Where'd You go?!

Hey Guys.....

FIKS*D is no more!

I have officially changed the name of my blog to Tinker Finca.

You can find me there now... so make sure you change your feeds and anything else you might need over to http://tinkerfinca.blogspot.com

Thanks!
Hope to see you over there.

Get Ready!

coming soon!

me doing my thing!

Blankity Blank

1. My greatest strength is procrastination.... but that's not a strength really..

2. My greatest weakness is ...oh man - procrastination. I am the worst


3. People always compliment me on my creativity...


4. If you found me procrastinating you'd probably find me on the computer looking at blogs and pinterest.


5. The most cozy place in all the world is snuggled up next to Peck in bed :) Or curled up in either the giant red bean bag or the blue bean bag like chair... hehe


6. Something new that I tried recently was oh man, what haven't I tried recently! Today I made a drawer liner, yesterday I made a headband, and I've been trying new recipes for dinner every night this week. Actually, come to think of it, I try a new recipe most nights... I am not one for routine!

7. This weekend I would like to relax.... and maybe go out and do something fun.

DIY: line your drawer!

I know I said I would show you what that cryptic photo was today, but I got a little discouraged ... I'll save it for later.  

Instead, today I bring you a quick, cheap and very easy way to dress up your drawers!!! 

Do you have a drawer that looks like this one?

I'm pretty sure everyone does.. Mine is the bits and pieces utensil drawer.. And I got fed up with mine so I decided to make a drawer liner to pretty it up.

What you'll need:

* Some cardboard - you can get it from an old cereal box (my favourite source).. I found mine laying around on the floor. I'm not sure what it was from!! Perfect size anyway :)

* All kinds of circles -  Mine were left over from a little shoot and a present I made. I used fabric ones from this, as well as paper.

* Some clear contact - (the stuff you cover school books in). You can buy it from craft shops and newsagents and Big W (or Target, Kmart...etc) here in Australia.

Instructions:

1. Cut your cardboard & contact to the size of the drawer you want to line

2. Peel the backing from the contact and get sticking! Remember to stick with the side of the circle you want to show down (so when you flip it over and stick it on the card it will show)

3. Once you've put all the circles you want on the contact, flip the contact over and stick it to the cardboard... 

It's that easy!

Living + Loving

I feel like I'm on such a role lately! After having a serious reflection and discussion with analysis queen (mum) about my life and attitude towards things, I'm feeling super happy and inspired to make and do .. and live (please don't take that to mean I was suicidal... I mean actually really live life to the fullest)!

Today I finished off a pretty little present for my bestie and sent it... I am pretty happy with how it turned out and can't wait for her to see it! If you want a look see, make sure you stop by my facebook or pinterest! And also, I regularly update my accounts over at twitter and facebook.. so if you want to keep up with my day to day life, make sure you head over and like/follow..

Aaaand... I think I finally came up with a new blog name!!!! I know you guys have been voting over there --> and I am so grateful, but after letting the names sink in and hearing some of your suggestions, I put the two together and came up with a new one that I'm absolutely loving! Yay! Because I said I would do a little give away if you guys came up with a new name for me that I loved more, I will still give you until the 1st of April at 9:00pm to get any suggestions in, but I'll take down the poll.

So if you think you have a fantastic name that I would absolutely love, head over to this post for the details and leave a comment with your suggestion.

Something else I've been working on today... can you guess what it is? Come back tomorrow to find out!

Dearest Nature: Bringing in the Birch

Birch trees photo by Fiona Fraser

I'm over at Dearest Nature today ...

All full up!

Hello. I love Fill in the blanks from the little things we do. It's a fun little exercise for a Friday afternoon when you've been coding all day and going a little crazy in the head from looking at too many things that look like

< div id = "this" >< p>Hello... I am crazy< /p>< /div >

1. My favorite color is a toss up between yellow and coral.

2. My home decor color palette includes some red for the lounge room, some yellow for the kitchen and a some greens and pastels in the bedroom.. I'm working on being more consistent with colour palette when I choose things too buy! I wish I had white walls, but I can't do much because we are renting......

3. Other people always tell me I look good in the color anything bright. But not too bright... I don't know, has to be the right tone..

4. The color I detest is is baby pink. mostly. And I'm not much into brown either.

5. If you were to look in my closet most of the colors you'd see would be bright colour! Yay... and a lot of greys too. I went through a stage of wanting everything grey. Now I am trying to add colour into it and I'm doing pretty well! I have pants in green, yellow and blue (I still need some red!) and tops in a few different colours, definitely need more still! Would love to get a bright coat for this winter :)

6. A color that I simply cannot pull off no matter how hard I try is fluro and pastel I think. I am pale and both wash me out too much... I can do pastel on the bottom, but not the top....

7. The color of my favorite dress is ummmmm... I don't really have a favourite dress :( I want to buy more pretty dresses because I mostly live in pants during the week and on the weekends skirts. But I love dresses, I just struggle with the length because I am pretty tall and most clothes I find are made for shorter girls....

Dearest Nature

I am so excited ....

A little while back, Donaville from Discover Paper asked me if I wanted to contribute to a new blog she was putting together... It would be focusing on nature and all things inspired by it. Being a huge fan of the outdoors and how amazing creation is, I naturally said yes straight away!

And after some waiting and being quietly excited, Dearest Nature has launched! Yay!!! It looks so pretty and I am so excited to be a contributor.

Make sure you stop by and add it to your favourites! I'll let you know when I post on there.

PS. Don't forget about helping me rename my blog!!! >> There could be prizes involved!!

Make It: Stick wall hanging

by FIKS*D 

Don't forget to vote on what you think I should rename my blog! >>

(There is a prize involved if you come up with a name that I love more than my own ideas!)

the naming game

Well.... I'm a little bit nervous about this.

I have decided to rename my blog.

I've been thinking about it for a little while. Thinking... trying to come up with new names... thinking more... failing with name ideas... thinking.... and today I finally found a few that I'm semi-excited about.

But I need your help. I need you to help me decide on the new name!! I will put my names up in a poll so you can vote (over on the side >>), but I want you guys to suggest some too!

And if I chose one of the names you suggest, there will be a little prize involved (I'll get back to you on what it is)!  This is open to everyone and anyone, but please vote once only.

The first round of voting closes on the 1st of April at 9:00pm. If I really love a few of the names suggested I may do another round of voting... we'll see how in to you guys get......

Hints for naming:
I want some kind of reference to making/doing/being
I don't want anything too specific, I want it to be pretty broad
The name should be original (try googling it: too many hits=not so good)

Can't wait to see what you think!

Colour Collection

A collection of things I am enjoying from around the house.

photo: FIKS*D

A list of Currents....

Doing/ procrastinating

Wearing/ purple track pants, red t shirt, towel on head (trying out a camomile tea hair tonic)

Smelling/ camomile tea 

Feeling/ guilty for not having started my to do list for today

Seeing/ citrus coloured fingernails

Hearing/ the whir of the computer fan and my fingers across the keyboard

Thinking/ about the things I need to do today, and about renaming this blog

Wishing/ I could magically make money from the things I love

Want to join in?

Beauty Hues

Australis Nail Colour in Citrus & Maybelline COLORsensational in Coral Crush

Watch me!

I'm now the proud owner of this fantastically yellow amazing watch! Thanks husband, you are the bomb diggity!

I have sooo much to share with you guys... but so little time right now :( 

I'll give you a brief list:

1/ My birthday was on the 7th... I got totally spoilt like you wouldn't believe!

2/ I am working 2-3 times a week (hence the lack of blog time!)

3/ I finally bit the bullet and bought a few beauty things I've been wanting (thanks again husband!!)

4/ I've got a list of great movies I want to share with you!

5/ I am contributing to a brand new blog, launching in a few weeks

So, watch out brussel sprout, a few blog posts (and photos) coming your way over the weekend! 

+ Yellow.

Today was the first day Mr Peck was at college and I was home alone all day... It was nice/lonely/a lot of procrastination/lazy/fun.

To celebrate I did a mini photoshoot... just me and my camera, plus a dotty yellow top, messy hair, lace shorts, oversized beanie, and a crocheted blanket... All the good stuff!

The Take Home Series

I am in love with these hair videos! Love the filming style, the music ... and of course the hair! I wish there was more....

+ Drop C A P

working on another alphabet project

+ Knitted Exhibition

Remember this....? Yep, it was a few months ago now... my exhibition for end of year/degree.

Well, we finally went to take it down (after being away) and got some video of it to share. Some parts of it are already taken down so it's not totally authentic. It couldn't be anyway because the lighting in there was terrible for any kind of capturing device! Mood lighting I like to call it!

Anyway, take a peak!

 

+ Ceramics

Hi!

Today I picked up my ceramics from college... Yay! So happy (mostly) with how they turned out.

Would you buy them?

Inspiration: Feeling D O T T Y

1. POLKAlove! Wallstickers by umlaute (seen here) // 2. A fun way to create dots // 3. Kate Spade Market Street bowl // 4. Spoons! // 5. DIY wall art by Oh Happy Day // 6. DIY tablecloth by Oh Happy Day

DIY: Date Book

Well, this week I managed to cross 2 things off the list! I finally reached 100 followers (I was sitting on 98 for a while there, so that's exciting!! Thanks guys!) aaand Mr Peck bought me a pleated skirt for valentine's and it finally got here, and I love it!! YAY! Feels good to achieve something! Do you think I should have a 100 followers celebration? 

I also managed to finally get another thing off my to do list... I made a  little book where Mr Peck & I can stash our date ideas and write a little something or stick in a picture to remember it by.

This year we're hoping to be a little more into the whole dating thing and try and be more spontaneous and adventurous. To help along the process I thought it might be nice to have dates kind of pre-planned so on date night/day we can whip out the book and have an idea there. I think it will help get rid of boring movie/fast food dates. 

I've made a little tutorial for you guys so you can make it too! 

I have written a tutorial for a notebook before but this one has some extra features.

You will need: 

A ruler, craft knife, pencil, card (or a cereal box), small envelopes, split pins, a rubber band, paper for the pages, paper for the date ideas, paint, stamps, glue or sticky tape.

1. Measure and cut 16cm x 24cm in brown card (I use cereal boxes) as well as as many sheets of paper for the inside as you want. I used 12 sheets of office paper to make 24 spreads. Measure to the middle (12cm along the 24cm side) and score down the card only. 

2. Clamp all the sheets together, this makes the sewing a bit easier - I've used dog clips here. Don't worry if your pages stick out from the card a bit, you can trim this later.

3. Sew all the sheets together with a sewing machine along the fold line - I do this by hand (eg not with the pedal) so I have more control. I use a normal needle and cotton with a medium sized straight stitch. You could use thicker cotton for a stronger bind, but I've never had any trouble with mine. You might want to coat the stitching with some wood glue once you're done for extra strength.

4. Decorate! These are some hand carved stamps I made from erasers. Let me know if you want a tutorial on that... It's super easy. I use regular acrylic paint for the stamping because I don't have any ink.

5. For keeping the book closed, I cut 2 circles out of the card at 2.5cm diameter each and put a split pin through the middle of each. I measured 12cm from the top and about 2.5cm in from the edge and used a pin to create a small hole. This made it a lot easier to poke the split pins in. When you split the split pins, make sure you leave a little gap between the circle and the book for the tie or band to fit in. I used a rubber band to close it all up.

6. Stick in little envelopes to keep your date ideas in. 

7. I used my stamp again to decorate the paper that we write the ideas on.

Then you just have to think of a whole bunch of date ideas! I like the idea of pre-buying something thing like tickets or gift vouchers. Anything you can do to make date night fun and ready to go.

we fell in love.

I was looking forward to Valentines Day for a while! Mr Peck and I split it, I took brunch and he took dinner.

I had all these little touches planned for brunch, including a cute table setting and a few different dishes with creative touches... But life doesn't always go to plan! With a few minor hiccups in the morning (including a printer out of ink and other fun things) I managed to serve brunch by 12:30ish and with a little disappointment in my abilities to pull off a super cute party, we had a fun little morning.

alphabet

Mr Peck got this book on his Kindle that is all about helping with creativity... We did this task of finding an alphabet is the things around us. It was actually really fun! Here's mine.

I couldn't resist!

I'm on such a roll lately I just couldn't resist doing a little sprucing up around here.

Sorry if I confuse you with all my re-designing... One of the cons of being a designer (you're never satisfied!)

Hope you like it! 

Fill in the Blanks!

Fill 'er Up/Fill 'er In! I haven't participated for a while, so here it is :) 

{via}

1. I started my blog because I wanted a place to share all the things I was inspired by and made...

2. One thing I love seeing on other blogs tutorials and amazing photography and cool outfits

3. Something I love about blogging is all the inspiration I find! And the connections I'm starting to make :)

4. A favorite blog post of mine is probably my how to make washi tape post... my most popular post by far! Or my Package Pals post because I really like how the photos turned out :)

5. Something my friends in real life know about me that I've never before mentioned on my blog is hmmm. that's a tough one.. I'm not sure..

6. My new favorite blogs to read are :  1/ Amanda Jane Jones  2/ Fellow Fellow  3/ The Veggie Mama

7. Some things I tend to avoid doing on my blog are sharing things that are too personal...

home sweet home.

Yes, that's right... I'm finally home! Yay! Oh the joy. It feels kind of weird. Like I'm on holidays now... although that's starting to wear off now with the realisation that I have to cook tea each night, and the house needs cleaning, and all the suitcases need unpacking, and there's lots of washing to be done, and I have to find a job, and ... the list goes on ..

The jet lag hasn't been too bad and I only woke up at 4am the first morning. I've been keeping pretty busy with trips to the doctor for Mr Peck's knee (he injured it while snowboarding) and trying to add more to my portfolio. It's slowly getting there... 

Here's a little something I designed for Valentine's Day.... 

I've got a few projects planned for Valentine's Day, but because Mr Peck reads this blog, and I want to surprise him, you guys will have to wait! hehe. I'm pretty excited about it though.. 

Well, back to work I go.. just wanted to stop in and say hi :)

Projections

It's almost home time and boy am I excited! I have been practically counting down these last few days. We have been keeping fairly busy with trips to Yosemite and mini outings around LA. 

When I get home and sort through all the bazillion photos, I'll post about the highlights from the trip and then we can get back to normal! In case you can't tell, I can't wait for normal again!!

Travelling is super fun... but after almost 3 months away, I can't wait to get back to reality... and to making things! I've been so inspired by the blogs I follow and have compiled a little list of projects I can't wait to start on when I get home (which will be Saturday - we leave on Thursday.. thanks to the time different, we lose a whole day!)

Attempt to make my own stencil pillow like this one.

I have always loved the typography look and have been wanting to add it to our house décor for a long time... Now I might just be able to do it in an inexpensive DIY! Yay.

Knit Socks!

Before I left you might remember I was furiously knitting for my exhibition installation. I never posted any pictures, because I never took any on the night!! But it's still up (I'm hoping) and so I'll make sure I take some before I take it all apart.... Annnyway, moral of the story is that I bought some wool which had a sock pattern on the underside of the paper band that holds it together (what's that thing called?!) and I wanted to try it then but felt like I was cheating by doing any sort of other knitting than for my exhibition haha.... sooo when I get home I really want to try knitting some socks.. I'm a little scared... they seem hard.

Jar for new dates/experiences

One of the things that Mr Peck & I really want to get into this year is trying new things together. We feel like we used to do that stuff when we were dating, but now we kinda got boring. So, this year we are going to try and have a jar full of ideas for dates and things we want to try together. That way when we can't think of an idea for date night, we just pull out one from the jar. So I want to make a nice jar and put a whole list of ideas in it. I'll share the list once I'm done!

Design/Buy an awesome calendar

Along similar lines to No.3, this year I want to start putting exciting things on the calender! I think that seeing events coming up and being able to put things up on the wall is a great way of keeping positive and excited... So if I don't find a really cool calender, my plans are to design one.... 

Try a project with fused plastic bags

I saw this idea a while ago and wanted to try it out but never got around to it... now is my chance! I'm thinking wallets & totes... Can't wait to see how it goes!

But wait, there's more!

I have a whole list of other things to do too... mostly job related. This year is the year I start work... kind of anxious, hopeful and excited all in one... 

So first off I need to get my portfolio looking amazing..

Then I need to apply for a whole heap of jobs..

And then I probably need to buy some work appropriate clothes...

And if all the fails, I need to look into what it will take to start selling my ceramics!

I haven't seen the final product from last years ceramics class. (I glazed them before I left but they didn't get fired yet.) I'm hoping they all came out amazing and that I can somehow do a deal with college to use the ceramics shed... We'll see.

So that's my list! Keep a look out, coz regular posting is about to begin! Yay! So excited :)