Holiday Festive Filigree Blind Bags

  Earlier this month I took a chance on getting the blue decorator Indian Pony in the 70th Anniversary Blind Bags. I bought an entire case of 24 with the odds that I'd heard being that there was 1 Indian Pony in every 12 cases. (Or, 1 in every 288 blind bags.) To my surprise, the first package I opened contained her.

As I so frequently say (and then do the complete opposite), I do not collect Stablemates. But I do like the Lippizaner mold. So when Breyer offered a holiday blind bag that included it, I took a chance again. Called Festive Filigrees, four models were offered in filigree holiday colors.

Photo taken from email sent by Breyer.

I didn't really want any of the others; based on Breyer's photo, the colors looked too bright and almost garish. But sometimes the actual in-hand pieces look better than their photographs, so I crossed my fingers and ordered two.

I pulled the first bag from the box and felt the outlines through the packaging. My excitement started rising - it felt like the Lippizaner.

It was! I'd gotten the model I'd wanted in the first bag I'd opened again!

And his color is much prettier and far more muted than that garish gold in the promo photo.

Setting the Lippizaner aside, I started running my fingers over the outlines of the Stablemate in the other package. I didn't really want any of the other offerings, especially the red Smart Chic Olena, nor did I think I'd get lucky and get a second Lippizaner. 

It felt like the Croi, and when I tore off the top of the bag, I was right. And again, the color was much nicer in person. That eye really isn't wonky. It's a combination of shading and trying to take photos at 5:00 AM in very poor lighting. The eye is fine.

Nor does it have a black flaw in its mane. Not sure where that came from, but it's gone now.

After opening the case of 70th Anniversary Blind Bags earlier this month, I discovered that Croi, a mold I do not care for, is not too bad when Stablemate sized. It's been growing on me ever since, and when I saw that the Holiday Filigree Croi was actually a more muted green instead of in-your-face neon, I was actually quite happy with it.

Now that these are here and nothing else is on order, it might be wise to remind myself by (mis-) quoting the Cowardly Lion, "I do not collect Stablemates, I do not collect Stablemates, I do not..."

Merry Christmas From Windsong Stables!

Last Christmas I enjoyed seeing the pictures people would post of their stables at the holidays. I found I loved the scenes of life with horses in miniature, and the homey feeling it gave me.

So, I decided to give it a try and set up a very modest little scene. It wasn't much, but I enjoyed it and have kept it out all year.

I'm working on the 2016 Christmas scene. While I am not done yet, it is coming along nicely. (Some day I'll dress that doll in better clothes!)

There is a tree at JoAnns Fabrics I'd like to buy - it's more realistic and it comes with working, in-scale miniature lights! This one is an old show prop from the 1990s. Its decorations are beads and earring charms that I put on hangers.

I plan to rewrap the packages and make some more that are smaller. And, I may even add another doll.

In the meantime, though, I am feeling very festive as I work in my horse room.

2015 Horse Tree

Not only do I have a horsehead wreath on my front door, I also have a horsey ornament tree!

I debated putting it out - only one of our six children will be here for the holidays, so our celebration will be on a much smaller scale. On the other hand, with no grandchildren dancing about with sugarplums on their minds, I can put some breakables out and not worry.

I still have a crate of horsey ornaments that I left in the closet, and I am hoping to find the Breyer American Pharaoh ornament under my Christmas tree December 25.

I need a bigger ornament tree for 2016!

New Arrivals

Breyer has announced its discontinued list for 2012, and I really wanted this piece:

 It's one of Breyer's earliest molds, and it was on sale for $24, so I snagged one.

And then, remembering the sweet Christmas ornaments that I received as a gift and then gave away (and regretted), I decided to take the plunge and buy the three new Merry Fillies. And I am so glad I did - they are soooo cute!

 Truffle ($8)

 Snowdrift ($8)

 Twinkle ($8)

The photos do not do them justice - the detail in the paint jobs are incredible!