Free Digital Stamp and Gecko Galz September Projects

Hi Crafty Friends!  Below is your free digital stamp for September where the Gecko Galz are sharing all kinds of Tricks and Treats!  Be sure to visit the Gecko Galz blog each day for a link to the featured designers blog to pick up more free digital stamps!  While your here, please scroll through the rest of the post and check out what I created with some of the new September products from Gecko Galz on Etsy.

Freak Show digital paper pack

Arsenic and lace digital craft kit

Tattoo Girls digital collage set

Freak Show digital paper pack

Arsenic and Lace digital craft kit

Tattoo Girls digital collage set

Freak Show digital paper pack

Fortune Jewels digital collage set

Arsenic and Lace digital craft kit

Tattoo Girls digital collage set

Arsenic and lace digital craft kit

Tattoo Girls digital collage set

The September Gecko Galz Customer Challenge is Here!

Welcome Crafty Friends!  It's time for a new Gecko Galz Customer Challenge!  Please join us for the current challenge "Tricks and Treats" from September 1st - September 29th.  There is only one rule.  You need to use at least ONE product from Gecko Galz.  It can be one of the free products, stamps, collage images, or digital background papers.  The winner will receive a $25 Gecko Galz shopping spree!

  Don't forget to stop by the Gecko Galz blog to see what the rest of the team created this month.  On the first of each month the blog features samples created by the team for the customer challenge.  We hope to inspire you to enter and win!  Then, throughout the month, the blog features more samples created by the team using the new products for that month.  On each member's feature day, you can follow the link to their blog and collect a free digital stamp.  I will be giving away a digital stamp on my blog on September 4th., so please come back to pick up your free stamp and to see what else I've created using the new September products including collage sheets, icons, digi stamps, backgrounds, and more.

Below is the sample that I have created for this month's challenge.  My first pocket letter!  Instructions and product info below.

I was seeing so many of these pockets letters on Pinterest, and I was really intrigued.  They are very addicting to create!  It's easy to see what all the fuss is about once you begin.  With a little bit of googling, I found out that the pocket letter was invented in January of 2015.  It's more than just what you see on the front side.  It's actually on the backside that the fun begins.  Pocket letters are being traded like crazy all over the world!  It's a fun way to send something pretty, some bits of this and that, and a note or letter telling the recipient a bit about yourself.  One of the best things is that when folded into thirds, they fit into a regular business sized envelope.  The other best thing is that Gecko Galz collage sheets and backgrounds are perfect for pocket letters!  Please come back on September 4th for your free digi stamp, and see another pocket letter I made, along with some cards of course :)

To create my pocket letter, I used the standard baseball card display pockets, which BTW, will also fit neatly into a 3 ring binder.  Pockets are 2 1/2 x 3 1/2.  I began by printing out some Gecko Galz digital background papers in a Halloween theme and cutting them into the 2 1/2 x 3 1/2 size to fit into the pockets.  Next I printed out some Gecko Galz collage sheets and did some fussy cutting.  Next, you just play with positioning the images until you like how it looks.  It's that simple!  Don't be afraid to cut up images to fit into more than one pocket either, check out Pinterest for ideas.  I made the little "Boo" banner by first folding a scrap of paper, then cutting 3 triangle shapes.  Because I folded the paper first, the triangles have two sides.  I strung a pieces of cloth wire with some beads, then glued the triangles together sandwiching the wire tightly.  I wrapped the ends of the wire around a thin paintbrush handle to make it curly, then I glued it to the outside of the pocket letter.  Yes, don't be afraid to add some embellishing to the outside either.  Thanks for looking!
Gecko Galz Products Used:
Arsenic and Lace digital kit
Freak Show digital paper pack
Hocus Pocus digital paper pack
Halloween Night digital collage set
Haunted Ephemera digital collage set

Free Digital Stamp From Gecko Galz!

Hello Crafty Friends!  The Gecko Galz will be giving away digi stamps every month on our member blogs.  Each Design Team member will have a featured artist day on the Gecko Galz Blog.  All you have to do is follow the link to that designer's blog and grab your free digi stamp.  Have fun!

Gecko Galz on Etsy

Gecko Galz Blog

While you're here, please take a moment to see the cards I created using the Gecko Galz new August products!  There were so many awesome kit club images this month, and I printed out lots of amazing files I had hoped to use.  As ambitious as my intentions were, let's just say it wasn't a very good month for me as far as finding the time to craft.  I'm sure I'll sneak more projects in somewhere, I had so many great ideas.  Meanwhile be sure and visit the Gecko Galz blog every day for inspiration and to see what the rest of the team created with the amazing images!

Color Me Ombre digital paper pack

Up Up and Away digital collage sheet set

Circus Life digital collage set

Curiosity Shop digital Craft Kit

Gecko Galz on Etsy

Gecko Galz Blog

New August Challenge at Gecko Galz!!

Welcome Crafty Friends!  It's time for a new Gecko Galz Customer Challenge!  Please join us for the current challenge "Life is a Circus" from August 1st - August 29th.  There is only one rule.  You need to use at least ONE product from Gecko Galz.  It can be one of the free products, stamps, collage images, or digital background papers.  The winner will receive a $25 Gecko Galz shopping spree!

  Don't forget to stop by the Gecko Galz blog to see what the rest of the team created this month.  On the first of each month the blog features samples created by the team for the customer challenge.  We hope to inspire you to enter and win!  Then, throughout the month, the blog features samples created by the team using the new products for that month.  On each member's feature day, you can follow the link to their blog and collect a free digital stamp.  I will be giving away a digital stamp on my blog on August 4th., so please come back to pick up your free stamp and to see what else I've created using the new August products including collage sheets, icons, digi stamps, and backgrounds.

To create my card, I began with a black card base, and added plain yellow card stock on top of the base.  I added a black and white diamond patterned paper that I had in my stash to the bottom of the card.  I printed out the colorful diamond pattern paper (at 5 x 7) from the Life is a Circus digital paper pack, and fussy cut around some of the diamond pattern before adding it to the card base.   Next, I printed out the clown lady from the Clowning Around jewel-its, and I sized her at 5 x 7.  I positioned her to go off the edge slightly at the bottom, the top, and the side.  I printed out the man clown face from the Circus Time digital stamp set, and adhered to the other side.  I found the admit one ticket and the quote on Pinterest.  Thanks for looking!

Clowning Around jewel-its
Circus Time digital stamp set
Life is a Circus paper pack

Where Oh Where Have I Been?

Ok crafty friends, so I don't generally post personal stuff on my blog, but the month of July was most definitely not life as usual.  I thought I might explain why I've virtually disappeared from my blog and all social media.  First of all, my pet boarding business went insanely crazy busy!  I'm so exhausted I'm tripping myself!  More importantly, I'd like to say a few words about my beautiful kitty boy Oliver.  He has been very ill, was hospitalized for 4 days, and has made many trips back and forth to specialty hospitals.  He has more doctors than I do!  His doctors include an internist and an oncologist.  We began the journey back in mid May with a really bad episode of Pancreatitis which almost killed him.  Following the test for pancreatitis, and a diagnosis, things progressed and he got worse.   We did x-rays, ultrasound, endoscopy, biopsy, and it all led to a cancer diagnosis.

For the two years prior, Oliver was in stage two of kidney disease, so were already treading on thin ice before all this happened, trying to manage the kidney disease and keep it from progressing.  Let me make a long story short....the kidney disease spiked rapidly, going from stage two of the disease to stage four kidney failure.  With lots of care, the kidney values have gone down, and so far seem to be settling in stage three.  I'm hoping that as general health improves the kidney disease will improve and settle back into stage two status.

Oliver is on chemotherapy, and is being tube fed to get his weight and strength back.  The trips to the vet are time consuming (it's 35 miles), and the multiple medications and tube feedings just about have me stretched to my limits.  No matter how I manage his and my schedule, I'm only left with four hours to sleep at best.  Basically, I'm too tired to create, it's just not in me right now.   No inspiration, no mojo. I hope that as things settle down in my boarding facility, maybe I'll get my mojo back!

Here's my boy, all proudly displaying his feeding tube!  The tube is the only way his life could be saved while the chemotherapy drugs do their thing, it's been a blessing.

July projects for Gecko Galz

Welcome Friends!   Today I am sharing the projects I have created using new July products from Gecko Galz, and the new July Craft Kit.   I had so much fun creating in this fun beach theme with it's gorgeous vintage colors.  I just couldn't decide what to use!  I wanted to show off everything, so I decided on this shadow box to at least show you some of these amazing backgrounds and images!  These craft kits are stuffed with goodness!  

Seaside digital papers

Seaside icons 1

Seaside icons 2

shadowbox frame by sacrafters

Seaside digital papers

Sea Nymphs 2 collage sheet

Seaside icons 2

Here I have an altered mini clipboard from the dollar store, this was so much fun to alter using lots of mixed media with Gecko Galz images.  This ship is a Tim Coffey diecut, but you can also fussy cut a ship from the icons in the kit, as I did on the mermaid card above.  

Seaside digital papers

By the Shore 1 collage sheet

Beach Domino Images

Gecko Galz Blog

Gecko Galz on ETSY

July Craft Kit

Free Digital Stamp by Gecko Galz!!

Hello Crafty Friends!  The Gecko Galz will be giving away digi stamps every month on our member blogs.  Each Design Team member will have a featured artist day on the Gecko Galz Blog.  All you have to do is follow the link to that designers blog and grab your free digi stamp.  This month, our stamp theme is "Midsummer Nights Dream", and they are pretty little fairy stamps!  Have fun!

Gecko Galz on Etsy

Gecko Galz Blog

Scroll down to the next post to see the projects I created using the new July products!

The Gecko Galz July Customer Challenge is Here!

Welcome Crafty Friends!  It's time for a new Gecko Galz Customer Challenge!  Please join us for the current challenge "Seaside Memories" from July 1st - July 29th.  There is only one rule.  You need to use at least ONE product from Gecko Galz.  It can be one of the free products, stamps, collage images, or digital background papers.  The winner will receive a $25 Gecko Galz shopping spree!

Below is my sample for our monthly customer challenge.   I created my card with the new July products and the July Kit Club Craft Kit.  I'm just loving our new kits, they are so packed full of goodness, and the opportunities for mixing and matching are endless.

(Instructions for this card at the bottom of the post)

  Don't forget to stop by the Gecko Galz blog and see what the rest of the team is creating!  On the first of each month the blog features the customer challenge entries created by the design team to inspire you, and throughout the month, the blog features the samples created by the team using the new products for that month.  It always amazes me how different everyone's samples are.  On July 3rd, I will be giving away another free digital stamp by Gecko Galz, so please come back and grab your free digi stamp and see what else I've created using our new July collage sheets and other products as well as images, icons, and backgrounds from the July Craft Kit!  

To create my sassy card, I began with a manila card base.  I printed out the striped background (sized at 5 x 7) from the Seaside Papers collection, and added it to the card base.  Next I added the sailboat background from the Seaside Icons 1 (from the July Kit Club).  The sassy girl is from the Poolside Princess collage sheet.  I printed her and fussy cut and added her to my card with pop dots.  The seagull is from a collection of sea related die cuts by Tim Coffey that I purchased a while back at Michael's.  I found my sentiment by using google images and typing in the words I wanted to use.  Everything has been inked with vintage photo.  Thanks for looking!

Vintage Mini Album for Ephemera's Vintage Garden

Hello Crafty Friends!  I am so excited about this 8 x 8 mini album project using the gorgeous Mabel's Diary journal kit from Ephemera's Vintage Garden.   For display purposes inside the book,  I have temporarily borrowed some of the idea-ology "found relatives" from Tim Holtz in place of my family photos.  The project is a joint effort from my mother and myself, and is a gift for my daughter, who never got to meet her great grandparents.   The found relatives are adhered with removable tape, and I'm sending it off to my Mom who will replace them with photos of my grandparents and she will also provide the journaling. The album has lots of journaling space as you will see.  Sadly, I don't get to see the finished product in person (at least not for awhile) as it will then be mailed to my daughter.  I hope you like it!

In addition to the Mabel's Diary kit, I have also incorporated many of our Freebie files.  Please visit the website and register to gain free access to all of the freebie files which will even be categorized for you on the right sidebar as you will see once you have signed up.

Digital Journal Kit by Ephemera's Vintage Garden

Mabel Diary Journal Kit

Free Digi Stamps All Month! New From Gecko Galz!

Hello Crafty Friends!  Beginning this month the Design Team members will be giving away digi stamps.  Throughout the month, each Design Team member will have a featured artist day on the Gecko Galz Blog.  All you have to do is follow the link to that designers blog and grab your free digi stamp.  This month, the free stamps will have a masculine theme in celebration of upcoming father's Day.  Have fun!