The Wizard of Oz - on "Zazzle"

Happy Wednesday!  Have you heard about a site called Zazzle?  Today I want to share something new with you - well, it is new to me - maybe you have heard of this already...

My brother is an amazing artist.  In addition to the stained glass lamp and window business that I have mentioned here in previous posts, (Century Studios in St. Paul, Minnesota), he also does some painting and book illustration.  We share a childhood fascination with the Wizard of Oz - though his has developed much further.

One of my favorite childhood memories is of the excitement at our house when we got our first color TV (yes, I am that old!). We were finally able to see the transformation in the classic Judy Garland movie when she opens the door of her house in the Land of Oz and the picture turns from black and white into color.

Dorothy

Bill has been collecting Oz books most of his life and shares his collection and other information on his blog, The Oz Enthusiast.  He recently started doing a series of paintings based on the illustrations of the Oz characters by John R. Neill.

Jack Pumpkinhead

The original paintings are 12 x 12 inches and I have added watermarked copies of some of them to this post.  Eventually the series will have close to one hundred paintings.

Polychrome

Zazzle is a site that allows you to create custom printed items of all sorts - mugs, pins, buttons, stickers, magnets, t-shirts, sneakers, neckties, bags, cases for electronics - the list goes on and on.

Tik Tok

Artists can make their work available to be ordered on various items - so if you are an Oz enthusiast or know one you can create custom items at a reasonable price.  These would make great gifts for the holidays or anytime.

Toto

The artist who creates the image that you use is paid a small fee when you order something from their shop.  You can request custom combinations of images and products by leaving a comment in the OzShop section of the Zazzle site.

Wogglebug

There are so many options available and a wide variety of types of art.  It is something that you just need to see to understand all of the possibilities.  I have pasted in the "official" description of Zazzle from the Introduction page on the Zazzle site.

Zazzle is the world's leading platform for quality custom products. Zazzle's proprietary technology enables individuals, professional artists, and major brands, including Disney and Hallmark, to create and offer billions of unique products for customers worldwide. Zazzle's rapidly expanding product base covers every topic imaginable and includes t-shirts, business cards, invitations, in addition to a variety of custom gifts. Upon creation, products are instantly and accurately visualized on the site and offered in the Zazzle marketplace. When ordered, each product is made on-demand, typically within 24 hours. Launched in 2005 and based in Redwood City, California, Zazzle's vision is to redefine commerce, powered by the world's imagination.

I think it is a very interesting way for artists to make their work available and I expect to spend some time checking out more of the shops on this site.

If you would like to see more of the Oz images and the products available, this LINK will take you to the OzShop on Zazzle.

If you are curious about my brother's Wizard of Oz collection, this LINK will take you to his blog, The Oz Enthusiast.

 In case you were wondering - Polychrome is a sky fairy and the "sweetest and merriest of the daughters of the Rainbow."

Thanks for all of the nice comments about my "upcycling" project.  I need to drink lots of orange juice to get more caps so I can make some more projects with them!  Watch this space....

Subscribe to Capadia Designs