spring flowers at tag tuesday

our dear Valerie is hosting the latest theme at tag tuesday: spring flowers

here are two offerings on this theme

people images are from tim holtz, nature backgrounds are from arthousewhimsy (nature journal), and flowers are prima flowers.

love to all. 

egypt

for moo mania and more "egypt"

stamp used for my "moo" is from good stamps stamp goods. background paper by prima song bird pack.  washi tape and flower from my stash.

love to all.

live gently in this fairy garden

new month, new challenge at gecko galz customer challenge blog -- this month it is "fairy garden!" fairies are delightful to create with. here is my 1st ATC to get the month started:

supplies: ATC base; gecko galz "spring awakening" paper pack; gecko galz "darling dragonflies" collage sheet; gecko galz "garden time" collage sheet (new this quarter!); prima flower; tim holtz sentiment stickers; distress inks.

instructions: i covered the ATC base with the spring awakening paper.  i cut out the little girl with her flowers from the garden time collage sheet and also cut the dragonfly from the dragonfly sheet so i could give her wings.  i carefully arranged the pieces together to adhere to the base.  i added the flower and sentiment.  of course i distressed all edges.

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how to play along:  link up a creation to the gecko galz customer blog.  you must have at least one item by gecko galz in your creation.  find gecko galz products in the gecko galz etsy shop or freebies at the pinterest page.  if you haven't yet signed up for the gecko galz monthly newsletter you should do so because you'll get a free collage sheet every month!  sign up on the blog home page.

come back here on march 14 for more gecko galz inspiration!
love to all.

laissez les bon temps roulez

for moo mania and more "mardi gras" theme:

as usual i have a traditional "moo," approximately 1.1 x 2.8 inches. the woman is from the lunagirl art deco ladies collage sheet.  before printing her i added a digital mask from open clip art.  the background paper is by gecko galz and the rest of the elements are embellies from my stash.

love to all.

paper, lace and doilies

for the tag tuesday "paper, lace and doilies" prompt.

vintage lady from gecko galz "oh my goddess" collage sheet. doilie, pink lace, black paper card stock and prima flowers from my stash.

love to all.

the smell of freshly ground heaven...

last week at tag tuesday the prompt was cups and cutlery and i went with a tea party theme.  this week the prompt is coffee and tea. well, i pretty much went with just the coffee...

because it really does smell like freshly ground heaven!  when i was growing up a coffee pot was ALWAYS on.  so it is a smell i associate with homey things.

vintage lady from the steampunk girls collage sheet by lunagirl. the white coffee pot is from delicious doodles and all the rest of the images are from coosty creations -- the latter two products are sold by stitchy bear digital images.

linking to try it on tuesday and the current challenge to "make us smile."

enjoy and love to all.

july gecko galz inspiration and a digital freebie!

today is my feature day on the gecko galz blog which means i also get to give you a free digital image!  but first let me share 2 more ATCs on our customer challenge theme of "sun, moon and stars."

supplies: ATC base; gecko galz solarium paper pack; gecko galz "sun, moon and stars" collage sheet (new this month!); gecko galz "dream within a dream" collage sheet; sentiment by tim holtz; enamel dots.

instructions: i covered the ATC with paper from the solarium paper pack.  i cut out the moon and star image from the "sun, moon and stars" collage sheet and the woman from the "dream within a dream" collage sheet and arranged them to my liking.  i added the sentiment and enamel dots to finish.

supplies: gecko galz solarium paper pack; gecko galz "sun, moon and stars" collage sheet (new this month!); gecko galz "dream within a dream" collage sheet; washi tape, prima flower; die cut border.

instructions: i covered the ATC with paper from the solarium paper pack.  i added random strips of washi tape.  i cut the two women images from "dream within a dream" collage sheet and the moon from the "sun, moon and stars" collage sheet.  the final touches were the prima flower and die cut border.

to join the customer challenge you must use at least one item by gecko galz.  in addition to the reasonably priced goodies at the etsy shop there are plenty of freebies for the grabbing on the gecko galz pinterest page.

and as promised, here is a freebie for you to save and play with -- this is a fun one for summer!

enjoy; love to all.

quotes and sayings

we're challenged to use quotes or sayings in our tags at tag tuesday this week.  here's mine:

the sentiment is a stamp from silver crow creations.  the moon is from the harvest moon collage sheet by lunagirl and the dancing girl is from the bring on the dancing girls collage sheet also by lunagirl.  she is definitely flexible! the ribbon, prima flower, die cut border and background papers are from my stash.

i'm also linking to the three muses "quote" challenge and to the 
 inspiration destination "anything goes" challenge.

enjoy!  love to all.

lasso my heart

it is week three at lunagirl moonbeams and the "cowgirls and horses" challenge.  if you link up a creation on this theme you'll be up for the chance to win shopping credit at the lunagirl store.

here is a charming image from the lunagirl "cowgirls #1" digital collage sheet.  look at all the hearts she has corralled.  i wonder what she is up to?  all i did for this ATC was add the image to my ATC base, add ribbon, a prima flower and a cowboy boot brad.

enjoy; love to all.

springtime butterfly moo

seriously, the birds are singing louder and louder these days.  i do believe spring is finally showing its beautiful face.

i made this "moo," an approximately 1.2 x 2.8 inch creation in response to the "spring" challenge at moo mania and more challenge blog and to the "butterflies" challenge at the take a word challenge blog.

the images are all from the gecko galz "spring time jewels" collage sheet with background paper by lunagirl.  the clock is from a kaisercraft sticker sheet and there is a prima flower at bottom.

enjoy; love to all.

gecko galz inspiration continues -- domino pendant

i'm excited to be sharing my first ever domino pendant!  i am so pleased with how it turned out that i am eager to make more and to get more elaborate.  but for now, i hope you like this first simple one.

the background is paper from the "floral symphony" paper pack by gecko galz.  the foreground face is from the "face to face" jewel it collage sheet.  other than that i have a little prima flower and lots of diamond glaze! i'd actually purchased a domino pendant kit from altered pages and followed their tutorial to create this piece.

here is the back side just in case you don't believe it is a domino!

i'm also reminding you of the "hearts and kisses" challenge at the gecko galz customer challenge blog.  you have a bit more than a week remaining to link up a creation featuring hearts and kisses or other valentine-y theme for the chance to win a prize from gecko galz.  as always you must use at least one item from gecko galz but in addition to the awesome products at the etsy shop there are always freebies on the pinterest page.  i hope you will play along.

love to all.

gecko galz inspiration for february plus a freebie!

today is my day to be featured on the gecko galz blog which means i have a bit of inspiration for you and also a free digital stamp!

my first piece is a card called "you are so beautiful."

the background paper is from the gecko galz "floral symphony" paper pack and the woman is from the "nature's muse" stamp set, also by gecko galz.  i added a sentiment and a prima flower to finish.

my second piece is a tag called "be my valentine."

the background paper is from the gecko galz "smitten" paper pack. the vintage valentine is from the brand new "valentine wishes" collage sheet.  i added paper flowers, enamel dots and ribbon.

both pieces also serve as a reminder to join the gecko galz customer challenge this month which is "hearts and kisses."  if you win the challenge you'll get fabulous prizes from gecko galz.  the piece you link up must include at least one item by gecko galz.  check out the etsy shop or the pinterest page for gecko galz goodies to play with!

now here is your free digital stamp!  hmm, this would work well for the hearts and kisses customer challenge entry, too! (hint hint...)

finally, i'll share a final bit of gecko galz inspiration on the 19th of this month if you'd like to come back for a peek!

enjoy; love to all.

birds on tins

because of my interest in altering tins i put a call out on a note on the office refrigerator for people to give me their old altoids tins.  one person gave me several.  so I made a set of altered tins for her.

my image sources were the que sera paper pack, the "vintage birds" collage sheet and the "just a note" collage sheet by gecko galz.  i used the same washi tapes for both borders and similar papers on the insides and bottoms since this was meant to be a set.  i also used prima flowers on both.

enjoy; 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.

faeries and mermaids, 2

the challenges at the lunagirl moonbeams blog now run for a full month so i'll be posting another creation every week.  this is week two of our faeries and mermaids challenge.  you are invited to post a creation to the blog featuring a faerie or mermaid.  you'll then be in the running for a prize of shopping credit at the delightful lunagirl store. 

this week i am sharing yet another twinchie (2 x 2 inches) this time featuring a faerie from the lunagirl faerie fantasy showgirls collage sheet.  the wings i gave her are from the lunagirl fly away home collage sheet.  the background paper, prima flower, leaf ribbon and text are from my stash.

three more weeks to link up a creation, i hope you will!
love to all.

blues and browns

this week it is a color challenge at tag tuesday -- blues and browns. well, i did not travel outside my comfort zone -- i made a collaged tag featuring our required colors.

the beautiful woman as well as the map behind her are from lunagirl collage sheets.  these vintage images were conveniently in just the shades of blue and brown that i wanted to play with.  the wings are from a tim holtz set (it is actually a moth sticker).  i additionally added washi tape, prima flowers and ribbon.  the background paper in french script was something from my stash.

happy week!  love to all.

correspondence

our theme at tag tuesday this week is "correspondence."  having recently re-discovered some of my awesome postcard images from french kissed postcards i decided to use products from that company again for this challenge.

i imagine this lady has sent a long letter to her love, who of course will be very delighted to receive it once it arrives upon the wings of the postal service! the background paper on the tag is from my stash but the carte postale and the woman are from french kissed postcards.  the wings are from moonlight journey.  the prima flower, washi tape and brad are from my stash.

enjoy; love to all.

retro summer flamingo

what is cheerier than a flamingo?  i made a tag featuring a flamingo from the lunagirl "flamingo" collage sheet to remind you of the "retro summer" challenge at lunagirl moonbeams.  you are invited to link up a creation featuring some vintage summer fun for the chance to win a prize from the lunagirl store.

the tag base has some pretty designer paper from my stash.  the pink border at the top is from a border set i bought from alpha stamps. i also added a prima flower, some enamel dots and the sentiment.

i hope you will join the challenge.
love to all.

marie antoinette, an iconic face and figure

i've noticed many artists enjoy working with images of marie antoinette.  if you are one of those people this new two week challenge is for you.  offered up jointly by lunagirl moonbeams (the challenge sponsor) and the cheerful stamp pad, you are invited top link up a new creation to both blogs featuring an image of marie antoinette.  here is a tag to get you going.

for my tag i started with some designer paper from my stash which was already covered in french script.  i gave the paper a light going over with watered down white gesso.  next i selected an image from the "marie" collage sheet by lunagirl and cut it out.  i also added a scene from the lunagirl "dreams of paris" collage sheet and a compass from the lunagirl "winds and roses" collage sheet.  i arranged and adhered these pieces, distressed the edges and also added a prima flower, some washi tape and a fleur de lis brad.  should you play along with this challenge you will have the random chance of winning a prize from lunagirl.

though images of marie are lovely to look at, nevertheless her life was an unfortunate one.  though she was born to wealth and ascended to become queen of france, she was apparently vain and frivolous.  the french people were struggling and revolution was afoot.  she was ultimately executed.  if i could rewrite history i would make her a more generous person and arrange a happy ending for her and for the people of france in those treacherous times.

our challenge prompt at tag tuesday this week is "faces."  i'll be linking this tag to that site as well, acknowledging the fascinating face of this intriguing character.

love to all.

a girl abroad

"look at all the places i've visited!" exclaims young cecile as she sends a postcard salute to her beloved grandmere.  for week two of the "travel to faraway places" at the cheerful stamp pad challenge blog i've made a  4x6 postcard featuring a young girl traveling all over europe.  all of the vintage images are from our challenge sponsor lunagirl.

i started with the 4x6 cardboard base and arranged images from the lunagirl collage sheets including "maps," "dreams of paris," "scenes from europe," "carte postale" and "steampunk girls."  i think there are 7 images used here altogether!  i also used washi tapes, prima flowers and some die cuts from a travel set i had in my stash.

i had fun making this and thinking about this adventurous girl's trip abroad.  i hope you enjoy this postcard and that you will also be inspired to join our challenge -- one more week to go!  remember,  a randomly selected challenge participant will get a prize of vintage images from lunagirl -- a wonderful treat, almost as good as getting to take a trip!

love to all.