Saturday 31 October 2020

Cat Lovers Hop: Day 5: Cat Fish


 Hello!

This year is the sixth Cat Lovers Hop and it's a crazy week filled with crafting, commenting and celebrating cats of all sizes. There are fabulous sponsors and prizes to be won, but best of all, friendships to be forged with like minded cat lovers from around the world. 
Why don't you come and join us?

I missed Day 4, but here is my card for Day 5:


Today I have used a digi stamp from a set by Vera Lane Studio. The set is called Land and Sea and it features two cats and two sentiments. 
I coloured my cat fish or mer-cat with Copic markers and finished with Polychromo pencils. I added iridescent glitter to the fish scales and fussy cut her out. 
The background was an experiment. I recently bought some glass bead texture paste, so i applied that to the base of the card to represent the sand at the bottom of the ocean - it is strange stuff - the texture is great, but it has a shiny, plastic-like finish. However, when dry, I sprayed over with Antique Linen Distress Oxide spray and sprayed Speckled Egg DO Spray above for the sea. I tilted the card to let the linen run into the blue and that gave a nice effect. I spattered white acrylic ink over the background, then stamped over the sea with some AALL & Create stamps (#34 and #338),  and glued my images in place. I added some greenery and some shells from other Vera Lane Studio sets.
Here is a close up:


Land and Sea

That's all for now!
Pop over to see what the others cat lovers have been up to
click here


Thanks for stopping by today.
xoxo

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

SUYP #59 01/11 WINNER
SSS Monday Challenge Inspired by Movie (CATS) 02/11
Crafty Catz #525 AG 04/11
Cardz TV #126 AG 05/11
Creative Fingers #196 13/11
Creatalicious Challenges AG with Humour 13/11


I love feedback :)      
I read and appreciate all your comments. 

Thursday 29 October 2020

AALL & Create: Free Bird

If you are looking for the Gecko Galz Blog Hop Post please click here 

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Hello!

I'm back with another October release from AALL & Create. This time it is a set of stamps designed by Janet Klein called #430 Free Bird.

I love quirky and they don't come much quirkier than this Free Bird! Here they are on a whimsical plaque made from popsicle sticks:


Step by step:
The sticks were glued together and held in place by two sticks. They were given a thin coat of gesso and some texture paste was applied through Janet's #97 Starry Night stencil.
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The plaque was painted with a variety of acrylic paints. The raised texture paste daisies were coloured with a white Posca paint pen.
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The bird was stamped twice along with the flower which I use as a sun and both sentiments. I used Copic markers to colour the birds and the sun.
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I added the birds to the plaque, using recycled cardboard packaging to raise them from the background. Some natural sisal was popped behind them for added texture and I decided to add some dried flowers on the ground in between the birds.


The sentiments were cut up and adhered to the plaque. Hemp chord was wrapped and glued  around two of the end sticks to give hanging loop.


Stamp #430 Free Bird
Stencil #97 Starry Night

To see the stamps, stencils and dies used, please visit 

You'll find lots of inspiration on the 

That's all for now.
Thanks for stopping by today.
xoxo

I'd like to play along in these challenges:
Pammies Inky Pinkies #2043 AG 02/11 TOP 3
Simon Says Stamp (Mon) Movie Inspired (The Birds) 02/11
Simon Says Stamp (WED) #78 AG 04/11
TTCRD AG 04/11
Digi Choosday #43 AG 05/11
Pennys Challenges #483 AG 11/11


Gecko Galz BLOG HOP


Hello Everyone!


We want to welcome everyone to the
Gecko Galz 10th Annual Blog Hop

This is our Tricks and Treats Blog Hop!
 
We have 15 AMAZING blogs for you to visit this weekend, each with some gorgeous projects created using the Gecko Galz collage sheets that we are giving you for FREE! Each blog you visit will have another free Gecko Galz Collage sheet for you to download, the one here is
"Natures Beauty".

You can find it at the bottom of this post.

Here are the projects that I made. 
Please scroll down to see each one in more detail.


Also make sure you leave a message on each blog site you visit, and follow that design team member if you do not already and on the last blog there will be a phrase that you will email to us to be entered in our drawing for a wonderful treat pack. So sit back, relax, take your time and enjoy the hop!

We have FIVE amazing prizes up for grabs:
·        First is a Gecko Galz shopping spree for $100!
·        Second prize is a $75 Shopping spree with Gecko Galz.
·        Third prize is a $50 shopping spree!
Fourth prize is a $25 shopping Spree!
·        And our Grand Prize ONE FULL YEAR of Gecko Galz PRODUCTS!!! This includes the 6 new collage sheets each quarter, a new stamp set each quarter, 3 new Craft Kits each quarter, 3 ATC collections, A Sentiment pack each quarter, and one jewel it collection!
 This is a $264 value!

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 the phrase at the end of the hop on the Fripperies and Butterflies site there will be a link to email the phrase to Gecko Galz at geckogalz2019@gmail.com.
This enters you in the contest. On October 31st we will randomly draw the 4 winners and email each of you, then we will post the winning names in our Newsletter on November 1st.

For an extra chance to win make a purchase from the GECKO GALZ ETSY STORE between the 29th of October and the 31st of October and your name goes in again for a better chance of winning (each purchase you make that weekend gives you another chance to win) 

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I love having time to use just one collage sheet. It is quite amazing how many projects you can make! The Nature's Beauty collage sheet is beautiful - lovely images of creatures and birds on gorgeous natural backgrounds. 

My first project 
is a set of 6 cards and a box to pop them into, so that they can be given as a gift.
Here are the cards:


I used the Tattered Dutchess ATC Set for my background papers. 
The ATCs (and most images) can be resized. I take the easy option which is to screenshot the individual ATC, drag it into a Presentation Program (I use 'Open Office' which is free) and resize from there. Sometimes, if you over stretch the images, the definition will go. In this case you need to use PhotoShop or Gimp (free download) or some other similar program.
The free collage sheet was printed out at normal size and the individual images cut out to use as toppers.  I decided to make the turtle and stork larger so that they complimented the rest. Each image was distressed with scissors along the edges and mounted onto kraft card that was also distressed and inked with Vintage Photo. I added a strip of recycled corrugated cardboard from packaging across each card background and popped the topper on foam tape just to one side of the centre.
To finish each card I added some strips of tiny gems.

Here is the box I made to put the cards into:


I decorated it to match the cards.



My second project 
is a decorated gift box with a key fob and a brooch tucked inside.


I used a box bought from a craft store and decorated the top and sides. The butterfly image in the free collage sheet is truly beautiful and I used it as the focal point for all my projects here. The paper I used is from First Class ATC Collection.
I added some hessian trim around the image and paper and some tiny gems around the image. The side of the lid of the box was decorated with natural 'flower' trim and a tiny gem placed in the centre of each flower. 
 The key fob and brooch are wooden shapes. The images were adhered with Matt Medium and the edges filed so that the image blends into the substrate. A coat of Matt Medium was applied over the top to add some protection.

My third project
 is an altered notebook:


I always need notebooks - if I don't write things down, I forget them!  I bought quite a few of these spiral bound notebooks with plain kraft covers at a discount store and they are brilliant for altering.
Once more I used Tattered Dutchess ATC Set as my background paper and die cut a frame from kraft card to go around the bird's nest image. Some alpha stickers spell out the word 'notes' and some gold coloured trim was adhered.

My fourth and final project 
is a Christmas note card and a Christmas tag.


Our brief for the blog hop was to make at least one Christmas themed project. Now this was a challenge with the collage set I received :)
For the Christmas tag, one of the bird images was fussy cut and recoloured with Inktense watercolour pencils. I made the bird into a robin (sort of!) and popped him on a tag from the Christmas Tag Kit. I gave him a holly decorated nest from the Christmas Haberdashery collage set and some gold trim. Eyelash trim was used to thread through the tag top.

The toadstool image that I used on the card was modified by adding two gnomes from the Gnome for the Holiday collage set. I added this to Tattered Dutchess paper matted onto kraft paper and added a red polka dot ribbon. 

Here is my free Nature's Beauty collage sheet.
Enjoy using it and please share your projects in our Facebook Group.
(Click Right on the image below to save)


Other Gecko Galz Products I used:

Now have fun visiting each Blog:

Zowie Dixon
>>> Carole Jones <<<

That's all for now!
Thanks for stopping by today.
xoxo

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


I'd really love some feedback :)      
I read and appreciate all your comments. 
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