garden fairy

for tag tuesday "gardening"

i'm terribly late -- the challenge ends this weekend, but i wanted the chance to play!

background from gecko galz; woman from tumblefish studio, large butterfly from anna griffin.

i actually planted some things today in my containers outside. so even if i'm late making a gardening tag, i actually did do some gardening! and i definitely saw some butterflies while out today!

also linking to "things with wings" at moo mania and more.

love to all!

spring in paris, continued

today is my feature day at the gecko galz customer challenge blog where our challenge theme for the month is paris in spring time.  see below for details on how to play in the challenge.  i'm sharing 2 parisian themed ATCs today. 

supplies: ATC base, gecko galz "butterfly dreams" collage sheet; gecko galz "oh la la ladies" collage sheet; distress ink.


instructions: i covered the ATC base with an image from the butterfly dreams collage sheet and distressed the edges. i fussy cut the lady and added her to the base. i also fussy cut 2 additional butterflies from the butterfly dreams sheet and glued them on. 

supplies: ATC base, gecko galz c'est la vie paper pack; gecko galz "oh la la ladies" collage sheet; gecko galz "charming words" collage sheet; stickers and die cuts from kaiser craft and anna griffin; paper flower; distress ink.

instructions: i covered the ATC base with paper from the c'est la vie paper pack and distressed the edges, and added a paper flower at the top. i cut out the oh la la lady and  adhered her to the ATC, adding a butterfly from kaisercraft at her shoulder.  i added clock sticker from a kaisercraft set at the bottom and added the sentiment which i'd cut from the charming words collage sheet at the bottom as well.

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

how to play along with the challenge: create on our theme -- remember you must use at least one item by gecko galz.  if you sign up for the monthly gecko galz newsletter you'll get a free collage sheet every month.  sign up at the blog here, on the top left. there are also wonderful freebies at the gecko galz pinterest page. and there are always wonderful deals at the etsy shop -- and if you are a newsletter subscriber you'll also get notice of the special one buck wednesday deals! for this challenge your deadline to link up is march 30 -- hurry you only have 2 more days to play!  challenge prize will be goodies from the gecko galz shop!


love to all. 

spread your wings and fly

i'm sharing an ATC today to encourage you to join the gecko galz customer challenge blog where our challenge theme for the month is paris in spring time.  see below for details on how to play in the challenge. 

supplies: ATC base, gecko galz c'est la vie paper pack; gecko galz "oh la la ladies" collage sheet; gecko galz "charming words" collage sheet; gecko galz "hat whimsies" collage sheet; stickers and die cuts from kaiser craft and anna griffin; distress ink.

instructions: i covered the ATC base with paper from the c'est la vie paper pack and distressed the edges. i glued on the two butterflies from an anna griffin die cut set. i cut out the oh la la lady and the crown and adhered them to the ATC.  i added the floral sticker from a kaisercraft set at top left and the sentiment which i'd cut from the charming words collage sheet at the bottom.

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

how to play along with the challenge: create on our theme -- remember you must use at least one item by gecko galz.  if you sign up for the monthly gecko galz newsletter you'll get a free collage sheet every month.  sign up at the blog here, on the top left. there are also wonderful freebies at the gecko galz pinterest page. and there are always wonderful deals at the etsy shop -- and if you are a newsletter subscriber you'll also get notice of the special one buck wednesday deals! for this challenge your deadline to link up is march 30.  challenge prize will be goodies from the gecko galz shop!


love to all. 

paris in spring time

it's a new month and a new theme at the gecko galz customer challenge blog -- paris in spring time.  link up a creation on our theme for the chance to win gecko galz prizes (more details below).  here's my first piece on this challenge, an ATC featuring none other than the infamous marie antoinette...

supplies: ATC base, gecko galz c'est la vie paper pack; gecko galz "viva marie" collage sheet; gecko galz "charming words" collage sheet; gecko galz "hat whimsies" collage sheet; stickers and die cuts from kaiser craft and anna griffin; distress ink.

instructions: i covered the ATC base with paper from the c'est la vie paper pack and distressed the edges. i glued on the butterfly from an anna griffin die cut set. i cut out the marie image and the hat and adhered them the ATC.  i added butterfly stickers at the bottom from a kaisercraft set and of course the sentiment which i'd cut from the charming words collage sheet.

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

how to play along with the challenge: create on our theme -- remember you must use at least one item by gecko galz.  if you sign up for the monthly gecko galz newsletter you'll get a free collage sheet every month.  sign up at the blog here, on the top left. there are also wonderful freebies at the gecko galz pinterest page. and there are always wonderful deals at the etsy shop -- and if you are a newsletter subscriber you'll also get notice of the special one buck wednesday deals! for this challenge your deadline to link up is march 30.  challenge prize will be goodies from the gecko galz shop!


love to all. 

happy new year!

have you been checking out the gecko galz customer challenge blog each day?  there are wonderful tags cebrating the winter holidays every day -- today i am sharing a new year's tag.

supplies: gecko galz happy new year collage sheet; gecko galz st peter's square paper pack; anna griffin die cut star; calendar page; distress ink.

instructions: i covered the tag base with paper from the st peter's square paper pack and distressed the edges.  i glued on the calendar page and cut it to fit. i fussy cut the pierrot, phrase and clock from the happy new year collage sheet and added those as well.  i added the star last.

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

how to play along with our "dashing through the snow" customer challenge: make your holiday tag -- but you must use at least one item by gecko galz.  if you sign up for the monthly gecko galz newsletter you'll get a free collage sheet every month.  sign up at the blog here, on the top left. there are also wonderful freebies at the gecko galz pinterest page. and there are always wonderful deals at the etsy shop -- and if you are a newsletter subscriber you'll also get notice of the special one buck wednesday deals! for this challenge your deadline to link up is december 29.

happy new year and love to all!

dashing through the snow!

happy december! as usual every december at gecko galz we feature tags of the winter holidays all month long.  you are encouraged to link up a tag on the theme of "dashing through the snow" at the gecko galz customer challenge blog for the chance to win gecko galz prizes!  i have tags featured on december 17 and 28 this month so i hope you'll come back to visit!  today i am sharing a christmas card using gecko galz products.

supplies: gecko galz little reindeer collage sheet; anna griffin christmas cardstock and diecuts; holiday paper tape.

instructions: i cut out the reindeer image and adhered it to some of the anna griffin card stock.  i cut the cardstock to my desired size and made a border around the reindeer image wiht decorative paper tape.  i adhered the reindeer and cardstock onto a larger piece of decorative cardstock.  the final step was adding 2 die cuts on the left side of the card.  simple but elegant!

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

how to play along with our "dashing through the snow" customer challenge: make your holiday tag -- but you must use at least one item by gecko galz.  if you sign up for the monthly gecko galz newsletter you'll get a free collage sheet every month.  sign up at the blog here, on the top left. there are also wonderful freebies at the gecko galz pinterest page. and there are always wonderful deals at the etsy shop -- and if you are a newsletter subscriber you'll also get notice of the special one buck wednesday deals! for this challenge your deadline to link up is december 29.

love to all.

remember me

for the tag tuesday "paris" challenge: 

background paper by jodie lee designs; vintage images by lunagirl; butterfly by anna griffin.  words from tim holtz. the rest is from my stash.

love to all.

e is for elephant at tag tuesday

as promised i have one more bit of encouragement to get you to join the tag tuesday challenge which runs for one more week.  a winner will get a wonderful collage sheet for a prize (see below!)

this elephant parent and child come from the lunagirl prize sheet! the background is by gecko galz out of africa paper pack, border by tumblefish studio, butterfly by anna griffin and letter by tim holtz.

check out this wonderful prize sheet!

i hope you will play along.  link up here.
love to all!

animals on tags

i got to choose the next two week theme at tag tuesday and i have chosen "animals." i'm very excited that karen at lunagirl agreed to partner with us to provide a prize.  we'll select a winner who will receive this wonderful collage sheet by lunagirl:

here are some sample pieces to get us started:

the background is from a freebie lunagirl provided on the blog years ago.  the butterfly is from anna griffin, the letter by tim holtz, the rope is a sticker from my stash and of course the monkey comes from our feature sheet.

this one is a tiny tag, about 1 x 2 and a half inches.  the background paper is by jodie lee, the border at bottom from tumblefish studio, the letter from tim holtz and the rest are random bits from my stash.
something about animals makes me want to make alphabet tags!

i'll post another sample next tuesday so please come back to see!

we look forward to seeing what you create on this theme.  don't forget to link up here.

love to all.

country charm at gecko galz in may

welcome to the merry month of may and the "country charm" or "country fresh" challenge at the gecko galz challenge blog.  play along with your country-themed creation for the chance to win a prize at the gecko galz shop (details below). here is a 4x6 postcard to get this started:

supplies: gecko galz easter parade digital kit; gecko galz country charm collage sheet; gecko galz farm fresh collage sheet; gecko galz april 2017 free collage sheet (from newsletter); prima flowers; anna griffin butterfly die cut; distress inks; cardboard postcard base

instructions: starting with the 4x6 cardboard base (which i cut from stash cardboard) i covered the base with paper from the easter parade digital kit paper pack and distressed the edges.  i fussy cut multiple images from the gecko galz collage sheets and decided how to arrange my collaged piece.  i glued the images down along with the butterfly and the prima flowers.

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

how to play along: make something on the theme of "country charm" be sure to use at least one item by gecko galz.  you have until 11:55 eastern time US on May 30 to link up your creation at the blog, or you can email a photo of your project to geckogalz2014@gmail.com.  

if you have not signed up for the monthly gecko galz newsletter i strongly recommend that you do -- it is on the left hand side of the blog.  newsletter subscribers get a free collage sheet every month. there are also freebies at the gecko galz pinterest site (there are several albums there just keep scrolling down).

we look forward to seeing what you make!
love to all.

snow-spiration!

today is my feature day at the gecko galz customer challenge blog.
as we celebrate a new month, new products and a new challenge at the gecko galz customer challenge blog -- "let it snow,"  here are a card and a tag to provide you some "snow-spiration" to join the challenge.  

supplies: gecko galz winter wonderland paper pack; gecko galz "vintage beauties" collage sheet; snowflake from anna griffin; distress ink; die cut star, little snowflake and lace from my stash.

instructions: i covered card stock with paper from the winter wonderland paper pack, distressed the edges and adhered the snowflake.  i adhered the star and fussy cut the image from the vintage beauties collage sheet adhering it as well, adding the lace last.  

supplies: gecko galz winter wonderland paper pack; gecko galz "winter beauties" collage sheet; die cuts, snowflakes, lace and distress ink from my stash.

instructions: i covered card stock with paper from the winter wonderland paper pack, distressed the edges and added a die cut.  i fussy cut the image from the winter beauties collage sheet and arranged it with the snowflakes and lace to finish the tag.

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

we would love to have you participate in the "let it snow" challenge!  how do you do it?  link up a creation on this theme to the challenge blog and be sure to use at least one item by gecko galz.  if you don't have anything by gecko galz you can find freebies at the pinterest site, purchase goodies at the etsy shop, or sign up for the email newsletter and get a free collage sheet every month!

feel free to grab the challenge badge above and share on your blogs.  the challenge winner will receive a $25 Gecko Galz shopping spree plus fun products from one of our favorite digital shops.  link your creation here for a chance to win!

please pop over to the gecko galz customer challenge blog every day this month for a digital freebie treat.

linking to "anything goes" at pink saturday.

love to all!

let it snow!

happy new year!  

welcome to a new month, new products and a new challenge at the gecko galz customer challenge blog -- "let it snow!"  here is my first piece of inspiration for you on this theme:

supplies: gecko galz winter wonderland paper pack; gecko galz "winter beauties" collage sheet; snowflake and reindeer by anna griffin; distress ink; paper tape.

instructions: i covered card stock with paper from the winter wonderland paper pack, distressed the edges and adhered the snowflake.  i fussy cut the image from the winter beauties collage sheet and arranged it with the reindeer to glue to the card.  paper tape was added last at the bottom.

on the new year card above:

supplies: gecko galz "ring in the new year" collage sheet; lace, border, die cut, paper flower, enamel dot, distress ink and background paper from my stash.

instructions: i cut the tag from designer paper cardstock and distressed the edges, i arranged and adhered all other elements to suit me.

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

we would love to have you participate in the "let it snow" challenge!  how do you do it?  link up a creation on this theme to the challenge blog and be sure to use at least one item by gecko galz.  if you don't have anything by gecko galz you can find freebies at the pinterest site, purchase goodies at the etsy shop, or sign up for the email newsletter and get a free collage sheet every month!

feel free to grab the challenge badge above and share on your blogs.  the challenge winner will receive a $25 Gecko Galz shopping spree plus fun products from one of our favorite digital shops.  link your creation HERE for a chance to win!

meanwhile come back here on the 12th to see more inspiration on this theme.

much love to all in the new year; my it be full of peace, prosperity and artful productivity!

may there be peace on earth

my deepest wish for all of us is peace on earth.
my tag today expresses this wish and is also a part of the december tags of christmas at gecko galz.

products: background designer paper by my mind's eye; "o holy night" collage sheet by gecko galz; foliage and border from anna griffin christmas card kit; peace on earth stamp by creatiate stamps; angel and star sticker from my stash. 

instructions: starting with a cardboard base, i cut the size and shape of tag i wanted and covered it with the designer paper, distressing the edges with ink.  i stamped my sentiment, cut it out and set it aside.  i had several elements i wanted to include on this tag so i tried several ways of arranging them before i started gluing them down.  once i settled on the design i glued all other elements down with a glue stick.

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

check the gecko galz challenge blog daily for more tags of christmas every day this month.  our customer challenge this month is "tag you're it."  link up your own tag to the blog for the chance to win gecko galz prizes!  just make sure to use at least one gecko galz element.  you have until 11:55pm ET/USA december 20 to play along.  link up to the blog or if you do not have a blog send a photo of your project to geckogalz2014@gmail.com.

PLEASE BE SURE TO COMMENT BOTH HERE AND AT THE GECKO GALZ BLOG for the chance to win the daily prize being offered.  

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

wishing all who celebrate a very merry christmas! big love to all.

santa tags with gecko galz, celebrating the holidays!

every december at gecko galz we celebrate the 24 tags of christmas. our design team members make tags representing christmas, hanukkah, kwanzaa and new year's to inspire you.  visit the blog every day to see what creative things are there for you to see.  PLEASE BE SURE TO COMMENT BOTH HERE AND AT THE GECKO GALZ BLOG for the chance to win the daily prize being offered.  here are 2 tags -- one of which i shared on the 1st and another brand new today.

products: background designer paper by my mind's eye; santa from "santa claus lane" collage sheet by gecko galz;  poinsetta berry and sleigh from anna griffin christmas card kit; distress ink and christmas tree die cut from my stash.

instructions: starting with a cardboard base, i cut the size and shape of tag i wanted and covered it with the designer paper, distressing the edges with ink.  i cut out the santa and adhered it, along with the tree die cut on the covered base.  i added the poinsettia and sleigh last.

products: background designer paper by my mind's eye; santa from "santa claus lane" collage sheet by gecko galz;  wreath from anna griffin christmas card kit;  calendar page, sock monkey brad and distress ink from my stash.

instructions: starting with a cardboard base, i cut the size and shape of tag i wanted and covered it with the designer paper, distressing the edges with ink.  i cut out the santa and adhered it, and arranged the wreath around it.  i cut out the calendar page and distressed the edges and glued that on as well, adding the sock monkey brad last.

i'm linking my tags to "celebrations" at try it on tuesday.  go over and see all the wonderfulness there as well!

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

check the gecko galz challenge blog daily for more tags of christmas every day this month!

our customer challenge this month is "tag you're it."  link up your own tag to the blog for the chance to win gecko galz prizes!  just make sure to use at least one gecko galz element.  you have until 11:55pm ET/USA december 20 to play along.  link up to the blog or if you do not have a blog send a photo of your project to geckogalz2014@gmail.com.

happy holidays! love to all.

tags of christmas at gecko galz!

"tag, you're it!"  that's the customer challenge at gecko galz this month.  every december at gecko galz we celebrate all month with tags of christmas and other winter holidays. our design team members make tags representing christmas, hanukkah, kwanzaa and new year's to inspire you.  visit the blog every day to see what creative things are there for you to see.

products: background designer paper by my mind's eye; santa from "santa claus lane" collage sheet by gecko galz;  poinsetta berry and sleigh from anna griffin christmas card kit; distress ink and christmas tree die cut from my stash.

instructions: starting with a cardboard base, i cut the size and shape of tag i wanted and covered it with the designer paper, distressing the edges with ink.  i cut out the santa and adhered it, along with the tree die cut on the covered base.  i added the poinsettia and sleigh last.

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

check the gecko galz challenge blog daily for more tags of christmas every day this month!  also come back here on december 12 and 25 to see more tags i've made for the season using gecko galz products.

link up your own tag to the blog for the chance to win gecko galz prizes!  just make sure to use at least one gecko galz element.  you have until 11:55pm ET/USA december 20 to play along.  link up to the blog or if you do not have a blog send a photo of your project to geckogalz2014@gmail.com. 


i'm linking this tag to crafty hazelnut's patterned paper challenge since i did use patterned paper!

love to all.

a favorite book

our prompt at tag tuesday is "a favorite book" and of course there are many great ones to choose from but having just seen the new "alice" movie and since i have sooo many alice images, well...

the background is from the "smitten" paper pack by gecko galz. all the images and words are from an alpha stamps kit.  the wings are by anna griffin.  ribbon and border and flower/dot from my stash.

love to all.

4 sister-friends

there is a week remaining to join the "mothers and sisters" challenge at lunagirl moonbeams blog.  link up your creation for the chance to win shopping credit at the lunagirl store.

i made a tag featuring an image from the "sisters" collage sheet by lunagirl.  the background paper is from jodie lee designs. the button and sentiment are from tim holtz sets.  the butterfly is by anna griffin.  i added ribbon from my stash.

 a reminder of the challenge guidelines:

Challenge ends at 3:00 pm CST on May 31

Any craft or medium is welcome.

ENTER UP TO THREE PIECES!

Vintage style is encouraged but not required.

Use a Lunagirl image and your entry will count twice in the drawing!

Link to this lunagirl moonbeams and to Lunagirl.com on your site if you have one.

Prize: $10 e-gift certificate to use at Lunagirl.com! Winner will be selected by random drawing.

i hope you'll play along.
enjoy; love to all.

"garden of dreams" may customer challenge at gecko galz

this month at the gecko galz challenge blog you are invited to create on the theme of "garden of dreams."  this is a lovely opportunity to envision the garden of your dreams in your art!  here is my inspiration for you:

garden of dreams altered tin

supplies: altoids tin; gecko galz "zen garden" paper pack; gecko galz "a rose is a rose" paper pack; gecko galz "blue birds of happiness" collage sheet; gecko galz "vintage vixens" collage sheet; washi tape; paper flowers; anna griffin "birds and butterflies" sticker set.

instructions: i measured and cut papers from the "zen garden" and "a rose is a rose" paper packs and adhered them to the tin.  i fussy cut images from the 2 collage sheets and also glued them to the cover.  using washi tape to cover the sides is an easy way to avoid a lot of additional measuring, cutting and gluing!  i added the butterfly to the top and the paper flowers to the bottom last.

to participate in the challenge you must use at least one item by gecko galz.  check out the etsy store, the pinterest page (for freebies) or sign up for the monthly newsletter on the blog to get a free collage sheet every month.

come back here on may 6 for more inspiration and for a digital freebie by gecko galz!

i'm also linking my tin to the anything goes challenge at eclectic ellapu.

love to all.

april gecko galz inspiration and a freebie!

in celebration of spring coming (in the northern hemisphere) and the latest customer challenge at the gecko galz challenge blog "roses, lace and butterflies" i offer some inspiration for you and also your monthly gecko galz freebie!

altered tin: butterfly joy

supplies: altoids tin; gecko galz "linen closet" paper pack (new this month); gecko galz "butterfly kisses" collage sheet (new this month); caterpillar by anna griffin; washi tape; paper flower; enamel dot

instructions: i measured and cut papers from the "linen closet" paperpack and glued the cut pieces to the altoids tin.  i covered the edges in washi tape.  i cut images from the "butterfly kisses" 

collage sheet to adhere to the top of the lid and also on the inside of the lid.  i added the caterpillar, the flower and the dot.

altered tin: butterfly hope

supplies: altoids tin; gecko galz "spring awakening" paper pack (new this month); gecko galz "butterfly kisses" collage sheet (new this month); washi tape; flower sticker; enamel dots

instructions: i measured and cut papers from the "spring awakening" paperpack and glued the cut pieces to the altoids tin.  i covered the edges in washi tape.  i cut images from the "butterfly kisses" collage sheet to adhere to the top of the lid and also on the inside of the lid.  i added the the flower and the dots.

as promised, here is your gecko galz freebie:

and here is what i've done with it:

supplies: free digital stamp; gecko galz "spring awakening" paper pack; gecko galz "wild roses" paper pack; ribbon, flowers, butterfly die cut.

instructions: i printed the digital image onto paper from the "spring awakening" paper pack and then colored it with pencils.  i adhered paper from the "wild roses" paper pack onto card stock and glued the digital image.  i added ribbon., flowers and butterfly die cut from my stash. 

you are cordially invited to use this free digital image or any other image from gecko galz to enter our monthly challenge "roses, lace and butterflies."  you can also check out the gecko galz pinterest page for additional freebies to help you make your challenge piece.

one last piece.  the little fairy in the digital image made me want to make one more fairy image so i turned to the gecko galz "fairyland stamp set" also new this month and printed one of the images onto "spring awakening" paper as well.  here is what i made:

i also used "wild roses" paper for the background and added butterfly die cuts from my supply stash.

enjoy; i hope to see your creations over on the gecko galz challenge blog.

love to all.

gecko galz inspiration for march and a freebie!

today is my day being featured on the gecko galz challenge blog so i have several 3 easter cards to inspire you to join our monthly challenge.  the challenge this month is "shabby chic easter."  see the instructions below to learn how to play along -- and to get a freebie as well.

supplies: gecko galz "easter joy" collage sheet (brand new this month); gecko galz "my little chickadee" collage sheet; background paper by my artistic adventures; rick rack; butterfly by anna griffin.

instructions: i covered my card stock with the heart paper from my artistic adventures then added the rick rack.  after cutting out images from the "easter joy" and "my little chickadee" collage sheets i glued those to the card and added the butterfly last.

supplies: gecko galz "floral symphony" paper pack; gecko galz "easter joy" collage sheet; bunny ribbon from my stash; butterfly by anna griffin.

instructions: after adhering the "floral symphony" paper on the card stock i added the image from the "easter joy" collage sheet.  i completed the piece with the ribbon and butterfly.

supplies: gecko galz "easter joy" collage sheet; gecko galz "card toppers" collage sheet; background paper by my artistic adventures; butterfly by anna griffin; ornate border from my stash.

instructions: i followed the same procedure here, cutting our my chosen pieces and gluing them to the cardstock.  i think this card is my favorite.

*********************************

to join the challenge you must use at least one gecko galz item to qualify.  if you do not already own gecko galz products you have several options: shop the gecko galz etsy store; download freebies from the gecko galz pinterest site; or sign up on the blog for the gecko galz newsletter which will get you a free collage sheet every month!  also, as promised, here is a cute gecko galz digital freebie, quite suitable for the challenge if you would like to use it.

enjoy!  i'll have a few more inspiration pieces posted later this month. stop by to see!
love to all.