the treadmill at night while watching TV with John. Multipurpose ftw!

We've had the treadmill desk now for nearly a year. I don't use it every day, but usually I'm on it no less than 3 or 4 times a week. The days I use it I'll walk for up to two hours, then switch to the sit-down desk for a while, and then go walk again. It's saved me from growing into my desk chair, and is also a great way to wake up from after-lunch drowsies.


So, there you have it! Now, who's off to find a used treadmill?

*****

Come see ALL of my craft projects on one page, right here!

Monday, February 7, 2011

Firefly Art Even Non-Fans Will Love

Check out this sweet copper and brass "wall hanging thingie" made recently by user Hell's Kitten on FireflyFans.net:

Now that's cool.

I love that even people who've never heard of Firefly (aka "sad people") can appreciate something like this. The lyrics are beautiful on their own, and the plaque has a rugged Asian/steampunk vibe that could go with all kinds of different decor.

The artist doesn't give any further explanation on how it's made, but the pics alone are great inspiration for us DIY types:

In fact, I could see this working beautifully with thin Masonite sheets, metal rivets, and metallic paints and glazes. Just smooth on some joint compound/spackling to give the wood a rugged texture before painting, and then use letter stamps to inset the text into the texture. Hmm.... [plotting]

Ok, now I want to make one. Yep, this is going on the list!

The long, long list. Heh.

A big thanks to reader Kelli for sending me the link!


What's on your crafty to-do list today, guys?

UPDATE: I've since talked to the artist, Sara, and she's made lots more amazing stuff! (Another fabulous Firefly plaque here.) Check out her Flickr account to see more, and watch her brand new Etsy store for future goodies. Also feel free to contact her about commissions!

Wednesday, February 2, 2011

GORGEOUS Steampunk Music Video: Eye of the Storm

[running in] YOU GUYS!!

This masterpiece just hit the 'net today, and you must see it.

Feast your eyes on the jaw-dropping beauty that is Lovett's "Eye of the Storm":


Wow. I think I just fell in love with steampunk all over again. The dragon! The goggles! The airship! The glowing green elixir! [swoon]

Yep, I'm gonna have to watch this another time or twelve.

Fingers crossed you non-US viewers can see it! (And if not, please don't lynch me. Heh.)

Oh, and a big thanks to Jen D. (aka Number 1) for sending me the link!

UPDATE: For more info on the artist Ben Lovett and also a behind-the-scenes making-of video, check out Nerdist's post here. (And thanks to Renee for *that* link!)

Geek Glee 2/2/11

Some fun pictures making me smile this week:

Submitted by Holly S., via Rockstar Photography

Love, love, LOVE this look. The colors!! YES!
(Click the link above for more eye candy.)


Little Edward Scissorhands:

A - wait for it - maaazing. I wish I could find the original source, but I got lost on a rabbit-trail of Tumblr blogs. Anyone know?

[UPDATE: Found! Photo is by Cara S., and there are more great shots at her Flickr account.]


Fabulous kids' store design:

Check out DesignSponge for more.

Cheerful, artsy, and gorgeously refinished garage sale finds - what more could you want? I'm also seriously crushing on that chandelier; I've talked to John before about finding/making a similar one for our dining room. With Edison bulbs and rusty iron, though, of course. ;)


Lady LEGO Locks:

via Outsapop

Geek fashion ftw! And super easy if you happen to have LEGO lying around the house. (Sadly, I don't.) Or, for a slightly smaller (and therefore more wearable) version, I just spotted this 8 bit beauty over at ThinkGeek today:

Only $9.99, but they're out of stock! Grr.



And finally, my new baby AT-AT:

John brought this home for me Sunday night while I was finishing taking down all the Christmas decorations. (Yes, I really waited that long. Really.) I immediately had an impromptu play session on my desk. It makes fun "pew pew!" noises that freak out the cats. :D

Oh, and I have Mickey in the driver's seat. Heh. I love having toys on my desk; they make me smile and provide great little distractions when I'm fighting writer's block.


Speaking of which, the book writing is grinding on, so thank you all for your patience - particularly any of you who've e-mailed me in the past few weeks. Writing a book in two months while also keeping two blogs running is proving...interesting. However, we're on track, and I'm looking forward to reclaiming my life come 2/15!

So tell me, guys, what's got you smiling today? Share your links in the comments!