Friday, December 9, 2011

Five Things on Friday - Geek Gift Edition

'Tis the season. The season for everyone and their little sister Suzy to post a gift giving guide. And who I am to break with tradition?

Here's the thing: while I love to read those guides and drool excessively over them, I always wonder who the pants they think their audience is. Gifts tend to range from $50 up to the hundreds and frankly, if I love someone enough to spend $50 of my hard earned cash on them, I probably don't need your pantsing gift guide to give me ideas.

So, rest assured, the top gift in this list is $18.95. That's right, less than twenty buckaroos buys you the eternal appreciation of a severely under-appreciated geek in your life.

Because what non-geek out there doesn't need a little help buying for the geeks in their lives? None that I've ever met. So, I present to you...

Five Awesome Geek Gifts for Under $20

Photo courtesy of Foxwise.
1. For the Harry Potter geek - This Harry Potter keychain from Foxwise is too cute. For those of you who don't know, in the HP universe, Accio is the spell used to bring something to you. Clever, huh? This is even made to order, so you could get a different font, text, or designs. Be sure to check out the other items in the shop, as there are plenty of great items for a geek - especially a Potter geek in there. Keychains, bracelets, rings, etc. all with the ability to change the quote. So really, this is great for any geek, because it's so customizable. The keychain pictured here is $9.95. Which I think is a pretty spiffy little bargain.

Photo courtesy of geekdetails
2. For the Firefly geek - I just about died when I first saw this very, very cool Leaf on the Wind Plate by Geek Details. I don't know if this is universal, but I love an inside joke. There are plenty of people in the world who would never give this plate a second glance. Leaves, whatever. But those of us who religiously re-watch Firefly and its follow-up movie, Serenity know that these are the sweet and sad last words of our beloved Wash. Geekdetails has a plethora of "altered" china items. I lurve the teacups. Especially the Alice in Wonderland teacups. And if you are looking for something a less of a commitment than this $18 plate of awesome, there are lovely buttons for as low as $1.50. Beware, though, not all of these items are safe for work or kids. You've been warned.

Photo courtesy of Pretty Whimsical
3.For the literary geek - I fell in love with Pretty Whimsical a few months ago over her "Team Bennet" scrabble tile necklace. It doesn't hurt that there are about a million of these puppies to appeal to everyone from Brynna to my college lit professor. And since most of them weigh in at the low-low price of $7.95, you can probably afford to stock up. This "Nevermore" pendant is an obvious, but still pretty reference to "The Raven" by Edgar Allen Poe. Not a fan of Poe? Browse around the rest of her shop where you'll find anything from Doctor Who to It's a Wonderful Life to Pride and Prejudice to kittens in Santa hats. You can also pick up the chain to go with your pendant from her for as little as $3.

Photo courtesy of weelittlestitches
4.For the Buffy geek  - The bad news is that you are going to need some time to get this one done as it's a pdf of a cross stitch pattern. The good news is that the Buffy the Vampire Slayer geek in your life will faint over the coolness of this Pixel People pattern. And at only $6, it's practically a steal. The seller, weelittlestitches assures everyone that this is a great pattern for beginners, too, so lack of experience really isn't an excuse. And if Buffy isn't the slayer for you, there's plenty more to choose from, like all twelve Doctors; Harry, Ron and Hermione; and the Breakfast Club. I especially like The Big Bang Theory gang.

Photo courtesy of piper and rory
5. For the Doctor Who geek - I know you probably can't read what the bracelet from piper and rory says, so here it tis: "Are they all like this? Like what? So much bigger on the inside." This is quote from "The Doctor's Wife" which (bonus geek points) was penned by none other than Neil Gaiman. It send cold chills through me every time I hear it and I can't help but hear it in her voice. *sigh* In any case, it's a lovely aluminum alloy bracelet that comes in three sizes for only $5. And, as always, check out the rest of the cool items in piper and rory's shop. There are also some very nice Harry Potter and Shakespeare items hanging out in there.

You may have noticed that all these gifts hail from Etsy.com. There are a couple of reasons for that: I like to support small business people and nobody knows geeks like geeks. While there are t-shirts and the like to be found elsewhere, Etsy is really your spot for geeking it up. Trust me.

Also, official disclosure time: I am not affiliated in any way with any of the sellers mentioned above or Etsy in general. I did not receive any compensation for this post. These people do not know me and I do not know them. If I developed a sudden hunger for brains, they would all be concerned about the beginning of the zombie apocalypse, but none of them would be concerned that I was patient zero. That is all.

So, what ideas do you have for gifts of the geeky variety? Or are you just lost as to what geeks love? Have an idea of something I missed? Chime in, please. My self esteem requires your constant attention.

6 comments:

Suze said...

omg Christmas is only 2 weeks away isn't it? ack.

LOVE those gifts! Esp the Whedon-themed ones :)

Jessi said...

It's been sneaky this year...

Amanda said...

That Pixel People Pattern is really cool! Love it!

Jessi said...

Amanda - I really loved that one too!

Strangeite said...

Here is a site that will make you a custom Lab coat for $35.00. For that price you get three images placed anywhere you want on the coat.

The examples they provide are excellent.

http://www.etsy.com/listing/80495038/custom-lab-coat-alteration

This pocket microscope is also awesome.

http://www.fredflare.com/WHAT-S-NEW/Pocket-Microscope/?xid=b0a109fa913aca72cbbfe00a7ab0b6e2

Can you tell that I have been doing lots of science experiments with my daughter?

Jessi said...

I love the Umbrella Corp logo! So cute. Thanks for sharing.