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Tammy Haddix
Master Keepsake Designer

On Monday, August 31, Hallmark Senior Artist, Tammy Haddix 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.

Snow Buddies

Tammy: Can’t tell you just yet for 2016 but he is a little critter (hedgehog)! Beyond that I don’t know yet.

Tammy: For Snow Buddies I tend to do Woodland or Polar animals, not household animals. So could do a feline, but not necessarily a cat.

Tammy: A Few years ago Snow Buddies featured a goose which was initially inspired by Canadian Geese.

Curtis Heavrin: They may look nice but they are very vicious birds! Lol

Tammy: We actually debated about it because of their reputation.

Snow Buddies
18th in the series.

Santa’s Sweet Ride

Santa’s Sweet Ride
9th in the series.

Tammy: For this year I used an ice cream cone for the back of the helicopter and fruit stripped gum for the propeller. I used a jaw breaker as my inspiration for the body of the helicopter and lined it with licorice and it is topped off with a yellow gum drop.

Tammy:  There are so many ideas for Santa’s Sweet Ride and we had some that we were really excited to do so we broke the pattern.

Tammy: We didn’t stick with the pattern because we really wanted to do something special for the 10th anniversary, so not sure what 2019 will bring!

Tammy: I have no idea how long it will last, but it is one of my favorites and I have lots of ideas.

Tammy: I don’t keep real sweets, but I do keep photos. It is not safe for me to keep real sweets around, it would either be me or someone else in the studio that would eat them! There used to be a Cookie Jar by me and when ever I heard it clink I would look up and see Don Palmiter! He has a sweet tooth!

Other Work

Tammy: I love snowflakes and anything vintage inspired. My new (A World Within) 1st in series mini was actually inspired my grandmother’s vintage ornament collection.

Tammy: Actually none of the sketches are next years series ornament, just my doodles. So still a secret so far!

Tammy: I haven’t sculpted any yet but I’m working on sketches for some of the future ones.

A World Within
1st in the series.

Career

Tammy: I sculpted in high school. And in college I sculpted in plaster of Paris. Messy stuff! I would pour plaster of Paris and carve away at it, paint it with pastels and then photograph it and use that as the artwork. I did a Chili’s menu poster, a calendar series, and a self portrait. At Hallmark I didn’t get to sculpt until I was here 7 or 8 years. My first projects here were lapel pins and salt and pepper shakers.

Tammy: The very first one I worked on was with Robert Chad I did the elf and he did the reindeer. Snow Buddies was also one of my first ornaments.

Tammy: I have done some licensed ornaments like Rudolph and Pepe Le Pew, I don’t think action figures are in my forte, but I do think Winnie the Pooh would be fun!

Tammy: My favorite this year is the Toy Store Dreams, because I finally got to do another girl and the little girl is based off me when I was little and one of my favorite childhood toys.

Tammy: Toy Store Dreams from this year is a new favorite, but Snow Buddies holds a very special place since it is my first series and I have worked on it my whole time in Keepsakes. It was actually inspired by one of my gift wrap designs before I joined the studio.

Tammy: I don’t have any official new series in 2016, but do have a lot of fun ornaments planned!

Other

Tammy: I actually keep them all. I love to reference them and look back and my original ideas.

Tammy: I would love to get to do more porcelain. I think it would work really well with some of my sweet faces.

Tammy: No, I do not name them, some times I don’t even see the names until they are in Dream Book. The only ornament I have ever named is, Santa’s Sweet Ride. But I do work with our editors on the text on the ornaments.

Tammy: Many of my ornaments are inspired by them, especially Santa’s Sweet Ride. I also did Marshmallow World a few years ago based on my mom and sister’s decorating and a trip that we took and heard that song playing while shopping.

Tammy: In addition to my kids I get a lot of inspiration from other life events and the holiday. Last year the mom-to-be snowman was inspired by my niece who was expecting.

Tammy: Would love to do the dog, but not quite sure how to work in my husband! But my husband has inspired concepts over the years.

Tammy: Kris Gaughran is! She is my neighbor here at Hallmark and we work really well together. We just worked on a mini set (Frosty Fun For You) together! Hope to do more in the future.

Tammy: It is so much fun to work on the studio piece, I look forward to it each year. I love to collaborate with the studio. Edythe usually does the main concept and then we sign up for our pieces and there is usually a line on sign up day and Anita is always first in line!

Michele Jackson: I bet that is how she got the dog running next to the train!

Tammy: It is, and that’s why I ended up with the baseball and glove!

Tammy: I go shopping a lot! I love antique stores and magazines. I also draw inspiration from my own ornament collection and decorations.

Tammy: If I were to change any thing I would go back to one of my first ornaments. It was a jester in a jack-in-the box that looks like a dice, I would love to go back and change his face so he is a bit sweeter.

Tammy: I always have tons of ideas for future series! We always get to participate in big projects and ideation sessions where we show our sketches and talk through ideas.

Tammy: Just a wish, but would love to expand on some of my ornament series with companion gifts.