In the Mail #4: Christmas 2014 Edition

Salutations! It's me, Skeletor!!!

Okay it's... it's not. I'm not Skeletor. That'd be cool though. Nope, just little old Cyra here, with a new segment of "In the Mail". Or am I..?

Anyway! It's been a while. Secret Santa has been upon us on Blab, which I will make a post about later. I didn't do any customizing, but I have a couple things I'm willing to share, so it will have its own post. As of today (November 28), there are ten days until the main shipping date. I'm mostly done, but my Secret Santa got done a lot faster! On what we consider in this house to be the very first day of Christmastime, my box arrived!

Today was a grand mail day for yours truly. I received a card from my friend in Australia, a 15 dollar gift card to Sephora, and a wig I'd ordered for a cosplay (yes, I cosplay on the side sometimes), as well as my Secret Santa. I finally got the "Okay" from Mrs Claus to open my box.

I say it every year - I get the best Santas. They always spoil me, and I'm always so excited and in love with what I receive. This year was no different. I was actually on the verge of tears opening some presents!

First order of business - candy! I got some Dove and, as per Blab tradition, Lindor, both of which I love. Now to resist eating everything... Hm...

Next up was this little Cob! I pressed my thumb against the wrapping paper trying to pick him up, so he was first out of the packaging. I do already have this guy, but I plan to keep him. I love these little fellas!

Mrs Claus knows I love Tolkien, and this year I finally got around to making a list of the books I have. She got me this beautiful copy of "Tolkien: A Dictionary". I flipped through it and I adore it. The pictures are spectacular, and the cover is a very soft leather. Now to find a place for it amongst my "shelving" (which consists of a full bookshelf and the top of a box).

Tequila, as usual, was not left out! Here he has some very fancy horse muffins. I plan to see him again soon - he's going to looooooove me for bringing so many goodies!

Next was a bigger package, containing...

Montana Harvest!!! I've wanted this guy for so long... I remember when I was a kid, my mom would get State Line Tack magazines around Christmas, and I'd go through and circle all the horses I wanted. He was always one of them. And now I finally have him. I began tearing up when I unwrapped him.

The last package said "Open Me Last"... And it certainly wasn't the least.

Behold, my second portrait of Tequila. How I didn't start sobbing when I was holding him is beyond me. Customs of Tequila are grails, and this guy is no exception. 

Tequila doesn't live with me. He's boarded, so I don't see him every day. In fact, I haven't seen him in quite some time due to my health. I hate it. He's my pride and joy, my guardian angel. So having this little stablemate and the medallion from last year makes being away from him a little easier.

I'm so happy with all that Mrs Claus got for me, I can't even explain it. (I'm also kind of kicking myself for not waiting until Christmas... goodness knows it would have been worth it!) Now to send out my package for a special someone...

In the Mail #3: A bit behind

Before I post I look at my past entries on this blog to make sure I'm getting the numbers right for everything. I just realized that my last "In the Mail" was for Christmas! So, we'll hop in the time machine and slowly inch our way forward, because I've had quite a bit of mail since then.

We'll start with the Spring Swap. Spring was rough for me. Very, very rough. But it seems that in bad times, something always comes in the mail to cheer me up. Usually it's a letter or care package from my penpal, sometimes it's something else. This time it was a package frooooom...

...Australia! I was excited just to have a package come from Down Under (I've never gotten anything from Australia before), but Mel really spoiled me with this one!

First was an eraser that slightly shocked me. Only because it's a Kiwi. Kiwis are from New Zealand, and if there's anything I've learned in my time on the internet and watching Flight of the Conchords it's that there's an ongoing sorta-war between New Zealanders and Aussies. He now hangs with my Japanese-style erasers. She also sent me two pen/highlighters which are now among my favorite pens in the world.

Next came candy. I had enough candy to choke a horse here. She sent me lots of Cadbury (including bars with Australian animals on them), Aero, and... Tim Tams!!! I'd heard amazing things about Tim Tams, but we don't have them in the States, so until recently I'd never had one. I don't know how I lived this long.

And finally, the ponies. I had a creeping suspicion watching the Swap thread that these guys might come here but didn't get my hopes up in case. But here they are! I'm in love.

Tolkien ponies!!!

First up is the Paso. On his left side, he has "All that is gold does not glitter" written in Tengwar, the Elvish script. (It's the English form of Tengwar - yes, I know all these things, I study Sindarin Elvish!) 

On his right side, he has Tengwar again, reading "Not all those who wander are lost." The lines on him are the first two from a poem Bilbo wrote about Aragorn in the books. He also has Smaug the Dragon coming out of his mane.

Next is the Friesian! On his left side, the quote "Even the smallest person can change the course of the future" is written.

And on his right... The Fellowship! Gandalf lead the march on his chest, followed by Frodo, Legolas, Gimli, Merry, Pippin, Boromir, Sam, Bill the Pony, and Aragorn. He also has a white star-like flower on his back near his flanks. The detail on both of them is wonderful.

(My proud Tolkien collector would like to point out that photos were taken in front of the 1977 movie tie-in copy of The Hobbit. Very rare.)

Next we head on into June. June 1st was my birthday, and I had asked my mom via Facebook messages for GVF Sjokolade. Somehow that message didn't go through, but I was given an Amazon gift card, so it all worked out. At long last, after years of pining, I have a Fjord.

(I promise I'm not trying to show off my Tolkien collection. My bookshelf was the only place I could make room for him. Also photobombing Legolas.) He's beautiful. He's even more gorgeous in person than in photos and has the sweetest face. 

Next stop - July! Breyerfest was coming up and I had a bit of money. I had my eyes on a few horses and, thanks to a friend and a very sweet person I knew from Blab, I was able to get pickups for the first time! I wound up getting Athos and Birthday Cake.

Athos is gorgeous. I'm absolutely in love with him. He does have staining, but I've been talking to my dad about bleaching him. (Bleach and I don't get along, so I have to have him do it for me.) Stains or no, he's beautiful, and is now gleefully stomping over my Legos like an equine Godzilla proudly displayed on my dresser until I can make some room for him to go next to his black Friesian brother.

And we can't forget little Birthday Cake! She's absolutely adorable, and very glossy. These horses arrived in wonderful condition (again, save for Athos' staining), and I want to thank Heather for the umpteenth time, even though she's probably sick of me thanking her by now.

And finally, we come to yesterday, known better as October 2nd. As I mentioned in a previous post, I've been "sick" lately. But as I also mentioned earlier in this post, whenever I'm going through a rough time, the mail has a way of cheering me up. Yesterday I received my Spring Swap from Ann, and it's lifted my spirits after a very rough three weeks.

First thing I got out of the box - this adorable, ridiculous bird pen. He's supposed to be a flamingo, I think, but violet, with a witch hat. I can't get over how stinkin' adorable this thing is. He looks like a muppet. 

Next up - candy! What's Halloween without candy? The candy wasn't packed in the little Franken-basket, but I've put it there for safe-keeping (hopefully it's family-proofed). I was treated to Kit-Kats, Jolly Ranchers, Caramel apple taffy, candy corn, and Baby Ruths. This will soon be gone.

Next was the pony! Another Friesian for my conga and collection of customs, and my first ever flockie! I'm absolutely in love with him and love rubbing my fingers over him. I refer to him as His Fuzziness. Ann mentioned in the card he was afraid to travel alone so... he has a buddy! 

It's the little pink para-dressage SM! I'm in love with him too. I've never seen the new translucent Stablemates in person before, and I have to say I adore them. (It's also fun to remind my glitter-phobic boyfriend of the glitter on his mane and tail :D ) 

I also got a baggy of vampire teeth and fake mustaches. I also made the mistake of showing them to my boyfriend...

But anyway...

As always, I'm beyond grateful to my swap partners. I'm always the victim of the most amazing people. But receiving is only half the fun! Orlando will be going out very soon (I FINALLY finished that blasted costume!), and as usual I'll be waiting with bated breath to see what his new mom thinks of him. Until next time!

In the Studio #9: In Bloom

When last we met, I mentioned I did not yet have a name for the little drafter horse I was doing for the Spooky SM Swap. That has changed. No sooner did I finish writing my last post when someone mentioned that with the masking tape, the little horsey looked like the Trojan Horse. Trojan Horse > "Troy" > Orlando Bloom. So the horse's name is now Orlando. For some reason I find it fitting. Anyhow!

A few days after writing my blog I went to Walmart to find some felt for coffin-lining and some ribbon for the treat bags. I didn't wind up bringing home any felt, but I did find this gorgeous spiderweb ribbon - I'm in love!

So now with the exception of filling the big one with goodies, the treat bags are both done. 

I've been on a bit of a kick with Orlando lately. Once I started working I found it hard to stop. One evening while my parents were out to dinner, I saw a chance to get some work done. So I set up "shop" in the living room and watched half of Rocky Horror. Good way to work.

I decided to try and do a bit of subtle dappling on Orlando's belly area, and in all honesty I'm happy with the result. 

About a week and a half went by and I hadn't done anything. Then I started to feel... "ill", for lack of a better word. Nothing contagious, of course - I won't work if I'm contagious, hence Orlando was so difficult to get started in the first place. Last thing I need is a swap partner or a client getting whatever I have. Anyhow, in an effort to feel better and get my mind off how awful I was feeling, I went to work. My dad had picked up some felt for me so I was able to line the coffin box.

I began painting the outside but focused mainly on Orlando. I did a bit more dappling and lightened up a few more areas on his belly and leg area.

I took off his tape when I remembered that I needed to highlight and shade still, so, not knowing where my masking tape was, I opted for Scotch. Works just as well. 

After fiddling with pastel dust and some watery white paint, I was happy with how he looked. I moved on to the hooves. When I worked on Friend of Mine, I tried to make the socks look realistic by painting hairlike strokes. I think it turned out much better on this guy, though.

Hairy goodness! The horses I was using as reference also had shaded muzzles... this part was tricky. First I tried with pastel, it didn't work very well, then I tried a grey wash, which worked out even worse. I finally ended up with black pastel (I believe I tried grey first). Again, happy with the results. He looked a bit odd, but I knew I had more to add to him before I was finished.

I ran out of space on both my palettes so I wound up using an old piece of heavy sketchbook paper. Hey, use what you have, right? I painted his hooves grey, made and mane flaxen.

After that I painted his blaze and made his muzzle pink, and then painted his eyes. He also got some green "ribbons" painted on his tail.

I can say with all honesty, he's probably got the cutest face of any horse I've ever painted. He just looks adorable!

Almost done! Now I just have to seal him and cover his eyes in nail polish. I'm ecstatic with how he came out. In my opinion he looks very realistic and I'm extremely proud of him.

I wanted to check to see how he'd look with his costume and treat bag, and I'm in love. He's not a bad model, either. (Also, like my Dremel Koala?)

I've done some work on painting the coffin box... I was happy to be able to whip out the glow in the dark paint again.

Doesn't it look like a face? That's actually what I used as a guideline for the vampire's face. 

Yesterday I also did a bit of work on Taskin, with the coffin drying and nothing left to do on Orlando. Orlando's mane and tail color were very similar to Taskin's coat color, so I made more of that and painted over his old coat.

He's not as lemon-y as he looks. Stupid camera. I then highlighted (no shading yet) and masked off around his mane and tail. They are black with reddish undertones, so if I got it on his coat I'd likely not be able to fix it very easily.

I did a basecoat on his mane and tail with a dark, almost black cherry color.

Granted, he looks a bit odd at the moment, but he's not finished yet. I also worked on his hooves and eyes and will continue on him at another time.

That's all I have for now - sorry it was so short! (I actually kept forgetting to take pictures of things this time around - oops!) Hopefully I'll write again soon - I didn't make any promises last time and here I am, twelve days later, updating! Let's hope I keep up with that.