Destination Unknown

I've been using the Wrinkles Don't Hurt set again for my DT piece for Creative Expressions.

I have gone for the vintage look, ageing with Distress Ink vintage photo. I have added the car to the Spellbinders Nestabilities Labels One and stamped the image with coffee Archival Ink.

I have torn a page from an old dictionary and highlighted JOURNEY. Again the pages have been aged with vintage photo ink.

I have a added one of Tim's Watch Faces to complete.

Thanks for stopping by, Tracy x x

Time For A Clearout

It's time for me to have a clearout in my craft room, I have so many stamps that it's now time for a sort out.  As a result I have some great stamps for SALE at incredible prices if anyone is interested.  The items I have ready so far are listed below.  Any purchases will also receive a piece of ART from me, either a card, an ATC or just a surprise piece just as a thank you for giving them a good home.

Item 4 above £6.00 + £2.00 postage

Item 11 above £2.00 + £1.50 postage

Item 12 above £4.00 + £2.00 postage (2 mini book kits and 3 stamp sets)

Item 16 above £6.50 + £1.50 postage

Item 17 above £9.00 + £2.00 postage - SOLD

 Item 18 above £5.50 + £1.50 postage

Item 19 above £5.50 + £1.50 postage

Item 20 above £7.50 + £2.00 postage

Item 21 above rectangular alphabet, scalloped heart acrylic book and tags £7.00 + £2.00 postage (never opened)

Item 22 above scalloped heart acrylic book, tag book and tags £6.00 + £2.00 postage

Item 23 above £6.00 + £1.50 postage

Please note most stamps have been used but are in EXCELLENT condition and in many cases have only been used once. 

Simply email me using the link on my side bar at tracy@craft-addicts.co.uk. Payment by cheque payable to Tracy Evans.

More stamps to follow shortly once I have sorted out the mountain of stamps in my craft room LOL.

Thanks for stopping by, Tracy x x

Fragments Of Christmas

The challenge for Grungy Monday this time around is Transparent Illusions, techniques using Tim's Fragments. You can find all of his techniques HERE. Once again I was sorting/sifting through my craft space for inspiration, which you will often find me doing if I am lacking in ideas etc.  I find that old/new products always inspire me to create.  This time around I found an old K and Co. tag book which I decided to decorate using some of my bulk load of Christmas stash. Be warned this is a very long picture heavy post as there are quite a few pages to the book.  I would like to have added the pictures in groups of 4 in a square but I am not sure how to do this, if there is anyone out there that can advise me I would be very very grateful.

I coloured the book with Distress Stains fired brick and vintage photo around the edges.  The stamp in the background is from Tim's Seasons Silhouettes stamped in black archival ink. Three fragmens have been decorated and added to the front cover along with snowflake embellishments.  The reindeer has been cut from thick card using the Reindeer Flight die. I have also added some clear packaging over the top of the reindeer which I have embossed with a snowflake texture fade.

I have added some fibres to fasten the pages along with Christmas embellishments to decorate.

I have used the same background stamp on the back along with the second reindeer from the Reindeer Flight die, again decorated with vintage music paper and embossed packaging added to the top. The number 25 has been decorated in the same way and aged with vintage photo Distress Ink.

Inside front cover has been decorated with a bauble using the Carved Ornament die along with a holly image from Inkadinkado.

The next page has dry embossing using a texture fade and a couple of circular images stamped with Inkadinkado images.

I have embossed this page with the December Calendar texture fade and used the aperture from the Carved Ornaments I die cut previously and sponged fired brick ink through the aperture.

Embossed snowman, sponged with fired brick Distress Ink and master builder verse stamped with vermillion archival ink.

Embossed with Snowflurries texture fade and sponged through the aperture of the Reindeer Flight with vintage photo ink.

The same technique applied here, using the die cut apertures as stencils. I masked the reindeer on the right and stamped the background with vermillion archival ink.

Two further fragments added, one using Tim's "faux etching" technique.

JOY from the background stamp from the Seasons Silhouettes, reindeer using the Reindeer Flight and snowman from Stampotique.

Verse is an old My Sentiments Exactly stamp.  Snowflakes stamped with vermillion archival ink.

Snowflake aperture using a large snowflake punch, circular stamped embellishments and Carved Ornament added using the aperture as a stencil from the die cuts as before and if you look VERY closely you will see a reindeer cut from clear packaging added to the top of the bauble.

Same techniques applied to this page.

Thanks for stopping by, your comments are much appreciated and if you can help with advising me how to group pictures together in a post I would be most grateful.  Tracy x x

"It Is Better To Read A Little And Ponder A Lot............................

Than to read a lot and ponder a little", my quote used on my bookmark for the Stampotique challenge.

I had a piece of watercolour card leftover from a previous project and really just wanted to play with some sprays and paint for a change and create a more vibrant background thank I usually create.  I used Altered Originals sprays by Dyan in burnt orange and sky blue, adding water to blend.

I used Minky Girl (available from The Stamp Attic), coloured with my new Prismacolor pencils, which I am loving at the moment, cut out the image and added to my bookmark along with some text torn from an old book. Machine stitching was also added for a little more dimension.

I found the quote on-line which I thought was perfect for a bookmark.  Text was added using Basic Backgrounds from Dyan Reaveley along with a diamond background from the same set stamped with white acrylic paint for texture. Circles were also added dipped into Gesso. HELLO (also from Stampotique) was added to a coloured background using Distress Ink and added to the bookmark.

I added acetate to the top of the bookmark to give protection as my daughter Laura has already claimed this piece LOL. I did enjoy recycling and creating an inky background just for the fun of it. 

Thanks so much for stopping by and leaving a comment.  Enjoy your week.  Tracy x x

The Altered Alice Chapter 7 Challenge, Week 1: Text As Nonsense

"Alice didn't dare to argue the point, but went on: `-- and I thought I'd try and find my way to the top of that hill -- ' `When you say "hill,"' the Queen interrupted, `I could show you hills, in comparison with which you'd call that a valley.' `No, I shouldn't,' said Alice, surprised into contradicting her at last: `a hill can't be a valley, you know. That would be nonsense -- ' The Red Queen shook her head, `You may call it "nonsense" if you like,' she said, ` but I've heard nonsense, compared with which that would be as sensible as a dictionary!' -- Chapter 2, Through The Looking Glass and What Alice Found There

Using text as pattern is a trend right now that I really love. Your challenge is to use text as nonsense - not to read but as pattern on your project! Of course you can still have words or sentiments, but we also need to see text used in a non-reading way. I have a stack of old books and dictionaries that I use for this purpose.

Our sponsor is Stamp Attack, a British company that is well known (among other things) for their fantastic Alice stamp plates which have sold to customers all over the world. In fact, Helena Bonham Carter, the actress who played the Red Queen in the Tim Burton Alice movie, purchased sets of Alice stamps from Stamp Attack, which were then delivered to the studio!  Enabler alert: Stamp Attack offers speedy worldwide shipping for only £1 on unmounted stamp orders, so go on and check out their beautiful stamps!

I decorated a letter 'A' to represent ALICE.  I covered the letter with book pages from an old Alice in Wonderland book and coloured with Distress Stain Broken China. I also cut a flower from the same book pages using the Tattered Floral die from Tim Holtz. A letter 'A' was added to the centre of my flower.

I have used images from Stamp Attack to decorate the sides and the front. The card suits have been stamped in black archival ink and the images in coffee archival.

This is the back of my letter, again images from Stamp Attack added along with some small playing cards, a key from Maya Road, ALICE metal letters and some Idea-Ology. The edges have been aged with Distress Ink Vintage Photo.

I have added a couple of hearts made from air dry clay and coloured with silver paint dabber, I love adding dimensional pieces in my creations.  Two glass bottles have also been added with DRINK ME added from the Stamp Attack set. The watch dangling from my flower is an old K and Co. piece I found hiding away in my draws.

I love the fact that the images of Alice and the Rabbit also have text within the image, a perfect fit I thought for this months challenge.

The winner will receive a Stamp Attack gift certificate for £13.50, which is equivalent to one of the stamp plates that the design team are using throughout the month.

You have until Friday, September 23 to enter your creation and the winner and honorable mentions will be announced on the last Sunday of the month, September 25.  All kinds of projects are welcome, they do not have to be "altered art" and as always, entries that feature some aspect of Wonderland are given two chances instead of one in the random prize drawing. You may enter multiple times as long as each project is on a separate post.

We are also saying goodbye to our  current crop of guest designers, so please leave them some special love this month as their projects have been FABULOUS! Thanks so much ladies, you have added so much to The Altered Alice! And stay tuned, there will be some special design team announcements next month too!

I look forward to seeing your creations at The Altered Alice.  Thanks for stopping by. Tracy x x 

Box Of Hearts

My DT piece for 100 Proof Press this week uses the Heart Locket Chain stamp to decorate a box.

I was inspired by the colours over at The Play Date Cafe this week where the challenge is to use a SPLASH of red.

What a fabulous inspiration picture.

I decorated my box with PaperArtsy Fresco Paints and stamped the Heart Locket Chain onto tissue paper and added to my box.

The red heart I received in some packaging from an order I received this morning, a little recycling, which I love to do in my creations wherever possible (thank you AFTH).

The top of the box has a Curio Knob added to the top. I will use this box to house some jewellery for a birthday present.

Thanks so much for stopping by.

Tracy
xx

Pure Vintage

Time for my next DT piece for Creative Expressions using stamp set Wrinkles Don't Hurt.  I decided to create a vintage tag this time around.

My background is coloured with Distress Stain Vintage Photo and spritzed with water. Once dry I bleached out areas with a brush.

I added some vintage lace which I gathered and added the sentiment to the top with a memo pin.

I have also added a Idea-Ology Word Stick "LIVE" which I thought was appropriate with the sentiment.

The image has been masked and then stamped three times using black Archival Ink. The text VINTAGE has been printed on my computer and added to jump rings with Glossy Accents.

Thanks for stopping by.  Tracy x x