Retirement Card

Hello!  Here's a quick post about a quick card I made for a co-worker who retired at the end of this school year.  I based the colors of this card from an envelope I made sometime ago:  I attached paper cut with Divinity Designs' Filgree Frames (formerly Our Daily Bread Designs).

So this is what I came up with:  

Stamp:  Unity Stamp Co.

Tools:  Divinity Designs, Crafter's Companion, Anna Griffin. Spellbinders, EK Success, Cuttlebug

Embellishments:  bling, sentiment sticker

Every time a co-worker retires, I find it bitter sweet.  I'm happy for the new chapter they're having in their lives, but at the same time sad because there's a possibility you won't see them again.  Retirement from work sure is a wonderful milestone.

'Til next blog!

Slimline Birthday Card

Hello crafty reader!  I hope you're having a blast this summer, now that things are sorta kinda going back to normal.  I have to say that it feels great not to be wearing a mask again, but it won't hurt to still be very cautious.  I still have a hand sanitizer dangling around my neck or my purse.  And we still make sure to wash our hands as soon as we get home from anywhere.

Anywho...  I have been into slimline cards lately.  This post is about a slimline birthday card I made for a co-worker.  Just like most cards I make, this one involves leftover materials from previous projects.  But I made sure to use the colors she likes to wear at work.

Stamps:  Unity Stamp Co., Crafter's Companion, 

Tools:  Anna Griffin dies, Spellbinders dies, embossing folders

DP:  washi paper, leftover cardstock

embellishments:  pearls

This is a bi-fold card, but there is enough space inside for co-workers to sign and greet her on her special day.  

For cards like this, I try not to use a stamp that says "Happy Birthday" to avoid redundancy since people like to write "Happy Birthday" in the card already.  That's why I try to avoid buying sentiment stamps that say "Happy Birthday".

Since my last blog post, I have been uploading video content in the Tinker Planet Youtube Channel.  If you are not busy, are just want to play something in the background while you're doing stuff, please tune in and click here.

Also, I have just uploaded a video about another Slimline Birthday Card:

While you're watching, please hit the SUBSCRIBE button so you get the latest updates and videos from Tinker Planet.

Stay safe everyone!

Special Easel Card

It's summer!!!!  Time sure flies...  I can't believe it's been 4 months since I've launched the Tinker Planet channel on Youtube.  It is a challenge to keep it updated as video editing eats a lot of time, not to mention how long it takes to upload the video given my current internet speed.  But with a regular job, a 2 year old toddler, 6 year old niece, a full house and Yankee Station Band, staying up to the wee hours of the morning to create these videos is something I enjoy doing because I get to practice and apply my college degree somehow.  We're looking at other options for a better internet, but for now this will do.  I have one week left at work before the summer break, and my goal is to upload way more videos that what I am currently able to do.  So many ideas lined up, but man, time sure gets more valuable as you get older.     

Anyhoo... I'd like to share with you this easel card I made using the  Anna Griffin Easel Frame Dies I got from HSN a while back.  This is my 2nd take on this tool, the first being for a dear Aunt's 100th birthday, which I featured in the Tinker Planet Youtube channel.  This card is for a co-worker's 50th birthday.  I just love how this die set can help you create such an elegant card.  But this look wouldn't be complete without Our Daily Bread Designs' Stitched Ovals die and Spellbinders' Fancy Tags 2 and Fancy Framed Tags 2 dies.

Materials used:

tools - Anna Griffin, Spellbinders, Our Daily Bread Designs
images:  Our Daily Bread Designs, Stampin' Up, Verve

embellishments:  Ranger, The Robin's Nest

For a video on how I made this card, check this out:

I am determined to reach 1000 subscribers, and I'm on a third of the way!  Please join me in this crafty journey and subscribe to the Tinker Planet channel.  I hope you like the videos too!  

Have a great start to your summer, crafty reader...  'Til next blog!

Celebrate You

Hello crafty friends!  I have been quite busy with the Tinker Planet channel on Youtube as I'm trying to reach 1,000 subscribers.  If you have some time, please check it out.

For today's post, I want to share a birthday card I made for a co-worker using die cuts made with the Gemini Double-Sided Papercraft Dies.  I got them from the Crafter's Companion Mystery Box I bought earlier this year. I finally got to play with them this month, and I sure was happy I now have them in my collection.  What I love about them is the time you get to save for making multiple cuts in one pass.  Kudos to Crafter's Companion for reinventing wafer thin dies.  I have been eyeing layering dies for quite sometime now, but they are pricey for me.  I'm glad that these dies are now added to what few options that are out there.

This card features Decadent Deco.  So cool how 1 die can make 2 designs that can be layered together.

Materials used:
Stamps - Studio G, Stampin' Up

Tools - Gemini double sided die, Martha Stewart edge punch, heat gun

Embellishments - American Crafts Zing white embossing powder, K&Co. flowers  

I had so much fun playing with my new dies.  To see how they work, check out the video I made about them here:  Tool Test:  GEMINI DOUBLE SIDED DIES.

Stay safe, everyone... 'til next blog!

Boss Birthday

It's always a challenge to make a masculine card, especially for your boss.  Good thing I have a catalog of my stamps, so it's easy to look for the right image and sentiment.  I'm thankful for brands like Stampers Anonymous who have masculine-themed stamp sets.  Of what few stamps I have of now defunct River City Rubber Works, this sentiment is one of my favorites.  The image inside is from the Cricut Artiste Collection Birthday by Close To My Heart.

Hope you're all staying healthy and safe.  When you get the chance, please visit the Tinker Planet channel on Youtube.  I just posted there my first card making video.  It will brighten my day if you watch, like, subscribe and share.

'Til next blog!!!

Tinker Planet Channel

Let me begin with a little history of Tinker Planet.  It all started in a double door guest room closet in our apartment in a US Navy base in Japan.  That was about 16-17 years ago.  Then, in addition to the closet was a computer desk I converted into a craft desk.  My first craft website was called "Butingting and Everything" through the now defunct Multiply.  When we were moving to the US, I told my husband that by hook or by crook, I'm going to have a craft room.  And so I did.  Then I changed my website name to Tinker Planet.  I still remember that eureka moment while driving home from town.  When Multiply was closing down, I moved to Blogger.  At this time, I created the Tinker Planet channel on Youtube just to keep the name.  It was empty for fourteen years, but I decided to activate the Tinker Planet channel this 2021. 

And what better way to launch the Tinker Planet Channel with a video tour of my craft space.  I split the presentation into three parts.  I hope you enjoy it!

I'd love to know what you think!  Please don't forget to LIKE, SUBSCRIBE and SHARE!

Stay safe everyone....

FIRST CARDS

Happy New Year, crafty reader!  I made sure the last couple of weeks before 2021 were productive, and I have to say they were.  There was a lot of improvement in my craft space, and I can't wait to show them to you.  

But for now, I want to share with you some cards I made for a co-worker.  We swapped, actually.  She's a quilter, and I'm a card maker.  I made cards for her in exchange for two quilted Christmas stockings she made for the kids.      

The image you see here is from a swap I joined in an online stamping community many years ago, which I colored with Copics.  The background stamp is from a swap too.  I sure love swaps!  The sentiment is a leftover from the Anna Griffin card kit I got from HSN.

For this card, the owl is actually from an actual packaging.  The image is so cute, so might as well use it.  

This card didn't involve any images, so I used more ornate designs like the edge punch by Martha Stewart and dies by Spellbinders.  The bird is part of the designer paper.

I enjoyed making a good number of cards for my co-worker.  It gave me a chance to use up leftover supplies and materials.

Stay safe everyone!

New and Improved A2 Rack

Happy New Year, crafty reader!  Here's to everything fresh.  2020 was challenging, but let that experience make 2021 much much better.  

Before going back to work, I made it a point to accomplish this task from my To Do List.  I love this rotating fixture I bought from a yard sale or second hand shop.  It's perfect for my A2 card bases and envelopes.  However, it's not rotating smoothly, hard to maneuver and is standing at an angle - which really bothers my OCD brain.  It's located in the corner where the door to our sump pump is.  My handheld Dyson vacuum is also in there, so I need to be able to move this fixture easily each time I need to open this door.

I've been trying to figure out how to make it work the way I want, and was searching online for a good rolling base for it.  One day at Walmart, I found this metal base by Better Homes and Gardens at the garden section, originally for big and heavy plant pots.  Not sure if it's big enough for my fixture, I closed my eyes and bought it.  Back home, I set my rotating fixture on it, and I found the diameter to be just right.

My rotating fixture actually has 2 pieces:  the main rack, and the base where the rack rests and "supposedly" spins on.  But it doesn't rotate smoothly, and it annoys me every time I do so.

I separated the two pieces and got rid of the base.  Then I positioned the main rack on the rolling base, and secured it with zip ties.

I was so mad at myself because it didn't even take 15 minutes to finish this project, which has been in my To Do List for a long time.  Now, my A2 rack is very maneuverable and easily rotates.  I am a very happy crafter!

I started the year right for my craft space.  That means more projects and goals to be accomplished.  My number one goal this year is to start my Tinker Planet Channel on Youtube.  I have videos here and there, which you can see in the Tinky Tutorials section of this website. But first things first.  I have to clean and organize my craft space, and do some tech upgrades.  I am very excited... it's all a matter of time management.  I got this!

Until then... stay safe, everyone!      

Cristmas Treats with Essential Oils

Hello crafty reader!  It was in 2016 when I discovered essential oils.  This is not the type you see in your brick and mortar stores.  I'm talking about 100% pure, therapeutic grade essential oils.  I have been researching on the best way to minimize, if not eliminate the intake of harmful chemicals into our body, and I found that essential oils would be the best to try.  It has been 4 years since I incorporated them into our family life, and I haven't looked back.

This Christmas, I made some DIYs to give to some friends and co-workers.  For these projects, Christmas-themed washi papers did the trick.

The first project is a cute mask-freshener spray bottle.  It has Thieves, lavender and peppermint essential oils.  I have one in my purse all the time, and spray my handmade mask prior to use.  The scent perks me up and gets me ready to start the work day.

These inhalers hopefully can give comfort during times of headache or migraine.

And finally, I made lip balms with natural ingredients:  beeswax, coconut oil, lavender and peppermint essential oils.

I hope the recipients like them, as I enjoyed making them.  I sure love my essential oils, and how I can incorporate them with my crafting.

If you are curious about essential oils, I only use Young Living (Member Number:  10811270).  Do your research.  I did mine.

Hope you have a wonderful and safe holiday season.... Merry Christmas!

All Natural Christmas Wreath

I typically buy wreaths from school fundraisers, then spice them up with pine cones from our backyard, accents and embellishments.  Here are some of them:

• Tinker Christmas
• Wreath adorned with Origami Stars
• Wreath All My Love
• Christmas Wreath

This year, I didn't have access to any school organizations selling wreaths due to current restrictions.  So I just bought a couple of base wreaths made with twigs at Hobby Lobby.  As usual, I have a generous amount of pine cones from our back yard to use.

I had my niece paint the pine cones with Glistening Snow-Tex Glittering Snow by DecoArt,, which she enjoyed a lot!

Once dry, we have pine cones to adorn the wreaths.  For other accents, I used bling and whatever Christmas decoration I can snag from storage.  First, I adhered the bows, followed by the pine cones.  My niece adhered the bling.  

I really like this oval wreath - something different.

The bow here is from a broken Christmas candy cane I bought form a Christmas craft show sometime ago.  Who would know, right? 

My niece insisted to add this Santa ornament on the wreath.  I was hesitant at first, but then I thought this is her project too, and her input is also important.  Now looking at it, she was right.

  

The bow on this wreath was handmade by a long time crafty friend, attached to a present she sent me many years ago.  It's so pretty I couldn't get rid of it.  It's been hanging on our Christmas tree every year since then, but this year, it's the main attraction of this wreath.

I really love how the pine cones look like on the wreaths.  My niece did a mighty fine job!

The pandemic didn't stop us from creating a festive atmosphere here at home.  We may be limited to what we can do outside, but there sure are no limits behind our doors.  I hope it's the same for all of you.

Stay safe, everyone... 'til next blog!

Halloween Treat Bags 2020

Hello crafty reader!  I am excited about October 31st because this is my niece's first Halloween in the US.  But before tick-or-treating, we have to make Halloween goodie bags to give to her classmates.  She sure was excited to put this all together, and she was very involved from beginning to end.

I sure was glad to be able to use these wonderful Halloween 12x12 designer paper.  My niece picked the designer paper, and she gave me company as I make the treat bags.  

She put the candy in the treat bags, and also put the Halloween accents on them.

Aside from the treat bags to give to her classmates, we made more to give to trick-or-treaters on Halloween night.

Here's a vlog of us making the treat bags.  I sure had fun doing this very memorable activity with her, and we have a video to prove it.

Stay safe, especially this Halloween!

Thanksgiving Goodie Bottles

Hello crafty reader!  I still had leftover Starbucks bottles from our Halloween Treat Project last month.  So I decided to make some Thanksgiving Goodie Bottles to give to my co-workers.  I am a Starbucks junkie, and when these Starbucks Mocha in bottles are on special pricing at Costco, I buy a case.  I stopped saving these bottles after I've had so many.  I think this bunch is the last of them, unless I see more buried somewhere.  To make this a quick and easy project, I wrapped the bottles with Halloween and Thanksgiving themed washi and glitter tapes.

I love these die cut Fall leaves by Martha Stewart.  I'm not sure if they are still existing, but they have been in my Thanksgiving drawer for quite sometime.  Aren't those owls super duper cute???

I also unearthed some inchies I got from swaps many years ago.  I kind didn't want to part with them, but they needed to be appreciated by other people, so I used them in this project.

This year's Thanksgiving won't be the same, as we are celebrating from our own homes.  No big gatherings due to the pandemic.  But hey, you gotta do what you gotta do.  That's why I made these treat bottles to give out to hopefully add a special memory this season.

Stay safe as you celebrate with your immediate families and super close friends.  'Til next blog!