Jen's Gems 3/28/13

I'm not gonna lie, you guys; I've been neglecting Epbot to play BioShock: Infinite with John. By which I mean I sit and *watch* John play BioShock while occasionally yelling out instructions and/or eating junk food. Meaning it's pretty much THE PERFECT JEN VACATION.

The cover art is reversible! And I'm already determined to make a Songbird doll.

I'm liking Infinite even better than the first BioShocks because - at least so far - it's much less dark and scary with creepy bad guys jumping out at you. It's still pretty gruesome with the violence in places, and the fact that the bad guys' society is based on hardcore racisim was a bit of a jolt, but overall it's a ripping good adventure with jaw-dropping graphics and plenty of treasure hunting. Plus I *still* giggle every time John searches a dead bad guy and finds a hotdog. I just like imagining all of these big baddies getting ready for their usual day o' killing and thuggery by stuffing their pockets with hotdogs, bun and all. :D

Ok, so. In non BioShock news, here's some of the best goodies I've seen cross the mighty interwebz this week:

Andrea M. (and a bunch of others) sent this gem in: a STELLAR (get it?) Star Wars nursery!

I love the MLP collection on the shelves, the pink-and-black lightsaber lamp, the James Hance art on the wall, and, and, well, EVERYTHING. See lots more over at GeekMom!

I feel like I saw these on Pinterest ages ago, but Mary Ellen reminded me of them this week and they're too gorgeous not to share: Test Tube Chandeliers!

Maria S.C. Singe Test Tube Chandelier, $175

The colored liquid was just made with food coloring, so you'd have to add that yourself - but think of all the color possibilities! You could do an ombré version of your favorite color, like, say, ORANGE? Just spitballin' here.

For the same price you can also get this style:

Next up, my fellow Dizgeeks are going to FLIP over this detailed review of an uber-exclusive dinner INSIDE Disneyland's Haunted Mansion. (When I worked at WDW I knew a guy who provided entertainment at similar dinners inside the WDW Mansion, and I was always so, SO jealous.)

Anyway, the best part to me - besides the fact that these 34 lucky ducks got to eat INSIDE one of the most classic and beloved Disney attractions ever - were the desserts. Big surprise for me, I know, but LOOKIE:

THAT, my friends, is an edible sugar glass globe (!!!) containing a cylinder of chocolate mousse with Madam Leota's face screen printed on it. Her hair is purple spun candy floss, and the entire thing was set on a color-changing light disc, which made each globe glow. And, oh yes, everybody got one:

 WOWIE ZOWIE.

Head over to The Disney Food Blog to see the rest of the pics and review, and also for video of the globes in action. AJ, who runs the blog, has already suggested this be my next Epbot craft project. I gave a hearty laugh at the thought, of course, but you know I'm about to go google "sugar glass blowing" anyway.


I don't have many celebrity heroes, but when it comes to being a Maker, I'm an Adam Savage fangirl all the way. The funny thing is I'm not a big Mythbusters fan - although I've watched plenty of episodes with John - so I'm pretty late jumping on the Savage-fan bandwagon. Adam and Jaime started a new website last year called Tested, and there you'll find - among other things - videos and podcasts featuring Adam building things, talking about building things, and/or showing off his jaw-dropping collections of props and handiwork and tools. AND I LOVE IT.

In one recent video he built a custom case for his Blade Runner gun replica completely from scratch, and in this one he shows off just a small portion of the prop collection and collectibles he keeps at home:

Not everyone's cup of tea, of course, so some of you may find this a bit dull, but as a wannabe maker myself I eat this stuff up. I aspire to someday be as handy in the workshop as Adam!

Next here's a video most everyone can appreciate, even if you're like me and still don't fully understand how this whole Minecraft thing works. Set it to full-screen and turn up the volume for a super-duper fun Beetlejuice themed rollercoaster ride!!

(Found via BoingBoing)

WHEEEEE!!
Plus, dubstep Beetlejuice? I think I like it! (John doesn't, though, and he just made me turn it off mid-way through my impromptu treadmill desk jam session. BOO.)

And finally, I'm gonna have to agree with my friend Renee that these new blind-box toy balloon unicorns are MUST-HAVES:



These three-inch-tall cuties are $7.95 from KidRobot, or I'm sure they'll pop up [smirk] at any of your local shops that carry blind-box toys. I'll be looking for them at local conventions from now on!

And FINALLY finally, it's time to pick a winner for this month's art give-away! So, my randomly selected winner IS ...

Tracy W.!!

In case there's more than one Tracy W. out there, it's the one who mentioned making flip-flop hangers for her aunt in Florida. Congrats, Tracy, and please e-mail me your address and choice of prize from my Pinterest give-away board! (Or the Leia from this month's roundup, since I haven't gotten her added to the board yet.) 

Happy Thursday, everyone! Hope you guys are having a great week!