An Up & Down Hobby Day

Between Breyer and hobby news yesterday, I am about done in. It was an up and down, exhausting day.

First, Breyer released Belize, the last of the Exotic Destinations models.

The coloring was designed by Sommer Prosser to look like the ocean waters off Belize. (Screenshots from Breyer's ad.)

The ad for him say he is "pearly shaded blues and white...with blue interference...sand colored hooves and a high-gloss finish."

The more I looked at him, the more I liked him, so I decided to enter. Wish me luck.

Breyer also sent out an email yesterday announcing a new way to log into their web site. It's like what many other sites have gone to - you put in your email and then are texted/emailed a number to fill in rather than using your password.

The issue folks have with it is having to use Shopify as well as having to check their email for the code number if not using their phone. Many people could not get around Shopify and so are having to log in through it and have reported difficulties in accessing their code quickly and easily.

I don't like Shopify, either. When Breyer first introduced it some time ago, I found myself in a Shopify loop that took me a lot of effort to get out of. I never, ever used Shopify again. (Not on Breyer or any other web sites that use it.) 

And so, when I was prompted to log into Breyer using Shopify with their new login process, since I no longer had a Shopify login on Breyer, there was another option I could and did use. Thanks to that,  I was able to login to my Breyer account without going through Shopify. (I was still sent an access code, but it came through my phone.)

Others have not been so lucky, are upset, and I don't blame them. 

Finally, in NAMHSA news, the organization's president resigned. It's a long story and if you are interested in what happened, it's not hard to find on social media. It's just too much to condense into a brief summary here.

I ended the day feeling quite exhausted from the hobby news and woke up this morning with a migraine and had to cancel my early morning physical therapy appointment as a result. 

I may or may not get another post written today although I do have a lot I can share. (There IS a second baby barn swallow in the nest!)

Stay 'tooned.

Two Totally non-Tangential Topics

Second Post of the Day

Many of you guessed what we were doing when I posted this photo yesterday:

We were watching White Christmas on July 25th for Christmas in July with Lisa!

Lisa is a Christmas lovin' gal. She was due Christmas Day (although she came a few days later), and I really wanted to name her Noelle. I'm not sure that that influenced her love of Christmas, but here we are.

A few years ago we started watching White Christmas at the end of July and now it seems to have become an annual tradition for us.

Horse lover and collector that I am, I've always been very interested in the white charger and knight that Betty gives Bob near the end of the film.

Who made that piece? Was it a simple prop someone cobbled together? A commercial horse and knight that was found and used? And what happened to it after the film? Does it reside in an old warehouse or has it made its way into the hands of someone who values it? 

I've done a few searches in the past but never come up with any answers.

And then, in some surprising (and puzzling) news on the barn swallows nesting over my front porch...

After a day of no activity - no parents flying in and out, no head popping up out of the nest cup, no getting swooped on by birds when I dared to step out of my front door, no parents roosting for the night at the nest, no cheeps or chatter...

Sunday morning there was activity again - the parents were flying in and out again and a lone head kept popping up from the nest bowl!

How did that happen? And why did the baby not call for its parents the previous day? Why did the adults not remind us that the front porch was theirs and that we were trespassers? The nest area had gone completely quiet and with no activity.

Craig suggested that perhaps the Cooper's Hawk was nearby and the birds were lying low but other than that, we have no ideas. That nest was so quiet and we saw absolutely no activity for almost 24 hours. No parents overnight at the nest, nothing.

Regardless, we are happy to know that the baby barn swallow is still alive and being cared for. But then, who was the poor baby bird whose tiny wings I found?

I went back to look at them and took some pictures to examine more closely. The feathers were pin feathers and definitely those of a baby. But whose baby was it?

I have some ideas. The pavilion down by the lake has several sparrows' nests in it and last week those babies were fledging and fluttering around while we played frisbee with Pepper and Tammo.

I'm now wondering if the hawk took one of them and then flew into our yard with it. I've seen hawks with prey in our yard multiple times so it's possible.

Some baby bird had a very short life, and that makes me sad. But I am also glad that my barn swallow chick is still in the nest and alive.

I'm surprised, but very, very glad.

Stay 'tooned!

More Goodies on the Way!

First Post of the Day

BreyerFest may only be a few weeks behind us, but since it finished, Breyer has really been putting out the products! One was Kiana, the Deluxe Collector Club free Stablemate who began shipping. 

It surprised some collectors who were expecting it to be delivered later in the year. And, there were some folks who were confused as to just what model this was and that it was being shipped now, saying they'd never had a chance to order it and then assuming they'd missed it, and more. 

Kudos for the collectors who stepped up to patiently and kindly share messages and information that clarified who the model was and made it clear that if you were a member of the Deluxe Collector Club, you had not missed out on the piece. 

Kiana is a beautiful piece.

The Proud Arabian Mare is such a lovely mold and having it shrunk down from Traditional size to Stablemate is awesome.

I received the matte and she arrived in excellent condition. (A little damage to her box, but not bad enough that I was worried about what she would be like inside.)

She has very subtle dappling, too, something that Breyer painters struggle with at times. 

My favorite PAM in my collection, the semi gloss mahogany bay, with Kiana.

Her face graces the 2026 Collector Club pin, too. I don't collect pins, but I do have a few. This one will go in my display case with my bridle rosettes.

Breyer announced to Vintage Club members that Drifter, the gambler's choice piece, was available to order.

I have never cared for the vintage Stock Horse Stallion mold but I do like the colors Drifter is in.

Grulla ( with nice shading and leg barring),

black leopard Appaloosa (I'm not fond of the dark head),

and chestnut overo.

Despite my love for Appaloosas, I am hoping I get the grulla but I won't be unhappy with any of them.

Mine is ordered and hopefully will arrive soon (and in a box that hasn't been squashed and broken open like the one my BreyerFest models were in!)

Breyer also had a Christmas in July sale, too, with some Collector Club exclusives Christmas items available.

I ordered Newport and some holiday socks, and I ALMOST bought a Zulu to replace the one I'd given Kate but then decided not to.

A surprising update is coming next.

Stay 'tooned!

It's High Summer

It is high summer in Indiana and we've had a brief break from the extreme heat and air quality issues that we endured just a week or so ago. (Canadian readers, I hope you are safe from the wildfires and that all is well where you are.) 

There are a lot of good things to see and enjoy this time of year.

Curt and Vanessa have a gorgeous hibiscus that has really put out the blooms this July.

Each one is as big (or bigger) as my hand; I had to take a picture when I dropped off some sweet corn (another perk of high summer) for them the other day.

Not the best picture as I had to snap it fast, but as I continued my sweet corn delivery route and pulled into Lisa's driveway, Nash and Rosie (standing on her hind legs) spied me approaching from Lisa's office window.

Rosie is a little firebrand and loves Nashie. Fortunately he likes her, too, and tolerates her antics.

Florida Boi Tammo doesn't mind the heat and enjoys sitting out on the patio with us.

Pepper's black fur picks up the heat more than his does, so she prefers lying in the cooler grass.

I've been in physical therapy for a couple of months now and I am improving. Right now I am doing what they term as land therapy; in two weeks I will begin aquatics therapy. (I tried my new swimsuit on and Nashie leaped up and barked at me when I walked into the living room - he didn't recognize me in it!)

I was sitting in the waiting room this past week when someone very familiar and dear to my heart walked in for her own appointment. 

Jackie! We worked together at Hershey Elementary for twelve years and although we were in different parts of the building, our paths crossed most days and we got to be good friends. We caught up as quickly as we could - it was good to see her.

High summer can have its down side, though.

Leslie and Rick had a scary incident - Rick was mowing and the mower caught fire.

He'd stopped it, turned it off, and gone into the shop to get more gas when it suddenly ignited.

Rick grabbed a fire extinguisher and got the fire out, but the mower is a total loss. We are all grateful that he was not sitting on it when it caught fire. 

Why did the fire start? We don't know but we feel very fortunate that things were not worse.

The barn swallows living over our front porch and who lost their first brood to an aggressive male sparrow had another clutch.

Susie, Kate, and I enjoyed sitting on the stairs and watching the parents feed the chicks. We only saw one baby but there may have been two.

We have Red Shouldered and Cooper's Hawks in our neighborhood, and several times I watched the adults bravely chase off one of the Cooper's hawks. 

One day I even watched five or six barn swallows drive the Cooper's hawk off its perch on the neighbor's roof. I am pretty sure the hawk knew about the nest and was watching it.

Yesterday the nest was suddenly abandoned - the baby(ies) had fledged. And then later that afternoon while out with the dogs, I spied two tiny baby wings lying in the grass by one of my birch trees.

It was the baby barn swallow. Taken on its first day out of the nest.

Not the first time that's happened - a few years ago I actually saw the nestling fledge and the hawk swooped down and grabbed it before it even got across my front yard. Apparently something similar happened yesterday.

Sigh. Sometimes the circle of life can be hard to watch.

I am back in the sewing room (no surprise there, right?) and getting things organized and ready for a lot of 18th century sewing.

Cole gave me some electric scissors and I am learning to use them. They've very effective and make a nice cut, but currently the only speed seems to be GOGOGOGOGO. There's a bit of a learning curve but they are really fun to use.

I finished all but the hem on a chemise yesterday - Monday's project will be to hem it and then I will start on the next chemise.

Finally, last night Lisa came over and we did a high summer family tradition, always done as close to July 25th as possible.

Can you guess what that tradition is?

Stay 'tooned!

It Has Begun

Second Post of the Day

Year after year, as a mom and as a teacher, the school calendar dictated what I was doing and when I did it. 

That changed in 2000 when I began sewing and selling for Horsiemama's Haversacks & Mercantile and Jolis Chevaux. For the past six years, my calendar has looked like this:

January - March: sewing for the Kalamazoo Living History event

April: preparing & filming my BreyerFest workshop (I've now done 5 plus one for the Collectors Club newsletter)

May - June: family visits, other sewing projects, making beeswax ornaments

July: family bocce tournament, BreyerFest, Camp Tecumseh for the grands, more family visits

August - October: sewing for The Feast of the Hunters' Moon, making beeswax ornaments

November - December: making family Christmas gifts, family visits

... and repeat!

We are at the end of July, and I am now in Feast sewing mode. Already I have a men's shirt finished and sold. It was a new project for me, and I only did it because one of my best customers asked me to make him an 18th century white shirt.

Normally I make the less formal trade shirts that the hunters and trappers wore. A white shirt was worn more by soldiers, merchants, and gentlemen and would require altering my trade shirt pattern, but I told April I'd give it a go.

I buy a high quality cotton fabric by the bolt and so I had plenty of fabric in stock.

He and I both were pleased with the end result.

The pleats at the shoulders and the cuffs turned out well. (Pleating is one of my favorite things to do as a sewist.)

April wore the white shirt to an event in Illinois last weekend and sent me these photos from it. 

I asked him for feedback, and he didn't feel I needed to do anything different if I made another. In fact, he said, "It was totally perfect; it fit like it was tailored. It was comfy throughout the event and I even slept in it!"

While April's shirt was a success, I'm not sure I want to begin making white gentlemen's shirts yet. To begin with, I'd have to alter six sizes of patterns plus I think that many men would prefer a button closure at the collar. (April used his stock to keep the neck closed.) I'd want to look at some extant shirts and see how the collar buttons were sewn so I could replicate the shirt correctly. 

Still, it was fun to try something new and to have it turn out so well. 

We shall see. In the meantime, I have two chemises cut out and prepped along with a green wool cloak to stitch up. There is plenty to do before I tackle another sewing project!

Stay 'tooned!

A Last Bit o' BreyerFest

First Post of the Day

Here's a last bit of BreyerFest that I wanted to share - this year's Vintage Club bonus Stablemate. It was on display in Kentucky and I took a screen shot of it from social media.

A flocked Fighting Stallion! A take on the 1985 JCP Holiday Catalog flocked circus horse.

I've had one of the originals in my home in the past, but it isn't mine - it belongs to Yvonne Rott and she has brought it to Happy Trails several times.

She also has its counterpart on Legionario plus their accompanying dolls. All are at the top of my want list.

I may never find my own set of the traditional pair, but that's okay - I am going to really enjoy this flocked Stablemate. 

And, I can't wait to see how the flocked Stablemate looks next to my flocked Shiny Brite ornaments.

I have an idea forming in my head for an Anything Goes entry for a future GLC show using both the Breyer and the Shiny Brite flockies.

Stay 'tooned!

BreyerFest Loot: The Third (Collapsed) Box

Second Post of the Day

I opened that third box from Breyer with a LOT of trepidation. I don't remember ever receiving a box of Breyers that arrived in such bad shape. 

First, I counted the number of models inside, and all four were still there; none had fallen out through that open side or been stolen. Their outer wrappings were in perfect shape, so I became hopeful that they would be unharmed when I opened each package.

I chose to begin with Oseberg. Like most people, I was hoping to receive the glossy.

Oh my gosh - it looked glossy. Or was that a trick of the light or me just having high hopes?

It was a glossy! And far more beautiful in hand than any photos I'd seen of him on social media.

I could not believe my luck. I don't collect the Wintersong mold, but this piece may have just changed my mind.

Next, I opened Thingvellir. The Man o' War mold is a vintage one, and I am fond of it.

I generally prefer darker models and I got the grulla version, but I would like to see if I can find the palomino, too. Anyone have one they want to sell?

Next, I opened my two Scandi Surprises. I don't collect the Vermeer molds and had been a little disappointed when we found out the mold that had been used, but that's the chance you take when you put in for the surprise models.

Matte brown pinto.

I'm not a pinto fan, but this color is nice.

Matte bay.

Some really lovely shading on him.

Like many other collectors, I was hoping for the appaloosa. The champagne, too. Matte or glossy do not matter to me - I'd take either. So, if anyone would like to do a trade, contact me. (horsiemama8@gmail.com)

(Update: the pinto Scandi Surprise has been sold.)

Stay 'tooned!