A Happy Hoarder: Digging Through HIDDEN Boxes of Christmas Goodies That I Forgot I Still Had!

A Happy Hoarder:Christmas GOODIE BAGS! Thrift Store Haul! Christmas Ornaments, Collectibles & Santas

Jacobson's Teddy Bear Santa Claus Collectible Redux

Another Santa in my "Heirloom Santa" redux collection.

Rarely does a mass-produced Santa Claus Figure escape my altering it in some way, and this one was no exception. 

Generally, I like to add at least 3 things to my store bought Santas. Usually, I add a wreath or tree and a couple of toys. However, I encourage ALL Santa collectors to add LOTS of toys and accessories like a sleigh, miniature rocking horses, tiny vintage toys, etc., to make their Santa more of a one of a kind collectable, or what I like to call "Heirloom Santas".

All of this Santa's original parts are still with him (with the exception of a small bell that fell off his belt and is now missing...I took the other one and added it to the wreath), however, I took off his jute rope belt because I felt it took away from his beautiful winter white suit. It is now tied around his staff to hold on the wreath I added.

I also removed his mittens that were hanging from his staff and actually put them ON the Santa. I feel that if you are dressed for winter weather you really SHOULD be wearing your mittens! 

Anyway, I believe it is an improvement.

I also added a vintage doll and a vintage toy soldier. Both ornaments are from the 70s or 80s.

But the permanent addition I did to this Santa was to repaint his face. He was VERY orange and his eyes seemed so lifeless (see pic) that I added more pinks to rosy-up his cheeks and nose, and repainted his eyes to a light blue.It is said that when you look at someone and your pupils dilate, it means "love" so I always paint my Santa's eyes wth dilated pupils. I have been a Santa Artist for 24 years and by adding my special touch, it makes this Santa more special to me and hopefully to the person who finds him perfect for their home.

He is around 15-16" tall and has a Tibetan Lambs wool/hair pelt that is the best material for a beautiful Santa beard. His felted wool or polyester coat is trimmed with faux fur. He is attached to his composite stand that is covered with moss which tends to shed. He has his original Jacobson's box with a gift receipt (dated 1997) attached to the inside of the lid. 

(From Wikipedia) 

Jacobson's was an American regional department store chain. Based in Jackson, Michigan, the chain operated primarily in Michigan and Florida, but also had stores in Ohio, Indiana,Kentucky and Kansas. Jacobson's focused on apparel, fine jewelry and home furnishings. The chain entered bankruptcy in early 2002 after 134 years of service. One store in Winter Park, Florida was re-established as Jacobson's in 2004, but closed on December 21, 2011.

Santa Claus Figures Finally Laid to Rest

I’ve collected Santa Claus figures for well over twenty-five years but this year is about letting go of at least ten percent of my over one thousand Santas.

One of the saddest “letting go” is having to throw a damaged Santa away.

So, this blog is a memorial to two specific Santas. 

On a previous blog I wrote about my unfortunate experiences with eBay sellers. I received a set of three resin Santa Claus figures that I thought were Anthony Costanza designs and since the seller was so vague in their description and only provided a single photo, I had no way to be sure. 

Unfortunately, they were not properly wrapped to protect their fragility during shipping and, as a result, they arrived SHATTERED! 

A note to future shippers of fragile items: A single sheet of tissue paper is not adequate for packing. Use bubble wrap  to protect individual items and lots of peanuts as a barrier to separate them and prevent shifting during transit.

I tried to glue them back together but with all three being so similar is color and design and for the fact that some of the shards were so small, it was impossible, even for an artist such as myself.

However, during my attempt at the construction process, I found no evidence that they were designs by Anthony Costanza.

Still, I could not bear to throw them away!

So, for a year they remained in their semi-reconstructed state in the box they were shipped in, until recently, I just had no choice but to throw two of them away. The third was passable and is mixed in with my other Santas so that his damage doesn't show.

But before the other two met their final interment, I decided a photoshoot was in order.

So, in memory of these dearly departed Santas, I  dedicate this blog.

House of Hatten "THE CHRISTMAS PAST" SANTA by Bobby Stephen

I found this rare Santa Claus 14" figure by Bobby Stephens on eBay recently with a "Buy it Now" price of $90. Oh, if I only had enough money and space to collect every Santa I love! When one speaks of House of Hatten artists, names like Judie Tasch, Norma DeCamp, Denise Calla, and Dee Gann are household names. At least those households that collect House of Hatten ornaments and figures. And since House of Hatten closed its doors in December of 2005, their desirability as collectibles has greatly increased. So, when I found this adorable Santa by Bobby Stephens, I wanted to learn more about the artist. And what I found was nada, zip, zero! Still, this Santa's face is so incredibly sweet and his toys are so unique and well crafted, that I just had to share. Since I can't afford him, at least I can enjoy these images I took off the eBay post.

My Cypress Knee Santa Collection

Today I finally let go of my entire Cypress Knee Santa collection in one fell swoop. 

I sold them on Craigslist believe it or not! 

And the person that wanted them sent me a message that his aunt was coming by to pick them up and, believe or not, his aunt turned out to be a dear friend of mine that I have lost track of lately.

WOW! Small world indeed. 

Some of my Cypress Knee Santas I have had for at least 16 years because they pre-dated my move back home to Ruston, LA. 

One of these Santas, the one with the quilt and the large tree, was painted by Patsy Price, an artist I wrote about in another post. 

After they left my house tucked away in a brown paper bag with a cute raffia bow that I had added just to make it special, I realized that the only photo I had of them had been taken with my cell phone! 

So these are the only images I have unless a few were tucked in an arrangements of Santas that I just happened to photograph over the years.

Anyway...

Letting go is sad but necessary as I have a serious hoarding problem and Santas seem to top my list of must haves and must hoards.

I am curious about why I tend to hoard Santas and if there is really something deeply disturbing in my psyche or if it is just that I enjoy being surrounded by faces.

I welcome your analysis, professional or otherwise.

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.

House of Hatten Enchanted Forest Santa Elf

It is January 11, 2015 and my Christmas Tree is still up!

Taking the time to sort through which Santas in my collection I'm willing to give up is taking much longer than I had anticipated.

Being that House of Hatten was probably my favorite manufacturer of holiday decorations, even I find it hard to believe that I am willing to let this one go. Because I also have this charming fellow in the red coat, I've set him aside to sell on eBay, but only if I can get the price I want.

I found a cute post from blogger, Jim Gatling, with photos of his House of Hatten collection. Check it out!

It is always great to find other House of Hatten collectors.