July Keepsake Wallpaper
Celebrate Christmas in July with this month’s Free Desktop Wallpaper featuring “Surfin’ Safari Santa” by Tracy Larsen.
Surfin Safari Santa
Press the button to hear music from “Surfin’ Safari” by The Beach Boys.
2014 Reveal: Queen Elsa (UPDATED)
Queen Elsa
Disney Frozen
Special Edition
A late-breaking addition to this years Keepsake Ornament line will feature the elegant “Queen Elsa” from Disney’s smash-hit movie “Frozen”. “Queen Elsa” will be available in limited-quantities* at Hallmark Gold Crown stores beginning Holiday Open House Weekend, November 7-9, 2014.
Frozen fans will also be able to purchase a Keepsake Ornament of “Olaf”, the lovable snowman that melted everyones heart, starting Ornament Debut Weekend, October 4-5, 2014.
*NOTE: Although the “Queen Elsa” ornament will not be as tightly allocated as the other “Limited-quantity” ornaments, demand is expected to exceed supply, as such if you want this ornament you should call your local Hallmark Gold Crown store and get your name added to their waiting list.
The much anticipated “Queen Elsa” ornament will be split shipped with retailers receiving half of their shipment in time for “Holiday Open House” in November and the second half in December in time for the “Gift of Memories” event.
UPDATE (7.1.14) – Added additional release information.
Featured Artist: Don Palmiter
Title:
Hallmark Senior Artist
Started at Hallmark:
August 1967
Started at Keepsakes:
November 1987
Hometown:
Kansas City, Missouri
Don Palmiter shares how he finally got around to featuring a model that had long evaded him in honor of the 20th anniversary of the All-American Truck series.
Don Palmiter was just 2 years old when his parents snapped a picture of him sitting proudly behind the wheel of his older brother’s pedal car.
“It was a 1948 Steel Craft Pontiac® station wagon. Burgundy with cream trim,” he says with the warmth and emotion usually relegated to describing an old flame. It’s a passion that has earned him the reputation around Hallmark and with ornament enthusiasts as “The Car Guy.”
Palmiter says growing up he loved art, but it wasn’t until his senior year of high school in 1967 that he knew he’d make art his career. At that time, Hallmark actively recruited seniors. One week after graduation, Palmiter was producing and embossing greeting cards. By the mid 1970s, he made the jump to sculpting.
Then, in 1987 Palmiter was thrilled to make the move to the Keepsake Ornament division. He quickly realized there were few men among the avid ornament enthusiasts. The reason? There was nothing masculine in the offering. Palmiter began to wonder what men would be enthusiastic enough about to start collecting. He needed to look no further than his own first love: cars.
Three years after presenting his idea, the American Classic Car Series was launched with tremendous success. Palmiter decided that he needed to pay homage to his first car, that 1948 Steel Craft Pontiac® station wagon pedal car. So in 1991, Kiddie Car Classics was launched.
“I travel to signing events all over the country,” Palmiter says. “People will show me pictures of the pedal cars they had as children and then have me sign that exact replica. They are thrilled that I have created an ornament from ‘their’ car. I can’t tell you how much I thoroughly enjoy that.”
1968 Ford Ranchero GT (2015)
20th in the All-American Truck series
Don Palmiter has spent many years studying, sculpting and perfecting the details in his hand-crafted trucks. This year marks the All-American Truck series’ 20th anniversary, and so Don selected a model that had evaded him in the past.
Don explains, “I work with an editor who is also a car lover, and we choose the trucks that we are going to do, but the Ranchero is not your typical pickup truck. It’s more of a modified station wagon pickup, but the pickups have a dedicated following. Ford quit making the Ranchero sometime around the ’70s, and so this ornament captures that part of truck history. I want the series to have a variety. I don’t want it all to be the same kind of pickup.”
Advertisements from the 1950s consistently place the Ranchero in a Southwestern setting, but they weren’t meant for heavy-duty use. “It’s not a rugged pickup truck. It’s more finessed,” Don says. “It’s more for a country gentleman, not a work truck.”
Don chose a color scheme to reflect the Ranchero’s breezy personality, completing the look with white sidewall tires—certainly not typical of your everyday pickup!
June Keepsake Wallpaper
This month’s Free Desktop Wallpaper features “I Melt”, a mouthwatering singin’ snowman that will melt your heart and keep you coming back for ‘smore.
I Melt
Featured Artist – Anita Marra Rogers
Anita Marra Rogers gives the scoop on ornaments inspired by a beloved bygone era, a dog breed on the rise, and a perennial Christmas favorite.
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.
Puppy Love
24th in the series
Anita’s inspiration for each new Puppy Love ornament comes from the official American Kennel Club list of dogs. She looks at which dogs are becoming more popular, always choosing an especially cute breed for her sculpt—and this year is no exception! “French Bulldogs have really grown in popularity, I have started to notice them in advertising and on TV as well.”
Not everyone would find the French Bulldog’s scrunched-up nose as adorable as Anita, so she added some accessories to make this pup extra kissable: If you look closely, you can see that her hanging mistletoe prop is actually a holiday headband, fit for a puppy that’s ready for a smooch.
Nifty Fifties Keepsake Ornaments
By Anita Marra Rogers and Rodney Gentry
Available in October 2014
Although Keepsake Ornaments didn’t make their way into stores until 1973, Anita dreamt up a few nostalgic trinkets to fit in with classic 1950s décor. Anita recalls, “A lot of times in the Keepsake Ornament Studio, we try to think ‘What would Keepsake Ornaments look like in 10 or so years?’ but the Nifty Fifties ornaments had me thinking about the past, and it was a long time ago!”
Anita collaborated with a number of designers to complete the box design and overall vintage look of the piece, tapping into a number of retro styles that have been growing in popularity each year.
Birch Log Snowman
Available in December 2014
Snowmen are popular holiday icons, but it’s always fun to give a classic character a new design. Anita wanted to bring out the alpine woodland charm of this snowman’s birchwood body, so she added a few accessories. “I put a little snow in between the logs for glue, and I gave him a scarf and earmuffs to make him look warmer. He’s got a real fabric scarf and pom pom earmuffs. I just wanted to make him look really cute.”
Local Clubs Receive Second Mailing for 2014
The second of four mailings that Local Clubs will be receiving from the national Keepsake Ornament Club is currently being delivered to Club Sponsors/Club Contacts. The shipment contains:
- May 2014 issue of Collectively Speaking,*
- Dream Book Party Keepsake Ornament Sneak Peek presentation. Revealed in this Sneak Peek is some very exciting product news, including a preview of some 2015 2nd in series ornaments and an early look at some of the 2015 Keepsake Ornament Club exclusives!
- In addition to the Sneak Peek, there is a surprise… a free Keepsake Ornament for your club to use as a raffle prize, register-to-win prize or however your club chooses.
NOTE: We have reports of Clubs receiving: “The Spirit of Christmas”, “What’s Snowing On?” or “Tip-Top Snowman all from 2010. What ornament did your Club receive? Please let us know in the comments section below.
The Spirit of Christmas
What’s Snowing On?
Tip-Top Snowman
* Collectively Speaking – The local club newsletter for the Hallmark Keepsake Ornament Club.
2014 Sneak Peek: Regional Keepsake Ornaments (UPDATE)
Hallmark will release three state-exclusive Keepsake ornaments later this year (two in Texas and one in Colorado). These ornaments will be available at participating Hallmark Gold Crown stores starting Ornament Debut Weekend, October 4-5.
Texas
Colorado
Texas Cutout
Texas Boots
Colorado Mountains
UPDATE (June 18, 2014) – Added the Colorado-exclusive Keepsake Ornament.
Possible 2015 Sneak Peek
Here is a picture of Keepsake Artist Kristina Gaughran working on a Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back™ Keepsake ornament featuring Luke Skywalker’s training session with Yoda on Dagobah. Could it possibly be one of the Star Wars Keepsake Ornament offerings for 2015? Post your thoughts in the comment section of this post.
There Is No Try
STAR WARS™: The Empire Strikes Back™
by Kristina Gaughran
May Keepsake Wallpaper
Capture the elusive Hummingbird with this months Free Desktop Wallpaper. Though it is hard to get a hummingbird to stand still in nature, this 10th in the Beauty of Birds series by Edythe Kegrize is sure to hover gracefully in the branches of your tree and let you take a nice long look.
Hummingbird
10th in the Beauty of Birds series
2014 Christmas Concert Snowmen Continuity Program
We’re forecasting this years dazzling Christmas Concert Snowmen will create flurries of fun as they put on their music and light show in homes everywhere.
Christmas Concert Snowmen
Continuity Program
- Each section plays 2-4 songs for a total of 12 song-and-light synchronized shows
- When stacked they create a 10-minute synchronized music and light show.
- Wireless function works up to 20’ apart.
$15.95 USA each with any purchase
(regularly $29.95 USA each)
Hallmark Gold Crown Exclusive
SECTION 1
Plays: “Deck the Halls,” “The Holly and the Ivy” and
“The Nutcracker Suite.” 10½” w.
1XKT1409
Available beginning October 4, 2014
SECTION 2
Plays: “Good King Wenceslas,”
“We Wish You a Merry Christmas” and
“Up on the Housetop.” 8″ w.
1XKT1410
Available beginning October 11, 2014
SECTION 3
Plays: “Jingle Bells,” “Carol of the Bells,”
“God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen” and
“Overture from The Nutcracker.” 6⅝” w.
1XKT1411
Available beginning October 27, 2014
THE CONDUCTOR
6″ w.
1XKT2405
Available beginning November 7, 2014
TREE TOPPER
Plays: “Jolly Old Saint Nicholas” and
“O Christmas Tree.” 8″ h.
1XKT1412
Available beginning November 28, 2014
Christmas Concert Collector’s Set
For the collectors who can’t wait to collect them all and want something extra.
Features all-new repaints and special collector’s box.
$119.95 USA 1XKT2424