More on Simone

The passing of Simone Smiljanic has hit me hard. She'd been in poor health for years, and recently been in the hospital after having had two heart attacks, so it wasn't unexpected. But after her husband Bill posted on her Facebook page that she'd passed away early Friday morning, I spent the rest of the day thinking about her and feeling deflated and saddened at her loss.

Simone was a friend. I met her when I joined IMPHSA, the model horse club she ran with Ellen Hitchins in the late 1960s/early 1970s.

Simmie (as she was called back then; in later years she preferred going by Simone) was one of the twin pillars of our hobby. With Ellen Hitchins, she got us organized and helped so many of us find each other and the hobby during the years before the internet.

Her stable was named Shalimar Stables and she had some gorgeous models. (Shalimar was a popular perfume back in the day; my stable name, Windsong, is also a perfume name.)

Like me, Simone was originally from Indiana and lived in Indianapolis where she ran clubs and published her newsletter, Pony Express. (To get a glimpse into how the early hobby ran, read through that information sheet above.)

In February of 2020, Simone sold me her cherished Beswick Appaloosa . She'd bought it in Canada back in the 1970s. One of my most wanted pieces for almost 50 years, I had the Royal Doulton version (on the right in the photo) but I wanted the Beswick edition.

The sales photo I spotted online - I literally gasped when I realized I'd just found a Beswick Appaloosa up for sale!

I sent Simone this photo of me with her Appaloosa when it arrived.

Simone was a thoughtful friend, and knowing my love of circus horses, she kept an eye out on eBay and other sales sites for me, sending me links when she found something she thought I'd like.

I never asked her to do that - she simply did it because that's who she was - someone who loved the hobby and was willing to act as a friend or mentor to us all.

Thank you, Simone. Your friendship in the 1970s helped me get my feet under me in the new and burgeoning model horse hobby, a hobby I am still a part of and love. You were a dear friend and I miss you. 

Rest in peace, sweet lady.

Goodbye, Simone

Yesterday the model horse hobby lost one of its earliest and founding members, Simone Smiljanic. While there were pockets of hobbyists around the country in the 1960s, it was Simone, along with her friend Ellen Hitchins, who helped us find each other and gathered us together into clubs, photo showing, and live shows that became more than the backyard gatherings they had been.

Simone Smiljanic in 1971 or so.

I asked two women who knew her well, Liz Cory and Nancy Kelly, to share a little bit about Simone with us. Liz told me,

I first met Simone at one of Marney Walerius' first live model horse shows. We were all crowded around a table in Marney's back yard to watch her judge. 

The whole process was so new to me, and I admired the way Simone deftly looked at each horse before assigning ribbons. I wanted to be like her some day.

I knew she was one of Marney's good friends, and I noticed how kind she was. I looked up to her and I thought I wanted to be like her some day. She knew horses, models, and she was fun and kind, too. She left us way too soon. We will miss her.

Liz owns Marney Walerius' photo albums and her photos are from that. I believe several of them may  have been taken by Nancy Kelly who also agreed to share a memory here.

Nancy shares,

She [Simone] was one of the four "pillars" of the model horse hobby, active since the late 1960s. She, along with Marney Walerius, Ellen Hitchins, and Linda Walter, helped lay the foundation for the hobby we know today. Her early newsletter Pony Express brought people together from around the country and she was an early model horse show organizer and judge. Her enthusiasm, energy, and wry sense of humor made her special. 

Ellen Hitchins and Simone Smiljanic, photo by Nancy Kelly.

She shared her knowledge of Breyers, Hartlands, and Hagen-Renakers with so many people and helped many friends build their collections.

Her health has not been good for several years, but over the last few months it really took a turn for the worse. RIP dear one.

Thanks, Liz, and Nancy. I know yesterday was a difficult day and appreciate you taking the time to write about her despite your sadness. I, too, was a friend of Simone's and will share a couple of thoughts in a day or two after I've had a little time to let the news of her passing settle in.

Guess Which Horse - the Winner

Earlier this week, I posted a photo of a sales table at the Great Lakes Congress Show and invited readers to guess which one I'd bought. No one guessed correctly despite some very reasoned responses.

So, I decided to put every name into a drawing, set up the spinning wheel of the Random Name Picker, and gave it a whirl!

Winner, please contact me at horsiemama8@gmail.com as I have a prize for you. And thanks to all who entered!

Stay 'tooned for the reveal of who came home with me. (I think it may surprise everyone.)

A Blingy Pony

Liz, Jamie, and Yvonne brought me a gift when they stayed at my home for Happy Trails.

A blingy, spaghetti mane and tailed pony that originally had been in Nancy Falzone's collection.

They called it a circus pony, and it very well may be. But I have no other information on it as of this point.

Liz told me that the general consensus was the it might be a piece from Kreiss, but I did some research and found this on the Kreiss web site:

"There have never been any foil or paper stickers used by Kreiss, but the company did use ink stamps on as many of its collectibles as possible. Look and you will find either one of two ink stamps, the earlier pieces stamped "Kreiss and Co." and the later pieces will stamped "Kreiss Corp."

There is nothing stamped on the bottom of the pony's hooves or belly so it isn't a Kreiss.

A quick check of eBay shows a couple of these for sale plus a piece that is in a complementary pose which makes me think that this may originally have been part of a set. All the descriptions state that this piece is from Japan, although no one provided any documentation for that assertion.

I'm afraid I am starting to collect blingy ponies, so this little china fits right in with them. I'll talk about them soon. I'll also announce who guessed correctly as to which model I purchased from the sales table at the GLC show.

Stay 'tooned!

Smokey the Paddock Pal

I really was curious about the new Paddock Pals that popped up on eBay two weeks ago. (Breyer still has made no mention of them on their web site or on social media.) Because black is my favorite horse color, I bought Smokey, the black Marabella.

The box is open at the top, so the seller covered the model with paper to protect it during shipping.

I was pleasantly surprised when Smokey arrived - I like him!

His eyes are beautifully painted and non cartoonish, and you can see Marabella's braids in his mane and tail. 

The model is a very flat black with no other shading and the plastic has that tinny sound of styrene or other cheap plastics when tapped.

Breyer calls this line "Paddock Pals," but as you can see, Smokey is not the same size as the original Little Bits/Paddock Pals.

He's actually closer to the Classic/Freedom scale.

Word has it that 5 Below sells these and I may go check out the one here in town and see if they have any of the others.

Not that I'm planning on collecting these; just because I am curious. (We all know how THAT goes!)

Great Lakes Congress: The Show! (Part Two)

After a few announcements at 8:00 AM, the show began. I had an entry in the very first class for the China/Resin division.

Windsong Sherif is my most consistent winner and my favorite china.

Tiffany Purdy was judging the OF Plastic division. She is a very knowledgable and consistent judge.

Countryside Strolling, the Honora I found in an antique shop earlier this year, won the gaited class.

You know what I think would be fun? To ask showers how many models they brought with them to show or to sell and get a count as to how many pieces are in the show hall. So much model goodness!

Liz LaRose (left) talks to Liz Cory while Lisa Esping (China/Resin judge) looks at the raffle items.

I bought something from this sales table. Can you see what caught my eye? I will send a prize to anyone who guesses it! (Put your guess in the comments.) 

Tiffany and Liz chat between classes.

I was really excited to show my BreyerFest Slainte Surprise - I'd had an idea for a breed for her and wondered what the judge would think of it.

She liked my idea well enough to pin it in 4th place! I made her a NAPI (National Appaloosa Pony).

I was really excited because that class was so big, it took up two full sized tables and a round one!

I had a trifecta with my chinas - I only brought three, and all three won their classes.

My Anything Goes entry took third.

The other entries were all about Halloween - this is Shannon Rodgers' winning entry.

And her cute felt pony took second place.

Throughout the day, Liz took photos of the classes. (She posted over 500 on the GLC Facebook page that evening!)

Sales were brisk all day long. I ended up consolidating display baskets and taking the empty ones out to the car as the show progressed. I was glad to sell so much merchandise, but now I feel a real need to get sewing and replenish all that stock that sold.

Another thing I love about the Great Lakes Congress shows is that they always end by 4:00 PM. That gives me time to drive home that same day instead of staying over for a second night.

Now I am home and doing inventory to find out what needs replacing, plus I still need to unpack my models and get them back on their shelves. When that happens, the show is well and truly over, at least for me, haha!

Don't forget - make a guess as to what I bought from that sales table. Winning guesses (yes, there can be more than one winner) will receive a prize from me!

Great Lakes Congress: TIhe Show! (Part One)

Great Lakes Congress is held in Huntley, Illinois, which is a four hour drive from where I live in Indiana. Liz Cory invited me to stay overnight at her home, so I drove up Friday afternoon and helped her set up the show.

The show hall is at her local park district's community center, and the park district already had the tables and chairs up and ready when we arrived.

Sam, Liz's husband, helps her set up for every show, and the two of them really didn't need much help from me.

They had the raffle tables and the judges/show managers area set up in less than an hour.

Liz allowed me to set up Horsiemama's Haversacks and Mercantile early, and that was really helpful to me.

I'd paid for a vendor table in addition to my show table, and ended up being really glad that I had - I needed every inch of space.

After we'd gotten the show set up, we went to dinner at one of Sam and Liz's favorite restaurants, a mom and pop one that had yummy food (with a dish of ice cream as part of your meal!) Then we headed back to the house and chatted a while around the kitchen table. We didn't stay up too late - we had to be at the show hall by 6:30 the next morning.

I had to smile when I saw the hand towel in Liz's guest bathroom. I made that for her last year.

The show hall officially opened at 7:00 AM, but when we arrived at 6:30, folks were waiting in the parking lot.

That's normal for GLC and people are let in as soon as the GLC hosts are there so they can start unpacking and getting ready for the day's show. 

Shannon Rodgers came hurrying over - she had a new circus horse and knew I was looking forward to seeing it.

She was still in the process of tacking him up (the tack is by Lindy Pinkham; I don't remember the artist's name) but even so, he was still gorgeous!

My "other side of the Wabash" friend, Kelsey Kramer was there, and she was repping for Purdue again. (It is so much fun to have another hobbyist in town!)

I'd only brought twenty models to show, but they were out, their documentation was ready,

and it was time for the show to begin!

(Last three photos courtesy of Great Lakes Congress.)