Challenges have been discontinued, but I hope you will enjoy browsing through this wonderful archive of Alice-inspired art!

Sunday, April 29, 2012

Winners & Honorable Mentions - CHAPTER 14: Splendidly Dressed!


Today is the day that THREE WINNERS will be awarded their own brand new Wonderland Perfectly Clear™ Stamps from our sponsor, Stampendous (Website | Blog). This Alice is all dressed up from her shining shoes to the top of her hat, not to mention her frilly parasol!

Stampendous made this
great blog blinkie for us,
grab it if you want!
Stampendous has been a leading manufacturer of craft rubber stamps and accessories for over 30 years. With a wide variety of images, all drawn by artist/owner Fran Seiford, Stampendous has something to appeal to any stamper, scrapbooker, or home décor crafter! With the new Fran•táge Collection of stamps and essential accessories, Fran has embraced the vintage, collage look that is so popular in crafts today. The Wonderland Perfectly Clear™ Stamps Set is part of this collection and coordinates beautifully with the new vintage Embossing Enamels, Crushed Glass Glitters, Mica Fragments and Color Fragments in the Fran•táge Essentials. You can find Stampendous products at your local craft retailer or on the web at www.stampendous.com. Hundreds of ideas from Stampendous artists, an active Design Team, and fans world wide can be seen on the Stampendous Impressions Blog as well as on their Facebook Page and Flickr Group. Visit us on Twitter (@stampendous) and see our favorites on Pinterest.

Winners!
Thanks Stampendous for being such a generous sponsor: THREE lucky winners will each receive the same Wonderland Perfectly Clear Stamp Set that the The Altered Alice and Stampendous design teams have been showing off all month. Thank goodness the winners are randomly drawn, as it would have been WAY too difficult to chose from among the wonderful entries this month. As promised, each entry that featured Wonderland was entered twice. Winners, please send your contact info (including mailing address) via my email link in the upper left column.
Winners, you are all entitled to display this blog badge with pride!

Our first winner chosen by random.org is #3: Ana Cristina Caldatto of Scrap da Ana comes to us from Sao Paulo, Brazil, where she designed an all new blue and white dress for Alice! A very clever take on the challenge.
Our next random.org selected winner is #9: Skullduggery (Cards by Jacki) entered a splendidly colored Mad Hatter, ready for tea with Alice!
Our third and final winner is #21, joining us from Munich, Germany: Artwolf2009 presents Hat Fashions by Alice who has taken up millinery in a big way! She is showing off a selection of charming hats for splendidly dressed Wonderland residents, made from converted Schnapps shot glasses! VERY interesting take on the challenge!

Honorable Mentions
Those mentioned here are entitled to display this honorable mention blog badge! I am having a terrible time narrowing it to a few selections as ALL the entries were amazing and so creative! I will pick and choose until I run out of time:


I had to mention Izzwizz's paper dolls; she is joining us from the United Kingdom. The clothes are on an a clear acetate layer (labeled Alice meets the White Knight and Splendidly Dressed) so when you lift the clear layer. . .
Their clothes go with it! Then we are warned that there is nudity inside!!! Are you ready?
Yup, full frontal nudity on that the White Rabbit, but there are a couple outfits to clothe him if you are offended, LOL!  VERY creative, Izzwizz! Bravo!

This offering from Le Blog de Gabistella shows Alice trying to finish sewing her splendid dress of flowers as it is time for tea! Gabistella comes to us from France, Canada, or somewhere else they speak French; if you would like to read an English translation click here.

Bonnie McLain of Love Light and Peace brings us this Boutique a la Alice art journal page. I am absolutely charmed by the vivid colors and the clothes made from scraps, ribbon and lace!


Jan Garber of Scrap 'n Surprise joins us from Phoenix, Arizona with this elegantly mirrored creation! She used the same gorgeous Alice set from Stampendous, isn't it beautiful AND clever - she stamped Alice on vellum, which enabled her to flip the image to make the perfect reflection! I love every single detail of this piece.
Karen Goulet of Krafty Kitten Karen shares her original artwork: Alice finds the perfect hat that fits just right at Hats by Goldilocks, where there are some origami-like hats, very clever!

You know I adore the Tim Burton Alice movie, and Godzoned (Debbie) of Arty Crafty has interpreted three of Alice's costumes from the movie - the Queen of Hearts red curtains, her striped petticoat, and the suit of armor as the White Queen's champion when she fought the Jabberwocky. Love it!

I couldn't resist this one from Jen's Uncharted Territory, coming to us from North Carolina. How would the Cheshire Cat be splendidly dressed? With a snazzy collar and patch of course! Plus the sentiment a la ZZ Top, dare I admit they were huge when I was in high school and college, hah!

Julie of Aisling's Hobby Blog joins us from Belgium, and I really love this creation with a splendidly dressed Alice blowing bubbles in a very mad, Wonderland-like setting. The sentiment is perfect for Wonderland and every element delights!

I love everything about his gorgeous tag by Kate of The Scrap Yard. Every little thing.

I'll end on a humorous note by Sue The Iron who is joining us from West Yorkshire in the United Kingdom. I don't understand the whole Bieber thing, but it's funny all the same! I especially love the background and borders.

And here are ALL the amazing entries! (Note: if you are viewing this in email or a reader, click on the title of this post to go to the blog and see all the wonderful projects from our challenge players!)

Thanks again to Stampendous for sponsoring such a great challenge. You can see all their Wonderland posts HERE; their design team is incredibly talented and it was such an honor to have them playing along as guest designers on The Altered Alice! I hope you enjoyed this month's challenge as much as I did. Be sure to visit next Sunday for the beginning of a new challenge!

Please leave a comment before you go, it makes all this effort worthwhile! ;-)

Sunday, April 22, 2012

Week - CHAPTER 14 Challenge: Splendidly Dressed!


"After a time she heard a little pattering of feet in the distance, and she hastily dried her eyes to see what was coming. It was the White Rabbit returning, splendidly dressed, with a pair of white kid gloves in one hand and a large fan in the other: he came trotting along in a great hurry, muttering to himself as he came, `Oh! the Duchess, the Duchess! Oh! won't she be savage if I've kept her waiting!'"-- Chapter 2; Alice's Adventures in Wonderland
April has arrived, which (in the northern hemisphere) brings thoughts of wearing your Sunday springtime best and perhaps donning an Easter bonnet! So we want to you to show us your Sunday best; ruffles, ribbons, lace, frills; however you want to interpret the challenge!


HURRY, you need to enter using the Linky Tool below by Friday, April 27! All entries are welcome but Alice in Wonderland entries are encouraged and will receive two chances at the drawing instead of one. Multiple entries are great but each must be on a separate post.
The design team is so excited about showing off the brand new Wonderland Perfectly Clear™ Stamps from our sponsor, Stampendous (Website | Blog). This Alice is all dressed up from her shining shoes to the top of her hat, not to mention her frilly parasol! We will have THREE winners this month, and they will each receive the same Wonderland stamp set the design team is using!

Stampendous made this
great blog blinkie for us,
grab it if you want!
Stampendous has been a leading manufacturer of craft rubber stamps and accessories for over 30 years. With a wide variety of images, all drawn by artist/owner Fran Seiford, Stampendous has something to appeal to any stamper, scrapbooker, or home décor crafter! With the new Fran•táge Collection of stamps and essential accessories, Fran has embraced the vintage, collage look that is so popular in crafts today. The Wonderland Perfectly Clear™ Stamps Set is part of this collection and coordinates beautifully with the new vintage Embossing Enamels, Crushed Glass Glitters, Mica Fragments and Color Fragments in the Fran•táge Essentials. You can find Stampendous products at your local craft retailer or on the web at www.stampendous.com. Hundreds of ideas from Stampendous artists, an active Design Team, and fans world wide can be seen on the Stampendous Impressions Blog as well as on their Facebook Page and Flickr Group. Visit us on Twitter (@stampendous) and see our favorites on Pinterest.

Your Weekly Inspiration

Be sure to visit the posts about this challenge on the Stampendous blog; their next Wonderland post will be this Wednesday, April 25. You can see all their brilliant Wonderland posts HERE.


My offering (Lynne Phelps of Savvy Sisters Studio) is the Ace of Rabbit Alice and the White Rabbit were stamped on Kraft and colored with Prismacolors; I love the way this technique looks on the darker paper.
The minute I saw all the little stamps included in this set, including the "A" over the heart, I knew I wanted to make my own playing card!  A real playing card is tucked in behind it.
I also made my own stamped background paper using the smaller images: heart, queen of hearts playing card; pocket watch and Cheshire Cat. I finished it off with some ribbon and one of the sentiments included in the set. Please stop by Savvy Sisters Studio and leave a comment, I love hearing from you!


Donna Mundinger of Popsicle Toes has wowed us again with this amazing fan! She used her Cricut software to stretch the hand mirror into fan blades, isn't it wonderful? And so appropriate for our looking glass Alice. Not only do we have a splendidly dressy fan, but we also have a splendidly dressed hand in a net lace glove to hold it, what a fun and whimsical touch!

I love the way she has placed the characters on the fan blades! The rich brown ink is perfect with the blue and cream; the minimal coloring is perfect as it highlights the image details and ties in with the color scheme. I love the way the images in this set look great with whatever amount of coloring you care to add. Charming! Be sure to leave Donna a comment on her beautiful fan!

Next up are some designers from the oh, so talented Stampendous team!


Can you say WOW? Jennifer Ingle of Just Jingle really embraced the splendidly dressed challenge theme by creating this fantastic brooch to wear! She used a frame coated with Stampendous embossing powder. The rich gold color scheme is beautiful; I would love to see this piece in person.
Jennifer has used Glossy Accents to great effect to create extra dimension and shine on the frame, and as a resin inside the frame over the mused and rabbit. The way she has placed the White Rabbit as though he's about to step through the frame is so clever. like Alice through the looking glass! You can read all the details on Jennifer's blog post.


I love the crisp black, white and red color scheme on this lovely card by Tenia Nelson of Jazzy Paper Designs! Her post may not be up until Wednesday, so be sure to pop over then to leave her a comment. The linear nature of the text background is the perfect complement to the wide striped grosgrain ribbon. Even the tile floor and the red trim on her dress echo the linear elements. The punch of scarlet on the button and tag add the perfect touch of drama.


Suzanne Czosek of Suzz's Stamping Spot created this Alice fantasy rising out of a ceramic crown! I love the way the items just seem to be floating up into the air! Be sure to check her blog on Wednesday, April 25 to get all the details on this Wonderland fantasy.

I hope you have enjoyed this week's inspiration as much as I have. Be sure to leave comments on the blogs of all these wonderful contributors, I am so thrilled to have the talented ladies of Stampendous playing along. 

The deadline for this challenge is quickly approaching so hurry up with your entries! Remember multiple entries are welcome as long as each is on a separate post, so get your projects in by Friday, April 27 for a chance at winning this fantastic Stampendous Wonderland stamp set. (Note - if you are reading this in email or a reader, please click on the title of this post to go to the blog. You won't want to miss the incredible projects submitted by our readers for this challenge!)

Please leave a comment before you go!

Sunday, April 15, 2012

Week 3 - CHAPTER 14 Challenge: Splendidly Dressed!


"After a time she heard a little pattering of feet in the distance, and she hastily dried her eyes to see what was coming. It was the White Rabbit returning, splendidly dressed, with a pair of white kid gloves in one hand and a large fan in the other: he came trotting along in a great hurry, muttering to himself as he came, `Oh! the Duchess, the Duchess! Oh! won't she be savage if I've kept her waiting!'"-- Chapter 2; Alice's Adventures in Wonderland
April has arrived, which (in the northern hemisphere) brings thoughts of wearing your Sunday springtime best and perhaps donning an Easter bonnet! So we want to you to show us your Sunday best; ruffles, ribbons, lace, frills; however you want to interpret the challenge!


Enter using the Linky Tool below by Friday, April 27. All entries are welcome but Alice in Wonderland entries are encouraged and will receive two chances at the drawing instead of one. Multiple entries are great but each must be on a separate post.
The design team is so excited about showing off the brand new Wonderland Perfectly Clear™ Stamps from our sponsor, Stampendous (Website | Blog). This Alice is all dressed up from her shining shoes to the top of her hat, not to mention her frilly parasol! We will have THREE winners this month, and they will each receive the same Wonderland stamp set the design team is using!

Stampendous made this
great blog blinkie for us,
grab it if you want!
Stampendous has been a leading manufacturer of craft rubber stamps and accessories for over 30 years. With a wide variety of images, all drawn by artist/owner Fran Seiford, Stampendous has something to appeal to any stamper, scrapbooker, or home décor crafter! With the new Fran•táge Collection of stamps and essential accessories, Fran has embraced the vintage, collage look that is so popular in crafts today. The Wonderland Perfectly Clear™ Stamps Set is part of this collection and coordinates beautifully with the new vintage Embossing Enamels, Crushed Glass Glitters, Mica Fragments and Color Fragments in the Fran•táge Essentials. You can find Stampendous products at your local craft retailer or on the web at www.stampendous.com. Hundreds of ideas from Stampendous artists, an active Design Team, and fans world wide can be seen on the Stampendous Impressions Blog as well as on their Facebook Page and Flickr Group. Visit us on Twitter (@stampendous) and see our favorites on Pinterest.

Your Weekly Inspiration

Be sure to visit the posts about this challenge on the Stampendous blog; the latest post is HERE.


We have LOTS and LOTS of pictures today, so if you are on dial up go ahead and make some coffee and come sit down for a while to enjoy all the fabulous creations! I apologize for the lateness of this post; I had some internet/computer issues which prevented the post going out on time.

First up is Donna/Meme of Meme's Art Place with this wonderful easel card! I love the monochromatic color scheme and the use of the circular element at the top. The bold white she left in Alice and the White Rabbit echoes the lacy white elements while contrasting beautifully with the turquoise striped background.
I adore this Stampendous White Rabbit image, and I love the way Meme has slipped a link of chain over his wrist to connect to the pocket watch. That metal element really adds a lot of vintage charm.  The stamp set comes with several items that can be placed in the rabbit's paw, fun!

Next is my card (Lynne Phelps of Savvy Sisters Studio) which features a Copic colored Alice mounted on an sponged emboss resist card base. This is such a gorgeous Alice image to color!
The doily was stamped with Versamark and embossed with Stampendous White Detail powder. It almost looks real and the sponging really made it pop;  All in all a vivid background for Alice and it was fun to wrap the effect around to the back of the card. Please stop by Savvy Sisters Studio and leave a comment if you have time!

Next up are some designers from the oh, so talented Stampendous team, then I'll have another special treat from The Altered Alice to wrap up!

Pam Hornschu of The Pampered Stamper created this dramatic card in "painting the roses red" and made great use of Stampendous embossing powder to add texture and drama! I love the inclusion of a real distressed playing card, and I also love the way she placed the White Rabbit image as though it is holding onto Alice!
I love the vintage sepia tones of this lovely card by Janelle Stollfus of Rain Puddles Design! Notice the fabulous use of embossing powder with various inclusions at the bottom. The teacup and teapot background paper is perfect for this card, and the ribbon adds a final frill to this splendidly dressed card! Also, Fran of Fran-tage fame has come up with some fantastic tutorials on the embossing techniques, but sure to check out Stampendous on YouTube!

Wendy Price of Paper, Ink & Smiles decorated a chunky bangle bracelet, isn't it fantastic? What Alice fan wouldn't be thrilled to show this off on her wrist? Wendy, anyone on The Altered Alice team would be happy to offer this a good home if it ever gets in your way, LOL! All the details are on Wendy's blog post if you'd like to create one of your own!

Lea Kimmel of (th)Ink Positive made two pendants that have an entirely different feeling from Wendy's chunky bangle, going for vintage charm instead of a modern bold! I love the way Lea used text from the story behind this darling image of the Cheshire Cat; what a cheeky grin this Cheshire has!
Lea Kimmel also created this White Rabbit pendant. LOVE the way she has used jump rings to attach items to each paw! I may have to duplicate this one, it is so charming and fun, and the jump rings will give the piece a lot of movement when worn!
The back is just as neat as the front; each piece was swiped over a Versamark pad and entirely covered with Stampendous embossing powder. I totally *NEED* some of this Aged Taupe embossing powder; doesn't it give the pendant a great finish on the back?

Well, I warned you that we had a lot of photos in this post, didn't I? Now we are back to an Altered Alice design team member, Amy Bowerman Stucki of Plucking Daisies! Amy has continued with her Wonderland garden and we also have another installment on the Alice dresser!

Amy created a wonderful cinder block garden, extending the Wonderland zone around her house! Only Amy, our Queen of Upcycling, would even dream of stamping on cinder blocks, much less making such a fantastic success of it!
Alice is down to just a few inches tall and wandering in Amy's garden! I wonder if Amy's flowers can talk? Anything is possible in this Wonderland garden! Amy has a fantastic tutorial on coloring metal with Copics, so be sure to go to Plucking Daisies to get all the details, as I'm just going to wow you with the pictures! Notice the frame created from the tile floor stamp in this Wonderland stamp set.
I love the teapots propped in the corner!
The White Rabbit adorns another planter.
Notice the Cheshire Cat lurking on this leafy plant stake!
And another Cheshire Cat over near the Mad Hatter's tea party section of the garden. Be sure to check Amy's previous garden challenge projects, it is becoming quite magical at Amy's house! HERE is the Plucking Daisies post on the Cinder Block Garden!

But that's not all!  We have another installment on the Alice in Wonderland dresser makeover from Amy, the Queen of Upcycling! Challenge after challenge has seen this dresser go from trash to artwork!!! Go to THIS POST to see the entire evolution of the amazing dresser.

Remember we started with this:
And now we have THIS!!!

So where is the Stampendous Wonderland set?  Well. . . What Wonderland dresser would be complete without Alice on the looking glass?
Which is ever changing depending on what is reflected, which only seems right when you are peering into the Looking Glass world!
Then, take a close look down the right and left edges of the front of the dresser:
That tile floor stamp is AMAZING when you mirror it, it gives almost an Op Art effect! Interspersed on the rainbow colored strip and between the card suits are the heart, the "ace" stamp, the Cheshire Cat, and more!!!
I see that tile floor stamp even on the dresser feet! So cool!  Hmmm. I think the only undecorated part left is the trim along the bottom and maybe one side. Anyone want to take any bets on what Amy will be doing for next month's challenge on The Altered Alice??? Be sure to keep an eye on Plucking Daisies to find out!

Well, I have to say this has been the longest blog post I've ever done, and every bit of it was magical. Of course I was putting together the world's longest post while having internet/computer issues, I sure wish there was an internet cafe in this tiny town. I hope you have enjoyed this week's inspiration as much as I have. Be sure to leave comments on the blogs of all these wonderful contributors, I am so thrilled to have the talented ladies of Stampendous playing along. 

YOUR projects have been AMAZING this month, and there is still time for more submissions! Remember multiple entries are welcome as long as each is on a separate post, so get your projects in by Friday, April 27 for a chance at winning this fantastic Stampendous Wonderland stamp set. (Note - if you are reading this in email or a reader, please click on the title of this post to go to the blog. You won't want to miss the incredible projects submitted by our readers for this challenge!)

Please leave a comment before you go!