Cow Camping

This last week my family went camping in our trailer.

I hesitate to say camping though as it's 34 feet long and is air conditioned with plumbing and cooking appliances. More like glamping... :P

Anyway, I am not a fan of camping. It's not the outdoors part... it's the BUGS. I hate mosquitos. 

However, when I heard there might be some horses around, I happily walked the 3 miles to the 'cow camp.' A cow camp is basically a historical setup to look like an old cow camp. There is a cowboy there who is dressed in accurate clothing. If you know like Colonial Williamsburg, it's the same concept.

When we got there we talked to the cowboy a bit then checked out the camp. Unfortunently it was more or less nap time for all the animals. The one pony there, named "Stroker," was more interested in yawning and sleeping then posing for photos!

Good teeth references?

The cow camp was set in 1875, and during that time you could sell one cow for one gold coin, which was about $14 at the time. Cowboys were very fond of their Cracker Ponies, though, and you would have to pay about 20 gold coins for a pony. 

Next we saw the calves and the cows. I didn't realize they came in such interesting colors.

The colors on some are just so cool. This one looks near leopard or something :P

His lil face <3

Brindle!

They also had an amazing revolutionary war saddle set, but that will be it's own post. Sorry this one was mostly photos, but hopefully you got some color ideas for your next cow to paint? I know I have. :)

What's In The Studio?

At this point... lots!

First I have been working on this bay roan commission. He needs a bit more roaning on his flank then his base is all done.

Next is a completed commision. This was my first palomino! I'm not totally happy with it... but still turned out great.

A friend of mine also recently sent me some samples of Earth Pigments. They are literally amazing. The first horse I painted was the bay arabian CollectA. The sculptures on these are very nice, they are cheap enough to potentially ruin... but also look really nice when painted correctly!

She is going to be a Breyerfest sales piece. I won't be sad if she doesn't sell, though!

Most recently is this semi-gloss dark grulla Fjord. I also did him in earth pigments, but I like the arab better.

Lastly, here's a classic roan mustang. This one is being difficult for me... but he's coming along.

And that's it! Be sure to read my post on Two Cowgirls And A Jumper this week!

My Favorite Things

Shading on stallions..

RRS Starving Artist, resin painted by EVR

And dapples on mares..

Welfare Cadillac owned by EVR

Bright bay pintos and geldings with flair..

Safari TOOB pony painted by EVR

Big brown jumpers tied down with string..

"Fluffy," the giant inflatable Breyerfest horse. :)

These are a few of my favorite things. 

Cream-colored ponies and lil nameplates..

Lonestar owned by ?

RRS Here Comes Dat Boi wearing a Five Paws Studio halter

Doorbells and delivery trucks..

And saddlebreds that gait..

Custom by EVR

These are a few of my favorite things..

When there's drama..

The model horse Instagram community is pure drama.

When you get scammed..

Or I'm feeling sad..

I simply remember a few of my favorite things

And then I don't feel so bad.

I really enjoyed writing this as a change from more formal posts. Those more formal posts are soon to come! :) Hope you enjoyed.

2017 Hobby Goals

I've seen a lot of people do these either on blogs or social media... And it's probably time I do one!

First I really, really need to get my resins and drastic customs painted. Really, really need.

I've had this Walter for what, two years?

I would also really like to go to Breyerfest... but it's not really up to me.

My dad is retiring from the military so he will be looking for a new job. The problem is we don't really know where/when we are moving. God willing we will go... we have clarion rooms booked.

I also hope to continue my Etsy store and perfect my feed bad pattern. Still not exactly happy with it!

One of my ultimate goals is to continue riding and improving my equitation. Although I would love to get my own horse... that's not gonna happen. (anyone got a winning lottery ticket?)

Painting more is a huge priority and definitely not a choice! I've got a huge commission to complete. I also hope to work on my resculpts and do more than just some paint.

Lastly, I'm hoping to continue to consistently post here and on my other social media accounts. 

Here's to a great 2017. I hope you all achieve your goals... hope I can achieve mine!

1:9 Scale Barn/Mellisa and Doug Folding Barn Review

One of my favorite Christmas presents this year was my barn. This year I got four medium gifts and two small things instead of several different gifts. If you are interested, the things were a new drawing tablet, an Echo Dot, the barn, and a new saddle. :)

The barn I received was the Mellisa and Doug two stall folding barn. It runs about $60 - and holy cow, is it worth the price.

I was a bit afraid it would be too small... But on the label, it even said it was scaled to 1:9 horses!

As said in the name, the barn can fold. You can keep it folded together and it stays pretty small. However, you can't access the small loft when it is in this configuration.

The stall on the left is pretty small. There is enough room for the horse to fit straight in, but they can't turn. The only door accessible when folded are the dutch doors.

The other stall is a different story. It's a good size - more than enough room for a large horse to fully turn around.

I wasn't totally satisfied keeping it folded up so decided to go with the other configuration, which is a corner shape!

This gives a large area for photography and gives access to all the doors. The small stall has a hinged door on the side to give more access. It makes me think it might have been intended to be a tack room...?

You can also see the loft in the photo. It's very small. Very. I just have a few random things and some blankets to fill up the space. It's not very practical, a rider can't even fit up there.

Of course after I set it up I had to decorate! :P First I laid down some grass scrapbook paper to give the footing a bit more realism.

Then I made a simple sign in Picmonkey. I really recommend Picmonkey for basic edits. I use it instead of photoshop if it's a small thing!

I also made a corkboard. It's a printout with some paperboard on the back with some volume, then separate printout for flyers!

I was watching barn tours on Youtube and found that a lot of barns had giant rule lists... So I had to make mine to opposite! Just don't be an idiot! :P

There's a liability sign, a horse sale thing, and a show flyer as well.

In the large stall I hung up a feed bucket with some 'baling twine' ;)

On each stall I used a pictureframe hanger as a halter rack as well as made a nameplate. 

In the next couple days, I'll post some barn photography. Hope everyone had a great Christmas or holiday! 

1:18 Scale Barn

First off... I apologize for being absent for such a time. I've been super busy with school and personal stuff and have been just focusing on me and my mental health.

I've also been swamped with Etsy orders! I've made over 20 feed bag sets... Thank you guys so much!

I'm back, though! I have some super exciting stuff coming up I can't wait to share with you guys!

Onto the post! About a year ago my dad and I made this Schleich scale barn. I haven't done much with it recently so I decided to reset it up (practice for a traditional scale barn? ;).

I set it up and had tons of fun taking photos. Enjoy!

First, an overview. My barn currently resides on a shelf. It has four stalls and a large tack room. Because the shelf was big enough, I decided to add a little paddock.

The paddock is made out of some spare Balsa wood. I also added a sign.

Inside the barn, there are two signs. Each horse has nameplates and a halter/lead set. It was a pain finding ribbon tiny enough to be in scale!

I made this Jollyball out of salt dough when I was about 10. It still looks OK!

Here's an overview of the tack room! I have some spare water buckets, some feed bags, and tack. Most of it was made by my friend Becky of Flying B Saddlery.

Also a lil doggo. :3

Another paddock shot...

And a picture of Rocko with his nameplate, halter, and grooming kit.

Thank you for reading. Please stay tuned for more! :)