EPBOT

I trucked most of my craft supplies with me on "vacation" in the desperate hope that I might finish these before Easter. After several late nights and only three trips to the craft store...

The eggs are foam with a hard coating, which allowed me to put small screws in the bottoms so I could hang on to them while painting, and then hang them to dry after painting. Very handy.

The turret stand design is by Instructables user SuperNewby, although I think I must be doing something wrong since I can't get the back leg to stay put; it keeps sliding out Bambi-on-ice-style from under the egg. After trying everything from super glue to duct tape, I finally stuck all three legs in a sheet of soft foam to keep them stationary. (I also used foam for the leg panels, which is faster and easier than clay.)

The lemon grenade handle is made from a tiny screw cap and a bent strip of metal John found in the garage. I hand-sketched and painted the Aperture logo, which is why it looks so wonky. (Sorry.)

I wish I had an Aperture mug to display these guys in, but in the meantime, just imagine this is Cave Johnson's Easter basket, k? (From Caroline. Of course.)


I have several more Portal Eggs in the works, but I wanted to at least show you guys these in case the rest aren't done by Sunday. Stay tuned!

I haven't painted Easter eggs in ages, so while looking for geeky inspiration I started compiling a list of some of my favorite geek eggs out there. Eventually the list grew too epic NOT to be shared, so, without further ado, here 'tis. I hope it inspires new heights of geekery in your own households this week!

John and I have been in colonial Williamsburg this past week on "vacation." Which is to say we've been working our posteriors off giving my parents' whole house a not-too-extreme make over. Painting, trim work, de-cluttering, new window treatments and art and fixtures - we're giving it the works.

It's been great fun, though, since my folks tend to give us carte blanche when it comes to their decor, so I've been gleefully filling the thrift-store pile with every doily, stuffy old tapestry pillow, dark burgundy drapery, and extraneous knick-knack I can find. My dad collects antique clocks, so those are the focal point of most of the downstairs - I can't wait to show you guys. Everything's a bit brighter and cozier. Oh, and we also managed to brow-beat them into buying some new furniture, since most of the stuff they have is nearly as old as I am - but not in a good way. More in a bad, saggy-green-leather-couch-from-the-80s kind of way.

So all that to say: sorry if posting has slowed somewhat this week. I promise I'm not neglecting you without cause, and I'll try to make up for it with a few "after" photos when we're done in a few more days. Deal?

And speaking of photos, yesterday we all took the afternoon off to walk around the historic district here and play with our cameras. Four adults, four cameras, and two tripods. We were a sight. But we had a blast, and since all the flowers are in bloom here, they nearly had to drag me away from the beds of tulips and poppies - SO PRETTY.

Don't believe me? Check this out:


Have I ever mentioned that poppies are my favorite flowers? I've loved 'em since I was a teen - any color, any variation. Of course, poppies can't grow in Florida, so the first time I ever saw a real one was on my honeymoon in DC. John and I stumbled across a giant bed FULL of bright red poppies somewhere downtown, and I walked up to it in a daze, gingerly touched the petals of one giant bloom, and then there MAY have been some laugh-crying, but if so you're not allowed to judge because you weren't there and those poppies were freaking beautiful.

And I'm sorry to keep going on and on about this, but you guys, LOOK WHAT MY NEW CAMERA CAN DO:

At one point I spotted two little girls dressed in colonial costumes picking flowers in a field, and I nearly passed out from the cuteness. Fortunately I managed to stay conscious long enough to take these pics, though:







Thanks for bearing with me through my "vacation" photos, guys! I'll have more project-based pics soon - and, fingers crossed, also a fun geeky Easter craft sometime...er... before Easter. :)