The Liebster Award

I've been nominated for the Liebster Award by CWS Stables and Studio.  Thank you for the nomination!

Here are the rules (copied from the CWS blog):

- Put the Liebster Award logo on your blog.

- Thank and tag the blog that nominated you.

- Answer the questions and come up with 10 new ones for your nominees.

- Nominate 8 blogs (with less than 200 followers), let them know you've nominated them, and link them in your post.

- No tag backs!



Question Time:

1: Do you ride horses?  If so, how often and what disciplines?
Sadly, since moving to Japan back in May - well, really since taking my boy to Arizona back in March - I have not been riding horses at all.  Though I did JUST get the random, wonderful opportunity to ride this past weekend.  I'm hoping to make contact with the riding club and get back on a horse before another 6+ months goes by!  I have tried a few different disciplines, but I do like dressage and English-type riding the best.

2: How many pets do you have?
We brought two of our pets here with us, a dog: 11-year-old Newfoundland-mix named Max, and a cat: 8-year-old domestic shorthair named Tealight.  We were only allowed to bring two pets, our other critters stays with family and friends.  Since arriving here, we've added a tank full of male guppies (9 of them) to the family.  They aren't named yet.

3: Do you customise model horses? What do you use?
Yes, I do!  For horse type, I work on mostly Breyers.  I've done a couple of Stones, resins, and others too.  My favorite sculpting material is apoxie-sculpt.  I do like hairing horses (with mohair).  For finish work, I hand paint in acrylics.

4: Favourite book/series?
Oh boy, there are a lot.  I'd have to say that I still love the Black Stallion books and Marguerite Henry stories too.  They were childhood favorites.  One of my favorite stand alone books is called Woman Chief; that's where I originally got the "Horse Tender" name from.

5: Best model horse memory?
I would have to say: winning Overall Champion OF Breyer at the 2014 Black Hills Model Horse Show, with my classic Black Stallion.  I NEVER expected that to happen.  It was the best day of my entire model-horse-loving life.

6: Model horse/horsey inspiration?
There is a lot.  I find inspiration everywhere.  I'd say the top three sources of inspiration are: online, in books and magazines, and my own imagination.

7: Worst model horse buy?
I'm not sure that I have one.

8: Favourite horse/dog/cat colour?
Horse: So many that I love, but black has always been special.  Grulla is lovely as well.  Also any flashy pinto, though I prefer overo/tovero types over tobiano.
Dog: I think merle-colored dogs are so beautiful.  Also brindle.
Cat: Probably blue or calico.

9: What's your dream horse?
Right now - ANY horse!  ;)  Seriously though, I have always loved Akhal-Tekes and I still dream of having one of them.

10: Any other skills/hobbies?
In addition to model horses, I have a LOT of hobbies/interests.  One of my biggest that I'm most passionate about is training horses - when I had horses to train.  There is something absolutely magical about working with a young, wild horse, and building a relationship with them so that they go from wild to a partner and friend.  Other hobbies include: horseback archery, riding motorcycles, writing stories, travel, hiking, camping, fishing... Also, plenty of other crafty interests: making paper goods (greeting cards, bookmarks, etc.), tatting, some jewelry making, drawing, and on and on.


Here are my questions to ask:

1: What is your favorite color?
2: Who is your favorite fictional character?
3: Do you play any online/computer games?  If so, which ones?
4: Best (real) horse memory?
5: Favorite time of year?
6: Are you a night owl or an early bird?
7: Do you have any pets?
8: Favorite breed of horse?
9: Are you working on any big projects right now?
10: What other hobbies or interests to you have?


And here are my nominees:

Five Paws Studio
Trail Blazer Farm
Shoestring Stable
Rachel Fail Model Horse Tack
Desktop Stables
Shady Creek
Last Alliance Studios
Stage Left Studios

I really enjoy their blogs and I'm looking forward to reading the answers from anyone who can participate!

Thanks again to CWS Stables and Studio for the nomination; this was fun.


As a side note: I tried to do some research on the Liebster Award and it seems that it is a thing that has been around for at least a few years, though I wasn't able to find the origin of it.  It's turned into sort of a chain letter it seems, but that's fine with me.  I think it was fun to do and I've always enjoyed getting to know more about my friends and people that I admire!  Plus, it's always nice to help each other with our blogs and introduce them to viewers they might not otherwise have, eh?  :)