Slap a fandom on it, and it's worth more money.. At least that's when I think when big brands add Geek products to their collection. Recently two of those stood out to me.

Kipling, know for the bags with the little monkey keychain, just introduced a Star Wars line. It features all kinds of bags, from small and cute, to big rug sacks for school or work. The prices are quite steep for me (a cosmetic pouch is $44,99) but some fans might disagree. With subdued colors, the use of gloss, and even pink, the collection seems to have a young target group. Of girls, as well as boys. I wonder if Rey pulled a lot of girls into the Star Wars fandom?

Foot- and sportswear brand Adidas also has a Star Wars collection. For girls, boys and men. I like that the reference is quite subtle. Adidas uses Stormtrooper white, black and red. How come the Dark Side is always featured more on products?
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Adidas has Marvel wear too. The shoes for toddlers are very cool, Hulk green (in the smallest sizes) and Spiderman red and black (for up to six year olds ánd in adult sizes). They are high, for great support, and the designs are subtle and not childish at all. Matching training gear and backpack also available.

Throwback thursday... Dedicated to my eldest, who turned 4 this week. When we decorated her babyroom I decided to turn the ugly algove/hollow molding into a tree. Because, come on, who doesn't want a tree in their bedroom?!

First we needed to make the shape of the tree. I used chicken wire to do this. Choose the type you can bend easily. Don't worry, it's strong enough. 

Thanks to the chicken wire and the paper, the tree already had a nice tree-like structure. I started with a lighter brown, but it turned out rather dark, not too dark I think. But that's a question of taste. I used a simple waterbased gouache (plakkaatverf), but did need a few layers before I couldn't see the paper anymore. Be careful and wait a while between layers, to give the paint time to dry.

You've got yourself a tree! Now go to a store with seasonal decorations and buy boatloads of leaves. They will probably be fall leaves, but those have to best colors anyway. faux ivy branches are also great to get a nice result. Complete the tree with forest critters, such as birds and squirrels, stuffed animals might be a bit heavy, so papercraft is perfect for this! 
Also: we included white Christmas lights in the leaves, for a the feeling of a magical forest!

It the season for cookies! A great way to entertain Geeklings when it's too cold or rainy to play outside.  The dough is like clay you can eat, and the cookies are nice too! ;-)

Geeks wouldn't be geeks without Geeky cookies cutters. I found a bunch of them on the website Wish. Especially Marvel is well represented.. I bought several versions, the more traditional cookies cutters, but also some silicone molds. The good thing about the last category is that you can use them for all kinds of things, cookies, chocolate, icecubes, and even soap. 
After the first batch I noticed that the cookie recipe is very important when you make detailed cookies like these. Otherwise the dough will flow out too much and ruin the design. So: use the best basic recipe! 
I use the recipe from this website:  150 grams white caster sugar (basterdsuiker), 50 grams vanilla sugar, 200 grams butter, 1 egg, and 400 grams of flour. It is the flour that keeps the cookies 'in shape'. Also, keep the dough in the fridge for at least an hour!
See the results above: which cookies do you prefer? I like the regulars best, for a normal cookie recipe. The silicone mold is quite deep, so the cookies get rather thick. You can make them thinner, but it's a hassle, especially for Geeklings. 

This holiday season, I wanted to give our Geeklings a nice boardgame. Sadly there is not a lot of choice for the youngest of Geeklings. I was pleasantly surprised to find 'Knibbel Knabbel Knuisje', a Dutch/French boardgame based on the fairytale of Hansel and Gretel.
The game is simple, you need to take pieces of candy in different colors of  the witches house, but she will pop-up out of the top if you take the wrong one.. My girls found the idea very interesting, but were a little intimidated as well. It ís a witch after all!

​A good thing about this game, it's interesting for four year olds, but also when they get a bit older.
When they are old enough, they will learn which candy's alert the witch. Plus there are also options on the playing field to swop or 'steal' candy from another player.
The game is for ages 4 and older, and to be played with 1-4 players.

Have a look at the adventures of a young Geekling at the Dutch Comic Con, featuring Cyarine :-)