It Moves My Soul!

Monday is mine at Sparkle N Sprinkle!

I decided to make a 6x6 canvas collage using a ton of products from this awesome company.

Did you know they make their own glitters, embossing powders, glue, and stamps?

They just added 8 new SUPER THICK embossing powders to their line...perfect for Spring and the holidays.

To make it even BETTER, they are coming out with more new (secret) products soon...so cool!

Please visit the Sparkle N Sprinkle blog to see the details of this canvas; what I used and such.

Enjoy!

Home is Where the Love is

Mixed Media is my love...lately.

I have been creating 12 x 12 canvases this year, and enjoy it so much. 

So now that I am a part of the Sparkle N Sprinkle family, I get to create with the amazing embossing powders, glitters, stamps, and glues we create, not to mention Tearific Tape, and Tonic Nuvo products we sell...the list goes on and on.

For this 6x6 canvas, I challenged myself to think outside of the card box, so to speak. In doing so, I actually moved into my own comfort zone!

Here is what I used for this project:

By Sparkle N Sprinkle:

Vintage Country Home Digital Stamp Set

You Hold the Key Digital Stamp Set

Journal Mixed Media Rubber Stamp Set

Music Background Rubber Stamp Set

Copper Flame Chunky Embossing Powder

Glitzy Gold Cosmic Embossing Powder

Caribbean Embossing Powder

Cayenne Embossing Powder

Platinum Detail Embossing Powder

Pear Embossing Powder

Brushable Glue

Static Free Bag

Also Available at Sparkle N Sprinkle

Nuvo Vintage Drops in:

-Bohemian Teal

-Saddle Bag

-Pioneer Green

-Dusty Rose

-Postbox Red

Nuvo Embellishment Mousse in:

-Persian Red

-Spring Green

Mother of Pearl (made into a mist)

Light Mist Spray Bottle 2-pack

Versafine Clair Ink Pad, Nocturne

Versamark Embossing Ink Pad

Nuvo Marker Pen Collection in

Rich Reds (I used Tiger Lily 374)

Cookies & Cream ( I used Garlic Clove 472)

Nuvo Dual Tipped Blender Brushes

I also used a piece of a vegetable bag as a stencil.

I hope this inspires you to try mixed media canvases...

Stay tuned for a tutorial on how to create a canvas like this one.

Happy Stamping,

In the Garden with Gecko Galz

Hello! Welcome to my studio.

Here are a couple of cards I made for this month's Gecko Galz Customer Challenge. The other card is in the next post.

This second card reminds me of my best friend. She loves plants. This gardener image from the How Does Your Garden Grow? digital collage set, sets the mood. A bit of Stickles adorns the flowers. I also included a butterfly from the same set. The love letters image from the Postal set, is accented with more Stickles. I also distressed all the edges of the elements with Vintage Photo Distress Oxide Ink by Ranger.

A little tag from, Tag You're It and some melted ribbon from my stash dress up the corner of this card.

The background is from the Kensington Gardens ATC set. I dirtied it up with Frayed Burlap Distress Ink. Some strategically folded patterned paper creates a sort of, clapboard siding, reminiscent of a house where this woman lives and tends her garden.

The sentiment is from the Charming Words set...lots of perfect words for any mood. 

The vines were cut with a die set called, "Trailing Ivy" by Creative Expressions. I added some Distress Oxide Ink to provide some real life color. 

I hope you enjoy using these images as much as I do.  I am an artist, and illustrate stamps, paint and draw. I also enjoy making cards, junk journals and collage. Gecko Galz is my go to place for all things gorgeous, unusual and vintage. Be sure to visit the Etsy Shop.  Every Wednesday there are Dollar deals!

Challenge entered with this card:
Hiding in My Craft Room #339

Have fun,

A Love for the Past

"Thoughts of Love" featuring Gecko Galz 

Gecko Galz Products I used in the above card:

Ladies of the Court Digital Collage Set

Very Vintage Junk Journal Kit

St. Peters Square Mini Paper Pack

Hello and welcome to my studio.

It's a fresh new year!  We all have a clean slate...a chance to start again. 

In my life, and here on my blog, I have found the need to spend the next year being as purposeful as possible.

As I pondered this idea, I came up with some questions for myself. Here they are:

"What am I passionate about?"

"How have I been gifted?"

"What can I share that my family, my friends, and my followers need?"

After giving these matters some thought,  I concluded the following...First, I am passionate about the past. I am drawn to historical fact and fiction. Stories of times past draw me in...causing me to explore further. Historical sites intrigue me. I realized that I also enjoy saving and repurposing items from the past...making them useful once more, if only as décor in my home.

Secondly, I am an artist. I have been told I have an innate sense of design. I am thankful for several wonderful teachers in my younger years, who have helped hone my gift. 

These two facts bring me to the final conclusion that I can share my designs and art with those who might share a love for the beauty of our past, or who are just discovering how history is reflected in our own lives. 

So here we go! My year will be focused on using historical references to create not only art, but repurposed items which have a history of their own. I will endeavor to give them new life, new purpose. 

This excites me!  My work will not be all that different from years past, but will definitely be redefined and more purposeful. I have been self-directed toward a definite purpose. 

Items I repurposed on the above card

Aluminum drink cans (flowers)

Necklace (flower centers)

Doily

If you find that you are also looking for a directed purpose, I hope you will take a few moments to ponder the questions, 

1. What is my passion?

2. What is my talent?

3. What can I share that others can use?

Let me know what you come up with!

I hope you enjoy what you experience here this year.

Cheers to 2018!

Enjoy Your Holiday with Gecko Galz

When I was a little girl, I had a muff. It was rabbit fur. I loved putting my little hands inside that silky-lined hand warmer.

I wonder what happened to it?

This image is from the, Baby It's Cold Out Here collage set by Gecko Galz. I kept the card pretty simple, since the image is so inviting. The only thing I added before printing it out, was the greeting near the bottom.

The embossed layer is from the Winter Wishes Digital Paper Pack. It's embossed with snowflakes.

I have some old CTMH cardstock in my stash. I enjoy distressing it, as it has a white core. I then used Vintage Photo Distress Ink by Ranger on all the edges, using a small sponge. 

The ribbon and brads are from my stash. I hit it with my heat tool to melt it a bit. I love doing this, and sometimes I get a few interesting, "time worn" holes.

Stickles by Ranger finish off this card.

I am entering this card in the following challenges:
Pile It On Challenge
Craft-Dee BowZ December Challenge
Monochrome Magic
DL.ART December Challenge

I will post one more sample tomorrow, so stay tuned!

Please be sure to join in the fun at Gecko Galz' December Challenge. More samples to inspire your creativity can be found there on the blog as well. 

Stay Creative,

Gecko Galz Beauty

There I was, awake in the middle of the night, thinking...

Bet you've been there.

I should really take notes when I come up with ideas in the dark.

I fell in love with this beauty from the, "Sparkle and Shine" collage set. by Gecko Galz. I thought about a darkroom...photos hanging on a line, after being processed. 

Wallpaper, ripped on an old wall...I used the Autumn Colors Mini Paper Pack

and the Time Flies ATC set.  

The card base and, "wall"  were inked with Distress Oxide Ink in Walnut Stain, Vintage Photo, and Spiced Marmalade by Ranger (Tim Holtz). I used Distress Ink in Walnut Stain and Vintage Photo (very fitting, don't you think?) to ink all the torn edges of the, "wall paper", and a little on the photo.

A bit of wire and two tiny clothes pins from my stash display the photo. 

I decided to add some Glossy Accents (Ranger) to her eyes and lips. I think she looks eerie!

This large flower was lying around on my table, left over petals from another project.

You see, I repurpose lots of stuff...can hardly walk in my art studio. I created the flower from beer cans, usingTim Holtz Tattered Florals Bigz die. It was embossed and inked with alcohol inks by Ranger. A little alcohol sprayed on the surface gives a lovely mottled finish.

The entire card was finally sprayed with Shimmer Spritz, by Imagine Crafts.

Thanks for stopping by, and be sure to come back to see more Gecko Galz creations.

Stay creative,

Minding My Daughter's Own Business

 

My daughter Rebecca has her own business...and she is only 29! I made this collage for her by request. It shows several of the techniques and services she offers.

I am such a proud mom!

 

 

I did the collage with Spectrum Noir Markers and Pencils. It is done on simple card stock.

 

 

Stay Creative,