Well, everyone, since we're winding down to the end of the year, the time has come to share some exciting news with y'all.
When I was in Kentucky visiting family back in September, I fell in love with a 10 acre property down there. Envisioning turning it into a horse rescue, something I've wanted to do for years, my family urged me to take the plunge. I applied and was approved for a loan to buy it, then set about working with a building company to put a barn and house on it so eventually we can move down there. I would not only be closer to my family but also to Breyerfest since the KHP is about an hour from the property. The aim is to move in shortly after the first of the year. New year, new start. Since I have far too many Breyers in my personal collection to fit in the car for a 6 hour ride, I have thus decided to sell off a good portion of my models. Although I won't be getting out of the hobby completely, I will be making the transition of being more of a seller than a collector, keeping only the molds I want to conga. Some of them will be posted on my eBay page and Mercari. The rest of my personal collection will be listed for sale on January 1st when I have my new year's sale. The regular run reveals will be posted soon so what does this mean for my business? With the rising cost of supplies (12×16 shipping boxes are now $40 a bundle) and shipping, plus the newly added supply chain surcharge on top of that, I will be requiring a $49 minimum purchase on all 2022 traditional and classic pre-orders. In all honesty, since Breyer has raised their costs for most regular runs, that's usually just a single traditional horse so this won't be an issue for most people. Stablemates will still be available for first class shipping (no minimum purchase) since they don't need the special sized boxes. Another change is that I will no longer be doing pre-orders through eBay, only through my website. EBay requires you to ship within 30 days and with the shipping issues Breyer has been experiencing, I cannot guarantee that. The last thing I want is eBay terminating my account because of too many late shipments. I am still going to be offering club models for those of you who don't want to be tied down to purchasing all models in the club. Breyerfest pickups *should* be able to be offered but I'm still waiting to hear more about their plan about how they're hybridizing Breyerfest next year. I thank all of you for your continued support! Well, guys, I was hoping to have Klarna up and running by this weekend, however it may not happen after all. Apparently the issue is with Weebly, who is just about the only major web host that doesn't accept quad payment methods. While I could potentially move my website from Weebly to a different web host, there is no way to copy my blog, unfortunately, and because I've worked years on my blog, I'd rather not just up and leave Weebly. So I'm stuck, y'all, at least for now until I figure something else out. In the meantime... The sale will still be ran again, and the discount OOPS will still apply, even though my oopsie wasn't technically fixed. I will be putting some of the sale items back in my web store for Thanksgiving day, mostly stablemates and retired regular runs, with my specials returning on Friday at 2 PM EST as promised. Again, it will run until Sunday at midnight or until sell out. This time if are interested in either multiple models or a higher end model of $200 or more but need to do time pays, feel free to contact me and I will be more than happy to set something up with you. Time pays can either be weekly, bi-weekly or monthly depending upon what works best for you. Please note that I do charge a 3% fee for time pays to cover the processing fees that I'm charged, which is tacked on to each invoice. I can do time pays through either PayPal or credit card. Something else you will see in my store... a Christmas Clydesdale! My Christmas Clydesdales have arrived, and as luck would have it I did end up with the blue and red. Really thinking about playing the lottery this year because typically I don't have this much luck with gambler's choices. I also bought a gold one off the second hand market from a local Facebook seller. After I saw the in-hand photos, I had to have him to go with my gold filigree Darwin from the Festive Filigrees from last year. After realizing how much the blue looks like my blue Dahlia, he will be going up for sale in my web store. The red is the first of that color on any stablemate decorator I have. Anyone who read my last blog post about Santa Surprises knows that my favorite of those was definitely the red. Before I peel out of here, I did want to discuss the heat that has been whirling around Astrid of late. I am appalled at how much hate this horse is getting. Yes, she is a simple color - Fjords are. Yes, she is small - Fjords are. However, please understand that the artist of the model can read your words, and from my understanding it is Breyer that guides the artist about what they want, not the artist. The artist just brings Breyer's ideas to life. So please don't take it out on Maggie, guys. She more than likely was told by Breyer to make a model in scale to what a real life Fjord would look in comparison to other breeds, just like they did with the Icelandic Stallion (who was also originally a Premier Club release) and she did such that. I want my blog to be a positive place where collectors can come to discuss topics about our beloved models, but please don't bash an artist just because the sculpt didn't turn out the way you wanted it to. Just say it's not your cup of tea, maybe give a few pointers of what you didn't like that could be improved upon (constructive criticism) and move on. Though I did end up selling my Astrid long before her release, I can't wait to see what colors Breyer comes out on her next and look forward to - eventually - adding the mold to my collection.
Stay positive guys, be thankful for our hobby and have a happy Thanksgiving! I will be spending the holiday down in Kentucky with my family and will be back next week. If you've been a Collector Club member for a few years, you probably know then about the special run released solely to Collector Club members on Christmas morning. Collectors have dubbed this the Santa Surprise. Beginning in 2015, the first year I joined the Collector Club myself, the first rendition of this special model was on the Flash mold. This first year it was simple: you'd either get red filigree Holly or green filigree Ivy. Green was the model of choice I was sent and then I ended up buying Holly second hand at a later date. There were only 350 made of each and they sold out within a day. I am currently offering both Holly and Ivy from my personal collection in my holiday sale, as I've had my share of enjoying them and would like to pass them on to someone else who maybe wasn't a member back then. The next year, they made more holiday colored filigrees again limited to only 350 each, but this time with a gold filigree in addition to the red and green. They were named Frankincense, Myrrh and Gold. They were made on the Sherman Morgan mold, and although not one of my favorite molds, I did end up purchasing one. I ended up with the red, whom I was ecstatic about, until I pulled him out of the bag and found out I was a victim of the broken tails that many were having with this mold. Several people reported a model with a tail that popped right out of the socket. I sent my back and requested another red, but I ended up getting a green one instead. While the tail was fine on this one, I was a bit bummed out with yet another green. He ended up being resold later. In 2017 the Santa Surprise took a bit of a different turn. While still decorators, instead of filigrees they made clearware models on the Bouncer mold. As with the Sherman Morgan model, there were three colors still limited to 350 each. I didn't purchase this Santa Surprise only because I don't do clearwares. Nevertheless, they still sold out, mostly by those who conga the beloved Bouncer mold. Their names were Emerald (green), Amethyst (purple) and Sapphire (blue). Many of you probably remember the 2018 Santa Surprise, as Breyer went from clearwares to unicorns, and slapped horns on one of their most popular molds ever... Othello. While only limited to 350 each, and again in only three colors, they increased the price. It went up $50 and this brought out a lot of complaints from collectors. Although I have a small conga of Othello, I didn't add these guys, just because the simple paint job to me didn't justify the higher price, even with the newly thrown in "Coal" model. That's right, this was the start of the elusive chase model for the Santa Surprise, as if the gambler's choice craziness wasn't enough. This year's chase model was a solid black donkey on the Brighty mold. Only 12 were made. Now my personal favorite of all the Santa Surprises was probably the Christmas Candy zebras. I've always wanted a fruit stripes zebra, even made a couple customs myself (one is currently for sale in my holiday sale) so this was probably as close as Breyer would get. They upped the quantity to 500 each and then, in addition to the usual red, green and gold, added a fourth color: blue. Yet again a chase model was part of the package deal, again limited to only 12 pieces, and was a coal black zebra. Yet again, I ended up with green, however the green on this guy was a very pretty shade, unlike the Sherman Morgan. I still have him in my collection to this day. Last year, most of you probably remember the clearware Icelandic, Jol. They came in three colors limited at 1500 pieces (I assume that means 500 of each color) plus the usual 12 pieces of "coal". This coal, however, wasn't on the same mold. He was actually on the Pony of the Americas mold. As with Bouncer, I passed on these because they were clearware. So who do you think will be the Santa Surprise this year, provided that there is one? I'm going to guess it's going to be a unicorn year, and will likely be on a smaller mold. Minus Othello, the zebra is tiny, the Icelandic and Bouncer are pony sized, and although Sherman Morgan and Flash aren't ponies, they are smaller in size than a lot of the traditional molds. If a Santa Surprise is offered this year, I will surely be up to see what it is. I love these guys, even though I only end up actually buy them 50% of the time.
Tomorrow will be the final day of my holiday sale. All ponies currently on there will be removed and replaced with the current regular runs that were listed in my store before my sale. The retiring regular runs however will NOT be posted back on my website since it's so close to the end of the year. All holiday sale models will be shipped Monday, November 22nd, the day after the sale. Thank you everyone for your ongoing support! A couple years ago, Breyer offered a limited release that, as a reminder of the Connoisseur days, was painted here in the US rather than abroad. Well, they've yet again brought that back this year despite not doing one last year, and were smart this time to do him as a lottery rather than a free-for-all like they did with Ambrose, who sold out so quick that lots of complaints were to be had, including yours truly. I kept trying to tell myself he was too pricey, I didn't like the mold, etc just to convince myself that I didn't need him in my collection. This year's all American boy is called Midas, and he is on the Flash mold. Outside of the Premier Club, this is probably the only time to get a horse with mapped markings. He's a hefty $295 plus shipping but those complaining about the price... I invite you to take a look at stonehorses.com for comparison as to how much horses made in America cost. Speaking of the Premier Club, Zafirah, the first 2022 Premier Club release, has had her off side revealed. She is a lot nicer on her off side than her show side. I love the blending of colors in her mane and tail. Truly does look like fire. My only issue with the mold itself is the same issue I had with the new Friesian mold... Breyer's vintage Arabian molds are in pretty much the same pose as this guy. I understand that it was a replica of the original resin, but I wish they would have changed it just a bit. Given her more of a high carriage to her tail rather than just slightly lifted for example, which is the hallmark of Arabians. I don't know. Maybe I'll like this gal in other colors when Breyer releases her in future. I felt the same with the release of Emerson. Didn't think I'd like him until I got Rocket and now I have a small conga of him. It was the color throwing me off. We also have learned who the other two sculptors are going to be for next year: Sarah Minkiewicz-Breunig and, directly from the horse's mouth as it were, "the artist of two previous Premier Club favorites, Dundee and Geronimo". I'm not sure why they aren't saying Kitty Cantrell's name (maybe she herself asked them not to use it) but she was Mooning Piglet Studios when she made Dundee. I have to say, with Dundee as one of my all-time favorites, I'm super thrilled that she's in the lineup next year. Sarah I'm iffy about. I loved Croi, but didn't care for her Marchador mold. In giving her the benefit of the doubt, going off her previous molds, she is very good at making dynamic sculptures, which I like to see over portrait models.
Now, Breyer, we know you won't spill many secrets of next year's Vintage Club (maybe the optional release if we're lucky) but could you perhaps share the Stablemates Club lineup? As of right now as I type this I have NOT joined. I'm downsizing on my stablemate collection to only a few select molds, and I really want to see if those such molds will be part of the SM Club next year. Pretty please, Breyer? Wow... the Christmas Clydesdales literally sold out in 10 minutes! I'm honestly amazed. The Collector Club has really been taking off since Breyer introduced the Deluxe membership to the point where there doesn't seem to be nearly enough models for the number of members of the club. I remember when I first joined the club years ago, you'd have about a day to decide whether you wanted them or not. A few years later it was a few hours. Now it's mere minutes. I did manage to snag a couple Clydes on my main account but I wasn't able to order with my secondary account since Breyer posted only 2 per CC member, although I probably would have had a hard time anyways in all honesty with the quick sell out. For my pair I'm hoping for either blue or red. I'm thinking the blue sneak peek we saw in the CC newsletter last month was the blue Clydesdale from these blind bags. Here were the individual pictures shown on the website: My holiday website sale is almost ready to go, and I really hope y'all stop by this weekend to check it out! After not having hardly any regular runs to sell this year, I've been collecting random models here and there throughout the year to put into this sale to help keep my small business afloat. I'm hoping things turn around next year, as pre-sales really truly are my bread and butter. Any purchases made at my sale, even if just a $5 stablemate, is truly appreciated and will help me to invest in more models to offer to YOU.
Again, here is a reminder of what will be available if you missed my post earlier in the week: *Complete Mini Whinnies series for micro collectors *Lots of Stablemates, both regular line and rarities *Breyerfest models both recent and past *Out of box current regular line products listed under MAAP prices (they arrived in damaged boxes but the horses are fine) *Retired regular runs *Limited editions like flagship rarities and Tractor Supply exclusives *Premier Club and Collector Club models *Custom models made by myself for those of you not into original finish Basically there will be a little bit of everything. Please note that all NIB models NOT in hand will be pulled from the sale so everything in the sale will be able to be shipped immediately. Take advantage of combined shipping discounts for those models you've been eyeing but haven't taken the plunge yet! Both PayPal and credit card are accepted on my website. PayPal users that qualify can use Pay in 4 for big money purchases (honestly was a life saver for me with my Peter Stone models) but unfortunately I won't be doing layaway for this sale to make it fair for everyone. Well, guys, Breyer IS offering holiday stablemates after all! Coming up are the Clydesdale Christmas stablemates, set to be released tomorrow. They are limited to 2 per account and/or email address. They are painted in four different colors to make them look like Christmas tree ornaments: red, blue, gold and silver. I'm just glad that for once they left green out of this group because that is always the one I get whenever there's a green in the mix. I'm hoping I'm able to score a couple of these beauties. As always, if I end up with duplicates, they will be listed for sale in my web store. I'll probably also post the silver if I get him, as I'm really only interested in the other three. Fingers crossed we don't crash the website tomorrow!
P.S. Starting tonight, you will notice my store is empty in preparation for my holiday sale. Never fret... the regular runs will be available again after this weekend once my sale is over. Hopefully soon we'll also be finding out who will be part of the 2022 regular line! Where do I start with today's post? Hmmm.... lots of news to be had this week. I guess I will start with the biggest shocker - the Collector Club Black Friday sale. The timing was a bit of a shock, as it's typically not offered until the weekend before Black Friday to Collector Club members. Regular runs are always part of the sale each year, but considering that Breyer probably doesn't have many regular runs available (as is evident from the sale) there weren't many included like there usually is. Here are screenshots of the club exclusive models when they were available: I would have loved to try my luck at getting the dunalino Nayati, but alas I got on only 15 minutes after the sale was announced and he was already sold out. None of the other ponies interested me because either I already had them or I didn't like the color. Unfortunately, everyone, if this is a sample of what Breyer has available at the warehouse, I don't see them doing a Collector Club appreciation event in the way we know it. They could always do it as a backorder, of course, or they may do something else altogether entirely, but considering that it's already November and we're winding down to the end of the year... they don't really have much more time to think of something new. I hope I'm wrong, though, but don't be disappointed if they don't. Collector Club members can also enter a raffle for the new test piece, another that I'm skipping out on because of the mold and color: My Snickerdoodle arrived today, and she's a sweetheart! Since I don't collect dolls, it will be available for sale on my website during my Holiday Sale for those of you who are prop collectors. Thank you to Breyer for listening to us collectors after the staining incident with Gingerbread and put the blanket in a plastic bag instead of on the horse. No staining, and the pony is nearly perfect, minus some typical masking issues/overspray. Her mane and tail are pearly but her body is flat matte, not shimmery metallic. The cuddle buddy she came with is oh so soft! If you have children that love soft stuffies, these would be perfect gifts to get them started in this very addicting hobby! Last, but I'm sure it won't be least, it was just announced that these new stablemates are popping up at Dollar General. While they did start making a version of what they called "Paddock Pals" for Five Below stores, they now seem to be branching out to a wide range of budgets that can afford their products because, honestly, you shouldn't have to be rich to afford collecting Breyers. Kudos to them for that, and I hope my local stores get them in, as I have several Dollar General stores near me. ***Photo below is NOT mine and all credit goes to the original photographer*** It looks to me like they're made in that same kind of rubbery plastic that the stablemates in the wooden stables were made of, from the Breyers Farms series designed for kids because let's not forget that amongst the grand scheme of things Breyer is still a toy company, and they'd make great stocking stuffers. I will update for sure if I ever find any at my local stores.
I've been debating myself whether or not I want to get into pin collecting since Breyer has been coming out with lots of cute pins of late. They just released their pin board, complete with a free Smarty Jones thoroughbred pin. It does make me wonder though how many the board can hold. I'm wondering if it's bigger than it looks? I still have my VIP set from Breyerfest and bought the glow in the dark Thriller pin, who was a lot bigger than the VIPs and was really nice quality. It may be something I might stick with. After all, pins won't break if they fall off your shelf :) Anyone try to snag Brunhilde today? If you don't remember who she was, she was the fall Collector Club release who, like everything else this year, ended up getting pushed back. For this reason, now that they're finally getting shipments in, they've been cranking out the releases back to back to the point where it has been difficult for some to be able to purchase what they want. The same thing apparently happened with Burnhilde today. The website crashed for about 20 minutes because of the traffic of all those trying to get one, giving everyone a flashback to Breyerfest 2020. Due to production and shipping issues, I doubt they made many of her to begin with, and there are probably thousands of CC members trying to get something in hand after this hectic year. When Gingerbread sold out, I had someone ask me if I knew if they'd get in any more of her, but unfortunately I don't believe so. In the past, once the web exclusives sold out, they sold out for good. Now Breyer did make another batch of Sassy and Lafayette but they were Collector Club member exclusives. I doubt they'd make more of their non-member web exclusives. We're still waiting on the Classics clearware decorator, Baltazar, so keep your eyes peeled on him, as he'll probably be another quick sell out especially since the unicorn mare and foal, Diadem and Alcor, are now gone.
I don't know if 2022 will be any different, but I've heard from the shipping company I work for that also deals in international shipments from India and China that they're expecting things to start getting back to semi normal starting mid year next year. Let's hope they're right because this year has just been a drag. Again I don't blame Breyer at all for this, just the way the world is right now. That elusive Paint horse that has been a thorn in my side... Steele... has finally been located! Granted, I've been calling three flagship dealers in my state the past few weeks asking "Is he there yet? How about now?" to the point where I'm surprised they haven't blocked my number. I do wish I could get my own brick-and-mortar store so I wouldn't have to worry about tracking them down, but alas that probably won't happen for at least a few more years, so on the search I go. One dealer was already sold out, one was like me and still waiting for a lot of their stuff to come in and the third said they had TWO LEFT. Needless to say I was on the road in a split second. Although they were marked up over MAAP prices, I was just happy that the hunt was officially over. For those who are against satin or pearly horses because of their decorator vibes, don't fret. Steele is NOT shiny, despite what his name would suggest and despite some pictures I've seen of him floating around online where he looked almost like Julep from Breyerfest. Steele is actually matte. Amongst all the pearling that Breyer has been slapping on models lately, I forgot how stunningly realistic a nicely shaded matte grullo looks. He does not disappoint, that's for sure. His bright green stand though... I'm not sure what to think about that but honestly I prefer the less distracting brown dirt. Maybe it's just me? I ended up purchasing both of them, one for my collection and one that I'm keeping new in box to sell through my website. I did ask Breyer to make sure if it was ok for me to do that and they told me yes since it was bought second hand. I've had LOTS of requests for this horse, and although I wish I could fulfill all of those requests, since I had a hard time tracking down these two, let alone enough to fill all requests for orders, I've decided to make it fair for everyone and post him at an announced time on my website. So if you're interested in him and, like me, unable to find a flagship dealer close to you that has him, November 13th at 2 PM EST will be when he is posted in my store. A little information about flagship horses: in order for dealers to qualify for them you have to 1) have a brick-and-mortar store, which basically means you must have a physical location where people can go and shop your items (like Walmart as a much larger example) because flagship models are meant to only be sold through the store, not online. A flagship dealer can get in big trouble for this if they're caught selling them online. 2) You must have purchased at least one of every item offered by Breyer that year, which basically means you've paid a set amount for the year to Breyer. I don't know the exact amount but trust me... it's a LOT. Breyer contacts those dealers that qualify at the end of each year to offer them the flagship models. Since I'm an online only dealer right now, I don't qualify for the flagship models due to rule #1 so rule #2 wouldn't even apply to me, even if I did make the cut. I hope that gives y'all a bit of an idea about how that works. Now... I would like to announce that my beloved Blood Moon arrived today from Peter Stone. Curse it that I lost the backlight I used to have and they didn't send me one with him, so unfortunately I can't show you guys the blood red moon, but I can show you the pictures of him. I didn't realize that Pebbles were so tiny compared to Classics Breyers, but I actually think his small size makes him more adoring! As a micro painter, I understand exactly how hard it is to put miniscule details on a model that small. His tail dipped in gold and the gold around his hocks was a neat little added touch. People were complaining about the quick sell out of these guys, and I hear ya, I was getting frustrated myself. However, I also understand that either way, whether they offered them via lottery draw or as a free for all, not everyone is going to get what they want, and there will be people who lose out completely. I lost out on Frankie and Banshee despite getting this boy and Balthazar, as I went through the OOAKs first since I wasn't expecting the Halloween Herd to sell out as fast as it did and thought I had some time. Ya win some, ya lose some. The only solution would be for Stone to make more, but I don't think they'll be doing that anytime soon.
By the way, if you haven't visited Breyer's new page on their website, the holiday pony playset is now available for purchase. I ended up purchasing one, along with a cuddle buddy for my daughter for Christmas, who likes Warmies products. I will review both when they get here. Advent calendars arrived today and will be shipped out tomorrow to those who pre-ordered. All those who pre-ordered holiday horses and ornaments should have received tracking by now and will be receiving them soon! Again my entire 2021 holiday collection is sold out, I don't have any more available. This was a very nice collection and well liked by many collectors. There was also variations amongst the shading of Arctic Grandeur, some light and others darker, that was appealing to variation collectors. I have decided to go ahead with a holiday sale this year, and I debated between having it the weekend before or the weekend after Black Friday, but in the end I've decided to do it the weekend before Black Friday for one big reason: USPS/UPS will be flooded with packages the week after Black Friday. I want to make sure everything arrives to you all by Christmas. So November 19th will be when it will officially be held. It will start at 2 PM EST on that Friday and go through until the items are sold out, or until Sunday the 21st at midnight. More information will be released next week about what will be in the sale so stay tuned! On a non-Breyer note, my Balthazar arrived from Peter Stone today, and oh my goodness is this horse A-M-A-Z-I-N-G! Ever since Peter Stone started offering the calavera horses, I'd always wanted one, and I can't believe I was able to snag one before they sold out. He will be a cherished member of my collection. I love the gems on his face and his dappling is phenomenal. My only regret is not getting Lazarus to go with him, because I think they would have made a great spooky stock pair! While I'd never compare the two companies only because I know there are huge differences between them so it'd be like comparing apples to oranges, I understand now why Breyer collectors are also Stoners. They really are addicting! If the prices weren't so high, I could easily see myself having as many Stones as Breyers. Alas, I will forever be a Breyer collector mainly, but I may have a shelf full of Stones in a few years if I keep this up. Although there were several I had my eyes on at Equilocity, I only purchased Spindrift because I wasn't sure if I liked Stones having never bought one before. Yeah, right. I should've known better then to open up that can of worms. I have shipping notices already for both her and my OOAK Blood Moon from MM so I'll share them as well once they arrive!
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