2024 Artist Insights: Merriest House in the Galaxy
Orville Wilson
The Merriest House in the Galaxy is back—and bigger and better than ever! Keepsake Artist Orville Wilson’s 2021 ornament has been reimagined as a magical, musical table decoration that every Star Wars fan will love.
“I loved that I could create a bigger version of this ornament and add in new details,” Orville says. “One of my favorite parts is the new artwork in the windows. All the images are Christmas-themed and show iconic characters celebrating the holidays.”
Merriest House in the Galaxy
The piece is filled with festive versions of all your favorite characters—from R2-D2 and C-3PO hanging out in front of a roaring fireplace to Darth Vader and his Stormtroopers singing carols on the front lawn. Plus, the Death Star on top and all the Christmas lights create a synchronized light show to “Star Wars: Main Title” and “The Imperial March” by John Williams.
“I’m a huge Star Wars fan myself, so I wanted to make something bright and fun that could serve as the centerpiece for other fans’ holiday displays,” Orville says.
So what are you waiting for? Pick up this piece at Ornament Debut and make your home the merriest house in the galaxy!
Hallmark Keepsake Ornaments. “Behind the scenes with Orville Wilson about his Merriest House in the Galaxy Decoration! Coming at Ornament Debut in October!!” Keepsake Ornament Club Facebook Page, October 3, 2024. https://www.facebook.com/groups/KOCMembers/posts/3760948177478512/
Artist Insights: Hobbies & Interests
From our hearts to your tree
Hear about the hobbies that bring joy to our artists and inspire their ornaments.
Whether you collected stamps as a kid, or you’ve never stopped knitting. Whether you’re a painter, a poet, a bookworm or a baker. Whether you’re obsessed with vintage cars or love playing guitar, your favorite hobbies are an expression of who you are.
Here in the Keepsake Village, we believe being your one-of-a-kind self is something to celebrate, for both our fans and our team! That’s why our artists’ unique personalities, perspectives and passions are an essential part of the creative process—especially for our hobbies and interests ornaments.
“I don’t know if our Keepsake Ornament fans know this about me yet, but I have a ton of creative hobbies that I get up to after work. I love to read, crochet, take care of houseplants, cook, bake, collage, travel, draw and paint, of course, and my newest hobby is surfing,” says Keepsake Artist Iman Zadrozny. “Creating something meaningful for my fellow hobbyists is my favorite thing.”
Keepsake Artist Tim Bishop says he dabbled in dozens of hobbies while he was growing up: drawing, painting, modeling with clay, building tree houses or model cars and having outdoor adventures of all kind. Nowadays, he still loves building and creating (lucky us!), but he also gets to explore new hobbies when an ornament design calls for it.
“I really think hobbies are an extremely important part of life,” Tim says. “They bring us joy and fulfillment. They can challenge us, intrigue us and inspire us.” They also make some pretty darling ornaments, if we do say so ourselves!
Iman Zadrozny
Hallmark Keepsake Artist
We Needle Little Christmas
We Needle Little Christmas was actually a huge challenge for me. My team and I went back and forth as we experimented with what was possible, but the final ornament is as heartwarming and special as I imagined!
– Iman Zadrozny
Happy Haul-idays
For Happy Haulidays, I wanted to do a twist on a classic image, so I started sketching and eventually landed on this adorable gingerbread camper! I looked at so many pictures of piped icing so I could get the texture just right. It’s one of my favorites coming out this year.
– Iman Zadrozny
Bowl Full of Jolly
While creating Bowl Full of Jolly, I would think back to all the baking shows I’d watched for inspiration. I became a cookie decorator myself, getting the piping and flooding and sprinkles in the right places on the bowls. It was so much fun! I hope the playfulness of this piece makes you all want to bake lots of cookies this year..
– Tim Bishop
Tim Bishop
Hallmark Keepsake Artist
“From our hearts to your tree.” For Keeps 24 Fall 2024: 2-3
2024 Artist Insights: Wrapped Up in Christmas
Lisa Vogel
If you’re anything like us (and we’re pretty sure you are!) then as a kid you were probably asking Santa year after year for one thing…a new puppy! Imagine how sweet it would be to wake up Christmas morning and see a precious ‘lil pup snuggled under the tree with a bright red bow on its collar.
As it turns out, our snowman friends had the same childhood dream…so, of course, we worked a little magic and brought those dreams to life! Keepsake Artist Lisa Vogel says Wrapped Up In Christmas was originally imagined as a singing, gift-wrapping snowman plush featuring a sweet puppy sidekick. But the design was so cute, the team thought why stop there?
Wrapped Up in Christmas
“The full size plush is available this holiday season, but we also shrunk it down to ornament size so you can have one for your tree, too!” says Lisa. “We wanted it to be magical, just like the toy, so the ornament also plays a fun version of ‘Jolly Old St. Nicholas.’”
There are so many details that make this darling ornament shine, from the festive green ribbon to the realistic red bow.
“My favorite detail is the plaid paint on the wrapping paper. It’s a perfect match to the plush and adds so much fun,” says Lisa.
This adorable duo is releasing at Ornament Debut in October and makes a perfect gift for the pet lovers in your life—and every kid, or grown-up, who dreams of having a puppy for Christmas!
Hallmark Keepsake Ornaments. “Behind the scenes with Lisa Vogel about her Wrapped Up in Christmas Ornament! Coming at Ornament Debut in October!!” Keepsake Ornament Club Facebook Page, September 4, 2024. https://www.facebook.com/groups/KOCMembers/posts/3732986470274683
2024 Artist Insights: Noble Nutcrackers
Terri Steiger
Nutcrackers are traditionally a sign of good luck, scaring bad spirits away. They’re also a sign that the Christmas season is upon us, so Keepsake Artist Terri Steiger’s Noble Nutcracker series is the perfect way to put your holiday spirit in high gear.
A visit to the Nutcracker Museum in Leavenworth, Washington gave Terri a lot of inspiration as she was creating the series. “While visiting the museum, I was blown away by all the different nutcrackers there are. So many different styles, themes and interpretations. I was drawn to some of the older wood-carved nutcrackers and their personalities. I really want all the nutcrackers in the series to be different from each other, so each tells a story of its own.”
Earl of Snowfall
Noble Nutcracker
6th in the series.
This year brings the 6th in the series, the Earl of Snowfall, and Terri is sharing his story. “I wanted to do something that would look wintry and snowy. I used tinsel as trim and a bottle brush tree to bring his vintage Santa look to life. He’s snowy from top to bottom, with a snowflake base to stand on and a hat topped by a snowflake that gives him a royal look.”
Terri is always on the lookout for inspiration as she continues this series. “The nutcracker series is always in the back of my mind. Sometimes I’m influenced by a particular style, color or pattern I’ve seen. I love looking at antique stores and flea markets for objects that might shape my designs. Of course, I’m always thinking about the ‘royal’ aspect of the series, and I even look at writing to inspire ideas.”
Wondering what’s next for the Noble Nutcrackers series? Terri is only willing to give a hint. “Let’s just say that next year’s design is near and dear to my HEART!”
For the perfect way to let your Christmas spirit shine, pick up this year’s Earl of Snowfall in October at Keepsake Ornament Debut.
Hallmark Keepsake Ornaments. “Behind the scenes with Terri Steiger about her Earl of Snowfall Coming at Ornament Debut in October.” Keepsake Ornament Club Facebook Page, July 31, 2024. https://www.facebook.com/groups/KOCMembers/posts/3704406499799347/
2024 Artist Insights: Haunted Mansion
If you’ve ever visited the Haunted Mansion Attraction at Walt Disney World Resort, this is the ornament collection for you. With interactive light, music and dialogue, the tree topper and ornaments bring the Haunted Mansion to life for any foolish mortal who dares take the trip.
Iman Zadrozny
Keepsake Artist Iman Zadrozny has played a major role in creating this collection, having done initial concepts for most of the ornaments. This year, she focused on creating the Ghost Bride, Constance Hatchaway.
Iman had her own childhood memories to inspire her. She explains, “When I was a kid, I loved going on the Haunted Mansion ride! I still live in Florida but don’t get to Disney nearly as often as I’d like since I’m up in the northern part of the state. But whenever I’m able to go, I can’t wait to revisit it, that ride is such a classic.”
Constance Hatchaway
Disney The Haunted Mansion Collection
“When it came to creating the Constance Hatchaway ornament, there were some unique challenges we had to plan for, and it was definitely a group effort. For light and sound elements, I turned to engineer Samantha Heryford. She’s a dream to work with and she always has my back to make sure everything functions exactly as it should. And we had an amazing fabric artist we worked with to oversee the draping. For my part, I just made sure there was enough room to attach the fabric where it needed to go so we could be accurate to the character.”
“Being accurate to the character was a priority for Iman, so she did a lot of research. “There were so many creepy reference images that I stared at throughout this project! But there was nothing I couldn’t handle. Maybe it helps that I listen to mystery and crime podcasts while I work anyway!”
Whether you’ve visited the Haunted Mansion ride already or plan to in the future, there’s one thing Iman hopes you come away with. “It’s about nostalgia. There are so many people who told me that the coffin ornament (The Coffin in the Conservatory) I worked on reminded them of being on the ride as a kid. It’s the same feeling I have about these ornaments, and I’m really glad people are reliving those great memories. I hope Constance Hatchaway and the other new ornaments in the collection just add to your fun!”
You can pick up your Constance Hatchaway ornament at Ornament Premiere!
Hallmark Keepsake Ornaments. “Behind the scenes with Iman Zadrozny about her Haunted Mansion Constance Hatchaway Coming at Ornament Premiere this Month.” Keepsake Ornament Club Facebook Page, July 2, 2024. https://www.facebook.com/groups/KOCMembers/posts/3683610695212261/