The Exemplary 2025
Honorable Mention, Non-Professional Original

I designed There’s No Place Like NAN for the 2025 NAN Assembly Ruby challenge. I started designing the project during the Spring of 2024 before all the “Wicked” hype began so this was a wonderful coincidence. “Wicked” is one of my top 5 favorite Broadway musicals since I saw it in 2009 and since the movie released in November 2024, I’ve seen the movie over 6 times, and it is now my top favorite musical movie! I started the drawing of Dorothy on paper and then transferred the drawing onto the canvas. I planned on beading the ruby slippers from the start when I was thinking of the design and added the beads to Dorothy’s dress when I started stitching her dress. I did not paint the canvas but did use alcohol markers to color the green fields and the yellow brick road for better coverage. I attached the magnet in a way that the back of the magnet is secured to the back of the canvas with a wrap stitch, and this allows for the decorative magnet to be interchangeable (green NAN magnet or red NAN magnet).