What does Handmade mean?

In the world of collectibles we use the words “hand painted” and “crafted by hand” along with “hand-applied” and other phrase. We live in a world where things are mass produced and sent down an assembly line – like electronics and cars, etc. But collectibles are still being created by people, and it is a labor-intensive process. Each of our figurines at The Hamilton Collection is designed and then sculpted to match the artist’s rendering. Sculpted from clay! The sculptors who work for us are amazingly talented. We ask for tweaks to be made to the sculpts, and then we approve the sculpt when we have made it look as much like the artwork as possible. Then each figurine is molded and cast into resin or porcelain and painted BY HAND! The amount of detail that goes into each one is unbelievable. You know those little Precious Moments children’s teardrop-shaped eyes? They are each painted by hand. And the eyes are very specific – they must have a definitive shape and be painted in a certain way. It is very tedious work. And what about the scales on our dragons? Each scale is sculpted and painted in the greatest detail.

Nothing about our processes is automated. Each figurine is hand numbered, matched to its Certificate of Authenticity, carefully boxed and then shipped to our customers. We are so proud of the work that we do and that we can offer it at such a reasonable price to our customers.

So, the next time you see that something is handmade, really think about what that means. I know that I have a much greater appreciation for hand crafting now that I am involved with the creation of these beautiful figurines. It is nothing short of spectacular in how it all comes together!

Our New Buying Mentality

I was reading an article on the internet yesterday about our new frugality as consumers. It said that Americans are still concerned about buying and have changed their behavior. I know that we have cut back in our household and are really trying to find money savers and cut extra spending. So, when is it okay to buy something? I don’t know. According to my husband, there is never a right time. Food is an acceptable purchase and of course, you have to pay your utilities and gas for the car, etc. But is everything else an opportunity for savings? Can we really just not spend money? It is very hard for me because buying things makes me feel good. Okay, I guess some would say that I have a problem. But it is nice to get out and see the new items at the store or buy some organizational thing for your bathroom or just get a new blouse. I have recently had a few weddings and graduations to attend, so I needed to buy gifts. It gave me an excuse to shop which I haven’t had lately. My family has even skipped Christmas gifts the past 2 years due to the economic climate. It’s not that we couldn’t afford to buy a small gift for each family member – it’s just that it seemed silly to spend money when so many people are in need and have lost their jobs. Since we have all been very lucky by staying employed in this tough time, we bought gifts for children in need.

So, where does that leave me? Well, worried. Worried that not buying things is making the economy worse. And worried that buying things is irresponsible when others are suffering. I think that is the situation so many Americans find themselves in. So, we all just wait.

Hopefully, we will start to feel better as summer comes, and we can take vacations this year and maybe ease back into spending.

From My Book Shelf: What I am reading this week

I am an avid reader of good fiction – maybe even some that is not so good. My book club read “Cutting for Stone” by Abraham Verghese this month, and it was excellent. It is long – you might even say epic at more than 600 pages. It spans decades, continents, careers, political upheaval, etc. I couldn’t put it down. It is about the children of a nun and a doctor born in Ethiopia at the mission hospital they serve. Both boys are brilliant doctors but take very different paths in life.

Over the weekend, I read two books that were quick reads but very enjoyable – and funny. Adriana Trigiani is writing a trilogy about an Italian family, the Roncallis, who are shoemakers in New York. I enjoyed these very much and can’t wait for the third. The heroine visits Italy in the first book, “Very Valentine” and Italy and Argentina in the second, “Brava Valentine.” All the while, she is struggling to make her family’s custom wedding shoe manufacturing business profitable. I learned quite a bit about shoes that I never knew.

I started “Shoot the Moon” by Billie Letts last night and had to read a bit before work this morning. The story sounds interesting – a young mother is murdered and her 10 month old son is missing and presumed dead. Thirty years later, the grown up son returns to the town to find his mother, having no idea that she is dead or how he came to live with the parents who raised him. Billie Letts tells a great story, and the people in her novels always seem very real. And they are generally Southern, which makes the stories all the more interesting to me. Anyway, I am excited to get home and get settled in to read tonight.

So, give one of these a try if you’re looking for something to read. And let me know if you are reading something that I should put on my reading list.

A Person Can Really Run 9.4 Miles in 43 Minutes?

This weekend there was a big community event in Jacksonville, Florida. It is called the Gate River Run, and it has been happening since 1977. I thought this was just an event for locals to participate in, but apparently it is quite an international event. This year there were 16,000 runners from all over the world. One of the coordinators was quoted as saying that this run is “the most competitive non-marathon road race in America.” That’s really great for Jacksonville. There is $85,000 in prize money available. Lots of people do it just to stay fit and have something to train for year round.

Three people from our office ran in the race on Saturday. Congratulations to them. Their finish times were 1 hour, 30 minutes; 1 hour, 31 minutes; and 1 hour 32 minutes. Pretty evenly matched. The winner finished in 43 minutes – unbelievable!!

What’s the Deal with Women and Shoes?

The joke in our office is that shoes made of chocolate would have to be the ultimate woman’s product. It is pretty crazy how many pairs of shoes we own. I am not really a shoe fanatic, and I probably own 80 pairs. I remember when my husband and I were shopping for a new house a few years ago, the closets were the most interesting areas of the houses. One lady had her shoes in the original shoe boxes with a picture of the shoes taped on the outside of the box. I have never seen anything like it, but it was a great idea. My shoes are not very organized and I end up very frustrated most days when I can only find one of the shoes I want to wear that day.

Anyway, shoes are such a big part of the fashion statement you are making. But one woman has taken it to a new level. There was recently an article about a lady in California who has over 12,000 shoe related items and has set the Guinness Record. Click here to read the article.

The Hamilton Collection has introduced many miniature shoe collections, and the lady in this article has some of our products – you can see them in the picture.

Post pictures of your shoe collections on our Facebook page – either real shoes or miniatures/collectibles. We’d love to see them.

Puppy Love

As a follow up to the blog a few weeks ago about pets, I heard this story on the news today and couldn’t resist posting it! Seems the dogs win out in almost every situation.


Does Your Loved One Miss the Dog More than You?

Have you ever had the feeling that your loved one misses the dog more than you when he or she is away on a business trip? You may be right.

A third of Americans admit to pining for their pooches more than their partners when out of town. But maybe that's because nine out of ten of them feel their pet is more pleased to see them after a hard day at work and is even more likely to notice when they've had a bad day.

Your partner's relationship with your dog may be closer than you thought and it might be going on behind your back. Around one is seven dog owners say they have "shared a look" with their dogs at least once and even more than that claim to be able to read their pet's facial expressions.

And ever wondered what's behind the long gaze into pooch's big brown eyes? Your partner may be one of a third of dog owners who swear it's an entire "conversation" without words.

And it doesn't stop there.

Many Americans turn to their four-legged friends for solace before friends and family. Nearly two thirds believe their dogs are more dependable than their closest comrades and over 70 percent would rather go for a walk with pooch when feeling uptight than hang out with their best buddy.

These are the results of a survey commissioned by dog snack maker Pup-Peroni that questioned over 1000 U.S. dog owners about the feelings they have for the pup in their life. The hold dogs have over their owners' emotions is striking.

Over two thirds say they feel more guilty about leaving their dog behind when traveling than leaving friends or loved ones. A majority say their pooch makes them feel happy, loved and relaxed.

Source: China Daily/Agencies

What’s in Your Curio Cabinet?

We call our blog the curio cabinet because that is where most of our figurines and other collectibles are displayed in people’s homes. Anything really special to me is displayed in my china cabinet, so I thought I would share my cabinet, what’s in it and what it means to me.

I have items from both of my grandmothers and both of my husband’s grandmothers in my china cabinet. My grandmother had lots of figurines and porcelain items that we played with as children—not knowing that they were valuable. I have a very old ceramic bowl with a lid that belonged to my mother’s mother. I have my father’s mother’s china that was bought from a door-to-door salesman when she was newly married. I also keep my cat collection in the cabinet along with some antique books, my grandmother’s rolling pin, some figurines from Hamilton and some sea shells and shark’s teeth. While all these items are just things, they mean the world to me because they were collected by these women that meant so much to me and to my husband. I think that grandparents worry about their legacies. What will happen to their things and will anyone appreciate the items that they valued in life? I certainly do, and even though I don’t know how each of these items was acquired, I love them all the same and hope to pass them to the younger generation in my family someday.

Here are some pictures of my china cabinet:




Also, a lady in the office shared her curio cabinet and collections. She has a lot more than I do, and it looks like she displays her collectibles all over the house.




Please send in your curio cabinet pictures and tell us all about your items that are important enough to keep behind glass.