Jilliann Silva wants to paint your shoes. You can choose virtually any theme, including Star Wars (pictured here), comic books, movies, bands, and folk art. Through her Etsy store, East Bay California, she offers Custom Hand-Painted Heels ($219; Shoes Not Included). Silva’s painting technique is durable, although she recommends that you select shoes made of canvas, suede, faux suede, or velvet. You mail her the shoes, and she paints them. Voilà!
If you spend the better part of your workday sitting through meetings, grading papers, or otherwise dealing with humanity at its most boneheaded, consider the inner calm you might achieve when you glance down at your Shakespearean Insults Mug ($14) and find the words for what you really want to say. Then smile to yourself and carry on in a civilized manner.
Sometimes shopping for the perfect greeting card is a treacherous journey fraught with byways and second-guesses. But if you’re lucky enough to have the type of (slightly) nerdy girl in your life who will go on book-hunting adventures with you, the We Both Love Good Books: Venn Diagram Card ($4) is a pretty easy choice. And now you can move on to searching for the right words with which to fill said card.
If the (slightly) nerdy girl in your life is a fan of the BBC One show Sherlock and she doesn’t have this t-shirt, there’s only one possible explanation. And we aren’t at liberty to divulge it. Your job, then, is to go watch both series, figure that out, and then buy her the I Am Sherlocked t-shirt ($25).
Of course you can send an emoticon in a text message, but how much more fun would a hand-made emotive robot be? A southeast Michigan-based art teacher named Jessica Cooper makes these small clay robots for her Happy Robot Sad Robot Etsy store. Featured here is the largest size of her Made to Order Robot ($14) offering. It stands about two inches tall, and you pick the symbol, symbol color, eyes, and mouth. Says Cooper, “There’s something so ironic about the idea of sending a robot (especially a cute one) representing a set emotion, especially because we all experience our emotions differently.”
The clothing of Kambriel has been worn by author Neil Gaiman, his bride Amanda Palmer, and comedienne Margaret Cho, not to mention all manner of eclectic fashion enthusiasts. This particular piece – the striped neo-Victorian Cabaret Bustle Jacket ($200) – was originally created for Palmer and certainly looks it. Like much of Kambriel’s clothing, the jacket is designed to flatter the silhouette while still being comfortable to wear.
You’ve got to hand it to Emma McElfresh of Boston, Massachusetts. Her Etsy store, The Written Nerd, is another of our favorites when it comes to gifts for bibliophiles. Pictured here is a Dewey Decimal Vintage Library Necklace ($55). The 20-inch Sterling Silver-plated necklace necklace features a flying sparrow charm and and a peacock solar quartz gemstone. For the Dewey Decimal pendant, you choose a non-fiction subject (such as math, history, or science), and Emma will select a book for you. She’ll include the catalog card from which she cuts the numbers so you’ll know what book is referenced on your necklace. The Written Nerd also sells bookmarks, cabinet knobs, earrings, charm bracelets, and other accessories sure to delight the (slightly) nerdy book lover in your life.
It’s a profound statement, in a wonderfully silly Wes Anderson sort of way: “She’s My Rushmore.” And here, suitable for framing, is a rather minimalist 8 x 10 inch Herman Blume Rushmore print ($10) from Etsy seller Michael Rogers. You’ve got your quote, your attribution, and your partial profile of Bill Murray as Herman Blume. It’s a simple print, and not particularly large, but we think it’s pretty awesome.
For the (slightly) nerdy music-lover is the handmade Recycled Vinyl Record Journal ($50). Hand-bound, hand-cut and hand-drilled, this journal measures 5 x 7 inches, uses the coptic binding method, and includes 120 blank white pages (counting front and back) – perfect for recording one’s music notes or writing potential lyrics.
More for the collector of Star Wars-related paraphernalia and less for the student of astrophysics is the Star Wars R2D2 Home Star Planetarium
