Hello and welcome to sarascloset! Today the Funkie girls at Frilly and Funkie get to show how they interpret the current challenge theme,
March Madness, chosen by the extremely talented and creative Suzz. No, she's not asking you to do a pick and roll or go for a fast break, but please read on to see what she really means about March Madness:
Don't be afraid; the challenge isn't going to require you to use basketball inspired images. Instead I want you to be inspired by Alice in Wonderland. I started from this quote of a conversation between the Mad Hatter and Alice: The Mad Hatter asks Alice: "Have I gone Mad?" and Alice replies "I am afraid so. You're entirely bonkers. But I'll tell you a secret. All the best people are."
The challenge is to take any idea or concept from this wonderful tale to inspire your project. There are so many wonderful bits or pieces to be inspired by like the Queen of Hearts, the Mad Hatter, the looking glass, tea party or Alice herself. The possibilities are endless. Anything can be your inspiration but make sure you reference what inspired your art from the story!
As always, the Design Team will choose their top four picks, and the winner will be invited to join us in a Guest DT spot at
Frilly and Funkie. The next three will receive Top 3 badges to display on their blogs. Everyone who enters and follows the rules will be entered into the draw to have the chance to win a $25 spending spree at
The Funkie Junkie Boutique.
Needless to say, my 'Alice in Wonderland' references are the White Rabbit and the out-of-this-world, oversized flower garden. For some reason, psychedelic colors always come to mind when I think of Alice in Wonderland, too, so I was going for some 'far out' colors. Not sure what I would do with a pure 'Alice in Wonderland' themed make, I decided to use my nods to 'Alice' on an Easter card.
I started by adhering an Organic die cut to a card stock panel using Collage Medium Matte, and followed that up with a complete coat of Crazing medium, and allowed it to dry just to touch. Make sure you have full coverage. I sprayed the panel with Distress Oxide sprays in Picked Raspberry and Cracked Pistachio and wiped with a damp cloth, allowing more of the color to settle into the recesses.
The collage medium allows the sprays to be partially removed, but leaving some color behind. Without the coating, the spray will just soak into your paper. Tim Holtz says there is a window of opportunity to remove the sprays before the medium cures (reaches maximum hardness). I have not yet tested this theory, but I'm guessing after the medium cures, the spray would just wipe completely off. I think if the medium is dry just to touch, some of the spray soaks into it. When the panel had fully dried on it's own, I smoothed on Seedless Preserves Distress crayon.
The day lily from the Wildflower Stems set #2 and Geo Springtime bunny are cut from watercolor paper straight up. The mat for the panel and the Small Talk Occasions sentiment is cut from a masterboard colored with the oxide sprays I was playing with at the time--I believe there is also Mermaid Lagoon in there this time.
The greens were from my bits box and the spike-y flowers were cut from watercolor paper. (both are Funky Florals #3) I used a mop up scrap to fussy cut a background bunny and inspired by the greens gave it a smudging of Prima Opal Magic Vintage Silk wax.
Quick tip: don't panic (as I did) after you first spray your Oxides--just sit back, wait for them to dry and for the magic to begin!
That's all for me today! I hope you will stop by the
blog to see all the amazing creations my teammates created just for your inspiration. And then, I hope you'll link up your own vintage or shabby chic interpretation of March Madness--I can't wait to see what you will create! Hugs and blessings! Sara Emily
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