Merry Christmas!

Just wanted to wish everyone a Merry Christmas!  Denise made a special Christmas card just for you!  Read more about this image on her blog here...  She also has a fun project to share using this image!

For more from my sister... check out the rest of her blog here....  It contains not only Sister Stamps stuff, but all of her other creative projects!

Thank you for all your support throughout the year!  Best wishes for a Happy 2014!!

Love, Denise & Jenny

Release #19 Winners!

Hi Everyone!

Didn't forget about the blog candy.  And the winners are:

Hideo:  Christine
Mieko:  Leona
Mochi Pounding: Jenny W.

Congratulations Ladies!  Please email me at sisterstampsllc@gmail.com with your mailing address.

Thanks everyone for playing!

Release Day!

Happy Aloha Friday!  Did you have a good Halloween?  I'm still recovering, so I'll be posting the winners of the blog candy later on.

Just wanted to shout out to our design team and guest designer Cyndi for all their hard work!  Love you guys!  Scroll down for links to their posts. Be back soon with the winners.

Mieko Cupcake

Holy Moly... Just realized that tomorrow is November 1st!  It's so crazy how fast this year is racing by. Can't believe it's Halloween already! 

So, before I share my project with you, I'd like to take a few moments to thank all of our designers for their help and creativity over the past year!  You guys are awesome!  Please visit them and show them some love.... We will hear from them again next year!

Cyndi- Guest Designer

Eva

Linda and her YT Channel!

Debi

I had colored up an extra Mieko while preparing for this release and decided to add her to one of my cupcakes.  This is the cupcakes I learned how to make from Vicki (Hi Vicki!).  She makes puffy flowers using shabbies and then makes those into cupcakes!  I just love how they turn out and can't stop making them!  Here Mieko is used as a cupcake topper.

Hope you enjoyed all of our projects for this release!  It sure was fun playing with all the mochi images!  Don't forget to enter our blog candy giveaways on this blog and Linda's You Tube Channel. This gives you up to 6 chances to win a stamp!  Yay!

Sister Stamps will be taking a break for the rest of the year to prepare for the upcoming holidays and craft fairs.  But we'll be back again next year with some brand new images that I'm sure you'll love!    Please check our facebook page from time to time to keep up with what's happening with us and to hear when our next release is scheduled for.  Be back soon to announce the winners, so don't forget to check back soon to see if you won!

Baked With Love

All this mochi talk is making me hungry!  Before I get into my next project, I wanted to remind you all to visit our Design Team's blogs to see what they are up to and give them some love!

Cyndi- Guest Desiger

Eva

Linda

Debi

And don't forget to check out Linda's You Tube Channel for a giveaway!

OK back to the mochi... I recently got my hands on some glassine bags.  Yes, I'm behind the times when it comes to these, but after you see all the cool projects crafters make with them, you'll want some for yourself too.  Debi was the one who actually introduced them to me and has come up with several cute projects using them.  So I took the plunge and picked up some myself to see what I could do with it. 

I think I should have put something into the bag!  LOL!  Oh well, hope you get the idea... I ended up using a sentiment by Island Scrapbooking "Baked with Love".  I can't wait to use this for some Christmas tags this year!  I paper pieced Mieko's kimono again using some washi paper.  This is my lazy way of doing the kimono.

So here's a funny story about glassine bags.  My friend, who shall remain nameless, gave me some glassine bags.  Linda started cracking up and asked my friend where she got them from.  I sat there puzzled because obviously I wasn't in on the joke.  Finally, I found out why Linda was laughing so much.  Apparently my friend had picked up her glassine bags from 7-11!  LOL!    She asked the clerk if she could take some from where you get the donuts.  They told her "no worry Aunty, you can take!".  I swear, us crafters can get very creative and determined when it comes to getting our supplies!

Well, hope you had a good laugh!  I sure did just remembering that story!  Be sure to check us out again tomorrow!

Hideo Ichigo Daifuku

Woo Hoo!  It is time to gather the DT and find out what everyone's been up to!  But before you make your rounds.. don't you want to know who our Guest Designer is for this release?!  I know you do, but you'll have to check out her blog here for the big reveal...

Don't forget to visit our DT members to see what projects they worked on for this release:

Eva

Linda

Debi

If you live in Hilo, odds are you've heard about Two Ladies Kitchen.  It's a small business dedicated to making all different types of yummy mochi.  I think (but don't quote me on this) that they are the ones that started the Ichigo Daifuku craze.  Ichigo (strawberry) Daifuku (mochi) is a very popular treat.  It also contains an or red bean paste.  Two Ladies also makes other funky mochi like grape, candy bar, and brownie mochi.  Yum!

To get me in the mood to color up these mochi images, I bought some strawberry mochi to help inspire me.  Here's what I came up with...

I colored up Hideo and paper pieced his kimono using washi paper.  The flourish you see behind him is a Memory Box die that I added for interest over a large scallop circle.  I adhered the circle to a BBQ skewer thinking I could use it as a dessert pick.  You know.. like the ones they stick in cupcakes?  Why not mochi?

Here's a closer look at Hideo.

So if you ever get the chance, please check out Two Ladies Kitchen to pick up your Strawberry Mochi or maybe be adventurous and get my favorite- Brownie mochi! :)

Don't forget to stop by tomorrow for another mochi-licious post!

Mochi Pounding Calendar

Time for our last introductory post!  Our final image for the year is a New Year's tradition till today.  I'm really not sure if they still actually pound mochi in Japan, but I'm aware of families that still practice this custom here in Hawaii.  I think it's really cool that people will go through all that time and effort to make mochi.  To find out more about mochi pounding check out this link...

Until I moved to Hilo, I never knew anyone that really made mochi.  Even going to my husband's grandmother's house to make mochi using the machine was a big deal to me as I have never made mochi before.  I guess it's not just the mochi itself, it's everything that goes with it.... Going to Bachan's, eating Jook before we start making the mochi.  Now the tradition has moved to my mother-in-law's house, but we pretty much do the same thing.  I remember not knowing "how" to form them correctly, but I guess I've graduated since most of the seasoned mochi makers have moved away.  Luckily my sister-in-law always comes home for New Year's, so we end up forming most of the patties.  See!?

As you can see, we are not mochi pounders...  we cheat and use machines...

We've gotten creative over the years.. not only do we make regular mochi and mochi with an, we've graduated to peanut butter, peanut butter and chocolate, and snickers... I think I see some cookie butter mochi in our future this year.  See how much fun we have?

For all the more traditionalists.. this stamp is for you!  I gotta say, this stamp is quite large, so it will fill up an A2 sized card no problem!  I fussy cut the image, but you could probably separate the two kids if you wanted to.  Decide to turn this card into an easel calendar.  Added a 2014 laser cut by Island Scrapbooking and a mini calendar to hold the easel up.

Here's a closer look at the image.

And of course, after all that hard work, we eat the mochi!  Here's one of the other traditions of New Year's that we follow.  You are supposed to eat Ozoni or mochi soup in the new year.  Many families eat it right at midnight, but we usually wait till the next morning to eat our soup.  Mmmmm....  I guess one of these days I need to find out how to make this.

Now I want some soup!  Want to thank my sister-in-law for taking all of these photos.  Photo credit- Stefanie Sakamoto.

 If you would like a chance to win this image, all you have to do is:
1)  Leave a comment on THIS POST by 11:59pm HST by 10/31/13; and
2)  Tell me if you've ever made mochi... if so, do you pound?

Mieko Chan

Welcome back to our 2nd day of introductions!  Yesterday we introduced Hideo to you and today we have a little girl to add to our collection... Meet Mieko!

Mieko is named after my husband's grandmother.  Grandma K. or as my daughter calls her "Bachan" is just as sweet as this image.  Whenever I think of Grandma, I always think of New Years.  Every new years, we go to her house and make mochi.  (No, we don't pound- but more on that tomorrow!).  My husband's family still follows a bunch of New Year's traditions that I don't remember our family ever following, so when I moved to Hilo, it was all new to me.  I really appreciate that I was able to learn some of the cultural traditions from his family and are able to pass it down to our daughter.

On to my card... This is another sample I made for the retailers.  I really like that you can paper piece the clothes onto the image, so I used one of the Hanko papers again.  I guess you can say I'm on a paper piecing kick!  Followed the same pattern that I used on the Hideo card, but cutting strips of washi and blocked them on the card to make a simple background.  Then added an Island Scrapbooking laser cut sentiment.

Here's a closer look at Mieko.

Want a chance to win Mieko?!  Here's all you ahve to do:

1)  Leave a comment on THIS POST by 11:59pm HST on 10/31/13; and

2)  Tell me what new year's traditions you follow... 

Hideo Kun

Helllloooooo Everyone!  It's finally the weekend!  Yay!  Now I have some time to catch up on important things.... like our new release!

Today I want to introduce you to a special little guy.  His name is Hideo, and he's named after my cousin's son.  He's in pre-school now and is just about the age to enjoy a mochi on a stick like the one in the image.

You may remember our Chinese New Year images right?  A couple years ago, we released Kiyoko (sparklers), Lion Dancers, and Firecrackers.  While I love those images, I really wanted some Japanese New Year images.

New Years is a very important holiday for the Japanese. It's a fresh start for a new year, so there is a lot of preparation and celebration during this time.  In Hawaii, New Year's is a time to get together and get ready for the new year.  Of course, the main event is eating!  Everything centers around food, family, friends and fireworks!  

When we were growing up, we would always receive some li see, even during the regular New Year celebration, and then again during Chinese New Year.  So I thought I'd make some samples with this in mind.  Decided to use some new Hanko washi papers that were provided to me by Hanko (thanks Norm!).  I love this new masculine washi paper.  Just cut some small strips and placed them over some black cardstock base.  Then added a white Lasercut from Island Scrapbooking that says "From Me to You".  I can't help but love Hideo. I can just picture a little kid eating the mochi with all its gooeyness!

Here's a better look at Hideo.  I don't think he can talk right now...

In case you were wondering... I stamped the image again onto washi paper (from Japan) and cut out the kimono.  I had already colored up the obi using some gold smooch paint.  Then I adhered it down over the stamped image.  Sometimes its worth it to fussy cut!

Just to show you that they really do sell mochi on a stick... I dug up this from our first trip to Japan!

We picked this up in Asakusa.  The mochi had a teriyaki type sauce on top.  I think I would prefer to have Hideo's mochi.

Ok stampers... want a chance to win Hideo for yourself? Here's the deets:

1)  Leave a comment on THIS POST by 11:59pm HST on 10/31/13.
2)  Tell me what you are going to be for Halloween this year.  Sorry, not really related to the image, but since it's so close to Halloween, I'm dying to know!!  hee hee

Time for Sneak Peeks!

Can you believe it?  It's almost November!!!  I'm still recovering from Vegas, but I'm slowly getting back to normal.  Just in time for our next release!    Here's a sneaky peek of what we have in store for you...

You asked for it!  Had some requests for Japanese New Year type images, so my sis went to the drawing board and came up with these cuties.  Be back soon to introduce them to you all!

Release #18 Winners!

Good Morning and Happy Wednesday!  Thank you all for joining us welcome in our last two Zodiac images for the set.  Again, wanted to thank the team for all their hard work and creative projects over the past year!  Mahalo-gozimasu to Patti, Laura, Eunice, and Linda for helping to make our releases a success!

So are you wondering if you won?  Here's the winners of our blog candy:

Rabbit:  Mary-Anne V

Dragon:  Lysa

Congrats to the winners!  Please email me at sisterstampsllc@gmail.com with your mailing address.

And just wanted to leave you with a little teaser for our last release of the year...

Silly Rabbit

Yay!  It's release day!  Can you believe we made it through all 12 images?!

For my last project, I got a little playful.  I guess I was in a rascally mood.  The Rabbit image's expression is to straight and stoic and Daba is so silly and playful, I just had to combine the two together.  While brainstorming ideas on projects, I started laughing out loud when I thought of this...

So I started off by stamping the polaroid from the We Click set by Mama Elephant.  Before I say more, I just have to know if you guys have ever used a polaroid camera before? Me and my co-worker were talking about polariod cameras one day and she told me she's never seen or used one before.  Wa-wa-what???!!  How is that possible?  Then I realized just how young she is, or maybe just how old I am.  Sigh....

Ok back to the card...  I stamped the polariod again onto some Doodlebug scrap paper and cut out the inside rectangle to use as the background, then color and cut out the Rabbit image to mount in the polariod.

The We Click set also comes with a few sentiments that fit perfectly on the polariod. I chose the Say Cheese sentiment because I thought it was funny that the Rabbit wasn't smiling.  I'm sure you know people who do that right?  You say- Say Cheese! and no reaction.  Maybe they are thinking they are smiling in their mind?

Got side tracked again.... So then I stamped and cut out Daba.  I think Daba is a real joker and gets a kick out of his own pranks.  He drew a moustache on the Rabbit!  Bwahahahahaha!

The background paper used was one of my favorites by Amy Tangerine.  I love the camera pattern- especially because it has hearts in the lens!

Forgot to take a photo of the inside, but I used the other sentiment from the We Click set that says "Life is like a camera, face it with a smile".  I'm going to try to think of this statement when I'm having a crappy day.

Thank you for joining us for this release!  We have one more release for 2013 that is coming up next month.  Can't wait to share that one with you!

Enter The Dragon...

Everytime I start thinking about a dragon title, I always end up with "Enter the Dragon".  Not that I'm a big Bruce Lee fan or anything, just think its a cool title.  hee hee.

Enough being silly.. are you liking our new images?  I feel like they are old friends since I had stared playing with them about 3 years ago.

So I went outside my comfort zone a bit and was determined to not color the dragon red, orange and yellow again.  I guess in my mind, Chinese dragons are always those colors?!  So after I saw Laura's dragon colored up in a purple/gray color, I thought I should give it a try too...

I'm glad I took the plunge and decided to go with a different color palette.  The background paper used is by DCWV.  Its from their Far East paper stack.  I love those papers, but have never had the chance to use them... So I dusted off the paper pad and picked out this cherry blossom one.

The two tags are by PTI.  I embossed the kraft one using a Sizzix embossing folder.  The sentiment is by Island Scrapbooking.

This gift card holder was made using my envelope punch board.  My new favorite toy!  Used the punch board to make the tab you see behind the dragon.  It then hooks into pocket below when you close it so it stays shut.

Don't forget to visit our Zodiac team.  It's their LAST POST for the entire release!  Let's give all of them a round of applause for all the hard work and creativity they've contributed to Sister Stamps.  Love you ladies!

Patti:  http://creationsbypatti.blogspot.com/
Laura:  http://bytkg.blogspot.com/
Eunice:  http://astarforchiemi.blogspot.com/
Linda:  http://simpleandsassycreations.blogspot.com/

And don't forget to check out Linda's You Tube Channel!
http://www.youtube.com/user/Lfundoo?feature=watch

Epic Adventure

Before I get into my project, I just wanted to say that it's a little bittersweet moment for me right now.  The Chinese Zodiac design team has been with Sister Stamps for about a year now and this is our last release!  Please check out Patti, Laura, Eunice and Linda to see what they came up with.  They have given us awesome projects over the year, so don't miss their final projects today and tomorrow!

We are coming up on the school's fall break soon, which made me a little nostalgic for last year's break.  I can't believe it's been about a year since we took our trip to Disneyland with my mother-in-law and sister-in-law.  That was truly an epic adventure!

My mother-in-law is the rabbit of the family and she really does match the profile.  So here's my layout using our new Rabbit image... I guess I was in a rainbow-ish mood!  I guess it reminded me of Disneland and our trip, so I really wanted to use it.  

In the picture, we finally were able to get the entire group in one shot since Disney has photographers that will take pictures for photopass and will also use your camera.  My sister-in-law is a Disney cardmember and we were able to get in to an exclusive meet and greet at California Adventure.  We weren't sure who the character would be, but were excited to find out it was Stitch!  Here's a better look at the photo used.

And because it was an Epic Adventure, I couldn't resist using stamps from Mama Elephant called Wanderlust.  They are really fun for journaling on your scrapbooks.

So if you live in Hawaii, are you planning anything for the next fall break?  We are getting ready for VEGAS BABY!  Woo Hoo!  Haven't been there since Akemi was in my belly.  Maybe we'll have another epic adventure!

Year of the Dragon...

Aaaaahhh, yes!  Our very last zodiac image!  The Year of the Dragon!  As I mentioned to you in earlier releases, I am pretty sure I have family members in every sign of the zodiac.  My brother-in-law is the dragon in our family.  He is an amazing photographer (which is why I added that tiny My Favorite Things camera!  Love it!).  You can see his work here...  

I guess I got a little washi tape happy with this layout.  I think I got excited with all the washi tape that matched my dragon colors!  Guido's name was cut using a Lawn Fawn alphabet die set.

This picture was taken on my sister and brother-in-law's last trip home.  We tagged along on their trip to Aulani Resort and had an awesome time!  Thanks Guido & Denise for letting us tag along with you guys!

Speaking of Aulani... I can't resist sharing this photo of me and my sister!    Somehow I convinced her to go down the water slide with me using the two man raft.  OMG- we screamed and laughed the whole way down!  Good Times!

OK enough embarassing shots for now!  

If you would like a chance to win our Dragon image, all you have to do is:

1) leave a comment on THIS POST by 09/30/13, 11:59pm HST; and

2) Tell me about the crazy things you make your family do.  Can't wait to hear!

Meet the Rabbit....

Well, I feel like we're finally at the end of a long journey!  About a year ago, we started releasing all of the Chinese Zodiac creatures and are down to our last two animals!  I truly appreciate everyone's enthusiasm for all of the images in this collection and really appreciate all of the Zodiac Design Team's hard work and creativity.  More from them later....

For now, I wanted to share with you one of my favorite images from the collection!  I'm a little biased and partial to the rabbit as I had a pet rabbit growing up.  I've always loved bunnies and convinced my sis to draft up a whole collection of them.  You've already met Daba, now it's time to meet the Rabbit.  Who knows, maybe you'll see more bunnies in our future!

This gift card holder was made using the new We R Memory Keepers envelope punch board.  If you have not picked up this cool new tool, you need go jump in your car or go to your computer and order one.  You won't be sorry.  I'm so impressed with all the creative ways that everyone has come up with to use this punch board... and I don't mean just for envelopes!

I decided to keep it simple here and just used it to make a gift card holder/envelope out of washi paper.  It was a bit challenging since washi has a lot of give, so my paper kept getting stuck in the punch part.  But I think it was worth it, it came out nicer than the ones I used plain cardstock.

Here's a shot of the back so you can see the envelope portion.

Do you want a chance to win this rabbit?  I know you do right?  Here's all you have to do:
1)  Leave a comment on THIS POST by 09/30/13 11:59 HST; and
2)  Tell me if you want to see more bunnies.  I know I've asked this before, but I'm just wondering if there's enough interest. Thanks!

We Finally Made It!

Woo Hoo!  In just a few short days, you can soon own the entire Chinese Zodiac collection!

Be back tomorrow to begin our introductions!!

Pssst......

Check back tomorrow for more info!

Release #17 Now Available!

Wow!  We made it to another release day!  Can't believe it is September already.  Where did the summer go?

I just wanted to thank our design team for working so hard on all the holiday cards for this release. Hopefully it gave them a jump start on their holiday projects for the year!  I got inspired to start working on some craft fair projects.

So I'm off island right now and can't access my new release images for next month.  I will post a teaser when I get home after the long weekend.  Hope you enjoyed the new release!

And now for the winners!

Minoru:  MJ Rutledge
Sleigh:  Jeni
Reindeer:  Colleen

Yay!  Congratulations!  Please email me with your address at sisterstampsllc@gmail.com.

Advent Calendar

Can you believe it?  It's almost release day!  To celebrate, I have a big project to share with you today, but first I want to thank all of our hard working design team members for their great projects!  You guys are the best!  How about a round of applause for Eva, Linda, Debi and our guest designer Steph!  Thank you ladies!  And don't forget to check out Steph's and Linda's You Tube Channels for more fun!

So I told you about a big project right?

It's an advent calendar!  I know it's hard to see but I wanted to give you a view of the whole project before I share with you the details.  I must say, it took me a few days to complete this calendar.  I found a bunch of red gingham paper bags in my stash and thought they would be really cute to use in a project.  Since I had so many of them, I thought it woudl be great to use them to hold goodies or an activity to do to help countdown to Christmas!   My daughter loves her advent calendar that my mom bought for her when she was just a baby.  My mom used to put money in it, but I think my daughter cares more about taking an ornament out each day to put on this wooden tree.  She's very good about remembering to do it too. I, on the other hand would always forget to do mine as a child. I guess some things never change.

So to make the calendar, I cut out all the numbers using a Papertrey Ink numbers set.  It's so hard to find large numbers and letters, so I was thrilled to find this large size on their site.   After cutting out all the numbers, I punched out 24 circles and 24 scallop circles to mount the numbers to.  Then I cut a 3/4" band to go around each bag.   After adhering everything down, I folded over the top of the bag down towards the number.

To hang each bag to the ribbon, I decorated 24 clothespins using designer paper and double stick tape. I didn't want to have images on each clothespin, so for those that did not have an image, I just went through my stash and found red, white, and green buttons to decorate the fronts.

On certain bags, I added some of our new Christmas images and some old favorites.  Shown above is our new reindeer image.  And right below is Setsuna.  He decided to pay us a visit in this post.

Aaah, my favorite little girl... it's Yuki!

And gracing us with his presence on this next bag is Minoru.

Last but not least is our crane image.  I positioned the image at an angle so that the crane looked like it was taking off.

Well, hope you enjoyed all of our new releases!  Eh... no forget to enter to win our blog candies on each introductory post! Bwahahahahaha!

Reindeer In Action

Are you in the Christmasy mood yet?  I gotta admit, this release has been putting me into holiday mode.  I've been daydreaming of craft fair projects, Xmas classes, etc.  Maybe I'll get an early start this year? Well, one can always hope right?

Before I get into my next project, I just wanted to make sure you guys are visiting our design team!  Don't forget to stop by Debi's, Eva's, and Linda's blogs to see how they are playing with our new images!  And don't forget our guest designer Steph!  (Hi Steph!)  She is one sweet crafty chick!  I just love her shabby chic style and how she can alter just about anything!  She also has a You Tube channel that is a must see.  Go check her's and Linda's channel out!

I've always been a sucker for cards that move.  Whether it be a pop up card, spinner, shaker, anything that had some kind of movement has always intrigued me. I've always yearned to learn how to make it and would study tutorials that I would find online.  I guess die companies have cracked the code and have made making cards that move so much easier!  Instead of spending hours upon hours trying to figure it out, all you need to do is cut the paper using a die designed for movement and you are in business!

More and more I am finding that I've been pulling out this Sizzix Pop 'n Cuts die.  What I love about it is the flexibility to change what actually pops up!   Here's the front of the card.  I used the Noel pop in cut insert, but didn't use it in the way you were supposed to.  Instead, I just cut it out of gold cardstock and cut the word out and rounded some of he edges of the letters.  It's hard to see, but I also used a memory box die which looks like a snowflake flourish.  Topped it off with a white poinsettia by Petaloo.

Here's what you see when you open up the card.  Yay!  I just used the insert that came with the pop 'n cut base.  It was easier to mount the reindeer image onto that base than to some of the other inserts.  Above the girls I made a banner out of gold washi tape and just cut the points free hand.  

But wait, there's more!  I know you can't tell from still photos (guess I should consider making You Tube videos too) but behind the girls is an action wobbler!  So when you open up the card, the girls start wiggling.  Or you can make them wiggle just by touching them.  I thought it was a fun touch since the reindeer is in an action shot.

Here's a side view of the image mounted so you can see what I'm talking about.  Below the image, I cut some gold cardstock and added some ivory cardstock over it so that you can write a greeting. I added another gold snowflake flourish and white poinsetta.

'

Hope you are enjoying the previews so far. I have one more project to share with you tomorrow.  Please stop by to check it out!

Minoru Tags

Now that the introductions are done, I'm super excited to introduce our guest designer for this release!  She is another Hawaii girl that has a blog and You Tube channel that you need to check out! 

And back again to inspire you are Eva, Linda, and Debi to share their Christmas projects with you! Please give these ladies some sisterly love!

On to my project share....One can not have enough Christmas tags right?  Well, I decided to make a bunch featuring Minoru to give to the retailers as store samples.  I made a few extra for myself!  Used a Papertrey Ink tag die that reminded me of an ornament.  Cut another circle using my Sizzix thinlet dies using various Doodlebug patterned paper.  I love how Doodelbug Designs are whimsical like our stamps!

Look how many I made!

I think I need to make a few more tags so that I'll be prepared for the holidays!   I'm starting to get in the Christmas mood now!  Don't forget to check out everyone's blogs and You Tube channels!

Reindeer Games...

Aaaahh, down to the last introduction!  I have another story to share here...

When my sister sent me this image, we debated back and forth on it.  I liked the concept, but wanted the reindeer to look more squishy instead of long and lean as normal reindeer look.  Unfortunately, putting the two girls on the reindeer made the reindeer look huge, but I think she managed to get the face to look kawaii while still being able to add the two girls on for the ride.

We had decided that if we weren't totally happy with it, we wouldn't release it.  Fast forward a year later, I was skyping with my sis and she was excited to show me all the crafts she's been working on. One of which was using the reindeer image.  Man, she sure made it look cute as an ornament!  So we talked some more and decided that we'd release it during the next holiday season.  Hope we made the right decision and that you can now enjoy it too.

Here's the journaling card I came up with this time.  I wanted to do something a little different this time.  Instead of using patterned paper like I normally do, i decided to go a little more artsy fartsy and make my own background.  It's hard to see in this photo, but I stamped and colored the reindeer image on cardstock.  Then I used some Spun Sugar Distress Ink with my water brush and painted on a light streak of pink in front of and under the reindeer.  After that dried, I stamped the Joy sentiment using an old Hero Arts set.  It still needed something, so I found some of my ice stickles and made more streaks by the legs of the reindeer and under the words.  I think it added just the right touch without taking anything away from the image.

I hope you have enjoyed my journaling card projects! I think I'm going to continue to make more with future releases.

So, do you want a chance to win this reindeer image?  If so, just leave a comment on THIS POST by 08/31/13 11:59HST.

Please join us tomorrow as our design team will feature our new images and we will reveal who our guest designer is!

Sleigh Bells Ring...

OK I have to admit something to you... two years ago when I was visiting family, I was at a house with no internet, so I was reading my email on my phone late at night after the kids went to bed.  My husband didn't fly up with us, so I was crusing by myself.  This was just before the first release of Sister Stamps, so I had been talking to my sister about image ideas.  She must've been inspired, cause all of a sudden she started sending me a bunch of images.  When I opened the email with the Sleigh image, I actually spoke out loud... "Oh My God!"  I was so excited to talk to someone, but everyone had gone to bed!  After I picked my jaw off the floor, I called my husband, but he couldn't share my joy cause he couldn't see the image.  And now I can finally share it with you!

I have to say that this is one of my FAVORITE images.  Hope you all like it too!

Decided to make more journaling cards to be used in my scrapbooks.  Can't wait to start using them.. just need to print up my photos!  I found this starry paper the other day (sorry I can't find the company name), and thought it was the perfect background for a sleigh ride.  I just love how the crane replaces the reindeer.  I can't help but wonder if that's how Santa's sleigh is pulled in Japan?  After coloring up the sleigh image, I fussy cut it out and mounted it on the starry background.  Mounted it onto silver mirrored cardstock and finished it off with an Island Scrapbooking sentiment.

I hope you enjoy this image as much as I do!  If you would like a chance to win this stamp- just follow the details below and leave a comment on THIS POST by 08/31/13 11:59pm HST.  Good Luck!

Meet Minoru...

Welcome to the first day of introductions for our new Christmas images!  Woo Hoo!  While brainstorming ideas for more images 2 years ago, I asked my sister for some holiday stuff.  I guess she got inspired, so she ended up sending me email after email with more and more fun stuff.  I fell in love with Setsuna (Santa), Shimo-san (snowman), and Yuki (stocking) images, so I released those first. Minoru was one of images she had also provided, but I thought I'd save him for the next holiday go around.  I love that she made him holding a wreath!

Minoru is named after my husband's cousin.  The last couple of times he came to visit he made friends with Akemi.  She loves hanging out with him!  Hopefully we get to see him again when we go visit the family in Vegas later this year.  Something about this image really reminds me of him- I think it might be the haircut...

Before I get into my project, just wanted to share some thoughts on my scrapbooking journey...
Since I'm starting to get back into scrapbooking, I thought I'd make myself some journaling cards to use in my scrapbook.  I remember when scrapbooking was HUGE!  I guess what happened (for me anyway) is that I started stamping first, then went from cardmaking to scrapbooking... then digital scrapbooking was born and some people stopped scrapping (I never totally got into the digital craze).. Then creating sophisticated layouts became intimidating and difficult, which lead to unfinished scrapbooks.  But the need to document our lives lives on, and the need to make perfect layouts no longer exist.  We can distress, smash, journal, add drawings, mixed media or keep it very very simple.  No more rules, no more competition, just documentation!  I love that freedom!

The best part is that you can still use your stamps!  Love that I can make my own journaling cards and can incorporate a lot of our images.  Makes me feel like I'm still being creative even though the scrapbooks themselves have become simplistic.  So I'll be sharing my journaling cards during my introductory posts... hoping they inspire you to start scrapbooking too!

My first journaling card features Minoru.  I went with a 3x4 sized card using some scrap Doodlebug Designs paper from last year's line.  I just punched out a red scallop circle for the background to make Minoru pop.  Kept it very simple.  I can't wait to use it on my Christmas page this year!

Do you want a chance to win Minoru? Here's all you have to do:

1)  Leave a comment on THIS POST by 08/31/13 11:59pm HST; and

2)  Tell me if you scrapbook or not.  If you do, do you incorporate stamps into your albums?

Jingle bells..

WHAT?  Christmas stuff already?  Yes, yes, it's true... our next release are Christmas images!  It's been 2 years since we first released some Christmas stamps, so I'm pretty excited to share these with you now.  You won't believe it, but I've been sitting on these images for 2 years!  Without further adieu, check it out!

Be back tomorrow to start up the intros.. Ja Mata!

It's Release Day!

We made it through another set of previews!   Can you believe its August already?  That only means one thing... It's release day!  Time to go get your new images!  But wait... if you entered to win our blog candies, you might want to read here first:

Dolphin set:  Jan Castle

Octopus set:  Patty

Turtle set:  Janine

Ox:  Leanne

Tiger:  Cris

Yay! Congratulations to the winners!!  Please email me at sisterstampsllc@gmail.com with your address so I can mail these off to you. Please note that I will be off island, so these won't ship till next week.  Thanks for playing!

AND... I have another teaser to spark your interest...

Until next time!

Do You Filo?

Welcome to the final day of previews!  I hope you've enjoyed seeing all the projects featuring our new images thus far.  Wanted to thank Kerry for all her help and awesome projects!  Thanks Kerry!

And make sure you check out all the featured Zodiac projects... I'm continuously floored by all the creativeness that goes on using our Chinese animals.  Thanks to Laura, Eunice, and Patti for working so hard all year!

And how can I forget Debi, Eva and Linda!  Don't forget to check out their stuff and Linda's You Tube channel.  She's giving away goodies too, so don't miss out on another opportunity to win!

That being said... wanted to share my final project for this release.  Actually, it not only features our turtle set, but I also included some old favorites in my project!  If you are on You Tube, you may have stumbled on all the filofax craze!  I admit... the first time I saw all the hype, I thought, isn't that just another planner?  Why would you want a regular planner when you can use your smartphone?  As I started watching more and more of those videos, I started to understand why it was catching on again.  I remember having planners while in school and even up to a few years ago.  But gave them up when I got my iphone... now that there's all kinds of FUN stuff to decorate your filofax, I'm back on the bandwagon and loving it.  (much thanks to Nadine Tx, OhaiJoy, and Lfundoo for enabling... Bwahahahaha!).  

So the "authentic" type is made by Filofax, but I didn't really want to spend the money on something I wasn't sure I'd be that into.  So I just got a plain one from my Office Max, and I must say I'm pretty happy with it.  Now I understand the washi tape craze too!  OMG, if you aren't decorating your planner, you gotta try it using all your tapes, stickers, and stamps!

Which brings me to my project.  It's actually a present for my sister. She's coming to visit soon, so I thought this would be a fun present for her.  Instead of a Filofax, I got the BoBunny binder and calendar inserts.  The papers are already cute, so I didn't have to add much except our images to personalize it.  The first page I wanted to share features our turtle set from this release.  I love how it has a To Do section, Notes section and a Don't Forget section.  I think this one also has a pocket, so you can stick in tags and other note.

Here's a better look at our turtle friends.. "Beep Beep"

Here's the other pages- see Yoshimi?

Here's a better look...

And here's Ayako! I think I chose her for this page since sh'e holding an umbrella.

 And can't forget Daba!!!

Otsu had to make an appearance too...

Do you like this next layout?  I had fun hand drawing the kite string..

 And since we don't have any Halloween images (yet- hint hint Denise!).. I colored up Miyoko in her best fall attire and gave her a pumpkin by Dandelion Designs (Hi Jean!).

And finally, Santa rounds out December.  Couldn't have a planner without Setsuna right?

 And here he is...

It was so hard choosing which images I wanted to use in the planner.  Hope you decide to start using regular planners again and decorate them with our images!

Don't forget to enter to win our blog candies by leaving a comment on each of the introductory posts.