A Gift Guide for those elegant geeks in your life
I’m one of those people who buys too much at cons. When I’m at a convention, I rarely head to get in line for a collectable or go to an action figure hub. That’s not to say that I don’t have perhaps dozens of action figures that need a place to live on my shelves. I do. But what I love most about shopping an expo floor are the art and jewelry booths. I love low-key nerd art and subtle jewelry that only my nerd friends or an occasional nerd stranger will recognize. I also love candles and stationary that can be used all year long. When I get home from cons, my walls never regret it although my wallet usually does.
I’ve compiled a holiday gift guide for elegant geek. Below are some wonderful places to get art, jewelry, shirts, candles, stationary and much more. The vendors below are small businesses and artists, so you’ll be able to support their work and get something truly unique!
Art
Head on over to Human Tree Robot. The wonderful art you’ll find there is from artist Mark Brunner. I first came across his booth at Wonder Con many years ago. Then stumbled upon his booth at a Wizard World and this kept happening. Now I search the Human Tree 
Robot booth out at every con I attend to see if I can add to my collection. I currently have 10 pieces in different sizes and often purchase Brunner’s art as gifts.
Beat Up Creations from Angela Rossi produces some truly eclectic and creative pieces. I have three plates from her featuring Star Wars characters that have been added to existing art. These weren’t from a convention, these were found in a tiny shop in Culver City, CA! She has her own site and an Etsy store. She has so much awesome stuff! Kitties – you got it! Star Trek – of course! Chunk from Goonies – why not! You’ll have fun scrolling through her store and selecting truly unique gifts for your geeky friends and family. You can see here what I have on my wall.
Another online store to check out is Planet Henderson from Jeffrey Henderson. He has a really cool Wonder Woman print plus a Kylo Ren and Stimpy design that is a must have! In addition to prints, you can get his art on shirts, mugs, accessories and more.
Candles and Stationary
Who doesn’t love a good candle? But how about a candle that celebrates your Wizarding World Hogwarts House? Or one that shows who you’d ally yourself with in Westeros? Or if you need some reflection time, a small compact Wonder Woman candle will always do the trick. Check out these candles from Insight Editions/ Insight Luminaries that cover properties such as DC, Harry Potter and Game of Thrones.
Now, once you have your candle lit, perhaps you’d like to do some correspondence – old school style! Get offline, let your new House Stark candle flame flicker as you write to friends (to perhaps send by raven) on some really cool stationary. The stationary from Insight Editions’ Pop Craft include really beautiful pop-up cards and quilled cards. Check out the pic below to see my haul and then head over to the site to see other offerings.
Jewelry
Wearing well-made elegant jewelry is always nice. What’s even nicer is when there is a nerd element to the piece that only those that are into that fandom will recognize. For example, I have a shardblade necklace that only fans of Brandon Sanderson’s Stormlight Archive may recognize. I also have a really beautiful ‘One Ring’ that you’d have to look at pretty closely to see the Elvish.
I got both of these pieces from Badali Jewelry. I came across them from sitting on an SDCC panel with VP, designer and nerd Janelle Bedali. After a post-panel visit to the Badali Jewelry booth, I was amazed. They have been able to get licensing from some wonderful literary worlds. These include, Lord of the Rings, The Kingkiller Chronicle, Wheel of Time, multiple Brandon Sanderson books, Red Rising and so many more! So, if you want your silver pipes from the Eolian, a snake-wheel pendant or a House Mars Institute ring, this is the place to shop!
Also if you’re a Black Sails fan, check out jewelry by Daphne Olive. She’s also a very talented artist I met on a panel. In addition to Black Sails pieces, she has truly beautiful designs you’ll want to check out.
I hope this gift guide serves you well!
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