The Wonderland Chronicles!

Before Alice fell down the rabbit hole, chasing after the white rabbit who is actually the grandson of S. W. Rabbit, and great great grandson of Elmerious Rabbit, before the mad tea party which was retold in carroll's story, Wonderland was more then a countryside fantasy trap of riddles and rhymes, all in the hopes of Alice finding her way back home....................

Wonderland was a mysterious place, one wrapped in secrets and hidden labrinyths, good against bad, friend or enemy, what lays underneath the green hat, could be a never ending hole, a time travel back to Cheshire E. Cat's first of his 9 lives, inside his apothecary shoppe at the corner of Pigeonwood Court and Tweedle Pine Lane, inside Wonderland City.

No one knows what's lurking behind every corner, keep your magic near by for you never know when you will need it. Come with me and visit Sir Wilford Humpty's Photographie Studio and glimpse through his cabinet of cards, and read about the wonderland chronicles.

Pictured here is The Queen of Hearts, a few feet from her croquette field, which is always having its roses painted!Pictured here are Addie and Austin Rockfellow, part of the Hatter Family!Here is young Madson Hatter, practicing magic at his first tea party. Later he would become known as The Mad Mad Hatter.
Here is young Cheshire, and a young age, in the beginning of his first life, followed by Fiona and Lucinda's Grandmother and Alice's Grandmother Hailey.The Wonderland Chronicles, Wonderland City by Lisa Kettell!

Welcome to Wonderland City, This is the place you never saw or heard about in Lewis Carroll's Story: Alice In Wonderland.

On a recent discovery of an old chest, I found hidden chronicles which have started to un-covered the real story of Wonderland, a secret world filled with magic and loads of secrets!

Valentine and Queen of Hearts Swap Finals!
I hosted three valentine style swaps, we had a few late arrivals and some no-shows, so they didn't get out on a timely delivery, but they are all done, except for the Queen of Hearts Banner Swap, which I had to make up some extra banner pieces to take place of the missing ones. I cam currently attaching them to their ribbons now.

Here are some of the ATC's in the atc swap:

These next ones are my contribution to the ATC Swap:The Candyland Kewpie ATC is one of my fave's, made using my newest kewpie additions: The Sweet Chocolate Kewpies, which remind me of edible chocolate!
Here's a sneak peak at the banner swap:
The following photos are of my contribution to the Banner Swap:
Here is a preview of some of the postcards from the Valentine Postcard Swap:


The ATC's went out today, the postcards will go out Thursday and the Banner out on Friday! So glad I hosted these swaps, so many talented people joined in on it!

Magic and Joy,
Lisa!

Circus Cupie Scrapbook Layout!


A scrapbook layout I made using scrapbook papers from my line, Lisa Kettell Designs:

Sweet Shoppe Carnival:
Queen of Pink

Sweet Shoppe Carnival:
Pink Candy Crowns

Along with my doll parts embellishments:
Full length flat back cupie, pink hair
Flat back carnival cupie head, pink hair
Flat back lion master cupie head

Vintage fairy image from my collage cd:
Fairytale Follies

Other materials/supplies used:
Crepe paper rosettes I made using my pleat and fold technique, chipboard lettering, red rick rac, trims, felt, colorbok and K& Company pieces, glitter, zip dry, kids choice glue, fabri-tac from Beacon Adhesives, along with other bits and pieces.

The images and paper were attached together using zip dry, the felt pieces using fabric tac and the heavier items using kids choice glue.

I hope you enjoyed my layout and create your own 3d scrapwork of art using my products and products from other fabulous companies!
Magic and Joy,
Lisa!

Queen of Hearts Banner Swap!

Queen of Hearts Banner Swap! This is my banner design for the Queen of Hearts Garland Banner Swap, that I am hosting! There are 4 slots left in the banner swap!

The pieces were made using paper from my scrapbook line, cupie doll from my embellishments line, crepe paper, pom pom garland, embellishments, trims, ribbons, felt, glitter and paint.

I will make 11 more of these for each banner!

All 12 participating artists will make 12 of the same banner pieces for the swap, the result will be a Queen of Hearts themed banner made up of 12 different components of artwork revolving around this theme. The pieces will be attached to a main ribbon and be accompanied by a few extra surprises that I will top it off with, then sent back to the individual!

Come join the swap, deadline to sign up is in a few weeks, however , slots are filling so that deadline could be sooner!

I do have some supplies available in my artfire and etsy stores to make your banners, The flat back Cupie full size dolls, Cupie Heads, etc, I made here are available, if you would like some to use in your banners check my stores or contact me for ordering some. The cupie heads range in price from: $4.95 for a pack of 5 to $5.25, the full size dolls range in price from: $5.95 to $6.95


Magic and Joy,
Lisa!

3 Valentine Swaps for you to join!


To start let's ring in the New Year and Valentine's Day with a vintage style Valentine ATC Swap and Valentine Postcard Swap!


VINTAGE VALENTINE ATC SWAP
Sign up Deadline: Feb. 5
Swaps need to be sent no later then Feb. 11

-Think vintage valentines, lace doilies, paper doilies, paper dolls, chocolate hearts, cherries, crepe paper, vintage Dennison, etc.

This is a 2 for 2 swap ( make 2 atc's get 2 atc's back )
After sign up ends, you will be assigned swap partners

QUEEN OF HEARTS GARLAND SWAP
Sign up Deadline: Feb 1
Swaps need to be sent no later then Feb. 5

-Think vintage valentines,paper dolls, foil crowns, gilded crowns, dazzling tiara's, Queen of Hearts, Valentine Queens, Vintage Red Prom Dresses, crepe paper, vintage Dennison, etc.

This is 12 for 12 swap. We will each make 12 of the same or close to the same pieces that will hang from a ribbon and turned into a banner. Example, have you seen name and birthday banners made from card stock triangles, circles, squares with lettering on them?
Each piece base should not be bigger then 5 inches by 5 inches, its okay if you have ruffled papers, trims, etc hanging off your pieces.

Each of you will receive 12 pieces back, including the ribbon to hang/glue your banner pieces off of.

These pieces will be shipped directly to me, organized and shipped back out w/return shipping fee of $3.00 for US, $4.00 Canada, $6.00 Euro. This fee includes the ribbon, re-packaging, etc.

VALENTINE POSTCARD SWAP
Sign up Deadline: Feb. 5
Swaps need to be sent no later then Feb. 11

Make 5 valentine postcards, get 5 back, they don't have to be the same.
You will be assigned 5 swap partners

Think vintage postcards and valentines, costume parties, and candy shoppes.

_____________________________________________________
Remember, each swap item you send shows the amount of time you put into it. Many swappers put time into their creations, let's all respect each others time and efforts.

Sign Ups:
Leave your name in this post and tell me which one or ones you want to sign up for! If you prefer emailing me, facebook me or flickr me, you may do that as well. Once the deadlines are up I will assign the partners and inform you! When signing up I need your email!

xoxo
Lisa!

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!