Starting CHAPTER 24: Romance in Wonderland

...next [came] 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...

The theme of this quote is couples, and that's what we celebrate in February with Valentine's Day. For the month of February, we are celebrating Romance in Wonderland! As always, you may enter any project that fits the challenge theme, but those that feature Wonderland will have two chances at the prize instead of one. Multiple entries are encouraged but each must be on a separate post; enter by Feb. 23.

[ Store | Simply Betty Blog | Challenge Blog | Steampunk Challenge Blog ]

We are using the fabulous Steampunk Romance images by Simply Betty Stamps . The people pictured in this stamp line resemble grown-up characters in Wonderland, don't you think? You should also check out the whimsical Alice in Wonderland collection. Here is what the oh, so talented Betty has to say:

Simply Betty Stamps started in 2010, when I was forced to close my little scrapbook store due to my last baby coming early.  I was home, with a preemie  couldn't do much but draw, craft, and had just discovered blogging!  I started to nose around about digis, how could I do this, how could I do that?  Slowly but surely Simply Betty Stamps was born!  I have a quirky sense of humor and I believe it shows in my images.  I have immortalized my kids in my images as it is what I love creating with, their everyday shenanigans and goofy ways.  I love sharing my creativity, I can't tell you how awesome it is to see others creating with SBS images!  I look forward to continuing to bring in the quirkiness to crafters across the globe and look forward to many years of fun images.

So get busy and show us your interpretation of  Romance in Wonderland!

Design Team Inspiration

Bonnie McLain of Love Light and Peace created the most incredible star book featuring the entire cast of characters!

You will need to go to Bonnie's blog to see all the detailed photos, closeups of the characters and more pages in this FABULOUS star book, and be sure to leave her some love while you are there! Star books are a time consuming endeavor, and I am so thrilled that Bonnie took the time to make such a beautiful project for us. Thank you Bonnie!

Once again we bow to the Queen of 3D Paper Projects, our own Donna Mundinger of Popsicle Toes and her Wondeland mailbox!

Donna created an amazing mailbox, ready to receive Valentine's from Wonderland! The flag really raises and lowers, complete with pearls and blue gingham bow.

The postage stamp letters spelling Alice are the perfect label for this pearl-studded mailbox! The silver teapot, teacup and tea bag are charming. Sorry, I couldn't resist the pun!

Donna's trademark use of alphabet beads is the perfect finishing touch on the back of the mailbox. I really love the color scheme; the powder blue and white are cheerful, and soft red makes it pop. The soft shades make it fresh and fun rather than patriotic.

I love the way Alice is framed on the end of the box, complete with a silver key ring charm! She looks lovely against the heart-shaped red lace doily. This image is lovely and Donna has colored her beautifully. Be sure to stop by Popsicle Toes to get all the details on construction of this amazing mailbox, and to leave Donna some love!

3D project abound this month, as Barbara Washington of Magic Delights created a wonderful Valentine Pop-Up card!

The cover sets the tone. I love the white stamped letters contrasting the embossed red heart. Two of the Steampunk Romance characters are examining their Valentine offerings of cards and flowers! But the magic is inside...

Ta da! I love the way the folded pop-up is a series of hearts, with all characters facing the center doily. Those rhinestone flourishes add a festive note!

Trimming out the characters was well worth the effort; that white rim makes them stand out beautifully from the rich red patterned background.

Thanks Barbara for such a lovely Valentine project! Be sure to stop by Barbara's blog for details and to leave her some love!

Amy Bowerman of Plucking Daisies was created a set of six Valentine tags using a variety of images from past sponsors! She was inspired by past Tim Holtz tag series and they are wonderfully detailed.

I love the torn colored kraft card stock, embossed with the Postcards folder, so appropriate for a Valentine theme! The strong crackle-stamped jewel tone backgrounds really unifies the series of tags, and the embellishments add texture and interest! Fantastic job Amy, these tags are fabulous and I absolutely love them! Be sure to stop by Plucking Daisies for all the details and to leave Amy some love!

Submit your Romance in Wonderland projects by Feb. 23 using the Linky Tool below. PLEASE include your name or your blog name in the TITLE, this helps me enormously when it is time to do the honorable mentions. Note: If you are viewing this in an email or reader, you may need to go to the blog by clicking on the title of this post in order to submit or view the projects.
Please leave a comment before you go!

Reminder CHAPTER 23: We're All Mad Here So Anything Goes

`In THAT direction,' the Cat said, waving its right paw round, `lives a Hatter: and in THAT direction,' waving the other paw, `lives a March Hare. Visit either you like: they're both mad.'
`But I don't want to go among mad people,' Alice remarked.
`Oh, you can't help that,' said the Cat: `we're all mad here. I'm mad. You're mad.'
`How do you know I'm mad?' said Alice.
`You must be,' said the Cat, `or you wouldn't have come here.'
-- Chapter 6, Alice's Adventures in Wonderland by Lewis Carroll

"We're all mad here" is the favorite Alice quote of artist Rick St. Dennis, so in January, anything goes! Be mad! Get cute, get creepy, get crazy, because Rick St. Dennis has amazing digi stamps in all those styles, including many wonderful AIW images! Submit your creations by Friday, January 25th for a chance to win three digital stamps from Rick St. Dennis. All projects are welcome, but those featuring Wonderland will have two chances at the prize instead of one. Multiple entries are welcome, but to be counted as separate entries they must be on separate posts.

[ Etsy Store | Rick's Blog | Sparkle and Glitter Challenge Blog | Facebook | Pinterest ]

Designer of over 100 theatrical productions, Rick St Dennis (Donald McAfee) is also the author of 4 books on decorative painting and contributor to at least a dozen national magazines on crafts and art. St. Dennis has appeared on such TV shows as Home Matters with Susan Powell, Aileen's Crafts and others. He was Crafts editor for Country Folk Art Magazine and sold his artwork nationally through galleries and shows. For a complete bio of his amazing career, see Rick's blog!

Design Team Inspiration

Bonnie McLain of Love Light and Peace created a wonderful calendar, featuring Rick St. Dennis' wonderful illustrations plus her own "tangled" hand-drawn embellishments!

May

June

July

August


We will feature September through December next week! Aren't these calendar pages absolutely wonderful? Be sure to visit Bonnie's blog to leave her a comment and let her know what you think!

Donna/Meme of  memesartplace has created 5 beautiful cards using Rick's wonderful Wonderland images.

We have the Mad Hatter in all his glory.  Who wouldn't smile at these fabulous colors?

Sweet Alice.  How perfect for a little girl's birthday.

And speaking of birthdays, how about this for a belated one?  Too cute!

The Tweedles look a bit disheveled.  Read what Donna/Meme has in mind for them.

And finally, the perfect Valentine!  Be sure to stop by memesartplace and leave a comment for Donna/Meme's wonderful work. 

In our last creation, we have Alice down the rabbit hole and all the characters she encounters along the way.  Donna Mundinger of Popsicle Toes created this whimsical step card.  

This Alice is a brand new image.  See how she gets smaller and smaller the further tumbles?
Donna kept the card base black and white and backed all of her fussy cut images in black as well to make the colors POP.

Embossing adds the interest to the tree in which the Cheshire appears and the doodling on the spiral rabbit hole mimics the patterned tie he wears.

This gives you an idea of the depth Donna has created.  Find out about it's creation, as well as many more detailed pix of the rest of the characters, all colored with Copics, on her blog.

Be sure to stop by Popsicle Toes to leave a comment for Donna about oh so mad Wonderland creation!

Submit your creations by Friday, January 25th for a chance to win three digital stamps from Rick St. Dennis. PLEASE include your name or blog name in the TITLE. This helps me enormously when it comes time to had out the honorable mentions! (Note: if you are viewing this post in a reader or email, please click on the title of the post to go to the blog to see the entries or submit a project.)
Please scroll down to the previous post to add your link.

Week 2 CHAPTER 20: Twinkle like a Bat, Shine like a Tea Tray!

...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

Just like the Mad Hatter's song, we want you to create something that twinkles or shines; bats are optional! Think bling, metal, glitter, mirror card; the possibilites are endless! Some of the design team will be using some very unusual Alice-inspired designs. Just like you dress up for Halloween and take on another persona, these racy images have Alice and other characters all grown up and taking a walk on the wild side!

Our sponsor this month is Smeared Ink, home of edgy, wild and fun designs in rubber and digital forms has released a Wonderland Collection; images are available individually or as a set. The randomly-chosen winner of this month's challenge will receive a $15 shopping spree in their online store.

Smeared and Smudged is an online community of rubber stampers and crafters who enjoy using alternative, gothic, edgy, and unique stamps in their designs. We thrive on different and unusual. We welcome the macabre and devious side of things, and most of all, we embrace ALL types and styles of art. Whether or not you “come to the dark side”, your creations should be a reflection of you. At Smeared and Smudged, the most important thing is being yourself. There are lots of ways to interact with the community! [ Ning Community | Challenge Blog | Facebook Group ]

Enter your project by Friday, October 25 for a chance at the shopping spree. As always, multiple entries are encouraged (after all, this is a monthly challenge) but each entry must be on a separate post. All projects that meet the challenge criteria are welcome, but entries that feature Wonderland will have two chances with each project entered instead of one.

Your Weekly Inspiration

Wonderland is taking a walk on the wild side with these macabre images from Smeared Ink!

Barbara Washington of Magic Delights created this fun swing card with the White Rabbit on the front and the Cheshire Cat on the flipside! She has embellished both sides with sparkling black spooky cat, raven, bat and spider web. The Cheshire Cat image is perfect for Halloween, with the vulture perched on the cat's hip and the wonderful "we're all mad here" quote.

Barbara created a second fun special fold card which feature the other Alice images from Smeared Ink; Alice, the Queen of Hearts and one crazy Mad Hatter! We have the nymphet version of Alice huddled under the magic mushroom on the cover, along with sparkling bats and the song lyrics from our challenge quote.

Unfolded card.

The Queen of Hearts.

One crazy Mad Hatter! Again, a perfect image for Halloween with a big dose of the macabre, with the bone printed table cloth and skull legs! Please stop by Barbara's blog to leave a comment about her fun and spooky cards!

On a different note, Amy Bowerman Stucki of Plucking Daisies altered and upcycled a plastic tea set into something sparkling and fun! The teacup with the stamped Danita images decoupaged all around is my favorite piece of the set.

I love all the attention to detail that Amy has poured into this cute tea set. Please stop by Amy's blog to get all the details, including a full tutorial, and to leave her a comment!

Enter your project by Friday, October 25 for a chance at the shopping spree. PLEASE include your name or blog name in the TITLE. This helps me enormously when it comes time to had out the honorable mentions! (Note: if you are viewing this post in a reader or email, please click on the title of the post to go to the blog to see the entries or submit a project.)

NOTE: It took me a while as it's my first time, but I successfully created this post on my iPad using the Blogsy app, which I highly recommend! It made it really smooth and in some ways it is easier than Blogger. Thanks for the tips!

Please leave a comment before you go!

Posted with Blogsy

Week 1, CHAPTER 20: Twinkle like a Bat, Shine like a Tea Tray!

...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

Just like the Mad Hatter's song, we want you to create something that twinkles or shines; bats are optional! Think bling, metal, glitter, mirror card; the possibilites are endless! Some of the design team will be using some very unusual Alice-inspired designs. Just like you dress up for Halloween and take on another persona, these racy images have Alice and other characters all grown up and taking a walk on the wild side!

Our sponsor this month is Smeared Ink, home of edgy, wild and fun designs in rubber and digital forms has released a Wonderland Collection; images are available individually or as a set. The randomly-chosen winner of this month's challenge will receive a $15 shopping spree in their online store.

Smeared and Smudged is an online community of rubber stampers and crafters who enjoy using alternative, gothic, edgy, and unique stamps in their designs. We thrive on different and unusual. We welcome the macabre and devious side of things, and most of all, we embrace ALL types and styles of art. Whether or not you “come to the dark side”, your creations should be a reflection of you. At Smeared and Smudged, the most important thing is being yourself. There are lots of ways to interact with the community! [ Ning Community | Challenge Blog | Facebook Group ]

Enter your project by Friday, October 25 for a chance at the shopping spree. As always, multiple entries are encouraged (after all, this is a monthly challenge) but each entry must be on a separate post. All projects that meet the challenge criteria are welcome, but entries that feature Wonderland will have two chances with each project entered instead of one.

Your Weekly Inspiration

Bonnie McLain of Love Light and Peace made this wonderful paper pumpkin. The detail is amazing with ridged sides, leafy stem and curling vines! But this pumpkins is hiding a secret. . .

Each side lifts up to showcase a different Smeared Ink illustration. Come closer. . .

There is plenty of glitter and shine on this Smeared Ink Alice image! Bonnie has gone with neon bright colors to celebrate the Halloween season!

I love the retro coloring on this fun cheeky Smeared Ink Cheshire Cat image. Bonnie carefully cut the eyes so the light inside can shine through, just look how the cat's eyes gleam! Be sure to visit Bonnie's blog to see the Queen of Hearts and Mad Hatter panels, she has done a lovely job!

Tracy Evans created this 8 x 8 inch card using a variety of images. Love the color scheme, and there are lots of metal and shiny elements for the challenge.

I love the skulls, and the orange ones (they look like Jack-O'Lantern skulls) with their golden bling eyes are the perfect touch!

I love Alice's hat, and the various die cut bats are a great touch. The Mad Hatter's song is included on the orange panel, love that! Be sure to visit Tracy's blog to leave her a comment on this lovely creation!

Enter your project by Friday, October 25 for a chance at the shopping spree. PLEASE include your name or blog name in the TITLE. This helps me enormously when it comes time to had out the honorable mentions! (Note: if you are viewing this post in a reader or email, please click on the title of the post to go to the blog to see the entries or submit a project.)
NOTE: Sorry this post is a day late. I had a lot of problems trying to do my first post on the iPad using Blogger in Safari. I would love some tips, the Blogger forms were giving me fits as the compose view was not supported and this is a lot to do in code. If you know of any way to use Blogger effectively on the iPad, please share!

Please leave a comment before you go!