Partial Die Cutting a Sparkle N Sprinkle Digi

Seems like every card I make with Sparkle N Sprinkle stamps, turns out to be my favorite!

This stamp set by SNS artist, Jan Mahew is one of my new favorite digital sets.

I made the flower from a soda can (or was it a beer can?) 

The details for this project are on the SNS blog.

Thanks for stopping by...have fun!

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,

Retro Summer with Gecko Galz

I've never been to Hawaii, but I love pineapple...does that count?

With all that's burning there right now, I thought I would pay tribute to their

beautiful state...and the delicious fruit that comes from there.

I do have a pineapple plant I am growing from the top of a pineapple. I have actually seen pineapples growing in my neighbors' yards...so cool!

Being a transplant (like most of my friends here in our community) from the north, I am truly captivated by the flora and fauna here in Florida...the birds are amazing too!

Anyway...

the above card was created with some of the newest images from Gecko Galz. The background is from the, First Class Package paper pack. 

My gorgeous lady is from the, Aloha Digital Collage Set. She is framed in black to match the framed sentiment, which is found in the, Quotes to Live By set. 

I made a flower using a soda can and alcohol ink, with the Tattered Floral and Tattered Poinsettia dies by Tim Holtz. The dry embossing folder is by Tim Holtz's Alterations. It's embossed with a polka dot folder from my stash, and has Stickles by Ranger in the center. I also put Stickles on her lei, but they are difficult to see here. They look great in real life though!

The cardstock is "vintage" CTMH...years old!

I am entering this in the following challenges:

Crafty Gals Challenge #167 Summer Colors

Little Red Wagon Challenge #449

That's Crafty Challenge Blog - All in a Summer's Day

Enjoy life today...and have fun!

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,

I Love Spring with Gecko Galz

This is one of two cards I made for this month's Gecko Galz Customer Challenge. The other one can be found in the next post.

I have been having fun with the Artsy Domino Digital Collage Sheet by Gecko Galz. So much variety and COLOR!

I also used a butterfly from Butterfly Dreams. I coated it with Glossy Accents, and attached it with the same. I used one of the Tim Holtz Alterations Die sets that I got for Christmas. I ran a piece I printed on cardstock from the Playing with Marbles ATC Collection. Behind the cutouts, I used some Marabu Mixed Media Art Spray in Cherry Red. It's an acrylic spray paint and it's so cool!

The Postmark is from the Birdie Darlings Set. I simply cut it out of one of the images. I used some Stickles to create the cancellation lines. 

Finally, I used the Charming Words set for my sentiment. 

I hope you enjoy using these images as much as I do.  I am an artist, and illustrate stamps, paint and draw. However, I 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. Right now Easter stuff is on sale, and every Wednesday there are Dollar deals!

Have fun,

My Vintage Winter Necklace

If you know me at all, you know I am an avid repurposer. Why just the other day our chef was cutting up asparagus, and I scored a whole handful of purple rubber bands!

So what if they have sku numbers on them...they're PURPLE!

Anyway, I have a necklace to share today. I made the tags from a metal tin...the one my Prismacolor Pencils came in.

After cutting the tags with tin snips that I got at a yard sale for 50 cents, I sanded the edges with a file, and punched holes with a nail.

 This is the reverse side:

I then printed off four images from Gecko Galz' Baby It's Cold Outside Collage Set. I made them the same size as the tin pieces. Then, I glued them in place with Glossy Accents, and did a double coat of the same on each side of the tags...one side at a time, giving them a day to dry.

I love how they turned out.
 I am entering this necklace in the following Challenges:
Simon Says Stamp Monday Challenge
Glitter 'N' Sparkle Challenge #269

Be sure to visit the Gecko Galz Blog, and take a peek at all the DT blogs. Vintage digitals at their BEST.

Stay creative,

Love at Christmas with Gecko Galz, and a Challenge!

Hello! Welcome to my Studio. Please allow me to share this month's news from Gecko Galz:

It's time for a New Gecko Galz Customer Challenge!!  

This month our Challenge theme is 

"Dashing through the Snow"

December 1st to the 30th.

There is only one rule, and that is you need to use at least ONE  product from Gecko Galz!!  

It can be one of the free products, stamps, collage images, or digital papers!!  It is up to you!!

The winner will receive a $25 Gecko Galz Shopping Spree 

Now on with my third sample for this challenge. 

My husband always gets me the biggest, mushiest cards. And I love him for it.

It really kills me that he spends so much  money on one card, but I am the card maker...not him.

This card is completely digital. Everything I used is by Gecko Galz. 

Let's begin...

First, I used a background from the St. Peter's Square Mini Paper Pack.

I used layers in my photo editing program, and this was the first layer. 

Over that I added an image from the, Baby It's Cold Outside Collage Set. I changed the opacity so you can see the other layer under it.

Then, I really had fun with an image from, Vintage Flirtations Collage Set. You see, I erased all of the background. Plus, if you look closely, there were bars between these lovers, and I erased them as well...cool, huh? they're still there, but not as noticeable as they were originally.

The program I use allows me to add "sponging", "snow", "framing" and finally the sentiments.

I am entering this card in some challenges!
2 Crafty Critter Crazies
DL.ART December Linky Challenge

Thanks so much for stopping by to see my work. I hope you will follow me, either by email or google, so you can learn along with me...more fun to come...I am working on a: 

JUNK JOURNAL

Using Gecko Galz!

Stay Creative,

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,

Home for Christmas with Gecko Galz

Oh how I wish I lived in this little cottage at Christmastime...

Can't you just imagine the fire in the fireplace, comfy beds upstairs and a delicious meal on the table?

Snow is part of my memories and dreams of Christmas. Now, red and white lights wrapped around palm trees is what we have, and I look forward to them every year.

For this card, I used all Gecko Galz products, and created it in a photo-editing program.

The main image is from the new, Baby it's Cold Out Here Digital Collage Set. I flipped it horizontally, and erased the edges.

I then added the beauty in the upper corner from the new release, Victorian Dreamers. Once again I flipped her, and changed the color from black and white to a more vintage hue. I erased  the edges to help blend the two images.

The background pattern is from the new, Courtly Love Digital Paper Pack.

 a couple of lines of script interpret the mood of the images.

A bit of digital sponging and framing, and I am done!

I am entering this card in the following challenges:

Digi Choosday

The Holly and Ivy Christmas Challenge

DL Art December Challenge

Thank-you for visiting. Be sure to stop by the Gecko Galz blog, where you will find our Design Teams' links to more amazing samples using the newest Gecko Galz has to offer...so many choices for holiday cards and gifts that you will enjoy making, and giving from your heart.

More to come...with Gecko Galz, tomorrow!

Stay creative!

Fairwell Halloween, Hello Santa!

Whooooo wouldn't love to be this woman? She is dreaming...or maybe the woman in the upper corner is dreaming...I'm not sure. All I know is that this was so much fun to do!

I used all Gecko Galz products. 

The colorful woman is from Gecko Galz' Boo-Tiful Halloween Digital Collage Set. 

I also added a couple of lovely ladies from Sparkle and Shine.

I cropped all three images, and layered them, changing the opacity of the layers.

The background layer is one of the digital papers in the Time Flies ATC set. 

Erasing, coloring, enhancing...all digitally, created some cool effects.

I am entering this in the following challenges:
Glitter and Sparkle challenge 264
Angie's Digital Stamps Anything Goes, optional twist, holidays

November is here, and we are on to a new Customer Challenge...Santa Claus Lane. You can find all the details here.

Be sure to check out all the samples for this challenge...details on their blogs.

Have fun,