2016 Vintage Club Storm

The first offering for the 2016 Vintage Club arrived this week, and it is gorgeous!

 Storm! The Man o'War mold with Stud Spider pattern in a beautiful glossy brown charcoal!

 Storm, #712168, Vintage Club #1 for 2016, $125, Breyer.

 Unfortunately, mine had a badly warped hind leg. I called Breyer who said they would send a replacement.

I decided to try the hair dryer method and see if I couldn't fix it - my model's coloring is darker and more rich than most of those being posted online, and I'd really like to keep him.

No pictures, but I was successful in getting it back where it should be, so this one is a keeper.

HR Krazy Kritters - Ponies

While reading the Hagen Renaker book that I got in December, I was surprised to discover that The Little Shoppe, a place where I buy my HRs, had done some mini animals in unusual colors, targeting children. They were called Krazy Kritters, and apparently there was a kids' club of some sort.

Intrigued, I did a search online and found them! I've been all over that web site and never seen them - but then, it's not got a search button and it's clearly administered by someone not very adept at technology. (Gerrie Bowman, who passed away about a year ago. Lee Bowman is continuing the business.)

They are teeny tiny, and not an HR mold I usually buy. But, I know enough about collecting to strike when there's an unusual opportunity, and these are SO odd, I'd never heard of them and never seen them on any saleslists!

Krazy Kritters Pony - Pink, #453b-KK, $10, manufacture date unknown, The Little Shoppe, 1/2016.
Krazy Kritters Pony - Yellow, #453-KK, $10, manufacture date unknown, The Little Shoppe, 1/2016.

Mini Me

Big and living or little and plastic or china, I love horses. According to my mother, that love goes back to my toddlerhood. I started riding at ten and got Amy, my first horse at twelve, but I began collecting model horses when I was six. (Santa, you had no idea what you were starting...)

1,000+ plastic, china, and resin model horses later, I still enjoy finding new pieces to add to my collection and love to scope out antique shops, flea markets, and other places looking for horse shaped objects.

My most favorite piece, a Hagen Renaker Designer's Workshop Sherif, that I found at an auction for $4 back in the mid 1990s.

Rumor has it that my mother may have been in collusion with Santa Claus.

She has never confirmed nor denied that rumor. 

(This photo was taken in my horse room which also serves as my sewing room. She and I were sewing a quiet book for my granddaughter, Corinne, and this is one of the pages we were working on. She knitted the snowman's scarf.)

I love to read model horse hobby blogs and especially enjoy those who take their collecting hobby further and make saddles, bridles, and other tack for their models. Some go beyond that and make scenes with dolls.

Over the holidays I had a chance to try my hand at making a doll scene. I have NO ability to create, but I can go to Hobby Lobby and get some dollhouse miniatures or repurpose other things. Here's my first go:

The idea is a living room/sitting room set up. No furniture yet, but I thought this display case looked a bit like built-ins in a home. That was my beginning piece.

The Christmas wreath was one of a pair of earrings that I repurposed (yikes, the things we teachers will wear to bring the holiday spirit into our classrooms!!),  and the pot of flowers is from a jump set I had from one of my performance show set ups. The model horses were a gift from a student years ago, and the books (dollhouse props) are miniature classics (Peter Pan, Moby Dick, etc.) The railroad lamp, another dollhouse prop, reflects my own love of trains (I go by train to Colorado and Utah to visit our kids and grandkids).

The doll is an old Brenda Breyer - I hope to sew her some new, more in-scale clothes. And the beautiful sleigh bells are a favorite of mine and were made for me by Jennifer Buxton of Braymere Custom Saddlery - they are perfect replicas of Abby's sleigh bells!

So many things that reflect me and the things in my life are included that I dubbed the scene "Mini Me." And while there is obviously room for tweaking, it's a beginning. Best of all, it was a fun project.

Christmas 2015 Holly & Ivy

The day before Christmas, Breyer sent out an email telling collectors that there would be a surprise Christmas morning on the web site.

At about 11:00 AM, they posted this:

Two new beautiful decorator colors on the Flash mold with free shipping anywhere in the world! It was open only to members of the Collector Club.

I had my order in by 11:08 AM. (Guess it's a good thing that this was a year without the kids and their families on Christmas day!!)

After a most circuitous route (see earlier post) mine arrived on January 6. I was hoping for an Ivy, although I would have been happy with a Holly, too.

 I got Ivy!!  I say he is a medium lacy pattern, judging from the other photos on Blab.

Ivy, #712167, $95, only 350 made, 2015 Holiday Collector Club Special, $95, 12/2015, Breyer.

2015 Vintage Club Stablemate

Breyer gives the Vintage Collectors Club members a bonus stablemate at the end of the collecting year. The 2015 piece is this one:

It's a G3 mold with a vintage color - alabaster - and beautifully done.

Bravo, 712145, free, 2015 Vintage Collectors Club Stablemate, 12/2015.

The Zodiac Horses

It's not the 60s girl in me at all, but when Breyer announced a line of Zodiac horses for 2015, I was curious and took a look.

The classic Lippizaner done up in such luscious colors as this hooked me and I decided to buy this one and maybe some others.

Sagittarius, #8173, 2015, $14.95, 11/2015, Breyer.

The Bucking Bronco is another vintage mold and one I collect.

Aries, #8165, $14.95, 2015, 11/2015, Breyer.

And the Rearing Stallion, a mini Fighting Stallion!

Pisces, #8175, $14.95, 2015, 11/2015, Breyer.

Not a mold I collect, but a lovely one and the color is gorgeous, so this one was also ordered.

Scorpio, #8172, $14.95, 2015, 11/2015, Breyer.

Well, Breyer had another big sale at the end of December, and I thought long and hard and decided to buy the rest of the set. They are remaining in their boxes and are stored in the closet, but here's a picture of the entire collection from Breyer's web site. (These were sold only through Breyer.)

Beginning at the top and working my way down, left to right:

Taurus, #8166, $18, 2015, 11/2015, Breyer.
Gemini, #8167, $18, 2015, 11/2015, Breyer (This mold has only been used two other times.)
Cancer, #8168, $18, 2015, 11/2015, Breyer.
Leo, #8169. $18, 2015, 11/2015, Breyer.
Virgo, #8170, $18, 2015, 11/2015, Breyer.
Libra, #8171, $18, 2015, 11/2015, Breyer.
Capricorn, #8174, $18, 2015, 11/2015, Breyer.
Aquarius, #8175, $18, 2015, 11/2015, Breyer.

Autism Horse

This piece has not been well accepted by the hobby. It is unusual, I'll grant you that! But... those are the pieces that go up in value down the road. But I didn't by this piece for that reason.

I bought it because I have taught several autistic students and I would not be surprised if someday one of my own grandchildren are diagnosed - the odds favor that happening.

Hope - Benefit Autism Horse, #1736, 2015 only, gift from Craig, Christmas 2015.