Exciting News!!! Sister Stamps T-shirts Pre-order!

Woo Hoo! We are pleased to announce a launch of Denise's T-shirt design! 

This is a limited time offer only and we need a minimum order in order for them to produce the shirts.  Don't delay as this buy is only open for about 14 days.  The shirts come in several styles and colors.  The shirt shown here also comes in maroon and white.  There is also a hoodie, tank top, and women's slim shirt.  You can place your order by clicking on the link below:

http://teespring.com/sparrowgirl

If you live in Europe, there is another vendor you can purchase a similar shirt from.  Please check out their site here:

https://www.teezily.com/thgxntx


Crossing our fingers that we have enough orders!  Thank you to everyone for your support over the years!  So proud of you Denise!!

Release #26 Winners!

Phew!  You don't know how happy I am today.  I was pretty busy today and didn't have a chance to check if our cable is back up until just a few hours ago.  I am so happy.. you don't even understand!  LOL!  I have a new appreciation for internet access now.

OK now that I'm back, thought you all want to know if you won our new stamps?  Here's the winners:

Mitsuyo:  Penny Young
Ai:   Micah's Crafts

Yay!  Congrats you two!  Please email me at [email protected] with your mailing address.  Thanks to everyone for playing and thanks for all the great feedback about our YouTube Channel!

I have a couple more announcements coming up so check back soon!

It's Release Day!

Hey Everyone!
I'm posting from my phone, so this will be short.  Just wanted to remind you that today is Release Day!  Yay!  We made it!

Will try to post the winners of our blog candy soon.

Hope everyone had a safe Halloween!

Step-Ladder Calendar

 Welcome back to our last day of previews for Release #26!  I'm so happy to see everyone subscribing to our YouTube channel and happy to find other YouTuber's out there that use our stamps!

Just wanted to thank our guest designers Christine and T-chan for making great projects!  Thanks ladies!  Check out their channel here...

And don't forget to check out our Design Team's projects:
Debi:
Eva:
Rina:
Rina'sYouTube:

I just wanted to share my calendar project today.  I first saw this basic design at Stamps and Memories in Aiea.  They had a sample of this type of calendar but each panel had one month and you would have to turn the calendar over in July to see the rest of the year. I simplified it since I first started making these and I'm much happier with this design.  Instead of having to flip the calendar over, I just add all the months onto one side.  Here's what it looks like when its hanging.

I decided to separate Mitsuyo and the crane again so that they are dancing on each side of the year.

Here's a better look at the crane...

I hope you enjoyed our previews from this release!  Please check out my video for more information on this project.

Here's the link to my video:

Ai-Chan Easel Calender

 Hello There!  I'm back with more Release #26 goodness.  But before I share my project, let me just announce who our guest designer(s) is for this month!!!  Can't wait to share with you!  Click here to see who it is...

And we have another fun announcement!  We have a new Design Team Member who will be a regular here at Sister Stamps... Check her out here....  and here....

Soooo excited!

And don't forget my old faithful and amazing designers Debi and Eva!  Linda is taking a short break this release but will be back for our next one.

On to my project!  I go inspired by my friend Karen who always makes cute calendar gifts to give away with her Christmas cards.  I think one year she made these easel calendar cards for everyone.  Love that idea!  So I copied her and made one using Ai-chan.

Got the washi paper from Hanko Designs and the 2015 from Island Scrapbooking.

And here's what it looks like when the easel is in place.  It sits up nicely on your desk!

Here's what the card looks like before you open it.

Yay!  I am final able to upload the link directly into my post! (yes, baby steps people).  Watch my video for more info on my project.

 

 

OK peeps.. don't forget to check out our design team and guest designers projects!  See you tomorrow!

It's Ai-Chan!

 Hey Everyone!  I'm back with another blog post.. YAY!  And I'm at an undisclosed location today with an amazingly fast internet connection!  Man... I want something this speedy at home!  Crossing my fingers that our internet connection at home is restored tomorrow.

OK enough about my internet problems.. right?  You want to hear about our next release!  Meet Ai.. our girl taiko player!  She was named after someone that we met in Japan that works at Miyamoto which is well known for their taiko and supplies.  It's definitely my husband's favorite stop whenever we go to Tokyo.  Ai actually lived in Hawaii for awhile and speaks good English, so she offered to translate for my husband when he took a taiko class while on vacation.  She also plays taiko too, so I thought this was the perfect name for this image.

True story:  we did not plan on releasing a taiko girl image.  I remember that after we released our boy taiko image- Yoichi, I received an email requesting a girl taiko image.  I passed that request onto my sister for consideration and she came up with Ai.  Love it!  I think it's pretty cool that there are a lot of girl taiko players.. maybe even more than men!

My project today is a tag that I made featuring Ai-chan.  This tag was cut from a Sizzix set that was in the similar shape of a drum, so I naturally bought it in anticipation for creating projects for my husband.  Though, the shape itself was really long, so I knew I had to cut it down a bit.  I ended up cutting about 1/2" from each end.  I also cut one more of the same size in an ivory color for the skin.  I trimmed that down but 1/4" off each end, and then cut off about 3/4" to make the skins.  The longer edge was cut free hand in a wave-like pattern to replicate the taiko skins.

Here you can see the skins better.  I added on a double row of tacks that they use to secure the skins in place.  This was done using a black enamel that gives a glossy raised look.  I like how it came out.

Finally, I decided to add a sentiment to the tag.  This can be used to give a gift or add to a lei.  The enjoy sentiment is a die from Papertrey Ink that came with other sentiments.  Love the handwriting look of it- looks very asian to me. :)

For more information on this tag, please check out our YouTube Channel.

Please check back tomorrow to see what our design team has been up to and meet our guest designer!

Oh!  And don't forget to enter to win our blog candy giveaway for this stamp!
1)  Leave a comment on THIS POST; and
2)  Tell me what kind of videos you'd be interested in seeing on our channel.

Meet Mitsuyo!

All I can say is "Phew!".  In case you are unaware... I'm suffering from internet withdrawals!  Ha ha ha ha ha!  Yes, I'm addicted to the internet and didn't realize just how much until we lost service this past week.  I thought it was ok until I realized that I wasn't going to be able to post anything for our newest release!

Now that I have temporary internet access (aka Starbucks), I'm able to share at least one project with you.  Please be patient as my posting schedule may be off due to my ability to access the internet.  Let's just pray that I can regain internet access by mid week... (right Oceanic?)

Until then, here's my first introductory post... meet Mitsuyo!  My Aunty's middle name is Mitsuyo and I recently got to spend some time with her earlier this year.  She is awesome!  She is older than my mom but still acts really young. I think this image captures her young spirit!

Let me give you some background on this image...  My sister and I were discussing possible images for upcoming releases.  One of the images we discussed was having a crane image for our growing collection.  She did some research and came up with this cute rendition of the dancing cranes.  Instead of the crane dancing with other cranes, she made the crane dancing with Mitsuyo.  Click here for more dancing crane images...

On to my project... I have been immersed in craft fair prep over the last couple of months.  One of my main things I specialize in is calendars.  Every year I try to make different types of calendars to offer variety.  This is my newest calendar that I came up with this year.  Last year, I made these in a 12" x 12" size.  While I still make those, I decided to add a 8 1/2" x 11" size this year. Although the image comes where the girl and crane are connected in one image, you can always split them up as I have done here...

Here's a better look at the crane.  I accented it's wings with gold Smooch (my favorite for gold accents).

Forgot to mention that the washi paper used is by Hanko Designs... you can find this and a large variety of washi paper on their website.  (Thanks Hanko!)

I have more project shares coming up the rest of this week so check back soon to see my other creations.

Oh yes, and don't forget to check out our YouTube Channel!  Here's the link- please subscribe for additional project information, upcoming release, giveaways and more!  So excited to finally have another way of sharing stuff with all of you!

Here's the link to my project video:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dknC00zZrio

And... if you would like a chance to win our Mitsuyo stamp:

1)  Please leave a comment below on THIS POST; and

2)  Tell me if you've already subscribed our our Sister Stamps Channel on YouTube!?  

Release #26- November 1, 2014

Phew!  Finally made it to a Starbucks (thank you Starbucks!) to do some of my posts!  As mentioned in an earlier post, I'm offline right now at my house, so my posting schedule may be somewhat irregular.  Thanking you in advance for your patience in this matter!! :)

So, I can finally share our new images with you!  Yay!

We are very excited to share these two new girl images with you!  Please check back throughout the week for introductory posts, project shares, guest designers and other surprises!  See ya soon!

Release #26 Coming Soon!

Ok you are probably wondering why there is no picture if the new releases?  Yeah, I'm disappointed too.  I'm having technical difficulties at home and am trying to figure out how to post all the projects and new release info this week!  I may be heading to Starbucks all week just to use their internet.  Right now I'm posting from my phone.

Enough about my problems.  I still will try my hardest to upload something soon, but my posts may not be right at midnight HST.

I apologize for the confusion and hope to be up and running soon!  Thank you for your patience!

Congrats and YouTube?

Helllooooooo Everyone!

I have a surprise for you!  Yes, I've been working up the courage to start my own YouTube channel for Sister Stamps and I finally did it!  Please check out our channel and see if you were one of the winners from our blog candy.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h_hllwohb44

If you won our blog candy, please email me at [email protected] with your name, mailing address, and image you won.  Congrats!

Jenny

Time to Celebrate!

 Hi Everyone!  Hope you are having a nice long holiday weekend!  I'm so glad to have a three day weekened... I really need some rest!  While I go take a nap, you can check out my samples below and see what our DT has been up to.  Speaking of DT.. did you figure out who our Guest Designer is?  Yup!  If you are on YouTube, you probably have come across Ohaijoy!  She has the cutest screen name ever.... O-Hi!-Joy!  So cute yah?  It totally matches her personality too.  We met on YouTube because I loved watching her drawing videos and Aloha Friday chat series.   She is originally from Hawaii but now lives on the mainland.  It's really funny how we can meet and become friends just through social media!  We probably would have never met if she'd never posted videos even though we are both from Hawaii.

So.. go check out her channel here to see what she's done with our images.  Oh and by the way.. she is the panda queen.. that's why I think I was drawn to her too as I love pandas!  Always have... since I was a kid.  She is also a geek and loves Star Wars (esp. R2D2) and if you know my family, you'll know that my husband is Mr. Star Wars, so we have a lot in common.  You'll love her channel as much as I do..

And not to forget about the rest of the DT... We have such a great bunch of creative ladies!  I can't wait to see what they did with our pandas...

Eva
Debi
Linda
Linda's You Tube


And now for my project(s)!  If you've been following me from the beginning, you'll know that I usually create samples for the retailers that order from me. This time I really wanted to incorporate some pocket scrapbooking cards I found by Snap! Although they are met for scrapbooking, I thought the birthday set had some great sentiments that you could use on a card!

Wanted to keep things relatively simple, so didn't add much layers to the cards.  Created my own background on some by using my new Prima Bloom Sprays (which I've been waiting to get my hands on).  For fun, I decided to play with some sequins I bought too.  It's a great way to add fun without too much bulk.

After I ran out of the sprayed backgrounds, I decided to use some scraps.  Since this card could stand against a busy background (by Doodlebug), I thought it was a great combo!  Added in some enamel dots since that seemed to match the card better than the sequins.

And I managed to find a light teal colored card, so I combined it with the pastel colored Doodlebug paper for a fun girly card.

Just wanted to share some simple, easy to do cards that don't take a lot of time to make.  I cranked all of these out in one night.

So don't forget to check out all the girls and enter to win our blog candy if you haven't entered yet!  Happy Labor Day!

Right Around The Corner

 So, earlier I gave you a huge hint on who our guest designer might be for this release... any guesses?  Well, if you are on You Tube or Instagram, this is probably a no-brainer... Check out this panda-maniac on her YT channel here...

 Did you guess correctly?  I'll tell you more about our guest designer tomorrow.  Don't forget to check out the rest of our DT!  They had a little break but are back with some fun new projects featuring our new pandas!

Eva
Debi
Linda
Linda's You Tube

So you are probably wondering about my post title?  Yes... I do realize we are still in August (mind you the end of August), but before you know it, it will be the end of the year and time to bust out your new 2015 calender!  Most of you may not know, but I host a craft fair at my house every year for my crafty friends and one of my biggest sellers are my calenders.  I try to change things up every year since I'm sure no one wants the same calender year after year.  While brainstorming, I thought of trying out something different by using a canvas board as the base.  This one in particular came in a pack of 10 and is 5x7".  All I did was cover the base with some black card stock.

The background scratch mark looking die cut is actually a die by Dee's Distinctively Dies called Lattice 1.  It's quite large, so you need to have a larger base to be used on cards. It cuts nicely too.. I think they have another version called Lattice 2 that I might also need to pick up!  It's so simple but makes a nice background for any asian card!

Again I couldn't resist putting both pandas on the calender!  Here's Ling Ling...

And Po....

The kanji stamp was an afterthought.  I felt like that right hand corner needed something and decided on a sentiment.   Since it was for a calender, I thought Prosperity was a fitting sentiment.

And here's my trusty mini calendars. Makes making calendars so easy peasy!

Oh.. and this 2015 is a lasercut from Island Scrapbooking.  Originally I got them cut for a 12x12 calender, but decided that it would still work on this size too.

And in case you were wondering how that calender would stand up, I decided to (finally) try out my Tim Holtz stand die.  

So don't forget to check out our guest designer and all of the DT!  Be back again tomorrow with one more project share!

Simple Pleasures

 Welcome back!  I have another project to share today before our design team and guest designer join us tomorrow.  Hope you entered to win these two images by leaving comments on the introductory posts!  If not, you still have time, so go check it out in yesterday and Wednesday's posts.

Today I have a long awaited project to share.  Not long awaited by me... I had a request awhile ago for some checkbook covers and I'm finally remembering to do them!  Yikes!  My friend actually asked me for 3, so I need to finish 2 more, but at least I got one done!

 The washi paper used is from Hanko Designs and the stamp is a set I borrowed from a friend.  Sorry, no packaging, so not sure what brand it is.  All I know is that that company is out of business, so I can't get that set for myself! And here's a better look at Ling Ling...

 And Po... I swear he's still up to something.

And a better look at that sentiment.  I'm still kicking myself for not picking this up when it was available.

That's it for today!  Be sure to check us out again tomorrow to find out who our guest designer is!

Intro Post Day #2- Hello Po!

 Since you've already met the two new images, I thought I'd get straight to the project!

Now I can't really reveal yet who this card went to... it's a surprise!  It was actually sent to our guest designer for this release, but I can't reveal who that is yet.  All I can tell you is that it's a no-brainer.

So these pandas totally make me feel like using bright colors.  Is it because I color them up in black and white?  Maybe. I just feel like they need to have some bright backgrounds everytime I use them.  This time, I decided to cut up more of my doodlebug designs paper.  Rather than just using one pattern, I opted to use 4 different patterns for fun and interest.  This is a really fun way of using up your scraps and not having the same old layout. 

That ca-ute banner die is by La La Land crafts. This is the first time using this die and I am kicking myself for not playing with it sooner.  It's so cute! I love hearts and this one just screams Jenny.

Oh.. and did you notice my cute "hello" sentiment die?  Love it!  I believe that is a Mama Elephant die.  Can never have enough Hello dies and stamps.  And here's the panda of the hour.. Po!!  Still up to something sneaky I bet.

And here's Ling Ling... I think he couldn't care less about anything but having fun!

Oki doki.. the real reason you bared through this post... the opportunity to win Po!  Here's what you gotta do:

1) Leave a comment on THIS POST by 08/31/14 11:59pm HST; and
2)  Tell me what you like to do with your leftover scraps.  I learned from my good friend Debi to trim them down to a manageable 6x6 size and then file them.  Try to go to that stack first before cutting up a new paper.

Oh Happy Day!- Meet Ling Ling and Po

 Guess what!?  It's time to meet the new baby pandas!  I was pretty excited when my sister sent these new images to me.  She made the pandas even more squishy and cute!  The first thing I had to do was give them a name.... Hmmmm..... I was drawing a blank.

So what did I do?  I went to Wikipedia and searched for Panda names.  Well, what do ya know?  They actually had a listing!  You can check them out here...   I basically sent through the list and chose the ones I liked the best.  I know, not very original yah?

So now you know how these critters got their names... But you may be asking yourself why am I featuring both pandas on the same introductory post? Well, for some reason.. I can't seem to make a project with just one of these guys!  I always seem to end up adding the second panda to the mix.

Over the weekend, I taught a class at my LSS.  The point of the class was to use the Sizzix Framelits die set designed by Stephanie Barnard.  I love that set!  Anyway one of the cards I made in class featured these two cuties...  Meet Ling Ling and Po!

The papers used on the background is by Doodlebug Designs and the sentiment stamp is by Mama Elephant.  I also used enamel dots and some prima flowers from my stash.  Easy peasy.  Below is a closer look at Ling Ling.  I love how Ling Ling is on his back!

And here's a better look at Po.  For some reason I get the feeling that Po is gonna get into trouble!

So now that you've met these two baby pandas... do you want a chance to win one of them?  Let's see... we'll go with Ling Ling first...  If you want a chance to win Ling Ling, here's all you gotta do:
1) Leave a comment on THIS POST by August 31, 2014 11:59pm HST; and
2)  Tell me what name would you pick if you had to name a panda?

Good luck and stay tuned tomorrow for more fun!

Release #25 Coming Soon!

Can you believe the summer is almost over?  Before you know it, it will be Labor Day and we'll be welcoming in the Fall season.. I felt it's time for another release and we have some fun critters coming your way!  Meet Ling Ling and Po!

Check back tomorrow as we introduce our new images!  See you soon!

Winners!

Hi Again!

Back with the blog candy winners:

Anuhea:  Leanne
Ekahi:  Tina H
Leilani:  MJ Rutledge

Congrats!! Please email me at [email protected] with your mailing address.  Thanks again for playing and helping us celebrate our 3rd birthday!!

Aloha,
Jenny & Denise

It's Release Day!

Wow!  We made it to 3 years!  Again much thanks to our guest designer Rina!  Thanks Rina!!! Your black hair coloring tutorial was awesome. I need to try that out.

And thank you so much to our design team for hanging in there with us...Your projects help inspire all of us and I'm grateful for all your help!

Can't forget my sister!!! Thanks sis for working so hard to create these cute images for all of us to use.  Sister Stamps would not be here without you!

Be back soon with the winners from our blog candy.  Don't forget it's release day today!

Thanks everyone for your birthday wishes!  I enjoyed reading all of your comments and funnies about your shave ice memories!

Crafty Shave Ice!

Before I get into my project (which I'm super excited to share with you today), I just wanted to thank our guest designer... Rina "Scrapstress" for working so hard on all of her projects to make this release extra special...

 

And of course, I can't forget my design team right?  I love you guys!  Thank you for ALWAYS working so hard to make our releases so fun and inspiring.  Please check out everyone's blog and give them some love!

 

Eva

Debi

Linda

Linda's You Tube

 

Now.. I'm so excited to share my project with you today.  Here's what I started off with....

 

 



 

 

Yep, those were paper mache cupcake boxes that I had in my storage buried in my closet.  I was so happy to find them and knew exactly what I wanted to make with them...

 

Ta daaaaaaa!  I made crafty shave ice!  No, you can't eat it, but it sure looks ono!  See, it's also a box, so you can put little goodies inside!

And here's a close up of Anuhea with her shave ice. I want to say its blue vanilla and strawberry.

Here's how I made them.. First I gesso'd the outside and inside with 2 coats.  Then I did a coat of regular white acrylic paint. 

After those all dried, it was time to make the shave ice!  I used regular acrylic paint and painted each shave ice and blended it inbetween so it looked like real shave ice.

After that dried, I gave it a coat of glossy accents and added a coat of Martha Stewart coarse glitter like I did on the image's shave ice.

Then I cut down a paper straw and hot glued it to the crafty shave ice!  Here's a better look at Ekahi!

I think he's eating banana and blue vanilla.

And can't forget Leilani with the Rainbow shave ice!

Poor thing spilled hers.  Hope you don't spill your's!

All right crafty peeps!  By the time you read this I will have returned home from my trip.  But there's still time left to enter our giveaway!  Go back to the introductory posts and check them out!  And don't forget to like us on Facebook.. we sometimes do surprise giveaways and share links to all of your projects that we find online!

Aloha and Mahalo

So did my hint yesterday about the Spam Musubi help you figure out who our guest designer is for this release?  You guessed it!  It's Rina!  I met Rina when I went to LA last January with Linda.  Oh My Goodness... we had so much fun!  She is a riot and I totally wish we hung out more!  Thanks   Rina for helping me with this release!  Her projects are amazing!  Go check her out dudes!

 

Rina's blog

Rina's You Tube

 

And don't forget the rest of the talented ladies:

Eva

Debi

Linda

Linda's You Tube

 

For today's project I wanted to say thank you to our retailers who regularly carry our stamp line. Without out you we would not still be here!  I made them tags with images from this release...



 

 

 

 

Here's a closer look the Anuhea tags.  I sprayed the backgrounds with my Lindy's Stamp Gang sprays and added sand to the bottom of the tag to give it a beach feel.  The Mahalo and Aloha sentiments are from Island Scrapbooking and the other sentiment stamp is by Hero Arts.

 

Did the same for the Ekahi tags.

 

Hope you enjoyed today's project!  Don't forget to check out all the designer's projects on their blogs today!