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. :)

Last Day of Spotted Dreams Fun Week: WHOOPS!

 Apparently all my ducks (who were supposed  to be marching in a row) ran off to do the tango yesterday afternoon and haven't returned.

Yesterday's 3pm was to hold the winner of the fun show and the model horse riddle #2. Well, that didn't happen. You see, there were no entries in the flash fun photo show. None. There was no winner. I thought, since there was no winner, I'd sip the 3pm post. I apparently forgot all together about model horse riddle #2. I also completely forgot to post this morning's 7am post. I'll cover it here too, and do the model horse riddle #2. Sorry about all that!

Model Horse Riddle #2:

(Hint: It's a Traditional!)

• Released in 1991
• Has a linear Breyer Reeves stamp
• Most recent release was 2014-2017 as an appaloosa

This morning's daily challenge would have been to write your hobby story.

You do not need to share this. Just write it out. You'd be amazed how much this helps you realize how much you've grown! Feel free to share it in the comments, but you do not need to to complete this challenge. :)

Wednesday's Name My Model had a several great suggestions! In case you missed it, they were:

• Waitaha Walk - Equiden
• Dancing at Dusk - HorsesBySamantha
• Stevie Wonder - Gray Goose Acres

I love them all, but the winner is Stevie Wonder. I just find that to be perfect for him! :) I already have horses picked out that will inherit the other suggestions too. You will get to meet them in the BF haul post (which will be ready as soon as Breyer ships my stuff. . . ).

Check back at 3pm for the model horse riddle #2 winner, certificates, and summing up. :)

Fifth Day of Spotted Dreams Fun Week: Q&A (I'm on Live!)

Hello! I'm here with you live for right now. I'm going to be on for around fifteen minutes. I'll start the Q&A by answering you questions from the comments. :)

• My favorite horse breed is the Appaloosa.
• Some non-horsey hobbies I enjoy are: nail art, amigurumi crochet, needle felting, polymer clay work, miniature making (that's border-line model horsey lol), collecting useless information about the Princess Bride and it's surrounding fandom, yard-sailing, reading, and volunteering at my local library. (I'm kind of eclectic!)
• Top books would have to be The Bible (favorite book in the Bible is Luke or possibly one of the epistles), Out of the Silent Planet, Perelandra, That Hideous Strength, The Screwtape Letters, The Princess Bride, From the Center of the Ring, Hope Rising (the one by Kim Meeder), and every single one of the horse encyclopedias.
• My favorite (non-horsey) color is purple, but I also love a good aqua.
• I own between 300 and 400 model horses (but some are not show quality).
• My favorite appaloosa pattern is a loud leopard with big butt spots.
• I love to paint Stablemates.
• It would be really close between Traditionals and Stablemates to decide which one I prefer. . . I'd probably end up saying Traditional. 
• I'm not a decorator person, but I suppose my favorite would be a really cool galaxy design.
• Favorite Traditional mold may be the hardest question so far. I think I have at least two. I think it's a tie between Troubadour and Rhian.
• My favorite RR release for 2023 is Sweetwater Zorah Belle.
• Favorite animal besides horses is a three way tie between guinea pigs, narwhals, and cats. But, I love nearly every animal out there so it's a really tough choice!

I may add to this list with questions from the Chestnut Ridge, but I think you guys did great without it! Thank you! If more questions come in while I am on live I will answer them in this post. :)

Fifth Day of Spotted Dreams Fun Week: Daily Challenge

 Sorry I didn't a get a post out last night! The busy day turned scary in the evening with terrifying tornado warnings and rotating storm clouds skirting our rural town. We were in the basement with our pets for a while. The electricity flashed and the devices were off the internet for a time. I will get the post out sometime, but I'm not sure when.

Today's daily challenge is:

Make a coordinated prop set.

Use any medium you would like! Just at least 3 pieces that coordinate (think of grooming sets, food sets, mini pet care, etc.)

Have fun! And join me at 11:30am for the Q&A. I'm hoping to be on live so I can answer your questions in real time! Thank you for all your questions. :)

Delay!

BF sum-up is delayed. I had a volunteer thing this morning, a visit from some family, and I may have to work this afternoon, so the post will have to wait. Sorry! I'll do my best to get it out before tonight's over. :)

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. :)

Fourth Day of Spotted Dreams Fun Week: Daily Challenge

Good morning! Today's challenge is fun. :)

Design your own decorator model.

(found on tenor - it seemed appropriate for a deco challenge!)

You can paint it if you want to, but the challenge is simply to design one. Pick a mold and design the color and pattern. Bonus points if you sketch it out! I'd love to see (or hear about!) what you do, so tell me in the comments!

Meet me back here at 11:30am for the next flash fun photo show and a Q&A announcement. :)

Third Day of Spotted Dreams Fun Week: Name My Model and Some Results!

Results first! I am going to go ahead and make a slight adjustment to tomorrow's schedule. Equiden has already correctly guessed model horse riddle #1, so I will include that in today's post. I will do a BF Saturday and Sunday recap at 3pm tomorrow in it's place. That post kinda got missed in the excitement of fun week!

So, the winners!

Breed Quiz #2: HorsesBySamantha

The answers were indeed  (1) Russ, (2) approx. 150, (3) for handicapped riding programs.

Model Horse Riddle #1: Equiden

Yes! It was the G1 Saddlebred! An oldie but a goodie. :)

Model Horse Meme/Joke Contest: Equiden

Equiden won the meme contest with this meme:

Equiden was the only entrant, and she also submitted these fabulous memes:

This afternoon's fun activity is name my model. I was originally going to give you 3-5 names and let you vote, but I think it will be more fun to let you make up your own in the comments!

This horse is a buckskin Paso Fino Stallion. His barn name is Steve. He needs you to give him a show name!

I'm excited to see what you come up with!

Third Day of Spotted Dreams Fun Week: Model Riddle #1

I hope you all got a bit of tagging done today! I saw that AJ has actually been working on it for a few days now, great job AJ! It's pretty cool we were both thinking the same way. :)

This morning, your mission is to uncover the Breyer mold hiding behind these clues.

HINT: The mold is SM scale!

1. Originally sculpted for Hagen Renaker, this mold has been produced with three stamp variations (including non-existent).
2. Its first release has an uncommon variant that sports solid black lower legs.
3. Its most recent release was 2018, and it's name was that of a major city.

Good luck! First one to comment correctly wins!

Be back at 3pm for name my model and announcing the winners for the meme/joke contest and breed quiz #2.

Third Day of Spotted Dreams Fun Week: Daily Challenge

 Greetings!

Today's daily challenge is a (somewhat) more time-consuming one.

Go through your collection and tag all of your LSQ herd members. (You can do your non-LSQ ones too if you want!)

If you've already done this, go back through and check the tags, making sure they are accurate and adjusting or re-assigning breeds as you see fit. Believe me, it's very nice to have all this done before you need to!

I like to get the Avery pre-strung tags from WM. They are very affordable. :)

(found on tenor)

Check back at 11:30am for model horse riddle number one!

Note: I forgot to add this in the fun week announcement so I will tack it on here, the 7am and 11:30am posts are scheduled. That means that if you see a post go live but I haven't answered an email or question, it's probably because I haven't seen it. I check in mid-morning and several times in the afternoon, so I will catch it then! I write these posts ahead and have them scheduled so that they will go live right on time and I don't have to worry about missing one. :)

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!

Second Day of Spotted Dreams Fun Week: Model Horse Meme/Joke Contest!

Time for some laughter! Share your best family friendly model horse meme or joke with me. The meme or joke must be your own. You can share it via the comments or my email (SpottedDreamsStudio@mail.com).

All memes/jokes must be submitted before midnight tonight (EST). You can send in multiple entries!

Check back at 3pm for the announcement of the flash photo show winner and the breed quiz winner, plus breed quiz #2!

Second Day of Spotted Dreams Fun Week: Daily Challenge

(found on tenor)

Good morning all! Today's daily challenge is:

Think of the one person who has improved your hobby life the most, and thank them.

This could be a parent, sibling, hobbyist, friend, or really anyone else that has played a role in helping you along. Don't be shy! You will never hurt someone's feelings by thanking them. :)

Don't forget to check back at 11:30am for the model horse meme/joke contest!

First Day of Spotted Dreams Fun Week: Breed Quiz #1

Greetings!  This post has the first breed quiz. I won't blather on, because this quiz is all about speed!

The topic breed is the Knabstrupper.

1. What year was the Knabstrupper breed established?
2. What was the name of the mare that was the foundation of the Knabstrupper breed? (Hint: There are two acceptable answers!)
3. What was the name of the first Knabstrupper born in North America? (Hint: She's Texan!)
   

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.

First Day Of Spotted Dreams Fun Week: Daily Challenge

Welcome to Spotted Dreams Fun Week! I hope you all had an awesome weekend, and are prepared to have even more fun here.

The first thing on our agenda is today's hobby challenge. It is:

Find a good tutorial and learn how to paint hooves on model horses.  

Hooves sound easier than they are! It pays to take in a tutorial or two.

Here are some I turned up on a YouTube search:

• Painting a model horse: Eyes and Hooves Tutorial - YouTube
• How to PAINT Model Horse DETAILS - Hooves & Eyes 🎨 - YouTube
• Model Horse Painting 101: How to Paint Shell Hooves - YouTube
• Painting Model Horse Hooves with Myla Pearce, an airbrush tutorial. - YouTube

I haven't watched any of these specific ones, so let me know in the comments what you thought of them!

Keep an eye out for the flash photo show post coming at 11am. :)

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!