Sister Stamps

Bunny High

2012-03-07T00:00:00.000-10:00

I'm on a bunny high after getting this card from Aunty Jan! Don't you just love the bunny washi in the background? I think that is one of my all time favorite washi paper in my collection. So much so, that I bought several versions of the same washi in different colors while in Japan!

I gotta say though... my favorite thing about this card is the awesome basket!!! Don't you love it? I was struggling with trying to figure out how to make a basket on a card for this release, and just couldn't do it, so I was floored when I got this card from Aunty. I love how she used the same paper and cut a thin strip and just wrapped it around the lip and handle of the basket. She achieved the basket look without actually weaving it!

Oh.. those chickies are back again! And here's a close up of Daba.. don't you love how "he" is now a she just by adding that little bow?

Hope you have a happy hump day!

Supplies:
Washi paper- Paper Intelligence
Spring stamp- Hero Arts
Flowers- All Natural Accents
Daba- Sister Stamps

Life's Little Pleasures

2012-03-06T00:00:00.000-10:00

So... did everyone get their stamps yet? If not, you can check out any of our retailers listed on our sidebar to see if they still have them in stock. These seem to be going really fast- had to fill some re-orders already!

Just wanted to share another card from Aunty Jan. I thought this Masa card was so cute! I guess the chickies thought so too since they are back again.

Can I just say that I love that she added grass to the scene! She paper pieced Masa's kimono using washi paper. I love all the details too... she used Doodlebug rick rack stickers and punched some butterflies using a Martha Stewart punch. The Easter paper is by Best Creation and the sentiment stamp is by Stamp Oasis. She stamped the sentiment on vellum so you could still see the paper behind it. Love it!

I don't think you can tell from this photo, but the eggs and butterflies have a touch of glitter.. just enough to make it sparkle. Thanks Aunty!

Miss Out On Candy?

2012-03-03T17:21:00.002-10:00

Hey Everyone!
Just popping in to let you know to check out Dena's blog today. She is participating in the Our Favorite Things Blog Hop and each step along they way is giving away candy! In case you missed out on your chance to win Keitaro and Miyako, Dena is giving some away on her blog so check it out here...

Good Luck and Happy Girl's Day!

It's Release Day!

2012-03-01T00:30:00.000-10:00

Well, it's been a crazy week.. and it's only Thursday! Just want to say thank you again to Debi and Donna for sharing their Release #6 projects with us. Hopefully our sample have inspired you to get these images and start creating!

Aunty Jan surprised me with some samples this week! Yay! Wanted to share one with you today- Akemi's back in this precious card. I love this simple layout and matching sentiment by Hero Arts. What you can't tell from this photo is that the Akemi stamp is popped up from the card base- a nice way to focus on the image without having to cut her out completely.

And look who decided to photo-bomb this photo shoot... It's none other than Daba himself! I stole him from Akemi just as she was falling asleep. He just wanted to pop in and say hi!

Oh- and the little chickies snuck in too. I think they wanted to eat the jellybeans.

So I'm sure you popped in to also see if you've won any of our blog candies? Well, wait no further...

Akemi Winner: Dena
Daba Winner: Expressions & Inspirations
Masa Winner: Eva

Congratulations to all the winners! I will be away on a trip, but please email me at sisterstampsllc@gmail.com with your mailing address. I will mail these off to you upon my return. Thank you to everyone who entered! Don't forget to check Facebook if you are a follower to see if you've won our candy giveaway there... AND don't forget to check out my personal blog if you've entered to win my blogaversary candy! AND don't forget to check out Debi's blog later on if you entered her candy giveaway. Phew! That's a lot of candy!

Akemi Mini Album

2012-02-29T00:00:00.000-10:00

It's almost Release Day! Woo Hoo! Are you guys excited? I'm bursting to share with you my final project for this release! But before I do, just wanted to thank our Guest Designer Donna of 3 Umbrellas for helping us with this release. Thank you Donna! And thank's to my girl Debi, who did an awesome job as well!

On to my project. As I mentioned earlier, you can use this image for other things besides Easter projects. I decided to make Akemi a mini album for her and Daba. I found this cool tutorial here... for a Pocket Page mini album.

I've been dying to use these Basic Gray papers but tend to want to save them- for what I don't know.. so I broke down and finally decided to use them on this project. I guess I felt safe since it was for a photo album and wouldn't be lost forever in a card that was given away. Stupid yah? That's how I feel about most of my paper. I think you also call that "hoarding".

Here's the cover of the album. I really wanted to put Akemi on the cover, but it looked a little plain by herself. So I added this cool new Memory box tree die and added on this mini flower by All Natural Accents. I wanted to achieve the cherry blossom look but not sure that I did. To make the flowers pop a bit, I added some stickles to each flower. I guess it's hard to tell from these photos, but they do sparkle in real life.

I also added Akemi and hand wrote "and Daba" under it. Here's a close up of Akemi.

Here's the inside of the album.

On each page, there are 3 pockets you can add inserts to. I am thinking of adding photos and journaling on the inserts. Or maybe I'll have Akemi add her own journaling while I add the photos and embellies.

Oh one more thing... the tab punch is by SU. I love that punch! Oh one more thing.... I finally used my Cinch! I must say that I LOVE IT! Anyone want to by my Bind It All?

I hope you liked all of our projects for this release! Again wanted to thank Debi and Donna... don't forget to check out their blogs for more inspiration and candy on Debi's! The wait is almost over! Have fun stamping and let me know if you've posted any projects- we'll add them to our facebook page for everyone to see.

Masa Easter Basket

2012-02-28T00:00:00.000-10:00

Hi Everyone! Did you see who our Guest Designer was for this Release? It's my idol... Donna of 3 Umbrellas! I love Donna's work and have been such a big fan since I first saw her work. She has gotten me to buy many many stamps that I don't think I normally would have. Maybe I should call her the "Enabler"! Nah- only kidding! Let's just say Donna's work has really inspired me to simplify my projects. PLUS Donna loves bunnies just like Akemi (and me). Since I knew she loved bunnies, this release was just the perfect fit for us.

So today's project was inspired by this youtube video tutorial on Origami Easter Baskets. I thought this would be the perfect project for this image. It really wasn't that hard to do and you could also use it as a box by not putting on the handle.

There's those chickies again! Getting into mischief in the origami Easter basket! hee hee hee.

Here's a close up of Masa and the bunny. I just love that bunny image!

Be back tomorrow with another Akemi project to share with you! Don't forget to check out Donna's and Debi's projects for today!

Daba Treats

2012-02-27T00:00:00.000-10:00

Ohayogozaimasu! Welcome to our release week where we share our Release #6 projects with you! As usual, Debi will be helping me out this release (thanks Debi!) along with our very special guest designer!! Any guesses? Well, I'm a HUGE fan of her's and originally asked her to help me out with an earlier release, but it worked out better that she help us with this one. Here's a hint.... she loves BUNNIES! Ok... go check her out here... and then come back and read the rest of this post.

BTW- if you haven't entered to win our Release #6 stamps yet, check out our introductory posts for each image and follow the rules on the Akemi post. I got a kick out of reading everyone's "daba" and Easter stories, so thank you for sharing them!

I have another Daba story to share... On Akemi's first trip to Disneyland, we allowed her to take Daba with us. He accompanied her all through the Magic Kingdom and she even figured out how to transport him around without having to really hold onto him. She zipped up her jacket and kept his head popped out so he could see- just like a baby kangaroo. Here's my sis w/Akemi- see how Daba's peeking out?

More evidence... You can see Daba's ear's peeking out of her jacket in this photo w/Minnie.

Well, after all that fun, we were heading home. I was exhausted and was pretty much falling asleep at the airport. I guess both me and my husband were not paying attention, cause when we got on the plane, we did a "Daba check" and couldn't find him! My husband decided to get off the plane and look for Daba. Luckily he came back w/Daba in hand before the flight took off. He found Daba at Security. Good thing no one took him or they didn't throw him away! What a good Daddy yah?

Ok, enough Daba stories. You want to see projects! So I was doing a bit of experimenting to see what Easter treats will fit nicely into these candy stick bags. I LOVE these bags- can you tell? Easter is particularly fun since the Easter colors are so pleasing to the eye. Since Daba is smaller than the rest of our stamps, he fits really nicely on top of the stick bags. Right now I'm liking the Cadbury Mini Eggs the best (mmmmmm... Mini Eggs!) I think it's cause of their color. I like how the jelly beans fit nicely but I didn't like the colors too much. I think last year's regular M&Ms were the best. I'll have to go find a bag of those now.

Here's a close up of the Daba's. I even added in some grass and dot flowers to the scene cause he looked a little lonely. Do you like my chickies? I found them at Ben Franklin. They wanted to jump in the picture... or did they just want the chocolate?

So my best idea that I wasn't able to execute was to put bunny Peeps into the stick bags! I tried it on the widest bag, but they didn't fit! Bummer. I thought I bought a wider one, but couldn't find it. Hopefully I find them before Easter!

Anyway, hope you enjoyed today's project. Check back tomorrow and Wednesday on this blog, Debi's blog and our Guest Designer's blog for more Release #6 fun! Oh...and Debi might have some candy... I'm just sayin.

Introducing... Masa!

2012-02-25T00:00:00.000-10:00

So are you liking our new release images? Hope you are enjoying them so far. Our last image for this release is a little boy named Masa. Masa is named after one of our friend's son. He is a good kid that listens and doesn't give any problems. I guess this image reminded me of him since the image is being nice to the bunny. The real Masa is always nice to Akemi even though he is much older than she is, and takes the time to include her, when others his age would probably think she's a pest.

Masa is our only true Easter image. The rest of the images in this release can be used for other things, but the eggs just make unmistakeably Easter. Although, I'm sure you could do some altering and change it up a bit so that it wasn't so Easter-ish. Hmmmm, got myself thinking now! Hopefully I can come up with something soon to surprise you.

On to the project... I'm not sure why, but for some reason, these milk cartons remind me of Easter. Is it because Robin Eggs always come in cartons? Whatever it may be, I felt compelled to match up Masa with the carton. This particular carton was cut from a Sizzix Pro die, which is larger than your standard pint sized milk cartons you get with school lunch.

After I colored and cut out Masa, I popped him up using some pop dots. Then I looked at the carton and the top looked to empty. I tried going through all my dies and punches to see what would work and I settled on this banner stamp set by Lawn Fawn. Inside the flags, I stamped "Happy"... mainly because "Easter" wouldn't fit (not enough space on the face of the carton). I think it worked out OK.

Here's a close up of Masa and the bunny... since the carton was green Doodlebug paper, I decided to go with yellow grass instead. The grass was punched out using the Martha Stewart grass boarder punch- one of my absolute faves! Afterall, aren't Easter baskets filled with grass that is all different colors? Even though I tend to buy green grass, I see it come in pink, purple, and yellow too.

Ok I gotta share a funny Easter story with you. One year I must've been REALLY bad. I don't recall what it was exactly that I did, but I remember being told that I was soooo naughty that the Easter Bunny would probably not come that year... I guess I WAS bad since he never showed up! What a bummer. Believe me, I was really good every year after that!

So, now that you've met all of the new releases, time for more candy!

1. Follow the directions on the Akemi introductory post. Remember to leave a comment on this post by 2/29/12 11:59pm HST.
2. Tell me what your favorite Easter or Spring memory is. I can't wait to hear!

Here Comes Daba!

2012-02-24T00:00:00.000-10:00

Welcome to our 2nd Introductory Post for Release #6! Today I want to introduce to you a very special image. His name is Daba and he has a lot of sentimental meaning to our family. In the Akemi post, I told you about Akemi's special relationship with Daba, but now I'll tell you a bit more...

"Daba" is what Akemi started referring to her favorite bunny whenever she wanted him. We sort of figured it out by trial and error. I think she initially referred to him as "Jaba", but later it evolved to Daba somehow. Everyone in our family knew that Daba was Akemi's bunny, but as our family grew, "Daba" became a term not only for Akemi's bunny, but also for a child's special item that they can't do without. For Akemi's cousin (Nobu), it's a washcloth- yes, believe it or not it's a washcloth. I don't know how my sister-in-law trained him to want a washcloth, but it seems to do the trick... and it's any washcloth- so even if they lose one, he'll make do with another. Lucky yah? We are not so lucky with Daba- it has to be him or Akemi knows!!!

My niece (Mei Lin) also has a "Daba", which is a stuffed dog. I think his name was first "Wolf Wolf" but is now "Lacey". My brother and sister-in-law bought a 2nd Lacey, but Mei Lin knows which one is the real one and which one is the imposter!

So now the term "Daba" is also a generic term for a child's special item. Amazing how we make up our own language yah? Ok, enough about Daba... you probably want to see my project right? Well, today I have some gift tags that I made for each store that ordered Release #6 images from us. I sort of cheated by buying pre-made tags! I couldn't resist... Target had a set of tags in 4 patterns that were so cute. Daba was small enough to fit on the tag, so I thought, Why Not? Here's a "group shot". ha ha ha.

Here's the four different colored tags so you can see what I mean. Cute yah?

Ok more details... Added in some punched grass from my MS grass border punch and topped it off with a tiny flower by All Natural Accents and added some Stickles to it to make it sparkle. Punched a heart using a Paper Shapers Heart punch and stamped the sentiment which was actually one long strip that I cut in half so that it would fit on the heart. Sentiment was by Studio G. Popped up Daba using pop dots and finished it off with some ribbon. Here's a close up of one of the tags.

Part of the reason I love this image is the pose! I have to admit, Sis gave me 12 bunny images, so I had a hard time choosing which one to release. She initially gave them to me since it was Year of the Rabbit when I started making calendars, so I have 11 more to share with you at a later date (if you guys like bunnies!). I think this one was my favorite, so that's how he got picked. I also love the fact that you can leave them white and just do some minor coloring and you're done!

Sorry, that turned out to be a pretty long post! You are probably waiting for the freebie right? OK here's the deal:
1. Read yesterday's post on the general rules, deadlines, yadda yadda.
2. In addition to the rules, tell me a brief story about you and your favorite toy. I have a good one about Akemi and Daba that I'll share later. Let's just say she has a really great Daddy!

It's Akemi-chan!

2012-02-23T00:00:00.000-10:00

As my daughter would say...."FINALLY!" She has been patiently awaiting this release for months now and the time has finally come for me to introduce Akemi to all of you. Akemi means something to the effect of bright and beautiful, but according to Reverend, it also meant something about a beautiful child born in the morning? Well, that's not why we picked that name... Initially, we wanted to name Akemi after my mom (remember Miyono?), but Mom didn't like that idea, so I asked her to pick a name if she didn't want us to name our daughter after her. Her first suggestion was Kiyomi, but that was my sister's name, so we went with her 2nd choice,which was Akemi.

There is a very special reason why this image was named after her. You see, I had asked my sister to come up with some images featuring kids with pets, and she took it a step further and transformed this idea and personalized it for Akemi. My daughter's BFF is her stuffed bunny "Daba". Daba has been a faithful companion since Akemi's first Easter and they have been inseparable ever since. I just love how this image features Akemi showing her stuffed bunny to a real bunny... priceless!

Here's the very first project I made using Akemi. I covered a pressboard frame with some of the washi paper I got from Japan. Added a punched gold strip and then placed Akemi over it. If you are wondering why Daba is plaid looking and is colored pink, you'll see why in the next photo....

So here's Akemi with her BFF Daba. This was shortly after she got Daba- I can tell because he's still pink and still has a nice bow. Well, the bow is long gone and Daba is now a brownish pink color. You can barely see his checkerboard pattern anymore, but Akemi can still tell it's him.. She just smells his ears and she can tell. If you've ever read the story of Knuffle Bunny, you understand the relationship between Akemi and Daba.

Here's Akemi shortly after she turned 1. Now that she was more mobile, she dragged Daba along wherever she went. I have more stories about Daba that I'll share a little later.

So even though we are releasing this image at Easter, you don't have to use it just for that. To me it's something I can use year round and also in my scrapbooking.

So now that you know a little about Akemi and Daba, you'll understand why this is my favorite image! I want you to have a chance to win this stamp too, so here's all you have to do:

Publicly follow this blog if you haven't done so already.
Leave a comment on THIS POST by 02/29/12 11:59pm HST.
Just for fun, tell me if you had a favorite toy you couldn't live without.

I hope once you get Akemi, she will become your favorite image too! Good Luck!

Coming Soon- Release #6!!!

2012-02-22T00:00:00.000-10:00

Can you believe that we are at Release #6??!! It seems like we just started selling stamps a month ago, but now we are at our 6th release! I know we are still around in large part because of all of you out there, so just wanted to say "Arigato" before I show you our Release #6 images...

So I'm sure you have already peeked at these kiddies already no? Well formal introductions start tomorrow, so check back soon to get the scoop on these characters.

Oh and don't forget... each Introductory post will include some candy, so don't forget to enter! See you soon!

Happy Valentine's Day!

2012-02-10T00:00:00.000-10:00

Can you believe that Valentine's Day is just around the corner? Just got back from my trip and Valentine's day is in my face! Luckily, I made this project using Miyako before my trip, so I have this to share with you now!

When I made the Keitaro candy bouquet, I had already made this one using Miyako. I really wanted to make a pink one and thought Miyako would go better with pink and Keitaro with the red. Found these pink puffy styrofoam hearts, butteflies and heart lollipops. Then I added in my homemade flowers (SU Sizzix die) and Hershey Kiss rosebuds. To make Miyako stand out a bit, I cut a doily using my Papertrey Ink doily die and added the Tim Holtz Paper Rosette die and mounted Miyako to that. Even though everything in this bouquet is pretty much pink I like the way it turned out.

Here's a close up of Miyako-chan.

Hope you do something fun for Valentine's Day! Be back soon to tell you all about Release #6!

Have a Fan-tastic Day!

2012-01-27T00:00:00.000-10:00

Oh Aunty, you really outdid yourself this time! This card is right up my alley. I love the pink sakura stamp by Hanko on the Dreamweaver fan stencil. As I've said before, I just can't seem to do stencils, so anytime anyone uses stencils I'm so impressed. I know, everyone says how easy it is, but I struggle with it and can really appreciate how nice they come out.

Again, the sentiment was printed from her computer. How perfect is that sentiment for this card?

And here's Yoshimi...

Wow- what a showcase! Thanks again Aunty for all your inspiration!

Miyako Heart Fold Card

2012-01-26T00:00:00.000-10:00

Now this card is quite impressive. When I opened this one up I was surprised at the mechanics...

See- it opens up quite nicely! Aunty also gave me some templates to play around with- Thanks Aunty!

She also punched a lot of flowers to decorate the card. I love these flowers- the petals are heart shaped too! And here's a close up of Miyako...

Woah- we are almost done with Aunty's cards! I have one more to share tomorrow.

Love You!

2012-01-25T00:00:00.000-10:00

Meet my all time favorite Keitaro card! When I saw this one, my jaw hit the ground. I had such a hard time figuring out how to make Keitaro's hat look like newspaper and eventually gave up and just colored it in gray. I like Aunty's hat so much better! She paper pieced the hat by stamping a Hero Arts kanji stamp called Chinese Dragonfly. The kanji was small enough to make it look like the hat was a folded up newspaper!!! She totally accomplished what I was trying to do. Now that I think about it...I also have a small kanji stamp by Poppy Stamps. I bought awhile ago and never used it since I thought the kanji was too small. Now I need to dig it out of my stash to use it on Keitaro!

I also loved the washi paper (again) behind the vellum. If you look closely, the washi is actually boys day type items that work perfectly with Keitaro. Again, she shows you that you can use these Valentine's stamps all year round! Here's a closer look at that hat!

Still more to come!

A Dance Of Happiness...

2012-01-24T00:00:00.000-10:00

I was doing the dance of happiness when I saw this card! I think Aunty out-did herself this time. I love the look of vellum over washi- it really softens the look and lets Yoshimi stand out. Now why didn't I think of that? I will file this in my memory for future cards.

I asked her where she got that cute sentiment from... she told me it was from the computer! Yay! That means I don't have to go hunt it down - I can just print it up myself. How easy!

And do you like her mizuhiki? I've never really tried mizuhiki- it intimidates me. She assured me that this one was a simple knot.

And here's a close up of Yoshimi. Can you tell that she blended pink with purple Copics?

Thanks again Aunty!

You're In My Thoughts...

2012-01-23T00:00:00.000-10:00

I gotta say, I love this card from Aunty Jan! It's so simple, but the small touches make all the difference. The heart Miyako is holding was paper pieced using washi paper. She placed it perfectly- I love the placement of the sakura! The flower you see is from the Tim Holtz flower die. I got me the other one, but I think I should get this one too since it has two sized flowers on one die.

This sentiment is my favorite part of the card... so perfect yah? Can be used even for non-Valentine cards! The sentiment is by Hero Arts and is called "In my thoughts". Don't you just love the baker's twine bow too? Adds just the right touch. So well balanced!

I've got tons more to share.. be back again soon with another Aunty Jan creation.

With All My Hearts

2012-01-22T09:02:00.000-10:00

Met up with Aunty Jan this month and she surprised me with a bunch of new samples! She told me she was so excited about this release and thinks it has something to do with the fact that all the images are named after her family. I'll be sharing her cards throughout the week, so check back regularly to see what else she came up with...

First up is Keitaro... I just love the composition of this card! She always seems to find just the right balance of color and interest. The sentiment is by a company called Darcie. It matches so perfectly yah?

And I love the detail in the hat. I think she said she used the masking technique.

Thanks Aunty!

On another note, none of our blog candy winners from this blog have responded yet. If you are one of our winners for Release #6, please respond by Tuesday. Thank you! Hope the rest of your weekend is great!

Release #5 Winners!

2012-01-16T21:29:00.002-10:00

I know you've been patiently waiting for the Release #5 Blog Candy Winners- thanks for being so patient! Here they are:

Miyako: Scrapper al
Keitaro: Brenda
Yoshimi: Lysa

Congratulations to all the winners! Please email me at sistertampsllc@gmail.com with your mailing address. And if you entered into Debi's Candy, please check her blog here... to see if you've won! Thanks for playing!

Also, our New Year's winner did not respond yet... Vera Yates- please email me to claim your prize. If I do not hear from you soon I will choose another winner.

Psst... our retailers now have the Release #6 image previews! You can check with your favorite retailer for more info. We hope you think they are "egg"-stra special!

Yoshimi Lantern

2012-01-14T00:00:00.000-10:00

It's Release Day! Yay! We finally made it! Before I share my last Release Week sample with you, I just wanted to thank Nadine joining us this month and making some awesome samples! Thanks Nadine! And of course, my CBFF Debi! Thanks Debi- you rock!

For my last project, I decided to give you a break from all that Valentine's Day stuff and treat you to a Girl's Day project. I bought this Lifestyle Crafts die (formerly Quickutz) and thought it would work nicely with our images. Since I cut the body out of vellum, I was able to make it a real lantern! Decorated it with some Island Scrapbooking sakura die cuts for some interest. To contrast the pink in the lantern, I decided to paper piece Yoshimi's kimono using red washi paper. After I was done, I lit up a battery operated tea light and placed it in the lantern so that it would illuminate!

Here's a close up of Yoshimi...

I also thought you could make this lantern into a cute treat holder. See how I replaced the tea light with some goodies?

And to make sure the goodies don't fall out, I created my own bottom by cutting small 1/2" strips and taping them to the inside of the lantern.

Now your lantern treat holder is good to go! Makes a cute girl's day favor too!

I hope you enjoyed all of our new releases! Can't wait to see what you guys do with the new images! Enjoy!

Candy Bouquet

2012-01-13T00:00:00.000-10:00

Thanks again for joining us for more Release #5 fun! Today I have a Keitaro project to share with you. While shopping at a local craft store, I found all kinds of Valentine's day goodies and couldn't resist snatching them up. But what to do with them? They were very bulky, so obviously I couldn't really use them on a card, so I put my thinking cap on and came up with this... I made a candy bouquet out of a metal pail. To hold all the sticks in place, I used a small styrofoam ball and hot glued it to the bottom of the pail. Then all you do is start sticking all of your sticks into the ball! Here I used some heart sticks which I think they use for floral arrangements, butterflies, hershey kiss roses, and heart shaped lollipops. Then I colored up Keitaro and attached him to my heart nesties and then onto a chopstick. Since he was the focal point, I decided to stick him in the middle.

I don't know if you can tell, but I wrote on his hearts "Be Mine". You can customize your message up to 7 letters. How fun is that?

We have one more day of release fun tomorrow! Don't forget to check out Nadine's and Debi's blogs for more fun!

Miyako Love Coupons

2012-01-12T00:00:00.000-10:00

Before we get into the project for today, I wanted to announce who our Guest Designer is for this release! This special lady's work caught my eye with her awesome coloring skills and sense of style. I'm always checking out everyone's Sister Stamps creations to see what you all come up with, and was awed at her creations. Check out who our Guest Designer is here...

As you can probably tell, I've been on a crafting vacation since the holidays and had to get back in gear to make some samples just for you! To get me in the mood, I went shopping and found some oh so cute Valentine's day stuff to play with. Do you like my little heart shaped gumball machine? Akemi LOVES gumball machines, and got a Hello Kitty one for Christmas this year. She claimed that was her best present this year. This gumball machine reminded me of her.

What you see here is another take on the toilet paper roll mini album. Yes, I've been watching all those Youtube videos on how to make one and put my own spin on it by changing it up a bit and making it into a coupon book instead of a mini album. When I was young, I used to always make coupon books for mom once I figured out that I could give her something without spending a lot of money. I don't think she ever used any of her coupons, but I'm sure she got a kick out of it. My husband made me one when we were still dating. I wonder if those coupons are still valid? So when you pull on the tab, the coupon comes out. I guess I cut the card too small, so it kept falling out of the toilet paper roll. To hold it in place, I attached a brad to the tab, then used the brad to hook the coupon onto the cover.

Here's the second page... I just punched out some harts out of kraft cardstock and stamped them with my new Hero Arts conversation hearts clear stamps. I love this set! I had my husband in mind when I came up with this coupon! If you read the part below the nap it states that it "Excludes doggie interruptions". My dog Kiki will seek out anyone who is napping and snuggle up against you.

Here's the last coupon... My daughter is really really really into board games right now. We started with Monopoly, then Clue, and she just got Yahtzee, so we are learning how to play that now. I didn't realize just how fun Clue is! Can you believe me and my husband never played that game before?

Well, hope this has inspired you to try out the toilet paper mini album for yourself. Its really easy to do! And don't forget my girl Debi... she has some cute samples to share with you too! Check back tomorrow for more fun!

Supplies:

Miyako stamp- Sister Stamps
All other stamps- Hero Arts
Tab punch- Stampin Up
Flower punch- EK Success
DP- Bo Bunny
Brads- Stampin Up
Button- PTI
Baker's twine
Binder ring- Office Max
Ribbon scraps

Here's Yoshimi...

2012-01-11T00:00:00.000-10:00

How are you liking our new images so far? Our last introductory post is Yoshimi. Yoshimi is my cousin's middle name and I'm told she is named by my grandmother. I guess my grandmother met a young girl named Yoshimi once and since she was a good girl, she picked that name when my Aunty asked her to give her daughter a middle name. My cousin "Yoshimi" is the mother to "Miyako" and "Keitaro". I thought it would be fun to release the entire family all together.

Although Yoshimi is not a Valentine's day image, I decided to release her since she could also be used for Girl's Day, which is just around the corner (March 3rd). Debi did a nice job on this notepad cover. I like the added fringe she used to accent the piece. When you open up the notepad, there are notepads on both sides. I also love how she used contrasting colors. It makes Yoshimi really pop! Thanks Debi!

OK- you remember how it works right?? Leave a comment on THIS POST and follow the same rules as what's on the Miyako introductory post. This time tell me if you celebrate Girl's Day or not and if you do, what do you do? Can't wait to hear! Check back tomorrow to find out who our Guest Designer is for this release!

Introducing Keitaro-Kun

2012-01-10T00:00:00.001-10:00

You met Miyako yesterday right? Well, meet her brother Keitaro! Keitaro is Miyako's little brother in real life, so I thought it would be fun to do a release with both of their names! I've only met Keitaro once, but I hear stories about him from his Tutu. Hopefully we'll get to see him again soon.

Since so many of you love boy images just as much as girls, we decided to offer up a Valentine's boy image. Don't worry, more boys are on their way... all in good time! For now, Keitaro will entertain you with his ability to cut a paper heart string. Now I've racked my brain to try to figure out how to do one in real life... If I ever figure it out, I will show you one of these days.

Onto the card... Here's another awesome card by Debi (thanks Debi!). I love the look of colored images on kraft cardstock. As you can tell, Debi is a huge fan of Papertrey Ink products as the sentiment, and filigree border die are both by PTI. She topped it off with more baker's twine and rhinestones. Love it!

All this talk about Valentine's day got me thinking about elementary school days (for you Hawaii born- hanabata days) and how we all used to give each other little ATC sized valentine's and learned how to cut out a heart by folding a paper in half. I never understood why you would want to give a Valentine to a boy. Yuck! And why would a boy give one to me? Double Yuck! Aaaah to be young and naive! Now I get it, but I seriously didn't back then. I remember my mom buying me the Valentine's day "kit" to give to all my classmates. I think I ended up only giving the girls cause boys were yucky! ha ha ha ha ha! Plus I didn't want any boy to think I liked HIM! hee hee hee hee hee! Now that I watch the Valentine's Day Charlie Brown episode, I feel bad.. I guess I should've given the boys a Valentine too. Hopefully they got some from their friends and didn't end up like Charlie Brown! (Note: if you do not know what I'm referring to, you really need to buy that DVD and watch it!)

Ok now that I've gone off on several tangents, its time to re-focus and get back to the real reason y0u are reading all of my blabbering... for free stamps right? If you want to know how to enter- please check the Miyako introductory post for the "rules". In addition, tell me your funniest Valentine's Day story. I can't wait to read all about it! See you tomorrow!

Miyako-Chan Is Here!

2012-01-09T00:00:00.000-10:00

Hello Everyone! Are you ready to meet our first Release #5 image? This little girl is named Miyako, after my cousin's daughter. She lives far away, but her mommy grew up in Hawaii and tries to teach her all about our local culture. So even though she lives in the mainland, she has a Hawaiian first name, Japanese middle name, and calls her grandma Tutu! I think that's awesome!

On to the card... my CBFF (crafty BFF) Debi is truly a lifesaver!!! I ran into some issues recently and was running behind schedule in making some samples for our introductions. She put on her cape and saved the day! Thanks Debi! I owe you big time!

While discussing upcoming images on Skype, I asked my sister to think about drawing a little girl holding a heart. Suddenly she stopped, looked up to the ceiling, and said she could visualize the image already- a girl holding an origami heart above her head. I'm amazed she can translate things that we discuss into an image onto paper.

And I just love how Debi translated the image into a Valentine's Day card! Debi used additional stamps from Paper Trey Ink and DP from Imaginisce, along with some baker's twine.

OK- ready to enter to win some candy? Here's the rules in case you haven't played with us before:

Leave a comment on THIS POST to be eligible to win Miyako. Comment by 1/13/12 11:59 HST.
Follow this blog publicly. Sorry, we can only verify public followers. Thanks!
Tell us if you still send out valentines and to who! :)
Tell others about our blog (appreciated but not required to be entered to win).

That's it! Come back tomorrow for another chance to win!

Are You Ready To Fall In Love?

2012-01-08T00:00:00.000-10:00

After a much needed break, we are back with some new images! Yay! I'm sure most of you have already seen these cuties already at your local retailer, but I'm here to do the formal intros this week.. and you know what that means right? Yes! Blog candy is coming your way! So be sure to check back tomorrow for the start of our introductory posts!

Valentine's Day is just around the corner, so we thought we'd give you some new images to play with... and a bonus Girl's Day image that can be used year round! Be back soon!

2012 Calendar

2012-01-04T00:00:00.002-10:00

No, I didn't make this cute calendar, though i wish I could take credit for it! Aunty Jan made this calendar for me and I have it sitting on my computer desk. Now that it's 2012 I can start using it!

The first thing that caught my eye (besides our Lion Dancer stamp) was the stenciled background. I'm fascinated by stenciling since I can't seem to do it right myself. The stencil is called Design in Squares by Dreamweaver and it was done in gold. On the bottom right corner she also stamped a Year of the Dragon stamp from 1141. It reminds me of a chop more than anything else.

Thank you Aunty! I love my calendar!

New Year's Card and Blog Candy Winner...

2012-01-02T22:58:00.005-10:00

Did all of you have a good New Year's? After I read everyone's comments, I was surprised to find out that most of you stay at home and watch the ball drop on TV. You guys seriously need to come to Hawaii for some New Year's Eve- Island Style! I'll admit, before I married my husband, my family didn't celebrate New Year's like other's do, but now that I live in Hilo, it's all about New Year's!

Speaking of New Years... I never got a chance to post this card until now. Aunty Jan gave me this card awhile ago, and I was saving it for a New Year's post... but since I was not home for the holidays this year, I couldn't access all of my photos to post it. She used Kiyoko for this New Year's card.. I love how it looks so sweet with the pink and silver. She told me that the small flower background stamp that she also used on Kiyoko's kimono was from Japan. The sentiment stamp is by Printworks.

And here's a close up of Kiyoko

So I guess you are wondering who won the New Year's blog candy? Vera Yates is our lucky winner! Congrats Vera! Please email me your address so I can mail it out to you. Thanks to all who played this time. Check back next week as we will introduce you to our Release #5 images!

Akemashite Omedetou Gozaimasu!

2011-12-31T17:08:00.003-10:00

Happy New Year! Wishing you and your family a happy and prosperous new year. To celebrate, I'll be giving away a stamp from an upcoming release! It's not necessarily the next release, but something that is planned for 2012. All you need to do is:

1. Leave a comment on THIS post by 11:59pm on 1/1/11 (i.e. Sunday night).

2. Tell me what are your New Year's traditions.

3. Become a follower on our blog (publicly) if you aren't already.

Normally, I celebrate New Year's at home in Hilo. New Year's Eve is my husband's birthday, so New Year's is a big deal for us. This is one of our New Year's traditions... Uncle Roy asks us for our xmas tree, which is normally dead by the time New Year's comes around. (But now that we buy our tress from Home Depot, they don't die as quickly!). We "trim" the tree with some fireworks, and then you can guess what happens.

Don't worry, we are very careful when we do this. This year should be very tame on Oahu... I guess I'll get the Hilo report tomorrow! Happy New Year's everyone! To the gang in Hilo... save some sushi, won ton, and ozoni for me!

Merry Christmas!

2011-12-24T17:18:00.002-10:00

To all of our "Sister Stampers" out there.. hope you have a Merry Christmas!

Release #5 Coming Soon!

2011-12-11T00:00:00.000-10:00

Wow- you must be thinking we went out of business yah? Well, we are just taking a break for the holidays, but wanted to let you in on a little secret... New Sister Stamps images will be arriving in the new year!

Sneaky peeks will begin in the new year, so check back later for some fun!

Wee Memories Challenge!

2011-12-10T14:46:00.002-10:00

Hi there everyone! Hope you are having a great holiday season!! Just popping in to let you all know that Sister Stamps is sponsoring Wee Memories Scrappy Saturday Challenge! We were so happy to be asked to become a sponsor and couldn't wait to see what the design team came up with using our holiday images. Check out their creations here...

Thank you to the Wee Memories Design Team for some great samples using our images!!

Surprise!

2011-12-01T08:18:00.002-10:00

Kris Palakiko from Maui is truly inspiring.. Not only does she take care of her family, but she also runs her own craft business, and takes on all kinds of other projects... including Project Make A Child Smile. This year, Kris decided to help out her Aunty who makes dolls to donate to a local hospital at Christmas. Kris asked her fellow crafters if they would help her out in making 150 cards to accompany each doll... click here to learn more about the project...

So after she put the word out... I thought that giving from the heart should be rewarded.. right? So I secretly contacted Kris to see if I could help out somehow by donating a few Sister Stamps to those that made a donation. We both agreed that in the spirit of the season, we didn't want to promote that there would be prizes to those that give from the heart. We just wanted to reward those that decided to give without any expectation of winning anything. Everyone who made a donation is truly an angel at heart! I just love to hear that our crafting community is so generous! So, as a special thank you, Sister Stamps has donated some of our Christmas images as prizes. Click here to read more about the results of Project Make A Child Smile and to see if you won! A big thank you to Kris and her Aunty for coordinating this special project. I know that everyone's generosity will make a lot of smiles this holiday season!

And The Winner Is....

2011-11-25T05:26:00.002-10:00

Hi Everyone! Happy Black Friday!

Before I head out to go Black Friday shopping, thought I'd let you all know who won our Thanksgiving blog candy...

Creative Grammie!

Please email me at sisterstampsllc@gmail.com

Congratulations! Have a great weekend!

Happy Thanksgiving!

2011-11-23T15:59:00.003-10:00

Just wanted to wish all of you a Happy Thanksgiving! We are thankful for a successful launch of Sister Stamps and for all of you who have embraced our images!! As a Thank You how's about some thanksgiving candy? Just make sure you are publicly following our blog, post a comment on this post and if your name is picked, I'll send you a stamp of your choice!

Please enter by 11:59pm HST on Thanksgiving Day- 11/24/11 and I will pick a name from everyone who entered and qualifies.

Last One!

2011-11-17T00:00:00.002-10:00

Ok- you must be sick of these magnetic boards by now right? This will be the last one for now... again using some of my new washi from Japan here and added Kiyomi this time. After I made this, I decided to re-do it and add in a strip under Kiyomi and personalized it for a blogging friend. I hope she liked it!

Thanks for sticking with me through all these craft fair posts!

Magnet Fishing

2011-11-16T00:00:00.000-10:00

Ok, so I couldn't come up with a clever title for this post. :)

I love pastel washi paper and got a pastel rainbow of them while in Japan. This green one was one of my faves since it also included sakura. The gold waves in it reminds me of water, so I thought Yoko would match well- like she's fishing in a pond. Decided to color her up in pink this time instead so that she would pop.

One last board to share with you tomorrow!

Nobu Notes

2011-11-15T00:00:00.002-10:00

For a little change, I decided to try adding in "notes" to the bottom of the magnetic board. That way the recipient will know what its for right? This time used Nobu on some dragonfly washi paper (again from Japan). I'm glad I bought this washi, even though its pastel, I can still use it for boy stuff. Plus I like the look of asian dragonflies. I used use asian dragonfly prints all the time when I used to sew (yes, I used to sew many moons ago).

Anyway, thought I should add in a boy magnetic board in case someone is looking for a boy version.

Magnetic Personality

2011-11-14T00:00:00.000-10:00

So I saw this idea for a mini magnetic board at Cute Stuff on one of my Oahu adventures. They sell these 6x6 metal sheets at the store and have them especially cut. Now I wish I didn't tell you since you'll probably buy up my supply!

Decided to cover some of them using washi paper and what images go better with washi than ours? Oh yes, let's talk about the washi for a minute... I have a weakness for washi paper. I brought back so much on my trip to Japan that I had to hand carry it on the plane since it didn't fit in my suitcase! Each print is very special to me and I hate cutting up a nice full sheet of washi, but I told myself that no one is enjoying it when it just sits in my office/craft room, so I should use it right? I shouldn't hoard right? OK- so I finally cut some and thought that this project would be good to use it on since its likely that the recipient wouldn't throw it away. This thought made me feel better about using it on my project. Sick, I know. Besides, I need to make room for more washi right? hee hee hee...

So I punched some holes and added some grommits and ribbon. Then it was time to decorate. Since this washi is so sweet and pretty on its own, I decided to keep it simple and just add in Ayako. I chose her since she looks like she's using her umbrella to protect her from the shower of sakura.

Oh yah, added in some magnets made by mounting some marbles on them. Don't know if you can see, but I glued mini sakura laser cuts by Island Scrapbooking under the marbles since that's the only think I could find that fits.

I have a few more magnetic boards to share using Sister Stamps so check in soon.

Yoko Calendar

2011-11-13T00:00:00.000-10:00

I only made a few Sister Stamps calendars for my upcoming craft fair. I'm waiting for my re-order to arrive so I can make more. This is the last one I came up with so far... Decided to use Yoko this time since she's bigger than some of the other images and would fill up the space nicely.

Here's a closer look at Yoko...

Supplies:
Yoko- Sister Stamps
Gold- Smooch
Red cardstock- Bazzil
Washi- Hanko designs
Binder rings- Office Max
Coasters- Papertrey Ink
2012 calendar
Ribbon

Peace Man

2011-11-12T00:00:00.000-10:00

Sorry about the image quality, but I'm still learning how to use my new camera. Thought I was smart by waking up early to utilize "natural" light, but it's been so darn dark lately, that that plan didn't work and I ended up having to use my flash anyway.

So I fell in love with this background paper and felt it screamed Nobu. I guess it reminds me of bamboo for some reason, so I dressed Nobu in green so that he would match. Embossed the peace kanji in gold on black paper this time and added it next to Nobu for some interest. Sorry, I guess I forgot to take a close up!

Supplies:
Coasters- Papertrey ink
Binder rings- Office Max
ribbon
2012 calendars
Nobu- Sister Stamps
Peace kanji stamp- Fiskars
DP- SEI

Happiness Coaster

2011-11-11T00:00:00.000-10:00

I know Kiyomi is by far everyone's favorite image... I guess its cause she's so cute and easy to cut? Anyway, since she's so popular, I decided to make a coaster calender using her image. These calendars are easy to make and a great gift to give friends. I thought she needed something next to her, so I stamped the happiness kanji and punched it out. This particular kanji stamp is by Fiskars.

Here's a closer look at Kiyomi.

Supplies:
Coasters- Papertrey Ink
Happiness stamp- Fiskars
Kiyomi- Sister Stamps
Washi paper- from Japan
Binder rings- Office Max
Red cardstock- Doodlebug Designs
2012 Calendar

Mei Lin Box of Drawers

2011-11-10T00:00:00.000-10:00

Since we are taking some time off from new releases until after the holidays, I thought I'd share some projects I've been working on using past release images. I seriously can't believe that we've had 4 release already! I can't believe we have 13 stamps!

OK back to the project. You remember that Mama made this awesome box-of-drawers right? Well, I loved it a lot and had try it out myself. I decided to use Mei Lin since I haven't inked her up in awhile. Her pinwheel makes me so happy.

And here's the box when its opened. This project makes me think of those japanese lacquer boxes, so I did my best to replicate one by using my favorite gold cardstock and a black base. Do you like mini gold dew drops I added for the drawer pulls? I think it helps to complete the look.

If you click on the link above, it will take you to Mama's post, who then takes you to Shirley's post (Hi Shirley), who then takes you to the originator of the instructions I used. I ended up modifying it a bit so that the boxes fit better in the box, but otherwise its the same. I originally saw this type of box at Photocraft on Oahu. Their version is made using chipboard, so it would be much sturdier than this one. Enjoy!

Blog Candy Winners- Last Chance!

2011-11-04T00:14:00.002-10:00

Well, we have two Blog Candy winners that have not responded yet.. One from Debi's blog candy and one from this blog. If you are a winner and have not responded yet, please email me at sisterstampsllc@gmail.com by tonight (Friday, 11/4/11). If I don't hear from you by then, I'll be picking another winner. Thanks!

To the rest of you that did respond, I'm mailing out your goodies later today. Thanks!

Quiet Cold Winter

2011-11-03T00:00:00.000-10:00

Here's another fan made by Aunty Jan. I really love the look of this fan. Its so wintery and makes me feel like curling up in my bed with a warm blanket. The kanji on the right side of the boy is the kanji for winter- which is just perfect. I love how she stamped it in light blue too- not too overpowering and lets the image stand out. The other sentiment next to the girl is a Hero Arts stamp about winter. I love how they coordinate so well together.

Here's a close up of Shimo-san and the two kiddies. She even outlined the image using the same light blue... it really makes the image pop.

Finished it off with some punched snowflakes by Martha Stewart Crafts. It also has a hook to hang the fan as an ornament or on the wall and the back is covered with washi. Thanks Aunty!

Supplies:
Shimo-san: Sister Stamps
Winter kanji- Design in Squares
Winter stamp- Hero Arts
Snowflake punch- Martha Stewart Crafts
Copics
Washi paper (on the back)
Stickles

Happy Holidays

2011-11-02T00:00:00.000-10:00

Hope you enjoyed all of the samples for our Release #4 images. Thanks again to Debi and Leanne for all your help!

I was able to visit with Aunty Jan last weekend while visiting Oahu, and she gave me a couple more samples. She decided to cover up a fan she bought at a local craft store using our holiday images. Shown here are Yuki and Setsuna wishing you a Happy Holiday. To decorate the edge of the fan, she decided to make little presents all around the border. She told me she punched and cut out different sized rectangles and squares to do this and added ribbon, baker's twine and punches to decorate each present. Such a cute idea! You can't tell from this photo, but there's actually a hook where you can hang the fan up on the wall or on your tree.

Here's a close up of her Santa...

And sweet Yuki...

Supplies:
Yuki and Setsuna- Sister Stamps
Happy Holidays sentiment- Stampendous
Fan- Flora Dec.
Ribbon
Baker's Twine
Copics
Not shown- Washi paper on back

Release #4 Blog Candy Winners!

2011-11-01T18:43:00.002-10:00

OK, I know you've been waiting to find out who won our blog candy for the Release #4 images, right? I got my DD to pick names and here's the winner list:

Kiyoko: Jenny V.

Lion Dancers: Annie's Creations

Firecracker: Linda

Congratulations Ladies! And thank you to everyone who entered! We are so happy to be getting such a great response to these images. Hope to see what you all come up with soon!

Winners- please email me at sisterstampsllc@gmail.com with your mailing address. Congratulations!

Oh yah, and if you entered Debi's blog candy, don't forget to check her blog for her winners!

Li See Envelope Tutorial

2011-11-01T00:00:00.000-10:00

It's Release Day! Yippee! It's our last release for 2011, but don't worry, we'll have some fun new designs next year.

Just wanted to share the instructions on how to make the li see envelopes I featured in yesterday's post. Since I couldn't find a tutorial online, I thought I'd share this with all of you!

Supplies:

8 1/2" x 4 1/2" red paper
6 3/8" x 3 1/4" red paper
double stick tape
Your favorite Sister Stamps New Year's Release Image

Tools:

Paper trimmer
Scoreboard
Scissors
Corner rounder punch
Copics

Directions:

Score 8 1/2" x 4 1/2" paper with the 4 1/2" side at the top at 1/2" on each end.
Turn paper so that the 8 1/2" side is at the top and score at 1" and 7 3/4".
Cut off all corners on score lines.
Trim edges at slight angle to reduce bulk (optional)
Fold on all score line. Use bone folder for good crease.
Use the corner rounder punch and round the corners of the 1" flap. This will be the opening of your envelope.
Apply double stick tape to the two long flaps and adhere the 6 3/8" x 3 1/4" paper on top.
Apply double stick tape to the bottom flap (flap where corner is not rounded) and seal.
Stamp and color Sister Stamp image and adhere to front of envelope.
Embellish as desired.

Thanks for all the great feedback on this release! And thanks to our Guest Designer, Leanne Poe and of course Debi!

Li See!

2011-10-31T00:00:00.002-10:00

Are you excited? Only one day left until Release Day! Just wanted to thank Debi and our guest designer- Leanne for all their awesome samples. Hope they've inspired you to get going on some New Year's projects or at least keep them in the back of your mind until you are ready to start making them.

Although I'm not Chinese myself, my cousins are, and I spent a lot of time with them growing up. I remember receiving Li See (or Lai See) packets for Chinese New Year or any other occasion. Li see packets are red in color since its considered to be lucky and normally have gold because red and gold usually mean wealth. And don't quote me but I read somewhere that "Kung Hee Fat Choy" means Good Luck and Prosperity, or something to that effect. So with all that New Year's info in my brain, I thought it would be most appropriate to make my own li see packets featuring our new images!

First up is the Lion Dancers image. My favorite corner die cut is from a Sizzix border die set. This one looks so asian to me, so I incorporated it into this project. I also used my Hero Arts Prosperity kanji stamp since you give li see to give them wealth/prosperity right? I embossed the image using black embossing powder on my favorite gold cardstock. Look who's back!

And here's a close up of those dancers...

Next up are the firecracker kids... Since this image is pretty wide, I decided to turn the packet sideways so that they would fit better on the envelope. For this one, I kept it simple and cut the kids and firecracker string out. Used the label die by PTI and embossed it using my cuttlebug embossing folder for some texture. Added on Island Scrapbooking's new "Kung Hee Fat Choy" sentiment. Don't know if you can tell, but I also added some gold glitter stickles to make it look like the fire crackers were popping.
Here's some close ups of the girl and boy.

And my last li see packet features Kiyoko. I used another stamp from that Hero Arts set- this time used Happiness. Embossed the gold background strip using the same Cuttlebug Embossing folder as the previous packet. Decided to paper piece Kiyoko's kimono using washi paper. Cut out Kiyoko and added some gold stickles to her sparklers to make them sparkle.

Here's a close up of Kiyoko...

Hope you enjoyed my li see packets! Don't forget you can pick up your new stamps tomorrow (11/1/11)! And there's still time to enter into our blog candy giveaways. Go back to each introductory post for this release for your chance to win by 11:59 pm HST (tonight).

Much Happiness!

2011-10-30T00:00:00.002-10:00

Back with another card to share for our countdown till our Release #4 images are available. Did you get to check out our Guest Designer Leanne Poe's project? Well, we're continuing the fun today with more inspiration for you..

After working with so much red, black and gold, I thought I'd change it up a bit for my next card. Went with more gold, white and black colors this time around. Here's the front of the card- used my Hero Arts Happiness sentiment stamp again. It looked pretty plain, so I added in some gold cord and made my own tassel out of it. Then added in some ivory cherry blossoms from Wild Orchid Crafts. These are a staple in my collection- I use them on so many projects, but they are extra perfect for asian themed cards.

Oops, can you see the mistake I made on the inside? I'm sure you all can, but it was too late as I had already taped down the pop up portion. duh. Oh well, back to the card. I just got this pop up die and wanted to use it. I swear there's no more thinking needed to make pop ups anymore! This die has two pop up slits cut out of the base, so it was perfect for my firecracker kids. Since I needed to cut them out in order to pop them up, I had to figure out what to do with the firecrackers themselves. Ended up cutting them out and stringing them on some gold cord and hanging it from the washi paper. Added some gold stickles around the firecrackers to make it look like they are popping.

And here's a close up of the two kiddies. I paper pieced their clothes using some scrap washi and that gold cardstock. Her ribbons were colored using gold smooch.

Took this photo to just show you the die itself since its hard to tell from a front view photo. Now you can see that they are really popping out from the background.

So don't forget to check out Debi's and Leanne's projects for today! Back tomorrow with our final peek!

New Year's Fun

2011-10-29T00:00:00.003-10:00

Yay- its time to reveal our Guest Designer for this release! We were very lucky to get this "Groovy" gal to help us out at the last minute... Click here to see who we are talking about... I'm sure she'll have some fun surprises up her sleeve! Oh yes, and don't forget my CBFF Debi's blog to see what fun she's been working on..

And now for my card for today... This card took quite awhile to put together. I worked on the front but it looked kinda plain, so I distressed the edges using my weathered wood distress ink. It seemed to still lack something, so I finally decided to add a subtle hint of bling by stamping over the images with a Hero Arts swirls background cling stamp.. Yup, just stamped right over those kids faces. Then got my trusty gold mica powder and applied it all around the images so that the gold would not get on their faces. I like how it came out. I guess you can't really see it in this big photo, but I think you can tell on the close up photo.

The borders were punched with a MS crafts border punch on my favorite gold cardstock and then layered again with a red cardstock. Here's the close up... Oh yes, added in gold glitter stickles again to make it look like its popping.

And here's the inside of the card... Do you like my lion dance puppet? I think he needs a name... Maybe you can help me come up with one...

So the reason this card took forever was also because I could not for the life of me find my old old old fireworks stamp. I have a feeling I sold it at one of the rummage sales. So I checked out my local craft stores and couldn't find any there either. I guess I'm working off season. So I jumped online and found this awesome fireworks stamp by Stampendous. Its a large cling stamp- it only fit on my largest acrylic block, but it was good to fill up the black space behind the dancers. Because most of my card was made and I was just waiting for this stamp to arrive, I had a hard time stamping the fireworks. Some of the image didn't stamp well since it was going on several layers, so I ended up filling in using my Versamark pen. This was the first time I used that pen and it was just what I needed to fill in the gaps.

After stamping the fireworks with Versamark, I applied some gold glitter embossing powder and red glitter embossing powder to the fireworks. To achieve the effect of multi colored fireworks, I would only apply the glitter to a portion of the fireworks and tap off the excess, then apply the next color, etc... Then it was embossing time... If you've ever tried to emboss glitter embossing powder, its very tricky. The look doesn't change much like regular embossing powder does, so you really have to watch and make sure you are not burning the paper. I hold it up to the light while I'm embossing and you can kinda see some of the glitter glistening every once in awhile- that's my cue to move my gun around to another section.

I used the Sizzix scallop circle pop up die to make the dancers pop out. These dies make pop up cards a breeze! Finished off the card with a gold layered on red "Kung Hee Fat Choy" sentiment by Island Scrapbooking.

Here's a close up of the dancers. I dont' think you can tell, but I put some white fun flock to the lion's furry parts (around his face). I also used my favorite gold smooch to add some gold touch ups to his costume.

Phew! That was a long post! Now you know why this card took me so long to make! Plus it didn't help that I made it backwards!! ha ha ha! Oh well, hopefully you learn from my mistakes!

Don't forget to check out our Guest DT and Debi's posts for more inspiration!

Sparkly Kiyoko!

2011-10-27T00:00:00.000-10:00

Everyone's played with sparklers before right? Well, when I was young, I was chicken..(I mentioned that in my last post) and did not like those jumping jacks since they always seem to attack me! So the safest thing for me to play with was sparklers. Sad times yah? It makes me happy that my daughter is fearless and plays with whatever is available, from when she was young. Sparklers are very boring for her, but I still enjoy them!

Kiyoko is my mom-in-law's japanese name. We always have New Years' at Grandma's house, even when I was young, it was always at my Grandma's, so I thought it was fitting to name this image after my daughter's grandma. New Year's in Hilo is very special for me. Not only is it New Years, but New Year's Eve is also my husband's birthday, so many of our friends and family stop by my mother-in-laws house to wish him Happy Birthday. Even those that we do not see very often seem to make it for a little while to say hello. Plus Hilo is FREEZING around New Year's time, so everyone is bundled up in the cold, playing firecrackers. New Year's will be very dull once we can't buy firecrackers anymore! I'm sure the other New Year's traditions will be remembered, but oh how we will miss that smell of smoke on New Year's Eve!

Here's the card I made using Kiyoko... I must admit that this is the second card that I made for this introductory post. The first one was made in a rush and I just wasn't happy about it, so I decided to try again. This time I made it into a shaker card! I haven't made one of these in ages because I hate the foam tape and what it does to my scissors. Well, I lucked out this past weekend and found a roll of thin foam tape at a local craft store on Oahu while visiting. That was a good find! Made making my shaker card oh so easy! I cut the circles from my new Sizzix wafer thin dies that are larger than my Spellbinder set and a great size for Sister Stamps images.

I guess the stickles I used on the sparkers wasn't quite dry yet, so all the microbeads were sticking to it. The frame was made using my MS punch set on my favorite gold cardstock. Topped it off with some red cherry blossoms by Wild Orchid Crafts. Here's a close up of Kiyoko...

I made this into an easel card, so here's what it looks like when the card is opened. I chose one of my new labels from the Labels #3 Spellbinder set. It had an asian appeal to me, so I thought it matched. The sentiment is from a Hero Arts set that has a great variety of sentiments for all occasions.

That wraps up our introductory posts for this release! Check back soon for more samples of Release #4 images and our Guest Designer reveal. Oh! And don't forget to post a comment on THIS POST (follow rules on Firecracker introductory post) and tell me where you go to celebrate New Year's.

Supplies:

Kiyoko image- Sister Stamps
Cherry blossoms- Wild Orchid Crafts
Microbeads- MS Crafts
Punches- MS Crafts
Stickles
Smooch
Labels #3 die- Spellbinders
Circle dies- Sizzix
Oval die- Spellbinders
New Years Sentiment- Hero Arts
Swirl background stamp- Hero Arts
Gold mica powder
Foam tape
Cardstock- Bazzil

Lion Dancing!

2011-10-26T00:00:00.004-10:00

Welcome to our second day of introductions for Release #4! Today I have a pop up card to share with you using our new Lion Dancers image. We felt that the crafting world was lacking Chinese New Year images and what is more Chinese New Year that a Lion Dance??? But this image is not only for Chinese New Year... I know we often celebrate special occasions with lion dances like weddings, baby showers, etc., so you might find that this image comes in handy for other special occasions too.

I remember being scared of the lion when I was young, but I was always a scaredy cat... even now. But now that I'm older, I love watching lion dances! I love how everyone gets so happy when they see the lion approaching and how kids will run up to the lion to give it money. Businesses also welcome the lion as it brings good luck and fortune. Normally an offering is made in a li see (red envelope) along with some lettuce and fruit/veggies. In Hawaii, we also incorporate Lion Dances at weddings and baby luau's where the bridal couple/baby & parents will give the lion an offering which is suspended from a pole.

On to my card... First, here's the front of the card. I guess I was a little tired of using red and gold and decided to change it up with some purple.

Here's what the card looks like when its opened. I added in two red pockets to hold the good luck money that is normally given for New Year's. It is normally given in red li see packets, so I thought I'd better make them red. The die used to suspend pop out the dancers is an old Sizzix XL pop up die.

And here's a close up of the dancers. See how they stand up in the card?

Don't forget to check in tomorrow for our last introduction. And don't forget to leave a post on THIS POST to be eligible to win this stamp. See the Firecracker kids introductory post from yesterday for the other requirements to be eligible to win. Oh, and this time tell me about your favorite lion dance memory. Good Luck!

Kung Hee Fat Choy!

2011-10-25T00:00:00.000-10:00

Happy New Year! Or at least start getting ready for the new year! Today marks the beginning of our introductory posts for our Release #4 images! Yay! First up are the Firecracker kids. I really really wanted an image with firecrackers and sis really delivered with this stamp. In Hawaii, New Years is a big thing, no matter what race you are and fireworks are a BIG part of it. But now that the laws have changed, I'm sure the next generation won't know all the fun we had growing up! Poor things yah?

Since these images are more Chinese, I went with my favorite red, black and gold color scheme. This washi paper reminded me of firecracker paper, so I thought it matched well. Also used one of my new favorite Spellbinder dies to mount the kids on. This is actually a cut down version of the stamp. I decided to cut out the kids and firecracker string, but the stamp image also contains bursting fire crackers and paper in between the kids. Since I had cut out the paper and sparks, I decided to make my own sparks using gold glitter stickles. Oh yah, and can you tell I tried out Amy's Superhero hair technique? Thanks Mama for the blue Copic!

And do you likey the inside of the card? By special request, Island Scrapbooking now makes these "Kung Hee Fat Choy" sentiments. They work really well with these new year's images, don't 'cha think?

Oh yes, can't forget the other stuff I used... embossing folder is by Cuttlebug- came in a set with other asian embossing folders. And the die used behind the words is by Papertrey ink.

Are you ready to enter to win some candy? OK here's the rules again:

Follow this blog publicly (we are not able to confirm if you follow privately and you will not be eligible to enter).
Tell everyone about our new releases on your blog (appreciated but not required to enter).
Tell us what your favorite New Year's memory is!
Leave a comment on THIS POST to be eligible for the Firecracker stamp. Please post your comment by 10/31/11 at 11:59pm HST.

Release #4 Images Revealed...

2011-10-24T00:00:00.000-10:00

Wow- can you believe how fast October is flying by? It's already time for our reveal of the Release #4 images! Yes, yes, we have some New Year's images coming up on 11/1, which should give you plenty of time to create all those New Year's projects. I have some special projects to share with you this week so check back to see all the fun. Plus I have another special guest designer helping us out this month, so stay tuned to find out who it is...

Merry Christmas!

2011-10-17T00:00:00.000-10:00

Just wanted to share another card using the holiday stamps before we start getting into the New Year's ones. I bought this Cherry Lynn doily die in Honolulu and wanted to use it on something. You'll need to run it through your machine more than once but I'd say the results are worth it. I love the intricate lines it forms- makes it really look like a doily! Had this colored up Setsuna waiting on my desk to be used, so I added him the front as the focal point.

Here's a close up of St. Nick...

And here's the inside of the card... I FINALLY used my Sizzix 3-D tree die I got last year after Christmas. It was really easy to put together and the results are awesome. Now I wish I got the snowman one too. I placed Yuki next to the tree by attaching her to the tree itself.

And finished it off with a sentiment. Layered the Merry Christmas (Island Scrapbooking Laser Cut) onto some Spellbinder labels that I used as tags. Because it looked rather plain, I added the ribbon and holly branch.

Have a great week!

Sister Stamps Mobile

2011-10-12T00:00:00.000-10:00

When I got my hands on these awesome Sakura dies by Lifestyle Crafts (formerly Quickutz), I had a vision of this project. Its amazing how sometimes the image in your mind actually comes to life (and sometimes it totally bombs!). Anyway, since the sakura die has 5 petals, I thought I could hang something from each petal.

Here's the result...

My only concern was stability. Because paper is so flimsy, I was worried on how to stabilize the sakura so that it wouldn't bend or curl. Finally I saw this tutorial on the Papertrey ink blog that explains how to layer chipboard. Since the dies are wafer dies, they won't cut through thick chipboard, but they cut fine through my old cereal boxes. So I harvested 2 boxes from our recent shopping trip and they worked perfectly! After cutting several layers, I adhered them together and then cut out a red sakura for each side. Then smaller sized sakura in washi paper to add to the red sakura.

After adding each girl. I decided to add some beads to help with balancing out the mobile. In between the longer strings, I added in the smallest Sakura die cut. I just love how it turned out!

Here's close ups of each girl.

So I hope you enjoyed this project! If you were inspired to make a mobile, let me know so I can check it out!

Washi paper- Hanko designs
Sakura dies- Lifestyle Crafts

Dropping You A Line...

2011-10-11T00:00:00.000-10:00

Included in my stack of goodies was this card... To thank Aunty for all her help, I had given her a gift card to one of our favorite stores... Vera Bradley! She sent me this thank you to tell me how much she loved her new bag. I gotta say that I love how she colored up that bow! I've been too intimidated or maybe I just forget to try to blend using 2 different colors. I think she did a great job. And I also love the layout of this card. So clever to have Yoko's line hold the sentiment.

Here's a close up of Yoko-chan.

Thanks so much Aunty! I love this card!

Friendship is Precious

2011-10-10T00:00:00.000-10:00

Isn't this bridge just amazing!? I just love it when cardmakers incorporate a scene into their cards. Being that we are such a new company, we don't have accessory images (yet) and there aren't a lot of asian themed images we can use. So what do we do? Improvise! Here Aunty Jan used a Colluzze Cutter to make her bridge. I'm not familiar with that product, but I sure what to learn how this was done? I'm guessing you could probably get a similar result by using your nestibilities and some "i"'s or exclamation marks!

Here's a close up of Yoko.. I just love her kimono coloring!

The sentiment on this card "Friendship is Precious" is acutally a Hero Arts stamp. Thanks for all the great cards Aunty!

New Yuki Winner...

2011-10-08T06:13:00.002-10:00

Hey Yuki fans... it appears our winner didn't respond, so I'm pulling a new winner for the Yuki stamp. The new winner is:

**CrEaTiNgWiThAlOhA** said...: How adorable is she....My fav. present was the dolls....christmas will be my fav. holiday it is when i am a year older....TFS...liann

Congratulations Liann! Email me at sisterstampsllc@gmail.com with your mailing address by 10/12/11. Thanks!

Birthday Ayako

2011-10-07T00:00:00.000-10:00

I gotta admit, when I saw this ek success punch on the shelf, I didn't like it. I thought it was busy and I'd probably never use it. But then Aunty sends me this card and I love it! Now I gotta go find me that punch! The texture from the punch really added something to the background of this card. I love how she punched gold and layered it onto red cardstock.

Oh and did I mention those little flowers? I believe they are from a hand punch and she added in stickles for the middle.

The sentiment is by Amuse Art Stamps. Love this card!

Just For You

2011-10-06T00:00:00.001-10:00

The last time I went home, Aunty asked me to teach her how to blend using Copics. So we had a play date and I taught her what I know (which isn't much). When I saw this card I was so impressed with her coloring! I love how she colored up Nobu's kimono and hair. I think she did a great job!
We saw this embossing folder while craft shopping together. It didn't catch my eye, but it sure caught Aunty's and now I know why! That folder sure made a cute background for Nobu's playful spirit! And here's a close up of Nobu...

BTW, the sentiment is by Hero Arts and the embossing folder by Darice. Thanks Aunty for this cute sample!

More Miyono

2011-10-05T00:00:00.001-10:00

Hi There! Did you get a chance to pick up your Release #3 stamps yet? Well, as I was hard at work on Release #3, Aunty Jan sent me a box of samples of Release #2 images before she went on her trip.

I love this card featuring Miyono. It's too bad my camera didn't pick up those tiny flowers on the left. They are really cute! Aunty says they are by Orange Closet, guess I'd better find me some! The background she used was origami paper and she topped it off with baker's twine by the Twinery.

Here's a close up of Miyono...

Check in soon for more samples of Release #2 by Aunty!

Blog Candy Winner?

2011-10-04T22:13:00.002-10:00

Paging Kitty, paging Kitty... we have not heard from you yet to claim your blog candy prize. Please email me at sisterstampsllc@gmail.com by Friday, 10/7. If I do not hear from you by then, I will pick another name. Thanks!

The Joy of Setsuna

2011-10-04T00:12:00.002-10:00

So you already saw my Yuki joy fold card right? Well, it was so fun making the joy fold card, that I decided to do it again with Setsuna. I made a bunch of these cards and sent to some of the retailers as a shop sample. I love how this kind of card allows you to use a bunch of coordinating patterned paper together.

Be back soon to share some cards made by Aunty Jan using our 2nd Release images.

Release #3 Blog Candy Winners!

2011-10-01T08:29:00.002-10:00

Before I get into who won, just wanted to let you know that I read all of your comments and loved hearing about all your fond Holiday memories! One last one I wanted to share with you that I forgot to share earlier was when I asked my mom how Santa got into the house since we did not have a chimney. Without even a flinch, she told me that Santa has a pocket sized elf that enters through the keyhole and unlocks the door for Santa. Sheer Genius! I spent many nights thinking how cool that must be to have a pocket elf!

Ok enough blabbering...Are you ready to find out who won our blog candy giveaways? Well, wait no longer... here's the list of winners:

Setsuna Winner:
Mette: "He's just adorable and looks like a happy "Santa" :). My favorite memory of the holidays is always the same- my kids opening up their presents. Hugs, Mette"

Yuki Winner:
Kitty: "Super Kawaii- Yuki is fabulous! My favorite gift was a complete Little Tykes kitchen set. Oh how I loved those yellow appliances!"

Shimo-san Winner:
Patricia: "great card and great stamp super cute minnie and mickey. =)

Blog Follower Winner: Entire set of Release #3
Sunflower Sue

Facebook Winner- Entire set of Release #3 images
Gail Woo

Congratulations to all! Thank you to everyone who entered! If your name was selected, please contact me at sisterstampsllc@gmail.com with your mailing address. And don't forget to check Debi's blog for her candy winners!

Release #3 Now Available!

2011-10-01T00:00:00.001-10:00

Woo Hoo! We made it to our third Release Day! Can't believe its finally here. Hope you all enjoyed all the fun samples using our holiday images.

While you are out picking up your new stamps today, don't forget to ask your favorite Sister Stamps retailer to see the new Release #4 images, which will arrive on 11/1/11. Here's a sneaky peek to tempt you... Can you guess what they are?

Yup! We have some New Year's images on their way soon!

We'll be announcing the blog candy winners soon, so please check back if you entered. Also, don't forget to check in later for more samples of our past releases and introduction posts for our next release. And we've finally hit 100 followers for our blog and over a 100 for our facebook page! This is cause for celebration! I will be picking a lucky winner from each group to win the entire set of Release #3 images. Thanks for liking us! Check back later to see if you won!

Let It Snow!

2011-09-30T00:00:00.000-10:00

Is everyone excited? Tomorrow is release day and you can finally get your hands on our new holiday images! Yay! Got one more card to share with you today using Shimo-san (and his friends)... Found this old Doodlebug snowflake paper in my stash and thought it would be fun to incorporate it in this card... I guess I was getting tired of the red, green, and white color scheme. The sentiment used is from an old TPC clear set and the snowflakes were punched using my MS crafts punches. This is the front of the card...

And here's the inside! I decided to brave trying out the pop-up stage card (click here for tutorial). It was a bit challenging on figuring out the placement of the images, but after a 2nd try, I got them to fit in the card properly. I won't even tell you what my first one looked like!

The sentiment is another handy dandy laser cut by Island Scrapbooking. I just love how these little sentiments make cardmaking so easy! And I'm sure you recognize those trees in the background no? They are the pine tree from the Critters in the Woods Lawn Fawn set. I paperpieced the trees together so I wouldn't have to color them.

Here's a close up of the trio. Using this background paper allowed me to color up the image using fun bright colors.

I hope you enjoyed all of our sneak peeks this week. A big MAHALO to Amy Young for all her help with this release! Thanks Amy! And as usual, thanks to Debi for all of her creative samples! OK- last chance to enter all of our blog candy giveaways! Make sure you follow the blog candy rules to be eligible. I'll post the winners later this weekend. Good Luck!

T'was The Night Before Christmas

2011-09-29T00:00:00.001-10:00

So after I made yesterday's card, I had a vision of another card...

This card reminds me of the T'was the Night Before Christmas poem, or maybe the "Grinch Who Stole Christmas?". Anyway, I really really really wanted to somehow make Setsuna peeping out from the chimney. So after doing some altering, I was able to make him fit into the fireplace opening! Then I added Yuki, who came down to check her stocking and found it full. It was so much fun using the two images together.

Here's a close up of Yuki...

And here's a close up of Sestuna peeking out from the fireplace...

Don't forget, there's still time to enter into our blog candy giveaway! You have until 9/30/11 at 11:59 HST to enter. For more info, check out our introductory posts (Setsuna) and post on each introductory post to be eligible for each image. Good Luck!

Naughty or Nice?

2011-09-28T00:00:00.000-10:00

I have to admit, I used to always get worried when Christmas time came around... That's when mom used to bust out the whole... better be good or Santa won't come routine. The whole reason why I was worried is because one year the Easter Bunny never showed and I was told it was because I was naughty... so after that, I always worried if I was good enough to get something from Santa.

I guess that was the inspiration for this card I'm sharing with you today. I used one of my Lawn Fawn alphabet sets to spell out "Naughty or Nice?" since I've never seen any regular stamps with this sentiment. You notice Setsuna has not filled the stockings yet right? I think he's trying to figure out if all of them should be filled or not! BTW- the fireplace and stockings are also Lawn Fawn stamps- can you tell I like using them? They seem to always work so perfectly with our stamps. For some fun, I decided to use some patterned cardstock for the "carpet".

Here's a close up of Setsuna.

After I made up this card, I got inspired to make another one using this same image. I will share this other card with you tomorrow. See you then! Don't forget to check out Debi's and Amy's blogs for more holiday fun!

Are You Liking Us On Facebook?

2011-09-27T19:35:00.002-10:00

Happy Tuesday Everyone!

More of our Release Week posts to continue tomorrow... just thought I'd pop in now and remind everyone that we have a facebook page set up for Sister Stamps. If you like us on facebook, you just might be surprised with some candy! Oh... and whenever I stumble across some Sister Stamps samples out there in blogland, I link them up so you can check them out too!

Hope you are enjoying the sneaky peeks so far... Did you guys go check out Debi's and Amy's posts yesterday? They are totally fabulous!

And don't forget to enter for chances to win all of our blog candies... check out the introductory posts for Setsuna, Shimo-san and Yuki on this blog and check Debi's blog for more candy opportunities.

Check back tomorrow for more samples!

The Joy of Yuki

2011-09-26T00:00:00.000-10:00

Can you believe its Release Week already? Before I get into my card to share, I wanted to tell you who our guest designer is for this release... Any guesses? Well, this individual posted several times, so I knew she was interested in our images, then I saw her post a card using Mei Lin and Mei Li and I knew I had to ask her to help us out. I've been a HUGE fan of Amy Young's work since I stumbled on her blog a couple years ago. Earlier, I posted about a couple of tutorials she made using our stamps. Hope you had a chance to check them out! Thanks Amy for helping us with this release... we can't wait to see what you come up with! Oh- and don't forget to check out my CBFF (crafty best friend forever) Debi! I'm sure she has some surprises up her sleeve too!

On to the card... I've always liked the look of a Joy Fold card but never found the time to make one. I finally made one using Yuki for one of my Christmas Card classes. It was so simple to put together, I can't believe I didn't try this earlier! Decided to change it a little by adding a scallop circle to the front flap so the card wasn't so angular. Then I added a ribbon and roses for a little bit of embellishment.

Here's the card when it's open. So fun and easy!

Did you remember to enter into our blog candy giveaways? If not, there's still time- go to our Introductory post for Setsuna and check out the rules. You can post once on each introductory post for a chance to win. Oh- and Debi just might have some candy to share as well.

And Last But Not Least... Shimo-san

2011-09-22T00:00:00.001-10:00

Don't laugh, but we did something a little silly with the name of this image. While searching for a good name on the internet, I decided to look up Frosty... as in Frosty the Snowman? Anyway, I believe the word "shimo" means frost, so my husband said, why not call this image "Shimo-san"... as in Mr. Frosty. I could be wrong though.. I'm sure someone will correct me along the way.
So here's the front of the card... In a minute you'll see why the focal point is a paper samurai hat....

Ta daaaaa! Here's what the card looks like when its opened. This type of card is called a pleated center pop up card. For the tutorial click here. I love this type of card as it allows you to make your images stand up when the card is opened and laid flat. I added some punched snowflakes (Martha Stewart Crafts) and made them float by adhering them to some acetate strips. Since they are strong and clear, it helps my snowflakes to float around the kids. The large doily that the sentiment is stamped on is by Papertrey Ink.

And now you see why the paper samurai hat on the front? Yes, the boy is placing this same hat on Shimo-san's head! :) Here's a closer look at the image.

Hope you enjoyed our introductory posts! We have a surprise guest designer joining us for this release so check in next week to see who it is! Before I forget, if you want to win Shimo-san, remember to post a comment on THIS POST (and follow the rest of the blog candy rules on the Setsuna introduction post) and also tell me if you've ever seen falling snow. Before this year, I never did and it was always a dream of mine to see it. I finally got my wish when we went to Japan this past March and I was estatic! I must've been the only fool taking photos in the falling snow, but I didn't mind. Coming from Hawaii I wasn't going to pass up a photo op of falling snow!

Dug up a photo from my trip... cute yah? The day it snowed we went to Tokyo Seas (2nd Disneyland park in Tokyo) and found these mini Mickey and Minnie snowmen!

Meet Sweet Yuki...

2011-09-21T00:00:00.002-10:00

This sweet little girl is Yuki. I love Yuki. In fact, I think she just might be my favorite image thus far. You can really tell how much she loves everything she got in her stocking!

Yuki means Blessing/Snow, and I thought that would be an appropriate name for this little girl. Don't you? She really really really reminds me of my sister at Christmas time. My sister LOVED Christmas. I did too, but not as much as she did as a child. Whenever I see this image, it totally reminds me of her and a story I hear almost every year around Christmas time. My mom knew my sister wanted a Barbie dream house for Christmas. Well, times were not so great and back then, and a Barbie dream house cost a pretty penny. If I recall correctly, mom scrimped and saved and finally had enough to get it on Christmas eve. I think it was the last one left at the store too. She told me it was worth every penny to see the look on my sister's face on Christmas morning. Hey... how come I never got that Barbie dream house as a hand me down??? I just realized that... hmmmm....

Anyway, back to the card. As you can see I used my favorite layout of circle, washi strip on the side and sentiment on the bottom. I guess that really is my go-to layout. As you can tell, I colored her up before I got brave enough to try Mama's hair coloring technique.

Now for a closer look at Yuki and what's in her stocking... I LOVE LOVE LOVE that puppy dog. He is just the cutest! And, did anyone have that toy in her stocking? I remember my brother and sister brought that back from Japan . I could never do it back then, but I remember watching my brother play with it a lot. Wish I found one on my trip earlier this year! Guess I have to add that to my list for next trip. Oh yes, and not to forget the sentiment and banner stamps are by Lawn Fawn (my favorite).

Ok, by now you should know the drill right? If not, refer to yesterday's introductory post on Setsuna for the blog candy rules... Oh, and let me know what your favorite Christmas present was as a kid. I'm dying to find out! I remember one year it was a cash register. What does that say about me huh?

Here Comes Setsuna!

2011-09-20T00:00:00.000-10:00

Setsuna (or calm snow) is the first of our Release #3 images. He was actually my brain child as I love Santa images and suggested the idea to my sis. I have a soft spot for Santa's and love how she incorporated Santa into our line. I really didn't expect any holiday images for this year, but once she sent them to me, I knew we had to squeeze in an extra unplanned release this year.

Found this washi paper in red and green and thought it would be perfect for a Christmas card! Teamed it up with a laser cut sentiment by Island Scrapbooking and the card was pretty quick to put together.

Can't wait to hear what you think of our little Santa boy, so if you would like to win Setsuna, here's the rules:

Post a comment on THIS POST by September 30, 2011 11:59pm HST.
Become a follower if you aren't already- please follow publicly so we can verify you are a follower.
Tell me what your favorite holiday memory is.

Check in tomorrow to meet our next image!

Release #3 Images Revealed...

2011-09-19T00:00:00.000-10:00

Wow- September is really flying by! Can't believe it's already time to reveal our next set of images due out on 10/1/11.

My sis sent me these images during the summer and I was so excited, I could hardly contain myself! Maybe it's cause I've been playing with the Release #1 and Release #2 images for about a year now, so these holiday stamps were a breath of fresh air and so exciting to incorporate into holiday projects. Can't wait to start sharing some of the samples with you soon. Please check in for introductions of each image this week.

Coloring Tutorials

2011-09-05T00:00:00.001-10:00

I know some of you've been asking me about coloring tutorials for hair, but believe me I'm not an expert. Plus I'm camera shy (I'm more of a behind the camera than on camera personality). So, I asked my dear blogging friend Amy Young if I could refer those of you who want to learn how to color hair with your Copics to her blog(s). She posts fabulous video tutorials on Youtube and the Color Me Copic blog that she regularly contributes to. This blog has great information/suggestions on colors to use for all types of skin, hair and other questions you may have. She also posts great information and projects on her personal blog: A thousand sheets of paper.

She even featured Sister Stamps in a Sepia coloring video and Super Hero black hair video (Thanks Amy!). Check out the card she made using the image from the tutorial here.

I've linked up all these blogs so just click away to see all of her great tutorials. Did I mention that Amy also has her own stamp line called Sweet November Stamps? So not only is she a talented paper crafter, but she is also an artist! You need to check out her new fairwees if you haven't already- they are so cute!

For those of you who live in Hilo, I will probably do a hair coloring class once my schedule frees up (like maybe next year?). In the meantime, enjoy Amy's videos!

Squeezing One In....

2011-09-02T00:00:00.000-10:00

I told you we had some surprises in store for you! We are squeezing in an extra release (Release #3) scheduled for October 1st!

Check with your favorite retailer for a sneak peek at our Release #3 images (See sidebar for list of retailers and links to their sites). Be back later this month to tell you more about it!

2nd Release Blog Candy Winners!

2011-09-01T16:48:00.003-10:00

Did you get a chance to check out the other eye candy on Debi's and Mama's blogs? If not, please take some time to visit- you won't be disappointed!

And now to take care of some business.. You all want to know who won right? Here's the winner list:

Ayako: Debbie ("Your stamps are beautiful! I have searched for asian stamps for my daughter's adoption albums...")

Yoko: Kate

Nobu: Jeni

Miyono: Allison

Congratulations to all the winners! Please email me your mailing address at sisterstampsllc@gmail.com. I will be traveling this weekend, but I'll get your goodies out early next week.

To everyone else who played... thank you for all your sweet comments! I love getting feedback from all of you- so thanks for taking the time to enter.

And for another surprise... I decided to giveaway a whole set of Release #2 to one lucky random facebook friend! Login to our facebook page to see who won! As a reminder- like us on facebook and you just might be surprised!

Stop by tomorrow for another surprise!

It's Release Day!

2011-09-01T00:00:00.000-10:00

Woo hoo! Made it through the week and now you can pick up your Sister Stamps Release #2 images! I have one last sample to share with you today... Used Ayako to try out a new technique. I'm not quite sure if I did it correctly, but thought I'd share it anyway since I was so intrigued when I first saw it... You will notice that Ayako looks like Ayako but somehow looks different... can you guess why?

Here's a close up so you can see her better...

Yes, I stamped her in a light color- I think it was a "sand" color in momento ink before coloring her up. This was a challenge, especially when coloring in her dark hair. I think the effect is neat and reminds me of watercolors. I think I definitely need to practice more though...

I don't know if you can tell, but I used the new Sizzix scallop pop up die and cut it using acetate, so you could still see the washi paper underneath it. Just got these the labels #3 Spellbinder die set recently and used it for the sentiment. The Arigato sentiment is by Island Scrapbooking and matches this card perfectly.

Don't forget to check out my girls Debi and Mama for their last Release #2 projects! Just wanted to thank Mama for being an AWESOME guest designer for us! Thank you so much for all your creative projects and inspiration! And also to Debi for all your help with store samples and blog samples- you rock!

And to all of you bloggers out there... hope you liked our Release #2 images! Can't wait to see what everyone comes up with!

I will be back later to announce the winners of my blog candy... good luck to you!

Miyono Notepad

2011-08-31T00:00:00.000-10:00

Woo Hoo.. only one more day! It's almost here! I really can't wait to see what everyone does with their new stamps.

Don't forget to check out Mama's and Debi's creations for today! You won't want to miss out on all the great ideas and inspiration they come up with.

I have another non-card project today. Saw these jr. legal notepads sitting on my desk collecting dust, so I thought I would decorate one using Miyono. Remember how I told you I had only a few layouts that I turn to all the time? Well this is one of them. Long strip on one side and circle w/image inside overlapping it. Sad yah? I guess I should check out those sketch blogs for more ideas.

Anyway, picked up this washi paper while in Honolulu at the last Rubber Stamp Expo. I must say, it was pretty interesting eavesdropping on customers as they chatted about Sister Stamps. I learned a lot that day and am grateful to get such honest, candid feedback.

Back to the project. You probably can't see from this photo since the watermark is blocking it, but I did stamp the Hero Arts Kanji Poem on the left side of Miyono and dusted it with gold mica powder. Border punch is by ek Success and flowers are by All Natural Accents and Wild Orchid Crafts.

Here's a close up of Miyono. The image was a little too large for this Spellbinder die, so I used the out-of-the-box method of cutting out an image that would normally get cut off by your die. Check out this tutorial if you don't know what I'm referring to.

Be back tomorrow with one more project to share.. Oh yah, and today is your last chance to enter into our giveaway! Please remember to follow our blog publicly so we can confirm you are a follower. Good Luck! We'll be announcing the winners within the next couple days.

Getting Witchy

2011-08-30T00:00:00.001-10:00

Two days and counting! Did you get a chance to see the samples on Debi's and Mama's blogs yesterday? I was blown away by their projects!! If you haven't checked them out yet, you won't want to miss out on their creations.

Ok, I don't always think outside the box when it comes to layouts or themes. In fact, you will notice that many of my cards often have the same layout cause I get hooked on it and can't visualize anything else. So this card was a real accomplishment for me!

As I was thinking about Yoko one day during my lunch break, it suddenly came to me that I could have something else dangling from her fishing pole... but what? Then the creative juices started working and I thought...I know.. she could be dangling a ghost from her pole! Then I thought, it didn't have to be a ghost, but practically any Halloweenish thing. Then I thought... I should make her look like a witch!? The challenge was finding a witch hat, which of course makes you a witch. So I searched through all my dies and found an old Sizzix die that had a witch hat, broom and shoes. The hat was a little big, but with proper placement, I think it worked out Ok. Added the bat to her pole and a few more bat accents (punch by Martha Stewart Crafts). To give the card some color, I added in a couple pumpkin Spellbinders. Finished off the card with the spiderweb boarder punch (my fave) and Happy Halloween sentiment (Island Scrapbooking).

Here's a close up of Yoko the witch. Can you think of other ways to use our images? If so, I'd love to hear what you've come up with! Or better yet, send me the link to your creation!

Don't forget to visit Debi's blog and Mama's blog to see what they came up with!

Nobu Treat Bag

2011-08-29T00:00:00.001-10:00

Are you ready for some fun? The countdown has begun and you only have to wait 3 more days to get your hands on the new releases! How exciting no? Well, to tide you over until you can get them, I have a surprise for you... My CBFF (crafting BFF) Debi will be sharing a few samples using our new images on her blog AND we have a special GUEST DESIGNER this month who will also be joining us for this release. Click here to see who it is...

And now for my project. Decided to make a treat bag today instead of a regular card. Recently picked up this cool die by Papertrey Ink and wanted to try it out. Since the design was not too girly, I decided to use Nobu on it. Love love love this paper by Creative Imaginations as it uses one of my favorite color combos- light green and light blue in an asian theme!

Still practicing that hair. BTW... our Guest Designer has been a major hair influence on me! I think you know by now right? If not, go back to that link and check out who our mystery designer is.

Don't forget, you still have a few more days to enter our blog candy! Go back to our introduction posts for 4 chances to win! Good Luck and see you right here tomorrow!

I Hope You Dance

2011-08-28T00:00:00.000-10:00

I'm sure all of you have heard that song "I Hope You Dance" by Lee Ann Womack. That song came out awhile ago, but whenever I hear it, I always think of my mom. Once when this song was playing on the radio, she told me how much she liked this song and how it's everything she's ever wanted for us (her kids). While telling me about this, she starts crying (oh yah, that's another thing about my mom... she gets caught up in the moment and will cry uncontrollably). I guess I never gave it that much thought until I actually sat down and listened to the words. Now that I have a daughter, I understand what she meant.

OK back to the card... the reason why I brought up that song is because this card reminds me of that song. I guess its cause Aunty embossed the word "Dance" on the flowers... Or maybe its cause she used the Miyono stamp? Either way, it reminds me of that song, which reminds me of mom. Miyono does look like she's ready for the obon right? But I'm pretty sure that's not the kind of dancing my mom was hoping we'd do. hee hee. I know, I know, its just the concept.. thought I'd throw in a little joke to lighten the mood.

By the way- love the DP she used (by Creative Imaginations). Alphabet stencil is by American Traditions. Thanks Aunty for all the great samples! Check in tomorrow for a SURPRISE!

Be Happy Everyday!

2011-08-27T00:00:00.004-10:00

I was thrilled to see this card in the stack from Aunty. True story... I was at a local craft store with Aunty one day and we were looking at samples. I pointed one out to her with the same look as the bamboo in this card (American Traditional Stencils) and told her how much I liked it. She looked at me and said (very humbly I might add), that she made that card and that she actually taught a class on how to do it! But when she told me that it involved stencils, I cringed since I'm not really a stencil fan. After giving it some thought, I asked Aunty if she would teach me how to do this technique anyway.

So on another visit home, she came to my mom's and brought all her supplies, and taught me how to do this technique. It really wasn't that hard, so I'm not sure why I hesitated so much, but believe me... my card did not come out as nice as her's did. So, I leave this to her and pray she gives me cards using this technique. I guess that all that praying worked cause now I have one! Thanks Aunty! I like the sentiment on this card cause this card makes me Be Happy Everyday! (Hero Arts)

Got one more Aunty Jan card to share tomorrow so stop by to check it out!

Aunty Ayako

2011-08-26T00:00:00.003-10:00

It's Aloha Friday! Finally! Man, these non-furlough weeks are killing me! Time to celebrate by sharing another card using Aunty Ayako. Aunty didn't know I was going to name a stamp after her and she was so happy when she found out that it was this one. She said this one was one of her favorites.

I love that washi paper she used! Its so perfect with the parasols in the background. Again, she cut out a Spellbinder and used the negative image to create a frame for Ayako. Mental note to me- try using this technique in upcoming cards.
Here's a close up of Ayako. Can you see all the little flowers she added as accents? Yet another thing I probably wouldn't have thought of doing. Man, I gotta take notes already!

Can you believe you have less than a week to enter our blog candy giveaways! Make sure you did to be eligible! I'm throwing in some other goodies too, but its a surprise.

Good Luck Yoko

2011-08-25T00:00:00.002-10:00

Happy Thursday! Oooh, just realized that in exactly one week, you'll be able to pick up your new Sister Stamps! Woo Hoo! I can barely contain myself! I am anxious to share a surprise next week with you and also see what you all come up with with our new images.
Here's another Release 2 card to share with you by Aunty. She kept this one clean and simple... just my style! Sometimes all you need is something simple to say what you want to say. Yoko is great for simple cards since she is larger than our other images and fills up most of the A2 sized card.
Aunty added a "good luck" sentiment by Savvy Stamps. Ok, I'm not up to speed on Japanese culture and history, but I'm pretty certain that the crane has something to do with luck. Don't we all fold crane after crane for weddings, Yakudoshi's and other celebrations? I guess I'd better go look that up before everyone comments about me being wrong. Hee hee hee.

See ya tomorrow with another card!

Fan-tastic

2011-08-24T00:00:00.004-10:00

Received a whole bunch of samples in the mail today from Aunty. I just love getting fun mail! Here's one of the cards she sent... Its Miyono-chan dancing in the middle of a Spellbinder frame. I love how she used the negative image to frame Miyono. I never remember to do that and always end up just mounting my image directly onto the die cut. I'll have to remember to use that technique in the future.

I think its really cool that she included fans in this card. I've received comments on Miyono that she looks like she should be holding a fan. I guess Aunty felt the same way and added in some small fan accents. I love her attention to details as I would probably not remember to decorate the fan itself. I think she even inked up the fan to give it some depth and dimension. You can't really tell from this photo, but the fans are embossed (Dreamweaver stencil).

Check back tomorrow for another creation by Aunty. Don't forget to enter into our blog candy(s) on each introduction post! There's still time to enter before the deadline!

And Finally... Miyono!

2011-08-22T00:00:00.002-10:00

I found out that Miyono is a very uncommon name. I tried searching Japanese names and couldn't find it. I think my Grandparents made it up when they named my mom. I like it because its unique, just like my mom. I don't know how she does it, but my mom can start up a conversation with anyone. I mean anyone! She can be in line at a store, on the bus or on the plane and she'll make friends. In fact, she asked me to bring back cookies from the Big Island to give to her friend who rides the bus... someone she met on her ride to work. She also made friends on the plane ride over to Hilo when she came by herself. By the end of the flight, she knew all about the person's family, where they were from, where they worked, etc.

I like this stamp because she is easy to color and easy to cut out! You will like working with her, just as everyone loves working with my mom! As my mom gets older, she has uncovered her inner child and now has an affection for cute things such as Hello Kitty (I think that's where I got it from!) and BLING! I don't remember my mom really wearing anything with bling on it until she got older. Now she loves it! So since Miyono is named after her, I thought I'd throw in a little bling on this card just for her.

Here's a close up of Miyono... I'm still practicing that hair!

Here's your last chance to win our new release candy. If you didn't already enter the other 3 candies, don't forget to do so by 8/31/11 11:59pm HST. You need to post a comment on each post to be eligible for each stamp. We will pull a winner from each of the 4 image introduction post, so there are more chances to win. Don't forget to post a comment on THIS post for your chance to win Miyono. Oh, and tell me something about your mom!

Good Luck! And check back soon for more surprises!

Supplies:

Miyono stamp- Sister Stamps
Washi paper- Hanko Designs
flowers- Wild Orchid Crafts
Cardstock- Bazzil
Crystal flourish- Prima

Here Comes Nobu!

2011-08-18T00:00:00.002-10:00

Hooray! Our first boy image is finally here! Yes, we have our first boy all because of you! On one of our first posts, we asked you what you wanted to see from us and the response was overwhelming! So my sister got to work and produced more y chromosomes just for you. Nobu is the first of our boys and was not originally planned for our 2nd release, but we couldn't wait to introduce him to you, so I slipped him in.

Nobu is named after my only nephew- or "Baby Z" as his Mommy calls him. Its funny, cause whenever I picture someone named Nobu, I picture an old Japanese man, not a toddler. Baby Z was actually named after Grandpa K., so I guess it is a name from an older generation. This image is so fun and carefree, kinda like Baby Z. I like how my sister put that toy in his hand. Did you ever have that drum toy? It looks like the one from Karate Kid 2 (ok if you don't know what I'm referring to, please go netflix that movie and then come back and finish reading this post).
Here's a close up of Nobu. I've been studying the hair on Mei Lin from the card that Mama gave to me. I'm slowly figuring it out, but not quite there yet. This is the first time I'm coloring up Nobu and it was so much fun! Its nice that his hair is short and not so time consuming as some long hair can be. He is making me hungry for some Tomoe Ame candy or Tomoe Arare!

Don't forget to leave a comment on THIS POST for a chance to win Nobu. In addition to the regular rules listed on the Ayako post, tell us what other types of boy images you would want to see.

Supplies:

Nobu stamp- Sister Stamps
Washi paper- from Japan
Circle die- Spellbinders
Cardstock- Bazzil
Dew Drops

Pocket Lady

2011-08-17T00:00:00.000-10:00

Hi Bloggers,
OK- since no one so far knows what Pocket Lady is. I guess our school was the only one that had such a thing? Anyway, dug up some old photos from my daughter's 1st b-day party. Aunty Arleen agreed to be our Pocket Lady that day. Borrowed the Pocket Lady smock/apron from my BFF Les, who used it for her nephew's 1st birthday. We were both amused that no one else knew what Pocket Lady was but us.

As you can see, the smock has a lot of pockets sewn onto it. The idea is Pocket Lady has goodies hiding in each pocket, kids give her a scrip and can pick which pocket they want the prize from. Prizes are normally small toys or snacks that are not gender specific. They were normally junk toys, but we were happy to get anything. For the record, these pockets were huge! I don't remember Pocket Lady's pockets being so big. I also remember her having a lot more pockets to choose from, but you get the jist.

When my friend Les used it for their party, she said they had one Pocket Lady for kids and one for adults. Adults got those mini bottles of booze- Maybe that's why they needed the pockets so big? Better not get those two Pocket Ladies mixed up huh?

Here's Aunty Pocket Lady with my niece. I think it was the perfect thing for kids that attended- since most were about 1-2 years old, so we had to think of stuff that they could do. Instead of a clown (which I'm deathly afraid of) or magician, we did our own small games and activities. In addition to Pocket Lady, we had a fishing game, decorate a frame and get your photo taken, and filling your party hat with pennies (Checkers and Pogo anyone?).

So now you know what Pocket Lady is? :) I just couldn't let you go another day in suspense! Ha ha ha! Check by Thursday to meet another of our new releases.

Meet Yoko...

2011-08-15T00:00:00.003-10:00

Hi Everyone! Are you enjoying the sneak peeks so far? I have another gal for you to meet and she's not the girly girl type. Meet Yoko- she's named after my sister-in-law, who is the only girl I know who enjoys fishing. I know there's more of you out there, but she's the only one I'm related to. Guess its in her blood.

Instead of catching fish, Yoko is busy playing with an origami crane. I'm not sure why, but this reminds me of those fishing games we used to play as a child at our school's fun fair. I think they are now called carnival day, but when I was a small kid, it was called fun fair. Since we are on the subject... I just want to know... was our school the only one that had a pocket lady???? I find that really hard to believe, but I found out when planning my daughter's 1st birthday that no one else knew what the pocket lady was. If you know what that is- please let me know. I'm dying to find out if it existed beyond Enchanted Lake Elementary. (Les and Laura- I know you guys know).

OK back to the card... Here's a close up of Yoko... and for those of you who know a bit about Japanese names, you might think Yoko means "beautiful child", which it does, but in this case I found out from my mother-in-law that the kanji used in my sister-in-law's name means "ocean", so her name Yoko means "Ocean child". How perfect is that? I knew there was a reason I picked this stamp for her name!

So now that you've read through this incredibly long post, you deserve a reward! How's about a little candy? Look at the post about Ayako for more details on the rules, but post your comment to enter on THIS post for your chance to win Yoko. Oh- and tell me if you know what Pocket Lady is! Remember, everytime we introduce a new image for this 2nd release, that's another chance for you to win one of our stamps! Good Luck!

Supplies:

Yoko stamp- Sister Stamps
Flowers- All Natural Accents and Prima
Dies- Spellbinders
Cardstock- Bazzil
Washi paper- from Japan

Introducing... Ayako!

2011-08-11T00:00:00.003-10:00

About a year ago, I asked my dear sis to draw some images for me, so that I could make some calendars or other unique crafts to sell at craft fairs. She obliged and came up with some really cute stuff! Ayako was one of the first images she sent me, and I fell in love with her from the moment I saw her. Ayako is actually my Aunty Jan's middle name. We are very very close and very much alike. We both share the love of crafting amongst other things and I can normally count on her to go craft shopping with me when I'm in town. She's even helped me make some samples using Sister Stamps images that I've shared with you on previous posts. Thanks Aunty- you're the best!

I decided to make an easel card using Ayako as the focal point. I love how our stamps fit pretty well in Spellbinder dies, which were used here. I added some flowers to accent.. just love that new spray I got from Wild Orchid Crafts! The other flowers are from All Natural Accents.

Here's a better look at Ayako...

And here's the easel card when it's open. The washi paper I used was the color inspiration for this card. I always feel that a little bit of washi goes a long way, so I only cut a small strip and used it as an accent. I guess the color scheme was somewhat valentine-y, so I went with a heart shaped sentiment to prop up the easel. You can't really see it but the sentiment says "Konnichiwa" which was part of that Konnichiwa set by My Cute Stamps. I love how our stamps work with other asian sets on the market. I bought that Konnichiwa set when they were offering to make a donation to the Japan Earthquake Relief Fund earlier this year.

OK everyone... its Candy time! Here's the rules for all candy giveaways during this 2nd release. Thought we'd spread the love a bit this time and offer up a chance to win each image individually so there are more chances to win!

Become a follower on this blog if you aren't already. We will confirm if you are a follower or not, so please follow publicly to be eligible.
Only one entry per person please. If you post more than once by accident, we will only enter you once.
Post a comment on THIS POST by August 31, 2011 11:59pm HST. For chances to win the other stamps, post on EACH introduction post.
Spread the word (not required but appreciated)!
Tell us about other images you would like to see. (Again, no guarantees... all I can do is pass the word...)

Check in soon to meet the rest of the new releases!

Supplies:

Ayako stamp- Sister Stamps
Heart Punches- EK Success
Washi paper- Hanko Designs
Cardstock- Bazzil
Square and Lacey square dies- Spellbinders
Flowers- All Natural Accents and Wild Orchid Crafts

2nd Release Images Revealed...

2011-08-08T00:00:00.001-10:00

Hooray! Its time to show you our 2nd release images!! I know a lot of you have already seen 3 of the 4 new releases either on my personal blog or on local retailer blogs, but I thought we should do an official reveal here on the Sister Stamps blog....

I told you there would be a surprise! Yes, it's a boy! You asked, we listened. In fact, my sis got very inspired by all the comments left during our last release, and went right to work on some boy images. (That's right, I said images... plural).

Along with our boy-san, we have three little girls that you've been waiting for! Stay tuned for introductions and samples using our new releases! We have some other surprises along the way so check back for all the fun!

Release #2- Coming Soon!

2011-08-01T00:00:00.000-10:00

Hi Everyone! We are gearing up for our 2nd Release and have some surprises for you! Can you guess what we have in store? Keep checking our blog throughout the month for updates on our new releases!

A Card From Eunice...

2011-07-25T00:00:00.000-10:00

Have you ever visited Eunice's blog? If not, please check it out since she has some wonderful creations. I'm constantly inspired by her creations as they are so detail oriented. I can literally spend days looking at her work. This beauty was mailed to me this past week. I honestly couldn't believe she would give this card away! I think if I worked as hard as she did on this card I'd have keep it! I feel so lucky to be the recipient.

I love how she used both Kiyomi and Mei Lin on the same card. I keep forgetting to try that!

Here's the really really cool thing about this card... Love how the tri fold card has circles that line up! I'm pretty sure she did that on her cricut since she is cricut master.

Thank you Eunice for such a pretty card. I will keep this in my Sister Stamps treasure box to remind me of our first blog candy giveaway.

You Gotta Have Friends...

2011-07-24T00:00:00.000-10:00

Everyone knows you gotta have friends right? Well, my CBFF (crafty BFF) Debi is such a great friend.. she made all of these Kiyomi samples to help me out. Although we don't have a Design Team, I guess you could say she is my unofficial Design Team Member. I can't believe she mass produced those cute Kiyomi shadow box cards. Most of them are finding their way to a craft store near you that sells our stamps.

Here's a close up of one of my faves...

Thanks Debi! You are the bestest! Take a break now cause the next release will be here before you know it!

RAK from Mama!

2011-07-23T00:00:00.001-10:00

Can you imagine my surprise when I saw this beauty arrive in my mailbox last week? I saw this card on Mama's blog shortly after the release and couldn't believe she sent it to me! Thank you so much Mama for sharing this special card with me. I found the sentiment so inspiring and will keep this as a reminder of the importance of following your dreams.

Here's a close up of Mei Lin...

And here's what the card looks like when its open. Now I gotta go study how she did that hair!!! Thanks again Mama!

Matching Sisters

2011-07-16T00:00:00.000-10:00

A few months ago, I signed up for a card and tag swap hosted by Joy. Every month, there's a theme for your creations that you swap with other paper crafters and last month's theme was flowers. Since my Sister Stamps came in, I decided to do something with our images and here's what I came up with...

I didn't want them to be too matchy matchy, so I tied them together using the same papers. The gold cardstock by Bazzil is a great alternative to the mirrored gold cardstock that we all love. It matches the gold found in most washi papers, which is why I love using it. Here's a close up of Mei Lin...

And here's a close up of Kiyomi...

You guys are really keeping me busy with Sister Stamps, so I think this will be my last swap for now. We are busy working on the new images for the September release, so stay tuned for some sneak peeks next month.

Supplies:

Mei Lin and Kiyomi- Sister Stamps
Washi- unknown
Gold cardstock- Bazzil
Paper flowers- All Natural Accents
Sakura- Island Scrapbooking
flourish punch- EK success
crystal- Kaisercraft
Ribbon

Kiyomi Christmas

2011-07-14T00:00:00.000-10:00

Just thought I'd share this card I made using Kiyomi in a Christmas card. I thought it might be cool to see if I could make Kiyomi trimming a Christmas tree. Fortunately, the size of Kiyomi was perfect to coordinate with this Lawn Fawn pine tree from their Critters in the Woods set. I stamped the tree on washi paper so that it would look more asian since Kiyomi is wearing a kimono. The background paper is also washi/rice paper (not sure which) that has gold flecks in it. I thought it would make a nice background for the image without competing with the washi from the tree too much. Can you come up with other uses for our stamps? If so, we'd love to see them! Email me at sisterstampsllc@gmail.com with a link to your creation. We'll try to link all referals to our Facebook page.

Here's a close up of Kiyomi...

Supplies:

Kiyomi- Sister Stamps
Stool stamp- CC's Designs
Pine Tree stamp- Lawn Fawn
Cardstock- Bazzil
Washi paper- Hanko Designs
Merry Christmas sentiment- Island Scrapbooking