When I first saw these Breaking Bad-themed bath goods, I cracked up. They’re just so perfect! Finally, bath stuff that I can give to non-girly people. They can use it and think “Hey, my life could be a whole lot worse.” Bathing Bad has a nice selection of products, ranging in price from $11.50 (for bath salts or lotion) to $45 for a full bath kit, available on Fab.com.
Valentine’s Day is coming up, and really, we should all remember what the day is actually about. Eating ungodly amounts of chocolate Telling our friends, family, and loved ones that we care about them. This doesn’t need to be a gift giving holiday. Honestly, for almost everyone out there, a nice long note about how much they mean to you will go SO much further than $60 of roses. But if you’re looking for a gift anyway, here’s my round up of some of the fun ideas out there:
USB Bow Tie
This is a wearable bow tie that has a built-in 4 GB USB drive. Perfect for housing your favorite episodes of Doctor Who. Because bow ties are cool, and so is your Valentine.
Agent 002 USB Bow Tie Sungane, $25.95 at Fab.com.
Bow Tie Necklace
Looking for something a bit more feminine? This bow tie necklace from Kate Spade will do the trick. They also have bracelets and rings available in the design, including this lil hot pink number I have my eye on.
Black Tie Optional Necklace, $148 at KateSpade.com.
Swiss Army Ring
Show your Valentine that you want them to survive, and will help them be prepared for anything, with this practical and functional ring.
The Man Ring: Titanium Utility Ring, $385 at Etsy.com.
Board Games
Show your Valentine it’s all fun and games when you’re with him or her. (Ugh, too cheesy? Too cheesy.) A board game is a nice way to say “I want to spend more time with you.” Some of my favorite two-player games include Lost Cities
Molecular Gastronomy Kit
Give the gift of more date nights. This is a fun, science-y way to enjoy cooking together. Plus, you’ll totally impress your friends with your new-found molecular gastronomy skills!
Cuisine R-Evolution Molecular Gastronomy kit, $58.95 at Amazon.com
Sriracha Chocolate Bar
Let your Valentine know that you think they’re hot (and possibly a bit painful) with a sriracha chocolate bar from ThinkGeek.
Sriracha Chocolate Bar, $7.99 from ThinkGeek.com.
Tattoos for Those who Fear Commitment
Get some fun and unique temporary tattoos for you and your Valentine–many of the items come in sets of two. Plus, order by February 10th and get 20% off your order with code “LOVEFEB”.
Temporary Tattoos available at Dottinghill.com.
Venn Diagram Necklace
Love + Science = The freakin cutest necklace I’ve ever seen. Enough said.
You + Me Pendant, $44 at YellowOwlWorkshop.com.
Glasses Bangle
You can’t expect me to create a gift guide and only put one Kate Spade item on it, right? I’m loving this bracelet that tells your geeky lady that you love her, eyesight impairment and all. The design is also available in a necklace, ring, and earrings.
Goreski Glasses Bangle, $78 at KateSpade.com.
What are you getting for your Valentine? Or better yet, what are you hinting at for yourself?
Mother’s Day is next weekend, and while flowers and brunch are great gifts, why not think outside the box a bit this year? I asked Sharon from Parenting Geekly to give me a list of the things she’d love to get for Mother’s Day. If you have (or are) a geeky mother, this should help make the gift-giving process a bit easier.
Confession time: The thing I want most for mother’s day is for my husband to wake up and prevent the kids from making me breakfast on their own. I love the sentiment, but the culinary skills of my 5-year-old leave a lot to be desired and I’d rather not have to eat her solo attempt at breakfast again this year.
Okay, now that I’ve gotten that out of the way, I’m happy to share with you the gifts that I, as a geeky mom with geeky kids, would love to receive.
This “Illustrious Omnibus of Superpowers #2” print from Pop Chart Lab has over 300 superheroes, villains, and beasts all displayed in a cool chart. Developed with the aid of a comic book shop and a Marvel editorial director, you know it’s accurate. This would look so cool in the superhero themed bathroom I hope to one day have.
“Illustrious Omnibus of Superpowers #2” 18”x24” Print, $27 at popchartlab.com.
I love to cook, and I love science. Therefore it’s a given that I would love to combine the two and try my hand at molecular gastronomy. The kits from Molecule-R take what could be an insulting gift and adds a science-y, DIY touch transforming it from “I expect you to cook for me” to “Let’s do edible science together!”
Molecular Gastronomy kits, $59 – $116 at molecule-r.com.
Even perfume, one of the most traditional Mother’s Day Gifts of all, can be found with a geeky twist. Demeter Fragrance Library carries over 225 fragrances, many of them based on a singular scent. They “create scents that are drawn from memories [and] recognize scent as your memory’s best friend… We bottle down-to-earth scents that evoke pleasant memories and experiences of everyday life.” The scents are interesting, ranging from Black Pepper and Celery to Bourbon and “Clean Windows.” There is bound to be a scent that reminds you of mom, or that will remind mom of the kids (Marshmallow or Play-doh, perhaps?).
Fragrance spray from Demeter Libraries, $6-$39 at demeterfragrance.com.
Jinx.com has a nice selection of T-shirts that would be great for any gamer mom, but I especially love the “Keep Calm and Continue Testing” Portal 2 shirt. It’s a riff on the popular World War II era British Propoganda poster, and is a super cute and fairly subtle way for Mom to show her love of gaming.
Portal 2 “Keep Calm…” T-shirt, $22 at Jinx.com.
You really can’t go wrong with anything from ThinkGeek, but I have been eyeing this Light Saber Umbrella since they recently debuted it. It’s available in Anakin, Darth Vader and Obi-Wan versions. The hilts look surprisingly accurate, though they’ve been scaled down for comfort. And since I live in Seattle, where it can rain at the drop of a hat, the built in carrying strap makes this one of the more practical large umbrellas I’ve seen; great for covering a hand-holding Padawan!
Star Wars Lightsaber Umbrellas, $40 at ThinkGeek.com.
Hopefully these things that I would very much like will inspire you to tap into mom’s geeky side when shopping for a Mother’s Day Gift this year.
Make sure you visit Sharon at ParentingGeekly.blogspot.com! Geeky moms–what are you hoping for this year?
Here’s another great thing from Fab.com today (I seriously need to buy stock in this company, or get a job there or something): Wine Wrappers. These are created by Studio Oh! and are a great way to present a bottle of wine as a gift, or cover up an ugly or inexpensive bottle for a party. I think the “Drink Me” label is perfect for an Alice in Wonderland themed event, and the “Rate this Wine” would make for a fun wine tasting night.
The labels are $2.50 each at Fab.com.
Check out more beautiful and quirky goodies at Studiooh.com.
Valentine’s Day is two weeks away, which means it’s prime time to get those gifts ordered, reservations made, and singing telegram booked. A lot of people ask me for gift ideas that are a bit more unique and personal than your average bouquet of roses or box of chocolates, so I’ve put together a list of some of my current favorites. You should be able to find something for your geeky Valentine, and if there’s something you’re wanting, feel free to leave this page open on their computer!
Geeky Cologne
If your Valentine’s more Kirk than Calvin Klein, more Sulu than Hugo Boss, or has just always wanted to smell like Thor, then he (or she) will love the colognes from JADS International. Their scents are inspired by Star Trek, Star Wars, and The Avengers, and actually sound pretty nice. They even have a couple scents for the ladies, including Slave Leia and Pon Farr.
Price: $29.99-59.99. Available at your local comic shop.
Beer Candy
Let’s face it: sometimes Hershey’s just won’t do. If your Valentine is a beer lover, these are the way to go. Beer Candy is available in caramels, taffy, and “hopdrops”, or an “everything gift box”. I hear the caramels in particular are amazing.
Price: $7.50-70.00. Order by February 9th to get your candy in time for Valentine’s Day.
Heartbeat Ring
Show your Valentine what she (or he) does to your heart with this modern-looking design. Also available in a bracelet and necklace. Great for people in the medical profession or for a unique engagement or promise ring!
Price: $79.00-$398.00.
Expensive Wine
Is your Valentine a wine snob? This tongue-in-cheek bottle will be the perfect way to show you understand their “expensive” taste. The bottles also come available in sayings like “Lucky Night” and “Please Forgive Me“.
Price: $25.00. Order by February 9th to receive your wine by Valentine’s Day.
LEGO Heart Necklace
Amazon seller “GeekyNChic” has some amazing LEGO jewelry creations. My favorite is this Burgundy heart necklace which is the perfect mix of “geek” and “romantic”. Plus the color will go with anything. Necklaces not your thing? There are plenty of great cufflinks and other jewelry pieces from the same seller.
Price: $19.99. Not eligible for Amazon Prime.
Above all, remember that gifts on Valentine’s Day (or any day, for that matter) should come from the heart. It doesn’t matter how much it cost, just that it involved some thought and shows you truly care about the giftee. A nice long letter can go a lot further than a gift.
That being said, what are you hoping for this Valentine’s Day?
(Stay tuned next week for a special recipe you can make for your Valentine!)
There’s nothing better than being cozy with a good book in the winter. But when you have errands to run and holiday parties to visit, it can be pretty hard to find the time. With these crafts, you can still bring that familiar book feeling wherever you go. These make great inexpensive and meaningful gifts to the book-lover or librarian on your gift list.
Book Pendant (similar to ones seen at Anthropologie!), by malmow. Find instructions at craftster.org.
Book clutch (similar to ones currently being sold at Kate Spade!), by See Kate Sew. Find instructions at Seekatesew.blogspot.com.
What is your favorite book to cozy up with?
Gift Couture creates unique wrapping paper in sets, starting with this hamburger collection. They’re taking pre-orders through their Kickstarter campaign; a $20 donation will get you a complete set.
I can’t wait to see what other themes they’ll come up with!
The Geeky Hostess will be posting her holiday wishlists at some of her favorite online shops over the next week. Use them as a guide to creating your own holiday wish list or find the perfect gift for the geeky host(ess) in your life!
I discovered Fred Flare about a year ago, and have enjoyed checking up on all of their newest goodies ever since. Below are some of my favorite items currently in stock, and bonus: many would make perfect stocking stuffers!
Tea Rex, $14.
Nothing would cheer me up more than seeing a cute lil dinosaur floating in my tea cup.
Lock and Key Barrettes, $14.
I love skeleton keys, and think these barrettes are a great mix of cutesy, feminine, and steampunk.
Cupcake Notepad, $9.
True story: As I was surfing the site, I thought to myself “If only they had a cupcake notepad.” This appeared. It was meant to be.
Speaking of cupcakes…
Cupcake Pillow, $32.
I mean, how can you not. Seriously.
Forget Me Knot Ring, $58
This ring is a staple of Fred Flare’s. It’s a cute gift to give a significant other or to buy yourself. I’d wear it whenever I have something important to remember.
What I’m Giving:
Nice Jewish Guys Calendar, $16
My single friends will get a kick out of getting a gift their mothers would approve of.
Found some stuff you like? Find these gifts and more at FredFlare.com. Fred Flare will give you free shipping on orders over $100 with the code “bicycle”. Get to it!
(cross-posted from Zaxy.com, because I feel everyone should know about this!)
Perfect for those late night D&D sessions!
My buddy Justin from Pixelated Geek has started an awesome new project I wanted to tell you about. He created sweet D20 pillows (available for $29.99 at ThinkGeek) which are awesome for those crazy adventures you have in dreamland. But the pillows are not just awesome for its shape. Justin has pledged to give 10% of the profits to two charities: Child’s Play, and one he created himself that will focus on scholarships and micro-loans to “fund adventures and projects that will aid the geeky world”.
He has plans for a full pillow dice set (and other fun geeky shapes!), but needs your help to spread the word before he can do that. Get a pillow for yourself and a friend, and know you’re doing some good at the same time!
Interested in learning more about scholarships and micro-loans for your projects? Email justin at pixelatedgeek dot com for more info!
I’ve received a few early Christmas gifts, and they’ve all been cupcake-related. (My friends know me so well!)
My fiance gave this to me yesterday and I squealed joys of delight as I realized I’ll never have to eat another stale or squished cupcake. So brilliant!
These adorable cases fit a standard baked cupcake, and has a tiny pin at the top that holds the cake/frosting still to prevent it from crashing to the top.
($2.25 each at Vat19.com)
Now I just need to make some cupcakes, and I have my eyes on these ones for New Year’s Eve…
What’s your favorite cupcake recipe?
