ANOTHER eBAY Mishap!

Listed as Christmas Santa 19" Signed And Numbered By Gail Griffith Hillside Folk Art Co. I jumped at the chance to add another Gail Griffith Santa to my collection!

Described as: 

HAND CRAFTED FATHER CHRISTMAS
CARRYING A CHRISTMAS GOOSE
1988
BY GAIL GRIFFITH
HILLSIDE FOLK ART COMPANY
#355
19" TALL
EXCELLENT CONDITION

Of course I wanted him!

Unfortunately, when he arrived, he wasn't in the condition that I had expected. 

His coat could be described as filthy or sooty and the seller's slightly out of focus images made it difficult to make out the stains.

NOT that there is anything wrong with that if it was indeed Gail Griffith's original design. It's just not the look I'm going for in my collection. And, had I known this, I would not have bought him in the first place because none of my other Santas have a grungy look. 

To be fair, the seller did offer me a refund and I did accept it and promptly sent him back, but still, I was so disappointed because I would have loved adding another Gail Griffith original Santa to my collection.

Thanks to eBay's buyer protection and and understanding seller, this little mishap was easily rectified.

You can see in my image how "sooty" the other Santa looks compared to my Gail Griffith Santa.

Also, I've already started adding new toys to my Santa! I originally purchased this funny little rag doll/clown at an estate sale. I added her to another Santa for a while but she was just too big. I think she fits much better with this guy...at least for now!

I'm not saying don't use eBay. I LOVE shopping one eBay! Just be wary of vague descriptions and out of focus images. And ask questions before you buy!

UPDATE!!! And you'll LOVE this!

I sent this Santa back to the seller because he did not match the description. The seller "retorted" by LYING to the eBay Resolution Center saying that I had taken the bird out of the basket and GET THIS, I had broken the foot!

First of all, there was NO bird in the basket in the photos the seller posted on their listing. 

Second, I sent a photo of what the foot looked like when I received it to the Resolution Center when I requested a refund. Of course, I have no way of verifying this, but being that they lied about the non-existent missing bird...

And third, I have nothing to gain by lying, so I don't; PERIOD.

So, buyers beware!

I have received other improperly wrapped items that have arrived broken, but I cannot recall a time when I received an item that was not as described.

Always take photos of damaged boxes before opening, and be prepared to take photos of the item before you unwrap them if you suspect damage. 

eBay allows up to 10 photos so document your case.

Photographing Santa Claus Ornaments That are Hanging on the Tree

Dept 56 Early 1990's

I want to admit this now, I just found this post that I started on January 2nd in my "drafts". I'm actually publishing it on August 26th.

It was my intention and probably my New Year's Resolution to begin documenting my vast number of Santas that I have collected/hoarded over 25+ years.

I can't say that anything I have done over the past year has been so overly time consuming that I would not have time to post a brief essay about a particular Santa or collection of Santas on this blog, but apparently, like my Santas that stay up all year, this blog was a bit neglected.

If I recall correctly, I was taking down my tree and decided to stop and photograph some of my ornaments. These images can be found in other posts. For some reason, I had added four images to this textless draft and I have no idea what topic of choice I had planned on doing with them.

Funny Little Crocheted Santa Face

So, instead of waxing poetic about all I know about Santas, or what I can find on the internet and retell in my blog, I decided to take this time to explain how I created these images.

First, I THINK I used my portrait lens, a Nikon AF Nikkor 85mm1:18 D. I say this because this lens has been on my D90 for quite a while since I take a lot of portraits.

Add caption

I like this lens, because it does take some very sweet portraits by softening the skin when I focus on the eyes. It is also good for close-ups...but not too close up. This is why I believe I had my camera set on the automatic micro setting (the one with the tulip) and my flash turned off.

As you can tell by this post...I am not a technical photographer.

I just have fun!








I also came up with a 3 step Photoshop design (not counting adding my name) by selecting the ornament, making a copy, then use a Gaussian Blur on the original to further blur the background thus making the ornament stand out. Then I selected the frame tool and made another copy but adjusted the lighting a couple of times to make is stand out.

So, enough of that!

Just enjoy the images and this Christmas, take some photos of YOUR favorite ornaments!

Santa Claus and Snowman Gourds by Pasty Price of Ruston, Lousiana

Patsy Price is a gourd artist from Ruston, LA who has produced a great number of gourds in all different styles using dyes, paints, and pine straw weaving. She also crafted dozens of holiday themed gourds including these Santas & Snowmen. 

I actually know Mrs. Price personally having gone to school with her son and daughter. I also volunteered with the North Central Louisiana Arts Council (NCLAC) Art Gallery at the Dixie Theater where  both our gourds were also on display.

Patsy Price did not sign nor date all of her work, in fact, only one of these gourds is initialed, but these are all examples of her style over the many years she was producing gourd art.

Most, if not all of these gourds were painted in 2004. I believe she participated in Ruston's Annual Holiday Arts Tour that year as do many artists in our area.  She also was a vendor at Ruston's Annual Peach Festival Craft show.

From the largest Santa (13.5" tall and 27.75" around) to the smallest Santa (7.5" tall and 18.75" around) these large gourds make quite a decorative holiday statement on a buffet or table scape.

Plus, I like that the snowmen can be turned around if you just want to see the trees.

Where I painted very detailed and complicated gourds and cypress knees, Mrs. Price was able to capture a clever expression with simplistic style.

As a gourd artist, I know the joy of working with this medium and as a collector, I have enjoyed having her Santas and Snowmen in my collection.