The Altered Alice

Week 3 - CHAPTER 12 Challenge: Hearts!

2012-02-19T16:26:00.000-05:00

"First came ten soldiers carrying clubs; these were all shaped like the three gardeners, oblong and flat, with their hands and feet at the corners: next the ten courtiers; these were ornamented all over with diamonds, and walked two and two, as the soldiers did. After these came the royal children; there were ten of them, and the little dears came jumping merrily along hand in hand, in couples: they were all ornamented with hearts. Next came the guests, mostly Kings and Queens, and among them Alice recognised the White Rabbit: it was talking in a hurried nervous manner, smiling at everything that was said, and went by without noticing her. Then followed the Knave of Hearts, carrying the King's crown on a crimson velvet cushion; and, last of all this grand procession, came THE KING AND QUEEN OF HEARTS." -- Chapter 8; Alice's Adventures in Wonderland

Since February contains Valentine's Day, we are challenging you to show us your HEART (or hearts), in whatever form you'd like to interpret that! Our sponsor this month is The Octopode Factory, who is offering a $30 Etsy shop gift certificate to one randomly selected winner.

The Octopode Factory has amazing and unique images born from the fertile imagination of Lily Chilvers. The Etsy Shop carries her digi stamps and collage sheets, and she has large and small rubber stamps available through her blog. Be sure to check out all the incredible Alice in Wonderland characters and digital stamp sets, and visit! And for fun and inspiration, be sure to visit Lily's blog and The Octopode Factory Friday challenge blog, or TOFF for short!

This is a very short month, so you have only until Friday, Feb. 24 to submit your entry! As always, projects that feature Wonderland will have two chances at the prize instead of one. Multiple entries are fine, but each must be on a separate post. Please join us!

Your Weekly Inspiration

First, I owe Meme an apology as I accidentally posted her wonderful Queen and castle a week early. Please visit Meme's Art Place this week to leave a comment and get the details!

Now we have the next installment on the Alice in Wonderland dresser, which is an ongoing upcycling project by Amy Bowerman Stucki of Plucking Daisies! As you can see, two more of the small drawers at the top have been painted since last month's striped drawers: a chessboard drawer and a Cheshire Cat drawer. Then Amy transformed one side of the dresser! Such fun, let's look at the details.

The chessboard drawer background is made of punched squares of black glitter cardstock over a silver painted base. Alternating squares are decorated with hearts punched from playing card backs - I love that detail, so appropriate. The Octopode Queen of Hearts is near her distressed playing card at the left.

This darling Octopode White Rabbit is available exclusively in rubber, three sizes are available. Go to THIS blog post to read all the details and see more photos of the chessboard drawer!

Next up is the Cheshire Cat drawer! I love the colors on this one. And the way Amy has shown the vanishing of the Cheshire Cat is so creative!

Look at the way she has trimmed the cat down to eyes and a grin at the left end!

And here the Cheshire Cat is dancing on his head, and another vanishing cat on the right! Love the doodles on the die cut leaves she has decoupaged as a background to the cats.

In case you are wondering where the hearts are on the Cheshire drawer, both drawers feature these heart drawer pulls created by Amy. But we are not done!

Next, Amy began on one side of the dresser; the theme for this side is "The Golden Afternoon" and it is so charming! I love the deep blues and greens of the background; the shimmering pearlescent paints almost make this scene look underwater!

Octopode's Retro Alice wanders amidst the garden of living flowers! I love the saturated colors, eye candy to be sure!

The Octopode Rocking Horsefly soars on his heart-shaped wings through this truly magical Garden. Be sure to stop by all three posts from Amy to see many more photos on the whole process; seeing the different steps along the way is really fascinating!!!

Time is flying; you have only until Friday, Feb. 24 to submit your entry! If you are viewing this in a reader or email, please click on the title of this post to see the link list on the blog:

So get busy and show us your heart!

Week 2 - CHAPTER 12 Challenge: Hearts!

2012-02-12T16:58:00.000-05:00

"First came ten soldiers carrying clubs; these were all shaped like the three gardeners, oblong and flat, with their hands and feet at the corners: next the ten courtiers; these were ornamented all over with diamonds, and walked two and two, as the soldiers did. After these came the royal children; there were ten of them, and the little dears came jumping merrily along hand in hand, in couples: they were all ornamented with hearts. Next came the guests, mostly Kings and Queens, and among them Alice recognised the White Rabbit: it was talking in a hurried nervous manner, smiling at everything that was said, and went by without noticing her. Then followed the Knave of Hearts, carrying the King's crown on a crimson velvet cushion; and, last of all this grand procession, came THE KING AND QUEEN OF HEARTS." -- Chapter 8; Alice's Adventures in Wonderland

Welcome today's guest Debra James, a member of the Octopode Factory design team, and her wonderful Queen of Hearts playing card. I love the card layout and all the rich red and gold details, perfectly framed by the bold checkerboard border. Debra started with Glinda the Good Witch, also available as part of the Oz set to make her queen, so keep an open mind as you look at all the Octopode characters!

Erin Leveille of Stamp till U Cramp made this lovely Valentine, complete with the key to Alice's heart! Erin created her own background paper by repeating the Octopode Key to Wonderland motif, tinting the paper with PanPastels and adding India ink and gel pen doodles; the perfect backdrop for Modern Alice!

We have a painted canvas from Meme of Meme's Art Place. I love the way she turned the Heart Stems into a striped picket fence, and the way she has popped the fence up from the background gives the piece so much dimension!

Meme has done a beautiful job with coloring, as you can see in this closeup!

Barbara Washington of Magic Delights created three charming Valentine's Day Cards, beginning with this easel card featuring Alice and the Mad Hatter.

Next we have a horsefly, Wonderland-style of course! I love it how the horsefly's wings are heart shaped, tying in perfectly with the conversation heart background, so cute!

Last, Barbara has the Queen of Hearts and her flamingo croquet mallet! I love the way she has juxtaposed these two digi-stamps to make a perfect Wonderland scene. The lacy heart and matching backdrop die cuts are a lovely frame for the Queen! Be sure to stop by Magic Delights to leave a comment for Barbara.

This is a very short month, so you have only until Friday, Feb. 24 to submit your entry! If you are viewing this in a reader or email, please click on the title of this post to see the link list on the blog:

So get busy and show us your heart!

Week 1 - CHAPTER 12 Challenge: Hearts!

2012-02-05T17:51:00.000-05:00

"First came ten soldiers carrying clubs; these were all shaped like the three gardeners, oblong and flat, with their hands and feet at the corners: next the ten courtiers; these were ornamented all over with diamonds, and walked two and two, as the soldiers did. After these came the royal children; there were ten of them, and the little dears came jumping merrily along hand in hand, in couples: they were all ornamented with hearts. Next came the guests, mostly Kings and Queens, and among them Alice recognised the White Rabbit: it was talking in a hurried nervous manner, smiling at everything that was said, and went by without noticing her. Then followed the Knave of Hearts, carrying the King's crown on a crimson velvet cushion; and, last of all this grand procession, came THE KING AND QUEEN OF HEARTS." -- Chapter 8; Alice's Adventures in Wonderland

Tracy Evans has gifted us with this vibrant art journal spread celebrating the Queen of Hearts! She has used a variety of mixed media techniques including stenciling and sprays.

To add interest, torn paper heart shapes were used in a variety of ways. Tracy hand-lettered the Queen's most famous quote, and I LOVE the way she has drawn extruded 3D letters with the striped edges!

The Queen of Hearts was stamped separately using the Octopode's rubber stamps, colored and trimmed out. This way Tracy did not need to do any special masking to isolate the Queen from all the fabulous background techniques. Be sure to visit Tracy's blog for details and to leave a comment!

Retta Fox of Foxy's Weblog has three projects, starting with this fun tag; notice the battle scene at the bottom of the tag! I love the snarky caption! I also love the way she has mixed the diamond and hearts in the background.

Retta's next tag is much sweeter in feeling! Chipboard letters spell Alice down the side and add a lot of dimension, and Octopode's Retro Alice looks out from the corner

The last (but certainly NOT least) of Retta's projects is this wonderful heart teapot! Retta used this Octopode freebie from Lily's blog to great effect, and I love the way the Octopode Retro Alice and Queen of Hearts are on each cup. Retta is the queen of snarky captions and this one does not fail to add humor! Please drop by Retta's blog to leave a comment!

Donna Mundinger, the Queen of 3D and author of Popsicle Toes, cut out a dress shaped candy box on her Cricut and then decorated it with the Octopode Queen of Hearts, trinkets and more die cuts!

You can see all the layers of dimension, and I LOVE those tasseled earrings!

The back is as much fun to look at as the front. Love the "ummmm" she has added to the stickered sentiment!

Hmmm, what's that hiding inside the Queen's skirts?

Candy for Donna's sweetie! Please stop by Popsicle Toes to leave a comment for Donna on this amazing candy box!

So get busy and show us your heart!

Winner & Honorable Mentions, CHAPTER 11 - Stripes!

2012-01-29T21:49:00.000-05:00

Today we announce the winner and honorable mentions, but first I have one more design team project; mine!

You can see my striped art journal page at Savvy Sisters Studio. I had a wonderful time creating a striped background by repeatedly sponging through stencils, then layering on some clock faces with another stencil. The images from our sponsor, Alice in Wonderland by Danita, were so much fun to color, and I had a good time doodling and selecting quotes to go next to each character. Please stop by Savvy Sisters Studio to see all the details and leave me a comment!

Our Winner!

Amazingly, random.org selected #1 as our winner, so Bonnie McLain of Love, Light, Peace is rewarded for being the first to enter! Bonnie, please email me about your prize. Bonnie entered this lovely tag!

Bonnie will receive a signed copy of Jenny Doh's latest book, Art Saves, which is not only full of eye candy but is also full of the stories of how art changes lives. "Discover not only the HOW but also the WHY, through the stunning projects and unique stories of 20 exciting multi-media artists." Thanks so much to Jenny for contributing such a meaningful prize to start off 2012! Be sure to visit the CRESCENDOh site for more stories, wonderful clear stamps, and more.

Honorable Mentions

Those mentioned here are invited to display this blog badge with a link to this post!

Dawn of Craft Addiction submitted this lovely original watercolored pen and ink illustration. Absolutely beautiful. Alice's face is lovely, but it is the smiling expression on the white rabbit's face that grabs me! I am a knitter, so Alice's fingerless mitts also make me smile!

I love the vanishing Cheshire Cat with the bright grin remaining in Charlene's clever entry! Click on the photos above to leave her a comment.

Jingle created a fun, grinning Cheshire Cat from paper clay, with shimmering stripes. I love this photo of the gaily striped cat keeping company with a previous Mad Hatter creation!

Izzwizz created this FANTASTIC tag book that goes through every move of the chess game in Through the Looking Glass. Please stop by her blog to see all the pages, it is absolutely wonderful!

Trisha Too of easily amused, hard to offend. . . created this charming mini-book that has a touch of Alice logic!

Lily Pink Scraps submitted this vibrant entry. I love the layers and bold stripes, and the black, white, red and gray color combo is so effective and dramatic. The clever caption is perfect for this image of the Dormouse, famous for sleeping through tea parties!

I couldn't leave without commenting on the shimmering mica powder stripes on this high-energy card from Sid of Harpies Crafty Corner. I love all the different chess stamps and the vibrant color scheme, and the Alice running image is so perfect!

Here are the rest of the submissions for you to enjoy - if you are reading this via email or reader please click on the title of this post to see the wonderful entries!

Please leave a comment before you go!

Week 4, CHAPTER 11: Stripes!

2012-01-22T16:14:00.002-05:00

"At the two-yard peg she faced round, and said, 'A pawn goes two squares in its first move, you know.
So you'll go VERY quickly through the Third Square--by railway, I should think--and you'll find
yourself in the Fourth Square in no time. Well, THAT square belongs to Tweedledum and
Tweedledee--the Fifth is mostly water--the Sixth belongs to Humpty Dumpty--But you make no
remark?'
'I--I didn't know I had to make one--just then,' Alice faltered out."
-- Chapter 11, Through the Looking Glass and What Alice Found There

Enter your project featuring stripes by Friday, Jan. 27. The winner will be announced the following Sunday. As always, entries that feature Wonderland will have two chances at the random drawing instead of one. You may enter as often as you like but each entry must be on a separate post. All posts must mention and link back to the challenge.

Design Team Changes
Sue Roddis and Sandy Scholz are stepping down from the design team. I am so thankful for all the time they have dedicated to creating inspiring Alice projects. In particular Sue was instrumental in helping me get The Altered Alice started. We wish them all the best as they follow their muses in other directions!

Our guest designer, Amy Bowerman Stucki of Plucking Daisies, has accepted a position on the permanent design team! She has been a wonderful fit right from the beginning and I am thrilled that she will be staying on to share her talent with us! Welcome Amy!

Your Weekly Inspiration

Sandy Scholz of Stempelchaotin leaves us with a wonderful set of ATCs. I don't know how she created these, but I wonderful if they have layers of glass? There is a wonderful sense of depth; the flowers appear to be floating above the background. I love the turquoise, yellow and orange color scheme, and the shimmering polka dots at the top add a festive air! The caption is perfectly ironic, love it!

The second ATC shows the same depth and another wonderfully ironic caption; funny! The sparkling pennants and gleaming teeth are wonderful accents. I really LOVE these ATCs, they are so whimsical and charming! Be sure to visit Stempelchaotin to leave a comment and farewell wishes for Sandy.

Amy Bowerman Stucki of Plucking Daisies created a wonderful keychain full of handmade Alice charms! She had some leftovers from last week's project, so she covered the images stamped on textured cardstock with Glossy Accents.

Others were stamped on what might be clear Fragment or metal charms, colored with alcohol inks.

The backs are just as interesting, as Amy has covered them with tooled metal! This is a key chain any Alice fan would be proud to carry; I think I would want to hook it onto a purse strap where I could see it all the time. Great project! Be sure to stop by Plucking Daisies and leave a comment welcoming Amy to the design team!

So show us your stripes by entering on or before Jan. 27 to have a chance at the wonderful prize!

Note: If you are reading this in an email or a reader, please click on the title of this post to go to the blog and see all the wonderful entries!

Please leave a comment before you go, we really appreciate hearing from you!

Week 3, CHAPTER 11: Stripes!

2012-01-15T01:00:00.001-05:00

"At the two-yard peg she faced round, and said, 'A pawn goes two squares in its first move, you know.
So you'll go VERY quickly through the Third Square--by railway, I should think--and you'll find
yourself in the Fourth Square in no time. Well, THAT square belongs to Tweedledum and
Tweedledee--the Fifth is mostly water--the Sixth belongs to Humpty Dumpty--But you make no
remark?'
'I--I didn't know I had to make one--just then,' Alice faltered out."
-- Chapter 11, Through the Looking Glass and What Alice Found There

Happy new year! When I think of Tweedle Dum and Tweedle Dee, I always think stripes and plaids. Lewis Carroll does not mention the patterns they are wearing, but so many illustrations and movies have clad them in mismatched stripes and patterns. Your challenge this month is to use STRIPES.

Jenny Doh, formerly the managing editor of the famous Stampington publications, has started an artist's community website called CRESCENDOh. There is an online shop selling all kinds of things including charming CRESCENDOh clear stamps, including the Alice in Wonderland by Danita set that the design team is showing off. But the heart of the site is all the stories; stories by artists of all kinds, stampers, quilters, paper crafters. Each shares a tale of how art has changed their life. For some it is a joyous outlet, but for many others it has been a way to stay afloat in times of tragedy or grief. As I thought about this challenge, the theme of STRIPES seemed appropriate. The tents of the knights of old were striped, as are circus tents. Many flags are striped and so are rugby shirts, so stripes can symbolize belonging or affiliation. Stripes are birthday wrapping paper and elegant Regency wallpaper. Stripes are the traditional garb of prisoners, and stripes are also how the marks of a whip are described. Stripes can represent so many different things, and the creative process has been many things to the people who have contributed stories to the CRESCENDOh site.

Author Jenny Doh is donating a signed copy of her latest book, Art Saves, which is not only full of eye candy but is also full of the stories of how art changes lives. "Discover not only the HOW but also the WHY, through the stunning projects and unique stories of 20 exciting multi-media artists." Thanks so much to Jenny for contributing such a meaningful prize to start off 2012!

Enter your project featuring stripes by Friday, Jan. 27. The winner will be announced the following Sunday. As always, entries that feature Wonderland will have two chances at the random drawing instead of one. You may enter as often as you like but each entry must be on a separate post. All posts must mention and link back to the challenge.

Your Weekly Inspiration

Remember this?

Amy Bowerman Stucki of Plucking Daisies gives us another installment in the ongoing trash-to-treasure transformation she is performing on a chest of drawers!

The small Alice in Wonderland by Danita images were the perfect scale for the top row of smaller drawers. Don't they look fab in their bold stripes?

I like the way the stamped textured card stock contrasts with the glossy painted wood!

It is also fun that the stripes go in two different directions, very Wonderland that, don't you think?

Even the drawer pulls have been given a special touch, very cool! You can see previous drawer projects, which Amy submitted as challenge entries before she joined the team, on her blog, Plucking Daisies. Be sure to stop by her blog to see new photos of the whole work-in-progress and to leave a comment on his fantastic piece of work!

Meme of Meme's Art Place painted a board and then attached small stretched canvases to it. I love the warm green with the black checkerboard striped border all the way around, which echoes the black background in the stamped canvases! The multicolor striped background on the canvases is the perfect pattern to pull everything together. It is warm and charming and I just love it!

Meme added a little bonus, just for fun! She called this a "where's Waldo" as we see the Cheshire cat vanishing, chameleon-like, into the stripes of the background! It makes me smile just to see it. . . or not see it, LOL! Be sure to stop by to congratulate Meme on being asked to design for COSMO CRICKET/Advantus! Whoo Hoo! As well as commenting on her charming striped pieces, of course!

So show us your stripes by entering on or before Jan. 27 to have a chance at the wonderful prize!

Note: If you are reading this in an email or a reader, please click on the title of this post to go to the blog and see all the wonderful entries!

Please leave a comment before you go, we really appreciate hearing from you!

Week 2, CHAPTER 11: Stripes!

2012-01-08T14:37:00.000-05:00

"At the two-yard peg she faced round, and said, 'A pawn goes two squares in its first move, you know.
So you'll go VERY quickly through the Third Square--by railway, I should think--and you'll find
yourself in the Fourth Square in no time. Well, THAT square belongs to Tweedledum and
Tweedledee--the Fifth is mostly water--the Sixth belongs to Humpty Dumpty--But you make no
remark?'
'I--I didn't know I had to make one--just then,' Alice faltered out."
-- Chapter 11, Through the Looking Glass and What Alice Found There

Barbara Washington of Magic Delights made a never-ending card. I love these; every time you open a spread there is another way to unfold! We begin with Alice falling down the rabbit hole by a die-cut tree; I love the way the flourish adds balance to the other side! And we continue to unfold:

Be sure to stop by Barbara's blog to leave a comment on this wonderful never-ending card! These cards are just fascinating; here is an easy tutorial to follow on YouTube so you can better imagine how Barbara's card opens, and opens, and opens. . . !

Erin Leveille of Stamp til U Cramp says that this art journal page represents her vision of Alice's living room wall! I love the combination of taupe and periwinkle with the punch of black to add drama! Absolutely charming! Please stop by Erin's blog to see more closeup photos and to leave her a comment!

Donna Mundinger of Popsicle Toes created a fun set of CAS (clean and simple) cards, each with embossed stripes. They are absolutely charming and really show off the whimsical images to perfection. I love the negative matting; each white embossed panel has been cut out to show the colored layer, which is then cut out to show the image. Here are closeups of each card in the set:

Be sure to stop by Popsicle Toes to leave a comment for Donna on this charming set of cards!

So show us your stripes by entering on or before Jan. 27 to have a chance at the wonderful prize!

Note: If you are reading this in an email or a reader, please click on the title of this post to go to the blog and see all the wonderful entries!

Please leave a comment before you go, we really appreciate hearing from you!

Week 1, CHAPTER 11: Stripes!

2012-01-01T18:24:00.001-05:00

"At the two-yard peg she faced round, and said, 'A pawn goes two squares in its first move, you know.
So you'll go VERY quickly through the Third Square--by railway, I should think--and you'll find
yourself in the Fourth Square in no time. Well, THAT square belongs to Tweedledum and
Tweedledee--the Fifth is mostly water--the Sixth belongs to Humpty Dumpty--But you make no
remark?'
'I--I didn't know I had to make one--just then,' Alice faltered out."
-- Chapter 11, Through the Looking Glass and What Alice Found There

Tracy Evans created a charming striped page in her art journal. I LOVE the way she's created the striped background with Distress Ink. Stripes everywhere - of course all the characters are wearing stripes, and she has framed each embossed and sponged heart with a striped border.

Lots of dimension and texture - the characters are trimmed out and mounted over the stripes and hearts. All the little images are lined up in stripes of their own! I love the monochromatic composition; these stamped images really stand on their own without being colored, don't you think? Be sure to stop by Tracy's blog to see more pictures and leave a comment!

Retta Fox of Foxy's Weblog created a set of charming stuffed decorations, sewn on her Hello Kitty sewing machine and stuffed with cotton batting. You could make similar ornaments with a bit of potpurri inside to make some Alice sachets! Retta said she imagines these hanging in a baby's room, and I think they would be a charming addition to any nursery.

Two are hung from little French Laundry Hangers. I have some of these that I purchased from Stampington.com. The images were stamped on fabric scraps with Ranger Archival ink and colored with Sakura Gelly Roll Glaze pens, what a fabulous look!

Others were sewn to a little wall hanging that spells out "ALICE" and are so cute! I love the naive simplicity of these CRESCENDOh stamps! Be sure to stop by Retta's blog to see more photos and leave a comment!

Earn your stripes and enter your project below by Jan. 27, we can't wait to see your stripes!

Please leave a comment before you go, we love to hear from our readers!

Winner & Honorable Mentions, CHAPTER 10 - A Lewis Christmas Carroll to You!

2011-12-28T10:47:00.000-05:00

The Winner

Random.org selected Miupoftea of Poetry in a Pot of Tea as this month's winner of the $40 gift certificate from Custom Crops! Please contact me (email link is in the left column) and I'll send you the info on how to collect your prize, and you are entitled to display this badge on your blog if you like!

Here is her winning entry; I love the way she's placed the rabbit in a tea cup, the torn red edge on the book text, the houndstooth background and the traditional red and green color scheme balanced with ivory and black neutrals!

Honorable Mentions

All the entries were fabulous, and I would like to grant ALL our December entrants an honorable mention badge! Thanks so much for your Wonderland holiday wishes, and Happy New Year to all our readers!

Kudos to Jan of chai tea 'n me for turning in a whole Christmas tree as her entry! LOVE that hat on top, it is fabulous!

Debra James (top) and LilyPinkScraps (bottom) both used charming Wonderland images fromDilly Beans, and I love the whimsical feeling of these fun Christmas cards!

Debra Beight brought Hannukah into the holiday mix, and I love the way she has the Mad Hatter singing The Dreidel Song while munching a few latkes with his tea!

I adore this "stained glass" image from Bonnie McLain of Love, Light and Peace! She used an elaborate black die cut over a luminous green background. To make her characters look like part of the window, she has edged each of them in back. Lovely!

And I have to give Anne of Card Challenges a mention for her set of six Wonderland cards. My favorites were her cards using the Tenniel images, and I love the way the fish footman is now delivering a Christmas card! You can see all of her entries below!

Remember, everyone who entered this month is an honorable mention and can grab the blog badge, I just don't have time to describe what I like about each wonderful Wonderland entry! Check them out:

Note - those viewing in a reader or email may need to click the title of this post to see the link list on the blog.

We'll be back in the new year with a new challenge, and I wish everyone a joyous and safe Happy New Year!

Week 3, CHAPTER 10: A Lewis Christmas Carroll to All!

2011-12-18T03:14:00.001-05:00

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year from The Altered Alice! This month the design team brings you their holiday wishes, and we invite you to send your holiday greetings to The Altered Alice. You have until Friday, Dec. 23 to enter. The winner post will either be a little early or late, as the last Sunday of the month falls on Christmas day!

Our prize this month is a $40.00 gift certificate to Custom Crops, the premier online retailer for crafters of all kinds. From Accuquilt to Zva Creative, adhesives to vinyl and everything in between, Custom Crops offers a huge selection of the products you've been looking for at competive prices with fast, friendly customer service. Thanks to design team member Donna for organizing this Christmas prize!

To celebrate the season, we bring you The Lewis Carroll Memorial Window at Daniell Chapel in England. Notice the left panel where Lewis Carroll and Alice kneel to pay homage to the newly born Christ in this wonderful Nativity scene! This month's quote is actually contained within the windows, do you see it?

Click to enlarge

The window was designed by the stained glass artist Geoffrey Webb, a must-see for anyone that loves Wonderland. A wonderful Christmas poem by Lewis Carroll is shown in the center three bottom panels, which include characters from Wonderland - the White Rabbit, Dodo, the Caterpillar, Mad Hatter, and more!

Your Weekly Inspiration:

Amy Bowerman Stucki of Plucking Daisies used a real window in this interpretation of the window in Daniell Chapel, and holy moly, what a treat for the eyes! The window was painted gold, Amy printed out each window in grayscale on translucent parchment paper and added color with Copic markers These were adhered to the window glass, and Christmas lights behind add a wonderful glow to this gorgeous window!

On the muntins that divide the panes, Amy glued tiny little Tweety Jill thumbnail images to a Tim Holtz filmstrip ribbon.

This little embellishment of beads and charms decorates the top of the window.

And the sides are decorated as well with mosaic tiles and glass pebbles! Gorgeous! Be sure to go to Plucking Daisies to see more photos and leave a comment for Amy!

And now it is time to welcome Meme of Meme's Art Place back to the team! Meme had to take a few months off, and her hand-drawn Cheshire Cat is a wonderful way to return. The cat's tail wraps around the card to hold a little Christmas tree. . .

And when you swing the tail to the side, you see the Merry Christmas message!

Inside is wonderful too - notice the cuts in the center that allow the cat's face on the front to extend beyond the fold. The hand-lettered message shimmers with red Creative Inspirations paint.

Look how sparkly the flourishes and snowlakes are! Be sure to visit Meme's Art Place to welcome her back to The Altered Alice!

I have two Christmas cards to share, and you can visit Lynne Phelps at Savvy Sisters Studio to read all the details!

Be sure to visit me at Savvy Sisters Studio to leave a comment!

So you've seen the projects from the design team to you; aren't they great? I am truly blessed to have such a wonderful, talented design team! Now it is your turn to get busy and make a Wonderland holiday card for the team. You have until Friday, Dec.23 to enter.

Please leave a comment here before you go! Merry Christmas to all!

Week 2, CHAPTER 10: A Lewis Christmas Carroll to All!

2011-12-11T13:58:00.001-05:00

Click to enlarge

Your Weekly Inspiration:

Sue Roddis of JABBERWOCKY created an "Alice in Christmas Wonderland" snow-globe, such fun!

You can see all the details in these closeup. Most stamped images are from IndigoBlu.

FRONT of ornaments - click to enlarge

Barbara Washington of Magic Delights created this charming set of four Wonderland ornaments! Each image is stamped and then painted.

BACK of ornaments - click to enlarge

The simple cream backgrounds with accented edges really suits the pen and ink style of the illustrations! What a wonderful addition to any tree!

I think my favorite is the Tweedles, as their round tummies are such a perfect match for the snowman shape!

Erin Leveille of Stamp Til U Cramp brings us a charming snow-globe with Alice all dressed up in her holiday finest!

I love the wreath she is carrying, made from some vintage garland, as it adds so much dimension. The tiny candy canes are the perfect scale for this little holiday scene!

Now we are hoping that YOU will have a Wonderland Christmas greeting for the design team. You have until Friday, Dec. 23 to enter.
Merry Christmas and Happy New Year from The Altered Alice! Please leave a comment before you go!

Week 1, CHAPTER 10: A Lewis Christmas Carroll to All!

2011-12-04T00:24:00.001-05:00

Click to enlarge

We look forward to seeing your holiday greetings, so send us a Christmas Card! If it features Wonderland, you will have two chances at the randomly awarded prize instead of one. Multiple entries are fine, but each must be on a separate post.

Your Weekly Inspiration:

Click to enlarge

Retta Fox of Foxy's Weblog was inspired by the same windows featured above, and created this wonderful altered canvas for us to enjoy! Be sure to click to enlarge the image to see the wonderful detail. I love the way the window panes have been colored, it really looks like light is pouring through! The canvas and windows were painted with watercolor crayons, after the windows were stamped with Jet Black Archival ink. The characters were stamped and colored separately and glued on.

There are so many wonderful details! Lyrics from classic Christmas carols have been penned in around each window - I LOVE that touch! The tiny wreath and angel above adds a wonderful 3D element to the scene. The snowflakes (or stars?) and both stamped and done in bling for loads of sparkle and shine. The corsage of snow covered fir branches, glass ornaments, and a star ornament finish it off wonderfully! Kudos to Retta for such a fab Wonderland Christmas scene! Stop by Foxy's Weblog and leave a comment for Retta on this beautiful creation!

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Tracy Evans created a magical Winter Wonderland in this gorgeous art journal spread. I love the background created with layer upon layer of snowflakes and number stencils, perfect for our holiday countdown! Each bauble has been textured with the IndigoBlu crackle stamp, and the characters are IndigoBlu as well.

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I love the way Tracy has added the text with alternating bits of back and white pen, and the checkered stripes at the border and above and below "Winter Wonderland" tie in with the black and white of the character images.

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Have you noticed the clever way Tracy has dotted in the names of each character around their ornament? Loads of details to love in this art journal spread, be sure to stop by and tell Tracy how you like it!
Body of post goes here.

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Donna Mundinger of Popsicle Toes created a Wonder-full teapot snow-globe on this fun and charming easel card, with a holiday tea party inside covered with snowy white mica flakes! I love the red, white and silver color scheme, the whole thing really shines.

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One of the things I love best about this wonderful project is that the snow-globe is created from recycled packaging! Donna said this acetate bubble was from a tape package. Be sure to look at all your packaging this holiday before you add it to the trash pile, I'll bet there are some great crafty supplies in the discards and what an extra bonus! The mirrored silver card stock is another wonderful (non-recycled) element; that silver rim around everything adds a lot of elegant shine!

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The beautiful snowflakes are the perfect finishing touch, along with the red bling. Be sure to stop by Popsicle Toes to tell Donna how you like her holiday tea party snow-globe!

Front - click to enlarge

Last but certainly not least, we have a wonderful ornament by Retta of Foxy's Weblog made from an altered mint tin! I would love to hang this on my tree, that's for sure, as it's a real treasure! The tiny wreath and "pine" fringe have such a great retro Christmas vibe!

Back - click to enlarge

Retta primed the whole tin with Mod Podge (GREAT tip), then tinted it with alcohol inks which you can see around the edges of the patterned and stamped paper. I love the layering of images, embellishments, bling and text!

Inside - click to enlarge

Then the real treasure is inside - each half of the tin has been treated like a mini shadowbox!

Inside Top - click to enlarge

LOVE the tiny garland, Christmas lights and the tiny Christmas tree with the Cheshire Cat hovering amidst the boughs! The snowflakes hang like paper lanterns over what is now a holiday tea!

Inside Bottom - click to enlarge

More retro vintage Christmas Greetings - Be sure to stop by Foxy's Weblog and wish Retta a Merry Christmas!

Well, you have had four wonderful Christmas greetings from three of our designers! Now we are hoping that you will have a Wonderland Christmas greeting for the design team. You have until Friday, Dec. 23 to enter.
Merry Christmas and Happy New Year from The Altered Alice! Please leave a comment before you go!

Winner & Honorable Mentions, CHAPTER 9 - Fall Colors

2011-11-27T15:20:00.000-05:00

Before we get to our winner, I have one more design team project to share - mine (Lynne Phelps of Savvy Sisters Studio)! This fun card featuring the IndigoBlu Tweedles says "We've been through a lot together. . ."

"And most of it was YOUR fault!" This just seemed like the perfect thing for Tweedle Dum and Tweedle Dee to say to each other! Please stop by Savvy Sisters Studio to leave a comment for me, I sure appreciate it when you do!

The Winner

Lucy Edmonson of True Colours is our winner this month, randomly selected from all the entrants! Lucy is from North Hampshire in the United Kingdom, so she may already be familiar with IndigoBlu. This is Lucy's first time joining in our monthly challenge. I wonder if she will pick one of the great Alice sets and join us again? Lucy, please reach out to me through the email link in the left column! Lucy's challenge project was a wonderful altered canvas, and I love what she did with shrink plastic and a molded key. The "curtains" give a great sense of depth, it is really wonderful.

Lucy's prize this month is an A5 sized unmounted stamp set from IndigoBlu (a £13 value), or an equivalent amount of A6 stamps. IndigoBlu is a fantastic new British stamp company that makes "Quintessentially English Rubber Stamps" right there in England.

This is Lucy's first time joining in our monthly challenge. I wonder if she will pick one of the great Alice stamp sets and join us again? Lucy, please reach out to me through the email link in the left column!

Honorable Mentions:

All the honorable mentions are entitled to display this blog badge with pride! We had a stellar crop of projects this month. I will describe as many as I can before I run out of time, LOL!

Dani Dietrich from Berlin, Germany submitted this fabulous set of 9 artist's trading cards. I really LOVE they way they all work together to form a larger image when you arrange them together. I love the layering of the images and text, it is all just wonderful, and the girl reading her book in the lower left corner is perfect! Visit DanisArt to leave her a comment!

Valerka from Russia created this amazing crown for the Queen of Hearts! It has a very organic and fluid design with lots of natural elements. Not only did Valerka wow me with her crown, but she also did a fabulous photo shoot dressed up as the Queen of Hearts to model the crown!

Be sure to stop by Valerka's blog to see all the other great photos of her in costume, modeling this lovely crown!

Larisa of "the difference: I see that I write .....", another entrant from Russia, submitted this pretty card. I love the way the fall-colored leaves are exploding from behind the beautifully colored image!

Welcome to Sid of Harpies Crafty Corner from Manchester, U.K., another first time player! This one caught my eye because of the wonderful layering of stamping and paper leaves in the background. I also loved the doodled scribbles, black around the text and under the cat, and the Souffle pen around the paper leaves!

I love the "crinkled ink" technique that Amy of artfully distressed (Lincoln, U.K.) used on her background, which really sets off the scene she created with the IndigoBlu stamps. Love that Lollipop Tree, and the White Rabbit with the different stamps to fit the banner is such fun!

KristyLee of KristyLeesWorld submitted a wonderful collage, and she even included the image and quote from the challenge text! I love the layering and all the metal elements, such fun!

In a fun twist on the challenge, Schleifhexe of Creativchaos from Germany gives us fall leaves by moonlight! Love the March Hare and the die-cut clock, those images are perfect together!

Narah-Kimberly of Vinegar and Glitter, a belly dancer from Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, U.S., submitted a lovely hand-drawn Alice with leafy background.

ALL of the entries were wonderful, but I am out of time! You can look through the rest of them here:

Please leave a comment before you go, they make the effort worthwhile!

Winner post delayed, coming soon!

2011-11-27T00:44:00.000-05:00

I just wanted to let you know I am having some computer problems, so I will post the winner and honorable mentions later today! I apologize for the delay.

Week 3, CHAPTER 9: Falling Leaves and Their True Colors

2011-11-20T00:01:00.006-05:00

"`Off with her head!' the Queen shouted at the top of her voice.
Nobody moved. `Who cares for you?' said Alice, (she had grown to her full size by this time.) `You're nothing but a pack of cards!'
At this the whole pack rose up into the air, and came flying down upon her: she gave a little scream, half of fright and half of anger, and tried to beat them off, and found herself lying on the bank, with her head in the lap of her sister, who was gently brushing away some dead leaves that had fluttered down from the trees upon her face."
-- Chapter 12, Alice's Adventures in Wonderland

I wonder if the Wonderland story took place in the Fall of the year? Autumn has arrived in the northern hemisphere. Just as Alice recognized the court characters as playing cards, the trees are losing their cloak of green chlorophyll and showing their true colors of gold, burgundy, scarlet, chartruese and orange. Your challenge is to show us a project drenched in fall colors!

Our prize this month is an A5 sized unmounted stamp set from IndigoBlu (a £13 value), or an equivalent amount of A6 stamps. IndigoBlu is a fantastic new British stamp company that makes "Quintessentially English Rubber Stamps" right there in England.

The design team will be working with these two fantastic Alice stamp sets, titled appropriately "Alice I" and "Alice II". Most Americans don't know what A5 and A6 mean so I'll just tell you, these sets are really big!

Your Weekly Inspiration:

Amy Bowerman Stucki of Plucking Daisies created a whole Wonderland tree, I LOVE this! She used an actual branch from her yard which she rooted in a teacup planter. Some of the leaves are real leaves, stamped and embossed with IndigoBlu images, while others are die-cut paper. Take a look!

IndigoBlu flourish stamped leaf and a bead charm wired onto the branch

IndigoBlu Executioner on a real leaf, and paper leaves

IndigoBlu running Mad Hatter on real leaf and Alice charm

Curioser and Curiouser!

White Rabbit

Paper leaves with Alice, Mad Hatter, quote, and crackle stamps from IndigoBlu

You will need to visit Plucking Daisies to leave a comment for Amy and get all the details on the construction of this fabulous Wonderland tree!

Our dear Sandy Scholz of Stempelchaotin is never afraid to try something new, and she has now ventured into stamping and stitching on fabric! I love the way she has attached the chain and clasp to each ribbon tab; that and the metal trinket pins add an edgy look.

I love the Tweedles! The fabric texture is great and the splashes of colors add so much energy. I really like the exposed seams.

The red stitching is so vivid, and I love the way she has partially outlined the Mad Hatter with the red stitching. Fun and different! I hope Sandy tells us what she has stuffed inside, I wonder if they are sachets? We will have to find out on Sandy's blog when we visit to leave a comment on her new endeavor!

Your challenge is to show us a project drenched in fall colors - orange, russet, burgundy, gold, yellow, nad charteuse, your pick! Enter by Friday, November 25 (the day after Thanksgiving); our randomly drawn winner and the honorable mentions will be announced on the last Sunday, November 27. Multiple entries are encouraged, but each must be on a separate post. As always, entries that feature Wonderland in some way will get two chances in the drawing instead of one.
Wasn't it interesting that neither of our design team projects involved stamping on paper as the primary element? What kinds of things other than paper do you like to stamp on? Please leave a comment here before you go, we love to hear from our readers!

Week 2, CHAPTER 9: Falling Leaves and Their True Colors

2011-11-13T00:07:00.000-05:00

"`Off with her head!' the Queen shouted at the top of her voice.
Nobody moved. `Who cares for you?' said Alice, (she had grown to her full size by this time.) `You're nothing but a pack of cards!'
At this the whole pack rose up into the air, and came flying down upon her: she gave a little scream, half of fright and half of anger, and tried to beat them off, and found herself lying on the bank, with her head in the lap of her sister, who was gently brushing away some dead leaves that had fluttered down from the trees upon her face."
-- Chapter 12, Alice's Adventures in Wonderland

Your Weekly Inspiration:

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Erin Leveille of Stamp till U Cramp created this wonderful domino necklace. Alcohol inks added lovely splotches of fall colors, then the Alice girl and word were added in black. The final coating of Glossy Accents not only seals the design but also holds the layer of copper microbeads around the edge and a few of them drift across the design; be sure to enlarge to see the detail. Tim Holtz trinkets finish off this fun necklace. Be sure to stop by Erin's blog to leave her a comment on her wonderful design!

Barbara Washington of Magic Delights created three wonderful vintage postcards! I love the vintage color and the spatters, and the mix of images is wonderful! I love that executioner stamp in the upper left corner, I think this is his first design team appearance and it is another IndigoBlu exclusive!

I see lots of lovely Distress colors here. Am I the only person in the stamping world who did not buy the limited edition fall colors of distress inks (I am adamantly opposed to buying ink pads without a reinker!)? I love the purple and gold mix and the diffused look of the images. The little punched corner detail also adds to the vintage charm and ties the three designs together.

Love the crackle background stamp on this one, it adds such fabulous texture. I love the colors layered over the crackle!

Of course Barbara gave the same attention to detail on the back of her postcards, love that! I also love the way she included an IndigoBlu stamped quote in the message area of each card! Be sure to stop by Barbara's blog to leave a comment on her wonderful postcards!

Sue Roddis of JABBERWOCKY created this fabulous art journal page literally covered in falling leaves! Lots of layers add wonderful depth on this page. The gessoed background is covered with Distress Inks (those limited edition fall colors again), misted, and then the IndigoBlu crackle stamp was applied and the wonderful scrolled flourish stamp also.

Each die-cut leaf was stamped with a different character. I love the way Sue shaded around the edges of each leaf. The more intense application of Distress Ink makes them both stand out from the background and blend in as she used the same shades.

The IndigoBlu sentiment was cut apart and adhered over the leaves. I love all the layers of color, crackle, and cut-outs; the page has so much depth and the fall colors are fabulous! Be sure to visit JABBERWOCKY and leave a comment for Sue on this great project!

Your challenge is to show us a project drenched in fall colors - orange, russet, burgundy, gold, yellow, nad charteuse, your pick! Enter by Friday, November 25 (the day after Thanksgiving); our randomly drawn winner and the honorable mentions will be announced on the last Sunday, November 27. Multiple entries are encouraged, but each must be on a separate post. As always, entries that feature Wonderland in some way will get two chances in the drawing instead of one.

Please leave a comment here before you go, we love to hear from our readers!

Week 1, CHAPTER 9: Falling Leaves and Their True Colors

2011-11-06T01:30:00.001-04:00

"`Off with her head!' the Queen shouted at the top of her voice.
Nobody moved. `Who cares for you?' said Alice, (she had grown to her full size by this time.) `You're nothing but a pack of cards!'
At this the whole pack rose up into the air, and came flying down upon her: she gave a little scream, half of fright and half of anger, and tried to beat them off, and found herself lying on the bank, with her head in the lap of her sister, who was gently brushing away some dead leaves that had fluttered down from the trees upon her face."
-- Chapter 12, Alice's Adventures in Wonderland

Your Weekly Inspiration:

Tracy's Autumn in Wonderland Card

Tracy Evans made a lovely chunky ATC, also known as an artist's trading block, and a matching card! She used the soft golds, greens and browns of fall in these coordinated projects. I love the way the trees frame the tea party on this card!

Tracy's Chunky ATC

The IndigoBlu crackle stamp is the perfect background, I adore that stamp! The diecut leaves are a perfectly compliment to the stamped leafy tree.

Notice Tracy's trademark jump ring letters - she uses jump rings and dimensional glue to create these tiny metal-framed letters that look like little typewriter keys. Love that! This side features another rare image from IndigoBlu, the pensive Mad Hatter.

The opposite side features my ultimate fave March Hare stamp! The Alice in Wonderland stamp is also for IndigoBlu.

The sides are wonderful as well. Love the Tweedles on top, and the crackle stamp is also part of the Alice sets! Be sure to stop by Tracy's blog and let her know how much you like this great project!

Retta Fox of Foxy's Weblog created three great fall colored projects, starting with this fun set of ATCs, Love Retta's lively use of color! The IndigoBlu White Rabbit stamp is so fun and different, as they have placed a gift in his hand and added a banner to the horn, with three different stamps to put inside the banner. "Art" is used above and "Happy Birthday" is used below on this fun card, and there is also a "Love" stamp to fit in the banner. Fun!

Love the parade of White Rabbits on this great birthday card! The brown background is perfect for the warmly colored rabbits, and that wild strip of color across the bottom is the perfect finishing touch!

LOVE this pocket organizer made from a file folder! There is a tutorial for a similar project on Splitcoaststampers if you would like to make one; it is such a fun and useful project.

Hnmm. I see a familiar coupon in one of htese pockets, and I love that wildly colored "White" rabbit! The stitching accents are great.

Be sure to stop by Retta's blog to leave a comment on these fabulous projects!

The amazing Donna Mundinger of Popsicle Toes created this fabulous fall 3D teapot container with the tea party inside, embellished with cut and embossed leaves! Love these rich warm colors.

Once again, Donna has shown her Cricut title as the Queen of 3D!

The tassel on top is such a neat finishing touch!

Love these embossed leaves, stamped with that fabulous IndigoBlu crackle stamp. It sure adds great texture to the leaves. Be sure to stop by Donna's blog to leave a comment on her wonderful fall-colored project!

Your challenge is to show us a project drenched in fall colors - orange, russet, burgundy, gold, yellow, nad charteuse, your pick! Enter by Friday, November 25 (the day after Thanksgiving); our randomly drawn winner and the honorable mentions will be announced on the last Sunday, November 27. Multiple entries are encouraged, but each must be on a separate post. As always, entries that feature Wonderland in some way will get two chances in the drawing instead of one.

Please leave a comment here before you go, we love to hear from our readers!

Winner & Honorable Mentions, CHAPTER 8 - Mad Hatter with Twinkles

2011-10-30T01:25:00.001-04:00

At last it is time for our randomly drawn winner and honorable mentions!

Our Winner:

Random.org selected #13, Izzwizz and her batty Mad Hatter center-step card submitted from the United Kingdom! Please use the email link in the left column to contact me about claiming your prize!

Izzwizz's prize this month is an A5 sized unmounted stamp set from IndigoBlu (a £13 value), or an equivalent amount of A6 stamps. IndigoBlu is a fantastic new British stamp company that makes "Quintessentially English Rubber Stamps" right there in England.

In fact IndigoBlu is sponsoring The Altered Alice for October AND November, and the design team will be working with these two fantastic Alice stamp sets, titled appropriately "Alice I" and "Alice II". Most Americans don't know what A5 and A6 mean so I'll just tell you, these sets are really big!

Honorable Mentions

Those mentioned here are welcome to display the Honorable Mention badge from The Altered Alice!

First, I must mention our most prolific participant! Bonnie McLain had SEVEN entries this month and therefore 14 chances at the prize. It is actually a miracle that someone else won, given those odds! But I am sure Bonnie will win another month as she has the true Alice spirit! Four of her seven entries told a silly little story about the Mad Hatter on Hallowe'en, fun!

Part 1

Part 2

Part 3

Part 4

We had a few collage entries this month that I really loved!

This amazing collage entry by Valerka comes to us from Russia! How wonderful that The Altered Alice is reaching out so far; the Alice spirit is universal! Please visit Valerka's blog entry to see all the photos including closeups of this amazing work, it is fantastic and multitude of little items that are included are fascinating! Here is a link to an English translation of Valerka's blog post.

In a totally different style, this light-hearted brightly collaged grungeboard from KrystyLee is a lot of fun! It includes my alltime favorite Hatter Madness image from Fresh Brewed Designs, so that's a plus! The fanged Cheshire Cat in the upper left corner is a little on the scary side, and she has also included the Alice image with the knife stabbed into the birthday cake; both seem very appropriate for our optional "spooky" quality! I love the torn, brightly colored papers pasted all over the background, all the gears and hardware, and the word snippets pasted all over the place!

KrystyLee also submitted this tag with the same collage style; I love the saying she put on in clipped rows of text!

We had several cards with unusual construction this month; of course our winning entry from Izzwizz was a center-step card, and we also had a side-step card and a pop-up card!

Silvia (Barnie) submitted this wonderful side-step scene from Germany! The side-step construction gives so much depth and I love the way she created this spooky scene! Bravo Barnie! To see more angles on this great card please visit this post.

Flat for mailing

Popped up

Dawn created this free-standing pop-up card, which she submitted from Edinborough, Scotland! The base collapses flat to fit in an envelope, then when you take it out and pull the top up, the base slides down and makes a stand to hold the card up! What a fun way to showcase the Mad Hatter's watch, and it is so cool that she used acetate for the pop-up panel, it sure does shine!

This whimsical Mad Hatter birthday card caught my eye, submitted by Mandy in Somerset, England! Every detail pleases, and whoever receives this birthday card is sure to be smiling!

If I had more time I would tell you what I loved about each and every entry, but alas, my bed is calling and I'll bid you goodnight! Be sure to check out the rest of our fabulous entries, and THANKS so much to all our participants! It means so much that you take the time to play along! Check them out: Please leave a comment before you go; hearing from you is what makes this effort worthwhile! We'll be back next Sunday with a new challenge, also sponsored by the FABULOUS IndigoBlu - and don't forget to shop that introductory sale with the ADDITIONAL 10% off coupon from Alfie!

Week 4, CHAPTER 8: Celebrating the Mad Hatter, with Twinkles!

2011-10-23T02:45:00.001-04:00

The Hatter shook his head mournfully. `Not I!' he replied. `We quarrelled last March--just before HE went mad, you know--' (pointing with his tea spoon at the March Hare,)
`--it was at the great concert given by the Queen of Hearts, and I had to sing
"Twinkle, twinkle, little bat!
How I wonder what you're at!"
You know the song, perhaps?'
`I've heard something like it,' said Alice.
`It goes on, you know,' the Hatter continued, `in this way:--
"Up above the world you fly,
Like a tea-tray in the sky.
Twinkle, twinkle--"'
-- Chapter 7, Alice's Adventures in Wonderland

Here at The Altered Alice we celebrate Mad Hatter's Day twice a year as the date is taken from the price on his hat - ten shillings and a sixpence or 10/6. That means it is on October 6 here in the United States, and on June 10 in the United Kingdom. But mainly it is just a great reason to party with the Mad Hatter twice a year! Your challenge is to celebrate the Mad Hatter, and as OPTIONS you can use something that twinkles or shines AND/OR you can bring some spookiness into it since we are all having a "Twinkle twinkle little bat" sing-along around our mad tea table!

Our prize this month is an A5 sized unmounted stamp set from IndigoBlu (a £13 value), or an equivalent amount of A6 stamps. IndigoBlu is a fantastic new British stamp company that makes "Quintessentially English Rubber Stamps" right there in England.

I encourage you to go visit IndigoBlu.com. All stamps are on sale right now with their introductory pricing, but that won't last forever, and the designs are all wonderful! In addition, the Head Honcho Alfie says
"The Altered Alice readers can take 10% OFF during the challenge; just use coupon code AlteredAlice in the voucher code box at checkout!"
Thanks Alfie!

Enter by Friday, October 28; our randomly drawn winner and the honorable mentions will be announced on the last Sunday, October 30. Multiple entries are encouraged, but each must be on a separate post. As always, entries that feature Wonderland in some way will get two chances in the drawing instead of one.

Your Weekly Inspiration

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Sandy Scholz of Stempelchaotin created this wonderful soldered glass house! The flat sides are made from glass bevels with Sandy's colorful artwork behind.

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You can more clearly see the glass bevelss in this shot, and the fun game pieces she used for feet!

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Look at the way Sandy has spelled out Mad Hatter with wire, then soldered it to the top of the house! Be sure to stop by Stempelchaotin to leave a comment for Sandy!

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My project (Lynne Phelps of Savvy Sisters Studio) is an altered paper mache book box, which seemed very appropriate to showcase a storybook character or two! I love how the crackling turned out, both the real crackled paint and the areas filled in with the IndigoBlu crackle stamp in rust.

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The bumps on the bands of the spine add a lot of dimension and a touch of shine!

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I'm also really happy how the warm neutral color pallette worked out. This March Hare image is my fave, and so fun to color with Copics!

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The tea party image brightens up the inside! For all the details, please stop by Savvy Sisters Studio and leave a comment for Lynne!

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We have one more project from Retta Fox of Foxy's Weblog; a fun "After the Tea Party" art journal page! I love the way Retta has created a scene with the small March Hare and the Tweedles visiting amidst the tea things!

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We can see the Mad Hatter through the keyhole in the wood door. Love the shiny leaves too! Be sure to stop by Foxy's Weblog and leave a comment for Retta on this wonderful project!

Time is running out! Enter by Friday, October 28; our randomly drawn winner and the honorable mentions will be announced on the last Sunday, October 30. Just make sure YOUR watch is not two days slow!

To enter your creation, use the linky tool below - just click the link below the thumbnail images. Please list YOUR NAME or YOUR BLOG NAME in the TITLE, for example "Alice Liddell - Tea Party Collage". The field is long enough that you can also put the name of your piece, but please put your name first in the title field. (Note - if you are viewing this in email or through a reader, you will need to click on the title of this post to view it on the blog.)
Please leave a comment before you go, they mean a lot!

Week 3, CHAPTER 8: Celebrating the Mad Hatter, with Twinkles!

2011-10-16T04:31:00.000-04:00

The Hatter shook his head mournfully. `Not I!' he replied. `We quarrelled last March--just before HE went mad, you know--' (pointing with his tea spoon at the March Hare,)
`--it was at the great concert given by the Queen of Hearts, and I had to sing
"Twinkle, twinkle, little bat!
How I wonder what you're at!"
You know the song, perhaps?'
`I've heard something like it,' said Alice.
`It goes on, you know,' the Hatter continued, `in this way:--
"Up above the world you fly,
Like a tea-tray in the sky.
Twinkle, twinkle--"'
-- Chapter 7, Alice's Adventures in Wonderland

Click to enlarge

Retta Fox of Foxy's Weblog has delivered a second project this month, a delightful Mad Hatter tag! I love this Mad Hatter image from IndigoBlu's Alice I, which includes this wonderful crackle background. The great flourish is part of the Alice II set. The colorful background really sets off the red tablecloth. He looks like he is deeply pondering his own riddle! Be sure to stop by Retta's blog for more info and to leave her a comment on this wonderful tag!

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Amy Bowerman Stucki of Plucking Daisies has created a fantastic altered tea set, and what could be more appropriate for celebrating the Mad Hatter? I am so loving that amazing curl of steam!

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Look at this wonderful detail; Amy has written all along the back of the steam! I can't quite read it, we will have to visit her blog to see what it says! And this view shows the way the ribbon holds the tea party image hanging from the handle.

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I love the way Amy has suspended teacup charms from the beautifully colored tea party image! And look at the amazing alcohol inks that are so brilliantly coloring the teapot!

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No detail is overlooked as an opportunity for embellishment! Look at the fabulous teapot charm hanging from the handle, and the peppermint striping of the handle itself!

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The teapot would have been enough to wow us, but check out the awesome teacup and saucer! It looks like a tiny March Hare has just dunked the Mad Hatter's watch in the tea to try and revive it, after he lubricated the works with the best butter, LOL! There are more photos on Amy's blog!

This March Hare image is my ultimate favorite IndigoBlu image from the Alice I set. I LOVE the way Amy has turned the watch in the image into a REAL opening pocket watch! Amy is our new guest designer, so please stop by Plucking Daisies to comment on this fabulous project and to welcome her to the team!

October is a long month with five Sundays, so you'll have no excuse not to join us in our Mad Tea Party celebrating Mad Hatter Day, US style! Enter by Friday, October 28; our randomly drawn winner and the honorable mentions will be announced on the last Sunday, October 30. Just make sure YOUR watch is not two days slow!

Week 2, CHAPTER 8: Celebrating the Mad Hatter, with Twinkles!

2011-10-09T01:21:00.001-04:00

The Hatter shook his head mournfully. `Not I!' he replied. `We quarrelled last March--just before HE went mad, you know--' (pointing with his tea spoon at the March Hare,)
`--it was at the great concert given by the Queen of Hearts, and I had to sing
"Twinkle, twinkle, little bat!
How I wonder what you're at!"
You know the song, perhaps?'
`I've heard something like it,' said Alice.
`It goes on, you know,' the Hatter continued, `in this way:--
"Up above the world you fly,
Like a tea-tray in the sky.
Twinkle, twinkle--"'
-- Chapter 7, Alice's Adventures in Wonderland

Erin Leveille of Stamp Til U Cramp made this fantastic purse out of packing tape! Remember her shrine last month? This is another idea from the same book: Kaleidoscope: Ideas & Projects to Spark Your Creativity. I'm starting to think I might really *NEED* this book! Basically, you use the overlapped packing tape on both sides of the material you are showcasing; in this case a set of destiny cards from a yard sale and wonderfully colored stamps from our sponsor!

And here is the other side of this charming and functional bag! Be sure to stop by Erin's blog for more photos and details on this interesting project!

Barbara Washington of Magic Delights made this wonderful easel card with an attached drawer underneath which is full of domino pins! What a fantastic project! The dominoes fit perfectly in the drawer. Love this image of the Mad Hatter deep in thought as he gazes at his watch.

There is plenty of sparkle and shine on this project! The orange rays behind the Mad Hatter really gleam, and the domino pins have quite a twinkling shimmer going on! Love the vibrant colors, such fun!

I love Love LOVE how these domino pins turned out! Be sure to stop by Barbara's blog to leave a comment about her wonderful project!

Sue Roddis of JABBERWOCKY has created a mad chair for our twisted tea party; I love the elongated shape! Three of the sponsor's images fill in the gaps between rungs in the chair back, love the way they are tinted with color! Hardware cloth (wire mesh) covers the back and wraps around the legs, such a cool way to add some texture.

The Mad Hatter's chapeau is hanging from the top of the chair, and I'd say there is a bat infestation going on! Of course we are talking about Sue, and it is October, so I guess the only surprise is that there are no skulls or baby doll heads attached! {wink}

Love the shiny centers of these fun bats! You can see the mad tea party image in the back of this photo; the others include the running Mad Hatter at the top of the chair back and the pensive Mad Hatter in the center. Be sure to stop by and leave a comment for Sue about this fun seat at our tea table!

October is a long month with five Sundays, so you'll have no excuse not to join us in our Mad Tea Party celebrating Mad Hatter Day, US style! Enter by Friday, October 28; our randomly drawn winner and the honorable mentions will be announced on the last Sunday, October 30. Just make sure YOUR watch is not two days slow!

To enter your creation, use the linky tool below - just click the link below the thumbnail images. Please list YOUR NAME or YOUR BLOG NAME in the TITLE, for example "Alice Liddell - Tea Party Collage". The field is long enough that you can also put the name of your piece, but please put your name first in the title field. (Note - if you are viewing this in email or through a reader, you will need to click on the title of this post to view it on the blog.)
Please leave a comment before you go, they mean a lot!

CHAPTER 8: Celebrating the Mad Hatter, with Twinkles!

2011-10-02T00:01:00.003-04:00

The Hatter shook his head mournfully. `Not I!' he replied. `We quarrelled last March--just before HE went mad, you know--' (pointing with his tea spoon at the March Hare,)
`--it was at the great concert given by the Queen of Hearts, and I had to sing
"Twinkle, twinkle, little bat!
How I wonder what you're at!"
You know the song, perhaps?'
`I've heard something like it,' said Alice.
`It goes on, you know,' the Hatter continued, `in this way:--
"Up above the world you fly,
Like a tea-tray in the sky.
Twinkle, twinkle--"'
-- Chapter 7, Alice's Adventures in Wonderland

Here at The Altered Alice we celebrate Mad Hatter's Day twice a year as the date is taken from the price on his hat - ten shillings and a sixpence or 10/6. That means it is on October 6 here in the United States, and on June 10 in the United Kingdom. But mainly it is just a great reason to party with the Mad Hatter twice a year! Your challenge is to celebrate the Mad Hatter, and as OPTIONS you can use something that twinkles or shines AND/OR you can bring some spookiness into it since we are all having a "Twinkle twinkle little bat" sing-along around our mad tea table!

Our prize this month is an A5 sized unmounted stamp set from IndigoBlu (a £13 value), or an equivalent amount of A6 stamps. IndigoBlu is a fantastic new British stamp company that makes "Quintessentially English Rubber Stamps" right there in England.

In fact IndigoBlu is sponsoring The Altered Alice for October AND November, and the design team will be working with these two fantastic Alice stamp sets, titled appropriately "Alice I" and "Alice II". Most Americans don't know what A5 and A6 mean so I'll just tell you, these sets are really big!

I encourage you to go visit IndigoBlu.com. All stamps are on sale right now with their introductory pricing, but that won't last forever, and the designs are all wonderful! In addition, the Head Honcho Alfie says
"The Altered Alice readers can take 10% OFF during the challenge; just use coupon code AlteredAlice in the voucher code box at checkout!"
Thanks Alfie!

Enter by Friday, October 28; our randomly drawn winner and the honorable mentions will be announced on the last Sunday, October 30. Multiple entries are encouraged, but each must be on a separate post. As always, entries that feature Wonderland in some way will get two chances in the drawing instead of one.

Design Team Changes!

When Terri DeVine stepped down, it left an opening on the permanent design team. It will come as no surprise to our followers that I asked Retta Fox of Foxy's Weblog to fill the position. Retta has been a guest for the past few months and I am thrilled and proud to announce that she will continue to inspire you each month with her splendid creations! Please stop by Retta's blog to welcome her to The Altered Alice!

It is also time for a new guest designer: Amy Bowerman Stucki is joining us for a few months! Amy loves painting and "up-cycling" all kinds of items and I love her "out of the box" approach to the past challenges, or maybe I should say out of the drawer, or out of the pinata? You never know what you'll find on Plucking Daisies! Please stop by Amy's blog and welcome her to The Altered Alice!

Your Weekly Inspiration

Altered book cover - click to enlarge

Tracy Evans has outdone herself this month with this gorgeous altered book! I can't wait to visit her blog post and find out how she textured this cover, it's amazing, and I love the embedded letters.

Click to enlarge

The sepia tinting of the IndigoBlu images gives it such a charming vintage look!

Niche carved in block of pages - click to enlarge

The piece de resistance is this fabulous niche Tracy has created by gluing together a block of pages and carving out a window. LOVE that, especially the ragged edges! The March Hare image is one of my favorite IndigoBlu stamps, doesn't he look great on this page?

Closeup of niche - click to enlarge

I really love the way Tracy has used the depth of the niche. By placing Alice near the front of the opening, it really does look like she has turned to look at the Mad Hatter! Stop by Tracy's blog to leave a comment on her wonderful creation!

Retta Fox of Foxy's Weblog is created a charming Mad Tea Party shadowbox which began its life as a box holding K & Co. chipboard elements. It's enough to make you look at packaging in a whole new way!

Inside the box - click to enlarge

It looks like Retta was inspired by the Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Bat song, and those red eyes add a whole new dimension to this mad tea party.

Cover of box - click to enlarge

Inside lid of box - click to enlarge

Be sure to stop by Retta's blog and leave her a comment about this spooky scene, and to congratulate and welcome her to the permanent design team!

Click to enlarge

Donna Mundinger of Popsicle Toes has created a wonderful bat-infested 3D teacup! Love the teabag detail. The pleated black rosette really sets off the watch, and how can you not love a project with bats soaring aloft?

Click to enlarge

The IndigoBlu

This side view shows the way she has supported the bats with wire attached to the frame, made with two layers of fun foam! I love the way Donna thinks in 3D, I am always surprised and full of pleasure whenever I see what she has created for us. Be sure to stop by Donna's blog and leave her a comment!

October is a long month with five Sundays, so you'll have no excuse not to join us in our Mad Tea Party celebrating Mad Hatter Day, US style! Enter by Friday, October 28; our randomly drawn winner and the honorable mentions will be announced on the last Sunday, October 30. Just make sure YOUR watch is not two days slow!

To enter your creation, use the linky tool below - just click the link below the thumbnail images. Please list YOUR NAME or YOUR BLOG NAME in the TITLE, for example "Alice Liddell - Tea Party Collage". The field is long enough that you can also put the name of your piece, but please put your name first in the title field. (Note - if you are viewing this in email or through a reader, you will need to click on the title of this post to view it on the blog.)
Please leave a comment before you go, they mean a lot!

CHAPTER 7: Winner & Honorable Mentions

2011-09-25T01:44:00.001-04:00

Our heartfelt thanks go out to this month's sponsor, Stamp Attack, a British company that is well known (among other things) for their fantastic Alice stamp plates which have sold to customers all over the world. In fact, Helena Bonham Carter, the actress who played the Red Queen in the Tim Burton Alice movie, purchased plates of Alice stamps from Stamp Attack, which were then delivered to the studio! Enabler alert: Stamp Attack offers speedy worldwide shipping for only £1 on unmounted stamp orders, so go on and check out their beautiful stamps!

Challenge: Nonsense text - use text as pattern

But before I reveal the winner of this month's challenge, I have two more design team offerings! What can I say, it has been a busy month for all of us and we just couldn't squeeze them in earlier! Plus, of course, you know how I love to draw out the suspense, hah!

Click to enlarge

Sue Roddis of JABBERWOCKY has the silhouettes running across this round stage of folded book pages! Is this fantastic or what? This is a paperback copy of Alice; the wings on either side are the open covers. Each page has been folded and tucked into the center. The title page of the book provided the banner around the top, and NONSENSE was stamped on more book pages and cut out. I love the way she has included the silhouettes stamped onto thin light paper on the inside book covers.

Click to enlarge

You can see here how she has cut away a "stage" in the center pages. the "six impossible things" quote has been stamped and wrapped around the inner portion of the cut out pages. Isn't this a wonderful project? I would absolutely LOVE to have this sitting in my library at home, tucked into a niche on one of my countless bookcases! Please go to the JABBERWOCKY and leave a comment for Sue on this fantastic project!

Click to enlarge

Guest designer Jess Marin of My Scrap Diary offers a delightful duo of cards as her farewell project. Sadly, the sponsor's stamps went astray so Jess instead brings us some Tickled Pink cuteness! The key background is perfect, and she has her text as pattern on the panel behind her beautifully colored images. I love the way the colors glow against the neutral background. But there is more text, do you see it?

Click to enlarge

Jess has filled the clothing and the rabbit with text also! I love the way she has shaded her beautiful colored pencil work to leave the text shining through. Jess, thanks for such a fun farewell project, so perfect for this challenge! Be sure to go to My Scrap Diary and leave Jess an Altered Alice goodbye and thank you!

The Winner!

Today's randomly selected winner will receive a Stamp Attack gift certificate for £13.50, which is equivalent to one of the Alice stamp plates that the design team used! All entries which featured Wonderland were given two draws at the challenge instead of one.

It probably comes as no surprise that Bonnie McLain, who had four Alice projects and therefore eight chances, is the winner of this month's random drawing! She had four projects and a total of eight chances in the hat this month. The entry that actually won was her amazing "Down the Rabbit Hole" book with the ring binding:

Each page's circular hole is smaller in size than the previous, and we can see fascinating bits of each page poking into the rabbit hole! What a great project! Be sure to go to this post to see some of the other pages of this wonderful little book. But this challenge really sparked Bonnie's mojo, and she made a mini version with accordian construction instead of the ring binding:

I love the way the Queen can be seen at the bottom of the hole! Be sure to visit Bonnie's Art Between the Pages blog for more page views! And Bonnie, I hope you'll display your winner badge with pride! Email me about claiming your prize!

The Honorable Mentions!

This challenge really had everyone revved, we had lots of entries and they were ALL fantastic! The ones I am highlighting here just had some detail that jumped out at me; if I had enough time I would have listed them ALL! Thanks to EVERYONE for entering and making this such a fun month!

First, I guess unusual construction was a theme this month. I was particularly amazed at what "Izzwizz" from the UK did with this concertina clockwork construction! The cover is lovely, especially with the handmade charms and gilt edges, and her "Tempus Fugit" text pattern in the background, very appropriate!

But the reason for the honorable mention is inside!

Is that cool or what? The concertina construction allowed her to add layer after layer of gears and sprockets to really give you the feeling of peering into a clockwork! LOVE this! She explains the construction of what she also calls "tunnel cards" with several examples on this post, very interesting!

I love this whole scene filled with text assembled by Debra James of Perth, Australia! The vivid colors and textures make my detail-loving soul happy!

Debra Beight wins an honorable mention for this entry, but the way her blog is set up I can't link the photo from here. I love the vivid colors, strong graphical design, and the cloud-filled sky! Debra is a newcomer to The Altered Alice but she was also inspired to make several entries. Remember, you can enter as many times as you like as long as each entry is on a separate post!

Sarah Cooper of Scrapbooking is Cheaper Than Therapy recycled an old birdhouse into a text-covered bit of Wonderland!

This one by Anne made me laugh, it is straight out of the Tim Burton movie! It also seemed particularly appropriate as Helena Bonham Carter, the movie's Red Queen, is an Alice stamping fan!

Blackdragon's entry also made me laugh; it says "The height of fashion is to have a very large head and a very small hat!"

Well, I'm out of time. I could have gone on and described every entry! I hope all the honorable mentions will display the above badge with pride and link it back to this post on The Altered Alice! I have included the entries below so you can see how inspired ALL the entries were this month!

THANKS STAMP ATTACK for being such a GREAT sponsor! Please leave a comment before you go, they really keep me going!

Week 3, CHAPTER 7: Text as Nonsense

2011-09-18T00:01:00.000-04:00

Alice didn't dare to argue the point, but went on: `-- and I thought I'd try and find my way to the top of that hill -- ' `When you say "hill,"' the Queen interrupted, `I could show you hills, in comparison with which you'd call that a valley.' `No, I shouldn't,' said Alice, surprised into contradicting her at last: `a hill can't be a valley, you know. That would be nonsense -- ' The Red Queen shook her head, `You may call it "nonsense" if you like,' she said, ` but I've heard nonsense, compared with which that would be as sensible as a dictionary!' -- Chapter 2, Through The Looking Glass and What Alice Found There

Using text as pattern is a trend right now that I really love. Your challenge is to use text as nonsense - not to read but as pattern on your project! Of course you can still have words or sentiments, but we also need to see text used in a non-reading way. I have a stack of old books and dictionaries that I use for this purpose.

Our sponsor is Stamp Attack, a British company that is well known (among other things) for their fantastic Alice stamp plates which have sold to customers all over the world. In fact, Helena Bonham Carter, the actress who played the Red Queen in the Tim Burton Alice movie, purchased sets of Alice stamps from Stamp Attack, which were then delivered to the studio! Enabler alert: Stamp Attack offers speedy worldwide shipping for only £1 on unmounted stamp orders, so go on and check out their beautiful stamps!

The winner will receive a Stamp Attack gift certificate for £13.50, which is equivalent to one of the stamp plates that the design team will be using!

You are runningout of time; you have until Friday, September 23 to enter your creation and the winner and honorable mentions will be announced on the last Sunday of the month, September 25. All kinds of projects are welcome, they do not have to be "altered art" and as always, entries that feature some aspect of Wonderland are given two chances instead of one in the random prize drawing. You may enter multiple times as long as each project is on a separate post.

We are also saying goodbye to our current crop of guest designers, so please leave them some special love this month as their projects have been FABULOUS! Thanks so much ladies, you have added so much to The Altered Alice! And stay tuned, there will be some special design team announcements next month too!

Your Weekly Inspiration

Click to enlarge

This one's from me, Lynne Phelps of Savvy Sisters Studio; a Wonderland shadow puppet theater art journal page.

I could not resist making a second project to show off the fantastic text-filled silhouettes from the Stamp Attack Alice 2 plate. I used book pages for the curtains and valance, such fun! The Alice Scrabble tile words and the keys are also from the Alice 2 plate. For all the details, including a view of the PanPastel backdrop prior to everything being added, please visit me at Savvy Sisters Studio and leave a comment! I love hearing from you!

Sandy Scholz of Stempelchaotin has another altered folder from her Mixed-Media Mahem series! Who would have thought manilla folders would ever look this good? I can't wait to see the result when all these folders featuring different techniques are joined in an album! Sandy rejoined the design team too late for me to get our sponsor's stamps to her, but I think the Octopode White Rabbit looks right at home in this setting, don't you?

You can see some of the various ways she has used stencils on this folder. Love the alphabet template she used as a stencil in the upper right corner - I feel a visit to the drafting section coming on! This green and black sunburst is the perfect frame for the rabbit! Be sure to visit Sandy's blog to see more photos and leave a comment!

Now I have a series of artist's trading cards created by Retta Fox of Foxy's Weblog. They are fantastic!

I love Queen Alice sitting in this huge chair! And that fringed trim looks so soft and perfect for this homey scene.

Retta stamped the herald rabbit, trimmed it out, flipped it over and stamped the script on the back! What a great way to make a silhouette image from any stamp! She's a clever, clever girl!

I love all the texty snippets on this one, and the vivid rabbit looks so great against the kraft background! The snippet of ribbon creates a ground for the rabbit to stand on and adds more texture. Fun!

This Cheshire Cat looks very ready for Hallowe'en, although with that bell on his collar I don't think he'll be catching any ravens! LOVE the gray with the deep orange, what a fab color scheme!

Retta has been full of inspiration this month and her final (really!) project is this wonderful birthday card. The background design was hand stamped and if you are looking for the text, click to enlarge. There are words on the music score and I think I also see script in the background. What's official you may ask?

Too, too funny! I laugh every time I see this! I just had a birthday last weekend and although Retta didn't know it, I feel like she made this card for me! Hah! What a GREAT card! Please visit Retta's blog to leave her a comment on all these fabulous projects!

FRIDAY is your last day to enter, so start thinking up some nonsense and create your own text-patterned projects to enter for the challenge. Be sure to check out the fabulous Alice stamps from Stamp Attack, because if you're the winner you could be selecting a set of your own, or buy a set now with only £1 worldwide shipping!

Don't be late! Enter by Friday, September 23. To enter your creation, use the linky tool below - just click the link below the thumbnail images. Please list YOUR NAME or YOUR BLOG NAME in the TITLE, for example "Alice Liddell - Illustrated Poem". The field is long enough that you can also put the name of your piece, but please put your name first. (Note - if you are viewing this in email or through a reader, you will need to click on the title of this post to view it on the blog.)

Please leave a comment before you go, they keep me going and they mean a lot to my talented design team!

Week 2, CHAPTER 7: Text as Nonsense

2011-09-11T13:12:00.002-04:00

Alice didn't dare to argue the point, but went on: `-- and I thought I'd try and find my way to the top of that hill -- ' `When you say "hill,"' the Queen interrupted, `I could show you hills, in comparison with which you'd call that a valley.' `No, I shouldn't,' said Alice, surprised into contradicting her at last: `a hill can't be a valley, you know. That would be nonsense -- ' The Red Queen shook her head, `You may call it "nonsense" if you like,' she said, ` but I've heard nonsense, compared with which that would be as sensible as a dictionary!' -- Chapter 2, Through The Looking Glass and What Alice Found There

Our sponsor is Stamp Attack, a British company that is well known (among other things) for their fantastic Alice stamp plates which have sold to customers all over the world. In fact, Helena Bonham Carter, the actress who played the Red Queen in the Tim Burton Alice movie, purchased sets of Alice stamps from Stamp Attack, which were then delivered to the studio! Enabler alert: Stamp Attack offers speedy worldwide shipping for only £1 on unmounted stamp orders, so go on and check out their beautiful stamps!

The winner will receive a Stamp Attack gift certificate for £13.50, which is equivalent to one of the stamp plates that the design team will be using!

You have until Friday, September 23 to enter your creation and the winner and honorable mentions will be announced on the last Sunday of the month, September 25. All kinds of projects are welcome, they do not have to be "altered art" and as always, entries that feature some aspect of Wonderland are given two chances instead of one in the random prize drawing. You may enter multiple times as long as each project is on a separate post.

We are also saying goodbye to our current crop of guest designers, so please leave them some special love this month as their projects have been FABULOUS! Thanks so much ladies, you have added so much to The Altered Alice! And stay tuned, there will be some special design team announcements next month too!

Your Weekly Inspiration

I think you will agree that our design team has been ON FIRE with this challenge! First up is one of our guest designer's last post:

Tracy, a.k.a. CuddlyBunny of Not a Moment to Spare has created this charming text-filled mini book. Most of the images are from Stamp Attack, and the large Alice in the Rabbit's house is one of the more rare images that they carry.

I really LOVE the way she has used pages of another story but highlighted words here and there to go with our Alice tale! Be sure to click on the pics to enlarge, or better yet, see her blog post for pictures of the other pages! THANK YOU CuddlyBunny for being such a GREAT guest designer for The Altered Alice!

Erin Leveille of Stamp til U Cramp created this wonderful shrine featuring several stamps from Stamp Attack: the Alice silhouette, the Scrabble tiles, the card suits and the key. Erin used a shrine template from the book - Kaleidoscope: Ideas & Projects to Spark Your Creativity. I would say Erin's creativity was sparked for sure! I love all the details and the rich turquoise and gold color scheme. I also love it that she made her own patterned paper by repeated stamping of the key image.

I love all the elements she stamped or punched from book pages, even the grass and clouds! Be sure to visit Erin's blog to get all the details and see more pictures.

Barbara Washington of Magic Delights created this wonderful set of 12 notecards in a special box! I love the clean style of the cards, each featuring one of the great Stamp Attack silhouettes from the Alice 2 plate. The colored stamped band behind is a great design element, especially with the way she has lightened and brightened the color at the right end which really sets off the characters. What wonderful one layer cards!

The box is pretty special too. The top panel's background paper says "Jabberwocky" and the Stamp Attack frog messenger image is the perfect image for a set of notecards! What fun it would be to use these cards and what a charming gift they would make to any Alice fan! Be sure to visit Magic Delights and leave a comment for Barbara!

Now you should be TOTALLY inspired, so start thinking up some nonsense and create your own text-patterned projects to enter for the challenge. Be sure to check out the fabulous Alice stamps from Stamp Attack, because if your the winner you could be selecting a set of your own, or buy a set now with only £1 worldwide shipping!

Enter by Friday, September 23. To enter your creation, use the linky tool below - just click the link below the thumbnail images. Please list YOUR NAME or YOUR BLOG NAME in the TITLE, for example "Alice Liddell - Illustrated Poem". The field is long enough that you can also put the name of your piece, but please put your name first. (Note - if you are viewing this in email or through a reader, you will need to click on the title of this post to view it on the blog.)

Please leave a comment before you go, they keep me going and they mean a lot to my talented design team!