Local Clubs Receive Third Mailing for 2016
The third of four mailing that the national Keepsake Ornament Club will be sending to Local Clubs this year is currently being delivered to Club Sponsors/Club Contacts.
The shipment contains:
- The September 2016 issue of Collectively Speaking – The local club newsletter for the Hallmark Keepsake Ornament Club.
- Keepsake Memories 2016, Keepsake Ornament Club DVD – Keepsake Artists (Joanne Eschrich, Sharon Visker, Tom Best, Tammy Haddix, Ken Crow and Tracy Larsen) reminise about their time in Keepsakes. Includes footage from the 1998 Hallmark Keepsake Ornaments 25th Anniversary Celebration and DESTINATION KEEPSAKES, the 2015 Keepsake Ornament Club national event.
Featured Series: Happy Halloween!
This month’s featured series, Happy Halloween! by Anita Marra Rogers celebrates its 4th year in 2016.
Whether it’s her family members or her favorite Halloween icons, Anita Marra Rogers puts a lot of herself into the Happy Halloween! series.
The first ornament, which debuted in 2013, has a witch inside that was modeled after her daughter as a child.
“I gave her long brown hair and green eyes like my daughter,” Anita says. “She’s 24 now, but she was a witch a couple times for Halloween when she was little.”
The little zombie boy in the third ornament was modeled after her son—especially the mop of messy hair. He’s 22 now, but she says he still refuses to comb his hair.
This year her husband joined the series depicted as a vampire.
One secret: If you look closely behind the ghost in the second ornament, you’ll spot Anita’s own self-portrait. It’s just another piece of herself in this series.
She says it’s fun to pick a new character each year then coordinate both the inside of the pumpkin and the jack-o’-lantern’s face with the character. That’s why the zombie is in a green pumpkin and this year’s jack-o’-lantern has fangs.
Her own Halloween traditions include putting up a black tree decked out with this series and a few other Halloween favorites. She always carves a jack-o’-lantern, too. Her favorite part of Halloween? That would have to be the trick-or-treaters.
“When the kids were little, my husband took the kids out trick-or-treating and it was my job to stay home and pass out candy,” she says. “I love to see all the costumes.”
She even puts on an old Hallmark cassette tape of spooky sounds to set the mood for the neighborhood kids.
As we look forward to the Halloween season, we can also look forward to next year’s Happy Halloween! ornament. It’s a special one, Anita says.
“Next year I’m keeping ‘under wraps,’ and you can quote me on that.”
Carbondale, IL Sneak Peek
At the Local Club dinner in Carbondale, IL, Tom Best and Robert Hurlburt each shared Sneak Peeks of two of their ornaments. Tom shared his 2017 guitar and “Beer Stein” ornaments and Robert showed his “1945 Gillham Fire Engine,” ornament that is currently in stores and his “1956 Gillham Skyrider” ornament that will be released later this month.
By Tom Best.
BEER STEIN (2017)
Santa sitting in his chair on December 26th (with his
shoes off) while an elf hands him a bear stein.
By Tom Best.
1945 GILLHAM FIRE ENGINE
By Robert Hurlburt.
1956 GILLHAM SKY RIDER
Features sleek curves and a spinning propeller
2016 Ornament Spotlight: Winter Wonder
Topiary Identity Revealed
There has been much discussion about what type of animal is represented in “Winter Wonder,” 3rd in the Marjolein’s Garden series. After searching her extensive collection of Marjolein Bastin artwork, Ramona, a friend of digitalDREAMBOOK, located artwork in an old appointment calendar that depicts the very topiary featured in this year’s ornament, along with Bastin’s notes which shed light on the design.
Winter Wonderland
Marjolein’s Garden
3rd in the series.
Marjolein Bastin Artwork
“Our gardener has clipped two ears on my boxwood bird. And suddenly my bird
has been transformed into a squirrel. Well…I am okay with it–I like squirrels, too!”
– Marjolein Bastin
Upon reading the description it’s easy to see why there has been so much confusion, as the original topiary started out as a boxwood bird and was transformed into a squirrel with a snip of the hedge trimmers!
Featured Series: Season’s Treatings
.
Season’s Treatings series.
This month’s featured series, Season’s Treatings, has been serving up an assortment of delicious homemade treats displayed in a festive holiday fashion since 2009.
Hallmark Returns to Fan Expo Canada
For the second year in a row Hallmark will have a presence at Fan Expo Canada™ (September 1-4). Unlike last year’s event when they only sold product that was also available through local retailers, this year they will also be offering the limited quantity fan convention event exclusive ornaments, Princess Leia™ & Jabba The Hutt ® itty bittys™ set and Batman™ ’66 Squeelys®. This will be the only place in Canada where you can purchase these items.
Fan Expo Canada™ is an annual multi-genre fan convention held in Toronto, Ontario that was founded as the Canadian National Comic Book Expo in 1995. It is a four-day event (Thursday through Sunday) typically held the weekend before Labor Day at the Metro Toronto Convention Centre (MTCC).
Originally showcasing comic books, science fiction/fantasy and film/television and related popular arts, Fan Expo Canada™ has expanded over the years to include a larger range of pop culture and fandom elements, such as horror, anime, manga, animation, toys, collectible card games, video games and web entertainment. The convention is the largest of its kind in Canada.
Featured Series – Season’s Treatings
This month’s featured series, Season’s Treatings by Sharon Visker celebrates its 8th year in 2016.
Each of ornament in this series features an assortment of delicious homemade treats displayed in festive holiday style.
Season’s Treatings
8th in the series
Although this year’s ornament is the eighth in the series. Overall, this series boasts 14 ornaments, including two special editions, one limited edition and three Keepsake Ornament Club exclusives.
The seventh in the Season’s Treatings series, a Christmas cookie tree, was a particular favorite of Keepsake Ornament collectors. You can even make your own cookie tree to match the ornament. Just watch this video to find out how.
Bear, DE Sneak Peek
At the Local Club Dinner event in Bear, DE, Edythe Kegrize gave a Sneak Peek of two of her 2017 ornaments: “Beautiful Birdhouse,” 2nd in the series and “Seven Swans-A-Swimming,” 7th in the Twelve Days of Christmas” series.
Beautiful Birdhouse
2nd in the series
Seven Swans-a-Swimming
7th in the Twelve Days of Christmas series
Please join me in thanking zip4, Elliott the Elf and Susan for their contributions to this post.
Bellevue, NE Sneak Peek
At the Local Club Dinner event in Bellevue, NE, Joanne Eschrich gave a Sneak Peek of two of her 2017 ornaments: “Father Christmas,” 14th in the series and “Father Christmas Reindeer,” Companion to the 2017 Father Christmas ornament.
Father Christmas
14th in the series
Father Christmas’s Reindeer
Companion to the 2017 Father Christmas ornament
Please join me in thanking Kellie and Sue Thornton for their contributions to this post.
2017 STAR TREK Sneak Peek
The STAR TREK 50th Anniversary Convention in Las Vegas is in full swing and Hallmark is there with a Sneak Peek of one of next year’s Trek Keepsake Ornaments, the U.S.S. Franklin form STAR TREK: BEYOND.
U.S.S. Franklin™
STAR TREK: BEYOND™