Tuesday, March 12, 2013

Squee-Worthy Geeky Plush Roundup

There's a whole world of geeky plush out there that I've never really explored - I guess because my own sewing skills are right at the level between "able to thread the machine" and "able to sew in a straight line."

Sometimes one of you will send me something like this, though:

11th Doctor Plush by deviantART user ~misscoffee (Sent in by Lindsay G.)

Or this:

Ewok Plush by deviantART user ~Whitness (Sent in by Jez)

LOOKIT DAT FACE.

Which finally prompted me to do a little Etsy exploring, and OMIGOSH SO MUCH SQUISHY AWESOMENESS. Seriously. I am overwhelmed. Did you guys know all this was out there?!

Look!

Tooth Fairy Robot Plush, $30 by GinnyPenny

Sweetest. Robot. EVAH.



And look!

Moogle Inspired Plush, $65 by SouthernGothica

Kupo!

Remember Sir Squibner, the little plush octopus John got me last year? Well, now I'm tempted to get Sir Squibner a little geek girlfriend:
Custom Octopus Plush, $24 at CheekAndStitch

On a whim I decided to see if there were any Grumpy Cat plushies, and OH YES, there are Grumpy Cat plushies. I especially like this Grumpy Cat pillow, though:

Grumpy Cat Pillow, $48.03 by PetitiPanda
He surrenders, but he's not happy about it.


There are also lots and lots of amazing My Little Pony custom plushies out there. Many are so perfect you'd swear they were officially licensed from a store, but I also like this more handmade-looking style with exposed stitching:

Applejack Petite Plush, $40.02 at NappinKraken


Then I stumbled across this little guy, who's only about 3 inches tall:

Felt Slimer, $13 by nuffnufftoys

...and if he's sold by the time this publishes, you'll know that I caved to temptation.


Amigurumis are pretty much always adorable, but they're even MORE adorable when they're Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles:

All 4 TMNT Amigurumi Plushies, $115.50 at Crafted Cuteness
(Or buy them individually for $32 each)

TURTLE POWER.


Or how about these felt super heroes?

Superhero Softies, $19.95 each at IndieChicDesigns

Superman is my favorite; that little curl slays me.


Nananananananananana ... BATGIRL!

Batgirl Plushie, $30 by Plush Kafe

I think Barbara Gordon's is my favorite Batgirl suit; I just love the yellow.


Or how about a sad little Edward Scissorhands?
3 Inch Edward Scissorhands Plush, $22 at SpookyPookyCreations

It doesn't show from this angle, but he has little metal scissors on his hands. (!!)


Well, I've barely scratched the surface on all the amazing geeky plush out there, but I think I better quit for now - if only to give all of our bank accounts a rest. ;) Feel free to link to your favorite plushies in the comments, or share them over on Facebook!

Saturday, March 9, 2013

Saturday Steam: Epbot Reader Costume Gallery!

In one week I'll be at MegaCon here in Orlando, glowing it up as Lady Vadore. EEEEEE!! I know I've worn the mask and corset twice now, but I'm still ridiculously nervous. And excited. I'm, like, nerv-ited.

I've been making minor adjustments to my costume this weekend, from replacing my tusks (how often do you hear a girl say that?) to jazzing up my cane. I've also added a small microphone and speaker, so maybe I can shout less and be heard more this time. :)

John and I will be at the con all three days, so feel free to tweet me if you'd like to find us to say hi. I'm still working out which day I'll be in costume, but I'm hoping it will be the latter half of Saturday, so I can see Wil Wheaton's panel in the morning. Depends how well I can manage to truck the costume in and change there at the center. I need John's help to get into the corset, so THAT should be interesting. (My kingdom for a companion bathroom!) Anyway, I'll be sure to bring plenty of Epbot and Vader-riding-a-My-Little-Pony pins, so just track me to down to claim one!

Since I'm working on *my* costume, I thought it'd be fun to show off a bunch of *your* costumes for today's roundup. These are all Epbot readers, and I believe everyone here made and/or assembled their costumes themselves, so this should be great costume inspiration as well as a fun way to put faces with a few of your fellow readers.

Heeeere weeee gooooo!


Let's start off with Caitlin S. and her guy at Otakon:


Love it. Love it all.


And Signe A. as a steampunk Jedi:



Adam H. with two of his mates in Salem, MA:
Aw yeah, men in goggles. Am I right, or am I right?


My iPhoto just ate the name of this file, so I'm not sure which of you lovelies sent it in. Sorry! Still, I have to show you these amazing back packs:

 I'm especially smitten with the clockwork wings. WANT.
(Again, let me know if this is you!)

[Update: Helen tells me that's Joe Hernandez of Penny Dreadful Productions, the steampunk production group I've admired for years. Still not sure on the winged lady, though!]


Julia C. not only made herself an entire steampunk Wonder Woman ensemble:


She also made costumes for her entire group!

That's Green Lantern, Hulk, and Wolverine with Julia, and she tells me she was sewing for weeks to get all the costumes ready.

You've got to see all the detail on Julia's chest plate, though - it's my favorite part:

GORGEOUS.


Here's Carrie R., looking dapper:


And Amanda G. as a steampunk Riddler!

Photo by iM photography


I would wear Allison O.'s costume all day, any day - convention or no!

LOVE. 
I'm such a sucker for poofy skirts and boots.


Scott N. makes a deeLIGHTful steamy Buzz Lightyear:
 SO AWESOME.

And check out Jessica W. as a glammed up Captain America:
She even painted that parasol herself!

Keila K., looking sweet:
...with a gigantic gun strapped to her back. Hee!

In fact, let's take a closer look at that gun:
Niiice. I'm digging that leather detailing!

Ok, just a few more:

Here's Kristen B. and her hubby at their very first convention - a steampunk convention!
She put both outfits together, and check out the sweet hair piece she made, too:



Meagan W. makes a kick-ass steampunk mechanic:
Mrowr.

And finally, here's Sjöfn, whose name is beyond awesome even though I have no idea how to even BEGIN to pronounce it:

I love her costume to death, but I think I love Sjöfn's pose even more. SO CUTE.

Well, I hope you enjoyed, and that this helped any of you looking to make the leap into steampunk cosplay yourself!

*******

Ah, but wait, I have one more thing to share!

Part of the reason I'm sprucing up my Vadore costume is because after MegaCon I'll be shipping it off to Oshkosh, Wisconsin, where it will be placed on display in a museum for the entire summer! (I KNOW, RIGHT?!) 

The Sawyer Home, part of the Oshkosh Public Museum.

Being asked to be part of an exhibit like this was a huge honor, and I can't even tell you how excited I am.
Anyway, I mention this because the museum is looking for more rayguns and steampunk accessories to include in their exhibit, so they've asked me to help spread the word. "Accessories" include any and everything from goggles to USB drives to masks, bags, or flasks. Shipping will be reimbursed by the museum, and your item will be returned after the exhibit closes in September. The museum will credit you with a plaque next to your item, so you makers out there could see this as a form of free advertising. (I believe they'll credit websites, as well.)

If you have something you'd like considered, e-mail a photo of your item(s) to Mike Breza, the museum's assistant director. (He's a cool guy. Tell him I sent you.) His e-mail is mbreza [at] ci.oshkosh.wi [dot] us.

Ok, NOW I 'm done. Happy Saturday, everyone!