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

Monday, November 26, 2012

CHAPTER 21: Gratitude Challenge EXTENDED

Between the holiday weekend and technical difficulties, I am not going to be able to post the winner and honorable mentions until Thursday, so I have reopened the challenge! Get  busy and submit some projects by 5 p.m. EST on Thursday, November 29 and I'll post the winners on Friday, Nov. 30.

The theme is GRATITUDE, but the project can be anything as long as you explain the connection in your blog post. Of course thank-you cards are an obvious project, and you know you are going to need a lot of them after the holidays, so why not create a stash? Who wouldn't like a little Wonderland thank-you card in the mail?
We love Nature's Blessings!
WHY should you get busy? Because a FABULOUS prize is up for grabs! One randomly-chosen winner will receive a $30 shopping spree from Nature's Blessings. They have all the illustrations from Alice's Adventures in Wonderland AND Through the Looking Glass. But did you know they have LOTS of other amazing stamps, in unmounted, cling, or wood mount? (The price shown on the listings page is for wood mount, so the cling and unmounted are much less.)

Have you seen all the Nature's Blessings rubber stamp categories?


So get busy, because you know you need some of these great stamps! Multiple entries are encouraged, but each project must be on a separate post. As always, all projects are welcome but those that feature Wonderland will have two chances per entry instead of one. (Note: if you are viewing this post in a reader or email, please click on the title of the post to go to the blog to see the entries or submit a project.)

Hurry!

Monday, November 19, 2012

Week 3, CHAPTER 21: Gratitude

'You ought to return thanks in a neat speech,' the Red Queen said, frowning at Alice as she spoke. . . .In fact it was rather difficult for her to keep in her place while she made her speech: the two Queens pushed her so, one on each side, that they nearly lifted her up into the air:'I rise to return thanks--' Alice began: and she really DID rise as she spoke, several inches; but she got hold of the edge of the table, and managed to pull herself down again.-- Chapter 9, Through the Looking Glass
The US Thanksgiving holiday is this month, and many people are dedicating the month to a spirit of gratitude; after all there is nothing like counting your blessings to make you realize how many blessings there are! Our theme this month is GRATITUDE, and you can interpret that any way you like as long as you explain it in your post. Enter by Friday, Nov. 23; all entries are welcome but those that feature Wonderland will have two chances instead of one. Multiple entries are encouraged, but each must be on a separate post to have additional chances at the prize, which is quite wonderful!

The theme ties in nicely with this month's sponsor, Nature's Blessings, who have offered a $30 shopping spree to the randomly chosen winner! Nature's Blessings stamps were the beginning of my love affair with Alice in Wonderland stamping, as they have beautiful rubber versions of the original Tenniel illustrations of Alice's Adventures in Wonderland AND Through the Looking Glass. Without Nature's Blessings, The Altered Alice might not exist! In their words:
As avid readers and bibliophiles, we fell in love with the beautiful line drawings in the books in our family library. Our antiquarian stamps are a collection of our favorite images. If your tastes range from the classically elegant to the quirky and fun, then we make stamps for you! We also offer a variety of original art: be sure to visit John Wagner's page of Calligraphy and Art Lettering, and Laura Ann's pages of stamps for holidays and special occasions.
Your Weekly Inspiration:

Donna Mundinger of Popsicle Toes created a very special Thanksgiving Wonderland menu for her gratitude project. She has done her Cricut magic on the outside, and I love the warm rich colors and elegant patterns. But wait until you see what's inside. . .
So elegant! The detail on these Nature's Blessings stamps is just wonderful, and they stand on their own without coloring. The autumn leaves in the background add the perfect touch of color.
The Drink Me image accompanies our Thanksgiving cocktail, spiced pumpkin martinis!
The Lobster Quadrille image accents our starter, lobster bisque! Yum!
Donna created a little turkey "patch" to place on the Mad Tea Party table!
Alice and the Plum Cake image is perfect for our dessert. I love the knife buried in the cake, it's a wonderful illustration! Be sure to stop by Popsicle Toes to leave a comment for Donna. I need to head over there and find out what time to show up for this wonderful Thanksgiving dinner!

Donna/Meme of Meme's Art Place created a pair of beautiful vintage thank-you cards! She has carefully aged the paper and darkened the edges to give the impression of pages torn from an old book. This image of Alice playing with Dinah in the big chair is one of my favorites!
I love Alice and the Tweedles! Meme has done a fantasic job of creating an authentic vintage look with distress markers and inks. Be sure to stop by Meme's Art Place to leave a comment for Donna about her gorgeous vintage thank-you cards!

Hurry up, you have time to enter for a WONDERFUL prize! Enter your projects in the Linky list below by November 23, and PLEASE include your name or blog name in the TITLE. This helps me enormously when it comes time to had out the honorable mentions! (Note: if you are viewing this post in a reader or email, please click on the title of the post to go to the blog to see the entries or submit a project.)

Please leave a comment before you go!

Sunday, November 11, 2012

Week 2, CHAPTER 21: Gratitude


'You ought to return thanks in a neat speech,' the Red Queen said, frowning at Alice as she spoke. . . .In fact it was rather difficult for her to keep in her place while she made her speech: the two Queens pushed her so, one on each side, that they nearly lifted her up into the air:'I rise to return thanks--' Alice began: and she really DID rise as she spoke, several inches; but she got hold of the edge of the table, and managed to pull herself down again.-- Chapter 9, Through the Looking Glass
The US Thanksgiving holiday is this month, and many people are dedicating the month to a spirit of gratitude; after all there is nothing like counting your blessings to make you realize how many blessings there are! Our theme this month is GRATITUDE, and you can interpret that any way you like as long as you explain it in your post. Enter by Friday, Nov. 23; all entries are welcome but those that feature Wonderland will have two chances instead of one. Multiple entries are encouraged, but each must be on a separate post to have additional chances at the prize, which is quite wonderful!

The theme ties in nicely with this month's sponsor, Nature's Blessings, who have offered a $30 shopping spree to the randomly chosen winner! Nature's Blessings stamps were the beginning of my love affair with Alice in Wonderland stamping, as they have beautiful rubber versions of the original Tenniel illustrations of Alice's Adventures in Wonderland AND Through the Looking Glass. Without Nature's Blessings, The Altered Alice might not exist! In their words:
As avid readers and bibliophiles, we fell in love with the beautiful line drawings in the books in our family library. Our antiquarian stamps are a collection of our favorite images. If your tastes range from the classically elegant to the quirky and fun, then we make stamps for you! We also offer a variety of original art: be sure to visit John Wagner's page of Calligraphy and Art Lettering, and Laura Ann's pages of stamps for holidays and special occasions.
Your Weekly Inspiration:


Barbara Washington of Magic Delights came up with a fantastic idea for our gratitude challenge; she made a thank you card and a set of charming hostess gifts for the upcoming holiday season! I love her thank you card, pictured above, don't you?
Everyone on the design team decided they would like to invite Barbara over when they saw these charming gifts! This night light with the custom made Alice shade is absolutely charming, even when unlit.
It is even lovelier when illuminated, isn't it? 
The next hostess gift is a set of coasters in a holder. Gratitude is indeed the memory of the heart, and some of my dearest childhood memories are involved with reading Alice in Wonderland! Here are the individual coasters:



I love it that Nature's Blessings has such a complete set of the original Tenniel illustrations! These coasters are fantastic; hasn't Barbara done a wonderful job with this gratitude theme? Please stop by Barbara's blog to tell her so!

Amy Bowerman Stucki of Plucking Daisies dyed a vintage handbag (her grandmother's) with rit dye and created iron on transfers with Nature's Blessings stamps and "Transfermations". Amy is our queen of upcycling, and this bag looks new and funky and fun!
I was so pleased to learn about this product; look how well it transfers onto dark fabrics! It is designed for ink jet printers but Amy has great results with stamping!
These stamps have such wonderful detail; the cross-hatched lines are crisp and distinct. Lizard Bill is looking good!
Some Blue Moon charms add interest!
Gratitude is embodied in what this bag was used for; in Amy's words:
The bag was used to transport a package to hurricane victims. A friend of mine from NJ has spearheaded a campaign called "Socks for Sandy" . Such a simple necessity that so many are lacking since the storm hit. As far as grattitude I'm thankful that power was the only thing I lost in the storm when others have lost so much.
You can read about Socks for Sandy HERE. They are in urgent need of socks, winter gloves, mittens and hats, and NEW packages of underwear for men, women and children.  Please stop by Amy's blog to leave a comment on her stamped "Transfermation" bag, her Alice post will be up soon so check back at her blog to read all the details.

We look forward to seeing your interpretation of our gratitude theme! Enter your projects in the Linky list below by November 23, and PLEASE include your name or blog name in the TITLE. This helps me enormously when it comes time to had out the honorable mentions! (Note: if you are viewing this post in a reader or email, please click on the title of the post to go to the blog to see the entries or submit a project.)

Please leave a comment before you go!

Sunday, November 4, 2012

Week 1, CHAPTER 21: Gratitude

'You ought to return thanks in a neat speech,' the Red Queen said, frowning at Alice as she spoke. . . .In fact it was rather difficult for her to keep in her place while she made her speech: the two Queens pushed her so, one on each side, that they nearly lifted her up into the air:
'I rise to return thanks--' Alice began: and she really DID rise as she spoke, several inches; but she got hold of the edge of the table, and managed to pull herself down again.-- Chapter 9, Through the Looking Glass
The US Thanksgiving holiday is this month, and many people are dedicating the month to a spirit of gratitude; after all there is nothing like counting your blessings to make you realize how many blessings there are! Our theme this month is GRATITUDE, and you can interpret that any way you like as long as you explain it in your post. Enter by Friday, Nov. 23; all entries are welcome but those that feature Wonderland will have two chances instead of one. Multiple entries are encouraged, but each must be on a separate post to have additional chances at the prize, which is quite wonderful!

The theme ties in nicely with this month's sponsor, Nature's Blessings, who have offered a $30 shopping spree to the randomly chosen winner! Nature's Blessings stamps were the beginning of my love affair with Alice in Wonderland stamping, as they have beautiful rubber versions of the original Tenniel illustrations of Alice's Adventures in Wonderland AND Through the Looking Glass. Without Nature's Blessings, The Altered Alice might not exist! In their words:
As avid readers and bibliophiles, we fell in love with the beautiful line drawings in the books in our family library. Our antiquarian stamps are a collection of our favorite images. If your tastes range from the classically elegant to the quirky and fun, then we make stamps for you! We also offer a variety of original art: be sure to visit John Wagner's page of Calligraphy and Art Lettering, and Laura Ann's pages of stamps for holidays and special occasions.
Your Weekly Inspiration:

Tracy Evans created this beautifully layered autumnal card, featuring the Tweedles stamp from Nature's Blessings. These stamps are incredibly detailed and stamp beautifully. Clipped words express the theme.
I love the sense of depth she has created by using the negative of the die cuts to stencil leaves in the background, then creating a paper leaf pile of sponged and stamped leaves!
The jute bow and script button add rustic texture for the perfect finishing touch. Please visit Tracy's blog to read her description and to leave a comment!

Bonnie McLain of Love Light and Peace created this lovely chipboard Thanks mini-album. Each page includes things or which Bonnie is grateful, starting with the appropriate letter of the word T-H-A-N-K-S.
Bonnie used Ranger alcohol inks to get these incredibly saturated shades on the images and the seam binding ribbon.
Be sure to visit Bonnie's blog; she gives instructions on a wonderful method for using a refillable Ranger marker and alcohol ink palette to get this intensely colored effect.
Be sure to visit Bonnie's blog for more photos of the various pages and the alcohol ink tutorial, and leave a comment while you are there!

We have another project from Tracy Evans; this altered Altoids tin featuring the Queen Alice stamp is absolutely charming! I love the tree growing up from the center, and the leaf pile that has collected in the bottom of the tin.
You can see how Tracy has used layers to add a sense of depth.
You can see how much detail the Nature's Blessings stamps contain, and how beautifully they stamp.  Please visit Tracy's blog to read her description and to leave a comment!

We look forward to seeing your interpretation of our gratitude theme! Enter your projects in the Linky list below by November 23, and PLEASE include your name or blog name in the TITLE. This helps me enormously when it comes time to had out the honorable mentions! (Note: if you are viewing this post in a reader or email, please click on the title of the post to go to the blog to see the entries or submit a project.)

Please leave a comment before you go!