The Great Lakes Congress Show: Shopping!

Second Post of the Day

In addition to showing and socializing, a model horse show is a great place for shopping. And it didn't take me long to reach my own self-imposted limit of spending. (In case you are wondering, it was 6:30 AM when I hit that limit.)

It's all Liz's fault, you know.

She put a couple of Hagen Renaker Circus Ponies out on her sales table.

All were from Nancy Falzone's collection. Nancy is a long time friend and I love it when I get to purchase pieces from her collection. And circus ponies? My favorites?? How could I resist? I bought all three of them.

Besides, variations!! (The blue one that I just bought is on the far left. Look how dark it is!)

Now I have enough plus a few extras so that "when the time comes," each grandchild will be able to choose one to remember me by. (Not that I'm done looking for more circus ponies to add to my collection.)

Continuing the "blame Liz" theme, the next time I walked past her table, she'd put out this piece.

A Stablemate Fighting Stallion for a very reasonable price!

An offering from the 2022 Stablemates Collectors Club, of which I am not a member (because, dontcha know, I don't collect Stablemates) that is a shrunk down vintage mold (which I do collect!) Add him to my stash, Liz, and we will settle up later! (She was busy making her own pile of haversacks on my sales table at the time! LOL)

Like I said, it was 6:30 AM and I'd hit my spending limit. But I could still walk around and look, right? And of course, then I found something else I wanted, something I'd been looking for for years.

The 2001 Jingles Holiday Pony with Sleigh. Still in box! The price was a little higher than I wanted to spend for the piece, but I figured it would not hurt to look at her. (Photo from Identify Your Breyer.)

I received permission from the seller to open the box and immediately out wafted the smell of vinegar. My heart sank - that smell indicates that the plastic of the model has begun deteriorating and the model is shrinking or will begin shrinking soon.

Even worse, as I pulled her out of the box completely, tiny pieces of foam insert clung to her and would not brush or pull off. The owner began working on the foam with a fingernail, then thought better of that and got a wet towel. I watched her work for a bit and she gave me a lowered price for the piece, but sadly I knew that I would not be buying that model. As I walked on, the foam was still stubbornly stuck to the model.

I was done buying new pieces for my collection but that didn't mean that someone might not give me one.

Chris Wallbruch donated all these minis to the Youth Show  and when that show concluded, had Liz put everyone's names in for a drawing for those still left. One by one we were called up to choose a piece. (Thanks, Chris!)

When my name was called, I snagged the Hagen Renaker Dalmatian in liver. I have strong mama-memories connected to Dalmatians and I don't have the liver version of this piece.

As a child, Music City Son Cole was enamored with Disney's 1964 movie, The 101 Dalmatians. ***

As such, he had Dalmatian everything - clothes, stuffies, toys, even a sleeping bag. I also bought him several of the black Dalmatians that Hagen Renaker made that were kept with my chinas. (He even had what he called a "Dalmatian horse" that now resides with him in Tennessee as a treasured memento of his childhood.)

This piece is staying with me unless he tells me he'd like to have it. Until then, it's a nice connection to Cole, to Chris, and to the GLC show. 

Liz also gifted me with some GLC stickers before the day was over. I found a great place right away for one of them.

The seat of my Rollator! Works for me!

There are one or two more things I'd like to share about the show and they will be in tomorrow's post. Jennifer Buxton, this post will have the story I thought you'd enjoy! (Although if you've already talked with Tiffany, she may have already shared it with you.)

Stay 'tooned!

*** While the 1964 movie version of Dodie Smith's classic, The One Hundred and One Dalmatians is good, the book is FANTASTIC. Chock full of that droll British humor and with many characters and incidents that the movie left out. I read it aloud one summer to Cole and Curt, and I'll never forget the evening both boys were rolling on the floor laughing at what I'd just read.

There's also a sequel (The Starlight Barking) which is quite different from the first book and is almost a science fiction story. Both versions are in this book and in unabridged form with Dodie Smith's original texts. Don't miss out - read the book!

The San Marcos Head Up & Head Down Ponies

Here is the story about those Hagen Renaker ponies that Cowpoke Lukie set the red, white and blue Breyers by the other day.

Liz Cory is helping Nancy Falzone sell some of her extensive Hagen Renaker collection. The day before Midwest Mini Mayhem, Liz posted some photos on Facebook of what she was bringing to the show to sell and these two lovely pieces were included.

Lucky enough to see the post as it dropped, and having been looking for this pair in Stablemate size for years, I looked at their prices, and immediately responded that if no one else had already bought them, then I would.

I was expecting the mini Head Up and Head Down ponies; I was not expecting the Designer Workshop pieces! The stickers should have been a clue, but the prices were so good, I assumed they were the smaller version.

I don't have a single one of the smaller, non-circus Head Up and Head Down ponies; every time I find one, it is snapped up before I can get it.

As a result, I acted fast and contacted Liz. The ponies were mine and it wasn't until I opened their box later that I realized I'd gotten the Designer Workshop pieces, not the Stablemate sized ones. 

Immediately I contacted Liz - there had to be a mistake because the price was what I expect to pay for the mini versions, certainly not the Designer Workshop ones.

Liz assured me that the price was not an error and that what I'd paid was what Nancy wanted for them.

Honestly, I could not believe my luck. While I did not get the chestnut pair in the Stablemate size that I have been looking for, I was still very, very happy to have the chestnut Designer Workshop set, especially at such a reasonable price and, more importantly, pieces that came from Nancy's collection.

Include with each one was a file photo and a card on which Nancy had written information about the piece.

I have had the ponies on my photography shelf since I got home. I've taken pictures of them, but I need to make room in the china cabinet where I keep my large Hagen Renakers. There is always a breakage risk when rearranging chinas, so I have been putting off that task.

I have been enjoying having them in my office and out where I can see them. But clearly it is time to put them in a safer place.

There is more to this story. Stay 'tooned!

Great Lakes Congress Pictures

Today Great Lakes Congress is holding its annual December show, always a fun one as it is holiday themed and has a potluck lunch. How I wish I could be there! 

But I already had a commitment today and so I sent my donations and a bunch of haversack orders up to Chicago with Barn Buddy Kelsey in the L bag. (Thanks, Kelsey!) I am hoping that folks will post lots of pictures throughout the day.

Just a few days ago, Liz sent some photos she'd found from the October show. I thought they'd be fun to post here today. If I can't be at a hobby gathering, at least I can share pictures from one, right?

I sold a lot of haversacks that day and was constantly straightening and rearranging my baskets. 

Keeping up with models in two rings is not normally a challenge for me; add in a very busy Mercantile and it became a struggle.

So was chatting with friends although I did get some snatches of conversation in between selling and showing. (That's me talking to Melissa Smith on the far left.)

Despite feeling rather harried, I did have fun and while I brought a very small show string, I still won a fair amount of ribbons.

Of all that I brought, Sweet Amy (named after my very first horse) did the best. 

Most of the pieces I brought were chinas. I love the Cheval Friesian mold and have three of them. 

Two of the three I ordered directly from Johnny de Beer in South Africa where Chevals are produced.

I enjoy having pieces in my collection from various continents. So far I have North America, Europe, Asia, and Africa. I'd love to add some models that were made in South America and Australia.

I am bringing my Hagen Renakers out less and less as time goes on. They're smaller and it is soooo easy to snap a leg off. But I did bring this mini drafter to the show.

A lot of china showers have bought pony pads from me. It is always fun to walk around and spy them out on tables and in use. I made all three of the ones in this photo.

Hagen Renaker legend and very early hobbyist Nancy Falzone came as a spectator, joining Barn Buddy Kelsey and me for lunch. It was so good to get to chat with her - we have been friends since the 1990s.

Nancy is beloved in the hobby and especially by the GLC folks. That's Shannon Rodgers, also a dear friend, and Donna Connors who've joined us.

Lunch break over, it was back to showing and selling.

By the time the show was over, I'd sold over half of the inventory I'd brought, the best I've ever done at a venue.

Best of luck to all those heading to the Great Lakes Congress Holiday Show today. Have fun and enjoy that potluck! (Kelsey, can you save me some of your dessert mac n'cheese??)

December 2nd Advent Calendar Reveal

A farm hand ready to go to work.

I've added him to the scene and am hoping that tomorrow I will get the first horse.

Stay 'tooned!

New Circus Pony

Thanks to Nancy Falzone, I have a new circus pony!

I could not go to her gathering earlier this Fall as it was the same weekend as The Feast of the Hunters' Moon. Someone there had this piece for sale there and, knowing how much I love circus ponies (this is my 14th Hagen Renaker circus pony), she snagged it for me.

Sorry for the lighting, folks, but you can still see how lovely these pieces are.

Thank you, Nancy for your thoughtfulness. And in an ironic twist, one of the Christmas cards I got yesterday was horsey, and guess who it was from? Yep - Nancy!

Christmas Card of the Day

 

A New Circus Pony!

Nancy Falzone held her annual collectors gathering in October. Unfortunately, it was the same day as The Feast of the Hunters' Moon and so I could not attend.

Knowing my love of circus ponies, Nancy had this photo of a head down circus pony sent to me and asked if I wanted it.

You bet I did! 

I already had this piece, but mine has had a hard knock life.

The new piece is mint and has beautiful detail - I am happy to add him to my collection.

Thanks, Nancy!

Note: there will be a second blog entry posting later this morning. Stay 'tooned!

A Gift for Nancy Falzone

Nancy Falzone's birthday is coming up and I wanted to send her something that I'd made just for her. Since she doesn't show any more, haversacks were out so I decided to send her a form of 18th century art that I am learning.

Blackened beeswax ornaments!

They are not difficult to make, but they are tricky. (And messy. I've learned to put parchment paper under any place where there will be hot beeswax.)

There are several points in the process where the wax has to be just at the right temperature before you move on to the next step.

Inserting the wire, ribbon, or twine for holders has to be at a very specific moment in the cooling process, and that moment can vary depending on the size of the mold and the depth of the wax you've poured into it.

But, if you miss the timing like I did on this horse, you can always melt the wax again and repour.

You just pop the imperfect ornament out of the mold, put it back into the double boiler on the hot plate, 

and pour the ornament again when it has melted.

Even trickier is the actual blackening process. If the wax is not still warm during the blackening process, it will not stick. It also works better to use a paintbrush to dust the ornaments with the cinnamon. (Between the beeswax and the cinnamon, my kitchen smells so good when I make these.)

I really like this mold and how the horses turned out. This is my first attempt.

I experimented with the amount of cinnamon on the second one and tried to simply emphasize the details. I love how this one turned out and I wrapped it up and asked Liz to give it to Nancy when she sees her on her birthday.

I also found the best birthday card for Nancy.

Perfect, huh? I am sure she will laugh when she reads it.

Nancy and me at her home just before the pandemic shut everything down.

Happy Birthday, Nancy!