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,

Customer Challenge all month with Gecko Galz

 

Hello, and welcome to my studio!

I am having so much fun with Gecko Galz!

My tag begins with a background that I digitally put together using Grandmother's House Paper Pack. 

I added "Merry Christmas" and some digital sponging.
*Of course, this could be done by hand as well. Just print off the paper and add your own touches.

I layered the background on a piece of CTMH cardstock that I have had for AGES. First I embossed it, and sanded off a bit of the color. 

The sweet little girl is from the All the Trimmings Digital Collage Set.

This set is two sheets of the absolute cutest little munchkins ever. Many in the set are perfect for fussy cutting. I love to cut. It's like therapy for me.

I made the flower from petals I had in my stash. They are made from drink cans and cereal boxes. The musical notes are old music sheets. the beads are from an old necklace I got at a yard sale, and the wire was snatched from my husband's man cave. 

The redness of the flower is alcohol ink.

Two final touched...lace and ribbon from my stash. I keep the ribbon in place with Glue Dots.

Oh! And the reason it's shiny? Shimmer Spritz by Imagine Crafts.

Come back tomorrow, when I will explain how I made these:

Be sure to visit Gecko Galz Blog and check out all the posts for this Dashing Through the Snow Customer Challenge. There is always a free digital stamp to use...most every post has one.

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,

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,