New Gecko Galz Challenge for September

Hi Crafty Friends!  It's time for a new challenge at Gecko Galz!  Please join us for our fun new challenge "Witching Hour"!  Below you will find my sample for our September challenge on the Gecko Galz blog.  Please visit the blog to see what the rest of the team has created.  We hope we can inspire you to enter for a chance to win a $25 shopping spree at the Gecko Galz etsy store.  Thanks for looking!

Hocus Pocus digital paper pack
October Treats digital collage sheet
Wicked Words collage sheet set

My Gecko Galz Samples for August

Hi Crafty Friends!  Today I am sharing the samples I have created for Gecko Galz for the month of August.  As you can see, I was still feeling a little beachy.  I absolutely loved a recent mermaid collage sheet I got from Gecko Galz, and I just had to use some of the images.  Background papers are also Gecko Galz printables.  Please stop by the Gecko Galz Blog today and every day for a free digital stamp!

La Isla Bonita digital printable paper pack

Namaste digital printable paper pack

Merry Little Mermaids digital collage sheet

La Isla Bonita digital printable paper pack

Namaste digital printable paper pack

Merry Little Mermaids digital collage sheet

Beachy Jewels collage set

Thanks for looking!

New! Gecko Galz Challenge for August!

Hi Crafty Friends!  I just love our August theme, since I love anything related to the sand, sun, and surf.  Summer was always my favorite season growing up on the East coast, and later moving to the West coast.  I literally lived on one shore or the other until 2007 when I moved 70 miles inland to an almost desert climate.  Summer has since become my least favorite season.  This month I can relive those days in the sun through all the fun and beachy Gecko Galz images!  Please join us for our newest challenge "Taking it Nautical"!  Below you will find my sample for our August challenge on the Gecko Galz blog.  Please visit the blog to see what the rest of the team has created.  We hope we can inspire you to enter for a chance to win a $25 shopping spree at the Gecko Galz etsy store.  Thanks for looking!

I created a 6 x 6 collage.  I began by printing out a beach background that was part of the Sea Side Splendor kit which I use over and over, the images are so awesome!  The ship was part of a collage sheet set that I fussy cut and applied to the background with dimensional tape.  The swimming lady was also part of a collage sheet set, and is also up on pop dots.  I added some texture paste and glitter around the edge of her body to cover the cut edges.  I also fussy cut the rock from another image, and added the little crab from my stash just for fun.  Thanks for looking!

Sea Side Splendor digital craft kit
Lets Get Nautical digital collage set
 Splish Splash digital collage set

My July Samples for Gecko Galz!

Hi Crafty Friends!  Today I am sharing the samples I have created for Gecko Galz for the month of July.  As you can see, I was feeling beachy.  I did a bit of fussy cutting from several of our collage sheets to embellish my samples.  Background papers are also Gecko Galz printables.  Some of the fussy cut images are from one of the digital kits available at our Etsy store.  The digital kits are so much fun!  I especially love the beach themed kit, containing so many printables to use over and over.  I have done my best to list and link all items that I used below each sample.   Please stop by the Gecko Galz Blog today and every day for a free digital stamp.

Seaside Splendor digital craft kit

Beachy Jewels collage set

Sea Side Snapshot collage sheet set

Sea Side Splendor digital craft kit

By The Shore digital collage sheet set

Beachy Jewels collage set

La Isla Bonita digital paper pack

By The Shore digital collage sheet set

Beachy Jewels collage set

La Isla Bonita digital paper pack

By The Shore digital collage sheet set

Thanks for looking!

Ge your FREE digital stamp HERE!

New! Gecko Galz Challenge for July!

Hi Crafty Friends!  This month the challenge theme for Gecko Galz is "Sun, Moon, and Stars".  Be sure and stop by the  Gecko Galz Blog each day to see what the Design Team has created.  We hope that our samples will inspire you to enter our monthly challenge.  There are so many amazing Gecko Galz images to fit this theme, and the Design Team has created an amazing variety of samples.

I decided to go with a Gothic arch shape, just to be different.  I just love the shape and I started by creating a paper template which I made by first folding a piece of ordinary copy paper in half and cutting out half an arch shape.  I had to make a few more cuts to get the perfect shape I wanted, but by folding the paper in half, that insured that the shape would be even.  I simply used my template to cut the shape out of chipboard.  I used re-positionable glue stick to stick the paper template to the chipboard so cutting the shape was very easy.  I did a wee bit of sanding to make it perfectly smooth.

I inked the edges of the arch in black prior to adding my printed paper.  I had a scrap piece of doily that I placed behind the image, and I added some ric rac to the bottom of the arch before placing my image which I elevated for dimension with pop dots.  I cut one of the circle shapes out of leftover paper and placed it over the left bottom corner of the image.  I die cut some stars using a Tim Holtz moon and stars die and I embossed and glittered them before adding them to the piece.  I added a butterfly that was laying on my desk just because I love adding butterflies to just about everything :).

Thanks for looking!

Summer Picnic digital paper pack
Sun, Moon, Stars digital collage set

Always and Forever Layout

Today I'm sharing another layout to frame for my Oliver's memorial wall. The photo was taken in September of 2014, prior to his downhill slide.  I miss those eyes, they were such a piercing pale blue almost white color.  He was my most handsome man, and I miss him terribly every single day.

I am entering this layout into the Blue Fern Studios June Sketch Challenge. Papers and chipboard are by Blue Fern Studios.  There are many online stores from which to purchase these gorgeous chipboard pieces and papers.  I got mine with my Scraps of Darkness and Elegance Kit Clubs and/or from the Scraps of Darkness online store.

I am also entering my layout into the Inspiration Board Challenge for June at the Scraps of Darkness & Scraps of Elegance Mixed Media Scrapbooking Community on Facebook.   Please see both the Blue Fern sketch and the Scraps of Darkness Inspiration board below.

The paper I used is from Blue Fern's gorgeous Tranquility collection that came in one of my Scraps of Darkness kits.  I created some texture on the background using a doily stencil and some sprays.  The sprays didn't turn out the way I wanted, so I embossed in white over it and was happy with that result.  The Blue Fern chipboard pieces were purchased at the Scraps of Darkness online store.  I  covered them with various embossing powders in different colors and textures.  I just played with them until I got the result I wanted.

As far as the inspiration I drew from the Inspiration Board...well, it does have a kitty in it, so I just had to create another layout for Oliver's memorial wall.  I also grabbed some of the shades of blue, and the butterflies (by Renea Bouquets) from the board, and also the use of a quote on my page.  I used some flecks of gold that were also pictured, and some circles which I stenciled at the upper right of the page.

Here are some links to visit:

Blue Fern Studios Blog

Scraps of Darkness

Renea Bouquets

Thanks so much for looking!

Gecko Galz June Projects

This month our theme at Gecko Galz is "Man O Man".  I ended up creating all of my monthly samples in a masculine theme.  It wasn't my intention to do that, because we have so many amazing papers and images to choose from in the Etsy store, but I loved the masculine collage sheets and background papers that I'd chosen for my challenge theme sample card so much, that I got carried away.  You can see what the rest of the Design Team has created by visiting the Gecko Galz Blog each day.  We hope to inspire to you create your own project and to play along with our challenge.

Man O Man collage sheet set
Dapper Dan printable paper pack

I also used a couple of chipboard pieces from Gypsy Soul Laser cuts as well as a steampunk cardstock doily.   The film reel on the last card is vintage from an actual view master.  The reel was falling apart and this piece was the backing.  It was already neutral colored so I just stamped it with a newsprint stamp by Kaisercraft.  I also did additional stamping in vintage photo distress ink with some Tim Holtz stamps.  Thanks for looking!

New Gecko Galz Challenge for June!

This month the theme for the challenge on the Gecko Galz Blog is "Man O Man".   Creating in a masculine theme was something new to me and I really enjoyed it.  The card was simple to make with just some classic matting.  I covered the top half with a piece of plain cream cardstock  that I embossed with a gears pattern, and then inked lightly with vintage photo.  The clock at upper right was stamped and fussy cut.  I added chipboard hands which I embossed.  The shirt is one of the collage sheet images which I will list below, and the hat and tartan blanket were fussy cut from one of the images.  The lower half of the card is papered with a design which is already collaged, and it's an amazing design with many uses.  The printable paper collection I used is also listed below.  The sentiment is stamped, fussy cut and elevated by pop dots.  I also added a piece of chipboard chain which I embossed the same as the clock hands.  The chipboard accents are by Gypsy Soul laser Cuts.

Gacko Galz on Etsy:

Man O Man digital collage set

Dapper Dan printable digital paper pack

Thanks for looking!  Please visit the Gecko Galz Blog to see what the rest of the design team has created to inspire you to enter the current challenge.

Serenity Layout for the Challenge at Blue Fern Studios

Another layout to frame for my Oliver's memorial wall. The photo was taken after the kidney disease diagnosis, but prior to the pancreatitis and small cell lymphoma. He looked so serene back then. We hadn't started chemo yet, or had the feeding tube placed, but this was taken very shorty before all that happened. 

I will be entering this layout into the Blue Fern Studios May Sketch Challenge. Papers and chipboard are by Blue Fern Studios.  There are many online stores from which to purchase these gorgeous chipboard pieces and papers.  I got mine and the Prima flowers with my Scraps of Darkness and Elegance Kit Clubs and/or from the Scraps of Darkness online store.

Here's the sketch:

I used papers from Blue Fern Studios Timeless collection.  It's so gorgeous!  The chipboard title "serenity" is also by Blue Fern Studios as well as the rock wall pieces.  I used Tim Holtz distress embossing powder on my chipboard as well as some Kroma crackle.  Blue Fern is also now carrying embossing powders and flowers to match their paper collections!  I plan to get my hands on some soon.  Thanks for looking! 

May Samples for Gecko Galz

Hello Crafty Friends!  Here are my May samples created for Gecko Galz.  It was an off month for me, no mojo, unhappy with everything I created, but you all know how that is.  Somehow I pushed my way through it.  First up was my most challenging sample.  We've been encouraged to create a sample using the free digital stamps that are offered monthly on our blogs.  Well....I'm no colorist.  I haven't got a clue about shading....so...I didn't color it, but rather fussy cut it and tried to make it look more vintage than it did already by changing the overall color to sepia tone, and I also somehow managed to thicken the outline in Paint Shop Pro.  No idea what I did, I just played with different effects.  In the end, I actually didn't mind how it turned out.   

Wild Roses paper pack

Free Digital Stamp (grab yours below)

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Next up is one of those cards that fell together on my desk.  I had already printed the background, and embossed and inked the panel behind the image, for the card using the digital stamp above.  It just didn't work with that stamp at all, so I pushed it aside.  I noticed then, that the collage sheet containing the image that I had printed with intent to use elsewhere, looked good against the other pieces, the whole neutral color theme seemed to work somehow, so this card was born from the throwaways of the previous card.  I added the plaid strip, yet another scrap, and I die cut the hearts from more of the background paper.  I used a stamp for the sentiment, and I was done.   

Vintage Visions mini paper pack

Wild Roses paper pack

Kidding Around digital collage set

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Next up I have a retro look card for you.  It's a pretty simple card, just some paper layers, doily, and image.  I love the Gecko Galz image, and the whole collage set is very colorful.  The background papers are also very colorful and versatile in this set, it's one of my favorites.  The rose is a die cut from Marianne Creatables.  I cut it out in white then inked through the die in red.  This gave it a retro look that went well with the papers.  The title is by Mambi, and I got it in a package along with several other sentiments, at Michael's.  

Stay Young and Beautiful collage sheet set

Kitchen Sink printable paper pack

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Next up is another vintage style, this one feminine.  I used my square punch to cut the squares.  Three across was too many, and two wasn't enough, so I added a strip to the left side.  The shape under the image is a Tim Holtz "On the Edge" die.   I added a doily from Gypsy Soul Laser cuts, and a flower by Spare Parts from Hobby lobby, and a few buttons, and I was done.

Linen Closet mini paper pack

Spring Awakening paper pack

Colorful Cuties digital collage set

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Next up is a tri-fold shutter card.  I was really stumped as to what I wanted to create next, and was still struggling with my mojo.  I got inspired by a card I had seen on the Graphic 45 blog.  It looked easy enough, and I have a score board the rarely gets used, so I gave it a go.  The card measures 9 x 9.  It was surprisingly easy.  I filled the sections with scraps from my other creations this month.  The images were mainly from one collage sheet, along with some fussy cutting from the background papers.  I added a couple of chipboard miniatures from Gypsy Soul laser Cuts.  Really a lot easier than it looked, and so much fun.  You could easily make this from any of our collage sheets.  It was so easy, you just might see another from me next month.  Here is a link to the Graphic 45 card that inspired me.  You will also find the template there, showing you where to cut and score.

Linen Closet mini paper pack
Wild Roses paper pack (may not be available any longer)
La Vie En Rose digital collage sheet

I hope you've gotten some inspiration, and thanks so much for looking!