Do You Filo?

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Here's the other pages- see Yoshimi?

Here's a better look...

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

 And can't forget Daba!!!

Otsu had to make an appearance too...

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

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

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

 And here he is...

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

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

Magnetic Personality

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.

Sister Stamps Mobile

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

Birthday Ayako

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!

It's Release Day!

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!

Aunty Ayako

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.

Introducing... Ayako!

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!

1. 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.
2. Only one entry per person please. If you post more than once by accident, we will only enter you once.
3. 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.
4. Spread the word (not required but appreciated)!
5. 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...

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!