Squish wiggle snore...

Remember childhood? Those times when you could (and did) fall asleep in your dinner plate? Well, bunniez are no different! MacMiller shows us how to perform the squish wiggle snore:

{click to enlarge}

Now for something a little different. I have been working very hard at some projects for a swap. I thought I'd share a couple images with you. Mind you - I've been doing a lot of Zentangles because: a.) I have enough chaos trying to unpack and b.) said chaos has not revealed where my Copic markers are yet - but I will get back to other types of art soon!

{click to enlarge}

A front and back bookmark from things I encountered on our cross-country voyage. All kinds of critters hidden in this one.

{click to enlarge}

I drew this one while watching a fascinating show on undersea life. I had to include some penguins to bring the sea and surface worlds together. These are such fun to make! It's an ATC (artist trading card) that's 2.5 x 3.5 inches.

I'm off to my next adventure, box diving for my Copic markers! Hope everyone's have a great start to their week!

Ta for now, ~ky

CHAPTER 16: What's YOUR Muchness?

The Mad Hatter said to Alice:

"You used to be much muchier before! Yes, you were much more Alice the last time we met. You've lost your muchness..."

Alice replied:

"My MUCHNESS?"

The Mad Hatter pointed to her heart and repeated "Yes, your muchness..."

We have MUCH MUCHNESS to be excited about today! Not only are we excited about our new June Guest Designer, but Oh, Alice is THRILLED to welcome a few new FULL-TIME place settings to the Twisted Thirteen!

Please welcome:

SUZI MCKENZIE

SARA HENTON

RANDI WALL

ERIN LEVEILLE (formerly our beloved Dormouse)

and returning from our April Guest table, KIM HOWARD!

We know these fabulously talented ladies will make a wonderful addition to our already amazing party of twisty-ness :) Please join me in welcoming them!

Our sponsor this week is the sweet Prairie Fairy Designs. Roberta was generous to provide the DT with some digital images to work with and we have a fabulous prize for the winner this week:

Thanks to Roberta and everyone at Prairie Fairy and thanks to Margie for helping organize this!

So, what's YOUR MUCHNESS? We want to know the HEART of your stamping style. Whether it's your favorite embellishment, "signature style", fave technique...we WANT TO SEE the MUCHNESS!

{Click to enlarge}

 

Yes - we have MOVED! I started this page when we were a mere 165 miles down the road on our move. We had hoped to get a good 5-7 hours of driving in on that first day. We serviced both trucks, had the trailer looked at, thought we were ready. My truck, old reliable Hootie, said "Uh uh." In the middle of the eastern Utah deadlands. On a side ramp. No cell service. No radio. Nuthin. Karl and I had checked the undercarriage and thought the rear gear had sheared teeth. I had all 6 animals in the truck. All of them. Hot, worried, getting dark....

 

Praying all the time in my head - I looked up to the interstate. The exit we had been forced to take sat below the view of the interstate. The only people who could see us were 18-wheelers (height) and in the slow lane. We watched for a few minutes. We saw an orange truck, different. It was a wrecker!! I waved, jumped up and down, hoped, heck I would have stripped if I thought it would work. He slowed!!! He's backing down the on ramp!! Glory halleluja!

 

It'll be an hour and a half, ma'am, until we can come back to get you. Karl and I set all the pets out and watch the sun go down. I pulled out the journal and let my mind relax. I drew a ribbon. I began this story. Life is often full of trials and I wanted to record what God had to show me. So, I began to doodle the things around me. Plants, rocks, textures, wishes... We dug in our bags for warm clothes as the sun set, and put the kids back in the truck.

 

About 2 hours later, our saviour returned with help. They got us loaded and took us to Salina, UT, so Hootie could get an exam. We expected a huge bill. We explored options so that Karl could still reach his jobsite that Monday, and I could come along, alone, later. We worried.

 

The driver, he was a dear!, dropped us at our hotel so we could get what we needed (and the kids) off Hootie without having to climb up and down. We got things gathered up, and he started moving the bed of the wrecker into the flat position for transport. There was a problem. He tried again, no luck. He tried once more, and all the transmission fluid poured out of the exploding hoses... I think it was near midnight when they got to contemplate dinner and bedtime.

 

This was the omen of how this trip would go. I still haven't unboxed my studio supplies. We're just happy to be here, and thankful for all the things that happened, those that didn't, and all the wonderful people that helped us or were blessed by getting to know along the way. That, my friends, is MUCHNESS. It could have been simple, uneventful, but then it wouldn't have been memorable or filled with MUCH.

 

You are one of the people who represent MUCHNESS in my life. You are MUCH in many people's lives, and vice versa. Explore your MUCHNESS with a great big smile! For MUCHNESS takes us to Wonderland every time we allow it!

 

Ta for now,  ~ky

 

Chapter 11: Little People...Big Wonderland

`Tweedledum and Tweedledee

Agreed to have a battle;

For Tweedledum said Tweedledee

Had spoiled his nice new rattle.

Just then flew down a monstrous crow,

As black as a tar-barrel;

Which frightened both the heroes so,

They quite forgot their quarrel.'

Hello and welcome back! This week, we are SUPER excited to tell you that we are being sponsored by the fabulous BUGABOO Stamps! The owner, Jodie, was just as sweet as can be and when she offered to sponsor Oh, Alice we were thrilled!

http://www.bugaboostamps.com/

Since we are talking about those two curious little Tweedles, Dee and Dum today, let's get right down to your mission this week, should you choose to accept it! CREATE a card, layout, or project for a CHILD. This can mean using children's images, making a layout of a child, creating a kid's bday card or room decor, you name it! The possibilities are endless!

The PRIZE this week is a GREAT one, too, thanks to Bugaboo! ONE lucky winner will receive 7 digi images of their choice! That's over a $21.00 value at mininum, wow! Thanks so much to Jodie and the Bugaboo Crew!

You have until Friday, May 7th at 8pm CST to link your creation to Mr. Linky on the Oh Alice! blog, and the winner will be announced next Saturday! Please use keyword OAC11 when linking to a public gallery, thanks and have a great week!


Here's my sample, I call it "You're a Good Egg":

{click to enlarge}

The decorations on the egg, the kids' hair, and the girls top are called Zentangles. Does this sound 'scary?' It shouldn't. Remember when you were in school, and you were B. O. R. E. D? You doodled. When you're waiting on hold for customer service? You still doodle. Zentangling is a limitless and addicting form of pen art that you can do anywhere, anytime. All it takes is a pen, some paper, and a little imagination. It's named a combination of Zen (highly relaxed state) and tangle (strings/ribbons entangled), so if you think about it, it's a relaxing method of letting your mind deal with life's tangles.

You can learn this craft from Zentangle - the 'official' home of Zentangles. I can teach this to you in a matter of minutes.

Draw or cut a piece of quality paper (or start with copy paper if you're unsure). Take a deep breath and relax into your art. Use your pen to start a loose line or ribbon across the small area you have established. It may look like this:

{Click here for more information}

Then you just start doodling. If you want ideas, google "zentangle," and you will see quite a list of helpful websites. Don't forget to check out Flickr - there's a whole library of Zentangles. Think about creating a card for a child that would allow you to teach them the fabulous art of Zentangles! Kids are great at this because it's so simple for their minds to grasp.

I love to use my stamp library as a starting point, a string or ribbon, for the beginning of my Zentangle. You can then turn these precious pieces of art into cards or other things to share with your friends and loved ones. You can even use these as a technique on any page of Wreck This Journal!

So - get busy and see if you have some stamps that might work with Zentangling. I want to see them!! Link your project to the Oh Alice! blog and we'll take a look. Who knows? You could win! {please note, zentangles are NOT required for the Oh Alice! challenge - only kid themed cards/images are}

Ta for now, ~ky

IFJM Danny, Day 6

Today, Danny realizes he's been busy and happy enough that he actually missed a day in his journal.

{click to enlarge}

Danny is discovering the good side of having a home and family. He's looking forward to learning from his adoptive Mom who teaches art. So, here we leave Danny on his way. Things are looking up for him, and I think he'll be fine.

Thanks again to Roz for this delightful challenge. I have really enjoyed thinking about art from a different perspective with limited supplies.

Ta for now, ~ky

IFJM #2 - Where am I?

Danny and Mel are on a cross-country trip to find Danny's new adoptive family. In this entry, Danny contemplates the future by looking at the past. Danny writes:

Well, I got distracted. Anyway, Mel comes & gets me and next thing I know, I'm in his car and I look in the backseat and I see all my stuff. I'm like - "Hey!" Mel gives me one of his 'classic' looks and says, "Yup, you've been sprung." I'm stunned. I mean, dude - I've been sprung but every time my skewers (oh - that's the adoptive couple) always send me back. Geez - maybe I'll be back home before someone claims my coat.


My stomach sinks. I ask Mel - where to this time? He says, "You're headed to Western Kentucky." WTF? I knew I was in for a long trip - so I grabbed Mel's hoodie, wadded it up for a pillow and settled in. I just hope this time they didn't pick me because they wanted cheap labor or a babysitter. However, the past offers me little hope.

{click to enlarge}

I'm up now. Had a little nap until we had to stop for gas. We were just outside Harrisburg, PA. Mel works for the Red Abbey - so we only had enough money for children's meals at fast food stores, gas and nothing else. We're in Mel's old pickup - it's hard to sleep like that but we managed. I pestered him, but all he knew about my new skewers was that they owned a little home farm and they had a daughter that was chronically ill. Great.

I can't help but think back on the last few skewer homes I've been in. One was in Hungry Horse (no, really!) Montana where I cut wood for the 3 months I was there. Beautiful place, but my room was the chainsaw equipment shed. Oh, and don't forget the time I was in Missouri at an egg farm where I slept with the (illegal) immigrant workers in the feed shed. Yep - I smell another memorable trip. Just in time for spring, too - what this time? Planting corn? That might be corny! Ok - time to zone out.

No offense intended to any of those locales. They are real, but I mean no disrespect in my writing. They are merely examples of how some kids get treated in the system. Well - off to my next folly. More from Danny in a day or three.

Ta for now, ~ky