As 2023 comes to an end...

After Mistletoe Market, I still had orders for this years Limited Edition Christmas Gnome (Santa with Gingerbread). I only had 2 remaining after Mistletoe, so I made enough to fill the rest of the orders. 

I still have 6 to make today to finalize the Limited Edition of 35 pieces. All but 4 are spoken for.

In early December we chose to take the house off the market temporarily. 

Home sales traditionally are very slow this time of year. 

Of the few people that viewed the house, the only specific comments were about the bathrooms needing updating. So, we are planning to update at least the small bathroom, if not both. 

Then we plan to re-list the house sometime in March.

The house is now officially in my name. It's scary being a first time homeowner at my age! 

The fact remains that the house is too much for me... space and budget-wise. I need a smaller place.

Jordan Bannister and John Perkins 2023 PABA Co-Presidents present Cindy Higgins the First Annual PABA "Higgins Award".

The Higgins award was established to  recognize an PABA Member for exceptional service and dedication. Cindy has served on the PABA Board of Directors for 10 years. During her tenure Cindy has given her time and talents which has resulted in invaluable contributions to the Pendleton business community.

Not only is Cindy the first recipient, the reward itself is named in her honor and will be awarded annually.

THANK YOU CINDY!!!

Several years ago, I became Secretary of the Pendleton Area Business Association. A couple of months later, the group fell to the wayside because the President and VP didn't want to continue. It was dormant for a few years. 10 1/2 years ago, business owners wanted to resurrect the organization. I was the only remaining officer still in the area, and was the only one on the signature card for the bank account. 

We were able to re-group and I retained my position of Secretary. One President served 2 years, the next served 1 1/2 years. Not long before his term ended, our Treasurer unexpectedly passed away. One the President left, I was the only officer. I had a volunteer help with the treasury. Finally, I was able to encourage the right people to step forward and serve as full-time Treasurer and Secretary, and I became President (officially). About half-way through 2022, I stated that I could not serve any longer. I had my own business to attend to with my sister. The crickets didn't even chirp. I got blank stares in return... Then, in September, Dad passed away. I said at the next meeting that I REALLY couldn't do it any longer and needed a Nominating Committee to find candidates. FINALLY a few people stepped forward and volunteered for that committee. As a result, there were nominations for officers and a new Board of Directors was elected that November. I would remain on the Board as Past President per the By-laws. I was good with that. Today officially marks the last day of my time on the Board of Directors of the Pendleton Area Business Association. I am ready to let go... and I am grateful to those who  are taking the leadership of our organization on. I will remain an active Member at Large.

At our Christmas Party, they presented me with this award, which they named after me! 

I am beyond honored!

My wish for all is that 2024 have fewer obstacles and more joyous moments.

 

Busy creating for Mistletoe Market

I've been busy creating stock for Mistletoe Market. The show is in 1 week. The creative flow has been difficult at times because I need to clean and put everything away every time I leave the house for more than 10 minutes, just in case someone wants to view the house.

Glazed and ready for the final firing.

Some angels ready to assemble. Other items I ran out of time to glaze for tonight's firing.

The last of the items formed for next weekend's show. (I will make more after the show too!)

Collapsible bar that comes with it's own carrying case.

And a shelf underneath for boxes, bags, and tissue.

I have stopped shaping things for the time being so I can finish those that are already shaped. I will resume after the show so I can build stock for the store. I also found this wonderful collapsible bar that I can use as my wrap stand for the show.

Ghosts in the House!

The first batch of Ghosts are finished. All of this batch are spoken for. I am making more!

A bit of production

As I was working with the clay this past weekend, it told me in no uncertain terms that some of it needed to be ghosts. So, I now have added Ghosts to my Gnomes and Friends!

Happy 92nd Dad

We miss you so much. Making sure to have some peanut butter and cheddar cheese in your memory today.

Therapy!

The house listing went live Saturday morning (6/10/23). I had some free time on Sunday and I gave myself a small dose of clay therapy.

I only ended up making 6 gnomes, but it was so restorative to my peace of mind. I was house & dog-sitting over the weekend so I couldn't spend the whole day creating, but those few gnomes made a LOT of difference! Here is the listing for the house, in case you want to see it. (Hover over "house" and click there for the link.)

FINALLY!

The long, emotional haul is nearing the end. The house should be listed by tomorrow. I don't have the kind of attachment to this house as I did to the house I spent most of my growing-up years in. Although, I have lived in this one longer. This was a safe place to land when my world was turning upside down. There are memories of my looking for a job. Memories of my marriage breaking up. Those years of Mom in cancer treatment (as well as all the wonderful years in between). Memories of finding Dad after he died. Memories of the emotional struggles I went through in the 23 1/2 years living there. There has been quite a bit of anxiety laden times during the cleaning and packing. I am more than ready for a new, fresh life in a new-to-me home... wherever that may be.

Still packing...

I can fully understand why moving is often on the list of most stressful activities. (The Top 5 Most Stressful Life Events: 1. Death of a loved one, 2. Divorce, 3. Moving, 4. Major illness or injury, 5. Job loss.) I am STILL packing! I will work for hours, fill boxes and turn around to see that it appears I still have the same amount to go. FRUSTRATING! On the up side, I did fill out my application for Mistletoe Market. Again, I won't know for sure I'm in until the jury makes their decisions. I am eager to get the house sold, move to a new-to-me home and get creating! I miss it so much!

Moving on to the next holiday gnome...

2023 Limited Edition Easter Gnome

I have the prototype finished and started taking orders on Sunday. I take orders for 2 weeks and then make my decision on how many extras over the pre-orders I should make. Once I reach that pre-determined number, I stop making them, afterall, that is what Limited Edition means. 

With these, the hats will all be the same color purple, but the eggs patterns and colors will vary.

Mouse #1

The mouse was made for a special order. It is my first mouse, but I love how it turned out and I will make more!

Valentine flowers

Being single isn't always easy on Valentine's Day. Some friends invited me over for dinner and gave me the purple Daisy Mums. I added the Jonquils from the garden at home. 

2023 Limited Edition St. Pat's Gnomes ready for glazing

I have a total of 35 LE St. Pat's Gnomes to complete this year. I started glazing them yesterday and will hopefully finish before the weekend. My deadline is to be able to send the ones that need to go travelling to their new homes before the first of March. I am on schedule for that time frame.

My younger sister is coming to visit next week to help me finish sorting, cleaning, and packing up the house and getting it ready to sell. 

I found a house I would love to buy, but haven't heard back from the bank yet... many years with NO credit, I am having doubts that I can get a loan. This has my anxiety level quite elevated. I will most probably miss out on what I consider the perfect house for me, which will make me very sad. I haven't seen anything else that even closely fits my needs and budget (from the proceeds of Mom & Dad's house).

 

Limited Editions...

 

I have the photo of the glazed Valentine Gnomes. I had pre-orders for 25 and made 41. I only have 4 left that are not spoken for. Not too bad in my opinion.

These are photos of the prototype for the limited edition St. Pat's gnome. I have pre-orders for 24 (the cut-off date was 1/28/23), decided to make 35, and have had 4 additional ones ordered from that surplus. Again, not too bad, in my opinion. 

This guy has a red/brown beard to be close to the traditional depiction of Leprechauns.

Today I received the glaze I want to try for the upcoming limited edition Easter gnomes. The prototype is on my to-do list.  I will have pre-orders start in mid to late February. I usually make 10 - 15 extras, depending on how popular they seem to be.

A Long-time Wish

 

Many, many years ago (not sure of the date), the Metropolitan Museum of Art contracted my father-in-law (Wally Higgins) to create a mold for their unofficial museum mascot William the Egypyian faience hippo. Fast-forward to the early 1990's when I was working for Wally. The Met contacted Wally again to re-work the mold and create a master (mother) mold (used to create more working molds). Wally was semi-retired at the time and passed the project along to me. In the background of this OLD Polaroid photo is William and the old mold with the new mold. 

At the time, the reproductions were being made in NY by a studio. I always wished for a sample piece.

Fast forward yet again to this week. I FINALLY have my William! I have been checking the museum's on-line shop for a long time, waiting for him to be back in stock. Using a small amount of the money inherited from my father, I ordered him! 

There is a group on facebook that is wierd and wonderful secondhand finds, or something like that. Well, they have a thing of looking for house hippos. It stems from a Canadian tv commercial. William is now my House Hippo!  But, I wanted to slightly re-name him to reflect my history with him better.

When I was in college, my dad was one of the academic advisors for one of the fraternities. Dad's first name was William, with a second initial of "A". He mainly signed things with "W A Earl". The guys at the fraternity lovingly referred to him as "WA Baby". My father-in-law's first name was Wally.  My hippo will be known as WA Baby, as an homage to both my dad and my father-in-law.

Preparing for the first Limited Edition of 2023

 Last year, about this time, I decided to create some Limited Edition Gnomes for Valentine's Day, St. Patrick's Day, and Easter. I made 12 of each. I had NO idea that they would be so popular! I had so many requests afterward that I decided in the future I would take pre-orders for any of the Limited Edition pieces. It has worked well.

I am now working on the Limited Edition Valentine Gnomes for 2023. I am taking pre-orders until next Saturday, January 14, 2023. I will have them finished before February 1 so I can ship (those that need it) and have them arrive at their new homes prior to Valentine's Day.

As of this morning, I have taken orders for 23!  So far, I have made 27. I plan to make 10 or so over the pre-order total so I can have a few for those who may not have seen the pre-order post in the facebook group. Not everyone does facebook, I totally understand that.

I will post a photo of them once they are finished.  The plan is to give them white hats and a red heart with gold accents.