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

Sunday, January 1, 2012

Week 1, CHAPTER 11: Stripes!


"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
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!

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THANKS so much for participating in the experience that is THE ALTERED ALICE!!! Your comments mean the world to me, so thanks in advance for taking the time!