Mieko Cupcake

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

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

Cyndi- Guest Designer

Eva

Linda and her YT Channel!

Debi

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

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

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

Baked With Love

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

Cyndi- Guest Desiger

Eva

Linda

Debi

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

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

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

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

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

Hideo Ichigo Daifuku

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

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

Eva

Linda

Debi

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

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

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

Here's a closer look at Hideo.

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

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

Mochi Pounding Calendar

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

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

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

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

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

Here's a closer look at the image.

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

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

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

Mieko Chan

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

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

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

Here's a closer look at Mieko.

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

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

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

Hideo Kun

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Time for Sneak Peeks!

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

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

Release #18 Winners!

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

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

Rabbit:  Mary-Anne V

Dragon:  Lysa

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

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

Silly Rabbit

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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