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.

Washi Cat

Ok, enough dogs right?  Where's something for the cat people out there?  Well, we have something for you guys as well...  Meet Otsu!  Otsu was my mother-in-law's kitty when I first moved to the Big Island.  She actually had three cats at the time, but Otsu was the mellow-ist of them all.  Even though she was mellow, she was still the boss.  When Paul's cat Ranma moved in, their other cat Spuds went into hiding while Otsu stood her ground and didn't let Ranma take over the house.

Otsu had the sweetest meow ever!  It was really high pitched and sounded more like "Aaaaaak".  I always wondered why in the Bloom County cartoons Bill the Cat said "Aaack" instead of "meow", but after meeting Otsu, I found out cats really do make that noise too!

And here she is taking a catnap on the couch.... 

Now, I was never a cat person.  I think it's mostly because I'm allergic to them (big time), so I try to keep my distance.  But being exposed to these cats has been very educational.  They are very affectionate- almost as much as dogs, don't make much noise, and are easier to clean up after than dogs.  My daughter really wants a cat, but unfortunately I can't have any.  I'm sure she'll get one once she moves out of the house.  For now, whenever she needs a cat-fix she goes Grandma's and visits Plumpy.

Ok on to the image... I am on a washi tape roll (get it?)  I love how if make a mistake, you can easily lift up the washi tape and re-position it without ruining your project!  I'm still learning how to use it in projects, but I'm slowly getting it.

 So just to let you know cause you can't really tell by this card, when you purchase (or perhaps win) Otsu, you will also be getting the yarn ball and a present image along with Otsu.  My sister and I talked about having some flexibility with this image and allowing the stamper (you) to change out what Otsu is playing with.  In this card, I made her playing with a ball of yarn, but if you wanted to change it to a birthday card, you could stamp the present instead of the yarn.  So you actually will be getting 3 images instead of just one.  And because the images are not attached to the cat, you can also use whatever you already have.  I've used hearts, cupcakes, etc. in place of the yarn or present in the past and they all seem to work out purrfectly!

Oh.. and decided to use an Island Scrapbooking custom laser cut "Hello" sentiment.  It's so easy to adhere them over the washi tape!

So cat lovers.. or stampers who make cards for cat lovers... this one's for you!  Here's your opportunity to win Otsu!
1.  Leave a comment on THIS POST by 06/30/13 11:59 HST; and
2.  Tell me what other things do you think you could put in Otsu's paws?

Please join us tomorrow to find out who our guest designer is and some other special surprises!

Here Boy!

Can you believe July is almost upon us?  Where is the summer going?  Well, the good news is that we have another release scheduled for July 1st, which is just around the corner... Here's a sneaky peek at what's to come...

It's what you've been waiting for!  We got a whole litter coming your way, so check back tomorrow to meet the pack!