Heirloom Santa Claus Transformation from Cheap Tree Topper to Adorable OOAK with Candlestick Stand

I had this cheaply made tree topper Santa Claus with a porcelain head and hands and a plastic cone that was crushed.






I purchased him secondhand (in this condition) because I liked his porcelain head & hands, plus his coat and garland. I felt I could give him a few touch ups to make him more adorable!

First, I removed the entire broken cone and foam. Then I found a dowel that is approximately the same size as a taper candle and glued it inside the hole in the neck of the porcelain head.

I tried several of my candlesticks out for size (I collect wooden candlesticks) and I tried him out on some brass ones as well (but I really like those for displaying my glass tree toppers and ornaments) and I thought the proportion of the one I ended up with was the best for this Santa. Since the dowel sticks down in the candlestick like a taper candle, the Santa can easily be removed and the candlestick can be enjoyed all year!

Next, that ridiculous beard HAD TO GO!

I thought about keeping it without an additional beard, but I had just disassembled another Santa and I tried his beard made from a lamb pelt on for size. PERFECT!

Usually, I paint their faces, but I was working on several projects at the time I made him so I decided to leave his face in its original cuteness. However, I recommend adding that personal touch to your own Santas!

So...if you have some cheesy or damaged cone Santas who could use some dressing up...I recommend you try out this technique!

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...

Countdown to Christmas: 22 Days Check out the Amazing Realism of Karen Vander Logt's Santas

Recently, I discovered the work of Karen Vander Logt via Santamakers Facebook page.

Her dolls are so impressive and her detail is amazing!

I borrowed a few images from her Facebook page to share with you.

Check out her biography and her website!

But for now, enjoy!

For more images of her beautiful Santas, and the work of other gifted Santa Artists, visit the Santamakers Guild Gallery.

Follow Karen Vander Logt on Facebook

31 DAYS of SANTA CLAUS Day 24 Dee Gann Santas...How can I resist?

Do you recall in my recent post Buying Collectible Santas Through Online Auctions PART DEUX Another Bad Experience, I told about a seller, unhappy that his auction sold for their low starting bid, cancelled out our transactions and resist the items that I had won fair and square.

I also mentioned in that blog how fortunate I was in retrospect to have found such a beautiful Santa for less than what I would have paid for just the padded shipping of those auctions.

Then, I was searching eBay for Santa's in auctions that were ending soon, and with less than three minutes left, I came across this handsome fellow. 

The starting bid was very reasonable, and I was so tempted to bid on him but I really don't collect Santas doing things other than delivering toys, etc. So, I decided to let him go to someone who would love to have him i their kitchen. Come to think about it, maybe I WOULD love to have him in my kitchen! Hmmmm

Anyway...

With him comes this card that says he was designed by Dee Gann.

I was not familiar with the artist, so I did a little Google search and was I delighted when images of gorgeous Santas filled my screen. Dee Gann is truly and artist extraordinaire whose work is highly collectible and her designs are sought after by companies like House of Hatten and Raz.

I know what your thinking...Dee Gann was a designer for House of Hatten and Geri did not know about her? 

Well, I usually collect the Denise Calla and other ornaments. Early this year, I acquired my first H of H Santa figure and recently I purchased another through eBay.

If you love beautiful Santas with incredible attention to detail, I suggest you visit Dee Cann's website and LIKE her Facebook page at Dee Gann Santas. Her one of kind Santas are fashionable dressed and loaded with antique or custom made toys.

Finally, I'd like to add this. I was curious about the Santa I'd purchased (the one pictured at the beginning of the blog) and I saw where Dee has a Guest Book on her website and I sent her a message asking if my Santa was one of her designs and about another one I had purchased. 

She replied on the same day and said that my Santa was one that she had designed but the other Santa I asked about was not.  

I can really appreciate the effort and passion she puts into her work and I am so pleased that she found the time to respond when I know how busy she is this close to Christmas. 

She also sent this photo for me to post on my blog.

If you are looking for a spectacular gift or family heirloom, I suggest you visit Dee Gann's website and consider one of her Santas. I read a comment from a very pleased customer who was complementing Dee for the Santas she had dressed in her daughter's coat. Talk about heirlooms!

If there was ever a Santa artist I'd wish to aspire to, it would be Dee. I have been collecting toys and vintage fabrics for years. With my recent purchase of fresh Cernit and cold porcelain to work with...and don't forget the eyes...I'm looking forward to some serious Santa crafting!

The only problem, I don't know how I could part with them.

If you want to read another blogs about Dee Gann's Santas, check out Saturday Arts Save: Dee Gann Santas and 5th and state: Dee Gann's Santa's

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 2 Vaillancourt Chalkware Santas

For the next week I will be very busy working with my husband at our lake house, so crafting Santas will be few and far between. Still, I am looking forward to sharing with you some of my collection.

I did manage to find some time to visit my studio/storage room today. There I was confronted by a dozen oyster shell Santa ornaments that, due to an inferior spray varnish, were scrapped last year but I intend to finish them this year.

I purchased this fabulous spray "glass" finish that make the oyster shells look like porcelain. However, I was not able to find it last year and settled on another brand. This new brand reacted with the spray paint and caused the paint to bubble. So, I now have to sand them down and start over.

I see I failed to take a photo of the half finished Santa gourds I started last year, but I'll get to that eventually.

Then there are the Santa gourds. My (COPYRIGHTED) Santa gourds require several steps and these guys have been in Step 2 limbo for about three years.

Once again, a product I loved is no longer available and the new material is prone to cracking and even breaking off the gourd. This has really limited my production to less than twenty-five per year over the past few years. I need to do some more experiments with mixing in other materials to get these beards right, because these are just too frustrating to carve into (Step 3).








Oh, but then there are my chalkware Santa Claus figures.

Twenty years ago, I discovered Valliancourt Chalkware Santas made from vintage chocolate moulds. Unfortunately, I could only afford to collect a few.  Fortunately though, one of the pieces I did purchase was the 1994 5th Annual Starlight Santa now valued between $300 (eBay.com) to $800 (valfa.com) but I will be telling you about that later.

In the meantime, I will tell you that I have about two dozen chocolate mold reproductions so I can pour and paint my own for a fraction of what the Valliancourt cost. Plus, I really enjoyed crafting them myself.

Most of the chalkware Santas in this photo are Vaillancourt. The two to the far right (Santa on motorcycle and traditional Santa) were made by my friend Sarah Meier, who is also a wonderful Santa Artist, but more on her later! For more information, check out http://collectibles.about.com/od/holidaycollectin1/ss/vaillancourt.htm for a very informative blog.

I painted about 90% of the other chalkware Santas.

So, back to what Santa(s) I worked on today.

Last year. I purchased several dried starfish at a yard sale and created my own version of a starfish Santa. Each has a sculpted clay (no bake) and beards crafted from wool I got from a friend's (Patrick Zuberbueler) ranch in Comstock, TX west of Del Rio, TX.

Unfortunately, the largest of the lot broke and I have had a devil of a time repairing him. Is appears dried starfish crumble easily and do not respond to glue very well.


So, today I decided to work on him.

Basically, I went over the area where the leg had been repaired with a different shade of red. Wouldn't you know it...I had run out of the other red! So I brushed the new red over the entire Santa.

While I waited for him to dry, I found a small chalkware ornament I made last year and decided to paint him as well.

I realize that I am going to have to get stronger glasses if I want to paint these tiny faces and work on the lighting in my studio. 

After an hour or so of painting and trying to put some things away in my studio, I had to wrap it up and have dinner.

So, basically I have a chalkware Santa with a very tiny face that I just can't get right and my starfish Santa is looking a bit like Gerard Depardieu. More touch-ups tomorrow! I need to repaint the wrinkles on Santa Depardieu's cheek, give him a good coat of sealer, and eventually (as in once I find my wool), I will add his beard.