Etsy Spotlight: TheWindFish

I've been doing it again.  Yes, that.  Browsing Etsy when I should be doing other things.

But really, it's not my fault.  It keeps suggesting fabulous video game related items, and I keep favoriting them!

I love simple expressions of fan love, and when I found the little shop called TheWindFish, it was just so whimsical and charming that I couldn't help but browse all the things.

The shop is owned by Janelle, and she is simply amazing!  Her simplistic jewelry designs are very cute, affordable, and make the fangirl in me squee just a little bit.

In particular:

The Lord of the Rings, available here.

She makes a set of four with the entire poem.

From Dragon Age: Origins, available here.

Alistair's saying to his love interest.

If you remember my previous post about video game relationships, then you know that Alistair has a special place in my fangirl heart.  But not so much as the calibration-loving turian who said this to my FemShep in Mass Effect:

So guess which one I bought?

This Garrus Vakarian-inspired bracelet is available here.

I love everything about this bracelet, but the thin cord for the band just wasn't going to survive the harsh use I put my jewelry through.

Luckily for me, the Harry Potter Knitting and Crochet House Cup offered a non-Ravelry craft option for the Defense Against the Dark Arts homework: craft something that has a final hardening step.

So, I replaced the band of the bracelet with hemp, and super-glued the knots to make them solid.

Professors, I received a charming bracelet in the mail, but I looked at the cheap Muggle band to which the focal bead was attached and knew I could use a fortify spell to turn the simple blue string into three-ply hemp. Additionally, I applied some of Mendigann’s Magical Glue to the frayed knots in order to set them into shape and harden them against continual usage. Thank you for your time!

My turn in photo:

I'm especially proud of my 'best defense' saying, which is totally accurate.

I doubt this will be the last time I make a band for this charm, but I like my first attempt!

Although TheWindFish is on a short hiatus at the moment, be sure to check out Janelle's store for many gamer, nerd, and/or custom designs!

Craft on!

Christmas Lootz!

Courtesy of my wonderful husband (and the fine folks at Ript Apparel), I opened these lovely little beauties a couple days ago:

Tile coasters featuring the original Mighty Morphin' Power Rangers

This style reminds me very much of Game of Thrones or some other type of house crest.  Dragon Age?  All I know is: I want to be in the yellow guild!  (Because Trini is my favorite.)

I'm not entirely sure what the tiles are made from; they're very heavy and have irregular (yet still smooth) edges.  Some close-ups (to the best of my ability) follow:

Mastodon!

Ordo Proboscidea

Pterodactyl!

Ordo Pterosauria

Triceratops!

Triceratops Horridus

Saber-Toothed Tiger!

Smilodon Fatalis

Tyrannosaurus!

Tyrannosaurus Rex

Dragonzord!

Draconis Monstrum

These are so gorgeous, I'm afraid to put any drinks on them!  I'm considering applying a spray-on clear, waterproof sealant to the tops before allowing them anywhere near my coffee table.

Or I could just keep compiling a nerd coaster collection that never gets used.  These go so well with the two Doctor Who coasters I bought at the SC Comicon last year!

One final picture:

Now I want to stencil t-shirts or something with these designs.  Must...resist...

Too much crochet to catch up on!

Lootz! :: My Bestie, April!

I may have mentioned before that my bestie from college, one Madam le April (but I just call her April) visited me this summer.

We. Had. A. BLAST!

But then, we always do.

I posted a picture of the GenerikB plushie she requested, but I hadn't taken the opportunity to post pictures of what she gave me!

Since April lives in China, she frequents the American establishments that have gone international.  Starbucks is one of her (and my) favorite places over there (despite the fact that the last time I was there in February 2012 they tried to poison me).

I'm lactose intolerant.  I asked for soy.  Their understanding of English wasn't that great.  I missed a great evening of Indian food and Chinese karaoke due to digestive distress.

But!  That's not the point.  Starbucks in China is fabulous, and part of the reason is that they have special mugs and things based on the Chinese zodiac, yearly festivals, and other holidays.

There's a mid-autumn celebration known as the Moon Festival, and Starbucks released some adorable mugs!

She brought me two mugs and what might be a sugar bowl.

The handles are shaped like bunnies, and the sugar bowl even has a little tail on the rim!

One of the random things I love about China is the abundance of cute stuff that's allowable in everyday life.  Particularly 'kawaii' animals, such as bunnies, cats, pandas, etc.  April helps me feed my addiction a little bit, and I love these mugs!  (Thanks, chica!)

I'm looking forward to presenting another couple of crochet projects before the end of September, but for this weekend I'm off to LARP!

Shadowmoor needs me! (...actually, they'll take anybody with enough lives left...)

^_~