Hello, and welcome to my website! I have only recently started to customize Breyer, Hartland and Peter Stone horses, but enjoy it so much, I decided to share my new hobby with whoever wanted to look! Okay, so this is supposed to be about me...hmmm. Well, I am a retired Military Brat (Air Force), meaning my Dad is retired, and I just got to go along for the ride...and what a ride! Being a Military Brat means you get to move from place to place every three years...and we sure did. I have now lived in Richland, Washington for the longest period of my life in one spot, 12 years! Of course, I have moved twice in that time within Richland...! Hopefully, I am in my current home to stay. I was born in Washington State; lived in Boston, Massachusetts; Homestead AFB in Florida; Tacoma, Washington; Monterey, California; Madrid (Conilljas), Spain; Tinker AFB, Oklahoma (outside Oklahoma City); and when my Dad retired, we moved back to Mount Lake Terrace, Washington. I graduated High School at Woodway Senior High in Edmonds, went to college and got my 2-year Associates of Arts and Sciences Degree, then moved to Bellingham, where I went to college for one year at Western State University. I was going for my teaching degree...! Decided to take some time off of college, and got wrapped up in the real world of making money...! Skip forward several years, to the highlight of my life...meeting my husband, Ian. I moved to Richland WA in 1992, and met my husband the following summer playing Pool with friends in a bar...and it really was love at first sight—at least for me! We got married in 1996, and the next highlight of my life, my son, Stephen, was born in 2001. My husband let me retire so I could stay home and watch my son grow up! I have loved every minute of it...okay, realistically, there have been times (we all have them, and you know it!) when you want to run away and hide...! My men in my life are the most important things to me, although they tease me about my new hobby taking over a lot of their time! It has been a slow process juggling a house, 2 men, 2 dogs, numerous cats, fish, and a huge yard with my customizing...but it does happen, even though it goes slowly.
I started collecting horses in 1967, when I got my first horse at the age of 2 (yes, you now know how old I am!), when I received a Bay Comanche movable Marx horse...jointed, saddle, the whole works! I was hooked! I had Comanche for several years, and acquired a line of the Marx Best of the West toys...which I still have, except for my original Comanche! Mom gave him away when we moved!!! But I still have my second horse, Lightening...the Palomino moveable Comanche! And John, Jane, and Jamie West with almost all of their accessories! My first Breyer Horse was the Indian Pony...and I still have her...actually, I have all of my horses throughout the years since then, although the Military did lose a box of horses when we moved back from Spain in 1978...! You can see my collection on the My Collection page.
Interests/Hobbies: I have been asked about my interests and hobbies, and, well, I obviously love to read, write, draw, sculpt, photography (my son is THE most photographed child in the universe!), creating photo/stamp/sticker memory books, and am an avid Seattle Mariner fan (GO M's!) YES through thick and thin, or in their case, even through the bad seasons, but mostly, I love being with my family! My husband Ian cooks (could have been a chef), plays guitar (quite well!), loves anything remote control including the TV, Go-Kart races, can fix just about anything around the house (and has) and is an EXCELLENT dad! My son Stephen has shown artistic talents and loves to paint, play hockey (not on ice yet, Thank God!), baseball, and thinks he wants to be a Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle and be like his dad when he grows up...could be worse! He has the funniest, wittiest sense of humor (gets it from his dad), and can quote any movie after seeing it ONCE! He has an incredible vocabulary (that of a 6 year old!), and astounds everyone with his grasp and usage of words. Am I proud, Naaaah!
I owe some thank yous here, to the people who have inspired me to start customizing. First, Thanks to Saffron Hall of Studio TwoCats...her horses are so beautiful, and when I e-mailed her about them, she was so nice, and warm, and encouraging, that I decided to try sculpting for myself. And Thanks to my current Mentor, Charlotte Donahue, again, when I e-mailed her about how much I loved her horses, her response was kind, and also encouraging, and she has helped me immensely in this venture! They are wonderful people outside of the hobby, as well. Thanks to you both! Also, I owe a BIG thank you to my best friend Tim Mills, for putting my website together for me, and dealing with my computer illiteracy...Thank you so much Tim! Now, I hope you enjoy browsing; if you have any questions, please feel free to email me! Take care, be happy, and have fun! Janice
"Ohana means family...nobody gets left behind."
Disney's Lilo and Stitch
Ian, Stephen, and Janice