:: gia’s blog ::

Last night, I did a quick Christmas list on Twitter made up of a few really cool things I’ve found over the past month or so. I decided to post them up here so it’s easier for people to find them.

1. Brown Dog Gadget Kits
These are supercute, relatively simple (some soldering) DIY electronics kits.

2. Solar Print Fabric
Perfect for a child or a crafty type, solar print fabric from (the unrelated!) Cox & Cox.

3. Han Solo In Carbonite Silicone tray
How long have you wanted to make ice cubes, jelly or chocolate in the shape of Han Solo in Carbonite? Yea, of course, forever. Now you can.

4. Vintage Lightbulbs
I love Rockett St. George. At least once a week I go to their website to drool and dream about the day my house isn’t in a constant state of disarray. These lightbulbs are gorgeous, so is everything else there.

5. Lilypad Arduino Beginner’s Kit
The ladynerd in your life will LOVE this. Next year she can make you an email counting t-shirt for Christmas. Win win.

6. iNecklace and Heart Spark
The other night I wore my iNecklace to Brian’s talk at the RI. Everyone was going just a little bit crazy for it. Unfortunately, it seems the iNecklace is sold out (again). As of the 4th of December, they have 23 in stock! Get one quick! As of the 5th of December, they have 7 in stock! Unfortunately, it seems the iNecklace is sold out (again). Instead, have a look at the Heart Spark. I am currently waiting for mine to arrive. And I can’t tell you how excited I am about it….

7. SparkFun Arduino Beginner’s Kit
You’ve been hearing loads about Arduinos. It’s about time you jump in feet first.

8. Sugru
Stocking filler!! This stuff is soooo useful that you *need* to have some on hand at all times. That is all.

9. Lumiphone
A kit to make your own theramin-like Lumiphone, from UK-based Technology Will Save Us. They’re not wrong. (More Technology Will Save Us gear via Rough Trade East.)

10. Atari Wall Stickers
You know you want to…

Some other ideas that I didn’t put on Twitter:

*Fund a Kickstarter Tech Project In Someone’s Name- there are loads and loads of tech projects you can help out. For less-nerdy-more-booky, see: Unbound

* Someone asked me about kids’ electronics kits. My older son had a Hot Wires kit a few years back. My toddler currently loves playing with Squishy Circuits.

* Handmade books are excellent gifts. A few years ago I made my sister a handmade notebook which was part-blank pages and part-zombie survival guide. Here is an Instructables on making your own notebook.

* Combining a few of these together: a while back I funded my lovely friend Suw through Kickstarter for her handmade book project Argleton. You can now buy Argleton for your Kindle.

Finally, just a note. I turned off comments on my blog a while back because I was getting inundated with Brian-related stuff. Sorry. If you want to say ‘hi’ or comment on this list, I’m on Twitter. If you have anything you want to say to or about Brian, he’s on Twitter.