15 handmade geek gifts from small designers
As we all know, the holidays are just around the corner. This means that we have to come up with ideas for gifts for the people we care about and/or work with. If you happen to be shopping for a geek, however, that is not always an easy task.
Fortunately, we've come up with some ideas of homemade and unique gifts that are sure to please the geek in just about anyone. We write up a lot of small designers here on DVICE who are all wildly creative. This list is for them.
Like this list? Check out our Holiday Gift Guide, which is an easy place to find all of our holiday gift lists as we head on into the end-of-the-year gift-buying blitz.
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1. Chemistry Name Plate For science-minded individuals, this personalized sign using tiles from the periodic table to spell a name could be the perfect addition to your favorite geek's home or office. Creators Julie Huffman and Jenavieve Brown even promise that if you need the letters J or Q (which do not appear on the periodic table), you can still be accommodated. Find out more here.
2. Dino Egg Nesting Dolls Every little boy and girl loves dinosaurs, right? Well, here is a unique take on the Russian nesting doll toys, featuring dinosaur eggs instead of people. These eggs are both hand-crafted and hand-painted, and depict a Protoceratops, a Corythosaurus, a Troodon, a Compsognathus and a mystery baby dino. Find out more here.
3. NES iPhone Skin So what to do with that boring-looking iPhone you got someone for Christmas? Wrap it in a cool skin! Celebrate 8-bit video game love by offering up this decal depicting the classic NES controller. It's great for iPhone and video game lovers alike. Find out more here.
4. RSS Icon Pillow For that blog fan in your life, the RSS pillow is a must. Sure, it might not actually aggregate news feeds or give updates on favorite blogs, but it is soft and comfy and can be cuddled with. Find out more here.
5. Binary "I Love You" Print Simply telling someone you love them is so overdone, don't you think? Why not buy them this binary code representation of “I love you” print instead? Love is even better when expressed in zeros and ones. Find out more here.
6. Phrenology Chart Lamp Is that special someone in your life obsessed with measuring skulls and determining brain functions? Light up their life with this special phrenology chart lamp. Find out more here.
7. Biology Cycle Bowl Remember high school science class when we learned how food converts to energy within our bodies? Show off your knowledge to fellow geeks by giving them this bowl that outlines the details of the Kreb's Cycle. Find out more here.
8. Zodiac Space Pendant This pendant is perfect for the girl in your life who loves astrology. It contains a miniature representation of the Orion constellation within a small silver locket. And of course, what locket would be complete without glow in the dark stars? Find out more here.
9. DNA-RNA Friendship Necklaces How do geeks celebrate friendship? They give each other things like this DNA/RNA necklace. Let someone know how well you pair with them by giving this necklace set. Find out more here.
10. Scientist Magnets Set Let’s face it: most refrigerator magnets are boring and hardly thought-provoking. Change that by sharing this set of magnets with a friend or co-worker. Pick your favorite three scientists from amongst the following: Carl Sagan, Elbert Einstein, Ivan Pavlov, Sigmund Freud, Noam Chomsky, Carl Jung or Charles Darwin. Find out more here.
11. Rabies Virus Pendant Spread rabies, and love, by giving this to your friends and loved ones. A ruby red depiction of what the actual rabies virus looks like under a microscope is the perfect way to tell someone you care. Find out more here.
12. Glowing E. coli Soap Tell your friends to go bathe in E. coli! Just give them this glow in the dark E. coli in a petri dish soap and they can stay free of germs. What a great way to remind people to keep clean and healthy! Find out more here.
13. Pi and Pumpkin Earrings Who doesn’t love pumpkin? Who doesn’t love pi? These cute earrings will make any geek female happy. And it’s a great way for her to show off her love for both baking and/or math. Find out more here.
14. Nintendo Controller Teether Looking for the perfect baby gift? Give this teether, exclusively designed to resemble a classic Nintendo controller. It’s safe to use and will give the baby in your life lots of chewing enjoyment. Find out more here.
15. Robot Bank We all know that robots are awesome, right? Well, how about a robot that helps you save your hard-earned cash? Feed him all your spare change and this guy, made of porcelain clay, will save them up for a rainy day. Find out more here.