Sing Out My soul!

It feels good to be back doing challenges again. I don't usually miss Bloggers Challenge, but Christmas, grandchildren, and other obligations took up so much of my time.

I hope everyone enjoyed their Christmas! Mine was wonderful. But now it's back to reality.

This week the Bloggers Challenge is sparkle and shine. I know its hard to see sparkle and shine on a scanned image. You'll just have to trust me that there's a lot of sparkle and shine on this card. The cardstock is metallic and the frame around the birds is a combination of rock candy stickles and rock candy dry glitter. Of course the bling ribbon across the top fits the challenge theme as well. All of the stamps are from the Artistic Outpost songbirds sheet. I'm also entering this card in the monthly Artistic Outpost referral challenge. The layout of the card is based on the Mojo Monday sketch challenge. The challenge at Cheery Lynn is faux or real lace. I used the Cheery Lynn Dutch doily frame die and the Japanese lace pattern die as my faux lace.

This is a blog hop. Can't wait to see what you create!

I wish everyone a happy and healthy New Year!

Season's Greetings

When I saw this Stampendous stamp, I knew it had to be part of my collection. It works perfectly for this month's Stampendous challenge which is CAS Christmas card. When I look at these adorable children, I just know they're going on a sleigh ride and the song Jingle Bells starts going through my head.

Gift Box

This month Stampsmith challenged us with handmade holidays. I decided that creating a handmade gift box was the way I would go. I love this ballerina from Stampsmith. Whenever I see her, I think of the Nutcracker ballet. I think she adds the Christmas spirit to this pillow box gift box (Tim Holtz die).

Joy to the World

Since Tim Holtz started the 12 Tags of 2012 in February, he promised an extra tag for January somewhere along the way. Well, here it is. The music tissue paper over the grungeboard pointsettia is so cool, and so Tim! I love the dimension and texture of this tag. I even got to use one of my grungeboard flourishes that I had bought back when grungeboard was a new item. I'm so happy that I was able to complete all 12 tags--and on time too!
I'm also entering this tag in a few other challenges: Creative Belli has a Christmas theme; Artistic Stamper has a home for Christmas theme; and Great Impressions has an anything goes theme.

Winter Joy

This month Tim Holtz shared two tags for his 12 Tags of 2012. One is for December and one is to make up for the one missed in January. Here is the first tag. I love doing Tim's tutorial tags. Often his tags are a great excuse to use stamps and other supplies from his collection that I just had to have, but never got around to using. This snowman is the perfect example. I love the dimension on this tag. By the way, the word "Joy" is cut from his mirror card. Wow, what a gorgeous shine in person.
I am also entering this tag in several challenges: Simon Says Stamp has the theme anything goes; Cornish Heritage Farms has a winter theme; Inspiration Journal wants to see the word Joy and using broken China ink is a plus. (Happy birthday, Joy.)

Merry, Merry Christmas

I've been very busy baking Christmas cookies, wrapping gifts, taking my grandson to a concert, visiting friends, and all the wonderful Christmas activities that come with the season. I'll get back to my art after a little Christmas break.  However, I did want to send out my holiday greeting to all my friends. I wish everyone a happy holiday season and a healthy new year.
Since I haven't had a chance to create any art recently, I thought I'd share my daughter's art. Kerry has become quite the nail artist. Here are her Christmas nails. Aren't they fabulous!

CHAPTER 22: Christmas-tide in Wonderland! Week 2

From a Fairy to a Child

LADY dear, if Fairies mayFor a moment lay asideCunning tricks and elfish play,'Tis at happy Christmas-tide.

We have heared the children say -Gentle children, whom we love -Long ago, on Christmas Day,Came a message from above.

Still, as Christmas-tide comes round,They remember it again -Echo still the joyful sound,'Peace on earth, good-will to men.'

Yet the hearts must child-like beWhere such heavenly guests abide.Unto children, in their glee,All the year is Christmas-tide.

Thus, forgetting tricks and playFor a moment, Lady dear,We would wish you, if we may,Merry Christmas, glad New Year.
--Lewis Carroll, Christmas, 1887.

The Design Team at The Altered Alice wishes everyone a Merry Christmas and Happy New Year ! This month the design team brings you their holiday wishes, and we invite you to send your holiday greetings to The Altered Alice and to our other readers.

We do not have a sponsor this month, so we are just sharing for the joy of Christmas in Wonderland, and we hope that you will share too. We will have honorable mentions, so play along for the glory if not a prize!

 

To celebrate the season, The Altered Alice brings you The Lewis Carroll Memorial Window at Daniell Chapel in England. Check out the website to view the beautiful images as well as the inspiration and greetings sent by the individual DT members.

 

 My Inspiration for you:

For my Christmas greeting I created ornaments using images mostly from various past sponsors. Here you see them decorating my door wreath. All of the ornament tops were cut from metallic cardstock using Cheery Lynn ornament die-cuts. The images were stamped on shrink plastic, colored with Tombow markers, die-cut using a Spellbinders die and shrunk. The two parts of the ornament are attached using a jump ring.

Alice from Red Eowyn

Caterpillar from Alpha stamps

Mad Hatter from TJ Designs

Red Queen from Red Eowyn

Tweedles from Red Eowyn

White Rabbit from Alpha Stamps

Hopefully everyone enjoys a wonderful and happy holiday season!

Holy Night

The days are getting shorter and Christmas is getting nearer and I am getting busier. (I know I'm not alone.) I stole a little time to make this Christmas card for a few challenges.
Bloggers challenge had the theme scene it. I used the sketch from Mojo Monday as my layout. Cheery Lynn wants to say happy holidays. (the three snowflakes are Cheery Lynn dies) Tuesday Throwdown's theme is white Christmas. Simon Says Stamp is looking for snowflakes. Marks Finest Paper simple Salutations challenge is to show a church.
To make my card is used two stamps from Stampscapes for my scene. I stamped the images with white ink on navy cardstock. The snowflakes on the image were die-cut using Cheery Lynn dies. The lower snowflake border was cut using a Tim Holtz on the edge die. The sentiment (salutation) is from a Club Scrap stamp.
Next...I promised my grandson that we could make a few more ornaments for our tree, so I'm off to the studio.