Geek Girls Gab with Anomaly Podcast

We’re Angela and Jen, the founding co-hosts of a geek culture podcast and blog called “Anomaly”. We’re best friends, co-workers and moms. We’re into cosplay, theatre, video games and everything sci-fi /fantasy (just to name a few interests).

The term “Anomaly”, as it’s applied in our show and on our blog, is used to set ourselves apart from the conventional image of geeks. We refuse to be pigeonholed by stereotypes. At first glance you could say that Anomalies are just girls who like geek stuff, which has been, until recently, deemed: "dude" stuff. This is true, but there is more to it than that. An Anomaly is just as comfortable at a dance club as they are wielding lightsabers.

The Nerdy Girlie: What is your first nerd memory?

Jen: Receiving a treasure trove of Star Wars toys for Christmas in 1983. Santa brought me the Ewok Village play set, an X-Wing Fighter, Jabba's Palace play set and a plethora of figures, including Princess Leia and a 3P0 and Darth Vader case to carry them in. I was in Heaven... and all the boys wanted to play at my house.

Angela: I remember going to see Star Trek: Wrath of Khan in the theater, when I was 7 years old. And I have been a SciFi Fan ever since. (What were my parents thinking?)

The Nerdy Girlie: How and why did you start blogging?

Jen and Angela: We began as podcasters back in 2007, when we kicked off our show "Anomaly", and haven't looked back. We created our blog, "Anomalous Musings", a couple of years later because we wanted another medium in which to communicate our ideas to our audience. We started by posting little asides to our episodes then invited awesome writers, like Kasey and Sue, who also host our support show: "Anomaly Supplemental". They have completely different voices, interests and viewpoints and we think they add dimension to what we do at AnomalyPodcast.com. Our blog staff also includes: Lynn, Sarah, Anne and Michele. And we recently added our good friend Noah to the blog. He's obviously not a geek-type lady, but he is a friend to us all. We thought it was important to add his unique perspective to our Anomalous voices…but because only women can be "Anomalies", have dubbed him a "Singularity"—which he has completely embraced. 

The Nerdy Girlie: What is YOUR favorite blog?

Jen: I frequent a bunch of great blogs, including The Nerdy Girlie :) But I think I land on The Mary Sue and io9 most often, simply because our Facebook Group is always posting their articles. They often generate a lot of discussion and sometimes debates, which we think is awesome.

Angela: I really enjoy all of the “Cracked” columnists’ blogs. 

The Nerdy Girlie: What is your favorite thing/things to nerd out about?

Jen: Costumes and cosplay. I enjoy talking to my friends about my big plans. I also escape into Pinterst, pining ideas for costumes onto the boards we share.

Angela: Love to nerd out about the finer points of my favorite series/movies. Like “Did Han shoot first?” And I like to know EVERYTHING about the history of Middle Earth. These conversations have been even more fun recently as my son has gotten old enough to have opinions.

The Nerdy Girlie: Here at The Nerdy Girlie we live for cons! Do you have any tips for attending conventions?

Jen: Wear comfortable shoes. You really don't want to have blisters thirty minutes into the event. OUCH! Study the area around the convention to find out where the best (and closest) restaurants or bars are, so you can go hang out with your friends afterwards.

Angela: Make a schedule so you don't miss anything you want to see (especially if it is something you paid for). Also if you cosplay try to work pockets/pouches/backpacks into your costume so you have a place for your stuff, and you don't ruin your cosplay with a muggle purse.

The Nerdy Girlie: Now lets get girlie! Share with us some girlie things you love?

Jen: Gardening, interior design, shopping for clothes Audrey Hepburn films and Romantic Comedies. "The Quiet Man," "When Harry Met Sally," "My Big Fat Greek Wedding" and "You've Got Mail" are few of my absolute favorites.

Angela: I take care of my nails and my hair with the same intensity that I apply to video games. I love to dance. And I am a theatre nerd who loves musicals!

Thank you ladies for your amazing answers! I LOVE learning about fellow geek girls! You can find these lovely ladies on their site Anomaly Podcast, Facebook and Twitter! And keep a look out for MY interview with the ladies...COMING SOON to their site!!

Geek Girls Gab: How To Fangirl Blog

The How To Fangirl Blog reached out to me and I am so glad they did! I am always looking for awesomely nerdy girlies to share with you here on the blog! Learn more about Caitlin and Leah and of course check out their awesome blog How To Fangirl!

The Nerdy Girlie: What is your first nerd memory? 

Caitlin: My parents are huge Disney freaks so I would have to say people coming to our house for the first time and ALWAYS commenting about the insane amount of Mickey Mouse decor and the Disney villain stuff everywhere. I love it though and I'm totally a huge Disney lover because of it. My BIGGEST nerd moment was totally walking into The Wizarding World of Harry Potter for the first time and crying because it was so awesome and again once I was able to return for Diagon Alley.

Leah: My first nerd memory would have to be the countless number of times my dad would make me watch Star Trek with him, so much, in fact, that I named my first cat Spock. (Pretty fitting name for a cat, if you ask me) Then there are all the times I would pretend to be She-Ra (I even had the sword) or Cheetara. The only “regular” human I would pretend to be was Penny from Inspector Gadget. 

The Nerdy Girlie: How and when did you begin blogging?  

Caitlin: I started a blog about a year ago when I bought my 1969 Shasta Starflyte trailer to document the renovations. That's been slow so that blog is pretty much dead but it sparked the bug. Leah and I met over some old paranormal obsessions about 4 years ago. We reconnected through fangirling and decided to start How to Fangirl in March of this year. It has been an amazing trip so far and we can't wait to see where it takes us! We love being able to fangirl/geek out as much as we want... And some people actually read it! It's amazing.

Leah: I have never blogged before. I have always loved and appreciated fandoms, but, I didn’t know what anyone would want to read about. This past February, during a Supernatural binge, Caitlin and I decided the world needed to know our love of all things nerdy. We decided to start our own blog to talk about the fandoms we are interested in. In March we launched How to Fangirl.

The Nerdy Girlie: What have you learned about yourself through blogging?  

Caitlin: I've learned that even if my friends and family think I'm a total nutcase for being obsessed with so many fictional things, other people don't! I love being able to meet other women who adore the same things we do!

Leah: I learned that I watch way too much television, for one. Also, I learned that I am drawn to strong characters. I am not as interested in whether the character is good or bad, I just want them to have depth. I learned we are all comprised of good and bad and these stories are important. I also learned to be who I am; I love nerdy things. That’s ok. I’m interesting. 

The Nerdy Girlie: What are some of your favorite blogs to read?   

The Mary Jane, The Discriminating Fangirl, Fangirl Magazine, The Nerdy Girlie, Okie al la Mode, Belle of the Library, Our Nerd Home, Geeking Out About It, and Nerds of Color are just a few that we love.

The Nerdy Girlie: What do you nerd out about? 

Caitlin: Harry Potter will always be my first love. Supernatural is my great love. I also enjoy Sherlock, The Walking Dead, The Hunger Games, and music. Recently I began watching Buffy and Marvel (Daredevil in particular)! I love reading.

Leah: Buffy and all things Buffyverse, Outlander –books and show, Neil Gaiman’s Sandman Series, Daredevil (Netflix), Supernatural, Game of Thrones, Orphan Black, Sherlock (BBC), The Millennium Series by Steig Larsson, Harry Potter, The Walking Dead and Zombies, X-Men, MUSIC! the 1920’s, Ernest Hemingway, England, and ALL THE BOOKS!

The Nerdy Girlie: Share some girlie things you love!  

Caitlin: T-shirts are my thing. I love wearing fangirl t-shirts and dressing them up for work or going out. I own more fandom t-shirts than I would care to admit. I also dig fandom jewelry. My mom also paints some really killer shoes that I love. I'm also super into vintage pin ups and anything retro.

Leah: I love makeup and am pretty good at applying it. I love to garden (not exactly girlie, but I love flowers), I love perfume and all smell-good products. Reading stories about girls and women who overcome. I also love feminism and more feminist points of view. Equality!

Thank you Caitlin and Leah for answering my questions! Make sure you go give them a follow over on Twitter @HTFGtweets and LIKE them on Facebook.

Geek Girls Gab: Naturally Nerdy Mamas, Caileigh

Today's Geek Girls Gab is part two of the blogging team over at Naturally Nerdy Mommas! Kate and her sister Caileigh have been running the site since August of 2014. Check out their site for a little bit of nerdy, a little bit of natural and a whole lot of mom!

The Nerdy Girlie: What is your first nerd memory? 

Caileigh: I guess my earliest memory of nerdom would be playing on the Nintendo. I was obsessed with Mario Paint when I was younger, then came Mario Kart, Zombies Ate My Neighbors, Legend of Zelda, Donkey Kong, you know, the classics. 

The Nerdy Girlie: How and when did you begin blogging? 

Caileigh: I just started blogging last year when my bff asked me to co-write with her on a new blogging adventure. I have done other writing in the past, just for fun, and I honestly never thought I’d get into blogging. 

The Nerdy Girlie: What have you learned about yourself through blogging? 

Caileigh: That I have a crazy short attention sp - 

The Nerdy Girlie: What are some of your favorite blogs to read? 

Caileigh: I really love cooking blogs. Crafty blogs are fun too. I guess I like blogs that help me mom along. And wife along. 

The Nerdy Girlie: What do you nerd out about? 

Caileigh: Even after all these years I still get pretty geeked about Harry Potter. My husband has really gotten me into superheros as well. We’re more of a Marvel family but definitely give DC credit where credit is due. 

The Nerdy Girlie: Share some girlie things you love! 

Caileigh: I heart pedicures. It’s kind of a comfort/girlie thing. Pampering and pretty toes. I like pretty things to decorate my house with. Honestly, I’m not much of a girlie girl. But I like to think that I clean up good.

Miss part one of our interview? Check out Kat's here and check out their site Naturally Nerdy Mommas and follow them on Twitter!

Geek Girls Gab: Naturally Nerdy Mamas, Kat

Today's Geek Girls Gab is with one part of the blogging team over at Naturally Nerdy Mommas! Kate and her sister Caileigh have been running the site since August of 2014. Check out their site for a little bit of nerdy, a little bit of natural and a whole lot of mom! Part two with sister Caileigh is coming at you next week so stay tuned!

The Nerdy Girlie: What is your first nerd memory?

Kat: Animorphs. DON'T JUDGE ME but that is the first thing I ever geeked out about, in about second grade. I was absorbing those books like nobody's business. And collecting Pokemon cards like nobody's business...

The Nerdy Girlie: How and when did you begin blogging?

Kat: I began blogging in 2002 on Livejournal (where I met my husband). I still have a journal there that I update every once and awhile. My sister and I started Naturally Nerdy Mommas in August of last year, but it hasn't been incredibly successful, even though we've had a lot of fun running it! 

The Nerdy Girlie: What have you learned about yourself through blogging?

Kat: That I'm a writer at heart. I have a voice and I like to share it. I guess you could say I like to talk in text. And I like being helpful, and I'm way too stubborn for my own good but I guess I've always known that bit ;)

The Nerdy Girlie: What are some of your favorite blogs to read?

Kat: Single Mom's Income is one of my fav, the non-consumer advocate, the mommy files, and 100 days of real food :) Plus I have a few that I follow because I like the bloggers, which is often where I find myself.

The Nerdy Girlie: What do you nerd out about?

Kat: Uhhhhhhh the standard stuff. Doctor Who, Firefly, Supernatural, Buffy. Books. Cloth Diapers. Cute baby clothing. I like my hair purple because I worship the color purple. My daughter. Pokemon. ZELDA!

The Nerdy Girlie: Share some girlie things you love!

Kat: Nailpolishes, headbands, and booty shorts.

Come back next week for Caileigh's interview and check out their site Naturally Nerdy Mommas and follow them on Twitter!

Geek Girls Gab: E-Rad's Cantina

Whenever I look for a nerdy girlie to feature on the blog, their about page is the first place I go for inspiration.  It only took two sentences for me to fall in love with Erin.  Mention Elijah Wood and crush and we are gonna be good friends!

Erin blogs over on E-Rad's Cantina, where she incorporates nerdiness into everyday life.  I just cannot wait to try her DIY No Sew Death Star Pillows {you had me at NO sew!} and Peeta's Honey Apple Goat Cheese Pastries {YUMz!}.

Learn more about the girl behind the blog in our interview below!

The Nerdy Girlie:  What is your first nerd memory?

Erin:  Well, my family as a whole have been very into video games. In fact, one of my first memories was of my mother playing Mario in our living room. I must have been 3 or 4 years old! Family bonding was always over video games. My dad loved playing Castlevania and my sister loved Kingdom Hearts. We collectively played a LOT of Zelda and Donkey Kong. Video games were definitely my gateway drug into the nerd world.

The Nerdy Girlie:  How and when did you begin blogging?

Erin:  In 2011 or so, I remember so distinctly telling my friend that I wanted to start blogging. I can be a bit impulsive, so I think she thought it was just another throw away granduous idea I had. I started a blog a few months later which would be one of three before I landed on E-Rad’s Cantina (formerly The Pixel Party). I tried different topics to blog about, but nothing resonated with me quite like a nerdy lifestyle blog. I love good design, fashion, crafts, events and recipes. I also love nerd and pop culture. I decided to merge those two loves and share it with everyone! It’s been such an incredible journey so far.

The Nerdy Girlie:  What have you learned about yourself through blogging?

Erin:  I have learned that a creative outlet is something I desperately needed, and I didn’t even know it. I have to be creative for a living, and while I love what I do, it’s really nice to have full creative control over something. Something to just pour myself into. 

I have also learned to push myself into doing things that might make me feel uncomfortable.  For example, doing a local news segment last year for Phoenix Comicon Fashion! I was so nervous, but everything went so well and it was an amazing experience I might have never had if I hadn’t put myself out there. Who knows what might be next!

The Nerdy Girlie:  What are some of your favorite blogs to read?

Erin:  Well, I love The Nerdy Girlie of course! Congratulations, readers, on finding Megan’s blog! It’s a good one! 

I also HAVE to call out my very favorite blog and the one that inspired me to start my own, Designlovefest. It’s not a nerd blog, but I find crazy amounts of inspiration from it weekly! 

I also love Melificent, Our Nerd Home and Nerd Burger, amongst a million others. I follow so many blogs on Bloglovin, it’s crazy!

The Nerdy Girlie:  What do you nerd out about the most?

Erin:  Gosh, where to even begin. I mean, Star Wars OF COURSE. Specifically anything Old Republic. I know, I know. I just really like Revan… and also everything about that time period, which is amazing and everyone should read all the books and play all the games immediately….

I also love Harry Potter, The Hunger Games, Star Trek: The Next Generation, Lord of the Rings/Hobbit, you know, the classics. I’ve been really into basically any game Bioware makes. I also love Parks and Recreation (I don’t want to brag or anything, but I’m on my sixth time watching that series -- don’t be jealous now). Hmm, I started reading Saga and I have really enjoyed it…. Oh, and slightly less nerdy but totally worth mentioning; I have a borderline unhealthy obsession with Lady Gaga. I can’t help it. That girl has got my heart on lock!

The Nerdy Girlie:  Share some girlie things you love!

Erin:  Glitter and gold on EVERYTHING! Crushes on Elijah Wood! Hair Tutorials! Wing-tipped Eyeliner! Binge eating hot cheetos with my best friend while watching I Love You, Man! Feminism! Jimmy Jr.’s Butt!

Erin is a girl after my own heart!  I LOVE that our nerdy girlie blogging community feels so tight knit.  The same sites keep coming up over and over again and it makes my heart sore.  We have such a wonderful community and I am so happy to be apart of it.

Make sure you check out Erin's amazing blog E-Rad's Cantina and head over to the social media sites Twitter, Instagram and Facebook to follow her!

Geek Girls Gab: The Calligrapher's Ink

I'm not quite sure how Lindsay and I began talking, but I know why.  Three little words you've heard from me many times...A Silent Film.  Lindsay has helped me a lot with my writing.  She's helped me grow and she has made me better.  I cannot thank her enough for her guidance.  

After a few months of corresponding solely through Facebook, the two of us came face to face on my Portland trip last year.  We must have had the biggest hug in history!  We had less than 24 hours together and we never left each other's site.

Isn't it amazing the people you can connect with through your love of something else?  She is more than just another ASF fangirl...she is a brilliant writer who has me holding my breath through every word she writes.  Check out her blog The Calligrapher's Ink and our interview below!

The Nerdy Girlie:  What is your first nerd memory?

Lindsay:  I would have to say that I began really nerding for Interview with the Vampire. I was 13 when the film starring Tom Cruise and Brad Pitt came out. It did have a little (ok, a lot) to do with Brad Pitt, but I discovered that I really was fascinated by the supernatural creatures of the night and I became obsessed. Interview also inspired me at age 13 to write my own vampire screenplay!

The first music nerd experience I had was when I was 15 when I discovered Rob Thomas, through his band Matchbox Twenty. I had always like music, but Rob's lyrics are what grabbed me. It was like he had taken the words I wanted to write and made them his own; or, rather, his words became mine. I was obsessed with MB20 and Rob became my idol. I was able to meet him in 2006, and he was as amazing and gracious as I hoped he would be. (I DO have a picture of this, but I absolutely hate it of me!!! It was 9 years ago....crazy)

The Nerdy Girlie:  How and when did you begin blogging?

Lindsay:  I began blogging in 2012, although my blog {The Calligrapher's Ink} has undergone many revisions. My most recent revision came last year, when I removed my creative writing from my blog and began to write about the things in my life that inspire my creative writing: my girls, music, and fandoms. I also write creative prose and have just started book reviews.

The Nerdy Girlie:  What have you learned about yourself through blogging?

Lindsay:  I have learned that I actually do have a lot more to write about than just my novels and my poetry. Writing is soothing to me; it always has been. Blogging allows me to write out my thoughts and share what I love with whoever stumbles across my blog, even if it’s only me and a handful of friends and family who read it! It also allows me to write about the nerdy things I love.   

The Nerdy Girlie:  What are some of your favorite blogs to read?

Lindsay:  The Nerdy Girlie! I also like Poets and Writers, Musings on Fantasia, and several book review blogs. Paper Droids was recommended to me, and I love it! Additionally, I read the blog of Eschler Editing and highly recommend it for aspiring writers. 

The Nerdy Girlie:  What do you nerd out about?

Lindsay:  YA fantasy, dystopian, and paranormal novels (my favorite authors in that genre are Shannon Hale, Kristen Cashore, Suzanne Collins, Ally Condie, and Cassandra Clare); anything Middle-earth related; Harry Potter (#Potterheadforlife); Jane Austen; Seinfeld; and I have recently gotten into Bob’s Burgers and Sherlock (I have always been a Sherlock Holmes fan; now that I’ve seen Benedict and Martin, I am SHERLOCKED!). I am also a music nerd and concert junkie. Music inspires my writing. I have to listen to music when I write! I am a huge A Silent Film fan. I am currently non-stop listening to the musical genius of Brian Fallon, who is the singer/songwriter of The Gaslight Anthem. He also did an album as The Horrible Crowes and it’s brilliant.

The Nerdy Girlie:  Share some girlie things you love!

Lindsay:  I still love glitter and I wish I had more occasions to wear it.  I like doing my makeup so I usually wear it every day. If I had more time and money, I would get a pedicure every week. I love wearing dresses and getting pretty for a concert. I also have discovered that I’m really into shoes and boots. My shoe rack is overflowing in my closet! I absolutely love getting my daughters dressed and doing their hair. It’s like playing beauty parlor!

I talk to Lindsay everyday and I still didn't know all of this about her!  Interview With A Vampire is my FAVORITE movie, I never knew it meant so much to her.  Some people you are just destined to be friends with and because of A Silent Film that happened!

Check out Lindsay's beautiful words on her blog The Calligraphre's Ink.  You can also follow her on Twitter and Instagram!  If you haven't already, you can read her The Hobbit guest post here on The Nerdy Girlie, where she shares her passion for all things Tolkien.

Would YOU like to be featured on Geek Girls Gab?  Do you KNOW a nerdy girlie who would be perfect?  Shoot me an email at thenerydgirlie@gmail.com.

Geek Girls Gab with Foreign Geek

When I first looked at NaNa's blog the Foreign Geek, I KNEW she had to be featured here on the blog.  Straight off it is visually appealing.  Once you dive into her posts you get taken along for a Wonderlust-ful ride!  I am super jealous of all she gets to see and do!  Find out how she does it in our interview below!

All photos provided by NaNa.

The Nerdy Girlie:  Let us get to know you!  Can you give us a lil brief nerd history on you NaNa!

NaNa:  I am NaNa. A culture-curious being, the way people live now and then fascinates me. Living outside of my comfort zone and learning new things excite me. I got this wanderlust gene from my parents; my dad loves history and architecture, and my mom, well she just loves to go out. I also like to explore local coffee shops, reading other people’s blog, long train rides, and to give long unnecessary speeches in front of my friends.

The Nerdy Girlie:  Why The Foreign Geek and how did your blog come to be?

NaNa:  I am a nomad at heart and been living an expat life for sometime when I started this blog. I love to travel and explore foreign places. Thus were the reasons behind the word Foreign. Geek on the other hand was how I identified myself for the longest time.

I wrote my first blog post on the day I took leave from work because I just couldn’t bare the thought of crunching numbers for another day. Don’t get me wrong, I appreciate my job, but at that time, my creative side was at the lowest point, which made me unhappy overall. So now, I go to work to pay my bills and I write to make me happier.

The Nerdy Girlie:  What is it like solo traveling?  I just recently "kinda" did one solo trip and it was exhilarating!

NaNa:  Exhilarating is the exact word I would describe my first ever solo traveling. But, to be honest, I didn’t enjoy it as much as I thought I would. There were times I miss having my friends around (boohoo), especially the times when I couldn’t communicate due to the language barrier when I solo traveled to Beijing.

The best part was, having done it, it has made me more satisfied with my life, like it feels well rounded. There is definitely more solo traveling in the future for me, and maybe this time I will pick an English speaking country.

The Nerdy Girlie:  Tell us about your favorite adventure thus far!

NaNa:  This is hard. I honestly can’t. I love exploring quaint little villages in Southern France or the scenic train ride in New Zealand as much as lying on the beach on Phi Phi Island. Whenever I get to experience something new that enriched my life in one way or another, I consider it as my favorite.

The Nerdy Girlie:  What is the nerdiest place you have visited?

NaNa:  And this one is easy! The nerdiest place I have ever visited would be Japan. I saw a lot of people freely letting their geek flag fly everyday with varying types of nerdniess. They were wearing Victorian dresses, school uniforms; some even dressed up as comic characters. I could feel that they were proud of it. And don’t get me started with the gadgets and unique cafes all over Japan. Japanese celebrates the “weirdness” collective. Gosh, it’s like a dream society for me. I would move there in a heartbeat.

The Nerdy Girlie:  Where are you looking forward to visiting in 2015?

NaNa:  There are two major travels I am dreaming of this year. I want to go on a road trip in Australia and to witness the ball drop in the Time Square during the New Year’s Eve. I would love to squeeze in short vacation to the neighboring countries. I am not one to say no to any opportunity to pack my bag and explore the world.

The Nerdy Girlie:  Where can we keep track of your travels?

NaNa:  Please head over to my blog, Foreign Geek, where I write semi regularly on Tuesdays and Fridays, mostly about my travels and expat life in between. You can also catch me travel pictures on Instagram and other social media platforms. Whichever way you find me, do drop by and send me a Hi! I would love to get to know you and build virtual friendship.

Thank you NaNa for sharing your exciting adventures with us!  I cannot wait to read your travels for this year!  Make sure you head over to NaNa's blog the Foreign Geek and follow her lovely Instagram account, I did!

Geek Girls Gab with International Geek Girl Pen Pal Club

There are just some people you are destined to meet, Leslie was one of them for me.  I love telling the story of our connection it makes the world such a small place!  One day while scrolling through Instagram I saw a picture of a baby I recognized.  I looked at the screen name and it wasn't the father, who I knew.  I messaged Leslie about it and she said it was her niece.  Come to find out that one of The Hunny's college buddy's was married to Leslie's sister!

Leslie is the founder of International Geek Girl Pen Pal Club which connects like minded nerd girls with their pen pal counterparts!  Iggppc was just nominated for a Geekie Award in 2014 in the blog category!  In our interview I talk to Leslie about how she came up with the idea for the club and where she wants to see the site go in 2015!

The Nerdy Girlie:  The internet age has definitely taken over the youngest generation.  They have everything at their fingertips and don't have to wait long for anything, mail is about extinct.  What made you want to start Iggppc?

Leslie:  It actually never came out of a desire to handwrite long letters, though admittedly that has become an acquired and favorite taste of mine to date. I was friends with Emily Farquharson via the typical way online friends meet, Twitter and blogging. She had made some necklaces for me and my belly dance troupe. I was fascinated by the fact that she lived in England (which I am SURE you can relate to, Little Miss Queen of the Union Jack!) and I definitely had many questions for her about living there. Long story short, I had asked her to mail me some English goodies, more specifically a few Curly Wurlies, an English caramel and chocolate delicacy, and she and I promptly agreed that more International girls should meet up in this way. We felt lucky to know each other but wondered if we could talk other geek girls/bloggers into uniting across the globe to send mail, candy and local goodies to people. Thus the IGGPPC was born! The success of the project was immediately evident, as we had 1,000 sign ups in our first 24 hours in business. We were selling pen pals like hot cakes. After starting it and seeing the demand, it was easy to keep going.

The Nerdy Girlie:  That is so great to hear that people are still open to snail mail!  I love the concept as well!  That feeling of waiting, anticipation and surprise is such a great feeling!  Who was your first pen pal and are you still connected?  What is your favorite thing you have received in the mail?

Leslie:  It’s so true, and I think that’s a very important part of the club. It cultivates patience and attention to detail. You not only have to wait to be paired, but you have to wait for your letters. You also want to make sure to please your new friend and cultivate that fabulous friendship, so the attention to detail about them and their life is important in sending them mail they will like! I consider all 7 other staff members my pen pals, and we send each other letter, treats, Christmas gifts, and candy on the regular. I also have 1 pen pal through the club named Fabi whom I love! She is from Germany. We are still connected. My favorite things I have received in the mail include TimTams Australian candy and a very kawaii cameo broach from Emma, Curly Wurlies from Emily, Archie comics from Jen, a wonderful Wednesday Addams pin from my secret santa, and a plethora of amazing cute stickers!

Meeting for the 1st time at The Geekie Awards!

The Nerdy Girlie:  You just took your very first to California where you attended The Geekie Awards which you were nominated for the very first time!  Congratulations!  How did you feel when you heard you were nominated and what was it like attending the awards show?

Leslie:  Thank you my dear sweet friend!!! Truth be told, this was my second time in California, though my first time was in San Francisco and I did NOT get to go to Disneyland, which was a dream come true! Hearing our name was very exciting and I can tell you exactly how I reacted. I made special arrangements to make sure I would be able to watch the live announcements. My fellow IGGPPC staffers and I are all in a continued Facebook conversation to help us organize and coordinate tasks for running the club, and we were all in the chat room watching the video. As soon as Olga announced our names, I think I typed “WE DID IT. OMFG WE DID IT. *explicative deleted* WTF OMG ALL OF OUR HARD WORK. OMG OMG.” Something very ridiculous to that effect.  We were all screaming and running around our houses, but we knew we had worked so hard on this club, so we felt very honored and also like all of our hard work had paid off. It felt amazing!

Iggppc 2014 Summer Camp Everyday Cosplay Panel

The Nerdy Girlie:  Iggppc finished up its first online Summer Camp in August, 2014!  Tell us how that came about and what the reaction was like.  I really enjoyed being apart of the in the Everyday Cosplay panel {thank you!} and participating the ballet panel!

Leslie:  I am so glad you liked it!!! The idea for camp actually happened while I was on my honeymoon, so I am not exactly sure how the idea came about, but I just know Emily always has really good ideas, so it is no surprise how her amazing brain works.  Camp received an overwhelmingly positive response. We had 130 girls sign up to be allocated into “Troops” which were led by amazing Iggles who played the part of Camp Counselor. The girls focused on bonding with their fellow troop mates, participated in chat rooms and online Google hangouts, and did troop activities together like scavenger hunts. Even if you did not sign up for a troop, you could still join in all the webinars, tutorials, and whatnot happening. We learned so much – it was a baking, sewing, crafting, writing, dancing, super learning experience packed full of fun campy things to do! This year, we are throwing around the idea of asking $5 for a Camp Registration fee and donating all proceeds to women in STEM or some other positive cause.

The Nerdy Girlie:  After a Geekie Award nomination and a successful online summer camp where does Iggppc go from here?!  Any special plans for 2015?

Leslie:  I think it’s important for everyone to try to improve themselves, because we never reach a perfect state, and the new year seemed an appropriate time for us to do that. In December, we sent out a survey asking our community how we can improve and change in 2015. We’ve taken all the results from that survey, mulled them over, and done a few pretty exciting things with the club (which you can read all about HERE which includes a restructuring of our Houses, seeking to promote more members of our community into different positions such as House Prefects and Head of Activities, introduced a fun Calendar of events, trying to expand our International offering by bringing on more non-USA iggles into our fold, introducing mixed gender pairing (so girls and guys can be matched up as pen pals), and finally, working on hiring a staff member! 

So if any Nerdy Girlie readers are interested, or know anyone who might be interested, please, join up! 

Long term, our plan has always been to expand – more members, more penpals, more magic! My own personal goals for the club include: to expand more in Africa and Asia, to get our own special stamps sold by the post office, let our mascot Jimbob take over the world, and, of course, facilitate more and more international friendships than I can count. I want to encourage everyone to sign up for a pen pal on the 15^th of every month, and swaps are also open beginning on the 1^st of every month. There is so much fun to be had at the International Geek Girl Pen Pals Club!

You heard Leslie!  Head on over to the International Geek Girl Pen Pals Club site and sign up now!  What better way to grow the nerdy community!  Thank you Leslie! Follow Leslie on Twitter @darlingstewie and check out her adorable personal blog:  http://darlingstewie.com/

Geek Girls Gab with Boyfriend Brooch

One day while scrolling through Instagram, which I do often, I spied an awesome picture by my friend Sam Maggs.  She had just been at a con in Canada and purchased some adorable Boyfriend Brooches!

Hannah is the creator of the Boyfriend Brooch and I cannot get enough of them!  From musical acts, to pop culture icons, Hannah creates adorable lil men that let you literally wear your heart on your sleeve/chest!

Already have a special guy in your life?  Hannah will even create a custom brooch just for you!  I had to know how this perfect and unique idea came to be and Hannah was more than willing to share.

The Nerdy Girlie:  In a sea of products, Brooch Boyfriend is one of the most unique and clever ideas I have ever seen!  How did this idea come about?

Hannah:  Thank you! Brooch Boyfriends came about in an unexpected way. I was talking with some friends one day and those old 'Pet Rocks' came up in conversation. I thought to myself "what a strange concept!" but the idea stayed with me. People carrying around something they love... what about people carrying around someone they love? And who wouldn't want to show off that love, in the form of a little felt face?

The Nerdy Girlie:  From Harry Potter to Archie and even Elvis, each of your lil guys are completely unique and adorable!  How do you decide which boys you are going to immortalize in brooch form?

Hannah:  I try to choose people and characters who have something significant about their look, which makes them easy to recognize when I 'brooch-ify' them. Harry has his glasses and scar, Archie has his hair and freckles, Ziggy has his lightning bolt, and Kanye has his chain.

The Nerdy Girlie:  I love that you will make custom orders for the already taken gals!  How does the process from start to finish play out?

Hannah:  People will either contact me first or purchase the Custom Brooch Boyfriend listing from my Etsy shop. I ask them to send a photo of the boyfriend they want to brooch, along with a description of their hair colour, eye colour, and any other defining features such as facial hair or glasses. I then sketch out the person, trace the sketch onto felt, cut out the pieces, and stitch him together. I stamp a card with the person's name, pop him in an envelope, and send him on his way to his lucky lady!

The Nerdy Girlie:  As a fellow nerdy girlie, what nerdy Boyfriend Brooch are you wearing?

Hannah:  My favourite nerdy one has to be Abraham Lincoln. Or as my friend calls him, Baberaham Lincoln. I think it's because I was (and still am) such a big fan of Clone High. Their version of Abe has to be one of my favourite cartoon characters. I switch between wearing Abe and the one of my actual boyfriend, which was my first prototype brooch. He's still going strong!

The Nerdy Girlie:  I'm sure as a creator you have a notebook filled with ideas!  What are some designs we can look forward to seeing from you in the future?

I have so many ideas swimming in my head and I've gotten so many suggestions from other people, it's hard to say what's next. Some in the forefront are Andy Warhol, Shakespeare, John Lennon circa the 1970s, Sherlock Holmes (the BBC version of course), and perhaps some more Wes Anderson characters. I'm always open to suggestions!

The Nerdy Girlie:  Having a custom option in your Esty shop must make for some interesting requests.  Do you have one that stands out in your mind?

Hannah:  The most interesting part about doing custom orders are the custom couples. It's neat to see all the different types of people who want to have their faces recreated in felt. A friend of mine commissioned a brooch of her husband, and later surprised me with a tattoo she had gotten of the brooch I'd made! That really stands out in my mind. I was also commissioned to make a Cher brooch complete with afro and long dangly earrings. That one was fun to make!

The Nerdy Girlie:  I'm sure the nerd guys would want someone special as well!  Any chance we will see some Girlfriend Brooches and who would you like to make?

Hannah:  I definitely get a lot of girlfriend brooch requests. For now I am still doing them on a custom order basis, but I may do a girlfriends series sometime soon. I'm thinking classic girlfriends like Betty and Veronica, Marilyn Monroe, and Cleopatra.

Hannah's creations are for sale in her Esty shop, go check them out!  Don't see YOUR boyfriend?  She does CUSTOM work too!  I would love to see either a David Tennant, Sam Witwer, Zach Levi or Nathan Fillion!  

Speaking of CUSTOM, Hannah has graciously given us ONE custom Boyfriend Brooch to GIVEAWAY here on the blog!  Start dreaming of who you would want to wear on your chest and come back to the blog on Saturday October 18th to enter to win!

Geek Girls Gab with Gnarly Ink

Frequent readers of my blog MIGHT know that I am a bit of a coffee lover!  It is my go to morning ritual and it is always my hardest decision of the day as to which mug to use!  I am always pinning new mugs or adding them to my Amazon Wishlist.

One day I found THE best mug and just had to see where it came from.  The mug said "I like my sugar with coffee and cream."  You might not know that I am a HUGE Beastie Boys fan and they were the soundtrack to my early high school years!  So that mug is perfect!

Gnarly Ink over on Etsy creates rad pop-culture mugs and gifts for nerds like us!  I have had them on my #FF list for a while now and even featured them on my Christmas wish list this past year.  I had to know how creator Maggie comes up with such fun and unique ideas, luckily she was up for it too!

The Nerdy Girlie:  I love the simplicity of the Gnarly Ink style.  How did your style come about and why start an Etsy shop?

Maggie:  I had two other shops on Etsy, but I was itching to do something different…something a little more light-hearted and fun.  Around the same time, I was trying to convince my good friend Sarah to do more with her art work because she’s amazing!  One late afternoon while sitting around sipping lattes, talking all things artsy and Etsy, I convinced her to partner up with me to launch Gnarly Ink.  I’m a one-man band now, but Sarah continues to submit new artwork and contribute to Gnarly Ink from time to time.  We still have coffee talks and enjoy hatching new ideas :) 

The Nerdy Girlie:  Ok so I NEED to know how you come up with such perfect ideas.  Example my favorite, The Beastie Boys mug!  

Maggie:  The Beastie Boys Mug is Sarah’s baby, but in general, we follow the trends and try to give our fellow pop-culture nerds what they want, social media, especially. Twitter and Pinterest really help to keep us in tune with what people are into.  There’s also been some amazing TV series that have developed cult followings and provided us with some great material to work with.  Shows like Breaking Bad, Game of Thrones and Arrested Development, just to name a few.  

Then of course there are the ever popular films, both classic and current, that everyone seems to love:  Jaws, Alice in Wonderland, Wizard of Oz, Pulp Fiction, Anchorman, Pirates of the Caribbean, Mary Poppins. The Big Lebowski, Clerks etc.  Really, we’re just building on concepts that already sell by giving them our own personal flare and style.  The things we enjoy and what we gravitate towards, says a lot about who we are.  Personally, I’d rather drink my coffee out of a mug with Heisenberg telling the world “I AM THE ONE WHO KNOCKS” then some plain ol’ boring mug! :) 

The Nerdy Girlie:  I'm going to keep gushing here, don't mind me.  Are ALL your creations awesome or are you a harsh critic of your own work?

Maggie:  I love everything Sarah does, but I’m a super harsh critic of my own designs.  I’m never happy with anything until it starts selling.  Then I breathe a sigh of relief because to me that’s the very best stamp of approval there is.  Making money is great n’ all, but as an artist, I think deep down at the end of the day, it’s all about getting that “thumbs up” and knowing people like our products.  

The Nerdy Girlie:  Sometimes I find it hard to get inspired and need a break!  Are you constantly creating, do you have a notebook full of ideas or do they just pop into your head and it is time to create?

Maggie:  You have no idea!  I have three notebooks!  What I’m finding is that there’s just never enough time to create everything I want to create.  It’s frustrating actually.  Handmade can be challenging like that, especially since I run Gnarly Ink entirely by myself.  Production, shipping, dealing with suppliers, social media & advertising takes up a large majority of my time, so it’s really difficult to carve out the time it takes to create new products.  Not a bad problem to have, but still…  I need more time or more hands!  

The Nerdy Girlie:  As a fellow nerd, what are the things you nerd out for the most?!

Maggie:  Well, I’m about to confess something that I don’t usually share with too many of my peeps for fear of the ribbing I’ll get…even other nerds make fun of me! haha :D  I love all things - VAMPIRE.   Sarah, makes fun of me because I’m a closet- twilight freak.  I guess there’s no hiding it now :)  I also have a very deep-rooted love for the Narnia (books and movies) and The Hobbit and Lord of the Rings series(  books and movies) that goes back to my childhood…oh and I cannot sign off without mentioning my most current love, Game of Thrones.  

PLEASE had over to the Gnarly Ink Etsy shop and check out Maggie's complete fun and original designs!  She as also graciously offered to do a giveaway with us!  Check back here on the blog on Saturday October 18th for your chance to win!  Don't worry I'll remind you!