GLC No Frills Show

Great Lakes Congress was so much fun! (Er, barring the Chicago traffic, that is.) Craig and I stayed in the Courtyard Suites in Elgin Friday night and then drove over to the show hall in Huntley early Saturday morning.

I did not take my usual show string; I decided to try some unusual entries since this show was double judged for collectibility and I wanted to see how those pieces would do.

Across the table from me was my long time hobby friend, Sande Schneider. When it comes to Breyer and collecting information, there is none better than Sande. I've known her since the early 1990s when I used to hold Lincoln Live in Urbana. 

Craig spent much of the day in the show hall with me, helping me listen for classes, run out for lunch, etc. (The woman in the photo is Reta Mullemann. See the glass flower in the vase? It was her 35th wedding anniversary, and her husband had tucked that into one of her show tubs as a surprise!)

Several vendors were present with an assortment of new and vintage models, horsey books, and other hobby items for sale. (I was a good girl - I only bought one tub of sticky wax.)

I was right by the OF ring which was very convenient. And in the center of the circle of rings was a life-sized equine skeleton! Perfect for a show that was just before Halloween!

 Complete with a halter and an orange lead rope, too! It neighs and has red eyes that light up. The skeleton horse can be found at Home Depot, but at $200, I'll pass.

I had entries in three rings at first, so it was a bit of a scramble to keep up as the show moved along at a good clip.

At first, my intention was to take photos of every piece I had that qualified for the North American Nationals.

 That lasted just two entries - I could not keep up with taking pictures while running from ring to ring!

Working on putting together my Native American set up for performance. I rarely do performance because it is costly and because tacking up tiny ones is painstaking work.

 And, I discovered I'd forgotten my new doll stand, and so I had to lean the dolls against the model. I tried to make it look realistic, but knew that that mistake would hurt my entry. Still, I took second place - a performance entry qualified for NAN!

My true collecting passion is the vintage pieces, so when these two mint in box Indian ponies showed up, I had to take a picture. They belong to Liz Cory.

 During lunch, I asked Craig to take a picture of me with the skeleton horse. It turned out that, not only was it a decoration for the show, it was also an entry in the Anything Goes class - and it won!

I also made an entry for the Theme class. Mine was "The Phony Pony Circus" and I brought out my Shiken Circus ponies, one of which is a very close copy of the HR Head Up Circus Pony (the real deal is above the card.) I'd seen it on eBay and was nearly fooled into thinking it was a real HR. I love circus ponies, and so have added more Shiken pieces as they pop up on eBay.

One of the things I like about GLC is that their tables are nice and long and the show hall is so big, no one is cramped. There's lots of room to spread out and walk around.

Class after class, I kept taking second place. One shower was beating me consistently.

Sande Schneider! She had entries like this very rare Proud Arab Mare in glossy Appaloosa with box! But coming in second to Sande is okay with me - she's the best of the best, and I am delighted to even be able to hold my own against her outstanding collection.

I did bring something that drew some crowds, though, when I put it in the show ring.

 I finally brought out my boxer clock. Only two are known to exist, and it earned two ribbons and NAN cards.

I had to laugh - the class was double judged. Sande and her wonderful Davy Crocket clock and I each got a first from one judge and a second from the other!

The flocky class was small but tough. The purple rocking horse was a stellar entry!

The show ended at 4:00 in the afternoon, giving us plenty of time to drive home. I qualified eleven pieces for NAN and had a wonderful time. I don't show much any more, so it is nice to know that I can still hold my own, especially when showing against Sande, the best of the best.

GLC Live

I hardly ever go to model horse shows, even those relatively close in the Chicago area. Great Lakes Congress in Huntley (a Chicago suburb) is celebrating its 30th anniversary and I have never gone to one of its shows. Not once! (Hate that Chicago traffic.)

But despite the pressure to get quiet books finished and parent/teacher conferences scheduled a week prior to the show, I sent in my entry and went. I planned and packed my showstring more than a week ahead as I was so busy.

What a fun show! The people running it were nice, the showers friendly, the judges knowledgable. And I ran into old friends (Sande Schneider, Karen Beeson, and Chris Walbruch), too!

 My show table - all unpacked and ready to go.

I did not take all my usual show pieces, instead choosing to try a few others and see how they did. And I did okay, qualifying five pieces for the North American Nationals.

 This piece always does well. It was a large class of nearly 30 horses.

 A last minute addition to my show tub - my Raku Lakeshore Marshall.

I nearly left Queen Noor home, too, (she has slight ear tip rubs) but she took second in a large class of OF Plastic Arabians.

 "She is just so cute. I love your Foalzilla!" the judge told me. She also commented on her extreme shading. Nearly left her at home, too!

I've had this piece for nearly two decades and never taken it to a show. Kathy Bateman found it as a white bisque at an estate sale. There were two; she kept one and gave me the other. In 2004 I had Janis Whitcomb paint it to look like my real Quarter Horse, Cee Hunt.

He caused a bit of a stir - no one can identify the mold or maker, including me. And, he's huge - not quite Foalzilla scale, but certainly bigger than a traditional sized model.

What to Do with Ribbons?

From the blog, Riding Aside. Some terrific ideas!!

What to Do with Show Ribbons

From the blog, Riding Aside. Great ideas! I have some ribbons I won with Amy and Cee, and tons of ribbons from model shows. Maybe I'll try one of these ideas.

What To Do With All of Those Ribbons...

Now, I am not one who is drowning in show ribbons... especailly not the coveted blue and red ones... but for those who are.. or even for the show barn owners - you might just find an idea that you could use right here.

For your enjoyment - here we go:

A ribbon wreath - as long as it is done up well, it is attractive.  I have seen some not so nice ones though.

I love these frames - but to make them interesting - they need to include more than just ribbons - photos, show programs or pins are nice details

This is seriously cool!

Love this elegant idea with a Christmas decor twist.

 Never thought of putting the shadow frames in the barn. but why not!

Great desk decor!.. especially the desk in the barn office.

Now, I have seen many a show ribbon quilts and pillows...and most of them look like.. well don't get mad at me for saying this .. but most of them look like ribbon vomit!

BUT - when I saw this pillow... I had to save the photo to share with you.  This looks like a designer piece to me!

Anyone else have another idea for show ribbons?

Laughing Bear Live Show

Today JC, Trinity, and I attended Laughing Bear Live in Cedar Ra[ids, Iowa, a benefit model horse show for Lynn Fraley who is battling cancer. We had a great day together, and we won a few ribbons, too!

 A view of the show hall.

 A judging table with my Scojeadon (Parr's Dream Doll) and Cee Hunt (Okie Rio) resins. Cee took second and qualified for the national show and Scoj took third.

 We got our first ribbon in our second class - Sweet Abby took sixth in a class of 26 OF Breyer Appaloosas. (Recognize the name? I have had a Breyer named Sweet Amy for years, so it was only natural that I name a model after Abby.)

 Lazy River took second in a huge class of OF Breyer Missouri Fox Trotters and qualified for NAN.

 A local baker donated a cake for the showers to enjoy. It was delicious. JC and Trin loved how it was decorated.

 Dartagnan placed second in the Resin Other Spanish Breeds class (which qualified him for NAN.)

 JC shows off my OF Breyer Clydesdale, Gorgeous George,who placed third in the Clydesdale class.

 A reserve championship! Ring the Bell won the OF Breyer Gaited Pony class and then was reserve champion of the OF Breyer Gaited class.

 Trinity bought this little Breyer Quarter Horse lying foal and then placed second in the OF Breyer Other Breeds Foal class - another NAN qualified piece!

The pony packs I'd made earlier this spring worked very well, but I did not have enough and need to make some more. I'll do that later this summer.

We won 26 ribbons and eight horses qualified for NAN, plus JC, Trinity and I had so much fun together, so I'd call my first show in nearly a decade a success.

Preparing for a Show

I have not been to a model horse show in probably eight to ten years. I have simply been too busy, and many of the shows within driving distance have been held on weekends when I have other commitments.

Laughing Bear Live, a benefit for long-time hobbyist Lynn Fraley (she's battling colon cancer), is being held Saturday in Cedar Rapids. That's just north of Sarah, so I entered the show. (Sarah will also be getting her teaching certificate from the University of Iowa on Friday!) Bonus for me - Trinity is going to come with me and help me show!

Preparing, planning, and packing for a show is quite an undertaking. You begin with the class list, sorting your horses into the classes in which you want to show them.

 The plastic model entries (Breyers) are done - since they are upstairs, I packed them there and Curt brought the tubs downstairs for me.

The tubs of Breyers are in our bedroom, ready to go!

 I used almost all the pony packs I'd made earlier this spring in packing the Breyers. Good thing I bought another bolt of fabric and can make some more!

I put a label inside each tub so I know what is inside. That way I can pull the horses out as needed.

Resins I plan to show. They're older models and may not do too well as a result - some simply stunning pieces have been produced in the past decade, and they're too costly for me! The blue roan was a gift from Kathleen Moody (her LDS Rockwell Moyles horse that she sculpted for her Mormon friends) as was the Moody Magnificent. (Kathleen is a very generous friend.) Also going are my Okie Rio painted like Cee, my Parr's Dream Doll, and some North Lights. Oldies but goodies!

I will be wrapping the resins and chinas in bubble wrap, so the tape is necessary to secure them.  I am not taking too many chinas as there is always a breakage risk.

 Tagging the models can be a time consuming task, but a necessary one as well.

 The tub for the resins, chinas, and customs along with a few pony packs and the bubble wrap.

 Essential to showing are cloths for wiping off dust and fingerprints before putting the model on the table.

 Cosmetic brushes also work well in getting dust and dirt out of tiny crevices in manes and tails.

The felt pads are used under tippy models - you lay the model on them, the judge looks at one side, and then you flip them to the other for judging. This limits breakage. (I use blue as a subtle hint that my models are first place worthy!!)

 Some of the chinas I am taking. My Cheval Friesian (very hard to find but not sure he will do well as this is a halter show, not a collectibility show), my HR Windsong Sherif (Top Ten at the very first North American Nationals in 1995!), my Lakeshore Marshall, Pour Horse Hadrian, china Okie Rio, and HR Donkey, Harry.

 The new table cover I made with my stable name on it. I love how it turned out!

 A close up of the table cover.

I will finish up packing today as we are leaving for Iowa tomorrow. JC and Trinity have baseball and softball games tomorrow night, and we get to go! And, since Trinity is going to come to the show with me and help out, I really hope we earn some ribbons for her sake - I've even got a horse named after her that I will be showing. (One named after JC, too!)