365 Days of Santa Claus: Figures Finally Laid to Rest

My other blog 365daysofsantaclaus.blogspot.com does not get the traffic that creativedazewithgeri.blogspot.com receives, so I thought I'd try re-blogging some of my articles.

If your are a Santa artist or collect, please follow!


But read my re-blog first!

365 Days of Santa Claus: 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 on...

31 DAYS of SANTA CLAUS Day 8 Sad Day for One Anthony Costanza Santa

I did an update on my post (Day 3) when an Anthony Costanza Santa that I won on eBay arrived in the mail broken.

I was so excited about receiving this Santa. He was about two inches taller than the tallest on I have already. Most of my Costanzas are about ten inches or less. 

But today, I had to take him to the post office to file a claim. They had to keep him and told me he would be tossed in the trash once the claim and been accepted. This made me terribly sad. I doubt I will ever find this exact one from the same "generation" as the other pieces in my collection that is actually signed by the artist, nor will I be able to find one at that price.

Perhaps the Lord did no mean for me to have him.

Yet still, I have been searching eBay for Costanzas that I can afford and I found this one. 

He was manufactured by Enesco, but I think he will go well with my other Costanza Ded Moroz by Enesco.

The Costanzas I purchased in the 90's (Silvestri) have a different face and artistic style. This one is very similar, but if you compare the other faces, I think you'll notice the difference.

I almost always paint my Santas with blue eyes. Most of the Costanza Santas I have collected have brown eyes, with the exception of Ded Moroz.

This next Costanza Santa in the chimney is from around the same time frame as my original collection and was a product of Silvestri as well.

As you can see, he is also signed by the artist and he will look great with my other traditional Santa by Costanza.

I am still waiting for these to arrive in the mail. Lets hope they make it intact.

I just love the way Anthony Costanza carves his Santa's faces!

And then there is this guy. He's only about 6.5" tall. At first the seller was asking a lot for the opening bid. The seller claimed it was wood, but I sent them a message to explain that since it is marked Silvestri on the bottom, and numbered, then this piece is actually made of resin. 

I also asked them (since the auction ended without a bid) if they would please re-list this Santa with an option to make an offer. They did, and when I made a very reasonable offer, they accepted. So, as of now, I am still expecting him to come in the mail.

All photos from this blog were pulled from their original eBay posts. Once I get all my Santas in, I will add them to my collection for a wonderful group photo to share with you.

I did not get to craft any of my own Santas today because I was substitute teaching art for grades Kindergarten through fifth. Teachers who work multiple grades every day must feel as though they have a split personality due to the way they must adjust their teaching and classroom management skills to every level.

But I just loved meeting all the new Kindergarten students and seeing how much my other students have grown and changed over the summer. The best part of being a substitute is that I get to "spoil" the students, like a grandmother, then give them back.

31 DAYS of SANTA CLAUS Day 3 Anthony Costanza Collectibles

My favorite place to shop in Ruston, LA is Rolling Hills Ministry Thrift Store. Fortunately for me (but not so much for my husband), it is only a couple of miles from my home. I always say, "If the Lord meant for me to have it, I'd find it at Rolling Hills." Funny how that same saying applies to Salvation Army, Goodwill, Garage Sales, etc.

So, I purchased a bag of ornaments for $2.55 that had one particular ornament I wanted and several others I didn't. Those will most likely be donated back to RH. Also in this bag, was a set of seven wooden star shaped Santas that I decided to keep.

I had an idea to put my own spin on these hand made yet mass produced Santas, but since I was substitute teaching high school art today, I decided bringing carving tools to school might not be the best plan because sharp items such as carving tools are not permitted on campus with no exceptions.

I knew that the art supply closet had a box with a wood burning tool so I decided to use it instead. I own my on wood burning tools and points and, apparently I forgot why I don't enjoy using them. The smell is toxic and the tool gets so hot you have to wear a glove, and then there is the whole starting a fire on your project part.

My first attempt ended up with a few slips that I tried to work into the design of the coat and hat. The second, well, I pretty much burnt his face off.


Okay then, on to plan B. I've decided to reproduce the Santa starfish I crafted last year but instead of the serious face, I'll sculpt something more cheerful.

Photos to follow.

Now, about collecting.

I have been hitting eBay pretty hard lately searching for Anthony Costanza reproductions of his hand carved Santas similar to the ones I purchased twenty years ago.

Then I happened upon one and made an offer on it and it was accepted. It was much smaller than my other Costanzas but he definitely had the look that I liked.

Then I got into a bidding war with someone on eBay but ended up victorious and purchased this piece signed by Costanza for a very reasonable price and I am anxiously awaiting his arrival.

UPDATED October 7th, 2014

Well, I received this much anticipated Costanza reproduction in the mail and wouldn't you know it...the seller had not securely wrapped the him and placed him in a box that was too small. When I picked up the box, I heard a rattle and I immediately got that sinking feeling.

So, of course, he was broken.

I took this photo before I unwrapped anything. The base was just rolling around loose. There is also a crack that goes halfway down the base.

The worst part is, I don't feel he can be repaired because, even if glued together well,, the compromised base may fail due to the amount of weight it has to bear.

I was so looking forward to adding him to my collection. He would have been the tallest Costanza in my collection. Plus, he would have gone so well with my other pieces.

I believe it was 1991 when Better Homes and Gardens came out with a special interest publication titled "Santa Claus", and it featured classic Santa crafts and in 1999 BH&G published a series in hardback entitled Santa Claus Collection that focused more on Santa artists. To this day, most of my collection and creations are inspired by these series that only were published for about seven to nine years. I highly recommend that anyone who loves and/or collects Santas purchase ALL the volumes.

I am looking up photos and links to help you find publications.

A work in progress:

Santa Claus 1991

Santa Claus 1992

 Santa Claus 2000 

Santa Claus Collection Vol. 1

Santa Claus Collection Vol. 5