Deceptively Cruel Valentine's Cards (Read Between The Lines)

Although I am not big on Valentine's Day, with the pseudo-holiday in just a month, it's impossible to miss pink- and red-hearted merchandise.
These Valentine's cards are a snarky refreshment from the abundance of corniness and gushy romance.

Read between the lines!

From the etsy shop YesUMaystationary. She calls them "FUnny Valentines"...aptly named!

They sell for $13.50 for a pack of 6.  Could just be the break from the Valentine norm you were searching for!

J!NX Clothing: New League of Legends Swag - Gift Ideas for Him or for Her

Finally, J!nx has added a veritable selection of League of Legends clothing, accessories, and plushies... just in time for the holidays, of course!

Whether you want to pick something up for yourself or for the PC gamer in your life, J!nx is a great place to go.  I've reviewed them before and have always loved the designs they offer.  Although I am openly not a fan of LOL, I know many of my friends spend way too much time playing and would love walking around sporting this:

And even I can appreciate how cute that Rammus plushie is (and he talks)! 

If you order by December 11, it will get there before Christmas.  Added bonus:  Some of the LOL designs are on sale, and you can use code "MYPRECIOUS" to save 5% off an order of $75+ or 10% off an order over $100!  So hurry if you want to gift your LOL gamer something fresh!

Plus, sign up as a member of the site to earn EXP and Gold on your purchase! (Basically, EXP earns you status and occasional gifts; Gold is cash back to use on future purchases!)

100 Reasons I Love You - The Geek Version - DIY Gift for Someone You Love!

Struggling to find the perfect gift for that special someone?  I decided to share what I gave to my boy for Christmas last year:  a Magic:  The Gathering EDH deck (which totals 100 cards), each that had a reason I loved him on it.

Basically, it's a geeky version of [this], which I had found through Pinterest before Christmas 2011.  I thought using Magic cards fit my boyfriend's personality better, and decided to up the ante of a typical deck of cards by coming up with 100 reasons I loved him and using a playable deck.

However, this could easily be done with a deck of cards like the original idea, or anything else to fit your loved one's personality!  A specially-designed deck, Pokemon cards, Yu-Gi-Oh cards, etc.  The possibilities are endless.  And trust me, this is one gift he truly appreciated and enjoyed.

Honestly, this DIY gift is very simple.

First thing's first:  Think of Your Reasons.  It's helpful to decide how many reasons you'll need first.  All Magic: The Gathering EDH decks have 100 cards, and I figured that was a good even number.  If you are using a normal deck of cards, your number is 52.  This is the hardest part of this craft.  Seriously.  But, to give you a few ideas of what I included:

I personally think that the best things to pick are things exclusive to your relationship.  Anyone can put generic things on a card... this requires thought and effort.  But it's worth it to think of all the reasons he/she gives you that warm fuzzy feeling.

Yes, I did put things like "Your smile" because it was so damn hard to think of 100 reasons, especially because we had only been dating about 6 months... but I had plenty of things exclusive to us.

#2:  Assemble Your Cards.  This part is optional, if you want to use a "playable" deck like I did.

#3:  Mod Podge That Shit!  All I did was print off a big page of "reasons", cut them up to fit on the cards, and mod podged them on.  It's that easy!  I did put a little effort into some cards, trying to make the "reason" ironically match up with something from this zombie EDH deck...but that's not necessary at all (and I don't even know if he got it).

#4:  Putting it All Together.  There are different ways to do this.  I put mine in a deck box for full effect.  I've seen other versions of people using a hole punch with a deck of cards and using binder rings to make it a "book".  Just get creative!  There are tons of possibilities.

That's it! Now just await the time he/she opens it.

I was so nervous when I sent this to my boy...we were long distance at the time, since he was in the Army, and he isn't very sentimental.  He called me right after he read them all, though, and said it was the most thoughtful thing anyone had ever given him.  Now to outdo that present this year....

Like it?  Let me know in the comments!

What kind of gifts do you like giving your significant other?

Micah Myers’ Comic Book Creations [Review]

I have a really awesome product to review for you today!  Now, many of you probably do not know this, but I used to be hugely into comic books.  Instead of waiting at Gamestop for the midnight release of Halo, my sister and I would beg our parents to drive us to the nearest (actually, the only) comic book store so we could get the latest issue of X-men or Justice League.  We’d spend hours poring over back issues, finding gems that weren’t in our collection yet.  Though I don’t have the money to regularly buy and read comics anymore, I still hope to finish my Excalibur collection one day.
So, when I first happened upon Micah Myers’ Etsy shop, I knew I would be contacting him for a review.   But before I get to that, here’s a little about his shop.  Micah started creating comic book wallets after seeing another person selling them for $20.  Micah liked his design, and decided to start selling his own wallets at a super-affordable price of $3 for any wallet.  Along with wallets, Micah also sells coin purses and necklaces, and has experimented with boxes and picture frames.
I received a Martian Manhunter comic book wallet to review.  Now, I should say a few things first.  I’ve only owned one wallet in my whole life, and it was one of those fat, girly, I-shop-at-Aeropostale-and-Claire’s wallets.  I’ve had it since I was in junior high, but I don’t use it because I don’t carry a purse and any decent wallet I can find just will not fit in my pockets without looking completely ridiculous.  I was pleasantly surprised when I received this wallet from Micah Myers’ Comic Book Creations! 
This wallet is awesome.  It’s thin, it’s slick, it’s everything I’ve been searching for in a wallet. 
Design. I think it’s awesome how well this was made.  Just look at it.  The wallet stretched out shows a full picture of the Martian Manhunter (by a very good artist by the way).  Micah obviously knows what he’s doing when he makes these; this isn’t just thrown together.  Open up the wallet and there is not only a large compartment for cash; there are two sleeves for credit cards, gift cards, etc.  That was way more than I was expecting!  I don’t carry a lot of cash with me, but I’m so glad that I have a place to put my cards.  At first I was worried that there wouldn’t be a lot of room for multiple cards because of how super-ultra thin it looks.  But this wallet easily fits in all the cards I can stuff in it…hell, just to  test it, I fit a whole deck of cards in both sides.  Tight fit, but it can be done! 
Durability.  These wallets are made out of real comic book pages, so by themselves they would be very flimsy and tear easily.  To get around this, Micah expertly lines the wallets with shelving paper.  This is to make the wallets more durable, and protect from water.  Micah warns, though, that the wallets aren’t waterproof.  I knew that for the review, I should test  this, but I was afraid of ruining the wallet.  Well, it got tested for me.  One night while BigJones and I were sleeping, the cats knocked over a glass full of stale root beer, which pooled around my precious wallet.  When I woke up in the morning and discovered this, I frantically wiped off the wallet, only to find that there was absolutely no damage whatsoever!  None of the soda got through, and the wallet wasn’t even sticky, after being in the mess for hours. Hooray!  The only concerns I have is that the corners are easily bent, but they are just as easy to bend back.  I wouldn’t recommend trying to tear the wallet, either; it might not hold up.  But it does stand up to everyday use.
Price. $3.  Flat.  Shipping is $2 in the U.S., but only $.50 with another item.  They will ship anywhere, though, for only a little bit extra!  With Christmas coming, these would make excellent stocking stuffers.
Overall.  I am so happy with this wallet.  As I said before, it’s everything I ever wanted:  simple, geeky, thin, and affordable!  Sure, it won’t last forever, but at only $3 a wallet, one of these won’t be hard to replace, either.  I can definitely say that I’ll get another wallet, maybe with Nightcrawler? Oh, did I mention that if you request a certain character or comic with your wallet, it doesn’t cost any extra?
Connect.

• Wanna buy something?  Micah Myers’ Comic Book Creations on Etsy.
• Facebook.
• Twitter.

Um…there just may be a giveaway for some Comic Book Wallets.  You might want to look.  Maybe?

Technorati Tags: Comic books,wallets,Etsy,handmade,comics

Disclosure: I received a wallet to review free of charge from Micah Myers’ Comic Book Creations.  However, all opinions are mine, as they always will be.