Litera-tees: Tees for Readers (#3)…

Afternoon all – I present you with a lazy, consumerist post for a lazy Tuesday afternoon….here are some more tees for the literary-minded, plus some very convenient information on who designed them and where you can spend your hard-earned cash purchasing them. You’re welcome, shoppers!

First up, some Harry-related loveliness:

—we have Master of Death by Catch A Brick, available at RedBubble….

…and Just As Sane As I Am by the unnecessarily talented Megan Lara, also available at RedBubble…and if you like Megan Lara’s nouveau art, she has produced a whole range of tees in this style with various characters – Hermione and many of the recent Doctor Who companions to name a few.

For the Tolkien fans, apparently it is possible to simply walk into Mordor, if this tee is anything to go by:

It’s titled Simply Walk, is designed by Tom Kurzanski and is available at RedBubble…

For those who like to express their opinions on the classics:

…we have Moby Dicky by Budi Satria Kwan available at threadless…

For those who like a bit of film with their bookery:

…here’s Vader Read A Book available at WeLoveFine shop…

…and Movies: Ruining the Book since 1920 by Jayson Dougherty, available at threadless…

And finally, just because I love it and want someone to buy it for me (Att: Santa Claws!):

It’s the Grim Readers’ Book Club by WinterArtwork, available at Shirt.Woot…

Layby now for Christmas!

Until next time,

Bruce

or on GoodReads

Monstrously Awesome: Goodies for those who type…

Be you blogger, author or internet troll, have I got a find for you! Given that it’s winter round my neck of the shelf, I thought it was high time to consider the very real problem of typing-related hand-chilliness.  While pondering ways to overcome this issue, I came across two fantastically fashionable solutions…..

Looking for ways to brighten up the unending toil that is writing (or reading) an epic fantasy novel? Look no further than these stylish dragon or monster knitted fingerless gloves by HotScones, available at etsy.com:

And while these next ones aren’t fingerless – perhaps more suited to readers rather than typists – the little grizzly faces are just darling!

 

 

Next up from Scoper Monstar and also available at etsy.com are these absolute gems for the more flamboyant icy-fingered literacy fan.  This first offering is perfect for the out-there author of that ground-breaking book exposing bet-fixing scandals in miniature goat racing – fingerless hooves!

 

And for the fan of horror or the late-night reader of Where the Wild Things Are, who could go past these fantastic monster paws (available in a wide range of colours!)?:

Both of these provide snuggly warmth to your hands while allowing your fingers to get on with the business of doin’ stuff!

Click on the pictures above to be taken straight to the etsy shops of these fine craftspeople!

Until next time, may your every paw be cosy!

Bruce

 

 

 

The Gargoyle’s Gift Guide: For List-makers, Diary-keepers and General Book-wreckers…

Evenin’ all! Today I present to you some ideas for those most insidious people on your  list…you know the ones…they’ve already finished their Christmas shopping by August at the latest, they’ve printed out all those digital family snaps and arranged them artistically in some sort of scrapbook, and they use words like “reflecting” and “goal setting” and “making dreams a reality”.

And then there’s some suggestions for that other lot – the ones who spill tea on that brand new first edition hardback you bought them for their birthday; the ones who write phone messages in crayon on the wall because they couldn’t find pen and paper, the ones who tear out pages and use them to wrap gifts because it’s more eco-friendly than buying wrapping paper….

Honestly, it makes one shudder to think about it. Yet still, gifts must be exchanged….so I have made your job easy.  You can thank me with appreciative glances and quiet murmurs of praise.

For List-Makers:

Look no further than The A-Z Book of Curious Lists: A Journal for the Impossibliy Imaginative.  This cracker of a book provides fresh fodder for those obsessive little munchkins who cannot make it through a day without making a list.  With a list idea for every occasion, this will keep them so busy that their “To-do” List will remain untouched for days.  Some of my favourites are:

• Other Names Besides Harold for an Elephant
• Indecent Attire in Which to Attend the Opera
• and Unpromising Haiku Beginnings (in response to which, my fleshling owner has written “There once was a man from Nantucket”)

For Diary-Keepers:

For a twist on the run-of-the-mill diary experience or for those who are time- and imagination-poor, Q&A a Day: A 5 Year Journal is just the ticket.  This pocket-sized memory-protector provides enough space to write a single answer to a given question five times over, to cover the same date over five consecutive years.  The advantage of this is that you only have to write one sentence a day and you can cheat off last year’s answer if you can’t think of an original one.  My favourite questions from this one so far are:

• What is your Achille’s Heel?
• What can you smell right now?
• and What new word have you learned? (to which my fleshling owner has responded: “Moral turpitude”….which is quite obviously two words, not one.  It really is a wonder I’m not presiding over piles of books that begin with “See Dick Run”…)

For Book-Wreckers:

For this most difficult group, one cannot go past Wreck This Journal by Keri Smith.

This licence to spill, mess up and generally destroy is perfect for anyone who wants to break free from the shackles of conformity…and anyone who’s just a bit bored in work-related meetings.  While I am yet to become guardian of this tome on my personal shelf (my fleshling owner obviously being more kindred with the precocious group of list-makers and diary-keepers), I have searched for some examples of work completed in this book to give you an idea of what you may be in for.  Such as this:

and this fluffly little gem:

So once again dear readers, I hope these suggestions aid you in your neverending and ultimately unsatisfying search for that perfect gift.  And if Santa happens to be reading, Mad Martha would love a copy of Wreck this Journal (being a firm encumbent of the book-wrecking population).

Until next time,

Bruce

The Gargoyle’s Gift Guide: Stocking fillers for Book Nerds…ahem…Literary Fanatics…

Well hello my pretties! Today I present for you some fantastic “stocking fillers” that the book lover in your life may be coveting….I say “stocking fillers”, but in my day stocking fillers were reasonably inexpensive knick knacks that were a quirky little add-on to the main present.  Today, the term appears to be taken more literally, and includes any item that is small enough to fit in a stocking, regardless of price (or so the advertisers would have us believe).

To this end I present to you the following beauties….

For the non-lactose-intolerant book lover, try these Quotable Chocolate Bars!

Yes! Chocolate wrapped in a quote from a well-known literary talent! How could one go wrong with such a combination? Unless, of course, you live in the southern hemisphere, in which case, by Christmas day, one’s stocking will be marred by a seeping, oozing, chocolate-y puddle and a slightly soggy box…but at least that box will contain the remnants of a quote from a well-known literary talent!

Or, for the more swanky of your book-loving friends, what about this Paperback Perfume?

Allow your friends to demonstrate their love of reading through this olfactory extravagance.  As they swan about amongst the in-crowd, the distinctive scent of a crisp new paperback will follow after them, beckoning those of a like mind towards intellectual union.  Unfortunately for the more digitally inclined reader, “Scent of a Kindle” has not yet been released.

  Why not stuff the stocking of the gent who has everything, including a hefty shelf of paperbacks and a flair for snappy dressing,  with this Penguin Paperbacks Tie? 

Then challenge him to read all of the titles pictured!

And for that hard-to-buy-for, teenaged rebel without a clause, what could be more appropriate than this Banned Books Bracelet?  

As soon as this little baby’s unwrapped, your subversive teen reader will be parading around the room and stickin’ it to the man in jewellery form, saying, “Yes! I’ve read Captain Underpants! What of it?”

I hope this has been a helpful starting point for you all – I intend to continue providing useful and timely advice regarding gifts for various social groupings in the run-up to the great holiday season, so stay tuned.

Laybuy now for Christmas!

Bruce

Just Dahl-ing: Fantastic finds for a Friday…

“My candle burns at both ends,

it will not last the night.

But ah my foes and oh my friends

it gives a lovely light”

Roald Dahl’s motto

Well my friends, I am in a particularly Dahl-ish mood today (as is the case with all of us at one point or another) so I have compiled a small collection of quite fantastic finds related to the good man himself.  For the iphone/pad/pod/potato owners, you can spruce up your phone with a Golden Ticket inspired decal!

Got a birthday coming up? Theme it Wonka and snatch these amazing character cake toppers!

But my best, and possibly the weirdest, find yet – a full set of pens crafted around characters from Charlie and the Chocolate Factory. Here, my friends, is the answer to the question “What do you get that book lover who has everything?”

Each of these beauties is available for purchase at the links below:

Ipod decal: http://www.etsy.com/listing/87689801/the-golden-ticket-iphone-44s-decal

Cake Toppers: http://www.etsy.com/listing/51715867/willy-wonka-and-the-chocolate-factory

Pen set: http://www.etsy.com/listing/92003417/the-entire-set-of-character-pens-from

Laybuy now for Christmas!

Bruce

Harold and the Purple…..Dalek?: Picture book pop culture…

Just came across this gem of a tee design, based on the classic picture book Harold and the Purple Crayon. As I preside over that tome, as well as a small collection of Doctor Who novels (although none featuring the eleventh Doctor), it would seem the perfect gift for anyone wanting to purchase a gift for a sweet-natured, stony-faced gargoyle….not that I’m hinting or anything.

Although, if one were in the market for such a gift, one could purchase it here: http://www.anotherfinetee.com/  but only for the next three days.

Until next time,

Bruce

A Costume for the Very Hungry Booklover…

I’ve just now come across this delightful (and head-turning!) wearable art piece for those who wish to publicly display their love of Eric Carle through fashion.

BEHOLD!

The Very Hungry Caterpillar Costume:

Made by theholidayshoppe and available for purchase here: http://www.etsy.com/listing/110837950/the-very-hungry-caterpillar-inspired .  Incidentally, they also make a very nice sushi costume…if you’re into that sort of thing.

Laybuy now for Christmas (or Halloween…or Book Week!)

Until next time,

Bruce

One for the trendies: Inspired E-reader covers…

Those who know me will know that I am not a fan of the e-reader, mainly due to the fact that their widespread use has the ability to render bookshelf gargoyles obsolete.  However, I am aware that many flesh-folk find them quite handy.  So I present to you these quite lovely e-book covers from Chick-Lit Designs, made from upcycled book covers:

Or for those who prefer a more holistic carrying solution, how about these purses made in the same fashion, that contain a hidden e-reader holding pocket:

Or for those who don’t possess an e-reader (allies in the fight!), but wish to display their love of reading in a public fashion, these delightful clutch purses:

These enticing, handmade products are available at www.chicklitdesigns.etsy.com for your purchasing pleasure.

Laybuy now for Christmas…

Bruce

For the reader who loves to wear their heart on their…neck. Or ears.

Just look at these delightful little handmade beauties from Coryographies…if I was the type of gargoyle to wear baubles and bling, I would definitely be stepping off the shelf (figuratively speaking) in one of these little babies.  Available to purchase here: http://www.etsy.com/shop/Coryographies?ref=shop_sugg

Laybuy now for Christmas!
Until next time,

Bruce.

Books in the afterlife: Upcycled, repurposed and real purty…

So I have noticed that trendy young things seem to enjoy taking old, unwanted things and making them into equally old, but significantly more wanted things…this is called upcycling, or repurposing, amongst those in the know.  Today I offer you the chance to indulge in enjoyable consumerism, participate in the upcycling trend, and help a charity, all at the same time!

I present, therefore, Rebound Books (http://www.reboundbooks.com/) – an Australian company that upcycles, repurposes and pretties up old books into other useful things, like photo albums, sketchbooks and journals.  And best of all, purchases in their shop raise money for the Indigenous Literacy Foundation, a worthy cause if ever there was one.

My favourite product line from this shop is the 2013 journal (example pictured above) which includes the following, according to their website:

• all the original book pages from a Little Golden Book
• our own diary design with one week to an opening and a facing blank page (detail in the photo below)
• the Auslan alphabet
• a 2013 and 2014 year planner
• a placemarker ribbon woven in Melbourne
• only vegetable-based inks printed onto 100% recycled Australian-made paper
• a full carbon offset for the printing
• a POCKET made with 100% recycled Australian-made card stock

Honestly, what more could one want?

But for those still greedy for more upcycled, repurposed, book-related, eye candy, you may want to visit re.Create Designs’ pinboard, books redone, and marvel at their collection of books enjoying paradise in the afterlife:

http://m.pinterest.com/recreatedesign/books-redone/

Until next time,

Bruce