2019 KOC Membership Enrollment
Enrollment for 2019 Keepsake Ornament Club (KOC) membership opens on January 29, 2019.
Earn $5 in future rewards if you join by February 28th, 2019.
Featured Artist: Anita Marra Rogers
Title:
Hallmark Artist
Started at Hallmark:
1987
Started at Keepsakes:
1985
Hometown:
Kansas City, Missouri
.
A talented painter as a child, Anita now sculpts her ornaments by hand. Her attention to detail and use of materials for added charm are partly what define her style. The rest is a knack for warmth and cheer, and preserving tradition in a way that never goes out of style.
Horses, dogs and unicorns—typical subjects for children’s artwork. But Anita Marra Rogers didn’t draw like a typical child. Her mother quickly recognized that early talent, and she signed Anita up for oil painting lessons. At age 19, Anita used those paintings in her portfolio when she applied for a job with Hallmark. As good as those paintings were, she was turned down.
A few years later, a Hallmark sculptor looked at those same paintings of seascapes and landscapes. He saw talent. He told Anita that she simply wasn’t doing the kinds of images Hallmark wanted. He invited her to come in and see what the Hallmark Artists were working on—whimsical animals, warm Christmas scenes, wintry landscapes. Anita tried her hand at one, sculpting a deer and a bunny looking sweetly at each other over a snow bank. As soon as her friend saw it, he told her that her Keepsake Ornament career had begun.
Hallmark wasn’t Anita’s first sculpting assignment. As a child, she made animal shapes out of cotton candy for her brother and sisters. There’s still a touch of sweetness to every Keepsake Ornament she creates.
December Keepsake Wallpaper
Welcome a magical season with this month’s free desktop or mobile device wallpapers featuring “Christmas Lantern,” Christmas table decoration by Ken Crow.
Christmas Lantern
For Keeps: Volume 17, Issue 5 Winter 2018
The holiday season is upon us! As you celebrate the holiday season enjoy this issue of For Keeps. It features a holiday crafting with Keepsakes project, stories about generous givers, a behind-the-scenes story about the making of an ornament and so much more!
- From the Keepsake Village
- Crafting with Keepsakes: Make a shadow box tree
- Big hearts and generous givers
- The Joyful Collector’s Club – Marlton, New Jersey
- Keepsake Village – Hallmark Headquarters, Kansas City, Missouri
- Decking the halls with KOC members
- KOC Member Catherine P.
- KOC Member Jerry B.
- The making of a Mary’s Angels ornament
- A look back at 2018
- Save the date
For Keeps – The Official Newsletter of the Hallmark Keepsake Ornament Club.
2019 KOC Convention: Experience the Magic
Experience the Magic!
It’s the 2019 Keepsake Ornament Club Event!
August 8-10, 2019
Kansas City, MO
Morning and evening events will take place at the Sheraton. Mid-day sessions will take place at the Westin. As of today, hotel rooms are sold out at the Sheraton but hotel rooms under the Hallmark room block are still available at the Westin! Please give the Westin Hotel at Crown Center a call to book your room today and mention the 2019 Hallmark Keepsake Ornament Club Convention to receive the discounted rate.
- Westin Kansas City at Crown Center Hotel
reservation line: 1 (888) 627-8538
Hotel: 1 (816) 474-4400
- Sheraton Kansas City Hotel at Crown Center
reservation line: 1 (866) 932-6214
Hotel: 1 (816) 841-1000
2019 Member Exclusives – KOC Product Shop
Six of the Member Exclusive offerings for 2019 have been revealed.
April
Christmas Window 2019
(North Pole Creamery)
Christmas Windows
17th in the series.
July
Clever Cockatiel
October
Mickey Mouse Marionette
Disney Mickey Mouse
O Tannenbaum
Blue Chiffon Barbie™ Ornament
Fashion Model Collection
Sugar Plum Fairy
Nutcracker Suite
1st in the series.
Artist Journal: Debra Nielsen (Creation & Molding Processes)
Monday, November 19, 2018
All of our ideas start with a concept idea, like my 2019 Pony for Christmas unicorn sketch shown here. We may do a story board with more photos or sketches to show the inspiration behind our idea also and help “sell” the idea. The next step is to actually sculpt the ornament in a special wax that is made for us here in-house. I use a hot tool designed originally for dental work. I can also start by melting a larger piece of wax in a toaster oven (not used for food!) and pinching it to shape first. Then I can add and subtract with the hot tool or dental hand tools. My favorite tools are actually made from old paint brush handles and exacto blades that are ground to a point. The wax can also be smoothed with sand paper, nylon hose, and chemicals. Then finally I clean the sculpt surface with rubbing alcohol.
We also separate out parts of the sculpt so it can molded properly by our Prototype studio. I have photos here of the display they have set up to show their process. They make a rubber mold of our sculpt, cast a “white body” in that mold for us to paint, and then make a gray mold sample to make a permanent mold from. So finally I paint the “white body” ornament and share my design with the team for final approval. This painted piece is the master that is followed in production. Every artist has unique methods they use in their work process. And as you can see, this process is a team effort.
On-Line Offer: QVC Exclusives
QVC Exclusive Keepsake Ornaments are now available on Hallmark.com.
ORDER NOW
Available on Hallmark.com or
by calling 1-(800)-HALLMARK
NOTE: Cindereley! Cinderely! and Fit for a Princes ornaments are sold together as a set.
On-Line Offer: Santa’s Sweet Treat Cart
The Santa’s Sweet Treat Cart (In-Store Artist Signings) Event Exclusive Keepsake Ornament is now available on Hallmark.com.
Santa’s Sweet Treat Cart
ORDER NOW
Available on Hallmark.com or
by calling 1-(800)-HALLMARK
Reveal: 2018 In-Store Artist Signing Local Club Host Gift
Frosty Fun Decade
Special Edition
Members of the local clubs that hosted a 2018 In-Store Artist Signing event will receive a repaint of the 9th in series Frosty Fun Decade, as a special thank-you gift for their efforts in hosting an event.
NOTE: The ornament quantities clubs receive are based on the Local Club Rosters submitted in the first quarter of 2018.