Wednesday, December 18, 2013

Reader Show & Tell: Geeky Christmas Style!

Over on the Epbot FB page, Audra A. shared her gorgeous steampunk gift tag ornaments:


I've been stockpiling these steampunk sticker sets by Jolee's Boutique , and now I have even more ideas of what to do with them! (Why does December have to go by so fast? I could be making Christmas crafts for at least another month.)

Oooh, and Helena over in Sweden made all kinds of fantastic steampunk ornaments for her tree. I'm really digging this riveted style, which I think she made with clay:

 

And I love - LOVE - her idea of using tiny fancy lightbulbs as ornaments!



Not Christmas, but check out the sweet Kaylee cake Nicole W. made for her daughter's Firefly-themed birthday party!

SHINY.


Laura P. made a festive "binary tree" for her computer nerd father, inspired by this comic:



And Kaaren M. used pages from duplicate Buffy comics to make these for an ornament swap:

Love the little frames in the center - great idea!


I know I already did this month's art roundup, but I HAVE to show you this "Turtle Dove" by Kei of Imaginism Studios:

Ack! I want to pet that little feathery head!

I don't have anything new I can show you guys just yet, so here are the two spots in my office NOT covered in an explosion of wrapping paper, glitter, and craft flotsam:

Just realized my Orange Bird antenna topper looks kinda macabre up there. Whoops.

Kermie says "Hi-Ho, happy holidays!"


Hope you guys are having a great week, and managing to stay sane with all the holiday craziness! And please keep sharing those nerdy Christmas crafts on the Epbot FB page; I take breaks from the insanity to go see your posts, and they keep me happy.  :)

28 comments:

  1. Jen! How and where and how did Kermit come to live with you? And, more importantly, how can I get Fozzy to come live with me?

    Seriously, where did you find him?

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    1. Kermit's a "big fig" from Disney, which John bought me for our anniversary several years ago. (He has fireflies behind him that light up, and also plays "Rainbow Connection." I know. IT'S AWESOME.) Kermit was sold at the park's art stores, but I haven't seen him there in ages - so you'll have to try searching online!

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  2. I totally had Kermit's voice in my head for "Hi-Ho, Happy holidays!"

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  3. Why I cannot buy Turtle Dove???????? Must! Have!

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  4. Just in case you haven't seen it--- Muppet Family Christmas! --- Muppets, Fraggles, and the Sesame Street Gang (plus the Swedish Chef trying to cook Big Bird for dinner!)

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  5. STAR WARS AND OTHER GALACTIC FUNK!!! That was my childhood record! My sisters and I danced to that all through the 80s.

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  6. But, I've only got a week left, and I've still got to make a topper, and now I HAVE TO make some of those "riveting" ornaments!!! :-)
    You also reminded me to post pictures of some of what we already made ( stormyraine.com - I gave up on FB ), so that's a plus...
    Why do you have to be so dadgum inspirational!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!
    (Thank you!!!) :-)

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  7. Definitely the grandest turtle dove I have ever seen! I love turtles so much. If there were such a thing as a fuzzy turtle, I would have so many for pets you would not be able to see my bedroom floor! xD

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  8. Oh wow! This it the second time something I've created has been featured here on Epbot. First my penny jewelry, now my tree! What an honor! I love all the inspiration I get from your blog. And those gift tag ornaments are so cool! Might have to stock up on some steampunk stickers one of these days. :)

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  9. Jen, you have 2 cats right? And I see you have incredible tidbits and knick-knacky art in that amazing office of yours. How do you keep everything safe from "tree dwelling" kitties that like to be up high, or safe from being knocked over or broken from their inquisitiveness, etc? I have plenty of things I'd like to display but I resist because my 3 girls would be into everything. Two are older girls and one is 3 months old.

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    1. um yes...this...at least how do you keep kitties away from pretties...my kids are not a problem- they have too many treasures they treasure...

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    2. For some reason our cats have no interest in being any higher than the back of the couch or the top of their (waist high) scratching post, so our trees and high shelves are safe. (In fact their favorite spots right now are UNDER our two trees - they each picked one. Tonks even burrows under the tree skirt.)

      They also stay away from end tables covered with knick-knacks and picture frames and whatnot, preferring to lounge on our dining room table or my desk. Tonks WILL go after anything dangly or bat-able, so I have to be careful there, but otherwise I'm spoiled to have two extremely well-behaved cats. I think it's a combination of our being home all the time to train them consistently, and their having easily teachable personalities. (I'm half tempted to teach Tonks some tricks, she picks up on things so fast!)

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    3. Jen, I love your blog and am grateful you take the time to share your ideas. Thank you.
      My husband and I have two curious cats. We found two things that work well. The first is a "scatmat", which uses a 9 volt battery and before anyone gets upset, it has three settings and I stepped on it before using it. It startled me rather than hurting me and appears to do the same with the cats. After a while we removed the mats but they still avoid those areas. They make them in narrow 3" strips as well as larger ones, think small rug. The second is the "xmat", which is much cheaper. I cut the 18" mat of pointy bumps into strips. Depending on what is up there you may be able to keep it there. My husband and I also keep squirt bottles around to deter general mischief or if I am beading. They work best if the cat doesn't know you are using them. Lastly we keep the floor filled with things they like, paper bags, toys, whatever tempts them. Good luck.

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  10. I did a little Kermit flail over the seahorse, erm...wood carving? Painting? Whatever it is, oh me gersh, I'll take a dozen!!! Jen - you continue to amaze and inspire. Thank you for being you. and thanks to your cajones for giving you the umph to keep on keeping on. you are simply special and wonderkind and amaztastical.

    hmmm. my girl crush is showing.

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    1. Bring it! "Amaztastical" is my new favorite word. ;) And if you like my seahorse, the artist has the matching piece on sale right now at her Etsy store - it's a baby seal, but still adorable. (Can you tell I love pimping out my favorite artists? Ha!) Plus I bet she has a print of the seahorse there, too.

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  11. On your office shelf, WHERE did that gorgeous pinup come from?!? I have to know the artist's name so I can buy stuff!!!

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    1. That's by Miss Mindy, and it was made to advertise her Sassy Paper Doll Book. (That's what she's reading.) Not sure if you can get the cut-out anymore, but the book is here on Amazon! Or check out MIss Mindy's site, with links to prints & whatnot, here.

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  12. OMG that turtle dove picture is the absolute best thing ever.

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  13. Any chance Nicole W. shared more pics from the birthday party?

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  14. I have my orange bird antenna topper wedged between my two monitors here at work, which is even more macabre. Merry Christmas!

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  15. Thanks for sharing the pictures of my ornament. I'm glad you like my ideas, I've gotten a lot of inspiration from your blog an your steampunk christmas tree! And btw, yes, I used clay for the "riveted baubles".

    I just put up pictures of the whole tree, and its Victorian/steampunk/birds nest-theme! I love it! ;)
    http://ximasbynilli.blogspot.se/2013/12/min-viktorianska-julgran-med.html

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  16. where DID you get that Peter Venkman toy? I love it!

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  17. I have a cheshire cat antenna topper on my mantel with the rest of my cheshire collection!

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  18. This blog is my favorite holiday gift. Thrilled to have found you :)

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  19. NEED.CHRISTMAS.KERMIE.
    John Denver and the Muppets Christmas is a staple in our house from Black Friday through New Years.

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  20. Jen, I have a question about Kermit ......what is he made of and what is his size? I guess you can say I am on the hunt! I have been admiring him for so long.

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    1. Kermit is a resin "big fig" from Disney - they sold him at the art stores in the parks years ago. He plays The Rainbow Connection & the fireflies behind him light up. Hope that helps you track him down!

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