The Geektastic Holiday Gift Guide

Continuing the tradition born back in my Dark Valentine days, I offer my very unofficial and totally personal gift guide for holiday gift giving. I've divided it up into categories this year and the first one is:  ETSY gifts.

I love Etsy. Now that the items on the site have expanded beyond the home-made and hand-crafted, I love it even more. You can find some of the same things on eBay but you have to go through the whole auction nonsense, and risk paying way over the money for something or losing out at the last minute to a buyer who swoops in and tops your final bid. So along with one-of-a-kind items and products made to order, you can also browse the best of vintage items in dozes of categories. And for those looking for three G gifts--Geek/Goth/Game of Thrones--Etsy is a one-stop shopping portal for everyone on your list.

Winter is coming...and that means Christmas is nearly here!

Are you Team Lannister or Team Stark?  Or are you rooting for Dani to sit on the Iron Throne?  Show your allegiance with one of the hadsome medallions created by Pieces of II. All the great houses of Westeros are represented.

There's actually a lot of GOT swag on offer at the Etsy site, as well as some whimsical items like a button that says, "The Lannisters send their regards" and another that says, "Not today." Both items are available from Quid Pro Quote.
 There is also a beautifully illustrated deck of cards with the sigils of the great houses dividing up the suits of cards and illustrations of the characters on the face cards. (GOT playing cards $25 a deck, available here.)
Phunky Junk Jewels has created some beautiful jewelry inspired by Game of Thrones. I am particularly fond of this "Fire and Blood" bracelet made with lava rock and Czech glass beads. It's just $12.75.
Dozens of people are offering t-shirts with GOT-inspired designs and graphics. The warning, "Winter is Coming" is a popular slogan. Adage Screen Printing offers a fabulous "Dire Wolf" graphic design shirt, for a bargain $15. Better be quick though, there's only one of

this shirt available.
There are some terrific George R. R. Martin goodies available as well. The most whimsical is probably this knitted GRRM doll from Socks Knit Palace. It's $30 but for a hard-core fan, it's priceless.
Anise Press, meanwhile, has produced a broadside with Neil Gaiman's immortal words, "George R. R. Martin is not your bitch."
Find it here, for $32.  and finally, Red Deer Grove gets points for the most inventive Game of Thrones tie-in, the Game of Thrones Perfume collection (Six bottles, $50.75), each scent named in honor of one of the series' female characters. (Not quite sure I want to smell like Arya, much as I love the character, but I love the idea.) The scents are available separately also.

Seriously Steampunk

"Steampunk" is one of those labels that has been over-used and over-exposed of late, but I still love the aesthetic. It's so much more than just slapping a bunch of gears and clock parts onto an object, though.  The artisans displaying their wares on Etsy have taken the term to its artistic limits and the results are often absolutely fabulous.
Helen Heaven Creations has created a beautiful "steampunk porthole ring" with a glittery glass gem embedded in the copper setting. The ring is adjustable and attractively priced at $25.

There are many, many different steampunk-themed trinket and keepsake and trinket boxes available, most of them priced for stocking stuffers 
Sweetheartsinner has a whole selection of absolutely lovely pill/trinket boxes, all of them priced at $17.50. If you're looking for a stylish steampunk case for your smart phone, there are nearly 1700 options to choose from. One of my favorites is an iPhone from a shop called Siburu, available for $13.
For the chessmaster/mistreess in your life, Creative Reflections offers a fabulous steampunk-inpsired chess set ($350) in silver and rust. If you're looking for something a little less pricey, you can pick up a Victorian door bell cover for $22 from Anela and El Diablo. 
Or you can buy a double-toggle switchplate for $16 from Virgynyasart.

There are also some really beautiful pieces of jewelry that go beyond the cliche, like this lovely altered-art brooch that began life as an antique pocket watch movement. Available from Steampunk Parts, Etc. for $25.  (Note to jewelry makers--this store also stocks great jewelry findings if you want to create your own one-of-a-kind wearable art.)
There are 14000 listings for steampunk clocks on Etsy, and they range from simple to incredibly ornate. Some have been repurposed into jewelry and some are merely decorative, but some have fused form a and function in a delightful new way. Just type in "steampunk clock" and be prepared to spend some time browsing. Much more fun than window shopping in the cold weather.

Geekery for Gifting

 Anybody can have plastic numbers or letters on their fridge. And sure, those words you can use for making poetry are fun. But if you really want to establish your creds as an intellectual bad-ass, you need Art Altered's math formula magnets (just $5.09 for the set right now).

What would a geek be without a t-shirt? Ice Cream Tees has a nice selection including this one with the tongue-in-cheek warning, "Never trust an atom."

Fuss Buttons offers an awesome Star Wars Storm Trooper Pixel quilt (for $150) Also available from the store--some Day of the Dead baby booties for that rockabilly baby. 

Nique Geek offers a unique piece of jewelry for the Portal fan, a companion cube charm (for $29.99).  It was made using a 3-D printer, so there's a little applied sci fi in it.

And then there's the Tesla coil gun available from Old Junkyard Boutique. Way, way, waaaay cooler than a cap gun, and only $15.

 

 Gorgeously Goth

If you've got $75 to spend, you can purchase this one-of-a-kind silver skull purse from Steamhatter.

This eye-catching accessory is only one of the outrageous items found in this store.
Inspired by milagros, you can buy several variations of an anatomically correct necklace charm. Here's one from Anatomology, where you can also buy  a brain-shaped Christmas tree ornament, a synapse necklace, and neuron earrings.
They also sell anatomical spine candle holders (or vases), lung-shaped ashtrays, and DNA patterned stockings. Nothing says "Christmas" like a gift of insects and Elegance of the Heart offers a series of odd ornaments that include Black Widow Spider earrings, slightly creepy assemblage art pieces featuring old doll heads, and other unusual items.

Looney Dimitra Crafts offers handmade black rose ear studs ($13.97 for the pair) while Cecilia's Wardrobe offers a colorful Day of the Dead wrap bracelet with skull beads.There are any number of variations of the "vampire bite" necklace available. Here's one from Good Speed Empire.