GeekMom 2011 Holiday Gift Guide: Etsy Gifts Part 1

Here at GeekMom we love handmade gifts and there is nowhere better to shop for something unique and lovingly made than on Etsy. The GeekMoms have rounded up some of our favourite Etsy stores to shop at this holiday season.

Art Geek

The Gorgonist makes stunning beautiful art prints featuring Firefly, X-Men, Lord of The Rings, Professor Layton and so many more that I couldn’t even begin to list them all. There’s also a range of steampunk paintings to choose from.

Joebot creates retro LP (remember them?) artwork based on sci-fi and fantasy classics. The prints are 12.5×12.5 inches so they look like “real” album covers and feature imaginative band names such as “River Tam & The Fireflies” and “The Frakkin Toasters”. You can even buy a double pack which includes the “back” of the album with a full track listing.

Cross Stitch Geek

I am a sucker for cross stitch patterns, the nerdier the better, and they don’t get much nerdier than these designs by Velvet Elvii. The Hitch-Hiker’s Guide, Harry Potter, Portal 2, The Hunger Games and even Inspector Spacetime all have patterns here. One of my favourites is a QR code that actually scans (assuming you stitch it correctly) to read “Home Sweet Home”. Be aware that some items in the store are NSFW although the words are crossed out on the main listings.

Crafty Companion is one of those shops that makes me squeal with excitement whenever I see that they have updated. In fact I just did when I went on to get the images for this post and spotted a new Christmas TARDIS pattern. Must. Buy. I have bought nearly every kit in the store now and the rest are on my “to buy” list because they are such good quality patterns that create amazing designs. The Star Wars/Shakespeare pattern is the hardest thing I have ever stitched and right now I am slowly working away at the Hogwarts Express.

Pixel art is very popular at the moment and it lends itself perfectly to cross stitch. these little pixel people from Wee Little Stitches work really well and the range of characters available is huge, from all manner of comic book heroes and villains through Buffy and The Princess Bride to Doctor Horrible. The shop also sells a variety of phrases and kawaii designs as well as the comic book alphabet above.

Cute Geek

There was a time when peg dolls were a common toy; that time has now passed but these peg dolls make me want to start collecting them. Available as both large scale sets and individual characters, Randomly Generated has a doll for everyone on your list from Top Gear’s Stig, to most iconic horror movie characters to Ziggy Stardust. As the company is based in Scotland, there are lots of British characters here too, not just American favourites like Doctor Who but lesser known ones like the cast of Red Dwarf too.

Kawaii robots. To be honest I’m not sure if I even have to write more here, but I will. These adorable little robots by lubu are made from polymer clay and beads and they stand around an inch high. Elf bots, Marie Antoinette bots, Ninja Turtle bots and Harry Botter, there’s a lot of variety and on top of all that there’s a range of kawaii sculptures too. I’m particularly taken with the Lump of Christmas Coal but the pumpkin and gingerbread men are frakkin adorable too. Finally there’s a full robot nativity set too if you’re looking to geek up your nativity scene this year.

Wild Things is a clothing label which sells handmade toddler dresses in bright, retro designs – I adore this rainbow dress, it makes me wish I had a daughter. There is also a range of animal based character play dresses, aprons and accessories. The label has a Scandinavian feel to it and the vintage styles and patterns are a welcome change from much of the clothes available for little girls on the high street which often appear far too adult for many people’s taste.

Bugs and snakes may not be traditionally associated with “cute” but the items at Weird Bug Lady definitely are. The store stocks a range of plushie snakes, bugs and fossils as well as drawings, keychains and Christmas stockings. Zoologists will enjoy the fact that these creatures are entomologically (and anatomically) correct whilst kids will enjoy the fact that they make great cuddly friends – and that giant black widow spider would be great for scaring dad too.

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