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

Sunday, October 30, 2011

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


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 stampsIndigoBlu 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.comAll 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!


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!

Sunday, October 23, 2011

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



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 stampsIndigoBlu 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.comAll 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 28our 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!

Sunday, October 16, 2011

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



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 stampsIndigoBlu 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.comAll 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
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 28our 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!


Sunday, October 9, 2011

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


 
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.


Your Weekly Inspiration



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!