Fairy Frame

I made the frame of the fairies for the Ethereal Spring Challenge April 2024 on the Gecko Galz Blog.

I used a 10 x 8 inch white card mount to make the frame. First I gave it a coat of white gesso and when dry I used a leaf stencil and sand paste to get a raised leaf effect. When that was dry I used metallic gold paste over the background and also green acrylic paint was lightly added so that the leaf effect stood out more. 

The image of the fairies are from the Gecko Galz that I printed onto Matte photo paper. To seal the image I used Distress Glaze

I had previously made toadstools, a snail and a ladybird out of resin that I used to decorate the frame. I  lightly coloured all of them with green iridescent acrylic paint and lightly rubbed gold wax over that to pick out the detail so that they would look realistic and to match the colours of the frame and the image.

The ivy leaves and flowers are made out of paper die cuts and as they are flimsy I gave them a coat of clear heat embossing powder to strengthen them and also some Glossy Accents and I also lightly coloured the daisies. I arranged the ivy leaf and flowers around the image and then added little yellow gemstones for the centres of the flowers

Gecko Galz

Decorated Note Book

I made this for the Winter Elegance Challenge on the Gecko Galz Blog 

The beautiful image is from the Gecko Galz Blog.

Using white gesso to prime the covers of the note book and makes it easier to adhere down the paper. 

For the top part of the front cover of the paper I gave it a light coat of Distress Oxide ink in picked raspberry to make it look more vibrant. The colours in the paper match the image.

When dry I gave it a coat of Multi Medium Matte to protect the paper around the image and I also used the same medium on the back cover

I then adhered the image on the front cover of the book and framed it using white pretty lace. I then used chipboard snowflakes that I lightly coloured with white chalk and I also used little lace flowers on the top right and bottom left corners of the frame section and finished the whole look using silver coloured embellishments

Gecko Galz

I decorated this large tag for the Christmas Image Challenge  October 2023 on the Gecko Galz Blog.

I sized the image of the lady to fit the tag to make it the focal point. Then I used red and silver glitter card to match the colours on the image by layering the card in alternate colours behind the image of the lady.

Using a dark red patterned paper for the background on the tag I then adhered the image onto the tag

The stars are made out of silver glitter card that I die cut out and also the silver filigree die cut at the base of the card. I used red pearls for the centre of each star and the silver die cut at the top of the tag and also red gems to decorate the filigree die cut at the bottom of the tag

Gecko Galz

 Book box set

I made a book box set for the March 2023 Challenges on the Gecko Galz Blog.

The set is made from white cardstock and blue patterned paper. First I made the book box out of an A4 sheet of white cardstock and trimmed it to 111/2 inch wide by 71/2 inch long then I made a one inch spine so that I had the room to fit in the box base when the book was closed.

The box base measures 6 inches in height by 4 inches wide. I glued the base down on the right side of the inside of the back cover. I then added ribbon to the side of the front cover of the book box and the back side so that the ribbon will be secure and will look neat when the blue patterned paper is added.

I made a small notebook to go inside the box base and decorated the cover using the image of the birds. The tag I made to fit inside the pocket on the left hand inside of the cover I added a pretty image of a rabbit. 

For the lid of the box I used the pretty image of the fairy that has been provided for the Challenge. The blue paper on the lid, notebook and tag I lightly stencilled using a leaf stencil then adhered all the images by layering  with blue and light green card and paper. 

The little flowers I made using a metal die. Finally I added a light touch of glitter to all of the images and added little rhinestones to the centre of the flowers and the corners of the fairy image to give it all a finished look

March 2023 Image Challenge

'Ode to Spring Challenge'

I want to join these Challenges on the Gecko Galz Blog

 Gecko Galz

Double Display Box

I made the Double Display Box Card for the 'February 2023 Steampunk Love Challenge' on the Gecko Galz Blog.

I followed a tutorial made by Create with Scrimpingmommy on you tube  to make each of the box cards, both are made using a tan colour Kraft cardstock in an A4 size

When assembled I used the image of the lady from the Gecko Galz. The paper to cover the front of the boxes is from Stamperia called Mechanical Seaworld. As there is a rust colour and green in the paper design I added the same colours in Distress Oxide in different areas on the front of each box. The cogs are made from MDF that I coloured using gilding wax in gold and copper. 

For the corners of each shadow box I used metal corners that I coloured in gold wax to match the project

Steampunk Love Challenge Gecko Galz

Open Book 

I made the Open Book for the Gecko Galz 'Myths and Legends August 2022 Challenge' on the Gecko Galz Blog.

I have a set of open book page metal dies in different sizes. To start I cut out the back of the book using gold coloured card using the largest metal die, then I cut the second size page using pretty patterned paper in peach and then again using the smaller die in white card and over that the printed page from the 'Gecko Galz Starlight ATC' collection that I resized and printed it out to fit the project.

For the edges of each page I added gold colour corner peel-offs to give a more finished look.

I curled the pages to make them look like pages of a book and cut each one down the centre and adhered them down by layering one on top of the other this stops the pages being too bulky. I used raised foam pads behind the pages to keep the curled page look.

The image of the lady is from the 'Gecko Galz Mystic Fantasy set'.

I resized the image and printed it out. I cut a frame out of the gold card for the image and different size stars in white and gold card. For the sentiment on the right of the book I used the same gold card, patterned paper and white cardstock and layered them and stamped the word Dream in the centre.

The smaller stars are also layered. I adhered the framed image on the left side of the book and the large star on the right side using foam pads. I then adhered the stars on all four corners of the frame. I added gems to the small stars the large layered star For the centre of the book I adhered a ribbon and added large gems to the top and bottom of the ribbon. The stand is also made using a metal cutting die and  gold card.

I want to enter the 

Gecko Galz Myths and Legends

Shabby Chic Style Canvas

I made this for the Garden Child Challenge for April 2022 on the Gecko Galz Blog.

To start I used an 8 inch by 8 inch canvas. Then I chose the image of the girl from the Spring Innocence Collage sheet by the Gecko Galz on Etsy and resized it in a photo software program on my computer and then I printed it out onto matt photo paper. I always start with the image and I decorate that project to match. 

The backing paper is from My Porch Prints on Etsy and I printed that out onto matt photo paper. I adhered the backing paper onto the canvas. I then layered brown and pink cardstock behind the image to make the image stand out from the background. Then I used pretty scalloped lace at the top and bottom of the canvas. The flowers and butterflies are die cuts that I cut out and made from Carnation Crafts

I decoupaged the pink and cream flowers in different size layers to make them look more realistic and added a die cut clock that I coloured in pink to match the flowers and I tucked it behind the flowers at the bottom left of the canvas. I then added flower sprays in white to fill in the gaps between the flowers then I adhered them all onto the canvas. 

The image of the girl was adhered next and then I added lace and pink flower trim to the bottom of the image and added the same flower trim that I cut up for the top of the image. I added glitter to the flowers and also the butterflies to highlight them so they stood out from the background

Garden Child Challenge April 2022

Shabby Chic style large tag

I made this tag for the Birds and Bees Crafting Challenge for March 2022 on the Gecko Galz Blog 

To make the tag I used a large mdf tag approximately 11 inches long by 51/2 inches wide. I chose to use one of the Gecko Galz ATC's from the Gecko Galz 'Woodwork ATC set', resized in a photo editing program to fit the tag, and printed it out onto matt photo paper. The image of the bird is from the Gecko Galz 'Pretty Little Birds collage set' and I also resized it before printing it out again using matt photo paper. to fit on the front of the tag.

I tore around the image of the bird that I wanted to use so there would be no harsh lines and adhered it onto the front of the tag. I then used sections of a die-cut of a brick wall from Carnation Crafts for around the bottom of the image. Then also using a selection of other die cuts all from Carnation Crafts I tried to make a realistic-looking scene using flowers, ivy, leaves, and grass by cutting sections of each die-cut and arranging them where I thought looked nice.

To finish the decorating of the tag I added a large flat back pearl to the top section of the tag

Gecko Galz

 Decorated Tin

I made this decorated tin for the Pre Raphaelite Dreams January 2022 Challenge on the Gecko Galz Blog.

I had been inspired to decorate this tin by watching youtube, boxes being decorated with images used around the base of them although I did use images I wanted to make my own design as I prefer to do this.

To start I printed out some digital images onto photo paper to use for the tin. The images of the ladies are from the Gecko Galz on Etsy and the blue and cream paper is from Arty Maze on Etsy.

First I gave the outside of the tin a coat of white Gesso and for the base, I used grey chalk paint. I cut the background paper to fit around the base of the tin and adhered it down using Mod Podge. I wanted to use small images around the base of the tin in sections so I chose the Gecko Galz Pre-Raphalite Jewels digital sheet as the images were already in a small size. Using photo editing I then sized each image to fit on the base of the tin.

I adhered these to the tin using Mod Podge and then gave the whole outside of the base of the tin a coat of Mod Podge and set it aside to dry. For the lid of the tin I gave it a coat of white Gesso then two coats of blue acrylic paint. When dry I used an image of a lady from the Pre-Raphelite Kit from the Gecko Galz and I cut around the image to fit inside an MDF Frame. I then gave it a coat of clear matt varnish to protect it. For the frame, I again used white Gesso and also two coats of blue acrylic paint to match the lady image and the background paper that I used for around the base of the tin.

For the lid I used white filler and a stencil, placed the stencil on the lid and using a palette knife I spread the filler over the stencil lifted the stencil off and let the filler dry. When this had dried I lightly brushed cream paint over the embossed design on top of the lid then when that had dried I lightly sandpapered over it.

I had decided to use cream pearl trim around the images on the base of the tin and also around the base near the top and bottom. I then adhered the lady image into the centre of the frame

Then I adhered the frame down into the centre of the lid. I used a larger cream coloured pearl trim around the lid of the tin to match the base. To finish I added flat back pearls around the image of the lady towards the centre of the frame

I want to enter the Pre-Raphaelite Challenge for January 2022

Gecko Galz

Holly & Ivy decorated canvas

I made this for the Holly & Ivy Challenge December 2021 on the Gecko Galz Blog

The white canvas is 8 inch by 8 inches in size. To start I used a stencil and white texture paste, laid the stencil on top of the canvas, and using a spatula spread the texture paste over the top then lifted off the stencil and put the canvas aside to dry. When dry the stenciled design gives a raised embossed effect. Next, I gave the canvas a coat of green acrylic paint and dried it off with a craft heat gun.

I then hand-painted over the raised scroll design in different areas on the background with metallic copper acrylic paint.

Having already chosen the image of the girl that is from a digital collage sheet called Cuties at Christmas by the Gecko Galz. I resized the image to fit the canvas and printed it out onto photo-quality matt paper.

The frame around the image is made out of MDF so I painted it with copper metallic paint to match the background, then cut around the image to fit inside the frame.

I adhered them together with glue and then adhered them down in the centre of the canvas. 

The floral spray is hand made by myself and I added that to the right-hand side of the frame then added a holly embellishment to the top left-hand side of the frame, also I coloured clear gem embellishments using a red alcohol marker and added them to the frame

The raised holly embellishments on the four corners of the canvas I had previously made out of paper clay so I painted the leaves with the same green acrylic paint and highlighted them using copper acrylic paint, I also painted the berries with red acrylic paint so that all the decoration on the canvas will match together

I want to enter the Holly & Ivy Challenge for December 2021 on the Gecko Galz Blog 

Gecko Galz

 Decorated Book Box

I decorated a wooden book box for the Gecko Galz Magical Dreams Challenge November 2021 on their blog. I started by selecting the image of the lady from the Magical Maidens Digital Collage Sheet that I had purchased some time ago from the Gecko Galz Etsy store.

The image of the lady was resized to fit in the centre on the top of the book box and then I printed the image onto matt photo paper. When dry I used Ranger Distress Glaze and using a sponge gave the image a light coat of the glaze and put it aside to dry 

Next, I gave the box a coat of black gesso that acts as a primer and gives a good base to work from. Using a stencil and white modelling paste I stencilled over the lid of the box with a spatula and when dry it gives a raised embossed effect. I used a larger flat back pearl trim around the centre opening on the top of the lid of the box that will be used to frame the image of the lady.

For around the sides of the box I use a small pearl beaded trim and glued it down, I like to use this when I can as it neatens up the sides and can be painted over if required. Then I gave the whole of the box a coat of Purple Mist Metallic Gilding Polish including all of the pearl trim that I had used. When dry I lightly brushed Gold Treasure Gilding Polish over the lid of the box to bring out the embossed design and also lightly brushed the gilding polish over all of the pearl trim on the top and sides of the box to match.

To help protect the image of the lady I used a sheet of clear acetate and then glued the image into the open section in the centre of the lid from underneath the lid.

To finish I used MDF scrolls and stars that I had made out of air dry clay and gave them all a coat of the same Gold Treasure Gilding Polish and when dry I buffed them up with a cloth. Then scrolls and stars were glued to the top of the box around the image. To finish I added purple gems to all of the MDF scrolls

I would like to enter the Magical Dreams Challenge for November 2021 on the Gecko Galz Blog 

Gecko Galz

Decorated Canvas

I made a decorated canvas for the October 2021 Image Challenge on the Gecko Galz Blog. 

A free image is displayed on their blog that can be downloaded onto a computer or tablet and printed out as it has to be used as part of a project that is made by each person who wishes to enter the Challenge.

I started with a white blank board canvas that is just under 8 inches square. The background is plain orange that I printed out onto matt photo paper. First I stamped leaves using a black ink pad all over the background, then in sections I used an orange ink pad and a stencil for the dot effect in different areas of the background

A square filigree metal cutting die was used to cut out the black card for behind the image of the owl and then I layered black and orange card stock in different sizes and adhered them all down on the centre of the canvas.

For decoration, I used MDF leaf sprays and flowers and painted those in orange paint to match the project and then adhered those onto two of the corners of the image. I also painted two metal corners with orange paint and adhered those down onto the two remaining corners of the image. The black rhinestones were clear so I coloured them with a black Sharpie pen, these were used for the two metal corners and the centre of the flowers

          I want to enter the October 2021 Image Challenge

                                                   Gecko Galz

Fabric and lace wall hanging

I made the fabric and lace wall hanging for the Gecko Galz Image Challenge  September 2021 on their Blog.

To start I used Art Canvas Inkjet Art Paper to print the image of the ladies and also the background design as well. Both the image of the ladies and the background design are from the Gecko Galz.

I cut to size a piece of batting and then adhered to the canvas background using Beacon 3 in 1 glue. I also adhered batting behind the image of the ladies. For the back of the wall hanging, I used an ivory coloured lace fabric and around the edges a cream colour lace trim.

To decorate around the image of the ladies I added 3 different narrow laces and then went around the image again using an ivory colour flat back pearl trim.

The background design has pretty purple flowers on it and they matched the image nicely. Along both sides of the wall hanging, I used a narrow gathered lace in cream and then adhered the pearl trim on top of that. At the top of the wall hanging, I decorated using 2 different laces and added small flower embellishments on top. 

For the bottom of the wall hanging, I used a pretty wide scalloped lace in ivory and then a lilac colour flower lace trim, I also added ivory flat back pearls. At the top two corners of the image, I used the same purple flower embellishments as I had used at the top of the wall hanging

I want to enter the September 2021 Image Challenge on the Gecko Galz Blog

Gecko Galz

Decorated Note Book

To start I used a shop-bought plain portrait style notebook. I made a cover front and back using a brown kraft card and adhered it onto the original cover to add strength. Using a sheet of tea-dyed paper I lightly coloured over a scroll design of stencil and adhered that onto the front cover, I also used a piece of lace fabric in a cream colour and adhered that on top of the front cover. 

Using a sheet of white paper cut to size I randomly stamped a script design onto the paper and when dry I lightly coloured the paper with Distress Oxide ink so it will match the project. I used a pretty die cut that I again coloured with a Distress Oxide ink pad and adhered that down in the centre of the stamped paper. 

The image of the ballerina is from a digital collage sheet that I had purchased from the Gecko Galz Etsy store that I printed onto white photo paper, then I mounted that onto brown kraft card stock and then adhered them down on top of the die-cut. An ivory colour narrow crochet trim I placed around the edges of the layer of paper and added a flat back pearl trim on the edges of those

At the top and bottom of the front cover, I added a wide crochet trim and I also added a pearl effect flower trim at the top. The flowers did not match the project so I lightly coloured them with Distress Oxides ink pads and arranged the flowers to the bottom right-hand corner of the image. I added a gold-coloured corner peel-off on the top left-hand corner of the image. To balance the look a small pearl was added to the top right and bottom left of the image

I want to enter the Gecko Galz September Challenge 2021

"Ballerina Girls"

Gecko Galz

Vintage style card

The blue pattern paper is from the La Isla Bonita ATC set and the image of the lady is from the Beauties on the Beach Collage set both from the Gecko Galz.

The card is 7 inches by 5 inches in size. For the red card, I used a floral stamp design and a red ink pad, and also clear embossing powder that I heat set to give a raised effect. The front of the card is layered using the red and blue card in different sizes and I also re-sized the image to fit on the front of the card 

The parasol I hand-stamped onto the same blue patterned card and cut it out, then I trimmed it with white lace and pearl string. I added a thin wooden stick to make it look realistic and adhered the parasol onto the card base. 

The sunglasses are a metal cutting die that I used to cut out the yellow frame and I coloured the inside of the frame with an alcohol pen. The word Summer I cut out and adhered it down underneath the image of the lady. I added a handmade paper clay shell that I had previously made and coloured and I adhered that to the bottom right of the card. To finish I added 3 blue flat back embellishments to the top right of the image to give a finished look

Vintage style tag

I made the tag for the "Blooming Beauties" monthly Challenge for April 2021 on the Gecko Galz Blog. 

It is always fun to join the Challenges on their Blog and on their Facebook group.

The image of the lady is from "Pretty Portraits 1" by the Gecko Galz and was printed onto photo paper and sized to fit the tag. I coated the image with Ranger Distress Glaze to bring out the vibrancy of the image and to protect it.

The size of the tag is 8 inches by 41/2 inches and made out of strong white cardstock.

I used script paper for the background to decorate and then a rectangle of leaf patterned paper that was each adhered to the tag, one on top of the other. Then I adhered the image onto the tag. Lace was used to decorate the base of the image. I then used a die-cut of a pretty flower in black and white that I painted with Ranger Distress Oxide Vintage Photo mixed with water to match the tag.

At the top, I used another die-cut and adhered the word "Memories" in the centre of that. I also lightly painted it to tone it down so it will also match the tag.

Along the base of the tag, I used a lace trim to decorate. Then I added a large flat back pearl embellishment to the centre of the flower and small flat backed pearl embellishments in three of the corners around the image

I want to enter the "Blooming Beauties" April 2021 Challenge on the Gecko Galz Blog 

https://geckogalzscrapbooking.blogspot.com/2021/04/gecko-galz-monthly-challengeblooming.html

 Spring theme Plaque and stand

I had a lot of fun creating this little garden scene. I started with a plain arch shape MDF frame and backing. First I painted the front of the frame with blue acrylic paint, when dry I gave the frame a coat of crackle medium, dried it off with a heat gun and then coated the frame with white acrylic paint that cracked while drying. I used a baseboard frame from Tim Holtz and I used the back of it. Using a stencil and the same blue acrylic paint that I used for the frame I gave that a light coat of paint. The beautiful image of the birds is from the Gecko Galz

When everything was dry I glued the frame over the photo of the bird image and glued it onto the back of the main arch shape. The fence is made out of wooden plant sticks that I cut to size. I painted these with white acrylic paint. I wanted the frame to stand on a table so I used an oblong shape of MDF and glued the whole frame on top of that then I adhered the fence to the frame at the bottom The white shelf at the base of the fence I layered wooden plant sticks to look like a shelf and painted those white. 

To make the frame look neat around the edges I adhered flat back pearl trim. Around the base, I added more plant sticks painted white then adhered pearl trim The watering can, plant pots and the little spade and trowel I made out of paper clay, then I painted them blue to match the rest of the project. When dry I adhered them onto the white shelf. To make the garden scene look more realistic I used moss and adhered that down around the base. To finish I used a metal embellishment that I also painted blue and added a flat back pearl to the centre of the plaque at the top

I want to enter A Walk with Nature March 2021 Challenge

 on the Gecko Galz Blog

https://geckogalzscrapbooking.blogspot.com/2021/03/gecko-galz-march-challenge-walk-with.html

 Oriental canvas

To start I cut red cardstock to 8 inches in size to fit a square board back canvas. I wanted a layered look to the canvas by varying different sizes of coloured cardstock. 

On the first red layer of cardstock, I hand-stamped a floral design onto the card using a Versafine Clair ink pad in black. Then for the second layer using a white piece of square cardstock I stamped the same design using the same black ink pad and coloured the flowers with an Inktense pencil in red and the stems and leaves with an Inktense pencil in brown. I then painted over each colour using a water brush to set the colours. I stamped on the black cardstock using the same floral design and used a clear Versamark clear ink pad and clear embossing powder so that they would show up on a dark background

For the last layer of red cardstock I again hand stamped the floral design using a black ink pad. I then added a layer of gold-coloured card around the image matted onto black card to make the image stand out and be the main focal point of the canvas.

Then I arranged each layer of card stock and adhered them on top of each other and then I adhered them onto the canvas board and then went around all four sides of the canvas with gold gilding wax.

I always like to start decorating a project using embellishments to match the main focal image so that they add decoration and interest.

As I did not have the colours to match I made my own coloured embellishments. The flowers and scrolls are made from an MDF a board like material. I coloured those with gold gilding wax and I did the same for the metal corners that I arranged on the canvas. The red imitation gems were coloured using a red alcohol pen

Image from Asian Dreams Digital Collage Set Gecko Galz on Etsy

I want to join 

FAR EAST BEAUTY Challenge on The Gecko Galz Blog January 2021

Gecko Galz

 

 

Decorated small matchbox ornament in red and gold

I decorated a small cardboard matchbox the size is 11/2 inches by 21/4 inches.

To start I painted the outside of the matchbox and both sides of the drawer with white gesso, then I used a red ink pad and coloured the matchbox and both of the front sides of the drawer.

The red patterned paper and the image was printed onto white photo paper. As I did not have a bottle cap in the colour I wanted I used alcohol ink to colour it so it would look like brass. Using a one-inch round punch to cut the image out I adhered it to the inside middle of the bottle cap and then used a clear sticky backed plastic disc on top to protect the image.

I papered the outside of the matchbox and the two ends of the drawer. The bottle cap with the image inside was adhered to the matchbox.

The beaded trim that I used was white so I coloured some strips in gold and in red. For the gold, I used gold gilding paste and when dry I then used gold acrylic paint and buffed it up with a paper towel. For the other beaded trim, I used red acrylic paint. Then I adhered the trims around the top and bottom edges front and back.

I punched a hole through one end of the drawer and used a pretty gold coloured elastic so I can hang it either onto an ornament hanger or a Christmas tree, I then glued the elastic inside the drawer and secured it. For the bottom of the matchbox, I used a crystal effect clear bead dangle that I had coloured with red alcohol ink to match the whole project. Finally, I added glitter glue over the red beaded trim on the front of the matchbox and when dry it really sparkles

The digital images are from the Gecko Galz they are from

Peppermint Lane ATC Collection 

St Nicholas

I want to join the White Christmas Challenge for November 2020 on the Gecko Galz Blog

http://geckogalzscrapbooking.blogspot.com/2020/11/white-christmas-challenge.html

Decorated small matchbox ornament in blue and white

I decorated a small cardboard matchbox the size is 11/2 inches by 21/4 inches.

To start I painted the outside of the matchbox and both sides of the drawer with white gesso. When dry I coloured over the white gesso with a blue ink pad and again when dry I papered the outside of the matchbox and both sides of the drawer.

The image was printed onto photo paper and then given a light coat of multi-medium to protect it.  I punched a hole through one end of the drawer and used a pretty silver coloured ribbon so I can hang it either onto an ornament hanger or a Christmas tree, I then glued the ribbon inside the drawer and secured it.

The image was adhered to the matchbox using multi-medium. t. Then I adhered pearl trim and rhinestone trim around the image and pearl trim down both sides of the matchbox and on the back. Finally, I adhered crystal effect bead dangle to the underside of the matchbox

The digital images to print out are from the Gecko Galz

Winter Wonderland

St Nicholas

I want to join the White Christmas Challenge November 2020 on the Gecko Galz Blog

http://geckogalzscrapbooking.blogspot.com/2020/11/white-christmas-challenge.html