Sunday, December 1, 2013

2014 Album opening page


"Welcome 2014" 

It finally dawned on me about 3 years ago to start my scrapbook on New years day...getting all my days into one book, starting like a calendar!  It totally makes things more logical.  So this is my opening page for my new album.

I started with Gecko Galz  HAPPY NEW YEAR BABY and VINTAGE CARD TOP ephemera.  I found some pretty paper in my stash, this was Cosmo Cricket, Love notes.

I also pulled some tones of beige to brown, including some craft paper.  This was really a challenge to me as I usually like a lot of color.  I cut my main page to 11x11 so I could use a lighter tone to frame it.  I double mounted the ephemera, inked all the edges with Antique Linen, including the paper frame.  I cut images that were reflective of the ephemera and added a glass for CHEERS.  I took the numbers that came off the clock and used them for my year.  I layered all the pieces giving balance and symmetry to the images and the colors.

Friday, November 1, 2013

Fun tags

This months Ephemera has me playing like a school girl...I used images from Retro Fashions and Nouveau Art and started to make tags that I can give as gifts or put on my Christmas gifts...I had so much fun doing this.
 
I used assorted pre made tags and also cut a few with my Cricut.  I found an old Sizzix die and cut a dress pattern in several different patterns.  I also cut a few "dress forms"...love them also, don't understand why, but I really like playing with them.  If you don't have anything premade o cut a dress pattern, it is really easy to make your own, and cut from your scraps, add some little embellishments, a belt or crystal or run them thru a texture machine.I cut out some little purses and placed them on te tag openings.   I used scraps of ribbon for added texture.  Each tag was treated different....I totally inked one, I stamped one, embossed one, and added some Christmas scraps to another.  I even cut one of the dresses from Christmas paper.  Just have fun with it...you will see how carried away you will get, it is like playing with your Barbie again!.
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Wednesday, October 30, 2013

Thank you

I just want to thank everyone that took part in our Blog Hop.  It was a lot of fun and great meeting so many new people.  I hope you continue to be a guest on my blog and have fun!

Regards,
Sherri

Thursday, October 24, 2013

Gecko Galz Blog Hop

  
Welcome Everyone to the 3rd Annual Gecko Galz Tricks and Treats Blog Hop
                                        I am the next stop on your “hop”.   
                                              Welcome to my blog!
If you started here you might want to go back and start at the begining at the Gecko Galz blog so                                                 you won’t miss anything!  

 
We have 15 AMAZING blogs for you to visit this weekend, each with some gorgeous projects created using the Gecko Galz collage images, 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        "Sunnybrook Farm".
Also make sure you collect all the secret words on each blog so at the end of the hop you can enter to win our wonderful treat.  So sit back, relax, take your time and enjoy the hop!
We have FOUR amazing prizes up for grabs:
·        First is the ephemera collections for each month for an entire year. That is 48 different sets! This is a $144 value
·        Second prize is a The monthly paper pack for an entire year! Each month you will receive our paper pack absolutely FREE! This is a $72 value.
·        Third prize is all 3 individual collage sheets each month for a year! This is a $54 value
·        And our Grand Prize ONE FULL YEAR of Gecko Galz  COLLECTIONS!!! That will be 1 paper pack, 1 digital stamp set, and 4 collage sets each month for the entire year! This is a prize worth $288
 
Read on to learn how you can win!
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 all Fifteen words (one on each blog site) and at the end of the blog on the Fripperies and Butterflies site there will be a link to email the phrase to Gecko Galz. This enters you in the contest. On October 28th we will randomly draw the 4 winners and email each of you, then we will post the winning names on our website and on the Gecko Galz blog site.
For an extra chance to win make a purchase from the Gecko Galz site and your name goes in again for a better chance of winning (each purchase you make that weekend gives you another chance to win) 

Finally, we are having one more give away!  If you post our Gecko Galz badge (found on the Gecko Galz Blog) on your blog, facebook page, or website you will be entered to win a Gecko Store Shopping Spree worth $25 - super easy right?  Just post a link to your blog on the Gecko Galz Blog so we can come visit :).
M  Secret Word is:
SOMETHING

Please enjoy this free Gecko Galz Collage sheet “Sunnybrook Farm


  

 


As well as the samples I have made using the images.

Please leave a comment upon viewing


 
A key chain....could be a cute Christmas gift
 
Mount this little guy on several layer of chipboard the same size as the ephemera. Ink all the edges, punch with a big chomp or other heavy duty hole punch, add a ring.   Give it a coat or two of Mod Podge
 
 
 
A scrapbook page!
 
A school trip to the Oil Ranch...hard to get on paper, why not
make some inked tags with some country bulk and farm type trim.
Yep, works really good! 
 
 
 
 
Turn this one into a Christmas card!
The colors are Christmas
so we can use it to design a unique cad.......
frame the piece with black, pit on a scalloped red background
use a Christmas paper as the backing, add
a Christmas tag, no fuss and so cute! 
 
 
 
 

                         A book mark that really holds the page!

Scored the top three inches, stamped embossed and added a trim on the outside, inside added trim to peek out, rounded the corners and added some cute little guy, mounted on a smidge of black.  Another cute little gift!



 
Farmers Market as a greeting card
My favorite image, it is so me.
I just kept mounting the image on   coordinating scraps of paper until it was trimmed in the maroon, mount on trendy craft paper.   Secure some long strip of burlap with a creamy colored flower with a golden colored brad running through  it!
Suitable for any find of occasion!
 
 
 
 

                                  Farmers Market as an art piece...can you tell which one is my favorite! Mount the image with a cranberry/maroon color.  Tale a small canvas, paint the background with some blue green acrylic paint.  I then painted some flowers with yellows and white on the left (I am really not very good at painting on canvas but I am trying to learn and  it is fun to experiment with different things).  I found some burlap that had a very different look, very loose ends and gave a grassy look to it.  Use double sides tape to place it, there is actually a ribbon in the center of the burlap. attached with double sided tape, then my image placed at an angle.  I had some of the pretty flowers in the maroon and yellow, added them with a crystal center to each.  I found a little weathered easel and my creation gives me lots of joy!

Hope you enjoyed....leave me a comment....
 
Now  you are ready to go to the next blog site and see what wonderful treats await you there. Just click the name  to be whisked away to their blog!
 
Here is the Blog Hop Rotation 
 
 Thank you for visiting my blog.  Please come back and visit often.  Each month I will have a different Gecko Galz post, as well as other posts on scrapbooking and jewelry.  Please leave a comment so I know you were here!

Sherri
 
 
 
 

Friday, October 4, 2013

Bon Voyage

 


Bon Voyage

by  Sherri Levinton

This card is created with Geckogalz ephemera from the TRAVEL ON sheet.

 
 

I started with a heavy sheet of craft paper and cut it to 6 x 12, and scored it in the center, inked it with Tim Holtz  Brushed corduroy.  Prepare all the layers and assemble at the end  My image is cut and secured to 3.5 x3.5 black square.  Next layer is Burgundy  Tim Holtz  shattered kraft core, embossed with Anna Griffins folder Poppy, then cut to 4.5x4.5 and sand .

I used a powder blue scrap, cut to 5x5, save additional scrap of same 5x 1/2, ink edges.  From a blue printed paper (mine had a blue and burgundy small scale print) cut ( 2 ) 1x12 strips and  score at 1/4 intervals.  Lay out piece of 5.5  double sided tape, bend strips on itself to form accordion fringe, attach to back  blue   layer on right side with additional double sided  tape, trim to fit. 

 

·         From a burlap fabric (found mine in the fall section of the craft store or even in the scrapbook section)  cut a piece 2x6 and a smidge, ink.  Apply double sided tape to top of card front of card and lay fabric, trimming and pulling some string to get a shabby look, bottom edge will be loose but that adds to the shabby look

·         Adhere all layers in order

·         I used the reserve scrap of blue to fill the gap on left fold

·         Staple layers at top

·         Lastly, take scrap of burlap about 6x 1/2 or more, knot, pull strand to look shabby and attach to bottom of card with a hatpin.  Trim edges

 

my blog will have step by step pics .....card is really cute and goes quick!


 









 
 
 

Sunday, September 1, 2013

Halloween beauty



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I took Geckogalz Stamp 8 and printed it on white cardstock  Using my pastels , I colored in the image.  I trimmed off the leaves.  I double mounted the image on purple, then black and mounted in on Basic Greys EERIE.  I added some 3 D pumpkins from my stash.  On the left side I added some lace and some purple tulle, knotted for some texture.  I noticed the back of EERIE had a pretty purple pattern so I used packing tape and tried to pull off the pattern as best as I could and used it to frame around my image!

Thursday, August 1, 2013

French clam bake

I printed stamp # 11 on last months Clam Bake from the By the Shore collection.  I printed stamp #12 on white paper, colored it in with alcohol markers, cut it out and adorned with some ribbons.  I attached it to the Clam Bake page, and mounted a photo of a beautiful flower just opening on it.  I did add alcohol ink to the Clam Bake to take away a lot of the white.  As you may know, I love dress forms and so this was right up my love alley!
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Monday, July 1, 2013

Pelican on the waves

 Pelican on the Crashing Waves with geckogalz products
 
 
 
I just love the July paper, BY THE SHORE and this piece CRASHING WAVES inspired me to create.It is just too pretty to cut, so I am using it as a picture itself.  I mounted a picture of a pelican using  American Crafts peach colored paper, and just gave it a faint black edge with black cardstock.  I mounted CRASHING WAVES with a faint black cardstock.  It is so vivid, yet to me it needed that little black.  I used the PARADISE ephemera piece from TRAVEL #1.  I mounted it on a scrap I had that had some undertones of blues on a manila type page.  I added a flower just faintly edged in teal, and used an off colored orange as the center (brad).  Using my Cricut I cut a 10 in Pelican from life is a Beach in a teal cardstock...it was sitting here for years and also had some tonal effects to it.  I edged him with some alcohol markers, gave him a google eye and mounted everything on a light blue paper, also just out of my stash...it looks a little beachy to me.  I am going to frame this and use it as a piece of art.
 

Saturday, June 1, 2013

Get ready for July 04


 

 


 If you are interested in how to make these pennants using Gecko galz products, leave me a comment!

Happy July 04, and great summer,,,,,,,,,,

 

 


 

 


Saturday, May 18, 2013

Intoduction to Crimping, Michaels class

Just finished a new design to show as a sample for our new crimping classes.  I can't wait to wear it...made earrings to match, of course!  Bracelet will be next project, working on some orders right now


Please check the Michaels web and look at the new classes, call me any time with questions

Sherri

 



Sunday, May 12, 2013

Wednesday, May 1, 2013

Circle of Beauty


Gecko galz beautiful ladies wreath collage

Circle of Beauty

My plan was to make a simple frames using the Beautiful ladies dominos, but it mushroomed to something bigger than I imagined.

I cut out cardstock flowers in 3 sizes and 4 colors.  Then I decided to wet emboss them with pigment ink and used some Utee.

So now I cut tags in some heavy weight cardstock and us Tim Holtz inks and techniques to color the tags.

I even cut a few tags from C'ordinations and dry embossed them.   I pulled out flowers, gems, lace, ink and what not and start putting the pieces together.  They are all cool on their own but what should I do with them.  They are already overpowering for a frame! 

I cut my Dominoes apart and ink the edges and start getting to know them better.   

So now my little sections are coming together, and it seems I can only make it into a collage, Now I buy pre-made   big circle of chipboard, cover it with paper, and start arranging my ladies in a pleasing pattern.  I use a combination of double sides tape and hot glue to arrive at my Circle of Beauty...so now I can get my inspiration from looking at my beautiful ladies sitting on my desk!

Sunday, April 7, 2013

Bluebonnets.com

Robert and I started a tradition when we started dating in 2000 to always go visit the bluebonnets...so our first visit was actually 2001, we have gone every year, except last year for some reason.  We have taken some of the most memorable pictures and it is just something we look forward to.  This is the first year Cutter didn't cry, and he even took several really good pictures by himself using my camera.

The bluebonnets


 don't last that long so take a ride really soon...we went to Brenham this year

I added some old pictures from previous years...hope you enjoy...cn not wait to scrap my 112 pictures this year!

Luv ya,
Sherri

Sunday, March 31, 2013

Gecko galz Mothers Day Scrapbook Pages

 
Instructions for double scrapbook layout
 

 
 
 
I used SEI Chickadee as my background paper.  I mounted 7 images from MARVELOUS MONOCHROMES with co ordinating scraps of paper.  I used Tim Holtz ink to edge each image, and combined TIME FLIES with the rectangles to make it pleasing to the eye.  I plan to have some nice personal Mothers Day photos to place on the side saying "Mother, you're the best".....I am not praising myself, but it is always the gentle undertone to remember my Mother...I usually will put a picture of her along with my own picture of the day.  Happy Mothers Day, one and all...please visit your Mom if she is around and give her an extra kiss...you may not ever get that chance again!
 

 

Friday, March 29, 2013

Welcome Spring Entry Art



I wanted to create something that people can see as they enter my home greeting them and reminding them that the beautiful sunshine and welcoming flowers will soon we here.  Seeing the new blooms on my bushes makes me happy and gives me Spring Fever.  So on a artist board I started with an older, muted sheet from Gecko galz for my background.  As drinking tea is associated with friendship and old family values, I used Cricut Folk Art to cut the cups and canister...little cut outs of flowers just hit the spot.  Using Gecko galz WILD ABOUT FLOWERS ephemera, I  actually mounted and cut frames from another older Gecko galz paper and gave the two sets from WILD ABOUT FLOWERS the look of old masterpieces.   I cut out other images from the flower ephemera, cutting as close as I could to the edge of the images   then using some alcohol markers around the edge to give it a better blended look.  The flowers were placed in the tea cups and mounted with dimensional tape so it gave some variation.

I picked up some scraps of papers and arranged them to look like a few additional flowers, in the cup and around.  A bird and heart just ended up sitting on the top of the page!

I am very attracted to the color combo of teal and purple...I think it is bold and beautiful, but it also blended very well with the WILD ABOUT FLOWERS!
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Friday, March 1, 2013

Paper Gecko dolls

Thinking ahead to Spring and that makes me happy.  I think of flowers and  Easter, and picture taking in the garden.  I still love paper dolls and wanted to be a fashion illustrator, so my paper dolls have long and skinny legs...but what beautiful faces Gecko galz ARTFULL LADIES ephemera give my creations.  I used Forever Young  Cricut cartridge to get my paper dolls, then did a little surgery to get them exactly to my liking.  I traced their shape and made them their clothing, added some more adornment, the bunnies and flowers,,,,,,,,,,WILD ABOUT FLOWERS  and PEEPS A (more Gecko galz March goodies).  It would  be fun to create paper dolls for your  daughter and add some Velcro to the body...then use scraps of paper to create different outfits.s to 

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Friday, February 1, 2013

Pages for the new baby

My niece is having a baby girl any day and I  promised her an album.  I --  am glad I waited for February as the Ephemera is going to make the album adorable. I decided to use a very elegant white on white paper, and it is really shiny and does cast shadows.  But these  2 sets feature VINTAGE LABELS. cut them out and lined them with some different shades of pink, then re cut them.  I  took 5.7 size pages and used Martha Steward punches to add some interest  to mount her photos.  I also used another Martha Steward ribbon punch and punched some more for color.  To make it feminine, added some flowers, used dimensional paint as centers...off to a good start.......

Again, doing pages for the birth of Isabella Marie Collack....the paper is very shiny and it is hard to get a good photo.  I want to show her ultra sound pictures and BIRDS OF A FEATHER seemed exactly what was needed.  I also cut some flowers from the.......................paper that I actually had printed as a photo.  I used some new Martha Steward punches to give the white on white paper some pretty color.  Mom loves butterflies so I added a few.....getting there










Thursday, January 24, 2013

Gecko Valentine Card of the day

I tried my hardest to make a "sexy" card.  What do I know about sexy?  I wear tights and tennis shoes, no make up.....but I might have done it!




I will give this card to my love, my husband.  I am going to make a cutsy one for the "baby"...hope you like it.  Directions are at geckogalz.com

leave me a comment...like to know what you think!

Thanks, Sherri

And suddenly it is 2022!

My son is now 15 and driving with a permit, and he is already picking cars (for me to buy).  Cars currently are very had to find as here is ...