Wizard of Oz Note Cards

Someone contacted me and asked if they could buy some Wizard of Oz cards similar to the ones I made last Christmas. We had several conversations about it and I made two sets of eight blank note cards so they could choose which one they liked best. Then that person flaked and even ignored my emails. Just tell me you don't want them, geez.

So I shared photos of them with the Oz club I belong to and sold the top set! It really gave my crafting ego a boost. And the person who bought them is the founder of a major Oz convention, so, extra booster. I'm so appreciative for the sale, it came at a good time.

Wizard of Oz and Close Friends

Michael's had a great selection of Wizard of Oz stuff, so I scooped up some of it for my card-making and scrapbooking. There was so much I could have brought home with me, but I'm trying to thin the collection because I have nowhere to display it. So I passed it by. *sigh* Anyway, I was proud of myself I was able to put a bunch of stuff back I had initially grabbed.

The two kits to make Dorothy's house and the Emerald City were the most difficult to put back. It would be fun to put those together with the movie playing in the background. But I'm honestly okay with not having them. I have so much Wizard of Oz packed away, what good is it doing me if I can't even see it? Time to do some donating.

On to other things. One of my most precious friends came over and gave me some neat word clear stamps and a button embossing folder, so cool! But the thing I was most excited about was her handmade card. It's rare I receive things other people craft, so this really touched my heart. She did such a great job, I love the flower brads and rhinestones she added. The scalloped pieces she cut from her dies add just the right touch.

And that sticker in the inside? It could not be more perfect at depicting us when we were teens! Of course, the sentiment is the heart of the card. I keep it where I can see it and pick it up and read it over again because it lifts my spirits.

 Thank you, Twila, for being like a sister to me all these 40+ years!

Rosettes For Winkies

I’m donating over 150 rosettes (magnets) to a Wizard of Oz convention (held each year at Asilomar on the Monterey Peninsula, California), which will be included in the tote bags they give to the registrants. This gathering is more for L. Frank Baum book-lovers than the MGM movie version, so the vintage artwork reflects this.

I inked up the edges of each stamp to give them a more vintage feel and will put them at the center of each rosette. I cut over 160 strips of Oz card stock to run through my die cutter (2 pieces at a time) using my rosette dies, which will cut a scalloped edge and make the fold lines for the rosettes.

The strips have been cut from my rosette die, more than the 150 I need in case I mess up. I bundled them up in groups of 20 so I can keep track as I go. I made 40 of the rosettes as of this posting, only 110 to go!

I’m glad the convention isn’t until June.

Oz, The Great and Powerful

Dawn and I went to the movies to see Oz, The Great and Powerful. It was definitely different. I liked it, but I didn't love it. The 3-D effects were great as was the costuming. It's Oz, I say go see it!

Afterwards we sat in the photo booth and made silly spectacles of ourselves. In the first one I was trying to show off my ruby slipper necklace she bought for me a while back,but as you can see, it didn't work.

Little did I know (I'm old, I guess I miss these things), they also take a video of you during the entire sitting for everyone's entertainment outside the booth! I must admit, though, after watching it on-line when we got home I bought it cause it makes me laugh.

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.

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.

Wizard of Oz

Made for my hubby, this is probably my most favorite card I’ve made yet. It’s always fun to incorporate my love of Oz wherever I can.

 I die-cut a banner, stamped it with the sentiment, aged the edges with ink and then popped it up at the center using a strip of adhesive foam.

I love this Oz paper! I was able to cut the squares from one sheet, the hearts from the reverse side and the Tin Man from yet another.

I fussy-cut the Tin Man and heart from the same background paper I used on the front and used pop dots to adhere it. I'm finding I like to fussy-cut, it's not as difficult as I once thought. My husband loved his ozzy card as much as I enjoyed making it.

To see more of my cards and other crafty things I hope you'll visit my Flickr.

Wizard of Oz at Goodwill!

Goodwill find, child-sized table, only $24.99!

I'm so excited!

I'm not sure where I'm going to put it, but I couldn't pass it up. It's made in Taiwan and very sturdy for a kid's table. I'm sure there are chairs to match it out there somewhere; the hunt is on!

Our windows are OZsome!

One of My Favorite Photos

This Ozilicious photograph is my wall paper on the outside of my cell phone, I love, love, love it! Taken by my daughter Dawn, her photos never fail to impress me, she's a natural, got an eye for things others don't even notice.

For this particular photo she used a piece of fabric printed with an image of yellow bricks along with four of the little Madame Alexander Wizard of Oz dolls McDonald's put out a while back (sure was fun going McDonald's hopping for all of 'em!). She surprised me with a set of note cards she had professionally printed, all with this image on them, really super impressive. As if that wasn't special enough, she had a large print made of another of her ozzy shots and framed it herself. It's an image of the bottom of Dorothy's blue gingham dress and those fabulous ruby reds, of course, walking on The Yellow Brick Road. Again she used one of those tiny dolls and placed it on doll stand made for our Oz dolls by Tonner.

I'll get some photos taken of those, but for now I just wanted to post this one. It makes me happy to see it and I wanted to share my joy.

A Rainbow of Hope in Indiana

Everyone who knows me has watched my Wizard of Oz collection grow by leaps and bounds the last few years. I collect anything and everything related to this classic movie and then some. With a name like Dorothy, how can one NOT collect such things?!

The other day it was announced that the Wizard of Oz Festival held each year in Valparaiso, Indiana (formerly held in Chesterton), had seen its demise. Throwing out the bathwater with the baby, so to speak, was the closing of The Yellow Brick Road Shop, opened by Jean Nelson (who also founded the festival), presently owned by Marilyn Zengler. I cannot tell you how sad this has made Oz fans.

Where there is rain there are rainbows, and one may be appearing soon! There is hope for saving the shop's museum, which holds many Oz artifacts relating to both the movie and books: http://www.thetimesonline.com/articles/2008/12/02/columnists/offbeat/doc0ddaf3307127d8658625751200629a1d.txt

The reporter, Philip Potempa, is not just any reporter, he truly loved this festival and all that went with it, and he's been wearing his heart on his sleeve when writing about this latest news. Thank you, Mr. Potempa, for being the voice of so many Oz fans throughout the world.

I've been a member of an on-line Yahoo! group, The Everything Oz Club, since early 2000, which has met at the festival in Indiana since the early 1990s. http://movies.groups.yahoo.com/group/everythingoz/

We live all over, California, Ohio, Indiana, Michigan, New York, New Jersey, Oregon, Alaska and even England! EO is a diverse group of friends who have gotten to know one another simply because of our love of anything and everything Oz.

I attended the festival in 2007 and was gobsmacked to meet several of the remaining Munchkins who were in the 1939 movie as well as other Oz celebs (including Jean Nelson, L.Frank Baum's g-grandsons and John Fricke), and most importantly my EO friends.

We met up again in Hollywood, California, in November of 2007, to watch the Munchkins receive their star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, and was that ever a trip to remember! My husband and I drove down and spent several days with EO friends and schmoozing with celebs, something I will forever hold close to my heart.

I'm holding out hope that the Oz fest will be saved and will keep you posted.

I feel bloggy

I had no intention of starting a blog tonight, but for some reason I feel, well, bloggy, so here 'tis. I don't know if I'll actually utilize this blog or not, but I've secretly been wishing I could be like one of the many who's blogs I love to follow. I especially enjoy blogs when pictures are posted on a regular basis. That said I realize how time-consuming this can be, so I'm not sure I can live up to my own expectations.

We have a little house out back that has a living room, kitchen, full bath and a bedroom. *We use it to house mine and my hubby's computers as well as a a myriad of crafts (my new sewing machine may take up permanent residence in here), books, and remnants of my eBay selling days. I'd like to clear the clutter that selling on eBay has caused and utilize the space better for our crafting. I say "our" because my daughters craft as well, more than I do now, actually. The plan is to set up shop in the bedroom but leave a bed in place for when my in-laws and other out-of-town guests come for a visit. I'll be sure to post a before and after whenever we get around to the after.

*8-21-2011: One of my daughters is living in the little house now and has been fixing it up cute as a button.