Thursday, January 28, 2010

A Precious Moment Is Worth A Few Very Good Words

The titles for Precious Moments figurines make all the difference, don’t they? It’s part of what endears so many people to them. You can look at the product and think it’s sweet, but then when you turn the figurine upside down to look at the base, the title truly provides the “awww” factor that makes the little teardrop-eyed children so memorable!

For over three decades, Precious Moments figurines have captured the hearts of collectors. Those teardrop eyes are unmistakable and unparalleled, and their titles are a tremendous part of their appeal.

Precious Moments figurine titles often contain a pun that relates to the piece. For example, one of the most well-known Precious Moments figurines, “Love Lifted Me,” shows a little boy and girl on a see-saw.



Here is a more recent figurine titled “Drawing Us Closer Together,” which shows a sweet little boy looking up at his Mother while he draws with Crayola crayons.



Other Precious Moments figurines don’t incorporate titles. Some are more sentimental and focus on relationships. Here is a very popular piece titled, “My Granddaughter, My Joy.” In fact, the title is displayed on Grandmother’s apron, so no need to look on the bottom stamp for the title!



It’s worth noting that Sam Butcher, the creator of Precious Moments, was a chalkboard minister before he began drawing his innocent little teardrop-eyed children. Many of the figurines have an inspirational tone, and so do their corresponding titles. One of the most memorable is “Praise The Lord Anyhow,” portraying a little boy whose ice cream has fallen out of his cone, much to his dog’s delight.



Do you have a favorite Precious Moment figurine? Which one is it, and why is it your favorite? Does the title add to your enjoyment? We invite you to share with us on Facebook!

Thursday, January 21, 2010

Resolutions: Plan Your Work and Work Your Plan

They say it takes 21 days to form a habit. We’ll, here we are at Day 21 in this New Year, and for some of us, those resolutions we made three weeks ago might be slipping. Maybe you’re sneaking cookies and promising yourself you’ll spend 15 extra minutes on the treadmill (but then don’t) or maybe you’re sneaking cigarettes. Maybe you ran out and bought more Precious Moments figurines when you swore you wouldn’t. (Hey, we’re not complaining about that!)

We’re not therapists, of course, but we can remind you that you’re human! You’re going to slip up, have setbacks, and get derailed. It’s OK. Really!

It has taken us many years of slip-ups and setbacks—and successes, too—to come to the conclusion that life is never all or nothing. But we all seem to view resolutions that way, right? One mistake, and that’s it. All is lost. We certainly don’t live our lives that way!

So on this 21st day of this New Year in this New Decade, let’s focus on a new saying: Plan your work, and work your plan. Plan your goal and plan for mistakes along the way, too. Because in life, it’s not a race to the finish line. It’s how we get there that matters most!

Monday, January 11, 2010

Chilly Weather Brings Warm Memories of Grandmother

The New Year sure did arrive in a chill! Near-record lows were recorded in many places, including those where all you need is a light jacket to get by. We spent a good portion of last week just trying to stay warm here in the office—and in our homes—with space heaters, blankets, cozy shawls and plenty of hot cocoa and coffee.

These simple “stay warm” remedies reminded us of our Grandmothers. My own Grandmother was resourceful, and in order to pinch pennies, she spent many nights crocheting blankets and shawls for her children and grandchildren. She knew nothing of new technical gadgets or the latest fashion fad. Instead, she would crochet a beautiful afghan or sweater in your favorite colors. She claimed it kept her hands busy, but we all knew how much she enjoyed giving away her creations. Her work was beautiful, not a stitch out of place. But what made it most memorable was that, sadly, in her later years, she lost her ability to see colors accurately. Often confusing blue and green and interchanging red and orange made for some interesting color combinations. In fact, for my 10th birthday she made me a patriotic sweater vest. It was a beautiful scalloped-edge, color-block design in “red, white and blue.” It was ivory, orange and purple. I told my mother I would never wear it. I gritted my teeth when Mom took a picture of me in it to send to her. But guess what? I still have that vest. I also have a knitted blanket that is about 4’ wide and 18’ long that she made for me when I graduated from college. It will be perfect for a cold-weather football game when I want to wrap up with 10 of my friends.

Many Precious Moments figurines have focused on sewing and crafting. They are simple pleasures that yield heartfelt gifts. The gifts my Grandmother gave to me can never be duplicated, nor will they ever be outdone. They are perfect because of their imperfections, which is one of the things that is so endearing about Precious Moments. Does anyone remember the patches on the older pieces?

I still have every one of the things my dear Grandmother made for me. I cherish them all, because they were made with love. So while I may not wear these items, they certainly do their job—of keeping me warm in my heart.

Do you have a special story about your own Grandmother? Share it with us here or on Facebook.

Tuesday, January 5, 2010

Welcome!


Welcome to 2010, and welcome to our blog! We want this to be a place to share ideas, information and stories about Precious Moments…those adorable little figurines with the teardrop eyes. With everything going on in the world—especially in our small corner of it—there’s something wonderfully comforting about our collections of porcelain figurines. They remind us of the simple, positive things that still exist all around us. All we need to do is simply keep our eyes open and look for them. We like to think that’s what Sam Butcher intended when he created them over 30 years ago.


So first, a little bit about us. We work at The Hamilton Collection and are a few of the folks behind those little teardrop-eyed children. Under the inspiration of the legendary Sam Butcher, we bring many of these figurines direct to you. We see so many positive things around us each day, and those simple moments and serene gestures are the inspiration behind Sam Butcher’s creations—we simply bring them to life. We all read blogs and are active on Facebook and other sites, yet we haven’t been able to find a place where we can share our passion for our Precious Moments collections. Now with this spot, we can.


So what’s on our mind the first week of this New Year and decade? The holidays! Yes, we admit we’re still mentally lingering in 2009. Of course we grudgingly took our Christmas decorations down. (Is it us, or does the house seem really empty after they’re all put away?) The stale cookies have been fed to the birds, and now we’re just sorting through all the pictures we took with our new digital cameras! (Miraculously, we figured out how to upload them off our cameras and into our computers!)


Christmas is a big time for Precious Moments, and one of our best selling pieces this year was the “Granddaughter, You Are My Sunshine” figurine. Here’s a photo. Isn’t she adorable? She makes us think of love, sunshine, and the sweetness of granddaughters. We hope she puts a smile on your face, too.