Tin Toys series 2015 sneak peek

Hallmark's Tin Toys series

2014: Big-Top Bear (left)
2015: name unknown (cowboy; right)

My July Ornament Haul

I ended up buying more ornaments than I expected during Ornament Premiere Weekend.  Here's a list of what I purchased:

• Season's Treatings (Season's Treatings #6)
• America (Angels Around the World #4)
• Edna Mode (Disney-Pixar Legends #4)
• Cookie Cutter Christmas (Cookie Cutter Christmas #3)
• North Pole Tree Trimmers (North Pole Tree Trimmers #2)
• Kringle and Kris (Kringle and Kris #1)
• Big-Top Bear (Tin Toys #1)
• Classic Turtle Sandbox (Little Tikes)
• Rapunzel's Long Locks (Disney's Tangled)
• The Daring Princess (Disney's The Princess and the Frog)
• Noah's Ark
• Santa's Little Teapot (miniature)

I also purchased Sister Chicks as a gift for my sister, along with Four Calling Birds (Twelve Days of Christmas #4) for my mother's ornament collection.

AND! I won Minnie Has a Ball! in a drawing at my local Hallmark Gold Crown Store!  Minnie is the first in the monthly ornament series for this year.  I will not be purchasing the rest of the series.

I somehow forgot to snag Happy Halloween! (Happy Halloween! #2), but I will buy it next time I go to my Hallmark store.

New Series for 2014

Simple Gifts
1st in the Marjolein's Garden series
by Julie Forsyth; designed by Marjolein Bastin
"Each of the ornaments in this new series will feature a different garden scene inspired by Marjolein Bastin."

Sorry!
1st in the Family Game Night series
by Rodney Gentry and Matt Johnson
"Each of the ornaments in this new series will feature a different game filled with family memories!"

'Tis the Seasoning!
1st in the 'Tis the Seasoning! series
by Rodney Gentry and Sharon Visker
"Each ornament set in this new series will feature a pair of festive salt and pepper shakers."

Big-Top Bear
1st in the Tin Toys series
by Tom Best
"Each ornament in this new series will feature a crafted metal design inspired by antique tin toys."

Kringle and Kris
1st in the Kringle and Kris series
by Kristina Gaughran
"Each ornament in this new series will feature Santa and his playful reindeer buddy enjoying fun holiday activities together!"

Helpful Links

Here are some helpful links/sites I frequently use:

2014 Hallmark Dreambook
The 2014 Hallmark Dreambook is available online here.  You can flip through the pages, mark your favorites and click on the ornaments to be taken to their specific info page on the website.

2014 Wish List
Instead of taking the Wish List form out of your physical Dreambook you get in stores, you can fill out the pdf here and give that to your local store instead.  (You get 500 Hallmark Crown Rewards bonus points if you hand in your Wish List and pick up your order by July 20!)

Finding/Purchasing Past Hallmark Ornaments
Hooked on Hallmark is a great website to find Hallmark ornaments from 1973-2013.  I don't purchase from this website because I feel like it's overpriced most of the time, so I mostly use it to look at ornaments and get a general idea of what I should be paying for them.

eBay is, I think, the best place to find past ornaments at great prices.  There are thousands and thousands of Hallmark Keepsake ornaments listed on eBay, and it seems like most of them are being sold by people in smoke- and pet-free homes who really care about their ornaments and will ship them safely in sturdy boxes.

(The Beginning of) My 2014 Ornament List

I knew the ornaments I wanted before the Dreambook even came out, and now that I've seen what they look like I'm even more excited, and I found a few more that I definitely need.  I thought I'd show a list of the ornaments I want this year, although it may not be complete because I always end up buying more once I get to the store in July (and October, and December).

1. America (Angels Around the World #4)

2. Edna Mode (Disney/Pixar Legends #4)

3. Cookie Cutter Christmas #3

4. North Pole Tree Trimmers #2

5. Kringle and Kris #1

6. Big-Top Bear (Tin Toys #1)

7. Classic Turtle Sandbox

8. Rapunzel's Long Locks (from Disney's Tangled)

9. The Daring Princess (from Disney's The Princess and the Frog)

New October Debut Weekend Ornaments Announced!

Hallmark posted some pictures today of three ornaments that aren't in the Dreambook and will be available for the October Ornament Debut weekend (October 4-5), stating: "Christmas came early for a few eagle-eyed Keepsake fans who happened upon some 'revealing' photos of ornaments slated for release this October. So, we figure if the cat’s out of the bag for some, it should be for all. Here's your very own sneak peek at this year's Reveal Ornaments. But don't worry, there's still plenty more surprises yet to come."

The first ornament is a vintage Kellogg's Tony the Tiger ornament:

I am actually so in love with this one.  I'm definitely going to snag it in October.

The next ornament is Mowgli and Baloo from Disney's The Jungle Book movie:

I think is this a really beautiful ornament, but I don't think I'll be picking it up for myself.  I'm not a huge fan of The Jungle Book, but anyone who is will be in love with this ornament for sure.

The last ornament is a snow-covered mushroom house inside glass:

I looooove this one.  Definitely a must-have for me.

Overall, I'm pretty impressed with these three and hope there will be more awesome ornaments revealed soon that aren't in the dreambook.  I'm looking forward to seeing (and buying!) Disney's Aladdin Precious Moments ornament (of Jasmine and Rajah) that's also coming out in October.