Corners of my Wonderland...

I've been doing a lot of fun little ephemera projects lately. I have piles of paper and supplies scattered around the shop, and home, and stuffed into a large paper shopping bag
(which reminds me, I need a better filing system...I wonder if I should buy one, or make my own?)
I have always loved working with paper, and have always saved all my scraps to glue and re-use and make into a million other projects...

bliss sigh bliss

I just love it...
I also love making things for my home, and like I said to Liz yesterday, I am worried I'm decorating my home within an inch of it's life...and yet, it wasn't until around the holidays, I looked around at my house, and realized that I do not have many of my own art pieces up. I stopped doing "art" that one would hang on the wall quite a long time ago.
Just gave it right up
I guess, in favor of other life things.
When I started tapping into my creativity after my divorce (as a way to connect more with myself and keep me from going totally crazy) I started sewing...which is lovely and fun...
but paper?
2 dimensional art?
Well...

Come with me down the Rabbit Hole...

This latest series was inspired by Lewis Carroll's books, Alice's Adventures in Wonderland and Through The Looking Glass.

I found a ugly ratty copy with the original illustrations, and set to work...It was not easy to black out words and phrases, as I love Carrolls writing, and I find it near impossible to cross out anything because it's all so very lovely and poetic and just plain...well, perfectly Alice.






These blocks are each double sided...one lovely Alice bit on each side...with matching paper.

The above one is the Contents with just hearts.

This one says:

Several little nice wild beasts would hold you sooner or later.

What a curious feeling!

One side asked outloud;
and in another moment
Alice remained thoughtfully at the mushroom
and, as it was perfectly round however,
she stretched her arms around it as far as they would go

The cat only grinned
"cheshire puss"
grinned a little wider
pleased so far

(and I made a little sticker in the corner that says "can you stand on your head?" because that was my favorite part from the Disney movie)

because of his great wig he did not look at all comfortable
and it was certainly not becoming
thought Alice,
and she said this two or three times over to herself

Tell him-

Alice
"would you tell me"

Alice said timidly,

"why are you painting those roses?"

The same conversation dropped
over all the silence
shaking it every now and then
two days wrong

Shout out

shake a hug
They were dancing round in a ring,
this seemed quite natural,
and she was surprised to hear music,
it seemed to come from the trees,
like fiddles and fiddlesticks.

With a little "Oh" of surprise-
I'm nearly sure
I feel somehow
as if I were invisible-

Squeaking with great curiosity to see,
"It is the voice of my child,
my Lilly,
my imperial kitten!"

And I love these last two, because it's Alice before and then after she steps through the looking glass...







I used many fun patterned papers and stickers...plus three dimensional flower stickers, alphabet and clock stickers, and assembled the whole thing in this amazing hanging frame set I got from Ikea...and realized as soon as I unpacked it, that I do indeed want to do more of these projects. So, next time I go down to The Valley, I must get both more heart rugs, and more of these frames!

I hung the entire piece in a corner of my bedroom near where I sleep...

I love this piece gently swinging and twisting so I can indeed see each individual picture. Plus, I love Alice about as much as I love the Wizard of Oz...

So, there you go!

PS. I just heard a New Order song being used for a Reeces Peanut Butter Cup commercial...now, peanut butter and chocolate are one of my favorite combinations...but New Order?

Oh no...I'm not getting old am I?