Little Drummer Boy Christmas Card

The question is: can I make one Christmas card a month so that I have 12 to share in December?

If the answer is yes, then the next question is what challenges can I enter to keep me motivated?

I used up some old Stampin' Up cardstock for the mat and card.

The digital image is new this month from Gecko Galz.  My daughter's favorite Christmas carol-Little Drummer Boy-so this was an obvious motivator.

The digital sentiment is from Imagine That! which is no longer in business.

The holly ephemera is older than snot from my Christmas craft box.

Entering:  

Gecko Galz Christmas Card Monthly Challenge January I'm #3

Jingle Belles  In With the Old and the New  I'm #29

Merry Little Christmas Challenge #60 Anything Goes I'm #46.  I keep getting a failure message to follow your blog.

CD Sunday Plus Challenge #149  I'm #13

Peace on Earth Christmas challenge #79 I'm #36

January at Gecko Galz

Happy New Year!  I'm back with brand new samples and challenges from Gecko Galz.

The first of each month, Gecko Galz posts a newsletter chock full of exciting news.  Since there are monthly contests using Gecko Galz images, the winners are listed along with the new challenges. There's a free digital collage sheet just for the asking.  Subscribing to the newsletter is free.  You can request to be on the mailing list by looking for the subscription link on the right hand side of the blog page.  You will want to get the newsletter to learn about different promotions. 

There also is a Gecko Galz blog where you can find the monthly contests and the free images to use.

The monthly customer challenge for January is Gatsby Girls  

For this challenge you may use any Gecko Galz image for your interpretation.  Here is my card sample using Gatsby Girls Digital Collage Set. 

Where to get your images?  Gecko Galz has an Etsy site where you can purchase them: geckogalz.  

If you'd like even more challenges using Gecko Galz digital images, be sure to check out our Facebook Papercrafting Challenge Group.

There also is a Gecko Galz Facebook page with a monthly tag challenge. Winner gets a $25 shopping spree with Gecko Galz.  

And finally, for more inspiration look for samples on the Gecko Galz Pinterest page.

I'll be back on January 15 with more samples.

Christmas Tags

Here are the rest of my December samples for Gecko Galz.

 background tag from Boho Princess junk journal kit and image from Nouveau Winter collage page

antique photo negative

Little Birdie handmade flowers 

tag background cut and collaged from Christmas Scraps collage sheet

Christmas Cuties collage sheet

Little Miss Candy Cane Tag

Today one of my Christmas tags is featured on the Gecko Galz Blog here.  Be sure to go to the blog and become a follower, because........

This month is our last month of Holiday happenings with our 25 tags of Christmas and with that we will be giving gifts to our followers each day for the 25 days we feature a new tag.  

I used the Christmas Cuties collage sheet found at the Gecko Galz Etsy shop.  The background is tag board covered with modeling paste, then etched, and painted green.

Gecko Galz Design Star

I 'm very excited to announce that I have rejoined the Gecko Galz design team after a long hiatus.  

 

You will find a new blog post from me on the fifteenth of each month which will showcase my samples using Gecko Galz digital images. December 15, 2024, will be my first such post. Be sure to come back here on the 15th of each month to see what I created.  In between time. you will find additional posts from me linking to Gecko Galz to see what our entire team is up to.

The first of each month, Gecko Galz posts a newsletter chock full of exciting news.  Since there are monthly contests using Gecko Galz images, the winners are listed along with the new challenges. There's a free digital collage sheet just for the asking.  Subscribing to the newsletter is free.  You can request to be on the mailing list by looking for the subscription link on the right hand side of the blog page.  You will want to get the newsletter to learn about different promotions. 

There also is a Gecko Galz blog where you can find the monthly contests and the free images to use.

The monthly card challenge for December is Yuletide Dreams.  

For this challenge you may use any Gecko Galz image for your interpretation.  Here is my card sample using Yuletide Card Toppers.

Where to get your images?  Gecko Galz has an Etsy site where you can purchase them: geckogalz.  

If you'd like even more challenges using Gecko Galz digital images, be sure to check out our Facebook Papercrafting Challenge Group.

There also is a Gecko Galz Facebook page with a monthly tag challenge. Winner gets a $25 shopping spree with Gecko Galz.  

And finally, for more inspiration look for samples on the Gecko Galz Pinterest page.

Mermaid Gift Box

I won digital tin toppers from Gecko Galz.  I used one of the images from the Mermaizing Tin Toppers sheet.  Using acrylic paint, I painted a box (rather than a tin), blue and then used bubble wrap painted green to stamp onto the box some "bubbles".  After adhering the mermaid image, having distressed the edges with Ranger ink, I added several pearls, Prima Melange Art Pebbles, other baubles, a costume jewelry earring, and a touch of Viva Perlen-Pen Magic Transparent shimmering beads. 

 Entering:

Gecko Galz Sea of Dreams July challenge #8 WINNER!

613 Avenue Create July Anything Goes #138

HQFCB July Challenge Mermaids #18 WINNER!

June Winner at Gecko Galz

 I've been making other types of art and have fallen off the blog post train.  

At the Gecko Galz Papercrafting Facebook page, I entered a digital journal page using Gecko Galz images in the Vintage Seashore category.  I'm pleased to say that I was chosen the winner.

 

Ornaments Card

Made this card for my sister and her husband. I need to get it in the mail!  Last year half of the card I sent her got returned to me by the post office, minus the gift card that I had enclosed!  This year I'm enclosing a small piece of art, so hopefully the envelope will arrive intact.  

I really dug into my stash to create a card for these challenges.  The ornament idea is quite popular on Instagram right now.  So new idea but old materials from my stash.

A local architect donated to us some material called transparent film although it's really more translucent and reminds me of Mylar.  We experimented with it, making Gelli plate prints.  I found this piece and decided it would make pretty ornaments. In addition to the Tim Holtz ornament dies, I cut a smaller circle die from Spellbinders Nestabilities and added a top from Tim's ornaments dies.  

Materials used:

white Posca Pen to splatter snow
American Crafts Metallic Marker Gold
Stampers Anonymous Tim Holtz Collection Retro Holiday CMS067
Tsukneko Dew Drop Brilliance Galaxy Gold ink
Sizzix Tim Holtz Alterations die Carved Ornaments
Stampin' Up Night of Navy cardstock

Gelli Plate print on transparent film substrate using pink, white and blue acrylic paints

Entering these challenges:

Simon Says Monday Challenge:  Winter Blues/Tim Holtz #57

Simon Says Wednesday Challenge: Use Craft Dies #34

Shopping Our Stash 511 Whatever the Weather:  Snow (2nd entry) #12

Holiday Tags

I purchased some plaid wood "Joy" tags and some miniature trees from Michael's.  I resized and printed some Christmas Cuties from Gecko Galz Etsy shop which I then fussy cut and glued onto the tags along with some ephemera scraps distressed with Ranger pumice stone Distress Ink , buttons and ribbon trim from my extensive stash.  Then I added some white snow with a Posca pen.

I made a total of 8 tags during our art get together today and then gave them to  my art friends.   

Here are the 4 designs:

Entered these tags in these challenges:

Gecko Galz Papercrafting Facebook: Tags and Wintertime WINNER!

Shopping Our Stash 511 Whatever the Weather  #1 

Try It On Tuesday Traditional Christmas #58 WINNER!

613 Avenue Create Anything Goes Winter #39 x

We Love 2 Create: Anything Goes #36 x

Flowers from Nature

 

This month it's my turn to lead an art project during our local art guild meeting.  Since November is a month of thanksgiving and bountiful harvest, I decided to do vegetable printing as the activity.

I experimented with shallot sliced in half as the "stamp" to make flowers.  I also rolled corn on the cob in acrylic paint and then rolled it onto the page for a background.  For definition, I added marks with pens and paint markers.  

At Art Journal Journaling, this month's prompt is NATURE so  I'm sharing my vegetable print journal page with them.  

I'm also entering these challenges:

Crafting From the Heart #7 Anything Goes I'm #20

Simon Says Grunge It Up I'm #28

Beautiful Blossoms Challenge #10 Anything Goes with Flowers I'm #54

Colorful Options November Red I'm #53