Wizard of Oz Christmas Cards

I signed up for a Wizard of Oz Christmas card exchange with my Oz group and started making them as soon as we started talking about getting one together. I'm glad I did, they're already on their way! They didn't have to be homemade, but I'm a card-maker, so I was excited to make them. I've been holding on to a ton of Oz scrapbooking paper and was more than happy to dive into it and get to cutting.

I started with 4" x 5-1/2" natural-colored pre-made card stock. I love that earthy color, it makes the vintage look more authentic. I cut the images a bit smaller and used pinking sheers for one side. My little cutter doesn't cut true lines, so this helps mask the imperfection. I stamped and embossed a pair of silver shoes on each image (a nod to the original book version), then inked the edges with Tim Holtz Distress Ink, Vintage Photograph (by Ranger Inks)

Two holes were punched along the side for a pretty piece of red ribbon. It was a nice little splash of color for the outside as well as the inside.

Here's a close-up of the stamped and embossed silver shoes. I think it makes the card.

For the inside I cut a square of striped paper, stamped and embossed the sentiment, and didn't forget to add Toto, too!

I made a tag/label for the back that has the name of our club by cutting a square, rounding the corners with my corner chomper, inked the edges then signed and dated each one.

When they were sealed I placed unique Oz stickers on the back of the envelopes. I've had these forever as well, so it was good to put them to use.

I like these so much I want to make more for general purposes and to have on hand for other occasions. Goodness knows I have enough paper.

Gibbs

Gibbs is home.

Winnie

Winnie, another of my grandoggers, is missing Gibbs. Part of our morning routine is that she’d come into my room and lay down to the left of me, Gibbs on my right. Then I’d sing them their own little ditty (don’t judge me), and when I was done they’d reach over me, meeting in the middle. And kiss. This morning Winnie jumped on my bed and kept looking over at Gibbs’ spot. I sang to her, but she just couldn’t seem to muster any enthusiasm.

 

When I fixed her breakfast she wouldn’t eat at first. She kept walking around the kitchen and then went over and sat near Gibbs’ bed we keep by the sliding glass door. (We kept beds all over the house for him because of his old arthritic bones.) It took her awhile, but she finally ate.

I keep telling her Gibbs is all gone, making the hand motions we do when we give them treats and they’re all gone. I don’t know what else to do but to acknowledge that I understand she’s looking for her buddy.

Gibbs

 

Gone, very peacefully, is my shadow. No more following me around every single time I take a step. No more peeking into the bathroom to make sure I haven’t gone anywhere in the last five seconds. No more good morning pawing to get me out of bed and into the kitchen. Gone is the boy who revealed to us that, yes, your other two dogs (part of our family a few years before Gibbs joined us), do indeed know how to howl, duh.

Gibbs was a rescue who came from an abusive home who in return rescued us. Thanking Gibbs for the unconditional love he gave us and for being my constant companion when I didn’t even know I needed one.

 Rest in peace, Gibbers, we love you.

Over The Rainbow

Lauri, my best friend in the whole-wide world (we’ve been friends about 45 years), has been taking piano lessons to freshen up her skills. She isn’t the sentimental type, I actually make her say “I love you” back once in a while. So you can imagine the amount of Kleenex I went through when this showed up in my in-box. I love anything Wizard of Oz, this is now my new favorite Oz thing I own!

By the way, we both love telling people this little snippet from our lives: When I was 4 months pregnant with my identical twin daughters Lauri called me up and said, “You aren’t gonna outdo me on this, I’m having twins, too!” I thought she was kidding, but nope, she had identical twin boys!

P.S. No need for alarm, the dude in the plastic bag is left over from Halloween.

Salinas Has A Book Store!

Since the closing of Borders in Seaside as well as a few independent book stores, the closest book store we've had the last year or so was about a 45-minute drive to Gilroy. So you can understand why we're so excited to have discovered the Book Nook! It's an awesome used book store, very organized and the owner is wonderful. I haven't met the male half of the business yet, but the woman really knows her stuff. The best part? The prices are reasonable! She doesn't charge any more than Savers or Goodwill does, so she will be getting a lot of business from us and we will be donating to the store to help keep them going.

I love being able to support local businesses. Next time we go I'm bringing this magnetic rosette I made for them using their business card for the center. I am determined for them to be successful, so if you're in the area of 521 South Main Street here in Salinas, stop by and buy some books!

New Glasses *sigh*

So I ordered a pair of glasses from coastal.com, red frames and all. I love the frames...

but not the chips. *sigh*

I spoke with a representative, who was very helpful. I should be getting a replacement in the next couple of weeks. I already sent these back and hoping I shouldn't have maybe waited on that, we'll see. My daughters ordered from them and their glasses are awesome, so I'm hoping this is a fluke.

UPDATE 11-05-12: I received my replacement glasses and they're perfect! Yay!