Gecko Galz Free Digital Stamp for August

Hello friends. Have you been enjoying your summer? I have been so busy shuttling kids to and from activities the time flew right by. I do have to apologise to you though. I messed up. In an effort to be the super efficient Mom that can juggle her blog while sitting with her kids at a splash pad.....well, I did not notice that the blogger app inverts the month/date for posts when it send them. So I am sitting in the shade under a lovely tree enjoying the breeze and watching the kiddies puddle under the spouts, feeling rather proud of having set my blog post to run on July 8th. Little did I know it was all messed up. So in case you were not able to get the July stamp due to my faux pas I thought I would post a link to it here and you can go back and grab it. In fact I feel so bad for the mix up that I will go back and put a link to each of the free stamps donated by the amazing Leanne Seed of Gecko Galz. Be sure to go check out all the other digital yummies in their Etsy shop. Gecko Galz Etsy Shop

First though, here is the adorable stamp for August.

I love this stamp. I have had it in my own collection for some time and was so happy when I received the email that it would be available to all of you this month. I had so much fun colouring in all the tiny details.

I had intended to make a bookmark for myself out of the image but my daughter fell in love with it and convinced me that she needed it more than me. I promised to colour another on for her, but to no avail....her power of persuasion was just to much. Colouring another one for myself will have to go on my project list. Though I am excited to have a reason to colour another one.

Here are the links to the past freebies:

July's Free Stamp
June's Free Stamp
May's Free Stamp
April's Free Stamp
March's Free Stamp
February Free Stamp
January's Free Stamp

Be sure to let your friends know that they can help themselves to these adorable images. In fact, feel free to share this post on your favourite social media. Just click the button and boom, you will be the most popular crafter in your group.

It's hard to believe my first year on the Gecko Galz design team is half over. I am still so excited about all the great things that are coming. Insider tip: expect a chance to bounce around in October as Gecko Galz hosts a super fun blog hop. I will keep you posted...no pun intended...of the dates and details.




Before I sign off I wanted to share my....ok my daughter's new bookmark. I think it turned out so cute. Sorry the pictures are off. I am trying to learn how to use a new camera.

Teacher Appreciation Gifts: Painted Canvas

When giving gifts for the end of the school year, be sure not to overlook the school's office staff. These folks are the ones dealing with sick kids, kids with attitude waiting for the principal, irate parents, injured sports stars and everything else.

This piece is for Mrs Ward. She works in the office at my children's school. I feel like she is one of my closest friends as I have spoken to her so often over the last few years its disturbing. Her sense of humour and calm demeanor has maneuvered our family through many mini crisis. We appreciate everything you do!

How To Make The Canvas:

1. I used a 5x7 white canvas as the base of this project.
2. Print off a silhouette image of your choosing. I used this cute bunny from a Gecko Galz digital stamp set.
3. Spray the entire image with Tattered Angels glimmer mist. I chose a dark blue as I was doing a night scene. Once it is dry apply mod podge lightly with a fine paint brush and sprinkle mica powder where you want to highlight the image. I used a sparkly teal and an opal colour to give it a shimmery moonlit look.
4. I covered the entire image with glossy accents and allowed it to dry.
5. Using a black alcohol marker I retraced the original image to make it pop from the background.
6. Carefully I removed the canvas from the wood base and placed it in an altered frame I had painted blue.

Teacher Appreciation Gifts: Fairy Garden Stone

This is one of my favourite fairy silhouettes. It's funny to have a favourite, but I do. I tend to collect fairy images. It reminds me to believe in magic. Not that I believe in fairies....but rather I want to believe in the wonder and what ifs of fairy lore. 

My daughter has the biggest heart of anyone I have ever known. She thinks of everyone that touches her life and wants to thank each and every one of them. It's an admirable quality I think, though it does force me to come up with more gift ideas. 

This garden stone is for Miss Pickstock. She is more than an EA. (Not that being an EA is not heroic enough), but this particular one has been there for my girl at every corner of her academic adventure. She dried many tears, covered many injuries and helped to mold my daughter into the beautiful young woman she has become.

How to make a fairy garden stone:

1. I used a digital image from Gecko Galz and printed it on white copy paper using my inkjet printer.
2. Using spray adhesive, I glued the image to a ceramic tile that I had covered in Gesso. 
3. I used multiple colours of glitter glue to fill in the separate areas of the image. 
4. Allow to dry fully and then cover the image with glossy accents.
5. Once the glossy accents dried, I used a black alcohol marker to trace all the lines in the original image. This made the black ink sit on top of the glue and give a very rich stained glass feel.
6. Flat Backed marbles were covered with Tattered Angels Glimmer Glam and glued to the edge of the tile to create the border. 
7. After the glue dried and the marbles were stable I dripped more Glimmer Glam on top of them.

Voila...a sweet fairy accent for our wonderful Miss Pickstock.

Mixed Media Basics Lesson #1: Gesso

This is the first in a series of mixed media tutorial that I will be doing to help creatives that want to jump in to creating mixed media masterpieces but are not sure where to start.

I think it is important to use the materials that you have on hand when you are first beginning as you may find that it is not for you, and there is nothing worse than spending your craft budget on materials that you won't use again.

A quick search on Pinterest or Youtube will yield a swathe of recipes for Gesso, texture paste, mod podge, paint sprays and more. Though sometimes it is actually cheaper to buy the product ready made rather than buying jugs of the ingredients, if you have everything on hand it makes sense to make your own pastes and sprays.

So let's begin on our mixed media exploration. Lesson 1: Gesso

When you are feeling comfortable be sure to create this project along with me.

You can get the free image from Gecko Galz here