Tape Origami Star

It has been a tradition of mine to make ornaments to give as gifts.  This Christmas, the star of my projects are... yes.  Stars.  

Back in Japan, my sister and I went to a big craft show in Tokyo, and we bought this Origami Paper Star kit.  I remember us making these stars on the bus ride home.  I still have those stars, and I used them to decorate our wreath this year:

There were still some left, so I thought to use them for my ornaments this year.  I dug out the original instruction which is, by the way, in Japanese.  I asked our exchange student what the title said, and she said Tape Origami Star.

Then I have several of these which I bought on a separate trip - I think in Thailand.  I knew they were for making Origami Stars. And I was right.

It did take me a whole day to make the stars I needed for my ornaments.  The size was perfect to put in the empty ornaments I got from a craft store.  Then I added small bells for a final touch.  I sure am very happy with the result.

Then I had some nice bags which I folded and tied with a string with the ornaments attached.  It's perfect to put gifts received during our Christmas party.  

These ornaments were a hit.  I'm glad!

Merry Christmas everybody... 'til next blog!

Time to Fold

Hello crafty friends!  How has your summer been so far?  My first half of June was still pretty busy with work.  But today marks my last day at the school and we now move on to our summer break... woot!

As some of you may know, I do like paper folding projects.  I have shared a good bunch here on TP, and have even made some tutorials.  For Christmas last year, I bought me a 2012 Origami Calendar.  And like my "new" usual, I was way behind the daily origami projects featured in it.  However yesterday, I was able to go through each one from the month of February to June.  I was making origami for about 6 hours.  Can you believe it?!?!? I tossed the pages that I didn't care for (especially the difficult ones), but kept the ones that I liked and I know I can incorporate with my card making and other paper projects.

I never knew how addicting origami is.  I also found it very calming.  I didn't want to stop really.  The tips of my fingers were pretty dirty when I decided to quit.

If you have extra time, do check out my paper folding and origami projects, which you can see here.

'Til next blog!

Contemporary Box Origami

So I was wearing this pretty blouse yesterday at work, and the color mix inspired me to play in my planet last night.  I picked from my Copic markers and reinkers collection, and made this background on Copic Illustration Paper using E49, BG72, E93, BG09, YR14, R59, Y17 and the Colorless Blender.

And then there is this box origami that I liked from the Origami 2012 Calendar, which I bought from Joann's in December:

I thought of using my designed paper to make this origami box.  As I was about to start folding, I accidentally saw the negative side of my Copic background paper:

I kinda like the effects of this side better, so I used it instead.  Here's my cute origami box made from 8 x 8 Copic background paper:

I adhered cardstock in the bottom to make it more sturdy, and attached flower brads on the folded sides to secure.

Materials used:

cardstock:  Copic, leftovers

ink:  Copic

tools:  Martha Stewart score board, micro hole punch

embellishments:  brads 

Guess what?!?!  It's almost Spring Break... and I can't wait!!!

'Til next blog!

Kimono Card

My muse must have gone somewhere, as for the past two days I just couldn't create anything.  It's a phase we all go through as crafters, I guess.  What's worse, I wasn't even in the mood to look through craft magazines and books for some inspiration.

But today, I forced myself and flipped through the pages of Origami Jewelry by Ayako Brodek.  If I remember it right, I bought this book in the Japanese Pavillion in Epcot, Disney World.

I ended up folding several kimonos following the instructions on pages 112-113 of the book.  I used one of them as the main focal point of this card:

Materials used:

cardstock/dp:  Recollections, origami paper, leftovers

ink:  Ranger

tools:  Martha Stewart punch, Spellbinders, Fiskars edge punch, Cuttlebug embossing folder

embellishments:  Kodomo 3d sticker, Japanese twist ties

adhesive:  Scotch, Glue Dots, mounting tape

'Til next blog!

German Bell

Hello crafty friends! I wouldn't let 2012 pass without making a Christmas ornament. I'm excited to share with you this one, which another crafty friend also shared with me. It's called the German Bell.  You know what I like about this ornament? It only requires 6 x 6 cardstock, so you can make 4 ornaments in one 12 x 12 sheet. Exciting!

Top view

Bottom view

Promise, this is a really easy project to make. And once you make one, you wouldn't stop making more. And guess what? I made a tutorial which you will see tomorrow.

See you then!

Goodie Basket with Tutorial

Hello crafter reader!  Sorry I was MIA for a while.  It's a combination of crafter's block and a busy weekend.  But to make up for it, I'm sharing with you a goodie basket which I designed a few months ago for Teachers Day.  Since working in the high school, I have volunteered to make treat bags for our teachers during their special day every year.  I remember folding a piece of cardstock, trying to make something that can hold treats.  This is what I was able to make:

You know the best part about this design is that you only need half of an 8.5 x 11 cardstock.  So this is cost effective if you plan on making a lot of goodies bags.

Here's another one I made today:

Before folding, I adhered dp and a different colored cardstock on 2 parts of my base.  This step is optional, especially when you use double sided designer cardstock.

This is how it looks like when it's opened:

Materials used:

cardstock/dp:  Stampin' Up, DCWV, leftovers

tools: Martha Stewart scoring tool, hole punch, Crop-A-Dile

embellishments:  yarn, eyelets, ribbon

Like I mentioned earlier, the base only requires an 8.5 x 5.5 cardstock (half of an 8.5 x 11 sheet), which you will score just like the following:

Next step is to fold along the score lines.  The picture below shows the folds on the outside.

Here, you can see the folds on the opposite side:

Fold and have the corners of each side meet as shown below.  Then secure with eyelets.  I think brads will work too.

Here are more angles:

Once you have secured the handle, use ribbon, string or yarn for closure.

Promise, this project is really easy.  I'd love to know what you think and I'd love to see your take on it.  When you do give it a shot, please give credit and link back to Tinker Planet.

'Til next blog!

Calendar Wreath Video Tutorial

Hello everyone!  I received quite a number of private messages and emails asking for a tutorial of the Calendar Wreath, designed by Michael G. Lafosse. 

My first take on it was very simple, which you can see here, and the second one was an ornament I made for one of Creative Vision blog hops (click here to see).

Without further ado, here's my latest video tutorial:

You can also see this video in a larger screen on the Tinker Planet homepage.

I would love to know what you think.

'Til next blog!

Creative Vision DT5 Blog Hop

Happy Saturday everyone!  Today is Creative Vision Design Team 5's Special Edition Blog Hop.... woot!!!

If you came from Molly's Blog, you're on the right track.  If not, go to the Creative Vision Blog first so you won't miss out.

There will be random prizes awarded to bloggers who post comments.  Just be sure to become a Creative Vision Blog follower, if you are not already, in order to be eligible for those prizes.

But guess what?  It doesn't end there.  Because following the hop, Laura will give away a few SHOPPING SPREES! Yippeee! 

Today we will hop, hop, hop our way to each DT5 member's blog as we showcase our collective talent with this hop's theme - Anything But A Card.  Which leads me to this project:

Origami is one of my favorite kind of paper craft, and this particular one is called the calendar wreath.  The stamp I used is from one of the Creative Vision new releases called "Sassy Birthday".  It's double sided, and each side is a mirror image of the other.  You can say it's an ornament you can hang on the rear view mirror of your car, or on the window and even the christmas tree.

Do visit the Creative Vision Blog for a list of winners tomorrow.

PLUS the Bunny Hop Game winners will be revealed as well.

And finally, don't forget to leave comments during the blog hop and be a follower of the Creative Vision Blog to be eligible for prizes. Thanks for the visit!  Now on with the hop.....

Laura/Creative Vision

D'Anne
Jenn
Molly

YOU ARE HERE - Joan 

NEXT UP -Silke
Guest Designer - Judy

Isn't this a lot of fun???

National Craft Month (Day 28)

Hello everyone!  Here's another origami project for you which is named "Curler Unit Balls" by designer Herman Van Goubergen:

This ball is composed of twelve square pieces of paper.  It looks complicated to make, but not really.

Three more days and we will draw the winners of our National Craft Month Blog Candies.  Again, we would like to thank you for celebrating this fun month with us.  Click here to upload and share your projects this month.

'Til next blog!

National Craft Month (Day 9)

Hello everyone!  I'm posting quite late today due to some sort of paranoia I had after watching the local evening news.  Something about how secure your wireless network is, and the scary effects of having a non-secure network.  Right away, I went and checked our network and after some technical assistance, I learned that my wireless network was not secure.  That means anybody could have been "stealing" our internet access at any time.  In fact, we have been noticing vehicles parked on the side of the road near our house.  Well, there can be many reasons why - the driver might be calling on a cellphone, checking maps for directions, eating a snack, taking a break, or using free internet that they can get from our unsecured wireless network.  So right away, I made sure our security settings were set right and I was able to set a password so nobody can just jump in our wireless network and use our internet.  Or worse, hack our computer and steal valuable information.  Yes, I feel so much better now.  Dear friends, if you have a wireless network set up at home, please make sure your security settings are set straight.  Technology is great, but it can also be used in bad things like information and identity theft.  Better safe than sorry.

So tonight, while watching American Idol, I was able to make this origami calendar wreath designed by Michael G. LaFosse:

What I like most about this project is that I only needed 12 square sheets of washi paper.  No glue or any type of adhesive.  I just attached a small origami crane for a final touch.

Hey, we are celebrating National Craft Month... want to join us?  Click here.

'Til next blog!

National Craft Month (Day 4)

Hello crafty reader! When I was living in Japan, my sister and I went to this craft convention in Tokyo.  We bought origami paper star kits and we just went crazy making them.  My Japanese students loved them and would take some home every after English lesson.  I was so relieved to find the kits in storage, and I just had to make some more.

I hope you can join me and Claire in celebrating National Craft Month.  We are giving away blog candies at the end of the month.  Click here to join.

'Til next blog!