Week 2, 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

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!