Last Day of Spotted Dreams Fun Week: Last Post

A down tree caused a pole break which meant our power was out from noon to four. Sorry for the delay (it was out of my hands this time!). 

The model quiz was indeed Pluto! Congrats to HorsesBySamantha for being the fastest guesser.

This is the certificate for the Flash Fun Photo Show (that would be for Harecroft Horses): 

This is for the Breed Quizzes (Equiden and HorsesBySamantha): 

This is for the Model Quizzes (Equiden and HorsesBySamantha): 

This is for the Meme Contest (Equiden): 

This week was really good, overall. A couple hiccups on my end, but nothing serious or terribly frustrating. It improved readership for the week by more than triple! I will probably do this again next year, if that is something you guys are interested in. Let me know in the comments!

Thank you all for a really fun week! I'm going to take tomorrow off, but I will be back on Monday (fingers crossed) with some notes and catch-up for everything that happened this week that I didn't post about due to the other posts. :)

Fourth Day of Spotted Dreams Fun Week: Q&Q Update and Flash Fun Photo Show #2

Howdy! I have a quick notification for Friday's Q&A. Questions are open. I prefer you place them in the comments of this post, but I can also get them from other posts. :) Ask as many as you want! I'll answer what I can. I also have a printed list of questions from Chestnut Ridge. Ask anything you want! 

Some inspiration from my printed list:

What mold do I conga?

What my favorite horse color?

How old was I when I started collecting?

What type of real horse riding do you do?

Do I live in the city or the country?

etc.

Questions will be accepted right up to the Q&A tomorrow (that post will be live, not scheduled).

Flash Fun Photo Show #2! The theme is "AFV Video in the Making". We've all seen one of these moments and now its your job to capture that split second before comedic disaster in mini! Send me your entries (as many as you want) to my email (spotteddreamsstudio@mail.com) or link them in the comments.. Entries are accepted until midnight tonight (EST!).

Check back at 3pm for a normal post summing up BF Saturday and Sunday. :)

Second Day of Spotted Dreams Fun Week: Results and Breed Quiz #2

 Thank you all for your wonderful entries yesterday!

The winner for the Flash Fun Photo Show is Harecroft Dark is Rising.

Harecroft Horses writes:

Why him? What's wrong with a good old Huck Bey?

This guy nearly frightened me out of my skin in the middle of the night, taking a dive off the shelf and taking seven other models with him, which made an unlikely and horrific amount of noise in the quiet night as they bounced off various things on the way down, leaving me scrambling for the light switch to see just what'd happened and how catastrophic the damage was!
The culprit himself ended up wedged between the wall and the radiator (yeah, I don't know either, he'd travelled a good three feet across the room to get there!), with hardly a mark on him - this very photo was taken AFTER the incident of the Huck in the Night-time, and you can see he's got a speck of a scuff on one hip and that's all! The other models were not all so lucky, with his same-mould brother now sporting a zig-zag crack around his tail, others with various touch-ups to ears and noses necessary, and even a bit of superglue. So I've always held it against him, and never trusted a Huck since - every one now has his disc base duct-taped to the shelf, along with all the Salineros which share the same stand design.
So the horse isn't nominated because I dislike the look of him, but for the scare he gave me, and the fight he started with all his poor unsuspecting shelfmates.

Other entries included AJ's Varrick:

AJ says: 

This little Heartbreaker colt that I call Varrick is fine in and of himself, but as a glossy he is hard to photograph and holds dust. He refuses to stand up by himself and always requires some sort of base. And to top it all off, he has slight stains on his hind leg markings that refuse to be brushed off. The slight stains can't be seen in most lighting but appear when I look at him closely, they are just there and it bothers me to no end. 

And Equiden's Phaethon, AKA "Hot Cheeto Pony" :

Equiden says: 

Creates mass destruction by causing everyone else to domino. He has been separated from the group for an indefinite period of time.

Equiden won breed quiz #1 with this comment:

AJ also commented correctly, but was not quite fast enough to win. Sorry AJ!

The correct answers were indeed

1. 1812

2. Flaebe (also known as Flaebehoppen, which was a 1996 SR on Misty's Twilight)

3. American Beauty 

Great job! I was impressed. :)

Breed Quiz #2 is below!

The breed in question is the Gotland Pony.

1. What is the Gotland Pony called in Sweden?
2. About how many Gotland Ponies were left at the beginning of the 20th century?
3. For what purpose were Gotland Ponies imported into the USA in the 1950s?

Good luck!

First Day of Spotted Dreams Fun Week: Flash Fun Photo Show

I hope you've all had a great morning, and maybe learned how to paint some really cool hooves. :)

(This girl is towards the bottom of my favorite list)

Today's Flash Fun Photo Show is "Least Favorite Herd Member". This is a pretty basic one to begin, as it doesn't require a scene background. Any background is fine. Just email me a photo of your least favorite model, or place a link to a photo in the comments. Must be your photo (no linking to IDYB!). My email is: SpottedDreamsStudio@mail.com . 

I will only accept entries until midnight tonight (EST). No physical prizes but there will be a digital certificate posted on Saturday. :) Family friendly photos only! I welcome additional descriptions/stories accompanying your photo. They are a big part of your entry!

Don't forget that least favorite merely means your "least favorite", not necessarily that you dislike him. :) He's just bringing up the rear of your favorite list.

I will pick my least favorite from the least favorites, and that horse will be crowned winner tomorrow at 3pm.

Spotted Dreams Fun Week

Let's do something fun! This blog has been too serious lately, so let's shake it up! This week is the most exciting of the year for the model horse world. BreyerFest!! So much fun. Even for those who don't collect OF Plastic, BF is an energetic meeting for all pony lovers. Sadly, I will not be attending live this year, (maybe next year!), but I will be there virtually. FOMO is really kicking in, so I thought, why not do a fun day week on the blog? Since most people are very busy this week, it will be held next week. The week after BF is one of the saddest (for virtual people there aren't even new ponies to play with!), so the blog bash will be something to look forward to.

What will be included, you ask?

Well, fun, model horse nerdy things of course. :D There will be a flash fun photo shows, a Q&A (through comments and a pre-written list), a model horse meme/joke contest, model horse guessing riddles, breed quizzes, name one of my models, and daily challenges. No physical prizes for this year (possibly in the future if this goes well!) but digital ones will be available for select contests.

Full schedule below (all times are EST). Please note that I may change the schedule as I see fit and the times are approximate estimates. I am only human and may be a little late or early depending on the day. Some activities depend on participation, so they may be omitted if no one shows interest (let's prevent that from happening!).

Monday, July 17 2023:

• Daily Challenge ~ 7am
• Flash Fun Photo Show "Your Least Favorite Herd Member".  ~ 11:30am
• Breed Quiz #1 ~ 3pm

Tuesday, July 18, 2023:

• Daily Challenge ~ 7am
• Model Horse Meme/Joke Contest ~ 11:30am
• Results of Breed Quiz #1 ~ 3pm
• Breed Quiz #2 ~ 3pm
• Results from Monday's Flash Fun Photo Show ~ 3pm

Wednesday, July 19, 2023

• Daily Challenge ~ 7am
• Model Horse Riddle #1 ~ 11:30am
• Name my Model ~ 3pm
• Results from Model Horse Meme/Joke Contest ~ 3pm
• Results of Breed Quiz #2 ~ 3pm

Thursday, July 20, 2023

• Daily Challenge ~ 7am
• Questions Received for Friday's Q&A ~ 11:30am
• Flash Fun Photo Show "AFV Video in the Making" ~ 11:30am
• Results of Model Horse Riddle #1 ~ 3pm

Friday, July 21, 2023

• Daily Challenge ~ 7am
• Q&A ~ 11:30am
• Model Horse Riddle #2 ~ 3pm
• Results of Thursday's Photo Show ~ 3pm

Saturday, July 22, 2023

• Daily Challenge ~ 7am
• Results of Wednesday's Name My Model ~ 7am
• Results of Model Horse Riddle #2 ~ 11:30am
• Awarding Certificates To Winners ~ 3pm
• Summing Up the Week ~ 3pm

Explanation of Events:

Daily Challenges are not judged. They are a challenge issued to you as a hobbyist to do something out of your typical comfort zone each day. It can be anything from "learn how to paint chestnuts" to "thank your hobby mentor".

Flash Fun Photo Shows are creative photo shows that run from their announcement (11:30am on applicable days) to midnight of that same day. Entries can be emailed to me or linked in the comments (like a google file). One entry consisting of one photo per contestant. Entries will be judged by what I like best.

Breed Quizzes are a set of three questions about a specific breed. They can be obscure or common. Give your answers in the comments. This is all about speed, as the first person to comment with the correct answers wins. You may "Google" the answers. Speed, speed, speed!

An example (with answers in parenthesis) would be:

1. Where does the Kaimanawa horse originate?   (New Zealand)
2. How many were known to exist on the range in 1979?   (174)
   
3. In what year did the government in their native country step in to help protect them?   (1982)

Model Horse Meme/Joke Contest  is a silly one. Make a model horse meme or joke and share it with me. Jokes may be written in the comments, and memes may be emailed to me or linked in the comments. Please, only family friendly memes and jokes in good taste. Memes and jokes must be your own.

Model Horse Riddles are similar to breed quizzes. There will be a set of three clues that will guide you to a specific Breyer mold. Once you think you know it, comment your answer! First person to guess correctly wins.

Name My Model is a comment voting to decide the name of one of my models. There will be a list of options to choose from, and readers may vote for their favorite in the comments.

Questions Received for Q&A and Q&A are sort of a matched set. You will have 24hrs from Thursday at 11:30am to Friday at 11:30am to post any questions you have for me in the comments of Thursday's post. I will answer them on Friday. I will also answer some questions from a pre-written list I printed from Chestnut Ridge.

Awarding Certificates for Winners will be when I release the printable awards onto the blog for the winners. I won't be emailing them individually, so you will have to save them directly from the blog this time. No physical awards for anything! Just digital ones. :)

Summing Up is when I will go back over the highlights of the week and decide whether or not this will be a yearly thing. :)

PLEASE UNDERSTAND THIS: DURING THIS FUN WEEK, ANYTHING YOU COMMENT, EMAIL ME, OR LINK TO CAN BE USED ON THE BLOG. BY ENTERING YOUR PHOTOS, MEMES, JOKES, ETC IN CONTESTS, YOU ARE GIVING ME CONSENT TO USE THEM HERE. I WILL CREDIT EVERYTHING USED TO ITS ORGINAL OWNER.

ALSO NOTE: IF YOU COMMENT AS ANONYMOUS, I CANNOT TELL WHO YOU ARE IN ORDER TO ANNOUNCE WINNERS. IF YOU ARE GOING TO COMMENT AS ANONYMOUS, PLEASE LEAVE A HANDLE IN THE COMMENT, LIKE,

"BLAH BLAH BLAH - AR" THEN I WILL USE WHATEVER YOU CALL YOURSELF IN THE COMMENT. THIS CAN BE A NAME, INITIAL, NICKNAME, STUDIO/STABLE NAME, WHATEVER. THANK YOU! 💗

Feel free to ask any and all questions in the comments and I will answer them. :)

Please share the news! The more people we can include, the more likely this will happen again! Feel free to use the banner at the top of the post and put it on your social media and share it with your friends! Thank you, and happy BF week!

And the Winner is. . .

The winner of the Spotted Dreams Studio Flash Fun Photo Show: Best Friends Come in all Shapes and Sizes is. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 

Equiden!

Equiden won with this entry:

Equiden says: The gargantuan beast looks over her newly found friend, keeping it from danger. It is in her blood, after all, to be a guardian.

It was insanely close between her and AJ, with AJ's entry "Rescued by Rover". I ultimately went with Equiden's because of the massive difference in best friend size it displayed. Fantastic job!

Equiden, I will be emailing you this afternoon with your digital certificate. :)

A HUGE thank you to everyone who entered! I appreciate it. Another huge thank you to everyone who spread the word! Great job to all the entrants, you made my job super hard!

(These are the only circumstances a judge will thank you for making their job hard LOL!)

You can definitely expect to see more flash photo shows pop up in the future. :) This was so much fun!

Oh, I wanted to mention, I did hear about the Beebe farm fundraiser, and I will be covering it in a post either tomorrow or Friday. Thank you for everyone who gave me a heads-up on it!

Flash Fun Photo Show Entries (Best Friends Come in All Shapes and Sizes)

Entries closed last night, so I guess that means it's time for me to post the photos! I will decide on the winner tomorrow, but I'll post the gallery today.

AJ entered four photos:

"Rescued by Rover"   AJ says: Mouse, a senior Percheron mare enjoys a cuddle with her buddy Austin in the snow. Mouse was rescued from a neglect case and was withdrawn from humans until the friendly Austin taught her trust again. They are now the best of friends and will live out their days together. 

"Guidance"  AJ says: Willow, a warmblood mare helps guide her blind pony friend, Magic. Willow was orphaned when she was just hours old, and was raised alongside Magic to provide her with company and teach her manners. As time went on Magic began to develop cataracts, eventually going blind. One day, their owner noticed the Willow seemed to be helping Magic find her way around the paddock. They continue this act of trust to this day. 

"Romeo and Starlet"  AJ says: Romeo and his mare Starlet share a sweet moment. The Morgan and Appaloosa pair are very bonded and with any luck will have a foal by next spring. Starlet has been a great mom in the past and their owner can't wait for her foal! 

"Spring Snow"  AJ says: Two young foals, Ember (the bay) and Phoenix (the chestnut) try out their new legs. Both were born only a few weeks ago, the first foals of the season at this farm. Ember and Phoenix were bred with great expectations in mind, perhaps one day becoming high level show horses. But for now they are content to play chase and kick up their heels as they explore the world.

Lynn (HorsieMama) entered one:

"Mighty Mouse"  Lynn says:  Mighty Mouse (named after the REAL Superhero, Mighty Mouse) joins the herd at Windsong Stables. Originally skeptical of his so-called superpowers, Grandie becomes a believer after a brief demonstration and soon a fast friendship blooms between the two. Could Grandie become Mighty Mouse's equine version of Polly Pureheart? Tune in Friday at 7!

 

(Reference of the "real" Mighty Mouse, submitted by Lynn)

Em entered two photos:

Em says: What’s a better friendship than a girl and her pony?

Em says: Cats! Love ‘em or hate ‘em, they aren’t much help when it comes to redecorating.

NancyK entered one:

NancyK says: What better friendship bond than between mother and daughter?

Equiden entered four:

Equiden says: The gargantuan beast looks over her newly found friend, keeping it from danger. It is in her blood, after all, to be a guardian.

*Description pending, will be updated later*

*Description pending, will be updated later*

Equiden says: Playing hide-and-seek ;)

What a great turn-out! You've made judging really hard for me lol! I'll try to have the "results" in by tomorrow or the next day. :)

I want to give a big thank you to everyone who helped to spread the word! I know three of you by name:

Thank you to Equiden, for sharing on Discord!

Thank you to HorsieMama, for re-posting it on her blog!

Thank you to AC, for posting it in the comments of Braymere's blog!

If you helped to spread the word, but I somehow missed you, please lmk! You can post a comment and I will be sure to catch it and add you to the list. :)

Flash Fun Photo Show! 2/23/23 - 2/27/23

I've been wanting to host one of these since I opened the blog, but the Breyer news was pelting so rapidly this winter that I hadn't had a chance.

The title says it, I am hosting a ONE CLASS FUN SHOW from right now through midnight EST on the 27th.

The theme/prompt for the class is "Best Friends Come in All Shapes and Sizes". I know it is an old, worn-out theme, but I want some entries and I'm hoping a generic theme will bring that in.

No entry limit! Enter as many times as you wish. No physical prizes or ribbons, however, the winner will receive a digital certificate. This is kind of a test show, to see how many entries I can get. If it goes well, I'm hoping to host more (maybe even with prizes) over the summer.

Since this is a super informal, unconventional, ridiculously relaxed show, I will just be using the "judges choice" style of judging. I do not care about your model's anatomy, color, or biomechanics. I do not care if the backdrop is a stunning diorama or if it is a messy kitchen table. I do not care if your model has more scratches and rubs than he has paint. I don't even really care about the quality and clarity of the photo. 1st place goes to the photo I personally like best.

Please remember, my blog is youth friendly. No vulgarity, foul language, or otherwise tasteless entries. Thank you.

You are welcome to add a paragraph (or more/less) explaining your entry when you enter. It will help me make my decisions.

All entries (in good taste) will be posted to my blog (unless the owner wishes to keep it private).

You can enter by emailing me your images (no videos) to SpottedDreamsStudio.mail.com. I will answer every email, so if I don't get back to you in 24hrs, email again. I probably didn't get it. Please include a title for your entry, as well as the name you would like me to use for you when I post your entry on the blog. Initials are perfectly fine. :)

Please share this post with your friends, on your blogs, on your social media, anywhere you can! Remember, the more entries I get for this "test run", the more photo shows I will host. 🙂

I'm so so excited to see what you have! Please don't hold back, I want to see all of them!