On Saturday I had the pleasure of enjoying my first Live Show of the year, on my own doorstep in Rothersthorpe, Northamptonshire (UK). It was a wonderful opportunity to dust off my show string and see all of my hobby friends again, who I've really missed during the Winter down-time.
My day went very well. I packed up my show models, sales models and even took Jasper, Lady Anne (the Crabbet Arab mare now has a name!) and the new Mare and Foal sculptures with me for a little outing.
The it was time for the AA section. Donna provided some more wonderful prizes in the form of her ceramic cats and chess pieces in giggle-tastic art glazes in an array of fun and beautiful colours. Donna also provided a purple cat, purple Arab and brown Lipizzaner as the champion prizes. I really loved the brown Lipizzaner particularly, the art glaze gave it a baroque look that really appealed to me.
And so the AA section began! I was really thrilled when this little chap, recently overhauled by Arla Keane took first place in the large Arab class.
My models brought home a smattering of other placings including two more first place certificates which allowed me to choose two cats to add tomy my friends collection! They are super-popular and as I am really into the chess pieces I let the cats go to some very good new homes :)
Anyway - one of the firsts was for this little guy. He's new, this was his first time out to a live show. I found a similar looking horse online (after MUCH searching), called "Mr Crispy", so chose the same breeding for this guy or New Forest x Appaloosa. I didn't have time to do a breed sheet for him but no matter, he won his class and went on to take the AA Reserve Champion spot, wining me the lovely art glazed Lipizzaner to boot!!
...and check out the "seconds" end of the table! My goodness, I don't think I've ever seen so many stunning models at that end of the table.
I brought home so much more than I took with me! Thankfully, I sold a big-ticket horse; a lovely Optime by Kate Schick, which more than covered the Sabiha who, although being a second, was rather more than I would ever plan to spend at a live show on a whim!
Here are some other things that came home with me. I was really thrilled when I realised what was going on with this wonderful little resin. You may have heard me mention Beccy's Pony Bags before. Well at the last year's Hullabaloo I offered to sell them for her as she couldn't get to the event. Well, they sold like hot-cakes and kept me very busy indeed, which I was happy to do to encourage Beccy in her new venture. Well a few months ago she got this little Ollie Olly Oxen Free resin (I think that's his name, it's something like that!), I saw it an asked her if she had any plans for it as I'd been after one, to which she said she did have plans so sorry, I couldn't have him. Well, as it turned out, her plans were to give him to me as a thank you for selling her bag last year - isn't that incredible! I've already had some great discounts on her bags by way of a thank you and thought the matter was settled, but this little guys is just the icing on the cake now (ooh, that's make a good show name...!).
So I decided to open up my Secret Santa gifts and found some wonderful things! Beccy was my secret Santa, she had ordered these earrings for me from Bernadette Hughes of Crystal Moon Studio - they are based on my logo, which is a little mouse-shaped squiggly line. The first pair had sadly been lost in the post so Bernadette had kindly made some more. They're pretty bright and funky but perfect for me to don for a model horse show I felt!
Beccy is a great listener, she will work with you to make exactly what you want, so when I asked her for an in-between sized bag, lo and behold it was there for this show! I snapped it up and now have a bag the perfect size for my not-quite-classic-but-too-big-for-long-SM-sized resins and chinas :)
During all this buying, trading and gift-receiving, the CM section of the show was happening. I don't collect custom models, purely as I don't have room to bring that part of the hobby into my collection, but soon, the Artist Resin/China section was in full swing and things got busy! Again, my collection brought me a smattering of placings which I was very pleased with, but once the Youngstock division began, things got busy!!
The first section was Light Yougstock. This lovely little Union Jack, painted by Ane Healion to a wonderful mealy bay is not mine, but I took a snap of him winning the class. If you blow up the photo above you'll see that from the class all of those that placed were either Union Jacks or Little Ones! I know the odds are in their favour, but I'm still very pleased with this given the caliber of the other foals on the table. I have great admiration for the Bogucki family so was very proud of all the foals I had had a part in creating.
I didn't get any snaps of the Stock Yougstock class, but my Union Jack resin "Ninja" took first place in that class which had 19 models in it!
Then it was on to Pony Youngstock. There were 12 models competing in this class and "Daisy Daisy", my Dancing Daisy resin painted by Mindy Berg, with her new acrylic base won the class!
In Draft Youngstock I didn't have any entries and in Other Youngstock my Dancing Daisy resin "Ruby" came home with a 5th place, I think her breed assignment didn't really work for her, next time I'll work harder for her!
Then it was time for the Yougstock Championship. Daisy Daisy and Ninja lined up with the winners from the other classes.... and Daisy Daisy got the Champion rosette!
That wasn't all though - Ninja only went and got the Reserve Champion rosette too!! I couldn't have been more pleased, these two have been so competitive. I know winning isn't everything, but it really does make you pleased when it's your model with the rosette in front of it!
So, Daisy Daisy went through to the Artist Resin/China Championship. She was up against some seriously tough competition! It was noted by the judges that the models had been of a particularly high quality at this show (which makes me even more pleased for my foals), so when the Kipling and Papageno when through to the Supreme lineup, I didn't mind at all, Daisy Daisy did me proud!
So here is the Supreme line-up before the Kipling China and Papageno went in. I was really excited as I had a model on the table, Mr Crispie had earnt his way to the final lineup so I was so pleased. Ultimately, the winners were the glossy Palomino OF model which got the Supreme Champion title, then the Kipling China took Reserve Champion and the CM Exmoor pony took the Reserve to Reserve Champion title.
Here are the winning trophies, created by Bernadette at Crystal Moon Studio. Deb Davis, the show holder, had requested a "Grease" theme - can you tell who these are?
After the show we all packed up our models, thanked Deb and our little group headed off to the Hungry Horse neaby by for dinner, and the traditional onion ring stacker!! Yes, we did polish them all off I am both proud and ashamed to say :)
The following day I had a rare free day to play with my newbies. I did say it was a big "Donna Day" for me and it most certainly was - between buying, trading, winning and receiving paid-up Union Jack models from Donna I brought this little lot home!
The Union Jacks are (from left to right) - a Unicorn, part of a series I am having made at the moment; an "Apricot Dun" little guy who is already sold, and a chestnut pinto copy who is currently available for sale (email me to inquire).
Donna brought some broken/second bisques to the show too. I'm a complete sucker for the bisques as I am able to add stunning models like this batwinged skeleton Arab horse (lacking skeleton marking but that was what he was to become), who had broken from his base. I have re-attached him and hope to cold-paint him to something special.
I then attached the resin AA models to their bases, though I will have to go in and fill some gaps they are good and secure.
I also worked on this chap, I've had him for years, he was missing a lower leg which I will be resculpting properly soon and I chose to try to make his mane have little hearts in it, as I've seen some fantastic Fjord horses have done.
I had repaired this model previously and had been resculpting him a new leg, but I discovered that the wire I'd pinned the leg with before had been too short, resulting in the leg breaking again higher up. So this wire is longer and good and sold, and as you can see will need the leg resculping. I'm hoping to restore him without repainting, but we'll see how that goes.
This draft mare had no base, so I temporarily attached a clear acrylic rod to her front hoof, just so that she can stand ok whilst I prepare her for her paint and new base/rod.
Then I got a bit crazy with the Dremel, I've been wanted to have a play with one of these little resins for a long time. You know when you see a model that is lovely, but a certain detail doesn't sit right with you? Well the neck and shoulders on this guy did that for me. They were perfectly good as-is, but I wanted to see if I could turn him into the horse I always imagined him to be, so out came the Dremel ad this happened:
Finally, I wanted to share these two. These are my first attempts (second on the Welsh Mare who was stripped and reprepped last year) at a palomino and a chestnut in oils. The palomino is looking really good, the chestnut is a bit neon just now but should calm down as she goes. I painted them about a month ago and they are now dry to the touch, but they'll nee a few more months before I can seal them and continue - I prefer not to use drying agents in my oils - I only get one or two chance a year to paint models, so there's no hurry :)
My table (centre) but also the surrounding tables including the OF queen Beccy's table, and the CM queen Ann's table.
My table, before I took delivery of the new china Union Jacks.
The view from my table, "big butts"
Jasper (left), Lady Anne (right), new Mare and Foal models - all works in progress at varying stages. This photo was taken by the very trigger-happy Catriona Harris, whose photos are regularly borrowed and used by those who missed things from the shows. I've use a few f Cat's photos in this blog post, all with her permission.
A new base for my Dancing Daisy "Daisy Daisy". I took her painted one along too and asked for opinions. This base was very popular, so I might make a few more of these and offer them as an alternative to Dancing Daisy buyers.
A raffle prize that my proxy shower won for me at a recent show, I took delivery at this show, I'd forgotten all about them which made them a lovely surprise.
More goodies! An Easter Egg and my Secret Santa gifts. We don't get together all that often so tend to celebrate as we go, never mind what the calender says!
And so it began! The show started with the Workmanship section. I entered a few classes and judged a few classed. My little resin AA Striking Out Circus Pony painted years ago by Sheena Stewart won 3rd in the very competitive "Black" class, which I was very happy with!
Then I had to judge a few classes, this is the Palomino class, the Totilas CM by Kim Burd (I think) won this class, he was incredible!
Daisy Daisy also won a 3rd place in the roans class. There were 19 entries in that class, so I was really pleased with this result. In hindsight, I think I should have included her resin base for this class as Mindy did a really amazing job of that, too.
The it was time for the AA section. Donna provided some more wonderful prizes in the form of her ceramic cats and chess pieces in giggle-tastic art glazes in an array of fun and beautiful colours. Donna also provided a purple cat, purple Arab and brown Lipizzaner as the champion prizes. I really loved the brown Lipizzaner particularly, the art glaze gave it a baroque look that really appealed to me.
And so the AA section began! I was really thrilled when this little chap, recently overhauled by Arla Keane took first place in the large Arab class.
My models brought home a smattering of other placings including two more first place certificates which allowed me to choose two cats to add to
Anyway - one of the firsts was for this little guy. He's new, this was his first time out to a live show. I found a similar looking horse online (after MUCH searching), called "Mr Crispy", so chose the same breeding for this guy or New Forest x Appaloosa. I didn't have time to do a breed sheet for him but no matter, he won his class and went on to take the AA Reserve Champion spot, wining me the lovely art glazed Lipizzaner to boot!!
It was a real "Donna Day" for me at this show; here are a couple of snaps of her sales table, courtesy of Cat Harris again - thanks Cat!! :) Check out the Zebra Rocking Horse which has much excited squealing happening from everyone who saw it...
Now, my favourite sculpts by Donna are the mini Welsh Sec C Mare; Cupid; and Sabiha. I was very lucky indeed as Donna gave me first refusal on the Sabiha Pegasus second, which is only a second due to a tiny flay under a wing where nobody will ever see it, so I got her!! She's uber rare (one of just 9 or 10 I think) and just beauty personified! I did have a white (non-pegasus) Sabiha a few years ago which I really loved, but after an unfortunate incident with my now-husband and a big woolly jumper he put on a bit too close to my shelves, she was destroyed, she was in too many pieces to restore, though I did leave her with the china restoration artist so she may yet be put back into one piece one day.
I brought home so much more than I took with me! Thankfully, I sold a big-ticket horse; a lovely Optime by Kate Schick, which more than covered the Sabiha who, although being a second, was rather more than I would ever plan to spend at a live show on a whim!
Here are some other things that came home with me. I was really thrilled when I realised what was going on with this wonderful little resin. You may have heard me mention Beccy's Pony Bags before. Well at the last year's Hullabaloo I offered to sell them for her as she couldn't get to the event. Well, they sold like hot-cakes and kept me very busy indeed, which I was happy to do to encourage Beccy in her new venture. Well a few months ago she got this little Ollie Olly Oxen Free resin (I think that's his name, it's something like that!), I saw it an asked her if she had any plans for it as I'd been after one, to which she said she did have plans so sorry, I couldn't have him. Well, as it turned out, her plans were to give him to me as a thank you for selling her bag last year - isn't that incredible! I've already had some great discounts on her bags by way of a thank you and thought the matter was settled, but this little guys is just the icing on the cake now (ooh, that's make a good show name...!).
So I decided to open up my Secret Santa gifts and found some wonderful things! Beccy was my secret Santa, she had ordered these earrings for me from Bernadette Hughes of Crystal Moon Studio - they are based on my logo, which is a little mouse-shaped squiggly line. The first pair had sadly been lost in the post so Bernadette had kindly made some more. They're pretty bright and funky but perfect for me to don for a model horse show I felt!
Bernadette had also sent a little apology gift, though the Royal Mail losing her work was obviously not her fault! So, also in my Secret Santa parcel selection was this stunning little crystal (and 925 silver!!) mouse. Isn't is just delightful! I'm so happy with it I can't tell you!
The final part of my Secret Santa was these fabric pens. I was a little puzzled at first but Beccy explained that they are the sort of thing that she knows I could use to turn something plain into something hobby related. Challenge Accepted!!
I also made a few purchases/trades, adding this latest item from Beccy's portfolio to my showing supplies. It's a simple padded mat which is black on one side and cream on the other. Beccy explained that pure white can make a horse's markings appear yellow, but the cream shows them off perfectly. The black really makes light coloured horses pop on the show table, and the pad will be useful both for showing model which must be laid down due to topple-risk, and also for keeping models safe as they are placed on my table waiting to be shown. I usually use the pony bags for this but will fine these pads much easier and safer to use, so I plan to add more soon.
Beccy is a great listener, she will work with you to make exactly what you want, so when I asked her for an in-between sized bag, lo and behold it was there for this show! I snapped it up and now have a bag the perfect size for my not-quite-classic-but-too-big-for-long-SM-sized resins and chinas :)
Food also happened! Catriona is a great photographer and an amazing cook, she brought a tray of pecan brownies which were heavenly! I also received some great munchy items from my proxy shower and from Beccy, who was going for both Christmas and Easter in one hit! Remember I said Beccy listens, well I'd told her an age ago that I live the green triangles from Quality Street the best, so was tickled when she handed me a bag full of them, she'd saved them from her Christmas tin, hehe!
During all this buying, trading and gift-receiving, the CM section of the show was happening. I don't collect custom models, purely as I don't have room to bring that part of the hobby into my collection, but soon, the Artist Resin/China section was in full swing and things got busy! Again, my collection brought me a smattering of placings which I was very pleased with, but once the Youngstock division began, things got busy!!
The first section was Light Yougstock. This lovely little Union Jack, painted by Ane Healion to a wonderful mealy bay is not mine, but I took a snap of him winning the class. If you blow up the photo above you'll see that from the class all of those that placed were either Union Jacks or Little Ones! I know the odds are in their favour, but I'm still very pleased with this given the caliber of the other foals on the table. I have great admiration for the Bogucki family so was very proud of all the foals I had had a part in creating.
I didn't get any snaps of the Stock Yougstock class, but my Union Jack resin "Ninja" took first place in that class which had 19 models in it!
Then it was on to Pony Youngstock. There were 12 models competing in this class and "Daisy Daisy", my Dancing Daisy resin painted by Mindy Berg, with her new acrylic base won the class!
In Draft Youngstock I didn't have any entries and in Other Youngstock my Dancing Daisy resin "Ruby" came home with a 5th place, I think her breed assignment didn't really work for her, next time I'll work harder for her!
Then it was time for the Yougstock Championship. Daisy Daisy and Ninja lined up with the winners from the other classes.... and Daisy Daisy got the Champion rosette!
That wasn't all though - Ninja only went and got the Reserve Champion rosette too!! I couldn't have been more pleased, these two have been so competitive. I know winning isn't everything, but it really does make you pleased when it's your model with the rosette in front of it!
So, Daisy Daisy went through to the Artist Resin/China Championship. She was up against some seriously tough competition! It was noted by the judges that the models had been of a particularly high quality at this show (which makes me even more pleased for my foals), so when the Kipling and Papageno when through to the Supreme lineup, I didn't mind at all, Daisy Daisy did me proud!
Here are the winning trophies, created by Bernadette at Crystal Moon Studio. Deb Davis, the show holder, had requested a "Grease" theme - can you tell who these are?
After the show we all packed up our models, thanked Deb and our little group headed off to the Hungry Horse neaby by for dinner, and the traditional onion ring stacker!! Yes, we did polish them all off I am both proud and ashamed to say :)
The following day I had a rare free day to play with my newbies. I did say it was a big "Donna Day" for me and it most certainly was - between buying, trading, winning and receiving paid-up Union Jack models from Donna I brought this little lot home!
The Union Jacks are (from left to right) - a Unicorn, part of a series I am having made at the moment; an "Apricot Dun" little guy who is already sold, and a chestnut pinto copy who is currently available for sale (email me to inquire).
Donna brought some broken/second bisques to the show too. I'm a complete sucker for the bisques as I am able to add stunning models like this batwinged skeleton Arab horse (lacking skeleton marking but that was what he was to become), who had broken from his base. I have re-attached him and hope to cold-paint him to something special.
I then attached the resin AA models to their bases, though I will have to go in and fill some gaps they are good and secure.
I also worked on this chap, I've had him for years, he was missing a lower leg which I will be resculpting properly soon and I chose to try to make his mane have little hearts in it, as I've seen some fantastic Fjord horses have done.
I repairs the rear leg on this Arabian Knights AA resin, the leg is now pinned and very strong.
I had repaired this model previously and had been resculpting him a new leg, but I discovered that the wire I'd pinned the leg with before had been too short, resulting in the leg breaking again higher up. So this wire is longer and good and sold, and as you can see will need the leg resculping. I'm hoping to restore him without repainting, but we'll see how that goes.
This draft mare had no base, so I temporarily attached a clear acrylic rod to her front hoof, just so that she can stand ok whilst I prepare her for her paint and new base/rod.
Then I got a bit crazy with the Dremel, I've been wanted to have a play with one of these little resins for a long time. You know when you see a model that is lovely, but a certain detail doesn't sit right with you? Well the neck and shoulders on this guy did that for me. They were perfectly good as-is, but I wanted to see if I could turn him into the horse I always imagined him to be, so out came the Dremel ad this happened:
Finally, I wanted to share these two. These are my first attempts (second on the Welsh Mare who was stripped and reprepped last year) at a palomino and a chestnut in oils. The palomino is looking really good, the chestnut is a bit neon just now but should calm down as she goes. I painted them about a month ago and they are now dry to the touch, but they'll nee a few more months before I can seal them and continue - I prefer not to use drying agents in my oils - I only get one or two chance a year to paint models, so there's no hurry :)
