'Twas the Week Before Equilocity...

Twas the week before Equilocity and all through Stone Horse

Every person was working, they were feeling the force.

The baskets were filled by Miss Elaine with care,

for raffles and raffles there was so much to share!

The painters were all painting each blue roan and reds

while visions of Design a Horse danced in their heads.

Julie with her airbrush and Al with his gloss

had just settled an argument about who was to be boss!

When inside the offices there arose such a clatter,

Everyone in the building ran to see what was the matter.

Away to the door they all flew like a flash

They could hear all the mutters, it was something about trash!!

When what to their wondering eyes should appear

Peter Stone and eight thousand chips that looked just like deer!!!

With a tear in his eye and a frown so quick

they realized in a moment that this was no trick.

More rapid than You Call It's his workers they came

and he whistled and shouted and called them by name!

Now Randy, now Sandy, now Doug and Bill, On Matilda, On Alma, Andrea and Juan. Salvador,

Carrie, Jackie, and Dawn. Joyce, Mona, Sam, Matt and Mike. Julie, and Al, Peggy and Luke! Hey  Chris, Sean, and Lance, Hey Gil and Yasmein, Carlton too, 

Grab a grinder, get the acetone, find a knife and a brush

There's no time to waste we are now in a rush!

Each person went quietly and straight to their work

Until Peter yelled and gave a wry smirk.

He had an idea, a marketing ploy

We could sell those chip deer but we had to think “toy”!

Christmas in July...Brilliant 'ole boy

But to carry it out was another story!

Elaine smiled brightly for her it was quite simple

it had to have color, and a cute little dimple.

She went right to her sewing machine with red, white, and
greenand came out with two elves and a Santa look'n lean.

Peter was dressed all in fur from his hat to his boot

with elves Mia and Jordan and a sack full of loot!

His eyes how they twinkled, his dimples how merry

He said grab those Chips we've no time to terry!

Forget the tropical theme think North Pole and cold

We're off to Kentucky and this Deer Chip Mold.

He spoke not a word but went right to his Ford Flex

He was such a grand site, sort of a “Santa Tex”.

He jumped in his car to his team gave a whistle

His engine thundered like the sound of a missile!

They heard him exclaim as he drove out of sight

“Raises for all and vacations too...because Stone Horse is not Stone Horse without each of you!!!

 *(special note, Peter did not say the first part of that last line  :)  ...that's why this is called fiction!  However the last half of the sentence couldn't be more true...but it also includes you, our collectors, because without you there is no Stone Horse either!)

Thank you to everyone...all the collectors for your unwavering support, and to all the staff and employees of Stone Horse! Hope to see you all in Lexington...let's make this the best Equilocity yet!!

STONER...and proud of It!

You know they say that the first step in solving a problem is admitting you have one.  Josh Hoffman candidly admits that he is a "Stoner", but he has no plans of ever seeking help, nor do his friends want to do an intervention.  In fact some of his friends actually participate in his addiction, constantly feeding his need.  Every Friday night Josh can be found waiting to score another 12 ounces of acetate plastic combined with some extreme custom elixir.  How long has this been going on...since 1998.  His first hit came at the hands of Peter Stone, and a black rearing horse.

Josh and his "canine horse" Izzy

Josh is a "Stoner" alright...an addicted "Stone Horse Collector"!  Actually Josh coined many of the play on words I used in the first paragraph!  Josh Hoffman is our Design-A-Tee Shirt contest winner!

Josh designed the beautiful pastel Equilocity T-shirt, which can be found on the Equilocity tab of the Stone Horse website!  He also designed the very tongue-in-cheek "Stoner" shirt which will be available very soon!

I thought it might be fun to get to know Josh, T-shirt designer extraordinaire, and find out where his inspiration is born, and why he is a "Stoner"!

I did a written interview with Josh, giving him a series of questions to answer.  I could almost feel the energy, that "is" Josh, bouncing off his written word.  His sense of humor and whimsy is so refreshing, and his happiness contagious!  I hope you enjoy reading his story as much as I enjoyed writing it!

Josh started collecting nearly 30 years ago.  He blames his addiction on his OCD personality, which his very supportive parents fed with fire and a JC Penney's catalog.  The Christmas Catalog, does it get any better...not for Josh.  He got to choose just (1) Breyer horse, out of the catalog, for Christmas.  Josh chose the Breyer Unicorn...and as Josh put it, "It was the best toy ever!!"  His parents wanting to capitalize on this amazing purchase then got Josh, that next Christmas, a plethora of Breyer horses.  He said he wonders if they regret that now, looking back, or perhaps simply looking in the next room because that's where Josh houses his "thousands" of horses.  He has them in his old bedroom, in their family room, and at his own house.  His hope is to one day have a room totally dedicated to his horses; a horse library if you will!

Although Josh still collects Breyers, he took that "next step" as he put it, and began collecting Stone Horses.  He said that the Stone models are superior in quality, craftmanship, and realism...you know you are a serious collector when you start collecting Stone models.  He got his first Stone model in a "Grab Bag" offer, a horse named Marie.  He said he had admired Stone Horses online for a long time but just never made the leap to purchase one.  But after getting the grab bag horse he was hooked.  In just two short years Josh has collected almost 200 stock horse models.   Why the stock horse...it's the romance of the American cowboy, the working quarter horse, the sturdiness and sleek lines.  "He's a handsome guy!" as Josh terms it.

"Sleek lines"...Anyone using those two words to describe something will tell you a lot about that person.  It often tells you they are very visual, and have an eye for design.  Visual design describes Josh extremely well.  Josh is a graphic artist!  Some of his first memories are those of he and his mother drawing together.  But despite his artistic gift he wanted to be a Veterinarian...well until his first semester of college.   His path changed after his first college biology class and the dissection of a fetal pig...let's just say that things did not go well for Josh.  He suddenly had to re-think his career path.  It still wasn't obvious to Josh what he was meant to do.  He spent a year and half at Concordia College trying to figure it all out. Still perplexed by life he took a semester off.  He decided to try and get his general course work out of the way at a community college.  He threw in some art classes just for fun and guess what...yep, fate spoke to him loud and clear. He transferred to St. Cloud State and became a graphic design major.  He is doing what he loves, combining his passion for art and his visual nature.  He is now a full-time graphic designer in St. Cloud.  He said, "I get to do what I love everyday!"

Josh taking that semester off! 

My curious nature wondered if the graphic design part of Josh played a role in his collecting. Again it comes back to his visual nature.  Graphic design images can be incredibly powerful and compelling tools of communication, conveying not only information but also moods and emotions. People respond to images instinctively based on their personalities, associations, and previous experience.   The images that Josh creates and the models that Stone Horses create are much the same.  It's the experience the model creates for him; they're visual, they evoke emotion, tell a story, and represent his childhood and fond memories.  They are the total package. 

The T-shirt contest combined everything he loved, design and model horses.  He said that it's a rare opportunity when you get to design for something you are so passionate about.  He jumped at the chance to design for this particular Stone Horse contest!  Josh not only designed the winning tropical theme you see offered on the website, but also the "Stoned" idea you see on our Facebook site.  He gives a lot of credit to Jen Stroschein for the wording on the "Stoned" shirt.   We loved the idea here, at Stone Horses.  It such a "fun" concept! 

Josh and Jen

I have to ask "why Stone?"...why Stone Horses, what makes them so special?  Josh said, "The quality and craftsmanship is hands down better than the competition.  They are so life-like, the details that go into each horse are impeccable!"  And the fact that you can call and talk to a real person!   Josh added, "The customer service is fantastic...Doug, Sandy, Peter...the whole team is just amazing.  What other company can you call and get the owner?"   And an added benefit are the friends he has made.  One of his best friends in fact is another collector.  He actually stalked her stock horse collection for a long time before he finally got up the nerve to talk to her.  Jen Stroschein has become one of his dearest friends, an Anam Cara, and all because of Stone Horses!

I love to know what people would be doing if they could choose any job in the world.  Suffice to say that Elaine Stone and myself want to go into business with Josh!!  He would own an antique store with a mix of both old and new wonders.  There would be a little coffee shop attached where he would sell homemade bake goods...you can almost smell the yeast and strong coffees.  He wants a dog bakery too though, but I think you can have a counter for the canine crowd in your shop!! 

Josh in his greenhouse!

The majority of my audience probably collects model horses...I collect books and quotes, so I asked Josh for his favorite quote.  "Not everything that can be counted counts, and not everything that counts can be counted."  Einstein

We count our blessings each day for collectors like Josh Hoffman and the positive force he puts forth in this world!!

We want to thank Josh so much for indulging us with his words and his creations.  We look foward to many more! 

Fire Starter

I subscribe to the thought that everything in our lives happen for a reason.  I'm sure (9) years ago when Carrie Keller was laid off from her job she didn't see any justification or reason for her loss.  But if you ask her today I think she might understand, and Stone Horses is well aware of the reason. 

Carrie Keller is our lead design artist for the Portrait Horse program, and the You Call It program.  She credits her talent and expertise to a lifetime of horse ownership and a degree in graphic design.  She is an extremely versatile artist for Stone Horses; designing samples, making patterns, painting One of A Kinds and runs.  Although she had years of experience, in some form of art or another, she had never painted a model horse before Stone Horses.  She has Julie Keim to thank for teaching her "how" to paint for the company. 

Carrie and her horse!

Carrie and her husband of (10) years have a small hobby farm, just West of Shipshewana.  They live in the small town of Middlebury.  They share (3) acres with Carrie's two horses Ghost and Tommy, three cats, and Rizzo their dog.  In Carrie's spare time she rides and trains dressage.

You might ask about the title of this story...well it happens to be Carrie's nickname!  On occasion the atmosphere in the paint room becomes very dry, and during those times we have to be very careful with static electricity and acetone.  One day when Carrie was cleaning model bodies she reached over to dip her cloth in a bowl of acetone and POOF the whole thing caught fire.  One of the other employees grabbed a towel to smother it and it caught fire as well.  He immediately threw the towel on the ground just as someone else showed up with a fire extinguisher and saved the day.  Hence forth from that day foreward Carrie has been known as "Firestarter"!

Carrie firmly believes that Stone Horses is a cut above because of all the very talented people in Northern Indiana.
 

I CAN DO SMALL THINGS IN A GREAT WAY! James Freeman Clarke

Really, Really??  I know they tell me that Mr. Clarke is responsible for the above quote, but every afternoon, when it's very quiet, I hear that very mantra coming form Peter Stone's office...over and over and over!  So you can imagine his excitement about the new Chips!!

Yes, new Chips indeed!  It's been several years since Stone Horses has released new Chip models!  Peter was ready to celebrate when this tiny herd of mighty mites arrived just yesterday!   Peter wanted to share his enthusiasm with all of you!   

These Chips are the most detailed to date!  The pictures help to convey the detail in muscling and conformation.  These beautiful new Chips will provide an exquisite canvas for our highly detailed artists.  I've heard that you can expect to see a plethora of color, from paints, to appaloosas, quarter horses, and decorators.  The only limit will be our artists imaginations!

The action captured by each piece with leave performance show people drooling!  

Excuse me for quoting Chrysler, but our models

 exemplify their ad slogan....

"A Bold Exterior Design with Elegant Details!"

The great thing is that these little guys do not take
up much room so you can collect them all...start your own herd!  A "Plastic Menagerie" if you will!

Have a great Thursday and enjoy these photos!

"CUSTOM" FIT...

A big personality and a big talent describes our lead customization artist, Jackie Turner.  Jackie came to Stone Horses (11) years ago through a temporary job service.  She landed in the QC department with little more than just a passion for horses.  She had no knowledge of the model horse world, or customizing.  As the years have passed Jackie has become a household name to our customers through her unique body customizations. 

Customizing an Equilocity Auction piece!

She credits her years of service, at Stone Horses, to the Stones themselves and the artistic freedom they have allowed her.  She loves the adventure she finds in each horse, as she begins to make subtle changes that start the transformation into the amazing one of a kind pieces they eventually become.  Not only do you see Jackie’s vision but you also see her heart in each and every design she conceives.  She said she likes to think that her vision helps the buyer also connect with the model as well…does a blowing mane evoke emotion, i.e. freedom, romance, spirit, etc…  The emotion that model makes you feel is your connection, the reason you “have to have it!”

Jackie also works as an equine massage therapist, in her spare time.  Her knowledge of horse anatomy, and her understanding of movement and muscle relationship is quite evident in her customizations.

Jackie lives in Michigan with her husband and (3) sons, on their farm.  Her farm is a menagerie of horses, ranging from (2) draft horses, to (2) Newfoundland ponies, and a 30 year old foundation bred Morgan…all of which share space with a plethora of goats, chickens, rabbits, turkeys, and a couple of dogs. 

Fun with plastic!!

The quality is in the detail!

One of her most vivid memories, at Stone Horses, was the video shoot for RFDTV….the Making of a Model Horse.  She didn’t realize how long it would take, and how many “takes” there would be.  She also had the opportunity to meet John Lyons in person, at Stone Horses, and spend time with Bright Zip, his horse.

I asked, “What makes Stone Horses special?” Jackie’s reply, “I believe we are a cut above because of all of the artists we have working here.  We strive to do our best and stay current with the trends. We are also blessed by the outside artists that come in to work with us as well.  I just enjoying serving our customers and striving to meet their needs.”

Model Horse Madness: Visionary...Julie Keim

Model Horse Madness: Visionary...Julie Keim: An artist is not paid for his labor but for his vision.    James Whistler Labor, by definition, is the supply of work by workers for a...

Model Horse Madness: ROCK STAR OR MODEL HORSE?

Model Horse Madness: ROCK STAR OR MODEL HORSE?: It's 11:45 am and the line of people is starting to wrap around the corner of the building.  They peer through the windows trying to sneak a...

Let Me Introduce You...

Elaine Stone

Peter Stone

There's someone you need to meet before we go any further!!  Let me introduce you to Peter Stone and his lovely wife and partner Elaine Stone! 



The Peter Stone Company was founded in 1996 and is located in the beautiful Indiana countryside village of Shipshewana, Indiana.

Stone Horses are finely finished and most are hand painted at this site. Artists travel great distances to work in this bucolic setting where oftentimes the lights in the painting studio burn into the wee hours. Fellowship among the artists and Stones are highlights as meals are shared, experimentation in technique apparent, and the whirls of horse color real and surreal typify each new creation.

"I always wanted it to be like this," says Peter Stone, President and founder along, with his wife Elaine, of their mutual effort.

Not only is Stone Horses the “Left Bank” of the model horse world, but also a place where live horses roam for riding pleasure and artistic study.

Peter comes by his connection to model horses in a most explicit way: His father, Sam Stone, was the founder of the first model horse company in 1950...Breyer. And for Peter who was ten at the time, model horses were the “stuff” of which dinner table talk was made.

Peter wanted to take his dad's dream back to it's beginnings...  He wanted to create the models by hand, and in the United States.  Stone horses are never mass produced, each piece if finely hand crafted. 

The Stone Horse legacy continues...

ROCK STAR OR MODEL HORSE?

It's 11:45 am and the line of people is starting to wrap around the corner of the building.  They peer through the windows trying to sneak a peek.  The excitement is palpable as they await the sound of the noon bell and the door opening to Country Fair 2012!! 

The Peter Stone Model Horse is the "Rock Star" of the model horse collecting world!  Each year crowds of collectors flock to Shipshewana Indiana, to the Peter Stone Company, to see and touch these horses in person.  It's not just a passion for these collectors...it's a way of life.

Caroline Boydston
http://www.whitehorsestudios.net

Adding to the excitement is guest artist Caroline Boydston, a rock star in her own right!  Caroline traveled all the way from her home in California to spend a couple of weeks, at Stone Horses, creating pieces for auction, and for direct sale, at Country Fair.  Caroline's pieces are highly sought after by model horse collectors from all over the world.  These pieces were no different.  In fact we went live, via the web, on a Wednesday evening with (15) Boydston horses.  It was our version of the Home Shopping Network, but our show was over within just an hour.  Each horse sold before Caroline could finish describing it.  It was a true feeding frenzy that only added to the fire that was continuing to build for the auction just days away! 

Caroline spending a moment with a collector
who had travelled all the way from Arizona!

"Fabulous", by Caroline Boydston

Caroline could be found plugged into her mp3 player as she painted.  Many of the collectors will remember her distinctive music choices...songs that inspired her horses, both in name and look!  Don't be surprised if one day we don't see a new collection from Caroline called "Horses in the Hood"!  (:

"Will I Am" by Caroline Boydston

Lead production artist Julie Keim with a collector.

Collectors were also invited to paint their own horses with Stone Horse production artists.  Sitting in the artist seat and creating their own Stone Horse was a dream come true for many! 

A mother/daughter moment!!

The weekend wrapped up with a live auction of One of a Kind models and a model horse competition.  Suffice to say it was a wonderful weekend for all in attendance.  Hope to see y'all back here again next year!

Memories...

I've marveled often at those moments in life when out of no where you are transported to a memory long forgotten.  It can be as simple as a smell, a taste, a sound, a touch, and suddenly you are traveling to another time and place.  There are those rare moments though when your past comes full circle to become part of your present.  I'm living one of those rare moments.

As a little girl growing up I didn't so much collect model horses as I used them to drive my passion for real horses.  I cannot remember a time when I wasn't thinking about horses.  I learned to ride before I walked.  Many years were spent showing, judging, training, and giving lessons.  But as the years have passed my passion has changed and life has taken a different road from the one I was on back then.  And yet fate has a way of getting you back on that road...the road home. 

My First Model Horse

My road happened to be the endless internet highway.  While perusing the job boards one day I came across a familiar name...Stone Horses.  I remembered reading an article, in the newspaper, a few years prior about this very company.  At the time I was so impressed to think that a company like this was located in little old Shipshewana Indiana.  We are not the mecca of art and culture in Shipshewana and yet this company has found it's way to an audience that encompasses this entire nation as well as abroad.   They create model horses, pieces of collectible art to most, toys to a few, show pieces to the "in-crowd".  To make a long story short I am now working for this company. 

I hope that in the coming months I can share with you the heart of Stone Horses...a view beyond the business.  I want you to know its spirit; those people that work each day to create these amazing model horses that ARE Stone Horse, and the reason this company is so special.