7 Days of Magic: Spell-a-la-palooza, Day One

Welcome to Day One of the Seven Days of Spell-a-la-palooza, where visitors to the blog can enter a giveaway filled with several prizes over the course of seven days. Winners will be announced Nov.3, 2013. In addition I will be announcing the 2013-2014 Design Team, unveiling new product and the www.lisakettelldesigns.com website. For rules & how to enter, scroll down to the bottom of this post.


Please visit some of these amazing fellow bloggers who are joining in the fun and have fabulous sites that are sure to peak your creativity.

http://www.thevintagegoose.blogspot.com
http://marfibradford.blogspot.com 
http://www.laurakellydesigns.com
http://auroratique.blogspot.com
Queen Trudy 
http://armenian-princess.blogspot.com
http://tabithalenox.blogspot.com
http://dandeliontwist.blogspot.com
http://sidelinebabe.blogspot.com
http://faerieenchantment.blogspot.com 
http://lovevisiting.blogspot.com
Day One of Spellbinding Tales:

Every year when the 12th day before Halloween arrives, Pippa Bellows hosts a series of magical events at her home in Waverly Hollow. She transforms her whole barn into a glowing pumpkin where magical carved beets, turnips and gourds hang from every nook and cranny. 

This year I was lucky to be invited to Pippa's series of events at her home in Waverly Hollow, just an hours drive north of my house. Due to other magical events, I couldn't arrive to Pippa's until the 5th night of celebration and will remain here for the next several days. What I did miss was the following nights:


-Night One: "Night of the Blue Moon Tree" 
-Night Two: "Spellbinding Tea and Trees"
-Night Three: "Badge of Caliber"
-Night Four: "The Winners Dinner"

However all is not lost, I still received my event spell bag, and novelties from the past few nights as souvenirs for my collection, courtesy of Pippa. Tonight is the 5th night in the celebrations and I'm so excited, as I will be learning all about potions and bits of alchemy in "Potionology 101". This years professor is Conrad Wiltstone, leading potion-ologist, and two time winner of the Wortley Wimbatt Award. Professor Wiltstone flew all the way from Owlstone University to teach at this event.

For three hours we will learn new potion recipes, test rare, almost forgotten one potion spells and learn transformation where we can transform one another into all types of things and places. We will first try the potion jar transformation where we will shrink and appear in a jar, transforming our jars into secret hideaways in case of an emergency where we might need to hide. A place we can store our magical creations and only we know the secret to get there. 

Pennyson's Tea Room is catering the dinner, hot pumpkin juice and sugared beet tarts for tonight's ceremonies. So excited their pumpkin juice is so good. I heard our dinner will be purple potatoes au gratin and roasted figs with garlic, onions, squash pasta and creamy butternut sauce, yum.

Are you as excited as I am to hear all about tonight's series of events? I can't wait to share them with you. For now I can only give you a few snippets from the night, just until tomorrow. Hope you ca wait for the recap and to hear all about night six which Pippa labeled: "Cauldrons Run", which is the  night when the rarest herbs and flowers come alive and share their yearly secrets for a better harvest and town folklore that may actually be true. These herbs and flowers then cast a spell for blessings until they come back again next year, so cool.

Well I'm off to prepare for the nights series of events and get ready for the magic. Hope you find some magic of your own this evening!

xoxo
Lisa

P.S.   Spell-a-la-palooza will last from Oct.26-Nov. 2, 2013. There is still time to Join the blog hop and be on the spellbinding list till Oct.31. The grand prize is a $100 gift card, 2: $25.00 gift cards, Lisa Kettell Designs products and other novelties.

To be apart of the blog hop just share some creative fun you have created over the past few weeks, share a autumn adventure or Halloween story. Add in a giveaway for some fun. The choice is yours.


Leave a comment here or email me at: lisakettell@yahoo.com to be on the hop and add your name to the list. You must comment here, and like the Lisa Kettell Designs Fan Page, Instagram Page or Pinterest Page.

Again to be considered for the prizes, you must comment here and start following us on an additional site of choice: Lisa Kettell Designs: Instagram, pinterest, the blog, or twitter. 
Lisa Kettell Designs Link:

https://www.facebook.com/lisakettelldesigns

Lisa Kettell Designs Instagram Link:
http://instagram.com/lisakettelldesigns

Lisa Kettell Designs Pinterest:
http://www.pinterest.com/moonfaires

Lisa Kettell Designs Twitter:
https://twitter.com/moonfaires

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Be creative, join the fun and win a prize!
xoxo
Lisa

You're One Of A Kind...Altered Notebook

Design Team Project
By Kim Smith

You're One Of A Kind...Altered Notebook

I made this little altered notebook using one of my favorite images from the Seaside CD by Lisa Kettell Designs!  Here's a quick little tutorial on how to make your own....

You're One Of A Kind Altered Notebook

Seaside Images CD by Lisa Kettel Designs
4x6 Composition Book with soft cover
Glue Stick
Glitter Glue
Rhinestones
Tissue Tape
Chalk Inks
Rubber Stamp
Spray Finish
Rayon Ribbon
Asstd Buttons

1. Pick your fav image from the Seaside CD and print it out to match the size of your notebook. In my example, my notebook measures 4x6 inches.
2. Glue the image to your front cover and let glue dry completely. I used a gluestick for mine because it dries quickly.
3. Embellish your image with glitter glue and rhinestones. I typically use flatter embellishments for my little notebooks so they are easy to carry.
4. Use tissue tape (Tim Holtz is used in this example) around the edge of the notebook. It gives a nice clean finish if folded over the edge.
5. Accent edge with chalk inks in desired color.
6. Stamp your message on image. I used Inkadinkado stamp for this project.
7. When all is dry, spray your cover with a clear finish. I used Krylon Low Odor Clear Finish in Matte because I like the soft vintage feel but you could also use a gloss if you prefer.
8. Wrap dyed rayon ribbon around edge of cover, tie at bottom, add fun buttons or charms if desired.

A quick fun project! Please visit Lisa's blog Faerie Enchantment for info on where to buy her fabulous images to make your own altered notebook. xoxo
___________________________________________________________________________________
How fabulous is this project? I love love love this, Now I want to make one too!
xoxo
Lisa!

The Halloween ATC Book!

Here is a project I wanted to complete last Halloween and finally finished it the other day. Its an ATC Accordion book, a variation of a project from my book; Altered Art Circus, Quarry Books!This is a fun and easy project to create using your left over collage images, scrapbook papers and embellishments. In the book I chose a circus/carnival theme, for this one I chose a gothic, yet whimsical Halloween theme using some images from my book, which I photocopied, digital images I made, vintage images and re-made ones, adding bits of paper, recycled leather, vinyl and trims.
The base of the accordion book is made from 2 pieces of matte board (the stuff from frame shops) and sturdy cardstock, which was cut into a 3 1/2 by 2 1/2 strip, folded and sandwiched between the two pieces of matte board, then layered upon with more papers, images and embellishments, I added an additional cover using a hole puncher and jump rings.
I know Halloween has passed, but there is something so magical and Harry Potter like of this holiday, that I can't stop creating around it or incorporating some of its mystery into my other works, mixing it into my next fave season, Christmas!

Try following this project and creating a holiday atc book, a wonderland atc book, or a santa's workshop atc book, so many possibilities out there to explore, a fun project to also do with your children or friends.

For instructions on how to make this and collage images, visit the ATC chapter inside my book: Altered Art Circus, Quarry Books. Visit my flickr for additional collage images inside my free vintage images folder.

Any questions, please let me know,
Magic and Joy,
Lisa!

The Magic of Digital Art!

I adore Amy Knutkowski's digital artwork they are filled with so much magic, I can't seem to pick a favorite.

As many of you know I offer a variety of collage cds for artists to use in their works, along with giving free images on my flickr site ranging from Marie Antoinette to the Circus, Victorian, Fashion Plates and Storybook Covers, plus many more.

One image I offer for free:
Which is called: After The Ball, Sugary Sweet.

Now This is what Amy did with it, adding the image to her digital design:

Amy calls this piece: Afternoon Tea!

So magical, to see more of Amy's work visit:
www.wallflowerimages.blogspot.com

or her flickr gallery at:
http://www.flickr.com/people/amyknutkowski/

For my free images visit my flickr page and either add me as a contact to download them or sign up for a free flickr account, add me as a friend and you'll be able to download:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/moonfaires16

St.Valentine's Day Surprises!

Today I would like to wish everyone a Happy Valentine's Day! As tribute I will touch on the brief history of the day, followed by the earliest Valentines, Valentine Dollies, Sailor's seashell valentines: examples and free Valentine images!

These dolls are now available!

History:
Saint Valentine's Day aka Valentine's Day is an annual holiday held on February 14 celebrating love and affection between intimate companions. The holiday is named after one or more early Christian martyrs named Valentine and was established by Pope Gelasius I in 496 AD. It is traditionally a day on which lovers express their love for each other by presenting flowers, offering confectionery, and sending greeting cards known as "valentines". The holiday first became associated with romantic love in the circle of Geoffrey Chaucer in the High Middle Ages, when the tradition of courtly love flourished.

Modern Valentine's Day symbols include the heart-shaped outline, doves, and the figure of the winged Cupid. Since the 19th century, handwritten valentines have largely given way to mass-produced greeting cards.


Visit the Craft-Critique Blog for the Valentine Blog Carnival:
http://www.craftcritique.com/2010/02/valentine-blog-carnival-call.html

Note: Many of my paper valentines that you see here are made from my recycled papers, newspapers and trims, somewhat of scrapwork valentines. This is a great recycle project for left over papers from a scrapbooking or assemblage project, its a great way to use newspaper and left over holiday trims.

Earliest Valentine Cards/Giving Tradition:
The sending of Valentines was a fashion in nineteenth-century Great Britain, and, in 1847, Esther Howland developed a successful business in her Worcester, Massachusetts home with hand-made Valentine cards based on British models. The popularity of Valentine cards in 19th century America, where many Valentine cards are now general greeting cards rather than declarations of love, was a harbinger of the future commercialization of holidays in the United States. It's considered one of the Hallmark holidays.


The U.S. Greeting Card Association estimates that approximately one billion valentines are sent each year worldwide, making the day the second largest card-sending holiday of the year, behind Christmas. The association estimates that, in the US, men spend on average twice as much money as women.

Sailor's Valentines:
A sailors' valentine is a type of antique souvenir, or sentimental gift, originally brought home from a sailor's voyage at sea for his loved one between 1830 and 1890. Sailor valentines are typically octagonal, glass fronted, hinged wooden boxes ranging from 8" to 15" in width, displaying intricate symmetrical designs composed entirely of small sea shells of various colors glued onto a backing. Patterns often feature a centerpiece such as a compass rose or a heart design, hence the name, and in some cases the small shells are used to spell out a sentimental message.

Although the name seems to suggest that the sailors themselves made these objects, a large number of them originated in the island of Barbados, which was an important seaport during this period. Historians believe that the women there made the valentines using local shells, or in some cases with shells imported from Indonesia, and then the finished products were sold to the sailors.

In his book Sailors' Valentines, John Fondas concludes that the primary source for sailors' valentines was the New Curiosity Shop, located in McGregor Street, Bridgetown, Barbados, and a popular shop where sailors would purchase souvenirs. The shop was owned by the English brothers B.H. and George Belgrave. Fondas' research tells of a sailors' valentine reconstruction, during which the reconstructing artist found pieces of a Barbados newspaper inside the backing.

Today, antique sailors' valentines are collectables, valued for their beauty and unusual qualities. Collector interest has sparked a resurgence in sailors' valentines as an art form, and shell kits and patterns are now sold at craft shops. Many sailors' valentines, both new and old, can be found on Nantucket, Massachusetts.

For more info on seashells and history visit:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Seashell

My Sailor's Valentine in Cloth Paper Scissors January/February 2010:
This valentine was made from an old pie pan, vintage image from my collection which I digitally altered, my clay doll parts (which can be found in my etsy store and website), various shells, found objects, Prima felt borders, vintage piano paper and more!
Here are my original photos:


Enjoy these 2 free images, many more can be found on my flickr site:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/moonfaires16/sets/72157603511546861/




Happy Valentine's Day,
Magic and Joy,
Lisa!