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2020 Dream Book Insider’s Guide (pt. 2)

Holiday Lighthouse
 in the series.

Birdie P. Nestinghouse
16th in the series.

A Job Well Done
Once Upon a Christmas

Happy New Year
Once Upon a Christmas

Countdown to Christmas
Tree Topper

Jack Skellington
Disney The Nightmare Before Christmas

2020 Snowflake

Made For Each Other

A Reel Keeper

Bitty Butterfly
Miniature

Keepsake Artist Tracy Larsen’s Holiday Lighthouse, 9th in the series was inspired by lighthouses (Fire Island Lighthouse in New York and Cape Lookout Lighthouse in North Carolina) he visited on the east coast while on a family vacation.

The middle initial in the Snowtop Lodge series is in alphabetical order from the very beginning – this year, the 16th in the series (featuring a middle initial of the 16th letter in the alphabet) – “Birdie P. Nestinghouse”!

“A Job Well Done,” the 10th (and Final) in the Once Upon a Christmas series features the same puppy from “Checking it Twice,” the first ornament in the series.

The “Happy New Year!,” special edition ornament is a companion to the 10th and Final in the Once Upon a Christmas series.

The 10 ornaments in the Once Upon a Christmas series collectively tell the story of Santa’s adventure on Christmas eve night. Each was released in sequence to continue the story which ended with this year’s “A Job Well Done.” Each of the 10 ornaments in this series were planned from the very beginning.

The “Countdown to Christmas Tree Topper” projects white snowflakes onto the ceiling all the time! And as the day turns over, there is a special colorful light show indicating one day closer to Christmas. On Christmas Day, there is a 24-hour special color light show!

Retired Keepsake Artist Ken Crow’s “Christmas Cabin” ornament is loosely based on Ken’s retirement home in the Missouri Ozarks.

NOTE:

      • The “Christmas Cabin” ornament features skaters skating around the ice, sledders going up and down the hill, children inside the cabin decorating the tree, and carolers singing!
      • The voices from the family inside the “Christmas Cabin” are all Hallmarkers and Hallmarker’s children!

There are 7 different performances possible with the combination of the three characters in the Nightmare Before Christmas storytellers collection!

 A narwhal, narwhales are real! And the “horn” on its head is a tooth that is used for hunting and defense.

To create the 2020 Snowflake ornament, retired Keepsake Artist Ruth Donikowski created a dozen versions of a snowflake before landing on the final design.

The “Made For Each Other” wedding photo holder ornament and the “A Slice of Love” wedding cake ornament were designed to coordinate with one another.

 The “Holiday Cheer” ornament features real fluid.

The “A Reel Keeper” ornament is the first time Hallmark has done a photo frame for a fishing ornament!

NOTE: Hallmark held a contest on Facebook in April 2019 to select a winner of the face paper featured. The winner was Alexander Udwari and Austin!

 This is the first year Hallmark has done miniature Frozen ornaments!

The “Bitty Butterfly” is based on the full-size Brilliant Butterflies series.

“Minnie On Ice” is the companion ornament to the “Mickey On Ice” miniature ornament.

Christmas Cabin

Buddys Buddy
ELF

A Slice of Love

Holiday Cheer

Elsa
Disney Frozen

Mickey on Ice
Disney Mickey Mouse

June 12th, 2020|0 Comments
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2020 Dream Book Insider’s Guide (pt. 1)

Rocking Horse Memories
1st in the series.

Sweet Decade
1st in the series.

Fly the Coop
Playful Penguins

Holiday Parade
2nd in the series.

Confectionary King
Noble Nutcrackers
2nd in the series.

Toymaker Santa
21st in the series.

The Beauty of Birds Clock
Table Decoration/Wall-Mount

Ring in the Season
6th in the series.

Majestic Plumed Bird
Premium Collection

Sound-a-Light Festive Home

The new Rocking Horse Memories series is inspired by one of the most beloved series in Keepsake Ornament history, the Rocking Horse series, which ran for 16 years beginning in 1981 and ended in 1996.

NOTE: The 14th in the original Rocking Horse series is featured on page 24 of this year’s Dream Book.

Each ornament in the Sweet Decade series will feature a sweet snowman and sugary treats.

The “Fly the Coop” ornament includes its own unique airline title: Iceberg Airways! Senior Editor Lindsay Evans and Keepsake Artist Kristina Gaughran brainstormed dozens of airline titles before they landed on Iceberg Airways.

Keepsake Artist Tammy Haddix was inspired by fellow Keepsake Artist Sharon Visker’s love of baking and the Season’s Treatings series when she created her 2nd in series Holiday Parade ornament.

“Prince of the Forest,” the 1st in the Noble Nutcrackers series, was the most successful 1st in series in the history of Keepsake Ornaments.

The 1st and 2nd in the Noble Nutcrackers series have a functioning lever on the back that opens and closes the nutcracker’s mouth just like a real nutcracker.

This year’s Father Christmas theme is music and the sounds of the season. Not only does his scroll carry a song related Christmas message, but he also carries a horn and songbook.

The 21st in the Toymaker Santa series is based on a classical construction set and Ken Crow’s love of vintage toys from the 50’s.

NOTE: Turn the crank on the Ferris Wheel to see the cars move.

This is the first time Keepsake Artist Sharon Visker has ever featured a donut in her Season’s Treatings series. Tammy Haddix’s Holiday Parade, 2nd in series, which was inspired by the Seasons Treatings series also features a donut tree.

NOTE: Gingerbread Delivery, the Limited Edition companion piece to the 2020 Holiday Parade ornament also features a donut in its design.

“The Beauty of Birds Clock” light shows are based on times of day: Morning, noon, and evening.

The sound of “The Beauty of Birds Clock” chime is based on a vintage Russian clock.

The “Black-Throated Blue Warbler” ornament is carrying berries because they are one of its favorite treats.

Each year a different artist sculpts the surface details on the Ring in the Season series premium bell.

The “Santa of the Forest” premium Poland blown-glass ornament is the most complicated and detailed Santa that Keepsakes has ever created in blown-glass. Each element on the “Santa of the Forest” premium ornament is hand painted with intricate detail. The forest pattern is the most complicated scene ever created by Keepsakes for a glass ornament.

The “Majestic Plumed Bird” premium ornament reflects Keepsake Artist Edythe Kegrize’s love of creating intricate surface patterns. The design is hand-painted and enhanced with glitter and gemstones to reflect light.

The “Sound-A-Light Wreath” responds to your own music, AND the sound of your voice, AND the sounds of a holiday party. You can even sing to it!

 Anywhere!, The “Sound-A-Light Wreath” has five different color themes. It can accompany any holiday décor!

The “Sound-A-Light Santa’s Gazebo” and Festive Home are based on the 2013 Limited Edition “Gazebo” and the 1996 “Victorian Painted Lady” both part of the Nostalgic Houses and Shops series.

NOTE: The Sound-A-Light table decorations interact with each other and ALL other Sound-A-Light collection pieces.

Father Christmas
17th in the series.

Season’s Treatings
12th in the series.

Black-Throated Blue Warbler
The Beauty of Birds
16th in the series.

Santa of the Forest
Premium Collection

Sound-a-Light Wreath
Premium Collection

Sound-a-Light Festive Gazebo

June 12th, 2020|1 Comment
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2021 Sneak Peek: Series

Here are the first sneak peeks from the 2021 Keepsake Ornament line featuring the 5th in the Brilliant Butterflies series by Edythe Kegrize and 10th in the Cookie Cutter Christmas series by Nina Aubé.

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Brilliant Butterflies
5th in the series.

Cookie Cutter Christmas
10th in the series.

June 11th, 2020|0 Comments
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2020 Reveal: Musical Toy Soldier

The popular unofficial Musical Toy Soldier series will be returning for a seventh year as Hallmark’s thank-you gift for purchasing Keepsake Ornaments at both Ornament Premiere and Ornament Debut!*

Festive French Horn
Musical Toy Soldier
7th in the unofficial series.

Wearing his best dress uniform, this marching toy soldier horn player confidently carries his brass instrument, which feature a glittery snowflake design in its bell.

*NOTE: When you purchase a Hallmark Keepsake Ornament during Ornament Premiere (July 11-19, 2020) you will receive a coupon in the mail for a FREE Festive French Horn ornament (Reg. $9.99) when you purchase a Keepsake Ornament during Ornament Debut (October 3-11, 2020), while supplies last.

June 10th, 2020|0 Comments
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For Keeps: Volume 19, Issue 2 Summer 2020


Get the inside scoop on the KOC Ornament Premiere exclusives. Learn about the Frosty Friends series. And see what goes into the creation of the yearly catalog.

  • Exclusively for you at Ornament Premiere
    • Sweet Santa By Terri Steiger
    • Christmas Window #18 By Nina Aubé
  • Tom and his frosty friends
  • Behind the scenes of the Dream Book
  • Keepsake convention exclusives
  • Save the date

Download a PDF of the Issue

Read the Cover Letter

For Keeps – The Official Newsletter of the Hallmark Keepsake Ornament Club.

June 8th, 2020|0 Comments
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Keepsake Convention Exclusives

When it comes to creating convention exclusives, the Keepsake artists always put the fans first.

For this year’s convention-exclusive ornaments, the Keepsake Studio took different approaches to their pieces.

For Harry Potter fans, Keepsake Artist Kristina Gaughran went with an unexpected, yet popular, choice.  “[Professor Boggart Snape] has gotten a lot of love from the cosplay community, so to give fans an ornament this unique is exciting.” says Kris.

For the National Barbie Doll Convention, Keepsake Artist Debra Nielsen was guided by the convention itself.  “The theme for 2020 is ‘Paradise Found’,” Debra says.  “I am given some top-secret artwork relative to the theme and need to create a new shoe design based on it.  In this case, the Barbie with the ocean waves hair artwork was provided and I added the hibiscus floral pattern to complement it.”

Those are just some small insights into the process of creating convention exclusives.  Get a close look at our convention offerings below.

Shoe-sational!
Barbie™ Ornament
Special Edition

Tribble
STAR TREK TOS: The Trouble with Tribbles

Imperial Probe Droid™
Star Wars™: The Empire Strikes Back™

Ahsoka Tano™
Star Wars™: The Clone Wars™

Professor Boggart Snape™
Harry Potter™

“Keepsake Convention Exclusives.” For Keeps 18 Summer 2020: 8

June 8th, 2020|1 Comment
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Tom and His Frosty Friends

Frosty Friends
41st in the series.

As the Keepsake artist with the second-longest run on the Frosty Friends series, Tom Best sat down to answer some questions about the long-running adventures of Frosty and his North Pole pals.

(In order of when they first started on the series):

Jim Mahon (Series creator*) – 2 ornaments
Ed Seale – 19 ornaments
Bob Siedler – 1 ornament
Sharon Pike – 1 ornament
Julia Lee – 2 ornaments
June Brock – 1 ornament
Sharon Visker – 3 ornaments
Tom Best – 12 ornaments

*NOTE: In 2016, Jim Mahon posted that the concept for the eskimo ornament was submitted to the studio by Keepsake Artist, Donna (Lee) Hill.

“Who did what has always been the biggest misconception with the series.  Back in the day, they didn’t put names on boxes, so the creator of the series was always just speculated, not actually known.  But getting that all figured out is something I took on when I started on the series, and I’m glad we got that corrected.”

“A former Keepsake Artist, Julie Forsyth had friended Jim (Mahon) on Facebook because (she) had known him from back when he worked here (at Hallmark).  And when we started trying to figure out who was the original creator of Frosty, she reached out to him.  And so, I ended up friending him, too, and we found out Jim was our guy.”

NOTES:

      • Ed Seale attributed the original two Frosty Friends ornaments to Jim Mahon in the premiere issue of his official newsletter, The Polar Post (Volume I, Issue I) in Early 2004. Download a PDF of the Issue.
      •  In 2016, Jim Mahon posted that the concept for the eskimo ornament was submitted to the studio by Keepsake Artist, Donna (Lee) Hill.

“He went on to have a really stellar career; he worked for Jim Henson and the Muppets.  And he talks so kindly of Jim and how wonderful he was and how great those years were.”

Jim Mahon’s artist profile (on Digital Dream Book)

“It’s based on the old ‘going to the carnival and put your head in the display.’  That was the whole idea.  Considering there’s very little material for a boy in the frozen tundra, ice tends to be a popular material for building.  And because Frosty in the past has sculpted before, the tools in #41 are the same as the ones he used back in 2000 for #21.”

“Tom and His Frosty Friends.” For Keeps 18 Summer 2020: 4-5

June 8th, 2020|0 Comments
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Ornament Spotlight: Ornament Premiere Member Exclusives

Exclusively for you at Ornament Premiere
Get the inside scoop on these KOC exclusives that are heading to the event in July.

Sweet Santa
Member Exclusive

For fans who enjoy the stories told through companion pieces, Sweet Santa is a subtle nod to this year’s Artist Signing Event ornament.

Sweet Santa
Member Exclusive

“I think that he makes a good companion piece because the studio piece is a gingerbread themed carousel,” says Keepsake Artist Terri Steiger.

The piece most closely ties to the signing event ornament by Santa’s cookie of choice–the gingerbread man.

“All the animals on the carousel look like gingerbread cookies, and while my Santa is not exactly a cookie, he does have decorations that feature details that nod to a gingerbread cookie.”
A

Christmas Window 2020
18th in the series.
Member Exclusive

For this year’s addition to the series, Keepsake Artist Nina Aubé went back to where the series started.

“Usually we do storefronts, like a bookstore or a toy store, but the very first ornament in the series was a room scene, and I decided to go back to that and change it up a little bit,” says Nina.

Christmas Window 2020
18th in the series.
Member Exclusive

A fun fact for fans of the series:  the little girl looking for Santa on this year’s ornament has a special connection to Nina.

“It’s my niece Jessica, and the stuffed animal on the ornament is her Piggy that she’s had since she was a baby.  And Piggy goes everywhere with her.”

With callbacks to the series beginnings and personal touches added to the design, this year’s Christmas Window is a whimsical reminder of the magic the season has for the young and young at heart.

“Exclusively for you at Ornament Premiere.” For Keeps 19 Summer 2020: 2-3

June 8th, 2020|0 Comments
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