Taiko Rat

Aaaahh... Year of the Rat... My husband's year...  First to arrive and takes the first spot on the Chinese Zodiac calendar.  Read the back story here...   I'm actually an ox, and always felt rats were sneaky little buggers for figuring out they could ride on the ox's head only to cut to the front of the line. Funny that I should marry a rat huh?!

I already told you that I'm thinking of making a mini scrapbook of my family using the Chinese Zodiac images.  Here's the layout I came up with using a picture of my husband that was taken on our last trip to Japan...

So... no, I'm not calling my husband a "rat", but he is born in year of the rat.  I thought it would be funny to call this layout "taiko rat" since that's what he is!  I even looked up the word rat and here's one of the definitions... "Slang.a person who frequents a specified place: mall rat; gym rat. " ... He's definitely a taiko rat!  To learn more about people born in the year of the rat, check out this site...

Here's a better look at the two "rats".

OK people... time for our last giveaway for this release! 

1)  Leave a comment on THIS POST if you would like a chance to win this year of the rat stamp by 05/31/13 11:59pm HST; and

2)  Tell me what you like to do in your spare time.  As you already know, I am a crafty rat!

Be back tomorrow to reveal who our guest designer is this month!  Ta ta for now!

The Golden Pig

And now it's time for our next Chinese Zodiac releases!  As you know, we are releasing all of the Chinese Zodiac characters this year.  By the end of 2013, we will have the complete set available.  Animals colored in are available now.

I recently discovered that within our family, we have someone in almost every sign of the Chinese Zodiac!  Since I had previously made a mini scrapbook page found here... I thought I could make a scrapbook using all of the images!  

The next in our series is the Pig/Boar... The last time it was the year of the boar, my nephew was born. He lucked out and came in at the tail end of the lunar year and made it in as a GOLDEN pig.  Apparently this lucky year only comes around every 600 years?  Check out this article...

My nephew was recently crowned May Day King at his pre-school's May Day program.  How does one get to be May Day King at pre-school?  We found out it was because he has been at that pre-school the longest.  Guess he is lucky and GOLDEN!  So I named this layout... "Golden Boy". I have a feeling this boy will be one lucky pig.

I didn't think I could color up the pig with gold markers, so I decided to heat emboss it onto gold cardstock.

Kept the layout simple using just a strip of washi and added the word golden in the same gold cardstock.  It was cut using a PTI alphabet die set.  The "boy" was done using Simple Stories alphabet stickers.  And that little mizuhiki was purchased in Japan from my last trip.

That's all for now... stop by tomorrow for more Zodiac fun!

Oops!!! Forgot to add in about our blog candy!  Duh...  Guess I was rushing again...
1)  Leave a comment on THIS POST by 05/31/13 11:59pm HST. and
2) Tell me if you believe in the Chinese Zodiac predictions...

Release #11 Sneak Peek

Happy New Year Everyone!  2012 was a great year but we are looking forward to what 2013 has in store for us!  We are very excited about all the new images that are scheduled for this year and hope that you will like them too.

To ring in the new year, we have some cute new images to share with you!  Take a look....

Come back tomorrow as we begin our introductory posts... you know what that means right?  Yep.. blog candy!  Woo Hoo!  So stop by to meet these cuties and enter for your chance to win.  See ya tomorrow!

It's Release Day!

Yay!  It's release day!  

The end of the year is coming soon, which is normally my time for reflection.  What better way to reflect than to look at old projects?  I find this sometimes inspires me again either to copy what I did before or to never do it again!! Ha ha ha!  Whatever it is, I reflect to back to evaluate what I've done and see where improvements can be made.  So although this old calendar has some flaws, I've decided to share it with you today.

This is the first calendar I made using the Chinese Zodiac images. Please be aware that some of these images have changed from the ones that will be released, so they are not exactly what you will be able to purchase.

First, let me explain the order that I chose for the calendar... In 2011, it was Year of the Rabbit, so I decided to start with the bunny (my fave) in January.  Then following the Chinese Zodiac order, I added in the next images in the correct order.  Following the rabbit is the dragon, then snake, etc...  See for yourself...

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 All of these images are on separate panels for each month.  Then all the panels were adhered together onto ribbon for a wall calendar.  I was inspired by a sample I saw at Stamps and Memories years ago.  I've modified it over the years, but it's basically the same concept.  The first six months are on one side...

Then you flip the calendar over for the next 6 months.  Yes, people often think I forgot half the year!!  LOL!!

This calendar is much more detailed as it was my first and a gift for my sister for drawing these images for me.  It's now a collectors item since I haven't made one of these in a few years.  You probably noticed that the bunny used on this calendar is different from the bunny that will be released with the rest of the Zodiac image.  Let me also explain that the dragon you see has also been modified, so the dragon featured here will not be available.

Well, hope you enjoyed the projects that everyone came up with for this release.  These gals will be back for every Zodiac image, so we have lots to look forward to!  Many thanks to all of our guest DT who helped out- you guys rock!

Kung Hee Fat Choy!

Before I get into my project, just wanted to check if you guys checked out our Guest Designer's awesome projects yesterday!?  Well, in case you didn't, please go and check them out to see their creativity at work.  Our Guest Designers are:

Laura:  http://bytkg.blogspot.com/

Eunice:  http://astarforchiemi.blogspot.com/

Patti:  http://creationsbypatti.blogspot.com/

Linda:  http://simpleandsassycreations.blogspot.com/

Thanks to them for working hard to come up with some original designs! Now go give them some love and then come back for my post!

OK... did you visit everyone yet?  So I know it's a little early for New Year's, but I couldn't resist making another li see envelope since it matches the Chinese Zodiac theme right? You can find the tutorial on how to make the envelope here...

After making the envelope, I stared at the blank red paper for a few nights.  I guess there's no motivation like a deadline right?  I whipped this up in less than 1/2 hour since I only had a few hours to post it in time! Geez!  Talk about waiting till the last minute!  I guess I work best under pressure...

So I decided to use the horse this time since that snake was stealing all of the attention!!  To help me with this project, I decided to use the sentiment and corners which are laser cuts by Island Scrapbooking.  Added a black oval (cut from my Spellbinders oval set) and mounted the horse on top.  Ha ha ha! I just made a funny... get it.. horse... mounted?  Ok if that wasn't funny to you, then I must have had too much coffee.  

Can you believe release day is tomorrow?  Time sure flies.  OK so that means that you only have until tonight to enter to win some snake and horsey blog candy.  Go back to the introductory posts and leave a comment by 11:59pm HST tonight for a chance to win.  Not many entries so you have good chance this time!!!

And don't forget to go and visit our Guest Designers blogs (see above for addresses).  Stop in tomorrow for one last project share!  See you then!

Sssssssssnakely Samples....

This week is just zooming by!  I can't believe it's already time to share who our Guest DT is for this release!  Since we have so many images in the Chinese Zodiac to release, I solicited the help of several guests to help me with the entire release... so you will see these ladies back each time we release another set of Zodiac images.

Our Guest Designers are:  Laura, Patti, Eunice and Linda!! Please click on their names to visit their blogs to see what they've come up with using our new images.

Some of you may already know that Laura is my cousin.  When we were young, we went to the same school and did pretty much everything together!  After I found out she was paper crafting, I thought she would be the perfect match to help with this release.

Shortly after discovering blogging, I stumbled upon Eunice's blog.  Her projects have such great detail and really caught my eye!  She turned down my offer to be a Guest DT several times before finally agreeing to help with the Zodiac releases.  Thank you Eunice!  She is my idol!

While studying Eunice's blog, I stumbled onto Patti's blog and got hooked instantly.  Not only does Patti have original projects, she also includes instructions on how to re-create them!  No doubt you will love her projects as much as I do.

Last but not least, my Dim Sum Sistah, Linda has agreed to help me out in a pinch... You may notice that my normal CBFF Debi is absent this time around, but hopefully she will be back soon to join us with future releases.  (Miss you Debi!) In the meantime, Linda came to my rescue and will be creating projects using our Zodiac images.  Thank you Linda!

So I finally was able to share my projects with you.... I've been so busy getting ready for a craft fair, I had to re-focus and spend some time creating stuff using the snake and horse.  Since next year is Year of the Snake, I think it's only natural to think calendars.. right?  As I mentioned earlier, I guess Aunty Jan and I had the same idea to use the image on a calendar!  

These are the calendars I made for retailers that will be selling images from this release.  I stared with a chipboard base and covered it with black cardstock.  Then added a washi strip of paper across the base for interest.  Tried to use prints that were less busy so as not to distract from the focal point... the snake!  Added a 2013 title by Island Scrapbooking and the calendar mounted on more gold.  A simple enough design that allows for mass production!  Punched holes at the top and added some ribbon to finish it off....

And a close up of the snake...

Here's a shot showing the different washi paper used...

Do you make calendars to give away as gifts?  I sure do!  Think I'm gonna make a few more of these to give away as Christmas gifts!  Now go check out our Guest DT's blogs and give them some love!!

Year of the Horse

Hi Everyone!  Welcome to our 2nd day of Introductory Posts for Release #10!  Did you get a chance to look up what your Chinese Zodiac sign is?  Well, if you are Year of the Horse, 2014 is your year!  I don't know many horses, but I do know one.. my sister-in-law is born year of the horse.  When I read the characteristics found on this site... I started laughing!  Many of the characteristics they use to describe the horse are not like my sister-in-law at all, but she is extremely intelligent and honest,which are also characteristics of the horse.  Hmmm... maybe I need to find a new site!

OK on to our project!  Aunty Jan made another calender using the Year of the Horse stamp.  I really like that she printed "Year of the Horse" on the computer then stamped the horse over it.  I always forget that I can do that too.  The small piece of washi was just enough of an accent to make the calendar stand out too.  Above the horse she used corners that were cut from an old Sizzix die set.  They look really asian and match the theme perfectly.  And did you notice?  The horse is dressed up too!  She used some baker's twine to make a harness for the horse.  I think if you click on the picture it will enlarge it for you to get a better look.

Are you ready for more candy?  All you have to do is:

1.  Leave a comment on THIS POST by Friday, 11/30/12, 11:59pm HST.
2.  Tell me if your sign is compatible with the Year of the Horse.

Good luck and thanks for stopping by!  Be sure to check in tomorrow to find out who our Guest Designers are!

Year of the Snake

Woo Hoo!  We made it to Release #10!  Amazing!  This release is special since it kicks off our Chinese Zodiac collection.  As explained yesterday, we are releasing two of the animals in the Chinese Zodiac every couple of months.

Here's the release schedule:
12/01/12:  Snake, Horse
02/01/13:  Sheep, Monkey
04/01/13:  Rooster, Dog
06/01/13:  Pig, Rat
08/01/13:  Ox, Tiger
10/01/13:  Rabbit, Dragon

If you are not familiar with the Chinese Zodiac, you can read the history behind the legend here..  It describes the order in which the 12 animals fall in the zodiac. If you snoop around this site, you will also find characteristics about those who are born in the year of each animal.  It is quite interesting and entertaining.  If you are new to this, you will want to take a few minutes to find out what year you were born and see if your personality fits the description of the animal.

Along with each animal are the 5 different elements:  water, fire, earth, wood, and metal.  These elements give one additional traits that then separate those within a group of animal even further.  For example, a metal snake might behave differently from a wood snake.

Our family regularly analyzes the personalities in our family and how it correlates to their sign.  My sister and brother read up on this a lot and are constantly telling me what signs they are compatible with, if its going to be a good year for you, etc.  As for me, I take the whole zodiac thing with a grain of salt, but I do like the animals and the story behind it.

So we start off the release with the Snake since 2013 is the year of the water snake.  It just so happens to be my sister's year as well!  She tried her best to make the snake cute since she says that they are always ugly and evil looking.  I laugh because I feel like my sign is the ugliest, but I guess everyone feels that way about their own.  Luckily, it appears that my sister and I have compatible signs!  She is a snake and I am an ox, which are supposedly compatible.

Today I have a special project to share that I received from Aunty Jan.  She and I both had calendars on the brain when it came to projects for this release!  I'll share my project later this week.

Aunty started with a bamboo mon stencil used for the background.  It might be hard to see because she used a light yellow/brown color so that it created a subtle background.  The 2013 was cut from the Sizzix Endless Love alphabet/numbers set out of gold paper.  She printed "Year of the Snake" along with "Wise, Passionate, and Profound" on the computer and stamped the kanji for snake (Designs in Squares) next to it.  The mini calendar was mounted on lavendar cardstock, and then on gold.  She colored the snake and cut him out and popped him up using pop dots.  She used glitter for some sparkle on the snake.

I just love her design!  I think I'm going to be a little selfish and keep this one for my desk at work! Thank you Aunty!

Wow- this turned out to be a long post!  Now I know the real reason you're here right?  The chance to win some blog candy!?  OK here's how you can enter to win your very own snake stamp:

1.  Leave me a comment on THIS POST (amended to include deadline) by Friday, 11/30/12, 11:59pm HST.
2.  In your comment, tell me what your chinese zodiac sign is.
3.  Tell me if your sign is compatible with the snake!

See you tomorrow with our next introductory post!

Release #10 Coming Soon!

Good Morning!  Wow, it's been awhile since our last release, so I'm extra excited to present our new release images to you today!

Awhile back, I asked my sister to draw me the Chinese Zodiac animals so that I could make a wall calendar featuring all of them and sell them at craft fairs.  I will share this old project with you later this week. 

Check in tomorrow for our introductory posts on these two fellas...

Why just the Snake and Horse you ask?  Well, we are just starting with these two images... 2013 is Year of the Snake and following that is Year of the Horse.  Over the next year, we will be releasing two images every other month beginning in February, so that by the end of next year, you should be able to purchase the whole set!

And for those of you who look forward to our regular images, don't worry... we have lots of new images in store for you in 2013!  Some of the new images will be released with the Zodiac animals and some may be released in between. Check back here or on our facebook page for more updates.  See you tomorrow!