book pages; round two

this is week two of our latest challenge at tag tuesday as hosted by our lovely DT sister Pinky: book pages. use book pages on your tag to meet this challenge. 

for this tag i started with a book page i had in my stash, spritzed it with water color inks, added a clock and dominoes from a sticker set, and featured some little girls from a tim holtz paper doll set. i have a butterfly brad from eyelet outlet as well.

one week left to play!

love to all.

keep on jingling...

our november challenge at gecko galz customer challenge blog the  is "jingle all the way!" there are just a couple days remaining to play along. the challenge prize will be a shopping spree at the gecko galz shop!  let's play! i've got lots to jingly goodness to share.

supplies: gecko galz "victorian christmas" paper pack; the gecko galz christmas collage sheet from the recent blog hop (see my october 26 post and pop through all the blog hop stops to find the free sheet); gecko galz "charming words" collage sheet; various laces, die cuts, paper flowers; reindeer brad, enamel dot, ATC base, etc. from my stash.

instructions: i covered the ATC base with one of the victorian christmas papers and distressed the edges. i added lace and the flower and dot.  i fussy cut the image from the blog hop sheet and glued it down. i continued to embellish with the word and the brad.

these two creations are "moos" which are little arty piece made at 1.2 x 3.8 inches. i used the same basic components on both of these.

supplies: gecko galz "christmas sprinkles" paper pack; gecko galz "snow much fun jewel it" collage sheet; and then various embellishments from my stash.

instructions: in both cases i cut a moo base out of cardboard and covered it with the christmas sprinkles paper. i fussy cut the images and arranged everything together the way i wanted and then glued it all down!

i'm linking my "moos" to the current moo mania and more challenge "trees."

for me, christmas is a holy and sacred time and one of my favorite images of christmas is the three wise men bringing gifts to the holy baby. that was the inspiration for this last ATC.

supplies: gecko galz "victorian christmas" paper pack; gecko galz "christmas days gone by" collage sheet; distress ink; ATC base; dove and heart stickers.

instructions: this was made very simply by covering the ATC base with the victorian christmas paper and distressing the edges, fussy cutting the three wise men and gluing them down; appending the lace with double sided tape and adding the stickers to finish.

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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. hurry! for this challenge your deadline to link up is november 30.  challenge prize will be a shopping spree at the gecko galz shop!  

well friends, this is my last post as a gecko galz DT member -- after several years creating with these products and sharing them with you all i'm moving on to other things. i'll be entering the challenges myself and encourage you all to do the same -- so many great products and prizes!

love to all. 

witching hour part deux

because of the gecko galz blog hop coming up on the 26th, my feature day on the blog got moved to the 15th this month.  which is great because i am excited to share some inspiration for you to join our "it is the witching hour" challenge at the gecko galz challenge blog.  link up by the 29th for the chance to win a shopping spree at the gecko galz etsy store!

supplies: gecko galz "never more" paper pack; gecko galz "good fortune" collage sheet; gecko galz "bingo boo" collage sheet; ribbon, bat, ghost, spider web sticker, lace and paper tape from my stash.

instructions: i covered the tag base with paper from the never more paper pack and distressed the edges. i added a row of paper tape at top and some lace at the bottom. i carefully cut the images i wanted from the various collage sheets and glued them down then added the remaining embellishments.

supplies: 3x3 card stock base from inchie arts art squares (company is closed); gecko galz "never more" paper pack; gecko galz "bingo boo" collage sheet; gecko galz "black cats" collage sheet; jack o lantern from one of the monthly free collage sheets by gecko galz; mummy brad from my stash.

instructions: i covered the 3x3 base with paper from never more and distressed the edges. after cutting out all the elements from the collage sheets i glued them down and added the mummy brad last.

supplies: gecko galz "never more" paper pack; gecko galz "bingo boo" collage sheet; gecko galz "good fortune" collage sheet; gecko galz "pretty witches" collage sheet; border, enamel dots and sticker from my stash.  

instructions: i covered the ATC base with the never more paper and distressed the edges. i cut the other elements i'd chosen and glued them down.  i added the border, dots and black flourish sticker to finish. 

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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. hurry! for this challenge your deadline to link up is october 30.  challenge prize will be a shopping spree at the gecko galz shop!  

love to all. 

baby love

it was my turn to pick the challenge theme at tag tuesday for the next two weeks and with mother's day right around the corner i chose "baby love."  but really the theme can be about mothers and babies or just babies, human babies, animal babies whatever you like!  here are two tags to get this started.

i used lunagirl images on the first piece, with a beautiful little girl reading a book (from the african american CD) and her wings from the "fly away home" collage sheet.  the background paper is from jodie lee designs.  the washi tape, die cuts and stickers are from my stash.

for this piece i chose an image and paper from gecko galz.  the mother and babe are from the "mum's the word" collage sheet and the paper is from the mori girl paper pack.  the paper flower, enamel dot and lace are from my stash.

i hope you will have fun with this challenge!
love to all

ooh baby!

it was my turn to choose the theme for the next two week challenge at tag tuesday and i chose "music."

to make this tag i took out my supremes stamp from the stampsmith and stamped it on paper from the gatsby paper pack by gecko galz.  i covered my tag base in paper from the chocolate box paper pack also by gecko galz.  the letters i used came from mischief circus from the fantastical steampunk add on kit.  the star stamps are from cherry arte stamps (appears to no longer be in business). there are a few stickers from my stash as well.

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if you don't know the song "baby love" here it is...

love to all.

happy hallowe'en!

a couple more howliday treats today. a hallowe'en tag to remind you there is one week remaining to play along at the current tag tuesday challenge (choose either hallowe'en or autumn):

the background paper (from the "freak show" paper pack) and the witch ("boo-tiful halloween" collage sheet) are by gecko galz and all the rest of the items are from my stash.  i'm also linking this to the try it on tuesday challenge "halloween."

and next, as one last bit of inspiration for the gecko galz "bump in the night" challenge this month and also to wish you an early happy all hallow's eve next week, i've got one last gecko galz ATC to share:

supplies: ATC base; gecko galz "boo-tiful halloween" collage sheet; gecko galz freak show paper pack; gecko galz"time flies" collage sheet; black lace; bat die cut; mummy sticker; distress ink.

instructions: adhere paper to base, distress edges. fussy cut and add clock and witch; add lace, bat and mummy.  

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how to play along with the customer challenge: 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 october 30!

love to all!

continued color play in purple et al

there are a few days remaining to link a tag to the "favourite color combination" at tag tuesday challenge blog.  i am continuing to play with purples and pinks: 

background papers by marta van eck, lady, postcard and heart from lunagirl (shabby purple collage sheet), butterflies are stickers from my stash and the word is from a tim holtz sticker sheet.

true story: purple has been my favorite color for as long as i've been aware of having a favorite.  but as a child i disliked pink quite a bit however i have taught myself to like it as an adult.  what is your favorite color?

love to all.

birds and nests... at tag tuesday

for tag tuesday "birds & nests:"

this challenge prompt gave me the chance to use a favorite stamp that i hadn't used for awhile. my dodo bird stamp is from madrat rubber which i stamped on patterned paper and fussy cut.  the eggs and nests are fussy cut from the lunagirl feathers and nests collage sheet.  the wood patterned background paper, butterfly sticker and washi tape are from my stash.

this challenge prompt is up for two weeks starting today; hope you'll decide to join us.
love to all.

love ur face

one last valentine-y ATC, to inspire your participation in the gecko galz customer challenge "vintage valentines.

supplies: gecko galz "in marble halls" paper pack; gecko galz "doggone cute" collage sheet; heart sticker; heart brad; roses lace; ATC base; distress inks. 

instructions:  i covered the ATC base with the paper and distressed the edges.  i added the rose lace, sticker, brad and cute little dog.


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how to play along: link up your vintage valentine creation to the gecko galz blog.  you must use at least one item by gecko galz.  you can get freebies on the gecko galz pinterest site or find goodies at the gecko galz etsy store.  if you're signed up for the gecko galz newsletter you'll get a free collage sheet every month (see blog for details). once you play you'll be in the running for a gecko galz prize!

enjoy; may love fill your world.
love to all.

will you be mine?

a little valentine tag for a challenge on the gecko galz papercrafting facebook page.  images by gecko galz and my artistic adventures/hearther hudson, with some embellies from my stash:

linking to crafty calendar "love is in the air" challenge; crafting by design "love and romance" challenge.
love to all.

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.

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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.  

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

happy nautical august with gecko galz!

we're celebrating all things ocean-y at gecko galz this month where our customer challenge this month is "nautical."  create with your ships, shells, bathing beauties and all things beachy for the chance to win a prize from gecko galz.  

i'll be sharing nautical postcards this month to inspire you to play along.  here are the details on this one:

supplies: la isla bonita paper pack by gecko galz; nautical collage sheet by gecko galz; seaside snapshots by gecko galz; distress inks; stickers, paper shells, map and washi tape from my stash.

instructions: i started with a 4x6 cardboard base and glued on one of the la isla bonita papers.  I distressed the edges and addeed a torn piece of map and a tor piece of script washi tape.  i cut images from the nautical collage sheets (the anchor and "take me to the ocean" and fussy cut an image (the women) from seaside snapshots and arranged them on the postcard.  i added underwater themed stickers.  the postage piece is from another scrap of gecko galz paper.

how to play along with the challenge:  you must use at least one item from gecko galz.  you can find gecko galz papers at the etsy shop or freebies on the pinterest page.  link up your creation to the gecko galz blog.

come back here on the 6th for a free digital image by gecko gal along with more postcard inspiration!

love to all.

at the seaside...

the ocean and the beach are about my favorite things.  so i love the challenge prompt at tag tuesday this week which is "at the seaside."

i also love mermaids and other fanciful creatures so i went with a fantasy theme for my tag.  images and background are from gecko galz.  the crab, fishes and sand border are stickers from my stash.

happy summer (or happy winter if you are southern hemisphere -- you can still dream of the beach!)

i'm linking to try it on tuesday since we are invited to share where we'd like to spend a holiday and to delicious doodles for the "beside the sea" challenge.

love to all.

gecko galz inspiration -- all things alice!

one of the new gecko galz collage sheets this month is "go ask alice" and it is a wonderful compilation of images in celebration of alice in wonderland.  coincidentally this sheet arrived to me just in time for an ATC swap hosted by bockel24blog -- all things alice!

for the ATC swap we were invited to interpret the theme however we liked.  i had fun combining images from a variety of gecko galz collage sheets to create my own little collages of wonderland.

supplies: all collage sheets and papers are by gecko galz -- "go ask alice" collage sheet, "bluebird of happiness" collage sheet, "butterfly kisses" collage sheet, "vintage vixens" collage sheet, "butterflies and birds" collage sheet, "spring awakening" paper pack.  in addition to the gecko galz products i used washi tape, paper flowers, enamel dots, stickers and distress inks from my stash of supplies.

instructions: as you might imagine, the process here involved a great deal of fussy cutting, arranging and gluing.  i adore collage and gecko galz products are such wonderful items to work with.  i often just stare at a variety of collage sheets that catch my eye and then slowly i begin to envision pictures that will become my creations.  for example when i saw those fabulous big birds from the "bluebird of happiness" collage sheets i knew i had to cut out some alice images to go with them.  it has nothing to do with the alice story -- it just struck me as a clever combination of images.  i hope you enjoy.

a REMINDER: there are some days left to participate in the monthly customer challenge at gecko galz challenge blog.  the theme you must work with is "roses, lace and butterflies" and you must include at least one item from gecko galz in your creation.  by now i hope you have gone to the blog to sign up for the monthly newsletter as newsletter subscribers not only get a free collage sheet every month you are also made aware of sales and discounts.  also check out the gecko galz pinterest page for freebies.  finally, if you look at my blog post on april 6 you'll see a digital freebie posted which you are welcome to use for the challenge.  follow the gecko galz blog too and you'll see many other freebies posted.

good luck!
love to all.

september gecko galz inspiration (and a freebie!)

hello friends.  this is a reminder of the customer challenge at the gecko galz blog -- link up a creation on our theme of "tricks or treats" for the chance to win a prize from the gecko galz etsy shop.  please remember that your creation must include at least one item from gecko galz.  we also have brand new products this month, designed with hallowe'en in mind.  here are two twinchies to inspire you.

supplies and instructions:  i started with a 2 inch by 2 inch base from inchie arts. i covered the base with paper from the new gecko galz "freak show paper pack" and i distressed the edges with black ink.  i used a large silver spider web sticker as the second layer. the vintage image at left is from the gecko galz "fortune jewel it" collage sheet and the "sands of time" image is from the gecko galz "apothecary labels" collage sheet.  the chandelier sticker and enamel dots are from my stash.

supplies and instructions: working with another 2x2 inch base from inchie arts, i covered this one with another gorgeous paper from the gecko galz "freak show paper pack" and distressed it with black ink.  my second layer is some black spidery lace.  the beautiful vintage woman is from the gecko galz "fortune jewel it" collage sheet and the moon is from the "moonlight" collage sheet which was a freebie offered from gecko galz last october.  i added black leaf lace at the right and a prima flower to finish.

i promised a freebie didn't i?  well here it is, courtesy of gecko galz!

you could certainly use this for our "tricks or treats" challenge! remember that you must use something from gecko galz for the challenge.  for freebies check out the gecko galz pinterest page, or the blog, or sign up for the monthly newsletter you'll get a free collage sheet each month.  i hope you will play along!

love to all.

august gecko galz inspiration -- 3 curious tags (and a freebie!)

today i am sharing three tags using some of the products which are new at the gecko galz store this month.  my tags all feature images from the "curiosity shop" digital stamps and paper packs.

"vision"

 

supplies and instructions: the steampunk lady is from the curiosity shop stamps set and the paper she is printed on as well as the background paper on the tag are from the curiosity shop paper pack.  as you can see I arranged the images as i liked and then added a black border, prima flowers, a bit of rick rack, some letter stickers (from a tim holtz set), a bird sticker and a postmark sticker used as a hole reinforcement.

 

"all in your head... or not"

 

 

supplies and instructions: once again the lady is from the curiosity shop stamps set and the paper she is printed on as well as the background paper on the tag are from the curiosity shop paper pack. behind the lady is a digital stamp from the gecko galz "industrial stamps" set.  the moth and button stickers, words at bottom --"or not" -- and compass brad are all from tim holtz sets.  i've also used 2 different die cut borders, one at top and one at bottom.  i arranged everything to my liking and then adhered the pieces.  there are also enamel dots at the top left and bottom right.

 

"it's an adventure"

 

 



supplies and instructions:  the man is from curiosity shop digital stamps; he is perched on a sort of a steam engine from the "industrial stamps" digital stamp series and the background papers are from the curiosity shop paper pack.  i've also used lots of washi tape, a camera sticker and the word sticker "adventure."  this collaged tag is pretty busy with images and ideas and is definitely an adventure!

i hope you like these tags, they were fun for me to make.  for the past few months gecko galz has been offering a free digital stamp if you visit all the DT blogs.  our theme this month is art nouveau. here is the one i get to share with you:

my final reminder for this post is that the august customer challenge at the gecko galz blog is "life's a circus."  feel free to link up a new creation on the circus theme, be sure to use at least one item from gecko galz to be eligible for the prize -- shopping credit at the gecko galz etsy shop and possibly other goodies as well.  if you don't own anything by gecko galz there is lots of great stuff at the etsy shop but there are also always freebies on the pinterest page, on the blog, or by signing up for the monthly newsletter you'll get a free collage sheet each month.  i hope you will play along!

love to all.

getting antsy...

it is week two of the "in the garden" challenge at the cheerful stamp pad.  you are invited to share a creation featuring a garden, flowers, veggies, anything of the like.  and a randomly selected entrant will get a prize from our challenge sponsor stitchy bear stamps.  we were lucky to get some fun digital images to work with on the design team and this week i chose an image from the designer kaz kraftz.

the designer paper adhered to the card stock for the background is by lunagirl.  then i printed the digital image onto pink designer paper with flowers by gecko galz.  i colored the ant with colored pencils, cut that paper to size and adhered it to the background paper.  i added the butterfly border on two sides and a little flower sticker at the bottom.

i hope you will play along.

enjoy; love to all.

poultry moos

usually a cow says "moo" but the challenge prompt at moo mania right now is "poultry" so my moos are all about chickens!  cluck cluck!  as you may know, moos are itty bitty things, roughly 1 by not quite 3 inches, or 2.8 x7 centimeters i think.  i made two moos for this challenge.

the poultry on both are from a lunagirl "farm animals" collage sheet.  the backgrounds are also from lunagirl -- the top one from a botanicals collage sheet and the bottom one from a still life collage sheet. and of course i've added other little embellies, lace, a die cut fence, a sweet littl hummingbird sticker, etc.

enjoy!  love to all.

wealth, beauty and prosperity

these three -- wealth, beauty and prosperity -- are the hallmarks of the hindu goddess lakshmi, represented on my tag for tag tuesday's "india" prompt this week.  india is the birthplace of the hindu religion.

my tag is simple.  i stamped the lakshmi stamp (by inkadinakado) onto gorgeous background paper by alphastamps.  i added a butterfly, a pretty sticker symbol and the word "delight" from a tim holtz words set.

love to all.  along with wealth, beauty and prosperity!

welcome baby girl!

we are celebrating the theme of "new baby" at the cheerful stamp pad and since i rarely make baby cards it is so far a boon for me because now i've made two baby cards!  last week i shared a card from our challenge sponsor stitchy bear's "baby boy pack" and this week i broke into the "baby girl pack" for my DT creation.

for this card i digitally arranged the stitchy bear baby dress and bonnet on some digital background paper from twisted papers.  i printed that and cut out the baby apparel.  on cardstock i glued some gorgeous designer paper from the primavera line by itkupilli.  i added the baby booties border at top and the "baby" letters from a sticker set i had and then punched a little angel from additional paper by itkupilli.  the edges were distressed and this card is ready for the next baby girl to come.

one more week to link up! this challenge is a great way to get stocked up on cards you might need later on. have a great week.

love to all.