Black and White

 Well this happened today.

Created for Gecko Galz Papercrafting Challenge Group over on Facebook. The theme was Black and White with a pop of colour. 

Recipe - Love Potion Craft Kit

Paper sheet number 4, turned black then copied and placed to so the music fills the right hand side.

Paper sheet number 2 turned black, cropped, edges roughened

image number 3, cropped, flipped to look right, copied and turned black.

Heart from copy of image cut out and placed over original image.

You know you've reached

a certain age when you see a nice tunic top in a colour you love AND its a sale item AND (this is the best bit) it's got pockets!

Yep, realisation hit hard this afternoon. I had to go have a sit down and extra shot cappuccino.

Still, I can hold my head up high - my childhood friend turns 50 tomorrow, where as I am still 49 and 3/4s. 

Got home and decided to bake, and make some feng shui Chinese coins for work, to celebrate Chinese New Year.

(Also when you think you posted this comment on Monday 24th January and realise today, a week and 1 day later - you hadn't!!)

Timed Out

It was either the naughty step or time out, so I opted for time out.

At the time I didn't know how long I would be out for - my work/home life decided to collide spectacularly. 

Yeah, you try typing that with out spell check. 

New fangled laptop 0 Me 1.

Anyway, I didn't know whether I was coming, or going, I lost my grip on my Depression, sneaky little shit kept throwing its dummy out.

And my crafting (amongst other things) turned into a chore and a beating stick.

Something had to give before I ended up back there, in 2006 trapped in my office, not being able to just open the door and walk through. Severe Depressive Episode it was called in the new fashioned way, the old fashioned way? A nervous breakdown. 

Nah, nadda, nope.

Been there, got the tee shirt.

So I took a time out.

Tentatively typing I'm back.

Fingers crossed.

 

Featured Day @ Gecko Galz

 Today is my day to feature my Design Team project for the month of August over at Gecko Galz. 

I can't believe the year has gone so fast! Sticking with the theme of mermaids, the images are so pretty. I made three blank 5x7 cards.

I made the images ATC size and used a paint effect on the backgrounds in light blue, when I printed them, the light blue had turned into a murky grey so I grabbed a blue crayon and coloured over it, pressing lightly. Matched each mermaid with a square of mulberry paper and then added a piece of bling.

I hope you'll join our Merry Mermaid challenge where the winner will receive a $25 shopping spree at the Gecko Galz shop. The only rule is that you must use at least one Gecko Galz product, which can be something you purchased from the shop or a freebie. 

If you sign up for the Gecko Galz newsletter, you'll be able to claim a free collage sheet each month and get first claim on the weekly Super Sunday Deals! 

Why don't you pop over to the Gecko Galz blog to see all the fabulous designs by the very talented Design Team, don't forget to grab the free digi stamp on each post! 

We also have a Facebook Group where there are more monthly challenges for you to play in, each with a Design Sheet to win. 

 Amanda xx

Merry Mermaids

A new month means a new Customer Challenge at the Gecko Galz and the theme for the month of AUGUST is 'Merry Mermaid'. So why not play along - join the challenge with the chance to win $25 at the Gecko Galz shop! 

I used the Mermaid Dreams Junk Journal Kit for my digital page, with vintage pictures and embellishments, this kit is really versatile.

The backing ground is actually the two matching triangle corners merged together and the main pihcture placed on top, I just played around with the transparency on both items till I liked the result. I turned the mermaids into Sirens.

"In Greek mythology, The Sirens lived on a rocky island in the middle of the sea, possibly near Italy. They sang melodies so beautiful that sailors passing by couldn't resist getting closer to them. Following the sound of music, the sailors would steer their boats towards them or jump in the water to get closer. Either way, it always ended in disaster on the rocks."

 I hope you'll join in the 'Merry Mermaid' Challenge, where the Winner gets a $25 shopping spree to spend at the Gecko Galz shop. (The only rule is that you must use at least one Gecko Galz product... this can be one of the freebies, or, of course, you can buy at the Etsy shop). 

If you sign up for the Gecko Galz monthly newsletter, you'll be kept up to date with new releases, Super Sunday weekly deals and be able to claim a free digital collage sheet. 

If you pop over to the Gecko Galz blog, you will see all the fabulous designs by the Design Team - and maybe grab a freebie or two. 

If you haven't a blog/and or/ on Facebook, head over to the Gecko Galz Papercrafting Group where there are more monthly challenges, with the chance to win a digital collage sheet. 

 Amanda xx 

Feature Day @ Gecko Galz

So today is my day to feature my Design Team project for the month of July over at Gecko Galz. 

I turned an atc which I  had previously made for a Gecko Galz challenge, into a topper for a 6x6 card.

I teamed the Alice atc with some papers from The Craft Box, an Alice in Wonderland kit, they compliment each other perfectly, I don't want to give the card away!

I cut about one and a half inch of the front of the card stockas I wanted to put a paper on the inside of the card. Teh butterfly and Alice are on the edge of the front bit so you can tell its two layers. The butterfly was going to go on the flower but as the Alice embellishment is reaching up, I thought it would look cute as is if she might be trying to catch it.

I hope you'll join our Sea of Dreams challenge where the winner will receive a $25 shopping spree at the Gecko Galz shop. The only rule is that you must use at least one Gecko Galz product, which can be something you purchased from the shop or a freebie. 

If you sign up for the Gecko Galz newsletter, you'll be able to claim a free collage sheet each month and get first claim on the Super Monthly Deals! 

Why don't you pop over to the Gecko Galz blog to see all the fabulous designs by the very talented Design Team, don't forget to grab the free digi stamp on each post! 

We also have a Facebook Group where there are more monthly challenges for you to play in, each with a Design Sheet to win. 

 Amanda xx

Sea of Dreams

A new month means a new Customer Challenge at the Gecko Galz and the theme for the month of July is 'Sea of Dreams'. So why not play along - join the challenge with the chance to win $25 at the Gecko Galz shop! 

I guess its safe to say 90% of the population has been dreaming of the sea these last few months - 

I'm definitely dreaming of the sea as we go away for 5 days next week, camping to the seaside!! Seahouses in Northumberland - expecting it too be windy and probably a bit chilly as Northumberland often is, but the campsite is by the beach/sea and I don;t care waht the weather is, though whether I have a paddle or not is debateable! 

My Customer Challenge sample is 3 digital atc's - my printer ink decided to run out, so I had to change what I was going to do, but I still loved doing them. Once I get round to buying ink I will print them out, as the mermaids decoupaged will look great I think.

Mermaid Dreams Junk Journal

I hope you'll join in 'Sea of Dreams' Challenge, where the Winner gets a $25 shopping spree to spend at the Gecko Galz shop. (The only rule is that you must use at least one Gecko Galz product... this can be one of the freebies, or, of course, you can buy at the Etsy shop). 

If you sign up for the Gecko Galz monthly newsletter, you'll be kept up to date with new releases, Super Sunday weekly deals and be able to claim a free digital collage sheet. 

If you pop over to the Gecko Galz blog, you will see all the fabulous designs by the Design Team - and maybe grab a freebie or two. 

If you haven't a blog/and or/ on Facebook, head over to the Gecko Galz Papercrafting Group where there are more monthly challenges, with the chance to win a digital collage sheet. 

 Amanda xx