WE'RE OFF TO SEE THE WIZARD...

This week Simon Says Show something for WOMEN ONLY.

I decided to take a trip to Oz and I'm taking my suitcase with me!  I actually started this project a while back and recently completed it.  When I saw this week's challenge, I decided this Wizard of Oz Suitcase was definitely for women.  After all, I think probably more women than men LOVE the Wizard of Oz.  And... let's face it...three of the main characters were female: Dorothy, Glinda the Good Witch and The Wicked Witch.  And...oh, the lessons we can learn from these three gals!  (smile)

I started off with a plain wooden suitcase, just like the one I created with the Butterfly Suitcase a few months ago.  I covered the exterior of the suitcase with those fabulous Magic of Oz papers from Graphic 45.  I also used some of the coordinating Chipboard Tags from sets 1 and 2 for luggage tags and some of the embellishments on the interior.

The front of the suitcase features the main characters from the movie.  Each is holding a little trinket that is so much a part of their characters.  If you're familiar with the story, you know that the Cowardly Lion found his "courage" while on the road to Oz.  Here, he is wearing his little Courage Medal given to him by the Wizard.  It was made from a small cross that I purchased at a local craft store.  I went online, found the actual medal from the movie, sized it and glued it on top of the cross using Glossy Accents.  Then I added the little red and white ribbon to look like the medal in the movie.

The Tin Man received a "heart" from the Wizard...a ticking clock in the shape of a heart.  I found a plain little red heart charm, added the chain and the clock face that I sized on my computer to fit the heart.  Then I went around the edges with Platinum Stickles.  

The Wicked Witch is holding a crystal ball charm that I found at a local craft store.  Remember her big crystal ball in her scary room in the castle?  More about that later ....

The Scarecrow was hoping that the Wizard of Oz could give him "a brain".  Upon his meeting the Wizard, he was given a diploma.  Here I have made my own diploma on my computer.  I distressed it with Vintage Photo Distress Ink and went around the edges with Platinum Stickles.  

Dorothy is wearing a little bracelet, showing off her feisty terrier, Toto and her ruby slippers are accented with Xmas Red Stickles.  You will see those ruby red slippers again on the interior of the suitcase!

All of the characters on the front are cut from one piece of Graphic 45 Paper.  Aren't they great?

The back side of the suitcase features more of these amazing graphics from the Magic of Oz papers.  The pocket itself features the theme for the whole suitcase..."The Magic of Oz" with the Scarecrow and the Tin Man looking on.  I went all around the exterior of this with Platinum Stickles...a great accent tool when working with vintage. 

I have created a pocket to hold a Song Book; complete with all of the song lyrics from the Wizard Of Oz Movie.  I created the pages of the book on my computer and printed them out on newsprint; so they would look and feel older.  The cover of the book is taken from two 6x6 squares from the Magic Of Oz papers.  There are so many wonderful graphics on these 12x12 sheets!

The luggage tags on the exterior are taken from the coordinating Chipboard sets and backed with some of the blue and white gingham paper from the paper stack.  I distressed them with Vintage Photo and attached them to the handle with some blue and white fiber-ish cording.

All of the hardware on this suitcase was originally shiny silver.  I altered its appearance by using Metallic Mixative Gold and then Ginger Alcohol Inks.  I also used this same combination on the little hinges.  It coordinated perfectly with the beautiful rich vintage tones in the papers.

The interior of the suitcase is very intricate and tells the story of the Wizard of Oz.  The back paper is taken from a different paper stack and features the Emerald City.  Popped in front are all of the main characters on the yellow brick road, making their way to Oz.  Up in the sky, the Wicked Witch is flying by on her broom, writing her ominous words "SURRENDER DOROTHY" in Gunmetal Stickles. 

Along the way, they encounter a poppy field.  The paper background on the fold down is another of the Graphic 45 papers covered with poppies; distressed with Vintage Photo and sprayed with Sunflower Sparkle Perfect Pearls Mist.  The poppies in THIS field are actually taken from a white silk hydrangea plant.  I sprayed the flowers with (appropriately enough) Oriental Poppy Tattered Angels Glimmer Mist.  I sprayed the corsage leaves with Sunflower Sparkle Mist and hot glued them in place.  I loved the large image of the Scarecrow on the left and made my own gate fold mini book to show all of the characters in the movie.

 All of the characters in this book are from one sheet of the paper in this collection!  I cut them out, mounted them onto a piece of 2.5 x 3.75 sheet of black cardstock.  I put them in the order that they appeared in the movie.  I accented all of the pictures with Platinum Stickles.  The little closure on the front of the book is made with pieces from Tim Holtz' Ideaology line:  Hitch Fasteners, a Charm Clip, a piece of Lace Chain and a Chain Tassle.  The tickets across the bottom are also from the Chipboard Tags that match the Magic Of Oz papers; mounted on black cardstock and Platinum Stickles run around the edge.  I also ran just a hint of Antique Gold Rub N' Buff around the edge of the black cardstock.  The little book is then mounted on a piece of green paper with Tim Holtz' Metal Corners used as accent pieces on the four corners.

Lift up the pull down and you will be making your way down the yellow brick road.  "There's No Place Like Home" is another of piece of the Chipboard Tags.  I altered it just a bit by adding some Platinum Stickles around the edge, two red brads that have been topped with Christmas Red Stickles and a piece of red sequins put into place using 1/8" Wonder Tape.

 As you know, when Dorothy's house fell into Oz, it fell on the Wicked Witch's sister.  The House is Tim Holtz' Rickety House die cut that has been painted with a cream acrylic paint.  I used pieces of Mica (torn from a thin sheet) in the windows to represent broken glass.  The house is outlined with Platinum Stickles and distressed with Vintage Photo, Black Soot and Walnut Stain Distress Inks.  The witch's legs are taken from yet another of the wonderful graphics from the paper stack and glued as if the house has just landed on the Wicked Witch!

Making her entrance in her floating bubble, Glinda sweeps across the fields onto the yellow brick road.  Glinda is yet another of the graphics found among these papers.  She is highlighted with Fruit Punch, Cotton Candy Pink and Stardust Stickles.  She is mounted on a piece of glittery paper and then adhered to half of a plastic Christmas ornament ball that I bought at a local craft store.  Then I glued her into place using Glossy Accents and went around the perimeter of the bubble with Stardust and Waterfall Stickles.  I love how she really looks like she's floating in a bubble!

Now for my favorite part of this suitcase....the compartments in the bottom!

I covered the inside of the suitcase with Dorothy's signature blue and white gingham pattern from her dress.  I loved this paper and knew the second I saw it that it would be the lining of my suitcase.  Remember the picket fence that was all around Dorothy's farm house?  Well, these compartments were formed by cutting chipboard into strips and topping them off using Tim Holtz' On The Fence die cut.  I painted each strip with Picket Fence Distress Crackle Paint and let it dry.  Then I lightly distressed each one with Weathered Wood Distress Ink.  Next, I love the heart paper from the paper stack and used it on each compartment.  The edge is done with Tim Holtz' Mini Scallop On The Edge die cut.  They are lightly distressed with Black Soot Distress Ink and glued onto the "fence" compartments.

Each compartment is filled with special pieces from the movie:

Dorothy's Ruby Slippers - little silver doll ballet slippers that I covered with Christmas Red Stickles.

The Scarecrow's Diploma - a larger version of the diploma that the Scarecrow is holding on the front cover.

The Tin Man's heart.  This is a clear plastic heart ornament that I painted with a Christmas Red acrylic paint on the INSIDE of the heart; so that the exterior would be smooth and shiny.  It took a couple of coats for good coverage.  Then I sized a larger clock face to glue onto the heart with Glossy Accents.  I also went over the clock face with the Glossy Accents so that it would give the face some dimension.  When dry, I went around the perimeter of the clock face with Silver Stickles.  The heart has a thick silver chain on it and it is attached to the wall of the suitcase with a brass 7 Gypsies hook.

Glinda's magic wand was made from a dowel rod, painted silver and wrapped in tulle with Silver Stickles added for that extra "magical sparkle".  The star on the top is a mini Christmas ornament I bought at a local craft store and hot glued to the top of the dowel rod.  "There's No Place Like Home" is a piece of ribbon that I had and I think it fits perfectly!  

The Hour Glass is one that I purchased online.  I have done nothing to it.  It looks so much like the Wicked Witch's Hour Glass that I didn't think it needed any further embellishing (smile).   

Finally, my favorite piece....the Wicked Witch's Crystal Ball.  Remember when she had Dorothy locked up inside her tower?  She turned over the hour glass and told Dorothy that she would be alive as long as the sand was running through the hour glass.  Dorothy was crying over the crystal ball when all of a sudden, Auntie Em's image began to appear.  Dorothy called out to Auntie Em, trying to reach her and then the image began to fade.....

only to be replaced by the haunting image of the Wicked Witch, laughing that screeching, sinister laugh.  The crystal ball is a clear plastic ornament that splits in half.  I found an image of Auntie Em and of the Wicked Witch online and sized them to fit the ornament.  I glued them back to back and then glued them into the ornament.  The base of the crystal ball is a wooden wheel that fit perfectly for the base.  I painted it with a Gold Paint Dabber and then mounted the crystal ball on top of it.  I embellished the base with another strand of the red sequins and a little pair of ruby slippers taken from The Magic of Oz papers.

So, there you have it...my Wizard of Oz suitcase.  My daughter has already told me that I better will it to her (smile) because she loves the Wizard of Oz as much as I do!!

My amazing Design Teammates at SIMON SAYS STAMP AND SHOW have created some really extraordinary "WOMEN ONLY" pieces for you to see!  Hop on over to our blog and check them out.  Then create your WOMEN ONLY piece and enter it into our challenge.  You could be the lucky winner of our sponsor's amazing ...

$50.00 credit voucher!!!  How cool is THAT?  And...if your creation is deemed as one of the TOP THREE entries, you will receive out coveted Top 3 Blinkie Award to be displayed on your blog.

Okay everyone....time to make something for WOMEN ONLY!!!