2 Walters make a right :)

I haven't been blogging much lately because my computer would not register my SD card from my camera. But today it is working! Last night while watching the Academy Awards I worked on a bridle for the saddle I've been working on. By the time the first award was given (Chistoph Waltz for best supporting actor) I had nearly completed it. This saddle has been quite the challenge but I believe that it will work miracles in the show ring. I have been creating it for my new Walter Change of Hart resin. For Valentine's Day Jake also got a Walter :)

My Walter, which I think will be named Sir Walter after Sir Walter Raleigh  

Jake's Walter

Let me just say that in using Kangaroo lace for the first time to make that bridle that I probably won't ever go back to anything else. The quality is just absolutely wonderful!! I have so many projects to finish before going to the show in April, I have NO IDEA how I will finish them all (police set, pack set, and current saddle). I will be leaving Friday to visit my mom in Florida for a week and a half so things will have to be put on hold for a bit.

Scene fun

I've wanted to get into different types of performance and from what I have seen good set ups have bases. So today I went wild at the craft stores and got supplies for bases.

I started off with the easier of the two ideas I had, a simple sand base. 

Overall I am super pleased with my results. It may not be perfect but I'm content. I've also started on a trail set up. So far all I have done is sprayed a dirt-like material diagonally down the board. I don't have a picture of it as it is in the very ugly stage, lol. 

Busy, Busy

I may not have been busy on my blog but I've sure been busy in the studio. I am almost done with the mounted police set and have a beautiful mare to show it on.

I really can't wait to show this set in April. Our loot from the Stone Bucks sale arrived today and we did very nice!

Coolidge

Andrews

Edmond

Jake's OOAK Plantz

Jake's Leon

I sent out Calamity Jane to be painted by the talented Sue Kern. She will come back the most delightful grulla overo!!

Crappy weather, good sale

Well between having to restore my computer to the original factory settings and settling into my day shift at work I haven't really found time for my blog. Scent of Pine and my bay design-a-horse made it back with their repairs and someone long awaited showed up today: Sweet Potato Pie

Very happy with her. Jake and I have been getting ready for our show in April and have put together books of our horses with their reference pages. I will be sure to try and post some of the pictures later. Today was the last day of the Stone Bucks sale so Jake and I snagged up 5 horses. I'm pretty sure he managed to pick out a OOAK which is great because he sure does deserve it! I've been working on some English tack but once again come up short with the saddle. I'm starting to think I may just stick with western tack unless I'm making bridles. I just can't get the hang of parts of the english saddle. My next project will be a Canadian mountie set. I have found reference photos of a saddle and it looks like a cross between english and western, something I might be able to accomplish, lol!

Valor Arrived

The second piece to the Zorn puzzle arrived today from Rio Rondo in Kansas. Valor sculpted by Williams is a handsome fellow....even with his silly head wrap...

They will make a handsome pair once finished and will debut their show careers in April at Plastic Ponies on Parade. A wonderful pony arrived today from Karen Gerhardt. I had tried for this pony on ebay and lost him by $5 and was super upset because he is my favorite color. I put an ad up on MHSP for him and Karen emailed me offering up her artists' proof, signed. I was astonished! So here he is in all this teal color-shifting glory. He has some flaws and probably needs a bath but he is going to be one of those never sell models. I wish I had known about this wonderful color sooner!

How cool is that? I have to artists' copies of horses? Still need to get around to getting Wendy to sign Pepe though.....

Just can't wait....

Okay so I was going to keep this a secret for as long as possible but I'm just so freaking excited! I just recently got a Rose Affinity resin and have a Williams Valor on the way and both will be painted by Karen Zorn!!! Affinity came in the mail yesterday and this afternoon I took her outside to get some good pictures. This model is absolutely amazing! She even has little bumpies on her muzzle where her whiskers should be!

Valor almost looks like a big piggy next to this slim mare! I will post pictures of Valor when he arrives (hopefully sometime this week). Affinity will be painted to look like this pretty gal:

Rags to Riches in her defeat of Curlin in the Belmont

Now for Valor I gave Karen a choice, pick out of the ten triple crown winners I don't have and she decided to go with:  the only Triple Crown winner to be undefeated, Seattle Slew:

Now this will be the second of the eleven Triple Crown winners I will have. A few years ago I told a friend that I wanted to have a collection of Valors that were all painted by different artists to be portraits of all the Triple Crown winners. The first one I was able to buy was a portrait of Affirmed painted by Lisa Bickford. Funny I got him first since I didn't know a thing about him. But while I worked on paying him off (it took me a whole year!) I read about him in books and online. He had a fascinating rivalry with a horse named Alydar (who I have a book about). These two duked it out for the Triple Crown and Alydar came second in all three races. I have a feeling a portrait of that amazing horse will make it into my collection as well (just not on a Valor).

Here is Affirmative with his first show winnings

I can't wait to keep adding to this collection that will be so full of history. I'm sure it will become the envy of any racing fan! Eventually I would like to have silks made up for each horse and possibly a jockey. They will all be getting a custom halter made with their show names on them just like Affirmative came with. Quite ambitious no?

Here today, gone today

My second design-a-horse arrive yesterday and was stunning....except for a few glaring imperfections. So needless to say he went the way of Scent of Pine...repair. I did manage to take lots of pictures of him before he went back. I can't wait to get him back already!!!