* Gecko Galz: Seaside and Nautical

Hello!

Today is my feature day on the Gecko Galz blog.

Each month we have a customer challenge and the winner gets a $25 spending spree in the Gecko Galz Etsy shop. 

This month the challenge theme is Shabby Chic Seaside. 

There are still 7 days left if you wish to play along.

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My projects today are nautical and seaside themed, though none of them are what I would call shabby chic in style. 

Here they are:

First of all, I have a wall hanging made from wooden popsicle sticks.

I made the substrate by gluing popsicle sticks together and attaching some twine as a hanging loop. I painted the sticks with white gesso, then watered down some phthalo green acrylic paint to give the sticks a wash of colour. I decided to blend some Vintage Photo Distress Ink along the edges. 
The beautiful image is from the Summer Seas collage sheet. I enlarged it and printed it onto tissue paper. I used matt medium to attach it to the sticks.
I added small and medium art stones around the image as a frame, colouring here and there with a wash of Vintage Photo ink. In the bottom corner I made a cluster of natural fibres and sea shells (which were gifted to me from overseas - I wish I could remember whereabouts they came from!), filling in any gaps with more art stones.

My second project is an altered notebook:

 This started out as an ordinary paperback notebook. I covered the front, back and spine with kraft card to make it sturdier, measuring the dimensions of the book and using my score board to make the spine folds. I inked around the edges with Vintage Photo Distress Ink. Next I distressed some papers (First Class and La Boheme paper pack) and the sail boat image from the lovely Summer Seas collage sheet and attached these with glue to the front cover. Twine ribbon was attached below the image and sticker letters were adhered  to spell out 'Daily Log'.
The fastening is twine with wooden beads at the end and a fish charm. The end of the twine was attached to the inside back cover and covered with kraft card. The twine then wraps around the book and tuck in on itself: the beads add weight and help to hold it in place.

I gave this to my friend's husband to take on their cruise so that he could keep a memory journal of each day.

  

My third project is a set of six note cards which I have packaged as a little gift set:

These were quick and easy makes on 4 inch square cards. The die cut matting and layering with kraft paper, along with the twine ribbon adds some extra interest and dimension.
The paper I used is from the First Class paper pack and the images are from the Beachy Jewels set.  The images were enlarged before printing. All the paper edges were distressed by scraping scissors along the edges. I love how these turned out! I packaged them in a cellophane envelope with a kraft card belly band and another matted shell image which had a thin piece of twine tied around and knotted in a small bow.

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I made a couple of shabby chic projects as inspiration for the customer challenge. These were posted on my blog on the 1st August and the details can be viewed here. Here is a photo of the two projects:

I hope you'll join our Shabby Chic Seaside Challenge where the Winner will get a 

$25 shopping spree 
at the Gecko Galz shop.

The only rule is that you must use at least one Gecko Galz product 
(this can be one of the freebies or, of course, you can buy at the Etsy store!) 

Also if you sign up for the Gecko Galz newsletter, you'll be able to claim a free collage sheet each month and get first claim on the weekly $1 deals!

Please pop over to the Gecko Galz blog to see the fabulous designs by the very talented DT.

We also have a Private Facebook Group where there are 4 monthly challenges, each with a collage sheet prize. 
Come and join us!

I'll be back on the 1st September with more Gecko Galz projects.

Here's all the info you need:

Gecko Galz blog

Current Gecko Galz Challenge : "Shabby Chic Seaside"

Gecko Galz Etsy Shop

Gecko Galz Facebook group

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Thanks for stopping by today.

xoxo

I'd like to play along in the following challenges: 

Wall Hanging
* Mod Squad Travel/Vacation 27/08
* Crafty Creations #396 AG 28/08
* Penny's #444 AG 28/08 TOP 3

* Crafting by Designs Aug AG 31/08
* Creative Inspirationsn Aug Seasonal 03/09
* More Mixed Media Aug AG 04/09

Altered Notebook
* Crafty Calendar  AG 28/08
* Cassic Design Team Challenge #8 AG 28/08
* Cardz TV 96 AG 29/08
* 613 Avenue Create #224 AG 30/08
* SimplyCreate Too #152 AG 30/08
* Lil Patch of Crafty Friends #112 AG 31/08

Notecard Set
* A Gem of a Challenge #16 AG 26/08
* A Perfect Time to Craft Aug 27/08
*A Bit More Time To Craft #98 AG 31/08

I'd really love some feedback :)      

I read and appreciate all your comments.