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Kristina Gaughran
Master Keepsake Designer
On Thursday, September 29, Hallmark Senior Artist, Kristina Gaughran chatted with collectors via Facebook. Here is a synopsis of that chat that highlights most of the questions and responses. Please note the chat is not in chronological order and has been grouped by subject and edited for brevity.
Kris’ Penguins
Kris: The three penguins were inspired by friendship and my childhood memories. They celebrate the things my friends and family used to do together, like building forts and decorating tress.
Kris: There is movement as you’re able to rotate the Merry-Go-Round manually.
Kris: I have a page full of ideas already drawn out!
Kris: It will showcase a train with the penguins.
Kris: That could be a fun idea – a fairy visiting winter!
Playground Pals
17th in the unofficial series.
Petite Penguins
A Tasty Treat
Petite Penguin
1st in the series.
Kris: We haven’t decided how many years we’re going to continue the Petite Penguin series yet, but I’m hoping it goes on for a very long time!
Kris: The miniature penguin will be interacting with other objects, not just food. A sneak peek of the next in series will be a penguin in a Santa hat.
Kris: The 2nd in the Petite Penguin series will have a penguin in a Santa hat.
Kris: I would love to see that happen! I’ll have to give it some thought on that third one.
Fairy Messengers
Kris: I am planning a lavender fairy for next year.
Kris: I want to balance the meanings and the colors each year to make sure there’s a range of colors in the series. Not every flower has a positive meaning, so a lot of times that will dictate what flower I will use or not.
Kris: The first fairy I did was the Calla Lily.
Kris: Ii’ll keep those in mind!
Kris: Thanks for the idea! I’ll take it back to the team.
Tulip
Fairy Messengers
12th in the series.
Kris: Thank you so much for your interest I will take your suggestion back to the team!
Kris: I have an idea for a Halloween fairy that I’m going to submit. So if it gets accepted…
Kris: I helped sculpt a few of the fairies heads that were a part of the Garden Fair Fairy collection.
Other Work
Han Solo™
Star Wars: The Force Awakens™
20th in the Star Wars™ series.
Kris: Both! I do love Star Wars, but I also do a lot of research to capture all of the details.
Kris: So many to choose from! I really like Luke and his X-Wing suit, Admiral Ackbar, Greedo and Hammerhead!
Jim Willard: If you had the opportunity to sculpt another character in the SW Saga, who would it be?
Kris: Looking forward to seeing some of the new characters in the new movie.
Kris: Sometimes. It depends on the complexity of the ornament.
Kris: I did not follow Catwoman prior to working on this ornament. I watched Wonder Woman growing up!
Kris: Yes, I did do one of them.
Kris: She wasn’t planned to be a fairy messenger because she doesn’t have a flower dress. She is all about the tea!
Career
Kris: Absolutely! I am living the dream.
Kris: I still sculpt by hand.
Kris: I have not met anyone I’ve sculpted but have met some Star Wars people.
Kris: One month!
Diana St James: Which ornament?
Kris: Darth Vader
Kris: It’s harder to see, but there is less material to move around. So, they could go quicker.
Other
Kris: On average, it takes about a year and a half to two years!
Kris: What a great trip down memory lane! A number of my favorite ornaments I had growing up were ones made of plaster and hand painted by me and my brother.
Kris: I try to help choose the color if I can!
Kris: I sit near Tammy in the studio. There is no average day!
Kris: I have lots of Hallmark Keepsake Ornaments on my tree.
Kris: I love all of my ornaments for different reasons!
Kris: Why yes, I do! I love to see your happy reactions to the Keepsake Ornaments.
Kris: I did not collect them growing up and had mostly homemade ornaments.
Kris: I used to have a miniature cat themed tree with Nina’s mischievous kittens on it.
Kris: I leave the fairies up year round in my office.
Kris: Yes, I do keep all of my designs/sketches.