the Troll Cross

This hand crafted Troll Cross includes a leather strap and can be worn as a lovely piece of jewelry or spun fiercely overhead to fend off would be attackers.

According to Scandinavian folklore, the Troll Cross is a powerful protection symbol believed to ward off trolls and other creatures that might intend to do you harm or cause mischief or mayhem that would inconvenience you.

This specific design has been passed down through our family over the years and originated from one of my ancestors, Fjolner Freysson, who claimed that the original was given to him by an old grey bearded wanderer who only had one eye and was accompanied by a raven.

I can personally attest that as long as I have worn this amulet I have never been the victim of any curse (including the evil eye). I also have never been attacked by, harassed, or even seen any of the following: a troll, grumpkin, chupacabra, siren, dragon, gorgon, kraken, dark elf, nymph, ogre, goblin, orc, cyclops, gremlin, or Mongolian death worm.

Personally I never go into a forest or even a city park without my Troll Cross around my neck. This is what some of our satisfied customers are saying about the Troll Cross:

My sword is my life and livelihood, but when it comes to battling unnatural creatures, I never go into battle with out my Troll Cross. – Percival the Sword-sell

We had a terrible goblin infestation in the castle and nothing helped. We even spent thousands on a piper that turned out to be a fraud. Once I purchased my Troll Cross, our goblin problems were gone overnight! – Lady Lyrica

Our mother would never let us play in the forest, especially after cousin James was eaten by a grumpkin. Now that we have our Troll Crosses, mother lets us play wherever we wish! – Fredrik & Helena

Whether you’re a King or a commoner, no one should go adventuring without a Troll Cross. Buy yours now!

Treasure map

Every pirate needs a treasure map. I started with a piece of painter’s canvas (the kind you cover your floor with when you paint your walls). I stained it with coffee grounds, burned one of the edges, and splotched red food coloring on it (for blood – it really needs to be darker though). I then used a fine tip Sharpie to draw on the map. I just free handed it, looking at the map from the book Treasure Island.

Sherwood 2013 – opening weekend

First thursday!

If you took pictures of us at first thursday tonight, email them to – blackspotpirates@gmail.com

Thanks

Richard the Red

Rum bottles for everyone!

Pirate weekend at the Texas Renaissance Festival is only a few days away and I can hardly have my family running around drinking from some non-period looking containers, so it’s rum bottles for everyone!

We start with the round ornament Coke bottles they sell around Christmas, hand tie netting to give it that nautical look (I was instructed here) and finish with a fake cork. The cork effect is done by hot gluing a piece of tan washcloth over the cap. This way the cap is still functional, but from a distance it looks like a cork.  Pics below.

 

 

Why are the rum bottles always gone?

Actually, only one rum bottle is gone. I still have more for sale, but the very first one to sell was shipped out today. You can check out the packaging below. Feel free to steal my ideas to make your own or buy one here.

I don’t want a boring mailbox

One of my friends has a neighbor with this awesome dragon mailbox in front of his house. Every time I’ve driven by it I’ve thought to myself, “Man, that is one awesome mailbox. One day, i’ll have an awesome mailbox too!”

Since we just moved into a new house (that actually has it’s own free standing mailbox), I am one step closer to an awesome mailbox myself. Today I sketched out my first idea for a potentially very awesome pirate themed mailbox.

Pirates of the Burning Sea goes FREE!

Pirates of the Burning Sea for free!  POTBS is a pirate themed MMORPG set in the Caribbean in 1720 and combines tactical ship and swashbuckling combat with an immersive player-driven economy. The subscription requirement has been dropped to play much of the game and you can buy premium content through the in-game store, Treasure Aisle, or through a Captain’s Club membership, which is $14.99 a month.

You can check out the features included with free-to-play accounts, Captain’s Club memberships, and Premium accounts here.

 

Vegan Pirates? Sure, why not :)

Yoho’s. A Pirate-themed Vegan Seafood Cart in Austin Texas…

I’ll be honest. When I first stumbled across this I wasn’t quite sure what to think. First of all, I am biased as an omnivore and red meat lover. Second, it just didn’t seem very piratical. I couldn’t imagine a crew of rum swilling, sword brandishing cutthroats being vegans.

The more I thought about it, though, the more sense it made. The essence of being a pirate is charting your own course, being your own person, sailing to the beat of a different drummer (and of course, rum).

I think Yoho’s may be on to something and I am wishing them fair weather and smooth sailing. If you want to find out more about Yoho’s, check out these links.

http://www.facebook.com/pages/Yohos/108513532550531

http://www.juniperrome.com/yohos/

http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/514530431/yohos-a-pirate-themed-vegan-seafood-cart

 

Best Pirate news all year!

It’s been a good year for pretend, theatrical, and faire pirates (the Somali and software variety can go to jail). There have been some great faires, gatherings, and other events this year but none of those things compare to the news I saw this morning –

LEGO Pirates of the Caribbean: The Video Game

That’s right, Disney Interactive Studios, TT Games and The LEGO Group have announced the Lego Pirates of the Caribbean video game. Huzzah!

Here’s the full press release.