Dice Bags!!!

How to start out this story? One day a nerd girl meet a nerd boy and he asked her to listen to some nerd music? She wasn't sure at first but always willing to listen to new music, she was directed to a site. The nerd girl listened to everything she downloaded and fell in love. She then went out in the world to tell her other nerd friends about this amazing nerd music. The rest is history?

I have listened to a few Nerdcore artists through out the years but really had no idea how big the music was. I think my fellow nerd friends failed me? Pete within the first month of meeting him, had me downloading music from Scrub Club Records. Being a fan for a number of years and knowing several of the artists personally and attending a lot of there shows, Pete was happy to share several stories with me. It's not really shocking I fell in love (both with the music and him). Also, now that I have meet a few of the artists both in person and through the wonderful internets, they have my nerd love even more.

If you love music that has themes from all kinds of different fandoms( Ex: video games, doctor who, comics, harry potter, etc) then I highly recommend you check out  Scrub Club Records. Seriously, I doubt you will be disappointed and I really think you can find at least one artist you will love.

Taken from Scrub Club Recrod's Website:

Not only are we independent, we're also not-for-profit. Yes, you read that right - the label itself gets zero cut of the money! We release and distribute albums, promote our artists, book events, direct street teams, and offer awesome merchandise all by the power of donations from supporters and cash from our own pockets.

All of our albums are available for free so that there are no barriers in the way of a potential listener. The whole world is welcome to check out our music and other projects for free, and if they dig it enough, they are welcome to give a few bucks. If they can't, that's all good - we make our art to entertain and enlighten, getting reimbursed is not our focus.

I have no idea even how the idea came up but I wanted to donate something besides money. Maybe the fact, I always like to be different? The thought originally was going to be a couple of knitted items that they could sell. Course, I can never do a couple of "simple" things so it exploded into a number of dice bags that you can see below. It was insane work for me and trying to get it all done. I enjoyed every minute of it even though I wanted to pull my hair out at every dice bag. I think everything that went into the dice bag; knitting, crocheting, felt design, and embroidery took about 10 hours to each one.

Not hard to guess what these diced bags were made after? My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic. I couldn't help it. A few of the artists in Scrub Club Records are big fans of the show as well. I think, these dice bags were my biggest pain. I'm not sure if I will ever agree to do them again but we will see.

The rest of the dice bags! Here we have Zelda, Batman, Mario, and finally Scrub Club Records symbol. These guys weren't that difficult to make. I had to do a Batman themed dice bag since I'm such a huge fan. I can't wait to see all of these sold and used for nerd gaming.

Guinea Pigs and Cross-Stitch

Realizing today that I have been cross-stitching for about 22 years now is just amazing to me. I never thought something I picked up as a child would stay with me. After school daycare really worked out well for me, huh? A lady that worked there actually taught me how to cross-stitch and I loved every minute of it. It's funny because I never thought cross-stitch or embroidery is something difficult to learn. I think, having patience to do it, is what really makes it difficult. 

I also love picking bigger projects like this Epic Mario/Nintendo cross-stitch I am working on. This piece will be HUGE and it will take me forever I'm sure to complete it. The fabric count is so small, I can only work on this piece for about a hour or so before my eyes start to cross. I can't wait thought to get this done and find a place for it in my home.

(Guinea Pig: Ann Marie)

Oh! and to make this a little longer post I wanted to show off a few of my favorite pics from the summer. I never had a real chance to take Ann Marie and Abby out into the grass where I lived in PA. The back yard didn't have a fence and I didn't know what kind of chemicals/etc. my landlord put on the grass. Currently living with my parents, I finally got the chance to take them outside and they loved it! They pretty much had their heads in the grass the whole time munching away. It's suppose to be cooler this weekend so I'm hoping, I can take them out again before Fall weather starts to hit.

(Guinea Pig: Abby)

Gen Con: Part 1

I have been wanting to write something all week but with this lovely "sickness" I received at GenCon it has completely slowed me down. I actually got excited today as my ears finally popped and I could hear again! It meant I was getting better and I've had this sickness for 7 days now.

This is the first convention I have been too that has caused me to get sick. I'm not sure if it's because of how huge GenCon is or the fact there is more people not washing there hands or really taking steps not to spread germs? I can honestly understand why Wil Wheaton is so big on people not getting to close to him at conventions.

First off, I'm going to do a few different posts about GenCon and hopefully get these done in the next few days. This post is mostly about the dice bag I created for Wil Wheaton and me meeting him for the first time. Few people get to see how much of a fangirl I can be but I am a nerd and love my fandoms. I don't usually express it by jumping around and screaming like we usually see around the internet. I'm more of a silent fangirl. I was pretty nervous about meeting someone I have been a fan of for years. I love the fact how much of a nerd he is and that he loves his fans.

The day before GenCon offically started I went with Pete(my boyfriend) to get his badge and I actually asked a few people working there where exactly Wil would be signing autographs. I didn't want to mess around with figuring this all out on the day of. Yes, I wanted to make sure I got to meet Wil Wheaton.

On Thursday the first day of GenCon I got Pete up really early(7AM) to make sure we would make it to the Exhibit Hall in time. Pete was amazing and humored me this whole time even standing in line for almost a hour to get into the Exhibit Hall first. When they finally were letting people in I grabbed his hand and we made our way through the doors and to the back of the Exhibit Hall. I even started moving quickly a little and Pete picked up the pace to a run. So yes, I was first in line that day to meet Wil Wheaton. 

 I really thought, I wouldn't even have the guts to even say anything to him. I am a very shy person when I first meet someone and to actually meet someone I've been a fan of for so many years....yeah right? It helped immensely that Pete was there the whole time with me. Pete, I hate to say is not really a fan of Wil Wheaton but he knew how important this was for me. He kept encouraging me to speak and give Wil the dice bag. I actually got worried Wil wouldn't accept the gift but a few fans told me in the line that he would. He just didn't like people getting too close to him because of germs/etc.

I'm not even sure what I said to him but I'm sure it was along the lines of, "Here I made this for you..." The look on his face when I first gave it to him was great and I about melted. He loved that I made it and told me he would put all the dice he got that day into it. I was happy to see it would be put to good use and yes, of course I got a autograph too.

Cosplay Items

GenCon is getting so much closer and I can't wait! My nerd heart is filled with excitement as I count down the days. I have four cosplay outfits that I am bringing with me (YIKES!). I'm not sure if I will wear them all yet but I will make a attempt. My boyfriend will be with me and he got me into cosplaying so I'll have that support when I become a spaz. Yes...spazzing over the fact if I have enough time to wear each one even though the Con is for 4 days. I even have little lists full of groceries, clothing, cosplay items, and whatever else I need. I love to be prepared, easily to tell huh?

One of my cosplays is my Tardis outfit from Doctor Who. I ended up making a hair piece to go along with it and I'm loving how it turned out. Hopefully I can post pictures later of my full outfit. Here is the Tardis inspired skirt I'll be wearing.

The hair piece I made to go along with my Tardis cosplay outfit. I used some Doctor Who inspired yarn that is named 'Sexy'. The name fits well with my cosplay outfit. I got this amazing yarn from the website Nerd Girl Yarns. I pretty much used a steam punk theme as well with the clock and gears.

I also have a Super Mario themed outfit I'll be wearing. I guess you can say both my Mario and Doctor Who themed cosplays are based on Lolita fashion? I'm not sure because I never sat down and really thought about it. I pretty much did what I thought in my head would look great and went with it. Here is the Super Mario inspired skirt I will be wearing. Both skirts I purchased from CorsetWonderland on Etsy. The seller is amazing to work with and very friendly.

I remembered making this hair piece awhile ago and got it out. It would go perfect with my Super Mario themed cosplay. A cross-stitch piranha plant that I made into a hair piece.

I also commissioned a friend of mine to make Mario and Doctor Who themed shoes to match both of these outfits. I can't wait to see what she creates and show everyone!

My next attempt is to post more because really there is a ton of things I could be posting but I am taking the lazy rode. I will post more soon and hopefully breath some life into my blogger. This year seems so busy and when I get a chance to breath I end up reading a comic or knitting. 

Dice Bags Everywhere!

My recent projects and what I'm working on seem to center around dice bags. What every nerd needs no matter what they love! Currently I am working on about ten dice bags to donate to a friend. I'll write more about that later on when I'm closer to being done.

Some other recent dice bags I completed is a Rock Lee themed dice bag for my boyfriend and a friend. I loved coming up with this on my own and it was so much fun. My boyfriend got me into Naruto and Shippuden this year. I watched all of Naruto fairly fast. I love the series so much and I'll be cosplaying as Hinata later on this year.

Anyways, on to the completed dice bags!

I will also be attending GenCon in a few weeks and was excited to find out that Wil Wheaton will be there as a guest! I have loved this man for years and everything nerdy he has done. So I wanted to give him something and thought a dice bag would be perfect. I'm not sure honestly how I will give it to him. I'm fairly shy and have been a fan for years. We will see and I'm sure, my boyfriend will give me a push.

Plants VS. Zombies is a awesome and addictive game. A friend of mine loves the game so much I think she has it on every electronic device she owns like her Kindle Fire, Phone, and Xbox. For Christmas last year I wanted to make her something from the game. She's a fan of plushies so I came to make this little guy.

Yes! Based on the Pea-Shooter. The first plant in the game you get to know really well. Pretty much your BFF for awhile for those wave of Zombies. He was fun to crochet and I loved hearing my friend get excited over him. I think he also would look great in a pot and go well in a office setting. Why have a normal plant? It's better to have this!

Pattern: Pea-Shooter

My Plushies!!!

Created this piece for my Boyfriend for Valentine's Day this year. He actually got me into playing Magic this year. I'm learning and with his 13+ years of experience I am being trained well. I fully admit I enjoy the game and the strategy to it. It's addicting and I love beating my boyfriend when we play.

Mana Pattern:Sprite Stitch
Words Pattern: The Domestic Scientist



I fully admit the only person I will buy plushies from is Lisa over at Ambitious Love. I have know her for years and her work is out standing/amazing/awesome/etc. She takes great care and pays attention to detail with everything she creates. She will make a plushie that you can cuddle for hours too. Personally experience based on that last comment.

Recently I commissioned her to make Captain Jack Harkness from Torchwood/Doctor Who and Cole MacGrath from Infamous. The other guy is Alistair from Dragon Age: Origins. Yes, both games mentioned can be easily named my favorites. I'm also a HUGE Doctor Who fan and fell in love with Captain Jack when he was first introduce. I started watching Torchwood but haven't finished. I secretly hope that Captain Jack makes an appearance in Season 7 of Doctor Who.

Posting again!? I'm on a roll! I forgot how this came up but random conversation with my boyfriend about dice bags. I started playing Magic thanks to him. I have also been wanting a dice bag too and he suggested I make my own. Don't know how it lead to this but I ended up making him a Pinkie Pie dice bag. Pinkie Pie is from the TV My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic. I have loved the show since Season 1 and finally got him to watch it. He loves it as well and fully embraces being a Brony.

I did have a lot of fun with creating this bag. I got to use knitting, crocheting, and embroidery for this dice bag which made it even more fun. I'm thinking of making a dice bag for each of the main characters and maybe others like Doctor Whooves. My boyfriend suggested I sell them but not so sure yet when I would have the time. Maybe trade wise when I go to Cons? Trade some magic cards for a dice bag. :)


As I mentioned in my other post I am working on a Donatello cosplay. Here is a few things I created like his mask and arm/leg bands with crocheting. I have a few other things I purchased in the process and can't wait to show everyone. This is a female version of Donatello so pigtails and a skirt is involved.


My Donatello cosplay is based on the one from the TV show in the 80s. Course a few minor changes. I even got a foam practice bo staff to go along with my cosplay. I was looking at wooden ones but with how much they weigh and being stuck carrying it at a con all day...I'll settle for the one I have.

Dust Off The Cob Webs

Since It's been awhile since I posted and I've been jabbed a few times about why I haven't. I am dusting off the old cob webs finally on this blog!! Time to breath life back into it again. My excuse is things have been crazy busy for me once again with a new job, moving, and looking at buying a new home. I also started back to class working on completing my Masters program. With all this going on I still find time to craft but not to update my blog.

Time to jump back into it! More than likely I'll spend the next few months posting what I made for Christmas last year but better late than never?

My boyfriend asked me to create a Nyan/Poptart Cat scarf so I was happy to create him one. It was rather fun figuring out the pattern and working with all the different colors. I also wore it for awhile before giving it to him to "test" it. Another plus was actually writing this pattern down! Go me!

Also, created him a TMNT scarf for Christmas last year! I loved how it turned out and used our favorite pizza toppings as inspirations. We both have a long love of the turtles from our childhood. This also inspired me to start working on my own Donatello cosplay for conventions this year. I can't wait to show off what I put together. Pictures to come soon on that. I also worked on creating a Shredder cosplay for my boyfriend as well.

Jewelry For Me

Jewelry has always been something I have loved making even as a child. I remember always having a huge box full of beads. As a child, I would sit for hours on the floor with this box full of beads making jewelry. My mom was always amazed at how I could be perfectly happy doing this for hours. When I found cross-stitching as a child I split up my time between them.

I have a number of jewelry pieces and I won't go into numbers. I love everything I have and wouldn't part with it. A few pieces have been created for me by friends throughout the years. I have always had a hard time finding bracelets I like though. Finally I decided to just make my own.

Realizing I could easily use the drill my Dad got me as part of a toolbox to make holes in a few charms I had, I knew it needed to happen. I'm sure he had no intention of me using my toolbox like this but I won't tell him. It's a multi-functioning toolbox.

I love how my bracelet turned out and I'm sure I will be making more of them. I'm calling this bracelet, "Pink Explosion".

Socks +2

My first pair of knitted socks is done! I'm excited and happy with the way they turned out. The yarn was easy to work with and now I have left over yarn. I think I'll make some wrist warmers with that. I'll have to take photos of my mom wearing them when I go back to IL for my visit.

I have been asked this a few times but YES, these are my first pair of knitted socks. I had help from my lovely friend Crystal. We meet in my local Stitch 'n Bitch group. Crystal had been after me for awhile to try knitting socks or even try knitting. I finally gave in a few months ago. She pretty much introduce me to DPNs and the joy of working with them. After that I was pretty much let lose and I could easy ask her if I didn't understand something.

Ready For Fall!

I am all ready for fall! I usually have problems wearing hat thanks to my big head and thick curly hair. So the right path was just to make my own hat. It seemed to go down hill from there because I then wanted a matching scarf! I loved the yarn I was working with and just couldn't stop.

So, I started out with a crocheted hat and scarf but then realized I needed some fingerless gloves. This realization came to me after a outing on a very cold day. Trying to walk around with cold hands and a camera was not working. I kept thinking through out the whole day I needed some fingerless gloves so I can still easily work with my camera. You can see the ending to my story below.

Patterns:
Scarf
Hat
Gloves

Sock +1

I finally got my first pair of socks done! I have talked about my Evil League of Evil Socks in another post. I was so excited to be done and feel like I was halfway there. I just needed to finish the other sock and I would be in nerd heaven. My first sock ever! I've been told by a few people that I did pretty well for my first time.

The bad part? It don't fit me! I should have made them a inch longer but didn't. According to the pattern I was using when you start to finish off the toe part it will add 2 more inches. It didn't and by the time I realized this I had already sewed/cut/finished the toe part. My mom was also visiting me for the past two weeks so out of curiosity I asked her to try them. Of course, they fit her and then she asked me to make the other sock so she can wear them.

I'm pretty sure I will have enough yarn left over so I will not give up on making socks.

My New Love

After loving my Canon Rebel XSi for almost 3 years now I knew it was time to upgrade. My photos started lacking and after reading what other SLRs are doing now. I pretty much wanted to buy another Canon since I have loved them for years. So it was a easy choice and tons of online reading that I upgraded to the Canon 60D.

I have already had a couple of trips to bring my camera along since my Mom has been visiting me. I am loving how easy it is and the big improvement from my Rebel XSi. Still my Rebel will always be my first love as I was introduce to the world of SLR cameras with it. I have yet to play around a lot with the video feature on my 60D but I will soon.

Here are a few photos I took with my Canon 60D. I have also a new interest in mushrooms and how beautiful they can be. Nature is really amazing.

My Geekyness Brings All The Geeks To The Yard

For those that don't know this...I am a HUGE Batman fan. I won't go into the number of Batman comics I own. I will skip over how the other day I figured out I own about 7 Batman shirts. If you ever want a full rant/ramble by me over a batman comic/movie/etc. then you know who to ask.

So after I finished Lisa's Captain America Headband Shield I knew, I had to make a Batman version for myself. I am loving how it turned out and can't wait to wear it. I did end up cross-stitching the bat part. This was a complete fly by the seat of my pants moment like many of my projects. I found some cross-stitch patterns online for the Batman symbol and went from there.

Brain Slugs!

I will fully admit I am a huge Futurama fan! Trying to figure out what I should do for Halloween this year, I came up with the idea of making a Brain Slug. I will actually be in Ireland for Halloween but at least this little guy could come with me for a easy Halloween costume.

A person assimilated by a brain slug will be likely to speak in a monotone voice and do everything to further the spreading of brain slugs throughout the universe, but the easiest way to tell a person is infected is by the brain slug sitting on their head. The person assimilated retains awareness of his condition, which Hermes referred to as a "nightmare". The recommended procedure of dealing with a brain slug victim is to act natural and switch to a garlic shampoo. Another way to deny attachment is wearing a helmet. Fortunately, brain slugs are not very intelligent and can be easily removed without harming the affected person, minimizing the risk. Once removed from the afflicted person's head, the person returns immediately to normal.

Look how cute this little guy is!? I just need to attach a hair clip so he can fit nicely on my head. Pattern from Ravelry

Star Trek:TNG Gift

One of my friends that is moving away in a few weeks was kind enough to give me one of the amazing shawls she knited! I can't believe she is going since we have become good friends within the 4/5 months we have know one another. I know, I will miss her. Not just the going for coffee and knitting parts but the conversations we have had. At least technology makes it so much easier to keep in contact.

My present for her. I wanted something that she could easily pack and take with her. We both have a love for Star Trek: TNG so it was easy for me to figure out what I should make her. Oh, and like two geeky women we have a love for Wil Wheaton so I made sure he was included too.

Yes, I was watching Star Trek: TNG while cross-stitching her gift.

Cross-stitch pattern is from: black-lupin on Deviant Art

Knitted Socks!?

What do we have here!? Yes! I decided to start knitting socks and the helpful push from a friend. I'm glad I got that push and I am finding it easy. Of course my friend is a text message away or having coffee with me when issues appear with my knitting. I call her my encyclopedia of knitting because whatever problem I have she easily knows how to fix it.The pattern I am using is called Silver's Sock Class and the directions/pictures are very detailed. I was intimated about knitting socks but after my friend pointed this site out to me I found it easy.

I'm actually moving along with my first sock. I thought it would take me a year for each sock the way I knit. I'm rather slow at knitting and get teased about it. Still, bring out any crochet project and those same people that tease me about knitting I know I can outdo them in crochet. I seem to be knitting faster though and I do love DPNs. We will see how much further I get!

I'm in love with the yarn and it's very easy to work with. What is the yarn called? Well it's called Evil League of Evil! Yes! That Evil League of Evil from Dr. Horrible's Sing-a-Long Blog! I purchased it from Nerd Girl Yarns and she offers tons of colorways based on fandoms like Harry Potter, Dr. Horrible, and Dr. Who. Yes, a nerd's dreamland of yarn.