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

Tuesday, March 29, 2011

CHAPTER 2 Winner & Honorable Mentions!

Winner: Sylvia (Barnie)
Blog Post: BarniesBaustelle
Location: Germany
Prize: $30 Gift Certificate to The Octopode Factory Etsy Shop


Thanks for waiting! The HUGE $30 gift certificate to the Octopode Factory Etsy shop was won by this project by Sylvia, who entered from Germany:

I love all the little details: the Alice in Wonderland words with their dashed curved underlines, the watch dangling from the mushroom, the words around Alice's doorway, the black and white border to frame it all! It looks like she used the same Octopode door that I used for the shape of her door, with the woodgrain texture embossed on it!  Lively and fun!

It looks like Sylvia already owns a few Octopode images such as this Teapot Alice (which also comes in a digi set) and Cheshire Cat (set), and I am sure she will find a few more she'd like to purchase with this wonderful prize from Lily:

Sylvia, please send me an email through the link near the top of the left column. I will forward your contact info to Lily so you can collect your prize and start picking out your digi images or collage sheets!

Since the challenge started, even more Octopode images are now available in rubber stamps! You can email Lily to place your order, see the details on her blog Rubber Stamps page!  Lily just emailed this update:
I've had the rest of the Alice images made into rubberstamps.... see attached.  flamingo available in atc and large size now and lots of elements too. as well as the mad hatter, the white rabbit and the tweedles available in 12.5 cm!

if you'd like any or even the whole set (i can send you image of the full page) contact me please.
thanks for your continue support of the octopode factory.

Lily Chilvers,
The Octopode Factory

Prize Drawing Process
I thought I would tell you a little about how I award the prizes. We had twelve eligible entries - I took out the three from the Octopode design team as they had just used the Linky to get me their info, and we showcased their projects during Week 2 of the challenge. I took out one other entry that was an accidental duplicate because she had made an error with the link on the first one and had to submit again.  That left twelve FANTASTIC entries, and ALL of them featured Wonderland this month! Every entry had two chances, so link number one had chances 1 and 13, link number 2 had chances 2 and 14, and so on to link number 12 which had chances 12 and 24.  Random.org was used to generate a random number between 1-24, and 20 was the winning number. Sylvia had chances 8 and 20, so she won!

Honorable Mentions
Let's hear a huge round of applause for our wonderful participants! Thank goodness for random number generators, as I would not have been able to choose, as every entry was a winner. This month I would have liked to comment on each and every entry. Instead I am showcasing a few that I thought were a bit different in a unique way!

First, I have to mention this AMAZING altered pop-up book by a Brazilian  participant Ana Cristina Caldatto of Scrap Da Ana Cristina Caldatto. I have admired many altered books, and have clumsily constructed some of my own pop-up designs, but I never thought of starting with a pop-up book and altering from there! Genius! Take a look:


 I love the use of the back of the playing card as a rug! And when you pull the tab to open the doors, the Queen of Hearts is bellowing in the ballroom!


There are many pages in what I believe started as a Cinderella pop-up book. I wonder if there are any more Wonderland scenes in its future? Please be sure to visit Ana's blog to leave her a comment and to see many additional photos of this lovely creation.

The next entry that really jumped out at me was this Portal #2 in a series of portals by Sarah Cooper of Scrapbooking is Cheaper than Therapy! Sarah has constructed a wooden frame for a reclaimed cabinet door, added an antique doorknob and created this Portal to Wonderland! So the exterior is a completely literal interpretation of the challenge. . .


But the interior is a true Wonderland fantasy assemblage of elements!


I love the Cheshire grinning in the tree! Look at the Duchess' pig below, with a rolling pin for the cook with the pepper! Almost every character is represented in this mad collage!


Another favorite bit is the living flowers, and circuit board grass! Notice the White Rabbit running, late just as in our story, and the chess pieces tucked in at the base!


Hurry over to Sarah's blog to leave her a comment on this entry that was almost too late (perfect for our theme, hah!) and to see all the other pictures showing more of the details of this intricately crafted entry! They are fascinating, you won't want to miss them!

When we open the door of CuddlyBunny's project on Not a Moment to Spare, we find ourselves transported to a bit of Wonderland inside an Altoid's sized tin! You can visit her blog to see more pictures and leave her some love!

Of course the first thing I asked was "Where did you get that rocking Rabbit on a bicycle?!!!" and she was kind enough to point me to this wonderful freebie which you can get HERE! Be sure to say thanks to CuddlyBunny for sharing when you leave a comment on her blog about this wonderful Wonderland tin!

And now we'll "lower the tone" with Nigel's corrugated cardboard housing from his Freebird Flights of Fancy, LOL!!! Never let it be said that a project has to be fancy or drawn out to receive some Altered Alice love; Nigel said he was lowering the tone by the way, that was a quote from his blog post! The projects are simple but effective!


What made me give it a mention here is the torn away bits on the right house which features Octopode's  Edgar Allen Poe of The Raven fame, which seems totally suitable given the Mad Hatter's riddle! (And Edgar also comes in an Ocopode digi set with a cool female Raven that is on my wishlist, and he is living next door to the Teapot Alice!) I have used corrugated cardboard before and often peel away the smooth facing. However, it takes on a whole new, almost sculptural look when it is painted! What a different look, and thanks to Nigel I'll be thinking about how to apply that to future projects!

Susan Allen of Little Imperfections painted the most charming White Rabbit and wrote a fascinating prequel to Alice in Wonderland which tumbles out from behind the door of a baby wipe box!!!


You will have to visit her blog post to read the whole story of the White Rabbit before he met Alice!


When we open Lola Azul's trifold card, it forms a colorful hall of doors - check out all the pictures on Apunte des Colores!


And when we open three of the doors, bit by bit we reveal the complete Alice!


Celina of ScrapVamp made the cover of her new art journal into a door, which is fantastic and you can see it on her blog post, but what really grabbed me was the tremendous sense of depth she created by framing the background illustration from Through the Looking Glass And What Alice Found There with foreground elements coming ever closer with the tree, then the flowers, and finally the White Rabbit! Take a look at the inside front cover:

I could feature EVERY project here but I am out of time!  Here is what I loved about the rest:
  • I love the way the the door in the middle of Cath's altered book opens out of a page covered with script, it is lovely! Cath blog is A Divided Island and she joined our challenge from Cyprus, a Greek island!
  • A dollar bin wooden key box formed the canvas for this wonderful project from Foxy's Weblog!
  • Pat Moore of Still Challenged made a fantastic Wonderland scene using original Tenniel illustrations! LOVE the arm, LOL! You'll have to visit Pat to see what I mean!
  • Charlene created a lovely card, and she used an Alice book cover image which is a little door opening to reveal a cupcake!
The Altered Alice design team would like to give Lily Chilvers a HUGE thank you for sponsoring the March challenge. We had a good time playing along with the ladies in The Octopode Factory design team, and appreciate Lily providing us with digital images to use for our inspiration pieces! Sue and Tracy chose to use their Octopode rubber stamps instead, which was so appropriate as we celebrate Octopode's entry into RUBBER!

Please leave a comment for me, the participants, a thank you to Octopode, and the fabulous design team!

Sunday, March 27, 2011

I'm late, I'm late!!!

Sometimes life really gets in the way of blogging! I have been part of a presentation team at a sales conference all week, and I am in an airport now waiting for my flight home. I had hoped to have time to make the winner post before this but it has been way too busy. When I get home tonight I'll post some good news for one of our fantastic Chapter 2 participants! While you are waiting, feel free to pray for my safe and smooth flight as there is lightening in the forecast! :-(

More soon!

ETA (Edited to Add):

Thank you so much for your kind comments! We got in ok as our flight landed between storms, but other flights were canceling or being delayed in and out of our destination. After that we had a two hour drive home from the airport, and I was so tired I just tumbled into bed, so happy to be home again with my two cats.

The entries were so fantastic that I could NOT do a quick hit and run post to announce the winner, I had to have all my honorable mentions! Every single person who entered this month was a winner in my opinion. I am so grateful to you, the participants and my FANTASTIC design team! THANKS for your concern!

Sunday, March 20, 2011

CHAPTER 2 Challenge - Week 3: Hall of Doors

"There was not a moment to be lost: away went Alice like the wind, and was just in time to hear it say, as it turned a corner, `Oh my ears and whiskers, how late it's getting!' She was close behind it when she turned the corner, but the Rabbit was no longer to be seen: she found herself in a long, low hall, which was lit up by a row of lamps hanging from the roof.

There were doors all round the hall, but they were all locked; and when Alice had been all the way down one side and up the other, trying every door, she walked sadly down the middle, wondering how she was ever to get out again."
     -- Chapter 1, Alice's Adventures in Wonderland
This month's challenge is to use a door or doors, and preferably for the door or doors to open and close so we can see what lays beyond! While it is not required that your project include Alice in Wonderland, we do encourage it. If your project features Wonderland you will get two chances in the prize drawing instead of one!

HURRY UP and get you entry in! You have until this Friday and  our winner will be announced next Sunday! You can make it as simple or complex as you like, just feature a door and link it on the Week 1 post for this challenge!
The Octopode Factory is our March sponsor! We are celebrating because Lily has moved into the world of rubber! That's right - RUBBER STAMPS! Most of the digital images we will be using are those that are now available in rubber,
One lucky winner will win a $30 gift certificate for digital images from The Octopode Factory's Etsy store! Enter by Friday, March 25 at 8 p.m. Eastern time (GMT -5:00) and a winner will be announced on Sunday, March 27. While we'd love to see your Octopode, you can use stamps from any company on your creations, so show us your DOORS!

And now for some inspiration from The Altered Alice and Octopode Factory design teams!


Lynne Phelps of Savvy Sisters Studio started with an 11 x 14 inch canvas panel to create this fantasy scene with both the Alice in Wonderland set plus the new Alice Elements. The background was covered with embossed black paper that had fluid chalk ink pads brushed across the high points.  

Now we see Alice looking out from the hall of doors into the garden of Wonderland, wondering if she will every get out! You know I am crazy about coloring, so please stop by my blog to see closeup photos and leave a comment!

Terri DeVine of DeVine Designs created this wonderful hinged door with a big Alice eye on the sign that tells us we are about to enter the Wonderland!  Inside are some beatuifully colored characters:


Be sure to stop by Terri's blog to see a bunch more pictures of this gem, and to leave her a comment!


Donna of Meme's Art Place created a magical little mini-book featuring many Wonderland characters, all set off on embossed woodgrain panels! I love the way we can see through the big keyhole into the world beyond!

Our keyhole cover looks through to a Cheshire Cat panel with its own lock! I love the way we see the embossed and debossed side of the embossed woodgrain








Isn't this fantastic?  Be sure to stop by Donna's blog and leave her a comment about her whimsical mini-book creation! I love the way we end with Alice still in the hall of doors, which explains why none of the Wonderland characters have been able to find her yet!

LINK YOUR CREATIONS BY THIS FRIDAY for a chance to win a fantastic Octopode Factory gift certificate, AND a chance to be in the "honorable mentions" on our winners post next Sunday!

Sunday, March 13, 2011

CHAPTER 2 Challenge - Week 2: Hall of Doors

"There was not a moment to be lost: away went Alice like the wind, and was just in time to hear it say, as it turned a corner, `Oh my ears and whiskers, how late it's getting!' She was close behind it when she turned the corner, but the Rabbit was no longer to be seen: she found herself in a long, low hall, which was lit up by a row of lamps hanging from the roof.

There were doors all round the hall, but they were all locked; and when Alice had been all the way down one side and up the other, trying every door, she walked sadly down the middle, wondering how she was ever to get out again."
     -- Chapter 1, Alice's Adventures in Wonderland
This month's challenge is to use a door or doors, and preferably for the door or doors to open and close so we can see what lays beyond! While it is not required that your project include Alice in Wonderland, we do encourage it. If your project features Wonderland you will get two chances in the prize drawing instead of one!
I am thrilled to announce that The Octopode Factory is our March sponsor! We are celebrating because Lily has moved into the world of rubber! That's right - RUBBER STAMPS! Lily started with her quirky digital images, and she has gifted the design team members with some of her wonderful Wonderland digital sets. Most of the digital images we will be using are those that are now available in rubber,
One lucky winner will win a $30 gift certificate for digital images from The Octopode Factory's Etsy store! Enter by Friday, March 25 at 8 p.m. Eastern time (GMT -5:00) and a winner will be announced on Sunday, March 27. Show us your DOORS!

And now for some inspiration from The Altered Alice and Octopode Factory design teams!

Octopode Factory guest designer Amy of Paper & Gluestix created this wonderful mix of elements in strong, bright colors! I love the whimsical Octopode drawings in conjunction with the photographic digi elements like the rusty hinge and realistic door. I LOVE the shaped background - diamonds stamped over book text and painted with gold and turquoise!


Our own Sue Roddis of JABBERWOCKY posed this knock-knock riddle with a fun answer inside! "Alice who?" might better be "which Alice?" as she has featured several of the Octopode Alices that are available in this digital set and some are also available in rubber!


Sue took a small stretched artists canvas and used the back side to create this wonderful niche, and added a cover of canvas covered card stock! The cupcakes and flowers are from the digital Alice Elements set and also in rubber!

My favorite detail is the way these "eat me" cupcakes are growing like flowers!

PLEASE stop by JABBERWOCKY to see additional photos and leave Sue a comment about her fun creation!




Who is lurking behind this Stampotique Welcome Door? Erin Leveille of Stamp Till U Cramp has created this magical world with a cigar box! On the outside of the lid we see a fairly normal scene in this charming room. Tiny framed portraits include the White Rabbit and Mad Hatter and give us a hint of what is to come!

When we fully open the door in the lid, we see Alice from the digital set of four Octopode Alices staring at us! And when you open the lid fully, you see the whole scene! So, so clever and fun!



PLEASE be sure to stop by Stamp Till U Cramp and let Erin know how you like her clever scene!  I have seen this in real life and the colors are so incredibly brilliant and the detail is fantastic!


In a twist on the door idea, Octopode Factory guest designer Fatma of Fatma's Place has placed the Mad Hatter (available in digital or rubber) into a charming scene in front of arched gate opening! I love the contrast of the super detailed background versus the wacky Mad Hatter image!


Our own Barbara Washington of Magic Delights started with a wooden door on this charming triptych! Barbara adores the classic Alice images as much as I do, so I was not surprised to see Tenniel's Alice crouching beside the keyhole!

As we pass through the door, we enter an Octopode Wonderland, where even Alice has changed into someone different than before! Barbara has incorporated both Alice in Wonderland and Alice Elements digital sets in this magically delightful scene!

PLEASE visit Magical Delights to leave a comment for Barbara about this fun creation!

Octopode Factory guest designer Audrey from the Netherlands of My Art Room created this charming door book! We begin with the Stampotique Welcome Door but once we pass through it is all Octopode! I like the way she has shaped all the pages to match the door outline and used some knotted twine to make a little book.


Inside we see all four Octopode Alices! I love the vivid backgrounds, and the way she has chosen different bits from the Elements set for each panel!

So what creations are you preparing for the challenge? Link submissions close at 8 p.m. Eastern time (GMT -5:00) on Friday, March 25th. If you have Octopode we'd love to see it, but you can use any kind of stamps you want.  Several of these creations used the Stampotique Welcome Door, but since they were created and in honor of this challenge, Lily has created a fantastic Quirky Door digi stamp! So if you just needed a great door image to get going, here it is:

You can link your door creations at the bottom of our CHAPTER 2 - Week 1 post!  Come on, we want to see what's behind your closed doors!