31 DAYS of SANTA CLAUS Day 15 It's Not How Much You Spend; It's How Much You Save

I am very proud of myself for making it almost half way through these 31 days!

But I don't think my husband is going to be as pleased...

We have a saying around our house that I used as my title for this blog post.

I had placed a bid on another Anthony Castanza Santa and shortly after I place the bid, the seller contacted me and told me that her sister's dog and chewed on it so she took it off eBay. That, and being sniped at the very last second on two Russian Ded Moriz (not that I really needed anymore) was making me feel rather blue. So I searched eBay for some interesting Santas and found some I that appealed to me.

I made offers on four listings and when the seller accepted them, I became the owner of a beau coup of Santas. I realized that if you combined all the Santas I just purchased they would probably be more than the majority of people even use to decorate for the holidays. The funny part is that there was at least one in each lot I really wanted. But after giving it some more thought, and the fact that I was getting them for such a great price, some of the others started to grow on me.

Now, I mentioned previously that I don't collect Santa "dolls "per se, but I do have a few. However, I have had my eye on a certain House of Hatten Santa Figure and today I found one in a lot with three other Santas.

On December 12, 2005, House of Hatten closed up shop after almost 30 years in business. These pieces were already collectibles, and what wasn't snatched up at their big going out of business sale, hit eBay and were going for much more than their original retail prices. Nearly ten years later, these pieces are still winning the hearts of collectors and are selling for top dollar at various auction sites.

I just happened to find this guy by luck because H of H was not mentioned in the title or the description. But I recognize that cute face and jumped right on it!

These size dolls are running anywhere from thirty to fifty dollars.

Not only was I able to purchase the H of H Santa at nearly half of its going price, as a bonus, I get these two other adorable Santas.

Now I know a bit about handcrafted Santas and a bit more about popular Santa artists, but I have to say that I have never seen these before.

I can tell by their style that they are by the same artist, especially by their adorable faces. The fact that their beards are made from Tibetan or Mongolian lamb hair (Yes, they call it hair instead of wool) usually means a higher quality figure but the fake fur is more of a "made in China" finish. Well, most of the artist's reproductions are being made in China and real fur is rather difficult to work with because it does shed.

Regardless, I think these two will be keepers. Unfortunately, the patchwork Santa will have to go in my sell pile.

But there is more...

After I made an offer on the House of Hatten listing, I decided to see what else the seller had available and found these. Well, believe it or not...I have always wanted one of these Santas on a bicycle. I know...right? Except the one I had seen before was much larger. But hey, this guy's proportions will look better with my other figures. Now, the seller said that these were all wood; however, I believe that the one on the bike will have a resin body and the one of the polar bear will be resin as well.


I am rather certain about the polar bear because I have a similar Santa on an elk.


















Now why Santa is on an elk, I have no idea, but a polar bear I can believe.

Seriously, I've GOT to dust!

Even this Santa with the sour expression will look great with my other hand carved Santas.






































Don't touch that X...there is still more!

I made an offer on this listing because, well, since I was making an offer on the other "dolls" I thought I throw this one in as well.

He appears to be made by the same artist as the other two from the first eBay listing. The quality looks the same. I believe he may have a wool beard, perhaps mohair, and his face appears more chiseled. Regardless, I think he's adorable.

This Santa also came in the lot. Even though I don't collect "figurines" I really like this one and I am glad he was in this lot.

He might be a keeper as well.

He is pretty enough to fetch a good price on eBay.

Now this one might just be a mass produces resin figure for discount stores, but his base resembles another artist's work and could be one from the eighties. I won't know until he arrives in the mail.

This guy and the other Santas are really not my style, but don't worry, I will find them good homes.

And finally...I just had to make an offer on one more lot because...

there is a House of Hatten in there.  See if you can spot him.

Well, I did! Now, I think this guy might be damaged. He probably was holding bells in his hand and his hanger is missing. Don't worry, I know how to fix him.

The other reason I was interested in this lot are the toys. Since I craft Santas I like to have toys to put in their bags and this lot has not only toys, but toys in a bag!

The ceramic sleigh is also not my style, so I'll have to sell it to help pay for all the other pieces.

Selling things on eBay will be my November project!

31 DAYS of SANTA CLAUS Day 14 What to Do With Broken Santas

Today I received another broken Santa from an eBay purchase.

This is my THIRD purchase to arrive damaged during shipping.  The woman who packaged him did not bother to wrap him or the other Santas he came with, but I am grateful it was only this one.





















If you've read my previous blogs, you'll recall that my first to arrive in pieces was the Costanza Santa that I was so looking forward to adding to my collection.











He arrived with his feet and base broken off.

Then I received another shipment of Santas that were not wrapped at all. I could not believe it when I picked up the box and heard the ornaments rolling around.

I bid on this lot because of the three House of Hatten (2 Santas/1 elf in a stocking) that apparently now one else saw because I got the entire lot for the opening bid of $6.00. But when I opened the box, Ebenezer Scrooge's (top left) hand was broken and one of the jingle bells on the metal Santa (bottom center) was broken off as well. I am just glad that the H of H ornaments made it unscathed. That was a miracle!

So, what does one do with a broken ornament? 

Resin is a very popular way to make copies from an original piece. I have pieces that are cast in a heavy resin (usually brown) poured into silicone molds. This made for heavy figures. You can usually tell if a hand carved figure is wood or resin by the weight in that if it is solid resin, it is heavier than most woods; if it seems light in weight, it is probably a hollow resin copy. I can tell by tapping it against my bottom teeth whether it is wood or resin.

The hollow resin technique is used in mass produced ornaments and decorations that need to be lighter weight, and are made by pouring the resin in a mold and giving it a swirl. Resin in this form is not the ideal material to work with.  It can be as thick as half and inch in some areas paper thin in others, therefore it can break easily. 

I have found that when it breaks, unlike bisque, ceramic, or porcelain, it tends to flex. This can make it difficult to alight the pieces. When repairing resin, I usually use super glue or a modeling glue that performs the same as super glue. 

Usually, there will be some touching up to do and I've found acrylic paints can touch up the cracks and last a long time with minimal handling. I usually put a dab of sealer over it that is either flat, gloss, or a mixture of the two to match the piece I am repairing.

I recently repaired a few House of Hatten pieces. They really do break easily, usually because of a paper thin area of resin. I used super glue and a tiny amount a non firing clay that dries to a hard finish to fill in the chipped areas, repainted and dabbed on some matching sealer. 

I found this huge piece by Denise Calla (H of H artist) with both of the front runners broken clean off. It only cost me $5 at Goodwill, but after I repaired the damage, it could easily pass as mint and go for over $100 on eBay. 

Of course, zoomed in you can see the where it was repaired.

I need to find some of this fine glitter to cover up the repaired area.

I tried scraping off some of the loose glitter but it wasn't enough to really patch the repaired area, but if you look at the whole piece, there are several other bare areas.

The clay works well for me but in the case of missing pieces or pieces that are just to thin to glue, I found this great little tip on Yahoo Answers. 

"Dave" offered this suggestion and I may have to use this technique one day.

"I would look into an automotive body filler such as Bondo or an epoxy putty such as Tech Steel. You should be able to find both, or similar, in an automotive store. They both are shapeable, harden quickly by a reactive process, can be easily filed and sanded when dry, paint well and have similar properties to the resin that the ornament is made out of. I would tend to suggest the putty first because it is firmer and more mouldable but be aware that it hardens in a few minutes. You will need to form a rough shape and then fine tune when fully hardened."

I first started repairing ceramic, bisque and porcelain figures in the early nineties. Because as an artist, I work with so many different mediums, I tend to have a lot of materials on hand to experiment with. I would find things at flea markets and yard sales that had minimal damage and repair them. The damage areas were undetectable. 

My greatest challenge was a Lladro figurine that a friend brought me that was broken in half along with several small pieces. Glueing it together was one thing. Gluing heavy pieces together can be challenging enough, but adding the small puzzle like pieces with some inside beveled edges was a whole other thing. I figured out how to assemble the pieces, but I still had to fill the missing chips and repaint and find a glaze that would work.  

So, after I matched the Lladro signature blue with watered down acrylic paint, I touched up the filled in chips and added Diamond Glaze. This is the product I used on my Santa Claus eyes because it gave them a more realistic look. When I bought it, it was in a jar. Now that I have finally recalled the name, I found that it now comes in a bottle. Great stuff! And it adheres to glass. So, the Lladro was saved. I can't say it was my best work considering all the damage. But I can say that it looks better on a shelf than in a trash can!

Don't give up on your broken ornaments. There are plenty of products out there you can use to repair the ones that are the most sentimental or are a part of your favorite collection. Practice on some that you are not as sentimental about and you'll be surprised with what you can do.

I don't care much for the Gorilla brand of Super Glue. It is a paint work with on any surface and I had to glue this one twice which meant a layer of glue which caused the crack to be more pronounced.
Also, super glue can cause a bit of reaction to the paint (like turpentine or paint thinner) and you can see where it smeared on the white and how the crack is visible.

Since this is not a collectible ornament, I took some liberties with my painting technique and added some ermine. I was painting rather quickly, and I wish now that I had taken my time and done it neatly. DANG IT! But the added detail camouflaged the repair. You can still see a tiny crack but I'll touch that up later. I couldn't see it until it was blown up on the image.

I also painted a date on him, just for fun.

So here he is, back in one piece and not so worse for wear. His hanger was missing so I added a screw eye. I did not have any gold so I painted it red.

Finally, I replaced the wire belt around his waist, touched up a few too many dark spots on his beard, and this Christmas he'll join the rest of my 300 Santas on the tree.

31 DAYS of SANTA CLAUS Day 13 Great Blogs by Other Santa Collectors

Instead of writing about my collection or crafting, I decided to dedicate the 13th day to other crafters and collectors who blog about their Santas.

Angie McKaig blogs about her Santa Claus and Crafting at http://www.santacollectors.com A year-round guide for fans of Kris Kringle. Angie is way ahead of me with her blog and Santa enthusiasts can find very well researched and written posts on the various types of Santas to collect, along with information about other Santa artists and crafters.

Dorothy's blog, "The Joy of Christmas", is chocked full of anything and everything you'd want to know about the holiday season.

David Claudon share's his Santa Claus collection (including the tiniest Santa I've ever seen) on his blog David's Gallimauphry. According to his site, a gallimaufry means a a hodgepodge, jumble, confused and his blog features such a variety of interesting topics, that is the perfect name for it.

The Collection Studio is a great blog site featuring articles on every type of collecting you can imagine. The link I've added is an article about Mr. Jean-Guy LaGuerre, the Guiness Book of World's Record holder for the most Santa Claus items. Believe me, I have no intention of competing with his over 25,000 Santas!

I be sure to add more blogs and blogposts as I find them.

Well, once again, it is late and I've been working at the lake house. I finally finished the tiled backsplash in the kitchen but it still needs grouting.

I'm taking a few days off, so I hope I'll get to play with my Santas and maybe craft a few as well.

31 DAYS of SANTA CLAUS Day 12 How to make Santa Claus Collectibles for Fun and Profit

When my parents tore down the livestock barn at our home in Choudrant, LA, I saved some of the pieces of wood. I participated in an Arts and Crafts show at Barksdale AFB (around 1992-1994) and I mass produced these very simple Santas out of 1x2s. I sold them for $3 each or 2/$5 but if you made a $50 purchase, from my booth, you got one for free. They sold like hotcakes! My cost and labor were minimal but the money I made off the the dozen or so I sold more than paid for the table fees.

I still have these two because they were the "prototypes" and I tend to save my first of every Santa I market. I will post more of these later.

I also taught a class with kids where they all got to paint a pair of these. So simple a kid can do it...yet still folk arty enough to add to any collection!

Do you ever wonder what to do with ALL those plastic Easter eggs?

I covered one in a paper mulch product and created this clever little Santa ornament. You can also cover both pieces separately and create a little candy box.

This is also a fun and easy project for a class; however, the drying time makes the project last three days.

First you coat the egg with about a 1/4 inch layer of Celluclay (an instant paper mache' product) and let it dry at least over night in a dry area.

Then add the details and let them dry completely (usually overnight) before painting.

I sprayed the completely dried painted piece with an acrylic sealer, then (once that dried) I antiqued it with an antiquing gel product and finished with another coat of sealer. The possibilities are endless.

My Oyster Shell are simple yet beautiful. I've seen others, but I none that are as appealing as my own.

I know, I am being a bit pretentious.

This particular oyster shell was a double and I have saved it for myself. First you have to seal the oyster shells with a good primer that will stick to glass. I used acrylic paints and (in the past) a high gloss glass-like finish sealer, and metallic gold paint. I used to use a gold leaf paint but the calcium in the oyster shells reacts to the copper in the gold leaf creating a beautiful, but not intentional patina. The copper flakes in the acrylic paint do the same, just not as much.

Now, as my luck would have it, I can no longer find my wonderful glass-like finish and this new version of high gloss glaze yellows. DANG IT!

In this badly out of focus photo are some of my other Santas who hang out in studio. Tucked way in the back is a "nekkid" Santa doll I made about over fifteen years ago from an oddly shaped homemade doll body I found at a garage sale. I'm not quite sure about that square head, but one of these days, when I finally make him some clothes, I hope his hat will will disguise it. The round headed Santa (far left) I painted on a strangely proportioned bottle gourd back in 1992. He is one of my first Santa Claus gourds and the only one of his kind. The moon shaped Santa was painted on a wooden salad bowl, one of many I picked up at garage sales, and I sold them at A&C shows. The Celluclay Santa (center) is built up just like the little ornament, except I used a styrofoam cone instead of a plastic egg. This is another fun class project than can be done at the same time as the ornament. The rustic teal adorned Santa was also made from the barn wood. I sold several of these at the same A&C show as the others.

I will be adding more crafty Santas to my blog...so keep checking back!

31 DAYS of SANTA CLAUS Day 11 I don't collect EVERY Santa!

I am a writer, among other things, and I take the one hour plus drive Bossier City and Shreveport, LA where I attend meetings with a critique group, Romance Writer’s of America, and Sister’s in Crime.

While there in Bossier City and Shreveport, I like to hit a few of the Goodwills and thrift stores in the area. Today, I found a Longaberger basket and the perfect dust ruffle, valance, and pillow shams for my lake house, a couple of  cute things for my house and a very adorable hand carved Folk Art Noah and his Ark.

But sadly, I found no Santas to add to my collection.

Oh, I saw a lot of Santas, but I don’t collect EVERY Santa, which is why I think this is a great topic of my blog.

I went out to my studio and took some quick photos of a few Santas who are looking for a new home.


These were not gifts, I actually bought these, but as my collections change, I trade out.

Collectors can be very discriminating with their taste in their chosen passion. Now, just because I am not artist specific, and collect a variety of styles, this doesn’t mean I prefer just any Santa. So, it is always best, that if someone wants to give me a Santa as a gift, it should really fall into the various styles I collect.  I only have so much room!

Unfortunately, this has rarely happened and I discourage people from giving me a Santa as a gift unless they are observant enough to figure out what Santas I do collect versus those I do not.  What makes me really sad is that my husband and two sons haven’t a clue as to what kind of Santa to buy me even though a portion of my collection surrounds them in our dining room year round.

·      I do not collect dollar, chain craft store, discount super center, or big box store Santas.  

·      I do not collect ceramic Santas, but I do have a few vintage pieces or ones that I painted.  

·      I do not collect other artist’s gourds or cypress knee Santas but I have picked up a couple of small ones. 

·      I do not collect Santa dolls, but I have a few that are mostly vintage (50’s 60’s) rubber faced dolls.

·      I do not collect soft plastic or flocked Santas, but I do collect vintage (50’s to 60’s) hard plastic and celluloid Santas and reindeer.

I prefer name brand Santas (yes, I’m being snobbish) like the House of Hatten and artist’s originals when I can afford them, quality artist’s reproductions (also when I can afford them), and just about any hand-carved Santa.

I just can’t figure out why anyone who has been in my home and, even if they saw only a portion of my collection of which I probably have about a thousand, could not discern the quality of the pieces I do have. I compare it to someone who decorates their entire home in Stickley, and Arts and Crafts style furniture and someone gives them a Queen Anne piece. Hmmmm.

But let me say this…

I am so overwhelmed with joy when someone gives me a gift that says, “I get you, Geri.”  But I really believe that quality time spent with family and friends is truly a precious and graciously received gift.

And I’ve always got room for that!

31 DAYS of SANTA CLAUS Day 10 Sculpted Santa Claus "Dolls"

Okay, I am posting this a day late, but after working all day yesterday at our lake house (1 hour's drive from our home) I was too tired to type.

However, I was composing this post in my mind (until I got distracted) so I think that should count for something.

Last night I was doing some research on sculpting dolls.  I have a few Santa Claus dolls I sculpted back in mid-90's (photos to follow) that I created from white Sculpey (sp?) that I seem to recall only came in white back then.

I was first inspired by the work of Lyn Haney, whose limited numbered dolls I found at a great little Hallmark/Gift shop in Del Rio, TX.  Mr. Haney, who graduated from Texas Tech, my husband's alma mater, incorporated his eyes into his sculpture versus adding glass (or acrylic) eyes to his Santas.
So my first dolls had eyes sculpted into their face. Of course, I added my own "personality" to my Santas and learned a lot about what NOT to do.









Below are two of my first attempts at sculpting Santas.

When I saw a collection of original Santa Claus "dolls" at my favorite little shop, St. Nick & Friends in Wimberly, TX, I fell for the beautiful glass/acrylic eyes they were using.

So, I took a class in doll sculpting from an artist who not only created ceramic dolls, but sculpted Santas and Native American figures as well. She taught me how to build a form first that would incorporate the eyes, then sculpt using a product called Cernit.

So, I invested in a pair of beautiful blown glass eyes from Germany, and created a wonderful face from the Cernit and added silky Mongolian sheep hair beard and hair.

However, the first Cernit I purchased was "flesh" and I found it rather pale and lifeless. You can add real makeup to Cernit but it will fade over time. Then my very expensive Cernit dried up, which it tends to do in only a short period of time. The benefit of Cernit is that you get a very ethereal skin tone, but when you add the blush or makeup, it flattens is out. So, these very expensive materials went into a Santa beautifully sculpted (if I do say so myself) doll that looks like a mortician created it (not to dis morticians) and he has been tucked away in a basket along with his half finished (a couple of sizes too small) fur coat. He was supposed to be a gift for my mother fifteen years ago.

About a week ago, I started looking at glass eyes. Funny how they've doubled in price over the past 15 years. After winning a bid on some ornaments (including a Bolinger I got for next to nothing...but that's a different post), I contacted the seller about adding some of the "eyes" they had up for auction to my order. So, I ordered SIX pairs of different color (blues/blue-grays/grays) materials (acrylic/glastic), size (18-22mm) and style of eyes, but no glass ones. Glass is just too high at about $40 for good one, plus the acrylics are usually a lot more beautiful, anyway.

I also purchased some "suntan" Cernit in hopes that my new Santas would look more alive.

NOW I will tell you why I was distracted last night and could not get this post completed in time.

When ordering eyes, there was a lot of references to "Reborn" dolls. If you are not familiar with Reborns, I suggests you get educated. Just do a search under images for "Reborns" and you'll be amazed at the artistry involved in creating these, and if you can afford the $500 price tags, you might even want one for yourself.

I was studying the techniques used by these artists and their skills at adding more depth to the otherwise flat vinyl surfaces of these doll's molded heads and limbs. I was hoping I could learn a few tricks to help me bring my other Santa back from the dead.

Then I went to YouTube to look for videos about how these were created but soon mesmerized by the variety of the videos that included obsessions that some people have over these baby dolls. It really opened my eyes to the psyche of addictive behaviors.

There is a growing trend of adults self-soothing with objects associated with their childhood. When a mother holds her baby the soothing hormone of oxytocin is released. Rumor has it that a similar experience happens when holding a Reborn Doll. So really, we can not fault anyone for appreciating the work these artists put into the fascinating little sculptures. I would compare it to a grown man collecting action figures or model trains.

However, I am a conspiracy theorist, and it is my opinion (a well educated opinion) that the U.S. Government is putting additives in our foods that is causing addictive behaviors to rear their ugly heads.

For a while, I was doing okay with my own addictive behavior by eating healthy cooked from fresh veggies and "natural" meats.

Working on the lake house meant a lot of fast foods and quick meals (what we like to call "Chicken in a Bag") and I have noticed that I am more anxious about collecting and, for a long time, I stayed away from eBay, but now...

See what I mean?

31 DAYS of SANTA CLAUS Day 9 Buying Santa Claus Collectibles through Online Auctions

Day 9

I realized today that it is very difficult to talk about my Santa collection if the majority of my Santas are packed away.  So, I've been doing some online shopping; mostly on eBay.

I'm always on the search for interesting Santas to add to my collection, and this afternoon I gave an unusual Santa a ride in my shopping cart around Rolling Hills Ministries Thrift Store, then I decided I really couldn't fit him with my other Santas, so I left him there for someone else to enjoy.

I did find a photo of him on eBay (I've added the links to the auctions on each image) and discovered there are more like him.

I do collect a lot of chalk ware Santas cast from vintage chocolate molds, but this jolly fellow, albeit very cute, would clash with my more vintage 50's and 60's or folk art style collection.

Anyway...
Here are some others I found on eBay. You should check them out. The starting bid is very reasonable or you use can buy it now with free shipping.

I also like to shop at Goodwill and have recently been bidding on a few things (not just Santas) on their http://shopgoodwill.com auction site. I have found a lot of great art. I love collecting original paintings, etc. and pick up a lot of great pieces at Goodwill. I am rather amazed at the number of very pricey art they have on their site.  But I digress. They also have a great collection of Santas.

I strongly suggest you know your Santas before bidding because many of the titles and descriptions can be misleading. For example, (not to pick on Goodwill, because eBay sellers do it as well) this Santa is described as a Hand Carved Santa Claus Statue w/ Gifts, but as you can see in the photo, he is clearly made of resin.

Typically I don't collect teapots or coffee pots, but I think this cross-collectible Santa Claus coffee pot is a very nice piece. 

Don't forget to do searches under Santa's other names like St. Nick or Nicholas. I found this figure from The Legend of Santa Claus series under a search for "St. Nick".

I used to collect The Legend of Santa Claus by United Design, and had a few of the larger pieces that featured animals. These Santas have the most beautiful eyes. 

When I moved to Ruston, LA, my new home did not have the space to display all my Santas, So I sold these large pieces but I ended up buying more (smaller) Santas. because that's what I have to do. 

Another thing to consider when bidding on shopgoodwill.com is the cost of shipping. They charge a lot for shipping plus they add a handling charge that varies from item to item. Fortunately, if you purchase more than one item from the same store, they will combine shipping.

Update: October 22, 2014

I was JUST at my favorite store, Rolling Hills Ministry Thrift Store, and I found this Santa for fifty-five cents.

He's a cute but rather large ornament, and his missing ski-pole can easily be reproduced.

Then, while mindlessly searching through Santas on eBay. I find this...

Just a reminder that you shouldn't let the price some seller "set" make you think something is more collectible.