Flutterby dreams

It's been a bit of a funny day today. The power was due to be off in the offices all day for "essential line works" so without computers I decided to have a day off and go to Peterborough........there were a few essential I really needed from Sir Stampalot........OK lame excuse, but what else do you do when you are in the area ?

When I got back at 4ish they told me the electric never went off once and when they rung the electricity people they said the works were cancelled this morning because of the rain. Of course nobody saw the need to tell all the customers of the change of plan.

Now a card for this weeks Tuesday Taggers who have the theme 'Bugs'. I confess I was not sure if butterflies fitted that category, but as some of the DT have used them on their projects I guess the answer is yes. And they are sponsored this week by The Craft Barn who are offering a stamp to the winner.

This card is one I created last week for my demo at Sir Stamplaot using a new butterfly die from Marianne Design which I cut from DP through the Big Shot. I then traced round the cut butterfly and cut out a solid one from glitter paper to make the butterfly more dimensional. I used the same card design to make a couple more for birthday cards but added a broach pin to the back of the butterfly so it could be taken off. Not very practical I know, but fun for the day I thought.

I stamped onto pale yellow bazzil with Hero Arts F5042 Leaf Flourish and H2365 Old French Writing using Hero soft sand and the sentiment is Penny Black 4075 For the Stars using versafaine sepia and embossing with detail clear. The border is Martha Stewart 3 dot scallop and I added eyelets down the side after scoring a 'spine' and tied cord.

Easter chocolates

Hope you all had a good weekend. Judging by all the news I have read about the NEC round blogland, I am thinking there is an awful lot of new stash being pushed around craft desks today.

No NEC visit for me, but I still had a crafty indulgence at Stampalot pawing over yet more new goodies.........you only have to take your eye off the ball for a couple of days and new stash has arrived. So leisurely shopping without the frenetic crowds plus a new Japanese hole punch.

I have resisted buying a new one for weeks since my old one........probably my first 'big' craft purchase many years ago.......gave up the ghost punching more than one sheet. Little did I know when I bought it that the price would come down by £10.......and that what I spent on the original one would be like a drop in the ocean compared with future crafty buys. But needs must.

I have one creation to share which you today which is for this weeks Cupcake Craft Challenge which has the theme of "Spring or Easter - with lots of chocolate" I was tempted to use brown on my card as the chocolate element, but I am still besotted with this new Kaiser Craft DP and wanted to keep my card light and bright, so the chocolate is in the form of a bag of them.

My main image is Penny Black 4076K Gift of Flowers which I stamped several times to decoupage, colouring with a mixture of Prismacolor pencils and Promarkers. The circle sentiment is Hero Arts A4981, the punched border Martha Steward doily lace trim and flowers, pearls and leaves added to embellish. The bag was simply made with a scoreboard and the same image from the card decoupaged and placed on the front.

Fleischer Studios - Gulliver's Travels

The development of Disney's Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs was first disclosed to the world by Walt himself via the New York Times in June of 1934. This was also the year that Max and Dave Fleischer had wanted to counter Walt Disney's announcement and begin work on their own animated feature at their New York-based Fleischer Studios. Their aspirations were thwarted, however, by the Paramount suits who refused to support and distribute anything other than the Fleischer short cartoons.

Yet, with the massive success of Disney's Snow White premiere in 1937, the Fleischers finally got the green light in the spring of 1938. Grim Natwick, the main animator on Disney's Snow White character, returned to the Fleischer Studios to be a part of this feature. Working for the Fleischers was nothing new for Natwick as he was the original animator of their Betty Boop series back in the early thirties.

On December 22, 1939, Paramount Pictures released Fleischer Studios' Gulliver's Travels, and like Snow White, it turned out to be a box-office success. The film is now in public domain.

Watch the entire film below.

Video courtesy of the Internet Archive

Butterflies, birds and bees

Good Morning peeps, hope you are all having a good weekend.

Just in case any of you have missed all my subtle hints, our Stampalot challenge starts on Thursday 1st April when a fantastic prize will be on offer. And there is still chance to enter for the Hero Arts Goody Bag, so if you have not already added your name here's where you need to go.

I have one quick share for you which is for this weeks Penny Black challenge which has the theme "Butterflies and Bees" not sure where the birds got to though eh Kath ? But a lovely theme all the same.

The main image is another of the new releases Penny Black 4042K Daisy fields. The background is stamped (after first stamping off the excess ink) with Hero Arts K5313 Silhouette Ivy using Tim Holtz bundled sage, then the main PB image inked up with Tim Holtz worn lipstick, spritzed with water then stamped over the ivy. The mat was cut with Nesties through the Big Shot and layered over another of the gorgeous new Crate Paper DP's.

Some ribbon laced down one side, gems and two butterflies stamped with Penny Black 3819D Polka Wings onto iridescent vellum and coloured with chalk inks. The swirl is a Sizzix die run through the Big Shot.

Allsorts M&S crafty meal deal

Before

(M&S foil dish, kitchen foil, old book, pearls from old card)

After

One of our new teamies, Helene has set the theme at Allsorts this week and would like to see how we interpret "Rags to Riches". So many of you joined us again last week and it seems you have decided that Allsorts is the in place to be seen lately and we really do appreciate you wonderful support.

I admit to being a bit baffled at first, but when it eventually dawned on me it came together quite well. The flower image is Penny Black 4042K Daisy Fields stamped with black styazon onto acetate. On the reverse I dabbed Adirondack alcohol inks(always the reverse as stayzon and alcohols inks don't mix), then I smeared Diamond Glazed over the top and laid on a piece of ripped book with music notes. I added more Diamond Glaze and laid scrunched up kitchen foil over the whole piece........new foil I might add, I thought it was taking the recycling a step to far to use some that covered last nights dinner in the oven.

Another sheet from the book is punched with Martha Stewart Arched Lattice and shaded with Tim Holtz rusty hinge to act as the DP and the punched flowers also made from a book page and spritzed with Glimmer Mist Flower Power. The leaves and butterflies are punched from the M&S foil dish and coloured with the same alcohol inks as were the pearls.

And I am being a bit cheeky here and entering it for this weeks Tuesday Taggers as it seems to fut their bill perfectly.

Easter bunny basket

This one seems to have taken me forever, spent ages on the DS trying to create the basket with a variety of Cricut cartridges. It's not quite what I had in mind shape wise, but I've faffed enough for one day I think.

The Crate Paper DP is more of the new stock at Sir Stampalot which seems to be walking out of the door quicker than it arrives. Not surprising because it really is yummy, the colours are beautiful, it's double sided and the texture lovely.

I stamped Penny Black 3868J Portraits onto some of the patterned side, cut them out and stuck to the plain panels, the cut out some of the butterflies on the patterned side and decoupaged them adding some glitter. I created the handle using Martha Steward eyelet lace and attached with brads and flowers cut with a stencil through the Big Shot and ribbon on the corners.

My basket fits two challenges Stamping for the Weekend and Everybody Art Challenge who both have the theme Easter.

Snow White Costumes and Cast Members

Today marks the beginning of a new set of posts on Snow White costumes. The series will feature images from the Disney parks, commissioned advertisements, celebrities, Halloween gatherings and anywhere else one might find people adorned in the attire of the princess who started it all. Costumes will run the gamut between the professional garbs worn by Disney cast members to those uniquely one-of-a-kind looks created by fans and fanatics. Kicking off the set are a few images illustrating the range of the costumed Snow White.

A Disney Princess Snow White Deluxe Halloween Costume for girls age 7-9. Retails on the Toys R Us website for $39.99.

An officially Disney-licensed Women’s Snow White Costume sold (but no longer available) at Target stores (catalog #: 10302480)

Bibbidi Bobbidi Boutique is a rather unique salon located inside Disneyland's Sleeping Beauty Castle, at Walt Disney World's Cinderella Castle and in the World Of Disney store at Orlando's Downtown Disney area. Girls get a royal makeover into their favorite princess, for a price.







Disneyland cast members Snow White and the Evil Queen shot by photographer Britt Dietz. Images are from his May 20, 2008 Gallery on the Disneyland Cast Magic site.

Here's a few links to videos from earlier Filmic Light posts featuring cast members in costume: Happily Ever After Performance at Disneyland Paris, Snow White walking in park, Hollywood Snow, and the Evil Queen endures a few autographs.


And finally, Halloween in Hollywood brings out the stars. Here Michelle Trachtenberg is Snow White (with Lydia Hearst as a sort of vampire-ish fairy).

Image via marie claire. Photo credit: Bennett Raglin.

Walt Film and Pixar Story Complete the Set

In the previous post, I mentioned that the new documentary, Waking Sleeping Beauty is coming to theaters tomorrow, March 26th, for a limited run release. The film's focal point of discussion is the ten year period between 1984 to 1994--the ten years in which the Disney Animation Studio experienced a renaissance and a return to its creative prowess.

With this in mind, there are two other films out there that make for perfect bookends to Walking Sleeping Beauty and together, the three almost complete the story of Disney animation up to present day.

The first is the 2001 documentary, Walt: The Man Behind the Myth. Narrated by Dick Van Dyke and featuring interviews with nearly 50 people who knew the man, it is the story of Walt Disney.

The documentary exhibits a tremendous sense of warmth and intimacy. From his 1901 birth in Chicago to his tragic death from lung cancer in 1966, Walt's life story...unfolds as a rich tapestry of photos, stories, and home movies. One can't help being moved by the impact this man has had on the world.  DVD Verdict

Read a review of the film at UltimateDisney.com, and a bonus interview with Walt's daughter Diane Disney Miller at Animated Views.

The second "bookend" is the 2007 film, The Pixar Story. Produced by Leslie Iwerks, the granddaughter of Ub Iwerks, it reveals the alluring tale of how John Lasseter, Steve Jobs and Ed Catmull came together to form what would become the eminently successful Pixar Studios. From the early days of computer animation to the string of blockbuster hits that began with 1995's Toy Story, Iwerks' film is heartwarming, inspiring, and even a bit euphoric. It makes me personally want to run out and buy the latest animation software every time I see it.

Here's the trailer:

And read a 2007 review of the film in Variety.

Both Walt: The Man Behind the Myth and The Pixar Story are on disc although the latter is not readily available as a stand-alone DVD. It was released as an "extra" on the 2008 3-Disc Special Edition of Wall-E and also the 2-Disc Blu-ray. In addition, it can be downloaded from i-Tunes.

Blooming roses

Well whatever happened to Spring ? After a promising start to the week we have rain again.........hubby tells me that's good as we needed it to wash in the fertiliser he spread on the paddocks Monday. I know he's right, but oh for some warmer brighter weather.

I have created quite a quick and simple card following the sketch at Inspiration Card Sketches, but have twisted it a bit which hopefully they won't mind and it still fits the challenge OK. The rose image is Penny Black 3815J and I have coloured the roses with my new Prismacolor pencils drawing on the pastel shades of the Scrapbook Walls DP. I made three roses from the same DP and added a border and corner punched with Martha Steward Eyelet Lace. To embellish, some pearls, punched leaves and Diamond Glaze to the stamped roses.

A Special Blog Buddy Class - Is anyone interested in filling a space that has just come up on Saturday 5th June ? It's something I have organised by special request just for blogging friends and will consist of a whole day's class at Sir Stampalot (normal £25 class fee plus just for this special day, lunch on the go as well) where myself and Chris will be bringing everything along to make some special projects.......they are so special that we have not even decided what they are yet ! Our VIP group are coming from far and wide so if you want in, mail me a.s.a.p. as it will be on a first come basis.

Finally, there is a one last Hero Goody Bag on offer over at Stampalot Challenge blog so don't forget to add your name to be in with a chance of winning.

Waking Sleeping Beauty

Waking Sleeping Beauty is in theaters March 26th for a limited theatrical release in NY, LA, SF, Chicago! Between 1984-1994, an amazing thing happened at Walt Disney Animations--they learned (or remembered) how to make great films again. This documentary, directed by Don Hahn, tells how it happened.

By the mid-1980s, the fabled animation studios of Walt Disney had fallen on hard times. The artists were polarized between newcomers hungry to innovate and old timers not yet ready to relinquish control. These conditions produced a series of box-office flops and pessimistic forecasts: maybe the best days of animation were over. Maybe the public didn't care. Only a miracle or a magic spell could produce a happy ending. Waking Sleeping Beauty is no fairy tale. It's the true story of how Disney regained its magic with a staggering output of hits - "Little Mermaid," "Beauty and the Beast," "Aladdin," "The Lion King," and more - over a 10-year period.  From Walking Sleeping Beauty website

Read an early review of the film at Michael Sporn Animation and see the trailer below.

Yummy new DP's

I'm back again, trying to keep my promise to myself to stay busy and positive, do some crafting and blogging. So for starters a card for this weeks Penny Black challenge which has a sketch designed by Carole.

For some odd reason I always have a mental block working with circles, but am reasonably happy with what I have come up with, well at least it's growing on me. I cut a circle with a Nestie then sponging with Tim Holtz Spun Sugar and Dried Marigold distress inks created a pinwheel effect over which I stamped Penny Black 4041J Purple Folds. I stamped it three more times, cut our two and coloured with a mixture of Marvy pens and the same TH inks then dabbed all over with Versamark Dazzle Frost and spritzed with Glimmer Mist pearl which blended the colours and made the pieces pliable to shape before layering them onto the main image.

The Crate Paper DP's are from their yummy new range which somehow found their way home from Stampalot with me at the weekend. Do check them out because the designs and colours are just divine and the quality and texture lend themselves brilliantly to the Martha Stewart punches. I stamped Penny Black 3857H over the corner of the reverse DP and a sentiment which is from an unmounted Hero set. Some ribbon and a pearl pin made up with a hat pin from Spellbound (link on sidebar) to embellish.

Candy for my wonderful friends and followers

I promised some Blogaversary candy and at last I have got it together. It's a year ago this week that I sat down at my computer one Sunday morning, a bit bored after a great demo'ing session the previous day, saw an icon that said "Create Blog" and ten minutes later Floral Fantasies had been created.

I was amazed how easy it was and I was not prepared at all, I had no blog name planned as I thought the process would take days.......so some quick thinking about the projects I created........floral.......fantasy.......and there was was my blog name. And a year on I have met some wonderful friends both in person and in the cyber world, have an amazing number of followers of my blog and as a special thank you to each and every one of you some candy. Here's what's included.

1)4 Personal Impressions Spring animal stamps 2)sheet of wedding, stamps 3)sheet elegant ladies stamps 4)sheet leaf and flourish stamps 5) set swirl stamps, fashion stamp 6) K & Co DP pad 7)Fiskars fancy circle punch 8)flower blooms 9)ribbons 10)roses 11)embossed cards and envelopes 12)Adirondack dabber,

Good luck, please add your name to Mr Linky, add a piccy of my candy to your blog to help spread the word and if you are not already a follower just sign up. If you don't have a blog please leave a comment with your e.mail addy and you will be included in the Random Org., draw on Monday 5th April.

Spring Daffodils

Good afternoon everyone, I do hope you are having a good weekend. As some of you know I did a demo day at Sir Stampalot yesterday and apart from having a great day I had such a wonderful surprise...........Clare- Littlebear Crafts travelled all the way from Rugby to visit us. I had no idea she was coming and was utterly lost for words at first......then it sunk in and I could not have been more surprised.

Unfortunately when you are deep in demo mode with an audience waiting to see what you do next, it's not easy to chat too much........probably just as well as we would could have talked for England, but it really was fantastic to see you Clare. Thank you so much for coming and to your lovely husband for driving you and dear little son who was an angel.

On to this weeks new challenge at Rosie D's where I am continuing with my Think Spring theme and this time I would like to see projects with the colour combo:

Green, Yellow and White

I would love to see more of your interpretations of this lovely time of year and as always your project can be anything crafty so long as you have made it yourself. And one lucky winner will receive a MFT stamp set from this months sponsor Sir Stampalot.

You might remember that a few weeks ago I told you I made something with daffodils using the images provided by Digital Ink who were the sponsors for that challenge, only to remember that the theme was Just for Men. So this week I have the opportunity to share with you what I made with those images.

I printed the daffodil image out several times so that I could decoupage them after colouring with Copics. The box was cut from Cricut Wild Card and the papers used on the box and easel card is from Polkadoodles Back to Nature CD and I added acetate to the window of the box. The border is Martha Steward embossed butterflies and the corners Sizzix dies run through the Big Shot.

Old Witch Caged at the Villain's Lair

Video posted by TwilightZoneAnaheim

This question about the caged Witch was asked of Disney Chief Archivist Dave Smith and comes from the Disney Archives and Mysteries blog...

Q: I've seen over the years at Disneyland a cage that held the Hag from Snow White. When the cage was rattled, she would come to life and try to bribe folks to let her out by promising to show how to "turn water to gasoline." Who made this and what was the reason? Reid, Ben Lomond, California

A [Dave Smith]: The Witch in the cage was originally made by the former WED Display and Design Department at Walt Disney World, under Jim McNalis, for use in 1975 Emporium windows in the Magic Kingdom park promoting Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs. When the Disneyana Shop opened on Main Street, U.S.A. at Disneyland in 1976, the Witch, animated and with added audio, moved west to become a major display piece in that shop. Later on it was used in the Villain's Lair shop in Fantasyland and Le Bat en Rouge in New Orleans Square.

From Snow White/Witch collector Kurt Raymond...

That Old Witch was in the cage at Disneyland's Main Street's Emporuim when I was 11 in 1977.  My dad, being that he was not shy, asked a cashier if she was for sale after I BEGGED him to see. The woman brought a manager out who quoted him $5000.00. We passed, obviously. 

PS: Rumor has it, that Michael Jackson paid a small fortune for an exact replica in HIS house

 _____________

A Witch mural, based on Gustaf Tenggren's original inspiration art, also graced the Villain's Lair shop in Fatasyland...from approximately 1998-2004.

DISNEY VILLAIN'S SHOP WITCH MURAL ABOVE THE ENTRANCE, 1999
 Image courtesy of The Raymond Collection. Used with permission.

The Goddess of Spring

Image copyright Disney via The Encyclopedia of Disney Animated Shorts

What could be better than the Silly Symphony return of Persephone here on the Spring Equinox? It is well known that in 1934, three years before the release of Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, Walt Disney's The Goddess of Spring served as a testing ground for his animators. Since they'd had only limited experience with drawing believable human characters, practice on Persephone would eventually lead to perfection--but not at first.

The characters were designed by Albert Hurter [the studio's first inspirational sketch artist], who suggested certain poses and gestures that the animators were not yet skilled enough to emulate. After realizing that a greater knowledge of anatomy was required in order to produce believable human animation, [Walt] hired Don Graham, who held anatomy classes in order to prepare the animators for their first feature.
Source: The Disney Wiki

Artist Model Sheet. Copyright Disney.

The artistic advancements made in those three years of course proved prodigious when Snow White finally hit the big screen.

Video copyright Disney provided by Pokellan

From Stephanie Stewart :

I just wanted to let you know that for the record, my Grandmother, Diana Gaylen, was the one who did the singing for this particular Disney short...It seems that they didn't give those kind of credits back then. Diana Gaylen was widely known in the 30's and 40's, for both her stage performances and her behind the scenes work in many movies singing for the stars. Anthony Adverse is one you might have heard of, she did the singing for Olivia DeHavilland.
Source: The Encyclopedia of Disney Animated Shorts

Spring for Allsorts 43

Saturday's here again and another challenge at Allsorts and hopefully this post will pop up as scheduled and I will be at Sir Stampalot sharing my passion for getting messy with Tim.......in my dreams at least, just his inks in reality.

Amanda has chosen the theme of Spring this week and it really does look like it is almost with us now at long last and I actually saw the first daffodil showing colour in the garden yesterday.

I have made another easel card, it's one of the new shapes that I find so elegant and easy to work with. Plus they do stand so nicely. The background for the main image which is Penny Black 4036K has been created by masking and colouring with Brilliance inks orchid, thyme and yellow and spritzed with Glimmer Mist pearl before removing the masks to stamp the image.

The larger piece was stamped randomly with one of the butterflies from Penny Black 30-048 using using versafine and detail clear embossing powder. I then distressed with Tim Holt worn lipstick, mustard seed and peeled paint........as the brilliance inks do not work well with this technique I experimented with colours and found these actually match the brilliance colours really well. Again I spritzed with the same GM.

I stamped and cut out more of the poppy flower heads, coloured with Brilliance orchid and decoupaged, adding some swirls and leaves. The border punch is Martha Stewart 3 dot scallop.

And don't forget, if you not already entered for this weeks Stampalot Candy of a Hero Arts Goody Bag you still have time.

Snow Nouveau - Goddess Pin

The Vernal Equinox is fast approaching here in the northern hemisphere and with it comes images of the Goddess of Spring, Persephone. Let's revisit a couple of the "goddess-themed" works of Alphonse Mucha, one of the main visionaries responsible for the birth of the Art Nouveau movement during the late 19th and early 20th century.

Image of Mucha in his Rue du Val-de-Grace studio, Paris 1903

Model posing in his studio, 1898


Many of his works evoke a certain female deity appreciation. Two in particular, Ivy and Laurel, could have been patterned after subjects right out of the Greek Pantheon.

 A. Mucha, Ivy, color lithograph 1901

A. Mucha, Laurel, color lithograph 1901

Just over a century after Mucha created these two lithographs, it appears that the Disney artist who designed the 2004 Snow White pin (below) chose to cast it in the likeness of the original pieces.

"Halo of Hearts" Princess Profile, limited edition 1,000 gold-finished pins, Disney Auctions, 2004. 

View details on Pin Pics. Pin #30247

I've certainly become a fan of depictions of Snow White in goddess form. See another princess deity design from 2004, Snow White Woodland Goddess pin #32220.

Owl be getting messy fingers

Funny how things turn out, must be second sight because I spent a lot of time last week getting my DT work done early and am I so pleased I did because I am really struggling to create anything half acceptable this week let alone blog. Sorry folks, I am trying I promise and will visit soon.

I heard from the hospital yesterday and they hope to be able to do my ultrasound and scan next week, but the sigmoidoscopy can't be done until the middle of April because of the huge backlog they have due to their ongoing virus issue and department closures. I tried speaking with them to see if I could go to another hospital, but they can't refer me outside the GP's catchment area and the cost of the scans/tests privately is astronomical.

Clearly it does not look like any quick answers for me, but life can't stand still and I have to try and get positive with some sort of normality back into life, so I have decided there is no point cancelling my demo day at Stamplaot tomorrow. If you are in the area between 10-4, do pop in to say hello and of course feast your eyes on all the goodies the new shop has to offer. I intend getting messy fingers indulging myself in inks and the like and sharing some of my favourite background and stamping techniques. And afterwards an Indian with Sir and Lady Stampalot, so something good to look forward to.

On to my card which is for this weeks Polkadoodle where the boss Nikky has set the theme and given us a sketch with a wicked twist - "Use four shapes which MUST interlock/mat and layer over each other in some way" and use blue and brown. I can tell you it had some of us scratching our heads for a day or so.

I have used the Mr Twitty section of the new Paper Boutique CD. This section is all blues and browns, so hopefully I am safe. Mr Twitty has been decoupaged, the mats all cut with Nesties through the Big Shot. The border is Martha Stewart arched lattice and the corner a Sizzix die. Ribbons and buttons added to embellish.

Poppy and butterflies

Good Afternoon peeps, a share of a card I made for Sir Stampalot using some of the new Penny Black stamps and new colours of distress inks which I think fits this weeks Penny Black challenge of Spring. And this weeks ABC challenge is "Q for Quotation" so I am hoping the French quotations behind the poppy head counts here.

The other day I alluded to not feeling too well so to explain my absence in blogland lately, I had what I thought was a minor problem, but Monday evening my GP sent me to hospital and it seems it's not quite as simple as I hoped. I need to see yet another specialist, have scans and tests, but typical NHS, the whole hospital is on some sort of alert due to a rampant virus. No visitors have been allowed in the hospital since last week apparently, so I was sent home again yesterday afternoon as wards are closed, all admissions expect emergencies cancelled and as a result even urgent appointments are backing up.

I am trying my best to lose myself in crafting, but inevitably the headless chicken syndrome has kicked in and what I am producing leaves a lot to be desired, hence what I am sharing today was created last week. Afraid I can't get my head round blogging so apologies to everyone.

So my card, I created the background by stamping the butterfly from Penny Black 30-048 with versamark and embossing with detail clear, then distressing with TH distress inks Wild Honey and Bundled Sage and an overspray of Glimmer Mist Pearl to bleed the colours.

The panels for the poppy image Penny Black4036K were created with masking using the same inks and GM, then removing the masking tape before stamping the image. The border is Martha Stewart embossed butterflies and I used the tiny punched out butterflies to scatter around the main panel.

New Hero candy to be won

A really quick post to let you all know that I have posed the winner of last weeks Hero Goody Bag on the Stamplaot Challenge Blog and there is more candy be won again this week. So please pop over and join in the fun.

Sorry for my lack of activity the last week, I have not been feeling too well......not really something I can share at the moment. As a result motivation none too good and Mr Mojo noticeable in his absence. So not much been happening in the way of crafty activity and even less on the blogging front, but hopefully I will put that right soon and meanwhile thank you all all for your support, it means a great deal to me.

Snow White in Sand

Holland has some lovely sandy shores along the English Channel. So much so that every September, the town of Noordwijk aan Zee with its 12 km long beach hosts the European Sand Sculptures Festival. The event attracts some of the best sand artists from around the world as well as over 200,000 visitors. The international carving teams create beautiful, grand, yet fleeting works of art. The results are stunning. The sculptures evoke something reminiscent of Tibetan or Navajo sand paintings, not in style, but in the impermanence and almost spiritual nature of the artwork.

In 2008, eight carving teams had the task of creating sculptures with a Disney motif, a number of which were princess-themed including one of Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs--sculpted by Jiri Kaspar, Jakub Zimacek and Olga Kolot. 

Dwarfs...

Image courtesy of der_wigger. Used with permission. 

 

 Image courtesy of der_wigger. Used with permission. 

The Witch...

Image copyright ♥siebe ©

Snow White and the Prince... 

Image copyright Harm Frielink

 Image copyright ♥siebe ©

Spring daffodils

Good Morning everyone, this is a really quick post before we head of the The Smoke to spend the day with two of our boys.

When I saw the sketch at this weeks Friday Sketchers I though they must have second sight because what I had been working with matched perfectly. It is one of the new stamps that landed at Sir Stamplaot this week Hero F5352 Sweet Daffodils. It's only a small stamp, but such a pretty shape. I stamped three times with versafine black and embossed with detail clear, the coloured with Twinking H2o's and decoupaged the flowers.

I used some more of the new Magnolia DP's, this one has daffodils so matches perfectly and used Martha Stewart eyelet lace to punch the border and added ribbon and gems.

And don't forget tomorrow I will be doing the draw for more Her Arts candy, if you have not entered your name yet there is still time here.

Allsorts challenge 42

Our teamie Lisa has come up with a great colour combo for the theme at Allsorts this week - Black, Pink and White.

Before I go into what I did with my card I need to explain the strange shadows which are not defects on the card as it looks.......it was sun, yep we had two days of sun earlier this week with real shadows. Wow, it was wonderful.

The layout of my card is a style I often use, but I feel it lends itself well to this type of image which is one I really love from Rubber Stampede 3942 Woman in Repose. I stamped her very simple with versfaine black and added a touch of pink watercolour to remove the stark whiteness of her face. Down the side if the card I stamped Hero G3316 Harlequin and Hobby Art GR1341 Shakespeare Sonnet and round the edges with JudiKins 3347F Doodle with Hero shadow ink blossom.

The border is punched from Kaiser DP using Martha Stewart doily lace trim and the roses made from the same DP which is double sided. I added some tiny roses, punched leaves, ribbon and pearls to embellish.

Snow Boop?...or Maybe Betty White?

If Snow White and Betty Boop were morphed into one embodiment by the evil witch, this could very well be their doppelganger. Illustration by cinematic artist Adam Koford of Hobotopia.

Creative Commons image courtesy of Ape Lad

Polkadoodles 10

Before I tell you all about the new challenge at Polkadoodles I need to remind you that we have more Hero candy on offer here. So it you have not already added your name there is still time before the draw on Monday.

My Doodly teamie Fliss would like to see projects to celebrate a milestone age birthday or anniversary. The new Paper Boutique is selling like hot cakes and every time Nikky takes it to C&C it's a sell out and I have used it as the basis for my DT card this week.

I also combined some stamping using the Back to Nature stamp set. First off, I stamped the swirl and flower round the edges of a piece of white cardstock with versamark and embossed with detail clear. I then distressed with one of the new Tim Holtz Victorian Velvet and and Bundled Sage, two of the lush new colours. The flowers were stamped onto the green and pink papers, cut out and layered onto a 'stem' made with a Sizzix die run through the Big Shot. I added cord, punched leaves and pearls and a 21st birthday sentiment from the same CD.

Fleischer Studios - Betty Boop as Snow White

Around 1915, Max Fleischer invented the rotoscope technique where live-action film movement is traced frame by frame to create lifelike animations. Max and his brother Dave developed their first character, Koko the Clown using this method, and in 1921, founded Out of the Inkwell Films (later Fleischer Studios). The studio became well known for its human characters (as opposed to the anthropomorphized mice, cats, dogs, ducks and pigs of the other animation rivals). In its prime, the Fleischers--with characters like Betty Boop, Popeye and Superman--were the only serious competition for Walt Disney.

In 1933, the Fleischers produced their own version of Snow White featuring Ms. Boop as the, um, "princess" and a song, Saint James Infirmary Blues, sung by Cab Calloway. The real artistic talent behind this film was not, however, Natwick or the Fleischer brothers, but rather animator Roland Crandall.

Dave Fleischer was credited as director, although virtually all the animation was done by Roland Crandall. Crandall received the opportunity to make Snow White on his own as a reward for his several years of devotion to the Fleischer studio, and the resulting film is considered both his masterwork and an important milestone of The Golden Age of American animation. "Snow White" took Crandall 6 months to do.

The film has been deemed "culturally significant" by the United States Library of Congress and selected for preservation in the National Film Registry. In 1994 it was voted #19 of the 50 Greatest Cartoons of all time by members of the animation field. The film is now in public domain. Source: Wikipedia

Watch the film below.


Video courtesy of the Internet Archive

It's interesting to note that it was 1934 when Grim Natwick went to work for Walt Disney as the primary animator of his Snow White character. But four years earlier, Natwick was actually employed by the Fleischer's as the original top animator of Betty Boop.

Hues of green and purple

Good Aftrenoon peeps, hope everyone is having a good day. Not a lot of sunshine today, rather dull but at least not as cold. Could Spring be here ? My hubby was reading something on the tinernet this morning which said most spring bulbs and flowers were four weeks behind this time last year. Judging by those in our gardens that sounds about right, most are very reluctant still.

I have a cold - woke up with the sneezes and by mid morning it was in full swing, guess I am in the fashion as lots of peeps have them. It's my bloggaversary at the end of the month and was planning getting some candy thank yous up today, but not that organised so hope to get it up here later this week.

So, just one quick card, don't really feel in the mood with this cold and it's for Everybody Art Challenges which this week has a recipe "Two flowers, two DP's and two buttons".

Good old Penny Black 4040K Sparklers again.........can see this one becoming a real favourite.........could it be anything to do with the fact it's not unlike Stampendous P107 I wonder ? And the card is a similar take on one I did at the weekend using masking, this time with Tim Holtz distress inks dusky concord and shabby shutters, spritzed with Glimmer Mist pearl to blend the colours and stamped the image with Versafine imperial purple. The sentiment is Penny Black 2905H The Best stamped with the same ink, then I very lightly dabbed the same two TH inks with a sponge to give a shadow effect around the writing. I also stamped some dragonflies with Penny Black 3395D.

The background DP is from stash so no idea of the make and the green spotty one punched with Fiskars threading water is from the new Polkadoodle Paper Boutique CD. Two buttons and ribbon added to the centre of the two flower heads to embellish.

Snow White Washing Steps Mural

Snow White washes the stairs near the wishing well from one of the beginning scenes of the film. This mural is located behind one of the cashier check-out counters (which is designed to look like the wishing well) at the World of Disney store, Downtown Disney in Orlando.

 

Images from personal collection. Updated February 2011.

Exciting Stampalot challenge news

Well here I am at last as promised, been a long slow haul getting anything done today and been really busy at the office, typical Monday and has taken me forever to get this post ready.

But I know that you are all waiting to see who the winner of last weeks Hero Arts Goody Bag is........well to find out you have to go here............yes at last we can introduce the Sir Stampalot Challenge Blog. And that's where the new candy will be on offer for the coming week.

But before you head off, please join me in welcoming the very talented Design Team who have all been at boiling point wanting to share their news with the world so here they are - in alphabetical order so they don't squabble - not my fault my name starts with a 'B':

Brenda

Chris

Clare

Francesca

Lorraine

Pinky

Sally

Tracy

Please feel free to list our new logo above and I do hope you have all noticed a slight change from what we planned.........the challenge is going to be every month starting on 1st April.

Happily Ever After Performance - Disneyland Paris

From Christmas season 2009...

 

Video courtesy of filipv