I already wrote and posted this up over on G33Kmade.com, but I thought I’d also share the post here as well, as a way to wrap up how Gen Con went for me :)

Wow. Just… wow. Gen Con Indy was amazing! Thank you SO much to all of the fabulous people that stopped by our booth and supported handmade geek at the best four days in gaming!

Firstly, we have SO MUCH LOVE for all of the independent geek artists that made up G33Kmade’s booth. Though Kylee and I were there as the face promoting our cause, G33Kmade was more than just soap; we had amazing prints by GEEKLEETIST, fantastically detailed nerd pillows by Victoria the Germ, and epic dice bags designed by Lyndsay of Dragon Chow.  And not only that, we also represented other featured G33Kmade artists and friends such as GeekyCookies, UberDork Cafe, and Ruth of CthulhuChick, whose plush Cthulhu was our booth mascot. We were givin’ out super sweet geeky buttons made by Wendy of GeekyBoutiquey left and right, and tried to ensure our mission of spreading the love between everyone that made G33Kmade’s booth a success to anyone that would listen. And boy, did we have a lot of listeners!

Wil Wheaton came by the G33Kmade booth on Saturday and picked out a Dragon Chow dice bag as part of his mission to collect as many dice as possible at Gen Con. Getting a Dragon Chow dice bag was part of another spread-the-love geeky mission initiated by @cmdrsue via Twitter. It’s the kind of thing that makes you feel weak in the knees and love what you do that much more: seeing so many people come together under one banner for one awesome purpose… to support each other’s handmade geek. It’s the foundation that G33Kmade was built upon. Share. Support. Promote. Love. Geek. Wil picked up some of our soap sculptures of awesome offerings and chose a dice bag. When he realized what G33Kmade was and what we were all about, he told Kylee and I how PROUD he was of us. Of what we had started with G33Kmade. Of promoting independent geek artists and all of us working together. The fact that so many of you were on board doing this together. He compared it to how he got started and all of the people he’s worked with, and just kept repeating how proud he was. It was surreal. And awesome.

Who would’ve thought? Independent artists working together. G33Kmade is not just two people. It’s one giant geeky dogpile of epic proportions and each and every person supporting us – whether from the sidelines or as a featured artist – is an important part of that pile. It really was amazing to see how well received the whole concept was. People loved hearing stories about the artists of G33Kmade as they browsed geeky wares from all over North America. They were surprised to see Kylee and I selling soap side-by-side and promoting and cheering each other on instead of competing. But that’s what it’s all about, and the warm fuzzy feelings I got from being able to work with so many thoughtful, giving geeks had me glowing all weekend. I am proud to be a crafty geek.

The famously clean superheroine you all know as @DeodorantDame even came by so we could help aid her in her quest for cleanliness at cons everywhere! Equipped with her deodorant spray and a D20 Soap on a Rope, she was unstoppable. United we stand for a meaningful cause!

So enough gushing already, right? BRING ON THE PICTURES! For your viewing pleasure… (There are multiple pages, so don’t forget to click the Next links!)

THANK YOU to every single person who has supported G33Kmade. Handmade FTW!

As you can imagine, it’s been busy ever since Gen Con around here. On a personal note, I got a job offer for a school district on the north side of town about 10 minutes before our Gen Con booth opened, and started said job at 7:30am the Monday morning after Gen Con. The good news is that the job is amazing; I love it! The bad news is that it’s an hour commute for now, so not only am I juggling a successful small business in what little spare time I have, I also have a new full time job AND we’re planning to move in a few weeks to be closer to work. As if I needed more things on my plate, Lucas and I are going with a bunch of friends down to Atlanta, GA next weekend to attend Dragon Con, too. Should be a really fun time!

In crafting news, expect a few new little things coming to GEEKSOAP soon, and my Cthulhu Toque should be back in stock both on Etsy and over on geeksoap.net in the next few weeks as we get closer to fall and hat season. I’m also planning a slight redesign to my Baththulhu Cthulhu Bath Mitt pattern to create Cthulhu Mittens for this holiday season as well :) Oh, and did I mention that Lucas and I are trying new recipes each week and attempting to stay on top of our family blog, too? Stay tuned! Somehow I’ll accomplish all of this in the midst of a move ;) Take care!

Live on the edge and shower with danger! While those tentacles may wish to suck your soul into Cthulhu’s gaping maw, they are made from completely harmless cotton. (Which may explain the look on Baththulhu’s face.) So instead of doing evil, those tentacles make for an excellent scrubby surface for soapy lather. Yes!

Baththulhu is a hand crocheted bath mitt pattern that I wrote; the first Cthulhu bath mitt in existence! I personally hand crochet each and every bath mitt for my customers from the softest 100% cotton I can find for a uniquely geek bathing experience. For a Cthulhu Clean you can’t get anywhere else, be sure to pair your mitt with the original Cthulhu soap! (#Fact, being Cthulhu Clean wards off horrific nightmares. Yup.)

The Baththulhu bath mitt comes in two mighty sizes and is crafted for right-handed souls by default, but never fear… a lefty-friendly version is available, too! Medium size fits most women perfectly, while Large is more suited for men and/or those with larger hands.

Use: Enjoy with suds in the bath or shower. When finished, rinse thoroughly and lay flat to dry. Made from 100% cotton.

Disclaimer: Not responsible for the loss of your brain should you get Baththulhu too close to your head.

Baththulhu is the fourth original Cthulhu-themed design I’ve created. Be sure to check out my Cthulhu toque, Sock-Thulhu™ sock plush, and Cthulhu GEEKSOAP!

Are you thinking what I’m thinking? YES – I will be creating a matching set of a modified version of these as Cthulhu mittens perfect for winter wear this fall, so stay tuned! :)

©2010 Lesley Karpiuk of The Pink Toque (thepinktoque.com) & geeksoap.net

Hey readers!

I just wanted to give you a head’s up – GEEKSOAP will be on vacation from June 19 – June 29. Check out the On Vacation page of my store for more information. Basically the store will stay open, just be aware that my house sitter cannot make soap, so I won’t be able to begin work on your order until I return on June 30. :) I will then begin processing orders in the order they were received in my absence, and I promise to get your order out to you ASAP! Thanks for understanding :)

So what’s the vacation for? Well, Lucas and I’s anniversary is coming up on Sunday, and it’s our tradition to stay in a bed and breakfast on the ocean over our anniversary. Last summer we did Nova Scotia and I still daydream of the place we stayed at. I think the sound of the waves crashing up through the open patio door all night is the most relaxing thing ever! This year we’re going to Vancouver, which is a good choice since it means we get to stay on the ocean (we’re actually going out to Victora on Vancouver Island for 2 nights at a bed and breakfast there) and also head inland a little bit to visit friends and family. I’ve not yet been to Vancouver, so I’m excited about exploring after our getaway on the island. We’ll visit Lucas’ uncles and Matt and Laresha (brother and sister-in-law) and then head even further inland to spend some time in Penticton, where Lucas grew up, to visit his parents and some more friends. I can’t wait! I’m working extra hard this week in the GEEKSOAP soap studio to prepare; not only am I working on orders daily, I’m also still prepping for Gen Con in August! Whew!

When I return you can expect some new goodies, too! I’ve got 2-3 new soaps coming PLUS a rumored 3D Dalek soap from Dr. Who…. that won’t be ready immediately when I return, but it’s in the works! ALSO, the awesome Cthulhu bath mitt I designed and crocheted will also be made available. I will be calling it the Baththulhu Cthulhu Bath Mitt, and it’s extra cute! Currently I have a mens and womens’ size as well as being able to make it in a lefty-friendly design. It’s 100% original and made from super soft 100% cotton; perfect for getting clean with my Cthulhu GEEKSOAP! The Baththulhu mitt will be my FOURTH original Cthulhu design since 2007… first it was the Cthulhu toque (and a baby toque that came out last year), then it was my Sock-thulhu Cthulhu plushie in late 2009, then my Cthulhu soap came out in January 2010 and the Baththulhu mitt will be out July 2010! Exciting!

So July will bring some new soap and some new items for GEEKSOAP with the Baththulhu Cthulhu Bath Mitt! I will most likely be having my Cthulhu toques and Sock-thulhu plush added to my product listings at GEEKSOAP in the near future, even though they aren’t soap related… they’re still geek related and complete the set with my awesome, original Cthulhu soap. I want to prepare ahead of time because the Cthulhu toques get popular in the fall and winter months so I need to get started on some stock! I’d also like to take a few to Gen Con if I manage to get the time. Some bath mitts will for sure be going, but I may not have time to make very many toques or Sock-thulhus. (Speaking of which… I need to find a good wholesale supplier of various colored chenille socks… lol)

So that’s the news for where GEEKSOAP is right now, and what you can expect to see from me soon! Now I need to turn your attention to something incredibly awesome… my friend Natali (AKA @UberDorkGirlie) is amazing. She has this dream of a super fantastic geeky cafe that she calls Uber Dork Cafe – a family-friendly place where art and science and geek come together to provide patrons with a completely fantastic cafe experience – and she needs your help! Uber Dork Cafe was granted a pledge page at Kickstarter, where you can help pledge your support to various ideas and creations by all kinds of people and their dreams. Please go check out Uber Dork Cafe and pledge any amount that you can to help Natali fulfill her dream!

More ways to support UberDork Cafe: Head on over to the Facebook page and follow @UberDorkCafe on Twitter!

That’s it for today – I’ll see you back here after I get home from vacation with an update on the crafts I’ll be taking with me on the plane (Lots of Baththulhus will be made for sure!) and to announce new soap and finally release the bath mitts! Thanks for stopping by *hearts* <3

GEEKSOAP is handmade from natural, pure vegetable glycerin and moisturizers, enriched with aloe and vitamin E. Soaps are lightly scented with a fresh soap smell but can be made fragrance free, and come shrink-wrapped to seal in their freshness and allow you to display until you’re ready to use it. GEEKSOAP is vegan friendly!

Size: 5oz bar with dimensions of 3″x3″x1.25″

This is just one design of many in my GEEKSOAP line. Check out the Soap category for more. My fun soaps are available for purchase at http://www.geeksoap.net

GEEKSOAP is geek soap for the internet. Soap for geeks; just pure geeky soap!

You’d think that I’d be most busy preparing stock for the show instead of re-designing some of the old soap styles, but nooooo…. I’ve been too busy re-doing some of the previous designs AND adding a bit to them to round out the GEEKSOAP geeky soap line. Most notably adding an Alliance version to the Warcraft GEEKSOAP series. And let me tell you… making the Alliance geek soap was a pain in the you-know-what… just like the Alliance are in-game. Heh heh heh :) (I crack myself up.) So feast your eyes upon the re-designs here… instead of colored soap with a black silhouette I’ve reoworked them to be clear like the majority of the GEEKSOAP line with colored, hand carved and cut images inside. I like it better this way and am really happy with how the re-designs turned out. And ooooooh that Cthulhu re-design was my absolute favorite! Cthulhu, as some of you remember, was the first GEEKSOAP in the series that inspired more… and the old design was great, but with the new “angrier eyebrows”, the NEW design is even better – don’t you think?

As always, all of my geeky soaps are available in my Etsy Shop! http://www.geeksoap.net !

Besides getting ready for the BHM next week, I’m also prepping for the Handmade Promenade on April 17, (Check out Handmade Promenade’s GEEKSOAP feature!!) and GenCon Indy from August 5 – 8. WOW! More about those upcoming shows in a later post. And before I go… quick shout out to some other geeky crafty soapmaking ladies I’ve met this past week… GeekyClean and KyleeLane! xoxo

Sock-thulhus are wonderfully soft Cthulhu plushes created à la sock monkey from fuzzy chenille-style socks. They were designed with love and care and are truly one-of-a-kind. Stuffed with polyfill and light cardboard for stability in the wings. Not meant to be washed.

Sock-Thulhus are a registered character and pattern copyright to Lesley A. Karpiuk of the Pink Toque Craft Blog. Available for sale on Etsy.

Made from soft worsted weight yarn, this toque will surely make you the talk of the town during your next outing. This item is handmade and features Cthulhu tentacles, wings, and sewn on buttons for eyes. Due to the button eyes, this product is not recommended for children. The baby version features sewn-on felt eyes instead of buttons or safety eyes.

Note: Wearing a Cthulhu on your head is indicative of a coolness that cannot be surpassed. You know you want one. Pattern copyright to Lesley Karpiuk of the Pink Toque Craft Blog. Available for purchase on Etsy.

Note: Wearing a Cthulhu on your head is indicative of a coolness that cannot be surpassed. You know you want one. Pattern copyright to Lesley Karpiuk of the Pink Toque Craft Blog. Available for purchase on Etsy.

Newborn nephew Will sporting one of my ultra cool new baby Cthulhu Toques!

It was only a matter of time before my crochet Cthulhu toques spawned pint-sized versions for children. Due to many requests, I finally sat down and put together the youth version of my pattern. I’m now selling child-sized Cthulhu toques in my Etsy shop AND am offering the youth pattern included in the same PDF as my original adult sized version… at no additional cost for the pattern!  Now my Cthulhu toque pattern is like having 2 patterns in 1!   You can either buy the pattern, which includes adult and child instructions OR you can purchase adult or child-sized Cthulhu toques already handmade by me in my Etsy shop. Just in time for the holidays!

The new youth sizes includes instructions for creating a newborn, toddler, and child sized version of the Cthulhu toque. Now you and the child or children in your life can be in matching style together!  The model in my picture is my brand new 2 week old nephew, and he’s sporting the toddler version, which is why it’s a bit big. But aren’t they both adorable?!  As I said, I’m selling the child-sized toques individually in my Etsy shop, so if you love the Cthulhu toques but don’t have the crochet know-how, I can make one for you :)

The new baby version of my Cthulhu Toque. Get yours now!

As of the time of this writing, I’ve sent out a mass email to everyone who has purchased the Cthulhu toque pattern from me in the past via Etsy or Artfire and sent them a complimentary copy of the youth sized pattern update. Going forward, new purchases of the pattern from Etsy or Artfire will receive the updated PDF that includes both adult and youth pattern instructions. I also uploaded the new PDF to Ravelry and sent out a mass message to those who had purchased it via Ravelry to get them the new copy.  If I somehow missed you, please contact me immediately with your name and email so I can ensure you get the updated version!

Adding youth sizing to my pattern is not the only update that I’ve made to my most recent version; I also updated the pattern to include tips and blocking instructions specific to the design to help you get the most out of the pattern and get it to look just right.

New and Improved pattern now available! Includes both adult and child versions plus blocking instructions

Want to buy the new and improved Cthulhu toque crochet pattern? Check it out in my Etsy shop!  Want to buy pre-made Cthulhu toques already crocheted by me for yourself or a loved one? Get the adult version or child’s version now!

Enjoy! And thanks for your business :) Hope you had a great weekend!