Release your inner geek!

For years, tee shirts have been the most prominent way to show off your love of all things geek.  The hunt for cute shirts for my 9 year old daughter caused lots of frustration.  There are lots of "boyish" super hero shirts, but not many for girls.  She wanted to wear her favorite characters, but she didn't like the options.  So from that, Geek Girl Accessories was born.

I've been making portrait jewelry for a few years, and the idea hit...why not make fun jewelry and accessories by upcycling comics!  I made my first few pieces with a vintage Superman comic and they were great.  I had a happy girl, so I decided to go further.  My husband is a life-long comic fan, so I enlisted him in the hunt for great back issues with popular characters.  He's also a computer geek, so he built a website for me.  After I made quite a few pieces, I approached the owner at Collectomaniacs in Ozark, Missouri, and they now carry a great selection of Geek Girl Accessories pieces.  We have an Etsy shop and also take custom orders for hard to find characters.

When I couldn't find everything I wanted in existing comics, I decided to use some of my Photoshop "skills" and create some quote graphics, which have been fun to introduce, and also purchased books to make what I call "literature lockets".  The literature lockets each contain clippings from books such as The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes, Alice's Adventures in Wonderland, The Hunger Games and more.  Our family loves Doctor Who, and aside from the comics, I couldn't find images to use, so I held an original art contest.  We had some amazing entries, and the winning pieces were spectacular!  Each winner won credit towards their own Geek Girl Accessories pieces, and we now have some Weeping Angel and TARDIS designs you won't find anywhere else.

 I also came up with a little bit of Whovian coolness when I found a vintage dress (TARDIS blue, how appropriate, hehehe) with buttons that looked like Dalek bumps.  This particular button style was limited to 8 pieces, but I just found another vintage dress with gold matte Dalek bump buttons, so I'll be making a new design with gold Dalek bumps, like the bumps found on the Daleks in "Revelation of the Daleks" from 1985.

In our search for comics, I decided to look through some Magic: The Gathering cards to see how they'd work for pendants.  The art is amazing, so I decided to add those to the line too.

So, if you're looking for a fun way to show off our love of all things geek, look no further than Geek Girl Accessories.  I use jeweler grade resin and high quality components to make jewelry that you can wear and enjoy for the long haul.  Custom pieces are available, and I can even use art that you've created, pictures of your cosplay or maybe that awesome image you have from when you met your favorite actor at a con...you name it, I can do it.  Geek Girl Accessories is ready to help you get your geek on!  Use the code "blog15" for 15% off your order in my Etsy shop. 

Art anyone?

Hello from the windy Missouri Ozarks!  It's been a busy week of clipping cool images out of comic books, a little bit of graphic design and pouring resin in some new jewelry.  As "artistic" as I may be with photography and jewelry design, I cannot for the life of me draw, so I'm asking for your help and giving you the chance to win some credit to spend in the Geek Girl Accessories shop!

First, we need to establish some guidelines for participants.

1. The work you submit MUST be your work.  It can be an older piece you've done, but it has to be your original art.  Since this contest is being held as a search for original art to be used in Geek Girl Accessories pieces, they need to be in a square or portrait (vertical) rectangle format and it would be best if they were on a flat surface. What I'd love to see is portraits of your favorite characters, heroes and villains, a few TARDIS pieces would be great, and maybe even mix up some fandoms for fun. If you love Serenity/Firefly, Star Wars, Star Trek, Marvel or DC, Magic the Gathering, My Little Pony, The Hunger Games, even classics like Blade Runner, Labyrinth, The Princess Bride, Dark Crystal, or any of the many other classics, I guarantee someone else loves them too and would love to see your art!  I've found that having some kind of a background, not just white, works best for pendants, because it makes the image pop. 

2. Since I work in such a small format, having a close up instead of a big scene would be nice, but let's say you've got your own version of    the exploding TARDIS or maybe a scene from your favorite sci-fi show or movie feel free to submit it! This will be a fan driven contest and as a fan, when someone looks at images, the passion of the artist shows through, and if you're creating an image of something you love, it will surely shine through. Please note: since we have fans of all ages that purchase Geek Girl Accessories, please keep your work PG.  No graphic violence, nudity or sexual themes will be accepted.

3. You will need to submit the digital file to me via e-mail at jphillips@geekgirlaccessories.com, along with your contact information.  I won't release the contact information to any outside sources, I just need it to get in touch with you.  I'll need your name, a contact phone number, city and state, the name of your image and the medium you used.  I will add a watermark to the images you submit before I post them in the album, so that they are protected from unauthorized use.

4.  By submitting your art, you are confirming that you understand the above guidelines and also that if chosen as the winner or runners up, you agree to grant Jill Phillips and Geek Girl Accessories exclusive use of that particular image, in exchange for your prize. We will have a 1st, 2nd and 3rd place winner, and those will be determined by the number of votes you get on the Geek Girl Accessories page.  You are welcome to share the page and ask for votes, but the votes will only be counted if they go to the actual image in the Geek Girl Accessories art contest album, not just by liking your share.  When you share, you'll want to make that clear to your friends so that you have a better chance of winning 

5.  This contest is not affiliated with or sponsored by Facebook or the companies who own the trademarks of whatever character/series you base your work on.  These will be listed as fan art.

6.  Full credit will be given to the artist when your image is posted, and if chosen as a winner, you art will be featured in the Geek Girl Accessories line. Your compensation will be the prize awarded, and no further compensation will be given past that.  If you would like a link back to a fan page or website that features your other works, I will do that any time I post an item, either on my website, Facebook page or Etsy shop.  It is however, your responsibility to let me know if you update that information in the future and wish for me to change your information.  This is a great opportunity for you to get your work in the eyes of other fans, and I want to make sure I'm giving credit where credit is due.

7.  Prizes will be awarded to the 1st, 2nd and 3rd place images, based on the most votes. 1st place will win $100.00 worth of products from Geek Girl Accessories, 2nd place will win $50.00 worth of products  from Geek Girl Accessories and 3rd place will win $25.00 worth of products from Geek Girl Accessories.  The credit you win can be used at any time and doesn't have to be something that is already made.  I can make custom pieces, and you could even get pieces featuring the contest piece or other images you've created.  If you have a fan base already, this could be an awesome marketing tool, plus, wouldn't it be fun to wear something you created?  It really makes me wish I could draw.

8.  Votes (also known as "likes") will be tallied on February 14th, 2014 and the top 3 announced on this blog, but I will link the blog to the official Geek Girl Accessories Facebook page.

Trust me, I'm the Doctor!

Well, first off, happy new year from Geek Girl Accessories!  We are looking forward to an amazing year and can't wait to get more geek goodness out to the masses.  As a photographer, it's fun for me to be able to frame out an image and picture it in a particular pendant blank, bracelet or ring, but it's even more so when I meet the people who purchased it and love it!

Today, while I was at our favorite comic store, Collectomaniacs in Ozark, Missouri, I got to meet a guy who purchased one of my Doctor Who comic key chains.  I could see how much he loved it, and it made me so much more excited to make more upcycled comic and original sci-fi art accessories!

Although I have a website that I'm still in the process of building, www.GeekGirlAccessories.com and offer direct sales, I decided to open an Etsy store to expand my reach.  You can find me on Etsy under Geek Girl Accessories.  After quite a bit of research on Etsy for other accessories that are in the same style as my work, I realized that many are not made with the durable resin that I use.  As a mom and a consumer, I want the best quality and durability for my money, so you can know that when you purchase an authentic Geek Girl Accessories piece, it will be worth every penny you spend.  I've tested out the materials that I use and have had one particular key chain on my personal keys for 2 years and the resin still looks as good as the day I made it!

Please share this with your friends and keep on the lookout for more from Geek Girl Accessories!  Remember, I can ship worldwide and the process is simple!  I can't wait to help you release your inner geek!

  

Introducing Geek Girl Accessories!

It all started with a simple thought.  When you wear a locket, you're hiding the image inside, but if you're really proud of whatever that image holds, wouldn't you want to show it off?  I started a little over 2 years ago creating portrait jewelry, first with glass tiles, then after some research, tweaking and LOTS of time, I perfected the "inside-out locket".

 I am a photographer, so I was making portrait jewelry with images from my sessions or images that clients provided, and I still do that, but this summer, when my 9 year old daughter was talking about not being able to find superhero and sci-fi things for girls (other than t-shirts if you're lucky), I raided my husband's comic collection and thus, Geek Girl Accessories was born!

Don't worry, I made sure he was okay with me using some of his collection, and it gives him a reason to spend more time at the comic book stores as he hunts for hidden treasure.  It's become a fun way for him to spend time with our daughters too, because they all look through the comic bins for me.  As I look through vintage and current comics to find images that I feel will work, it's almost like photography, because in my mind, I'm framing things and finding just the right angles.  Like many other pieces of ephemera, comics start to break down and fade, and as a lover of all things antique and vintage, it brings a smile to my face to know that I am saving these pieces of art by preserving them in jeweler grade resin so that they'll last for years!  As I choose illustrations that will work for what I need, I am also keeping bigger pieces that will be combined with others and turned into canvas collages that will look amazing on your wall!

I realize that I'm not the first to create this type of art, but I strive to be the best.  I use high quality components and jeweler grade resin so that your accessories will last for years to come.  I've learned through trial and error what works the best and what products are the most durable and have built my line around that.  Sterling silver components are available upon request, as well as commissioned pieces, but the pricing on those is dependent on current market pricing for the materials.

I'm based in the Missouri Ozarks, but with the wonderful world of Paypal, I can accept payments online and ship worldwide (for the cost of shipping, no "handling" fees here).  From Superman to Deadpool, Wolverine to Doctor Who, Star Wars to Star Trek, each piece I make is crafted with the future owner in mind.  The pieces are stylish enough to wear with your business attire but can be just as fun with your favorite tee.  A lot of times, you may want to let your inner geek shine but you can't always wear your favorite tee out and about.  That's where Geek Girl Accessories comes in.  I offer several pendant styles, rings, bracelets, key chains, all made to last.  In the next few weeks, I'll also be offering some designs made with original sci-fi art by a local artist.  She's working on a TARDIS, some Daleks and they're sure to be amazing.

My website, www.geekgirlaccessories.com, will have some items posted soon that you can purchase directly through the site, but if you're in the SW Missouri area, you can find my work at Top Notch Toys and Comics in Springfield, MO and within the next week, I'll have stock available at Collectomaniacs in Ozark, MO.

The most important thing though, is that a portion of each piece purchased will go toward funding adoptions and for orphan care worldwide.  As you wear your one-of-a-kind comic pendant or your spectacular sci-fi accessory, you'll know that you helped make a difference in the life of a child.  In my book, that's as big as any super power you could have!