Shoppers know the holidays are near when representatives from M.I. Hummel, Goebel Inc. and Lilliput Lane set up their demonstration tables in local stores. This year, anyone who stops, looks and listens could easily walk away with some great ideas for both gift-giving and decorating.
Three women were in town last week representing M.I. Hummel figurines - Gwen Toma, Hummel Club representative; Claudia Schagerl, master painter; and Lynn Lary McLean, floral design consultant. During their Salt Lake stay, they presented a number of demonstrations in ZCMI's Downtown and Cottonwood stores.Of course, Schagerl only concerned herself with one step of the figurine's production - the painting. This, however, is one of the most captivating steps of all. As she carefully hand-painted each figurine, she selected from more than 2,000 colors which have been specially formulated in Goebel's laboratories.
Prior to being painted, however, figurines have to be sculpted. They are then cut in sections for a subsequent mold, slip is poured and the parts of the figurine are assembled. Each figurine undergoes at least three firings, with the final one after the piece has been painted. That firing permanently fuses the paints.
McLean is not a painter, but she possesses the talent of combining Hummel figurines with floral arrangements. Her floral palette consists of fresh and dried flowers, roots, pieces of wood, dried berries, seeds and shells.
Her creations are used for a variety of occasions: "Blessed Event" commemorates the magic and wonder of birth; "Telling Her Secret" portrays childhood friendship; "Tuba Player" and "In D Major" recall the thrill of early musical accomplishments.
An attractive booklet is available that gives step-by-step instruction on how to create your own M.I. Hummel floral presentations. It explains how these beautiful arrangements can be make by using Styrofoam, florist tape and wire, frog holders and a hot glue gun.
Anyone who missed one of the in-store demonstrations and is interested in one of these booklets should write M.I. Hummel Club, 105 White Plains Road, Tarrytown, NY 10591, or call 1-800-666-CLUB.
-JUST AROUND THE CORNER from the Hummel table was another one featuring miniature cottages and villages by Lilliput Lane. Carefully painting one of the pieces was Geraldine Graham from Lilliput Lane Ltd. in England. Standing by and answering questions about the detailed sculptures was Bonnie Kellog, sales representative from Colorado.
Thanks to David J. Tate, Lilliput Lane founder and sculptor, people around the world can now bring miniature replicas of country cottages and villages of Britain into their own homes. Not only does he capture all of the detail and color of these cottages, but their charm and rural elegance as well.
There are cottages from England, Scotland, Ireland and Wales; historic houses such as Ann Hathaway's Cottage and William Shakespeare's Birthplace; inns, churches and a number of other historic buildings.
Some of the local stores carrying these Lilliput Lane miniatures are ZCMI, The Tinder Box stores and Zinke's.
-ROBERT OLSZEWSKI, master sculptor of Goebel minatures, will be appearing at Rainbows, Crossroads Plaza (third floor, south wing), Thursday, Nov. 2, from 3:30 to 6:30 p.m. He will also give a free demonstration about the "lost wax" process at 5 p.m.
Since Olszewski's last visit to Utah in 1983, his early
miniatures have greatly increased in value. "Alice in the Garden," released in 1982 as a limited edition piece, sold for $60. Now it is priced at $735 on the secondary market.
Goebel Inc., has produced exciting miniatures in several series titled Wildlife, Children, Women, Oriental, Historical and DeGrazia. And the company has just announced that "The American Series," a series of eight bronze miniatures by Olszewski, is now retired. The series was first introduced in 1981 with "The Plainsman." The final figurine, "The Blacksmith" was introduced earlier this year.
Seven of the eight figurines currently have a suggested retail price of $55, although their value will undoubtedly increase proportionate to their availability.
This Americana Series and others are distributed through Goebel Inc. and will be sold in better gift and specialty stores across the country.