Live, Love, Smile!

Woo Hoo!  We made it to the last day of previews!  Before I start on my project, wanted to thank my DT girls for all their hard work and help for this release!  Please give them some love:

Debi

Eva

Linda

Linda's You Tube channel

One of the highlights and pretty much the main purpose of our trip to LA was to attend Prima ArtVenture!  It was a 2 day event consisting of 6 3-hour classes taught by Prima Educators from around the world!!!!  I couldn't contain myself!  I was pretty star struck from our first class. Our instructor was the Limor Webber!  She regularly teaches on Live with Prima and travels around the world teaching.  Lucky I was with Linda, who is much friendlier that me.  She wasn't shy about giving the instructors our omiyage or asking to take pictures.  Here's Linda with Limor...

So I got brave and asked her for a photo too.  She's a tiny little thing!  I was the same height as her!

This is how I knew I liked Limor....

She totally photo bombed us!  LOL!  Before things got too hectic, we took a photo of the project in her class.  I was afraid of taking that thing back on the plane with me.  Amazing yah?  She is a true magician.

Limor told us to not put on the objects that were too high if we are traveling.  So I only did about half my project in class.  This is what I came home with.  I put it in my hand carry for safe keeping... in bubble wrap that is...

So you are probably wondering why I'm talking so much about Limor's class?  Well, this is how I ended up finishing my project!!

I've never had so much fun gluing flowers to a project before!  The best tip she gave us was to butcher your flowers.  (Gasp!)  But it really is a great way to stretch your products.

My next photo features Minako in a polariod.    I adhered some acetate to the back of the polaroid and then glued some butterflies to it.  Makes them look like they are flying.  Then added in some floral sprays I got from Downtown LA.

Here's a shot to show you the depth and dimension of the project.

At the front corner of the book, I applied inka gold to one of my Prima wood veneers so that it would match my project. Never did that before so had fun playing with the inka gold.

That white alien looking flower was also from Downtown LA. The rest of the flowers are by Prima (of course).  I applied gesso to them to give them a shabbier distressed look.
 
And included Harumi too!  Colored up that Love wood veneer with more inka gold.

 And couldn't leave out Misaki right?  Cut up some acetate and adhered the sparrows to them to make them look like they are flying.

And did the same to the Martha Stewart Butterflies.  Another Bona must have.

And at the other corner of the book, the last wood veneer colored up in Inka gold.

Here's another shot of the entire project.

 Hope I did Limor proud!  Can you believe even with all the stuff I put on this project, I had tons of leftovers from this class!

Well, tomorrow is release day!  Yay!  Don't forget to enter to win our blog candy.. you have till 11:59pm HST tonight to leave a comment.  Good Luck!

Be Yourself Teacups

How cool were those DT projects?  Can't wait to see more of them today!  Seriously.. I don't ask to see projects before they are posted, so when I wake up in the morning of group post days I get a little giddy!

Don't forget to check them out again today to see what other creativity has been unleashed:

Debi

Eva

Linda

Linda's You Tube channel

On to my project... Have you ever seen a project that you just can't stop thinking about?  Well, if you've ever watched Bona's channel Live, Love, Scrap on You Tube, you'll understand what I'm talking about.  Her creative mind is on another level that I can't even comprehend!  I love all of her projects and her style is so pretty.  Don't know how she does it!    One of the projects that I've been drooling over is her stacked teacups.  I even bought the Sizzix die because of it!  Here's what I came up with...

So if you know me, you'll know I'm a pastel girl.  Most likely I'll choose pink over other pastels.  My friend Linda on the other hand is a purple girl.  So I was a bit surprised on our trip when she started choosing pinks instead of purples.  And even more surprised now that I'm choosing lavenders over pinks!  I know pink will always be a favorite of mine, but if you know me, sometimes I get bored and need to try new things.. including color.

In the top teacup, I filled it with a large lavender rose that I picked up in Downtown LA.  OMG, we had so much fun getting lost and finding awesome deals in Downtown LA.  It was a bit scary though, so as Creative Young Mama says... hope you are wearing covered shoes so you don't get pee'd on!  She cracks me up.  It wasn't quite that bad, but you know what?  I was soooooooo worth it. Go check out my blog posts and Linda's YT haul's to see what I'm talking about.

I also cut out a label from my Spellbinder's dies (see I'm even using some of my old stuff!) and stamped the "Be Yourself, Nobody does it better" stamp I just got from Michaels on my trip.  Love, love, love this sentiment! And can't forget Ha-chan!  Love how she is peeking out from behind the rose!  See... very versatile!

And decided I wanted something to dangle from the side of the teacup.  I'm a sucker for dangling stuff.  So I ended up tying a bow out of my pearl trim and glued it to the side.

On the middle cup, I added Misaki and her birdy friends!  

And because the teacups were made out of lightweight paper, they kept falling over with all the added embellishments.  To stabilize it, I glued the bottom of the cup to a circle, then glued the circle to a doily, then glued another circle to the bottom of the doily.  Seemed to help stabilize it better so it won't fall down as much.  Then I glued more purple flowers to the base of the cup.

It's no where near as nice as Bona's project, but I had fun making it!  At least I got to use my teacup die!  Check back tomorrow for my last project!

Multiplying Harumis

Ha ha... didn't know what to name this post!   Now that the introductions are done, it's time to check out what our DT has been up to!  It's been awhile since they've had to ink up new images, so I'm pretty excited to see what they've come up with!

Check out our awesome DT here:

Debi

Eva

Linda

Linda's You Tube channel

My first project is all of the samples I made for our retailers.  Again.. the theme was to use my stash!  So I dug into my shabby flower vault and dug up these pretty melon colored shabbies.  The notecards were a pre-printed notecard set by My Mind's Eye that I've pretty much never touched.  The colors were so pretty that I decided to use them as the base of the card.   Here's all the cards I made...

And here's a closer look at some of the cards.  I tried to make them all a little different.

Sure had fun making different variations of the same card!  And you know what?  I didn't even flinch in using all those flowers.  Maybe its cause I still have tons left!  Baby steps right?

Don't forget to check out all our DT projects and enter to win one of our new images by posting on each introductory post by 11:59pm HST on 1/31/14.  See ya tomorrow!

Misaki Money Jar

We made it to our last day of introductions!  Woo Hoo!  Hope you are liking the projects so far.  Don't forget to enter to win!

Our last new image for this release is Misaki!  Misaki is the real Minako's youngest girl. She's so cute too.  Just like her sister Ha-chan...  Hopefully we can see them again soon.

Here's a photo of the pretty family...

So being that I spent a LOT of money on supplies while on my trip, I thought I needed to start saving again.  Have you seen these on Pinterest?  I guess it's been around for awhile, but I've never heard of it till now.  I guess the premise is to save each week.  Week #1 is $1, week #2 is $2, etc.  Some people are also doing it backwards where you start with $52 then $51, etc.  Or there's even the option of putting in $26 each week.  You are supposed to be able to save $1400 by the end of the year.

Of course, being the crafter that I am, I had to have my jar first before I can put my money in it right??!  So I decided to finally use one of my aqua mason jars that I've been hoarding and pretty it up to make saving more fun.  Here's what I came up with.

Decided to choose Misaki because she looks like she is playing with the sparrows.  I want to be able to "play" with my savings, so I thought she was the perfect image to put on my savings jar or "play" money.  Here's a better look at Misaki...

And her sparrow friends..

The hardest part about decorating the jar was to cut up that beautiful bling!  Got the pearl and rhinestone trim from One Little Dreamer's Zibbet shop and have been hoarding that for a few months. It's so beautiful, had a hard time cutting it, but was determined to start using my stash!  At least it will be on a project that I'll probably keep for awhile right!

Under the bling trim, I had glued on some lace trim that I got from Hobby Lobby.  Next shot is of the jar cover.  I ended up gesso'ing the cover to make it white. Then glued on some bling trim around the edge.

If you live in the mainland, they have lavender and pink mason jars at the 99 cent store.  I'm so jealous!  Totally regret not going there now!  I'm sure I would've bought enough to fill another box to ship home.  LOL!

So, if you want to enter to win Misaki, here's all you have to do:
1)  leave a comment on THIS POST by 11:59pm on 1/31/14; and
2) tell me if you are going to do that 52 week savings plan.  Believe it or not, I had some leftover cash from my trip, so I put that in the jar.  I am thinking I will do it backwards so that by the time the holidays roll around, I don't have to fork over $50 each week!

Stop by tomorrow for more Release #20 projects!

Meet Ha-chan

Welcome back to Day 2 of our Sneak Peeks!  Do you like the new images so far!? Hope so cause I'm ga ga over them.

Our next girl is named after the real Minako's oldest daughter... Harumi!  Harumi (or Ha-chan) is so cute!  This stamp kinda looks like her, so I thought it was a good fit.  Gosh, we haven't seen them in so long!  The girls must be so big by now!

So you've all seen those cute Target mailboxes found in the dollar bins right?  Well, you can get them right now cause they only come out during Valentine's day!  I pretty much bought out the supply at our local Hilo Target, but I see that they've replenished their supply, so you can still get them.  Yay! 

I decided to make one for Valentine's day and used the new Doodlebug Designs paper to cover it.  I love how Doodlebug papers go so well with our images!  Here's how I decorated the door.

And here's Harumi!  Had to break up the look so I added a scrap paper to the bottom and then some glitter tape by American Crafts at the seam.  Also used the Happy Valentine's Day sentiment by Island Scrapbooking.

Here's a better look at Ha-chan. This was another image I had asked my sister for... a girl lying down.  For some reason I envisioned a girl on her back, but I think I like this pose a lot better! You'll see how versatile she can be in some of my other projects.

And here's the other side with the flag.  After I covered the mailbox and decorated it, I glued it to a glass candlestick holder.  You can get those at the dollar tree in the mainland, but I lucked out and found them at Ace on sale in Hilo.

When you open up the door of the mailbox, there's a surprise!

I just cut up some acetate I saved from old packaging and adhered them to the inside cover.  Then I added punched pieces to each acetate piece to give the appearance of it floating.  The sentiment is by Mama Elephant! I love that company.

And what's a mailbox without Happy Mail!  I used the WeR Memory Keepers envelope punch board to make a small envelope.  Then I cut up these little ATCs by Authentique.   The envelope paper is by Doodlebug.  Seriously... if you don't have that envelope punch board you really need to get one.  Just go on You Tube and search Envelope Punch board and you will see why.

OK more candy time!  If you would like a chance to win Harumi, just do the following:
1)  Leave a comment on THIS POST  by 11:59pm on 1/31/14 and;
2)  Tell me if you make valentines or not?  Me?  I hardly do.  Shame on me yah?

Don't forget to check back again tomorrow!

Love-ly Minako

Yes!  Welcome to our first day of sneak peeks for our new release- Release #20!!!  Woah.. has it really been 20 releases?  Time sure flies.

So awhile back, I asked Denise for a girl that was sitting.  I guess I was thinking more like I could put her on a bench or chair... she gave me this image... 

I was soooo happy!  It wasn't what I was thinking, but I liked it even more!  You can't really see that good cause she's hiding behind those (Prima) flowers, but she's kneeling.  She's so sweet looking, she reminded me of our friend Minako who is actually from Japan (Hi Minako!).  I met Minako years ago when she worked at Mauna Loa Macadamia Nut in the Visitor Center. I worked in the office so I knew her, but didn't really talk to her that much.  Then my friend Bryant (who also worked at MLMN) started dating her, and we got to know her better.  She is the sweetest girl you'll meet!  So cute that they met at our old work place. They moved back to Oahu, but we still keep in touch through social media.

So since this image is so sweet looking, I thought it would be perfect to name the image after her!

Before I get to my project, I wanted to just get something off my chest.  After an awesome awesome week in LA with my bestie Linda... I came home with tons of craft supplies.  So while I was cleaning my room (again) to make room for all my loot, I decided that I should not hoard anymore!  I have made a conscious decision to bust into my supplies and not let the fact that "I really love that and don't want to use it all for fear of not being able to get it again" stand in my way.  Phew... I feel better now.

Ok on to my project!!!  Keeping the above in mind, I carefully opened up my pack of corrugated notecards and decided to start using them!  I gave it a coat of gesso for a shabby distress look.  Then cut up my new Princess paper by Prima (Gasp!)  I love that paper.  To keep it shabby, I distressed the edges and used my new Prima chalk inkers (Yay!) around the edges. I did not plan on buying them but now I'm glad I gave into my "just buy it" mentality on my trip cause I love them!  Now I'm glad I got the whole set.

Next layer is hard to see, but I actually cut up some cheese cloth.  Love the way it looks on a project!  And the last layer is an old heart doily- sorry threw away the packaging so not sure what company made them.  Then it was time to decorate!

 Started by hot gluing the beaded spray I got from Downtown LA. I like these acrylic sprays cause it gives you a nice look without overpowering your subject.

Then I glued down Minako.  Over Minako, I added some Prima Flowers!  Yep, that's right, using my flowers without cringing!

And the final touch was the purple Petaloo butterfly and Prima bling.

Thanks for stopping by!  I have so much more to share with you!  I guess you can say I got my mojo back.  Totally inspired by Prima Artventure!  If you want to read about Lfundoo's and Kiki's Epic Crafty Adventure, check out my blog posts here...  or watch Linda's haul's here...

And.. didn't forget about our blog candy!  Here's the deal:
1)  Leave a comment on THIS post if you would like to be entered to win Minako by 11:59pm on 1/31/14; and
2)  Tell me about a supply you've been hoarding!  Mine is my Prima flowers.

Don't forget to check back tomorrow!!

Are You Ready?

HELLLLLLOOOOOO!!!!  Wow, it's been a long time huh?  Well, I've been very busy since our last release... got through some craft fairs, the holidays, a trip to LA, attended Prima ArtVenture and did a LOT of shopping, and came home to work on the next release!  Phew!  Are you as exhausted as I am?  Well, now that I've been refreshed, it's time to introduce our newest additions to our Sister Stamps family!  You see, I've also been busy getting a bunch of new images ready for future releases too and am excited to hear how you like them.  We have some new and fun images scheduled for this year that I'm soooo excited about.  Some of these images have been on my wish list for years, and can finally become reality!  Woo Hoo!

First up is our new Girl's Day release!  Yay!  More girl images to add to your collection!  Here's a sneak peek at the girls themselves.

So please check back tomorrow as we start our introductory posts so you can get to know them a little better.  Bye!