Muir Woods is HERE!

I am absolutely so excited by my new arrival. Having spent an entire weeks wages on this boy I can say I really don't regret it. I'm so annoyed that tomorrow's show is a minis show, I wish I could take this boy along with me to show! But there's another live show in a couple of weeks so he'll get a chance to go and grace the show ring soon.

Muir Woods was a Breyer Collector's Club special run, for those who don't know me and my bad luck, I've been a club member since the Breyer Collector's Club started and this is only the third time I've ever been picked for a model!

So despite not being able to afford it, I just knew I had to have him, he is by far the prettiest of the three (the others are Poseidon and Avalanche).

So without further ado say hello to CRS Caramel Impulse (Muir Woods)

I mean seriously he is SO SHINY

I wacked the brightness up on this one to show you just how beautiful he is!

Am I not the luckiest potato ever? I very much feel that way! I just want to show him off to EVERYONE! LOOK AT MY SHINY BEAN!

O and in further news he of course came with a mystery bag to get decent packaging....I now have three of the blue Unicorn Magnolias! Probably didn't need a third one :p But hey more customising fodder!

New My Little Ponies

I am so in love with the re-release G1 My Little Ponies. I've only managed to get three so far, but the local toy shop does have an entire set so you never know I may get more :p 

First up is CRS Blossom the Beholder (Blossom)

Second is CRS Blink Dog (Windy)

And thirdly is CRS Bugbear (Starshine)

Aren't they beautiful? The condition on them is just lovely. And Windy and Starshine both have scents as well! They also came with little combs and the last two came with stickers as well that are really cute.

Fiero

Fiero, the first release in the Breyer Stablemates club, is now available to order!

Which one are you after? Matte or glossy? Personally I want a glossy one, can't wait until July when mine arrives and I get to see who I get! (the many joys of being an international member...).

Lots of people have been asking when we buy as international members. As long as you have an international membership you order all three in June in one shipments. When you login you shouldn't have the option to purchase him at all.

Just look at the dapples on the glossy! O I so hope I get a glossy one!

Dreaming of a Painting Day

It's that time of year again, where I sit looking through the pictures on the NaMoPaiMo group whilst on my lunch break, or just before bed, or during Silent Witness because those are the only spare five minutes I appear to have and just wish that I could spend a whole day getting on with painting.

Whilst instead it appears that every free day I have is taken up by something else. The cat needs to see the vet, I'm going riding, suddenly I have to come into work and God knows what else is happening that means that my apparent two days off each week are turning into just other days filled with tasks.

The biggest problem right now is very much the rabbits. I love my little bun buns to pieces but there is literally nowhere else to put their cage in this tiny little house apart from the back room. O how I miss having my study with my painting desk right there for me to paint on! I could easily spend a quick five minutes getting something done after work. But now I need to make sure the rabbits are removed, the windows opened, and the whole space ventilated to ensure nothing horrible gets into their tiny little bunny lungs. So to actually get some painting done I do feel like I need a spare day, that way they can come out, I can get on with painting and I can deep clean their cage at the same time.

My NaMo horse isn't the only project I want to get started, I also wanted to get several more of my resins painted ready for Year of the Pig Live. I also wanted to get a couple more sales pieces done and work on some of the new bodies I've acquired, so yes I very much do need a painting day!

And I'm sure I'm not the only one in this boat at this time of year. I long for more time to be able to paint but work, life and other commitments are just constantly in the way. It's a complete irony that on the days I do have time to paint somehow something else happens that means I'm taken away from my work room and have to go and deal with that.

So here is my plan. Sunday. Sunday I am painting. I don't care what else needs doing I am getting up Sunday and I am getting paint on some horses! The plan is to try and finish at least one (maybe not my NaMo horse) but to at least get some paint on some of them. Then going forward each Sunday I can spend some time painting. You never know...I may even get my NaMo horse done before the end of the month! And maybe even some resins painted for Year of the Pig...just how much can I paint in one day I wonder?

Are you also longing for time to paint? Maybe we could start some kind of joint child/partner/pet care scheme where we all pay for someone to take care of all of them and clean our house whilst we finally settle down to get some painting done!

I miss my old study where I could paint away from all the animals...

Behind the Scenes at Chestnut Ridge

It's been a long time since I've done a behind the scenes post, in fact it's been so long I don't think I've actually done one at the new house.

So pull back the curtain, go through the key hole and see where all your beautiful ponies come to life!

First up we have the tack making desk, complete with the infamous tack making horse (who now has a friend) along with lots of tools, supplies and reference books! O and my plate from my after work snack :p

I am well aware that I need to tidy my desk...this is where I do most of my work, I spend a lot of time staring out that window into the darkness and trying to come up with inspiration about the latest webpage or idea!

The room is literally filled with draws, all filled with various important things. Such as this draw that contains all the things we put in your parcels, from our free guides, free gifts and even the little postcards we add.

And this draw that contains all my packing supplies. Yes all the parcels are currently coming with narwhals on. Because we are all that cool.

There are also shelves filled with files, storing boring things like proofs of postage, receipts and invoices, but it's OK I've added unicorn lights and rosettes to make it look prettier :D

Out of the study and into the pony room! The light is really poor in here because the fitting needs changing and the window is blocked off! It's better during the day with the door open.

Here you can see the very messy table with light tent on! And a few models just casually living on top (including a lovely RubberNedz belonging to Laura :p)

Some more of the shelves, sooooo many ponies!

Down below are the stables and our resident mischief maker, apparently he is having a quick snack at the moment! I think I need to put him back in his stable.

On the landing is my trophy cabinet (the rosettes are just randomly around the whole house at the moment...)

Now onto the store room which is in desperate need of organisation!

This is actually the outdoor toilet! It's sorta been joined to the house...and I have no need for an outdoor privy, so it's filled with boxes of ponies! All piled on top of said toilet :p Because that's a totally normal way to store stock right?

More files! Sooo much paperwork...and a random assortment of Breyers, dinosaurs and other things, such as my tack!

Onto the painting space, please excuse the fact that the men have been encroaching into it with their boxes of building materials (again).

Here we have shelves full of bodies (prepped and unprepped)

The actual desk, that like all my other desks, is in desperate need of a tidy. I've been doing 'actual' painting recently so those paints are in the painting booth!

Uncle Toby has been banished to the paint shelves as he was spending waaaaay too much time near the solvents again...

O and look what I found on my travels, somebody had only just got out of bed, such a hard life to be a Caesar.

I hope you enjoyed this behind the scenes tour. I would love to see pics of your studios as well if you want to share them :D

February's Photoshow

I'm a few days late posting about this but better late than never! For those who aren't in the Popular Votes Facebook group or who simply missed the announcement February's photo show is for stock horses.

There are 25 classes including some performance classes, a great chance to get those chunky monkeys out and show them off! Hopefully you got a few nice pics if you got snow last week!

If you would like to enter please take a look at the Facebook group here: https://www.facebook.com/groups/1493893527541574/

Entries close on February 24th 2019.

O and finally a massive well done to January's champion Fleetwood Rosalie owned by CJ.

A very deserving winner for our bendy show, she is rather lovely.

Some Pre-Christmas Arrivals

I've been so bad at introducing you guys to all my new ponies! OK so there aren't that many new ponies but it's been so long that I've done any that there are...

So here is the first batch that I photographed for cataloguing this evening. I hope you like them :)

First up we have CRS Cheap Chinese Crap (Cheapo)

Now that probably sounds like a really horrible name! But that is how he was described as he was given to me! So the name has kinda stuck. He has a broken leg that needs a proper repair but you can't really see it in this picture which is good :) He's rather adorable in a strange vomit brown kinda way...I'm rather in love with his weirdness!

Secondly we have CRS The Mummy Returns (Mummy)

I bought two of these at a live show before Christmas, this one is the nicest so I will be keeping him and customising the other one...eventually...

Thirdly we have CRS Dixie Nixie (Nixies)

I also picked up this one because I liked the fact he was pink :p He is rather lovely isn't he?

Fourth we have CRS Ochre Jelly (Jelly)

Jelly is a cute little kitten that came as part of the Schleich Horse Club Advent Calendar for 2018. Isn't he just the cutest thing?

Fifth we have CRS Cupcake Ogre (Ogre)

Another one from the advert calendar, this is an adorable little hedgehog!

And finally we have CRS Orc (Orc)

Orc is a very cute little baby bunny from the Schleich advent calendar. Isn't he just beyond cute? That advent calendar was pretty awesome this year!

Five Inspirational Circus Costumes

Grab your sequins, slip into the spandex and fluff your feathers I've got give stunning and inspirational circus costume to show you.

First up this gorgeous Circus RubberNedz Tagus with red feathers!

Secondly this really cool colourful Pride inspired circus costume:

Thirdly we have this really cute little pony with red feathers, doll and cheerleader outfit? Well why not!

Taken at Blazing Saddles Live.

Fourth this one isn't 100% a circus costume but I mean it's (a) pink (b) has sparkles and (c) has a unicorn horn. So it totally needs including!

Taken at Didmarton Performance and Workmanship Live 2017

And finally we have yet more pink! Check out this awesome sparkly pink circus costume complete with ballet dancer on top.

Seen here at Didmarton Performance and Workmanship Live both in 2017 (first pic) and 2016 (second pic)

O and if you are feeling a little bit inadequate I thought I would include an extra bonus image in the form of this guy:

Taken at Pretty in Pink Performance Live 2015

Got your own inspirational images you would like to share? Email them over to catriona@chestnutridge.co.uk and we could share them with everyone!