April Plans

April promises to be busy. April 1st was the deadline for those of us teaching virtual videos for the 2022 BreyerFest. 

Daughter-in-love Vanessa filmed mine in early March but had issues editing it. She got it to me yesterday and it is now in Breyer's possession.

Whew! Cross that off my to-do list!

 Then, entries to the Breyer Boot Camp show began loading yesterday and I've already done some stewarding of classes.

Stewards have been asked to check several times daily if possible so as to keep up with the entries as they roll in. I plan to follow that advice.

After spending all of January and February and most of March sewing for the Kalamazoo Living History Event, I am back to restocking my haversack supply for the Mercantile.

(I know I just shocked some of you with this unicorn haversack...)

I needed to restock because I am heading to the Great Lakes Congress show later this month and plan to set up Horsiemama's Haversacks & Mercantile there.

On top of that, I am doing a fundraiser for GLC this month with 10% of all sales going to Great Lakes Congress.

There is still some stitching to do for Jolis Chevaux post-Kalamazoo. I said no to the man who asked if I would make loincloths, and no to the gentleman who wanted forty (40!?) men's uniform jackets by June, 2023. (Good night! Are you serious??)

But, I did agree to make a custom men's shirt from one of these block print fabrics and that is underway.

Finally, the Horsiemama blog has reason to celebrate this month. There will be cake. There will be a giveaway. 

Stay 'tooned!

So, How'd I Do, 2021?

While preparing to write the series of "look back" posts on 2021, I came across an early January blog entry that included my hobby plans for 2021. Curious, I read through them, wondering how I'd done.

My Old Timer with his New Year hat by Lisa Haley. 

~ finish the Mares' Tales project 

~ create a web site for Horsiemama's Haversacks & Mercantile

~ enter and complete NaMoPaiMo

~ and finally, depending on the status of the pandemic and the vaccine, hold Happy Trails and The FAMulous Collectibility Show.

My plans were good and (I'd thought) attainable, but in reality, I only accomplished a couple of them.

 ~ I didn't finish the Mares' Tale project, although I did complete the section about Nancy Falzone. Simone Smiljanic and I had been discussing getting together for an interview since before the pandemic began in 2020, and we again had plans for that interview in 2021. 

Sadly, Simone passed away in October and the interview never happened. (Photo by Nancy Kelly and in the collection of Liz Cory.)

~ I did set up a web site for my haversack business but I never made it live. 

As I worked on the web site, I remembered that selling from the Horsiemama Facebook page was keeping me busy, sometimes busier than I wanted to be. 

I'd already decided against selling on Etsy due to concerns about being unable to keep up with orders and realized that a web site would only add to the pressure of having to keep up with orders. I never finished the site. 

~ I entered and completed NaMoPaiMo.

I chose to do a portrait model of Hokey and really struggled to find the right shades of pink for nostrils and hooves.

Pony Pal Mila completed her first NaMoPaiMo, too!

~ Allison Pareis and I decided that The FAMulous Collectibility Show would take a break due to pandemic concerns.

But in October I held Happy Trails with a very limited group of friends.

All of us were vaccinated and we wore masks during the show.

My final words on that January, 2021 blog entry are interesting and maybe even a little poignant.

In all likelihood we will be dealing with the pandemic during much of this year, but I remain hopeful that it will be a better one than last.

Yes, we have been dealing with the pandemic all of 2021, but while the omicron variant is rising, we are in a better place to fight the virus than we were a year ago. Now we have vaccinations and boosters both for adults and for children.

No doubt the coming year will see the world continuing to fight the pandemic, but I choose to remain hopeful for 2022 and that things will improve and be better for us all.

Happy New Year!

Welcome, 2021!

 A new year - at last! I don't know about you, but I am READY for a fresh start! I'm making plans for things I'd like to accomplish during 2021, both hobby as well as personal. The hobby plans include:

~ finish the Mares' Tales project (my 50th hobby anniversary took precedence; now it's time to get back to researching and writing)

~ create a web site for Horsiemama's Haversacks & Mercantile

~ enter and complete NaMoPaiMo

~ and finally, depending on the status of the pandemic and the vaccine, hold Happy Trails and The FAMulous Collectibility Show.

In all likelihood we will be dealing with the pandemic during much of this year, but I remain hopeful that it will be a better one than last.

Best wishes for a much better and happy, horsey, New Year!