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Ah, Shark Week. People sure do love it, and us book folk are no exception. While our friends over at Suvudu (hi Matt!) celebrated Shark Week with this awesome list of terrifying sea creatures from the Star Wars canon, we decided to go with something a little more adorable. Who says sharks can’t be absolutely precious?

Kim Knutsson, the proprietor of Tweet & Tweed, crafts super cute little custom birds in an array of designs, from Muppet Show’s Bunsen & Beaker to Star Trek’s Spock (which I’m sure Night of the Living Trekkies author Kevin David Anderson would love). But my favorite, hands down is the Jaws Bird that Quirk editor Margaret McGuire sent me.

A vacation on Amity Island was cut short as a swim in the ocean found this little bird gobbled up by the infamous giant bird-eating great white shark from the movie “Jaws”. This little blue bird is seen peeking out from behind the huge white teeth of that great white shark. If only he had a pressurized air tank and a gun, maybe he could put an end to his terror! Each one of Tweet and Tweed’s birds are entirely handmade, resulting in slightly unique variations from bird to bird. They are all created with a bottle cap base, glass bead eyes, polyfil stuffing and awesome accessories.

Now, go celebrate Shark Week with something snuggly. Kim’s cute, one-of-a-kind handmade birds will only run you $35. For more information, visit her shop!

Jaws Bird [Tweet & Tweed @ Etsy]

Ah! I am absolutley smitten with these amigurumi custom crochets of Star Trek: The Next Generation's characters by Deviant Art user Smapte! Everyone is rocking a precious smiling face, all except for Worf. Perhaps these dolls are made to mimic Star Trek: Insurrection, and he's currently experiencing jak’tahla.

Thanks for the tip, Mikey!

Lil' Trekkies: Star Trek TNG Amigurimi [DeviantArt]

When I announced that we wanted fans of Quirk to send us in their cat hair, I wasn’t kidding. Crafting with Cat Hair comes out in November, and we’re getting ready, practicing our felting skills.

In fact, Katie Hatz and Margaret McGuire have been keeping themselves busy, working with a wealth of kitty fur that’s appeared in the Quirk Books mailroom.

What’s the source of all the fur? Well, Christina Yendall was the first to send in batches of cat hair from her three beloved kitties, Buster, Shadow and Fuzz.

We like to thank all the little people (and cats) whenever we can, so we’re posting photos of these lovely cats here on the blog. Christina and Co., we thank you!

Interested in sending in your cat hair? We’re still accepting submissions, and we’ll happily post your kitties on here too! Details on Jezebel.

Everyone here at Quirk Books knows about my crippling video game addition. There’s a reason I usually only request off on Tuesdays… because it’s New Game Day. You better believe I took two days off to play Portal 2. What? Don’t judge me. Have you seen this game?

Ahem. But I digress.

I recently stumbled upon dPad, an awesome Etsy shop that features video game inspired art crafted using upcycled books. Like this adorable 8-bit mushroom from Super Mario Bros., or this brilliant (but long since sold) vintage style Duck Hunt painting. I’ve posted a few more after the jump, have a look!

Now, the making of a good compilation tape is a very subtle art. Many do’s and don’ts. First of all you’re using someone else’s poetry to express how you feel. This is a delicate thing. – High Fidelity.

I love me some High Fidelity. And yes yes, I’m aware that I just quoted the film and not the book. But the statement is true. A good mixtape is a delicate thing, an art form. And Somavenus, an Etsy crafter from Portland, takes that concept to a whole new level with her mixtape notebooks.

I love stopping by Robin Klinger’s desk. Sure, most of the time she’s busy handling subsidiary rights and selling our books to folks overseas. But when she isn’t swamped with that sort of thing, she’s taking strolls to Old City Coffee, planning her next epic vacation, and, perhaps most importantly, filling up the candy jars that sit in our lobby.

The candy jars, which range in appearance from a saxophone playing M&M to a magic yellow school bus, are almost always packed to the brim with Tootsie Pops. And now, thanks to Zakkalife, we can decorate the hell out of them, superhero style. Check out those capes and masks!

Thanks for the link, Alicia!

Superhero Lollipop Templates @ Zakkalife