Gecko Galz final project for December

 This image from one of the collage collections from Gecko Galz is one of my all time favorites.  I dyed the tag using Luminarte's Radiant Rain (from Creative Imaginations) and painted the dress with Luminarte's Twinkling H20( also available at Creative Imaginations).  What I love about these two wonderful products is the control one has over the color density and the amazing results that can be obtained.

 I added the self adhesive pearls and outlined the card using the Viva Colour Glitter Pen.  While I still like my Stickles, for better control I far prefer these Glitter Pens that are also available at Creative Imaginations and at Posh Scraps in Palm Harbor Fl. 

I did a couple of no sew fabric gift bags for Gecko Galz and will put those up when I can get up to Posh Scraps and take the pictures of them.   These will be my last GG projects for six months.  I have taken a sabbatical as we will be undertaking more time with our Grand children to help their daddy continue his pursuit of his degree.  There will be other changes I will be announcing in the days to come but one thing you can be sure of...I will be playing with paper, paint and glue and recharging my creative batteries! 

Wishing you all the very best of the holidays and of the days to come.  Happy New Year to you and yours and keep on creating!

A few of my favorite things

My ATC for Creative Imaginations. 

For details on how to construct this snow globe ATC, click on the link above.

More coming soon, I promise.  Happy Holidays.

Watch this Space...

Coming soon are several of the pieces I have been working on for the holidays.  Til then, here is the angel I created last year finally in her home atop our Christmas tree.

Happy Holidays!

The last of the gifts for Book Club

I put the finishing touches on these just this morning.  To see how to do these lovely little charms that can be used on gift tags, on wine bottles, as necklaces or pins check out my Creative Imaginations Blog Post from last week HERE.  There is also a detailed list of products at the end of the article. 
Hope the Book Club ladies like these.

 

To see these up closer, just click on the photos

 

And yes, Jacque Lynch, I saved the angel one you liked just for you!  Hope your holidays are merry and bright.

Thirty minute gifts

I am often caught shorthanded at the holiday season.  Not this year!  I have been stockpiling some cute but fast and easy gifts .  For the directions and the products I used, check out the Creative Imaginations blog. To see a larger version of these, just click on the picture.

Since my blog post for Creative Imaginations, I have completed four more of these projects that can be used as a necklace ornament, a pin, an ornament for a tree or a pretty tie on for a bottle of wine or gift bag.  I have 3 more to go and one more shadow box frame. I'll  post those when I am done.

 What are you making this holiday season?

Scrapped my way out of Pisa (I think)

Although it has only been a little over two years since we cruised the Med with our dear friends, Jo and Bill, I am still scrapping my way through the cruise.  This past weekend, I attended a crop in St. Pete by the wonderous Dee Wishart and her Cheeky Chics scrapbook retreats.  I only took pictures from Pisa and from Athens and the Acropolis.  Unfortunately, when I sorted my papers before I left, I only took the ones I did not intend to take.  This is either old age or an inner urge to use up my stash.  I am rather pleased with the results...I only got through Pisa but there are many crops to come and hopefully I'll pack better.  Without further ado

 The above layout is the intro page to Pisa.  I like to incorporate maps and tickets etc. into my layouts.

 This is a pocket page for the pamphlets

I did another layout but it took me forever to find the picture.  My dear pal, Janet Miller and I, have such fun together and she has gotten me into so much trouble (YES! YOU HAVE!).  This layout is so us!

I am a slow scrapper but last weekend I was on fire.  Next crop...Feb and it is going to be OUTSTANDING.

12 Days of Christmas CI, Faber-Castell and Xyron blog hop

Using a combination of products from these three companies, I created some holiday altered wine glasses.

For directions on how I made these altered wine glasses, please click HERE and be sure to visit both the Faber-Castell and the Xyron sites as well along with Creative Imaginations over the next 12 days.  Happy Crafting and Happy Holidays!

Creative Imaginations' ATCs and my art journal

                                        Click on the images to see a larger version of each. 

For more information on the techniques I used to create these two pages for my art journal or the products I used, please click HERE!  and many thanks for looking.  All comments, either on the CI blog or here are greatly appreciated.

In honor of Breast Cancer Awareness Month

This paper bra made with a foiled paper by Marah Johnson for Creative Imaginations, is for Breast Caner Awareness Month.  I created this for two of my aunts and my dear friend, Di J.(one of the Women Who Do Lunch Bunch) and all other women who are breast cancer survivors.  For details on construction and more photos. please click HERE.

As always, I so appreciate you reading my blog and any comments you would like to leave either here or on the CI blog for my projects.  Many thanks and Happy Halloween.

Gecko Galz Tricks and Treats Blog Hop

GECKO GALZ TRICKS AND TREATS BLOG HOP

Welcome to the 2^nd Annual Gecko Galz Tricks and Treats Blog Hop

 I am the next stop on your “hop” welcome to my blog! If you started here you might want to go back and start at the begining at the Gecko Galz blog so you won’t miss anything!  

We have 15 AMAZING blogs for you to visit this weekend, each with some gorgeous projects created using the Gecko Galz collage images, that we are giving you for FREE! Each blog you visit will have a free Gecko Galz Collage sheet for you to download, mine is "Picture Perfect". Also make sure you collect all the secret words on each blog so at the end of the hop you can enter to win our wonderful treat.  So sit back, relax, take your time and enjoy the hop!

We have FOUR amazing prizes up for grabs:

• First is the ephemera collections for each month for an entire year. That is 60 different sets! This is a $120 value
• Second prize is a $50 shopping spree at the Gecko Galz website….you pick it and we send it!
• Third prize is one free digital collage set each month for an entire year, you get to pick the collage sheet you want each month and we send it off to you! This is a $24 value
• And our Grand Prize ONE FULL YEAR of Gecko Galz  COLLECTIONS!!! That will be 1 paper pack, 1 digital stamp set, and 5 collage sets for the entire year! This is a prize worth $240

Read on to learn how you can win!

First of all, you will need to visit all 15 blogs and leave a comment on each blog :) **This is important so we know you have been to all the blogs **. Collect all eleven words and at the end of the blog on the Fripperies and Butterflies site there will be a link to the Gecko Galz website where you will email us the phrase the words make up. This enters you in the contest. On October 31^st we will randomly draw the 4 winners and email each of you, then we will post the winning names on our website and on the Gecko Galz blog site.

For an extra chance to win make a purchase from the Gecko Galz site and your name goes in again for a better chance of winning (each purchase you make that weekend gives you another chance to win) 

Finally, we are having one more give away! If you post our Gecko Galz badge (found on the Gecko Galz Blog) on your blog or website you will be entered to win a Gecko Store Gift Certificate worth $25 - super easy right?  Just post a link to your blog on the Gecko Galz Blog so we can come visit :).

My Secret Word is;

TO

Now go to the next site and collect the next word plus your next FREE collage sheet.

 Here is the Blog Hop Rotation 

 Carol Salisbury

Hazel Harler

Starr Timmons

Barbara Bird

Joan Lindle

Penny Walker

Sherri Levington

Debi Ryan

Heather Hudson

Sharron Rogers

Gerri Herbst

Jules Eickmeier

Helene Huber

Leanne Seed

Please enjoy this free Gecko Galz Collage sheet “School Time”

As well as the samples I have made using the images

Have a great day

Here is the free collage page from Gecko Galz.  To get a wonderful downloadable copy of this, please go to this link.

 I loved using the images from this collage sheet and created the following projects.  The colors are beautifully vintage and have so many possibilities.

The first project I created was this simple tag.  I dyed the tag with Luminarte's Twinkling H20s in rose gold and then used white rub ons with the alphabet from Basic Grey and added a flower for interest.

The next project I created was a bit more elaborate.  I scanned one of the images and printed it out onto canvas paper.  I wanted some texture to the image.  That is what I love about Gecko Galz' products.  You can print the images and the papers onto any medium you wish which provides far more options.  I used an old time card that I further distressed, a journal page by Bo Bunny , a clock die cut from 7Gypsies, a rub on of the A+ etc. by Basic Grey and added a tiny pencil with the teacher image.

The third project I did with this School Days Collage sheet is this very simply card.  This one took less than ten minutes to construct and yet, it is probably my all time favorite of any cards I have made recently.  The look on the little guys face says it all.  The peek a boo card and the window frame are premade and I did the journaling on my computer.  What a great cheer up card for a friend who is feeling blue.

My final project is a gift for my daughter who is a first grade teacher.  At her school the staff is required to wear a plastic clip on ID on a lanyard.  I created this long necklace with the old fashioned pen points and the perfect "school days" images as a new lanyard for her badge.  Hope she likes it.

Hope you enjoy the blog hop and have fun.    Your next stop is Helen Huber

Check it out!

Head on over and take a gander at the new Creative Imaginations website...it is so cool and with tons of new goodies.  How can you resist this sale? 

Bliss, pure Bliss

I have purchased an old ceiling tile today and an rusty, distressed vintage door lock at Architectural Salvage, a new store here in Tarpon Springs.  (see my daily blog www.postingfromparadise.blogspot.com for pictures) and could not wait to get home to play. 

I don't know how others design but I am a 'gatherer'.  I have a vague idea in my mind of where I want to go with something like this tile and the door knob case and lock and then I begin to gather things from my stash.  I have an ephemera drawer that contains a plethora of accumulated "trash" for lack of a better word. These are things I saw, liked, and bought.  Kind of like "I came, I saw, I conquered" or rather I could not resist.

My next step is to sit back and let the piece...in this case, the lock and tile...'speak' to me.  My husband, the practical one in the family, said, where are you going to put this? are you making this for a gift? Ummmmmmmm...what do you mean where and why?  This is just because...ya know?

So my first step was this

Please forgive the color difference...had to turn off the camera flash. 

and then moved on to more gathering like this

Now that photo is more accurate, colorwise.  So, where am I now...still processing and gathering.  I want to distress and soften the color on the 7 Gypsy shadow box and dye some of the lace a tad bit more vintage and add a bit more green tints to incorporate the door handle.  I'm going to let this simmer a bit and will keep posting updates til I am done.  I am now thinking perhaps a picture of me, my daughter and my granddaughter in mini at different places as the tiny framed pic at the upper left is of my mother.  She would love the multi generational thing.

Creative Imaginations and Luminarte= Bootiful Fun

We're having another couple or two over for dinner soon before we go to the Haunted Forrest up the street in one of our city parks.  I wanted to make something special for a center piece for the table and, thanks to the lovely Marah Johnson papers for Creative Imaginations and Luminarte products, I am so happy with how this turned out.

For more details about the products I used and I made this centerpiece, please head on over to Creative Imaginations blog and check it out.  All comments here or there are greatly appreciated.