Design Team Member Spotlight: Barbara Bird

This month we wanted to take a moment and introduce you to another of our talented Design team members. Barbara Bird is a wonderful paper artist and creates amazing and wonderful cards that inspire us all. So let us tell you just a wee bit about this talented lady, in her own words.

I am originally from Illinois, moved to
sunny California when I was nine. I was
never real artistic as a child (although I
liked all kinds of arts and craft, never
thought I was to good at it). My husband
is the artistic one in the family and guess
my daughter Danielle got it from
him....she was the one that got me into
scrapbooking. I started by redoing my
wedding book that was falling apart. Still
wasn't real into it until my husband
moved me to Texas - kicking and
screaming !!!! My daughter pushed me
out the door and said go scrap and meet
some people. That was the best thing I
ever did, found my artistic self and some
of the best girlfriends I have ever had.
Although I like scrapbooking, I really love
making cards and have even gotten into
making mini books and alittle altering.
My scrapping has gotten a lot more
attention since acquiring my first
grandbaby! Scrapping Kyle sure beats
scrapping my cats !

for more wonderful designs push the strawberry above!

MARCH ARTIST GUEST: Yvonne Garner

This month we are very pleased to introduce to all of our followers an amazing paper crafter Yvonne Garner. Yvonnes work is a blending of romantisism and vintage elegance and will inspire everyone to go out and start creating. Here is a bit about her in her own words

I am a recently retired wife and mother of three awesome, grown children and proud grandmaman of
three delightful grandchildren, with one more on the way!  My extremely supportive husband and I live
in South Central Pennsylvania, USA with our standard poodle, Josephine.  Since childhood, I have
been an extensive letter writer, card sender, crafter, needle woman and have dabbled in nearly art
form.
In 1997, I was invited to a stamp party and I immediately renewed a much earlier interest of making my
own cards.  I have a penchant for early modern and retro, and as well, a love of vintage.  I love trying
new products and you will most often find a product inspired by Mr. Tim Holtz somewhere on my
project.
Before blogging, my inspiration came primarily from reading and rereading Stampington & Company
publications.  In 2008, I gathered up my courage and finally submitted to Take Ten and was published
on my first try.  I have been fortunate to be published a number of times since then in Stampers’
Sampler, Take Ten and Somerset Studio.
Through blogging, I discovered challenges, blog hopping and precious friendships with fellow artists,
all of which have helped me grown as an artist. I have had the fortune of being a Guest Design Artist
for Artistic Outpost and Make My Monday Challenge, and currently and proudly design for Fashionable
Stamping Challenge, Inkspirational Challenge and 365 Cards.
I had little experience using digital images when Lee Ann asked me to be a Gecko Galz Guest Artist. I
was a bit nervous but immediately fell in love when I saw not only the breadth of image categories, but
the absolute quality.  No matter how much you enlarge the images, the clarity remains intact.  Gecko
Galz images will continue be an important source for my art work for years to come. Thank you for this
opportunity! Best Wishes, Yvonne

If you would like to see more by this amazing artist you can visit the Gecko Galz website and go under the "Artist Guest" area or visit Yvonnes blog site at
http://journeyintoartistry.blogspot.com/

Put a little Spring in your Crafting with Gecko Galz

Spring is in the air and as the flowers begin to bloom and the trees start to bud Gecko Galz is sharing some amazing crafting ideas with our Spring fling design challenge for our amazing design team members and we wanted to share with you some of the fab designs the girls have come up with thus far.

Easter Baby Page

by Barbara Bird

Easter Tag by

Starr Timmons

Spring Tag 1

by Starr Timmons

Spring Tag 2

by Starr Timmons

Rose Page from Art Journal

by

Sharron Rogers

Spring Lay out

by

Jessica Moore

To discover how these amazing works were made hop over to the GECKO GALZ website and look at all the Spring Fling works and instructions!

Also this week when you make a purchase (no matter how big) you will recieve FREE our "In Dreams" ATC paper set as our thank you for your business. Also you will be placed in our monthly drawing for a $15 shopping spree on us!

Have a happy scrappy week and keep on crafting!

Gecko Galz

Whats New In March with the Galz!

Hi everyone!

This month is going to be another exciting month for Gecko Galz with a collection of freebies....our Spring Fling Projects that you can make.....new challenges....and a number of free images from some of our design team girls.

First lets talk about retreats....didn't make it to our fun retreat in February? Need some crop time and pampering? Well come join Gecko Galz and the Lazy Lucy Retreat house for their red carpet retreat event. We are joining with the Lazy Lucy retreat house and having a wonderful little mini retreat that will help them kick off their retreat season. We invite everyone to join in the party on April 25-28 in Louisianna. Leanne Seed of Gecko Galz will be teaching a wonderful little coaster book class, Gecko Galz will be giving goodies to everyone who attends plus a wonderful door prize. And we will be hosting a fun little make and take. For more info check out the Lazy Lucy web page at LAZY LUCY RETREAT HOUSE.

Also Gecko Galz and the Gecko Galz design team will be showing everyone how to create fun Spring inspired projects in March and April check the website every couple of days and there will be a new design with instructions on how to create it by one of our talented design team members. Then on April 10th we will ask all of our followers and customers to vote on their favorite designs...and all those who take part and vote will be placed in the "Vote and Win" drawing where you can win a great Gecko Galz prize pack.

By Starr Timmons

When you make a purchase from our website or etsy shop you will be placed in our monthly drawing where you could win a $15 shopping spree on us....but wait there is more, each week we will be giving away FREE exclusive products for just making a purchase (this includes our Etsy site and also payments towards our annual retreats) WEEK 1 you will get our mini digital stamp set "Fantasies". WEEK 2 you will get the "In Dreams" digital ATC paper pack. WEEK 3 you will get the "Artsy Jewel It" set. And WEEK 4 you will get the "Parisian Card Toppers". So you can collect all 4 sets by just buying our products!

As for Freebies check out the Gecko Galz website "Freebie" section, also the blog site
Fripperies and butterflies and The Strawberry Patch.

By Barbara Bird

We want to see your designs using Gecko Galz products so this month we are holding a challenge!

GECKO GALZ CREATE IT CHALLENGE:
This month create a project using any of our products and email a jpeg image to us at geckogalz@yahoo.com (mark it Gecko Galz project challenge) and then on March 31st we will post the entries on this blog and announce our winner on the 5th of April.....and what will you win? The winner will recieve the April product collection.....5 collage sets....1 paper set....and the April digital stamp set. GOOD LUCK!

by Joan Liddle

Also dont forget to pop over to our pinterest page and pin it to win it.....pin the image of Heather Hudsons St Patricks card and you could win our Latest digital stamp set.

by Heather Hudson

Happy Scrappin'
Gecko Galz

Gecko Galz 2nd Annual Retreat.....Ooh la la!

February 16th was the start to another amazing and magical Annual retreat with Gecko Galz. This year was the OOH LA LA retreat and 16 amazing women came together for a weekend of creativity, laughter, and new friends. we wanted to share with you some pictures of this amazing weekend.

Bring On The Goodie Bags!

Everyone recived a goodie bag with $100 in goodies.

Just a few of the Door Prizes we gave away!

Meal time, only the best food for our attendees!

Making new friends in a wonderful and creative enviroment!

Premiere Estates in Wallis Texas...charming and lovely!

Our guest at Leanne's book class

Jean Wyatt the queen of fussy cutting!

Pat Frost the winner of the 7 Gypsies door prize!

Rebecca and Marlann bond over a make and take!

Our winners of the Gecko Galz challenge; Jan Stevens, Marlann Negron/Mary Lazona, and Rebecca Farnham

The lovely ladies of the 2013 Retreat!

Our Mask Contest Winners

Jean Wyatt, Rebecca Farnham, and Kristin Rhodes

It was another amazing year and we look forward to our 2014 Retreat "Cowgirl Divas".

The 2014  is sold out but we are taking reservations for our 2015 retreat "A fairy Merry Retreat"

just visit

http://www.geckogalz.com 

Happy Scrappin'

Gecko Galz 

Gecko Galz February Artist Guest; Sandi McLean

This month Gecko Galz has a very special artist guest Sandi McLean. Her work is simply stunning and with a bit of vintage whimsy and we are pleased to introduce you to her.
Here is just a bit about Sandi in her own words

I started scrapbooking about 6 years ago and fell
head long into love with all manner of paper
crafting!  I always want to learn something new.   I
have taught classes at a LSS, been a member of
two on-line design teams and started my own
blog several years ago.   Oh and I have a day job!
I was born in San Antonio, Texas and grew up in
Washington State.  I live in Victoria BC on
Vancouver Island with my husband Bob.  
Between us we have 4 children and now 10
grandchildren!
It was Leanne who introduced me to digital
images a couple of years ago, I have always been
struck by her generosity and am delighted to be a
guest artist for February 2013.

To see more by this talented paper artist visit her blog at the following link

HAPPY VALENTINES; VOTE AND WIN!

Hi Everyone!

We want to wish everyone a wonderful Valentines day! As alot of you know Gecko Galz has been doing our 30 days of Valentines on our website...where our talented design team members have been sharing their Valentine Card designs with you and how to make them....well now we want you to vote for your favorite card from the bunch. And here is the wonderful news everyone who votes gets put into a drawing where you can win a fabulouse Gecko Galz prize pack including the exclusive "Gecko Galz Retreat Products" and more!!!! So follow the link below and pick your favorite (remember there are two pages). and then use the form on the second page to send your choice.

http://geckogalz.com/30daysofvdcards.html


So help us pick our Valentines Card winner!

We are being Featured

Hi everyone!

We are pleased to announce that we are being features on a fun blog callerd It's All About Vintage and Beauty . They are having an amazing challenge where the winner can recieve a copy of our latest stamp set "Goddess Dreams"...but wait there is more if you pop over to their website there is a code for you to recieve a FREE digital stamp courtesy of Gecko Galz! So what are you waiting for pop over to their blog and check out all the fun!

And we would like to share some designs by their design team using our HEART & SOUL Digital stamp disc

By Johanna

By Sande

By Merku

By Suzzane B

By Maija