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When it came to her 2023 design, Emma had artistic reasons behind her choice of the Steller’s Jay for the 19th ornament in the series. “I felt like sculpting a stately bird this year as opposed to some of the more round and sweet birds. The shapes of the long beak and crested head of this jay really stood out to me. And its colors are so interesting. The small, bright streaks of color on top of the jay’s head turn to teardrop streaks on the sculpt, with darker blues around it that make the colors pop.”

Emma also has a reminder about something to be on the lookout for. “Keep an eye out for the limited quantity companion this year. It’s called a Leucistic Steller’s Jay, and this one has a unique (and totally opposite!) color palette that I ended up absolutely loving.”

Sounds like a couple feathered friends will be flying off the shelves in 2023. Don’t miss your chance to pick up both ornaments this year!

Steller’s Jay
The Beauty of Birds
19th in the series.

Tom: “I went back to my old Kansas City neighborhood I lived in for 30 years,” Tom told us. “It’s an area of town that was built up between 1910 and 1920. It’s filled with Tudors of every size and shape. It’s impossible to find any two that are the same, and they have so much character.”

Hallmark: According to Tom, his role was to come up with the building concept, design, color, and details. From there, Rodney developed the structure of it with a 3D modeling program on the computer. Coming up with the concept, however, proved to be quite a task.

Tom: “The hardest part was choosing ‘the one’,” according to Tom. “After several tours through the neighborhood, I took about a million photographs and had about the same number of ideas for what this year’s ornament should be. Though Rodney and I, along with our art director Charles Young, narrowed it down.”

Hallmark: One of the most important elements of this collection is how uniquely different each one must be year after year. And with a series this vast, that job can become more and more challenging. But our Keepsake artists are always up to the task, as Tom reminded us of when he told us that #41 was nearly finished as well.

As for this year’s ornament, a retired Tom reflected on his role in this Keepsake Ornament series proudly. “Rodney and I are quite happy with how this one, and the others we’ve created, turned out. We were happy to take over Don’s vision and hope you like where it’s going. Look for more to come as Don Palmiter’s township grows…stretching the city limits of your tree.”

Traditional Tudor
Nostalgic Houses and Shops
40th in the series.