Just a little something

I enjoy playing with my copic markers. I especially like coloring Ching-Chou Kuik's beautiful mermaid images.

Just copics, a dot or three of glossy accents, and a little schmear of Golden fluid acrylic interference paint. Enjoy!

~ky

CHAPTER 36: CHESS - CHESSBOARD - CHESSMEN

"They don't keep this room so tidy as the other,' Alice thought to herself, as she noticed several of the chessmen down in the hearth among the cinders: but in another moment, with a little `Oh!' of surprise, she was down on her hands and knees watching them. The chessmen were walking about, two and two!

`Here are the Red King and the Red Queen,' Alice said (in a whisper, for fear of frightening them), `and there are the White King and the White Queen sitting on the edge of the shovel -- and here are two castles walking arm in arm..."

--Ch. 1: Through the Looking Glass

The challenge this week is again the brainchild of DT member Lynne-to use some aspect of the game of chess! You might want to use a checkerboard pattern, or feature a King, Queen, Knight or Castle (Rook), or some other aspect of the game we haven't thought of - we just need to be able to clearly see CHESS in your creation!

We are THRILLED to announce that there's a prize this week, too! Thanks to our generous sponsor, PAPER MANIAC, this week, they are giving away a set of Artistic Outpost Alice in Wonderland mini-stamps AND a sheet of E.A.D. Designs Stickerz! How awesome is that?

Here's some inspiration from me before I 'pawn' you off on your own to create this week:

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I created a chessboard piece by weaving cardstock together, and using Ranger distress inks to age it. The chessboard is adhered only on three sides so it's perfect for a journaling pocket, ephemera, etc. The image of Alice and the March Hare are Ching-Chou Kuiks' stamps. I used Stampers Anonymous images for the sentiments on the card and page.

This project mirrors my earlier "I'm Late" page. Frabjous day saw the death of the Jabberwocky, so I have him "trapped" under glass on the chessboard. The red and white floral crowns denote which side of the chessboard each queen challenged from, along with the champion. This was such a fun page to work up - I hope you enjoy it!

Checkmate! Have YOU met your match? You have until FRIDAY, October 29th to enter your creation and throw your hat (or should I say, crown?) in the ring for this awesome PAPER MANIAC prize this week! We'll announce the winner here in Wonderland during our next challenge!

See you soon!
~ky

Dreaming of Mermaids

I love Ching-Chou Kuik's mermaids. Just love them to bits! I love to color them. It feels like I'm breathing life into them with my Copics or Prismacolor pencils.

What do you think? Aren't they just gorgeous? I love all the detail she includes in her rubber renditions. So sweet! The emotions are perfectly visible, and draw you in for a closer look. Did I mention I love her art?

Just a little something to brighten your day.
~ky

CHAPTER 26: Sizin' up a Sketch...

"The Caterpillar was the first to speak.

`What size do you want to be?' it asked.

`Oh, I'm not particular as to size,' Alice hastily replied; `only one doesn't like changing so often, you know.'

`I DON'T know,' said the Caterpillar.

Alice said nothing: she had never been so much contradicted in her life before, and she felt that she was losing her temper.

`Are you content now?' said the Caterpillar.

`Well, I should like to be a LITTLE larger, sir, if you wouldn't mind,' said Alice: `three inches is such a wretched height to be.'

`It is a very good height indeed!' said the Caterpillar angrily, rearing itself upright as it spoke (it was exactly three inches high).

`But I'm not used to it!' pleaded poor Alice in a piteous tone. And she thought of herself, `I wish the creatures wouldn't be so easily offended!'

`You'll get used to it in time,' said the Caterpillar; and it put the hookah into its mouth and began smoking again..."

Hello! How is everyone here in Wonderland today?

We are sizing up a GREAT sketch by JEN and the main panel just HAPPENS to be THREE. INCHES. TALL. :) Now, of course you don't have to stick to this if your image won't fit, but we didn't want to anger Mr. Caterpillar by saying that Three inches wasn't a respectable height, so here's the sketch:

And here is my sample:

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Background pieces were colored using distress inks by Ranger, perfect pearls, Liquitex modeling paste, and watercolors. Center piece includes Ching-Chou Kuik's Full Moon image colored with Copic markers and shaded with distress inks, highlighted with distress and regular Stickles.

And, hey, thanks so much for stopping by today and since we won't have a sponsor this week (but WAIT til you see who we have later in the month and in September! WOOT!) so you have no time limit to play!

Ta for now! ~ky

CHAPTER 22: Dancing under the Sea...

"Will you walk a little faster?" said the whiting to the snail;
"There's a porpoise right behind us and he's treading on my tail!
See how eagerly the lobsters and the turtles all advance!
They are waiting on the shingle, will you come and join the dance?
Will you, won't you, will you, won't you-WILL you join the dance?"

Hello everyone! Greetings from here in Wonderland...or maybe today it's UNDERland? As in Under the Sea, perhaps ;)So, today's challenge involves all things sea-worthy and we at Oh, Alice are challenging YOU to create a card or project using sea life! Turtles, whales, dolphins are fabulous as are other sea creatures as in merfolk and those deep, dark creatures you sometimes hear about but seldom see.... the possibilities are as endless as the ocean itself!

We also have a FUN prize for you this week! One lucky winner will receive a Sweet Pea Rubber Stamp courtesy of Oh, Alice! These stamps are large and BEAUTIFULLY detailed and we just happened to have one 'swimmin' around!' Will YOU be the lucky winner? ;)


Here is my sample. She's comprised of a lot of technical work, bundled into a very small size. I really used my gem-viewing glasses for this:

I used Ching-Chou Kuik's Silk Dance stamp. I started with Ranger Distress inks, and stamped my Silk Dance over it. Then I filled in the areas of the mermaid with titanium white acrylic paint. I highlighted areas with Smooch, gold. Here's a little different shot:

When you use Copic markers over acrylic paints, it takes a lot longer to dry. There's lots of time to "push" ink around, so it can look like watercolors when you wiggle markers or dot them along. I loved experimenting and learning with my adorable Sweet Pea stamps! This is an Artist Trading Card, 2.5 x 3.5 inches.

Be sure to upload your card or creation on the Oh Alice! challenge blog! You have until Friday, July 23rd at 8pm CST to enter the challenge, so have fun and we'll see you back next week! Enter your submission to be considered for the prize! If you are uploading to a public gallery, be sure to include keyword OAC22. Thanks and enjoy the summer, sun, and sea!

Ta for now! ~ky

CHAPTER 12: Curiosity is Key...

"Suddenly Alice came upon a little three-legged table, all made of solid glass; there was nothing on it except a tiny golden key, and Alice's first thought was that it might belong to one of the doors of the hall; but, alas! either the locks were too large, or the key was too small, but at any rate it would not open any of them. However, on the second time round, she came upon a low curtain she had not noticed before, and behind it was a little door about fifteen inches high: she tried the little golden key in the lock, and to her great delight it fitted!"

Hello again! Welcome back to our Oh, Alice challenge! This week your curiosity is KEY to this week's challenge.

Rather, the Key IS the challenge! Yep! Let's see how YOU open the door to your creativity this week using a KEY as your inspiration. You can use embellishments, DP, stamps, whatever KEY elements you have to play is fine with us!

Ok. Despite my age, I am still a little school girl head over heels in love with my darling. He's away right now, as some of you know, so this is a card for him:

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Do you like it? I think it's gorgeous! The image is Ching-Chou Kuik's Purple Comfort, and I used 7 Gypsy's 90% complete ATC card with it. I distressed the ATC with Ranger Ink's distress inks and added some images from Gina K's Timeless Treasures, added a Tim Holtz word key, then put it all together over Basic Grey patterned paper, and Gina K Pure Luxury Turquoise Sea papers.

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These are two of our rescued babies. The black one is my namesake - Scrap - a cat! and the other is Dyna (dynamite) the bitty kitty Maine coon! They simply hover over me, letting me know that they know someone is missing and it disturbs them. They love their daddy almost as much as I do.

We hope you get a chance to play along. Despite life's stressors, art must persist. So - give yourself a few minutes this week with your creative muse. Afterall - she's a Mother too! Happy Mother's Day weekend everyone!

There's no time limit to play this week, however, entries are always appreciated by everyone here at Oh, Alice and we'd love to stop by your blogs to see your beautiful creations. Your participation is KEY to all of this and to show you just how much we thank you, we have a fantastic prize next week along with a fun few announcements too!

Have a Curious week, everyone!

Ta for now, ~ky

CHAPTER 10: QUEEN of TARTS...

"On this the White Rabbit blew three blasts on the trumpet, and then unrolled the parchment scroll, and read as follows:

`The Queen of Hearts,

she made some tarts,

All on a summer day:

The Knave of Hearts,

he stole those tarts,

And took them quite away!'

Uh ohhhhhhh...someone has stolen the Queen's Tarts! That's a no-no! We need to restore the sweetness back to Wonderland, don't you agree? That means it's time for a sweet treat here...or maybe a mushroom or two? I think I saw one floating around here that said "Eat Me"

 

Clear and Simple Stamps is this week's sponsor with a VERY generous gift certificate of $25 to ONE lucky winner!

Your mission, should you choose to accept it, is to incorporate FOOD into this week's project! Everyone loves a little treat, right? We can't wait to see what delectable delights YOU come up with! So get those fabulous calorie-free projects ready by Friday, April 30th, at 8 p.m. Central Time, for your chance to win the $25 gift certificate up for grabs from Clear and Simple Stamps! Please use keyword OAC10 when uploading the a public gallery, and link your project to the Oh Alice! blog using Mr. Linky...enjoy!

Here's my project for this week. I love lots of foods (most of you have endured many recipes and orations from this personal chef), and I used to make lots of sweets. However, I realize that the best treats in life are friends and family that decorate my life! That led me to make this card for this week's challenge!

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The central image is Ching-Chou Kuik's Cheshire Cat Illusion stamp from Sweet Pea stamps, and it's currently ON SALE!

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Here's a close-up of my Copic marker coloring, and the gleam in their eyes is Ranger Glossy Accents. These images are so beautiful, and spark the imagination in so many ways. I absolutely adore them!! You will see more of her images in my future work.

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I paired the image with Jillibean and Cosmo Cricket papers, and a sentiment from Unity Stamp Company's December 2009 Kit of the Month. I also used some Ranger distress ink to distress the card, and a bit of Offray ribbon to add a splash of whimsy. The layout is Card Positioning System (CPS) #163.

I hope you've enjoyed stopping by today. Please be sure to visit the other members of the Oh Alice! team and leave them some love. We really love doing these projects to inspire you so we love to know you enjoy them. Have a wonderful weekend!!

Ta for now, ~ky