Featured artist

Featured Artist
Kristina Gaughran
MARCH 2015
Mom to Bee - 2015
Available July 2015 at Ornament Premiere
Celebrating her 20th year as an artist for Hallmark Keepsake Ornaments,
Kristina, when she was sculpting this ornament, was also on the verge of another
milestone—she was expecting a baby of her own.
That made her the perfect person to design the new “Mom to Bee” Keepsake
Ornament, debuting in 2015. So was that by design, so to speak? Actually, turns
out it was just a happy coincidence. She started working on the ornament the
beginning of 2014, but didn’t find out she was expecting until several months later.
(Her second son Tristan was born February. Her first son, Finn, turns four in April.)
Back when Kristina’s team were brainstorming potential concepts, it occurred to
them that using an actual bee would be the perfect, punny tie-in.
“Then it was just drawing it up, figuring out what she was going to look like,” said
Kristina, who started to zero in on a more whimsical style—sweet and just a little
silly.
The mom character is an actual bumblebee. She’s wearing a purple shirt with a
little baby bumblebee on it. Instead of sculpting the wings along with the rest of
the figure, she made them with a coated, synthetic paper called Yupo.
“It just adds an extra element of value and interest, to have little attachments like
that,” Kristina said.
Featured Artist
Kristina Gaughran
march 2015
Lotus and Poinsettia - 2015
1st in the Baby Fairy Messengers series
Available May 16th
With all the baby stuff happening in her life already, why stop there? Kristina also
created two baby fairies that coordinate with the Fairy Messenger series. The
little duo is based on grown-up Poinsettia—the very first offering in the Fairy
Messenger series in 2005—and grown-up Lotus, this year’s fairy.
As the mom of boys, Kristina said, “I tried to think about nieces and friends’
babies, to help me imagine how they’d look or what little girls would be wearing.”
Kristina incorporated the corresponding flower into each design as a resting
surface, like a baby’s blanket. As she created the pieces, she imagined that as
the girls grew up, they’d pluck the petals from their flower to make their skirts.
Just as with the “Mom to Bee” ornament, Kristina needed to think of a different
solution for the wings than a more traditional mold, so the wings wouldn’t be
“too chunky looking.”
To give the wings a slender profile, she opted for a thin sheet of styrene, which
was then laser-cut and glittered. She said that despite the thin look, “they’ll be nice and sturdy.”
The idea was to add something new and interesting for those who already collect the Fairy Messengers. We know
collectors have been asking for more miniatures, and this duo seemed like the perfect fit.
“I think there is also added appeal for people who think they look like their daughters at that age, or like their
granddaughters.”
Lynda Carter as Wonder Woman - 2015
Available July 2015 at Ornament Premiere
Kristina, who was born in 1973, has faint memories of watching the
1970s TV show “Wonder Woman” as a very little girl with her parents.
She was too young to see Lynda Carter as the role model for female
empowerment that she was to many others. That aspect of the
character didn’t become apparent to her until much later. But Wonder
Woman’s entertaining heroism was never lost on her. Especially now
that she’s become another kind of hero: mom.
“I think every mom is a Wonder Woman. Whether she’s a full-time athome mom or a mom who also goes to work, we all have to find our
balance,” Kristina said. “Some moms are actual crime-fighters, while
others have the superpowers to heal a boo-boo with just a kiss. But in
the end we all have the same desire, to be the best moms we can be
for our children.”
The ornament features Wonder Woman in her original uniform from
the TV show, in a blocking pose with her bulletproof bracelets up and
ready, with the Lasso of Truth at her side. Kristina even designed the
lasso out of golden cording to give it an extra feel of authenticity.
WONDER WOMAN and all related characters and elements are trademarks of and © DC Comics.
(s15)
Featured Artist
Kristina Gaughran
JULY 2014
Kringle and Kris - 2014
1st in the series
Kristina isn't shy when it comes to admitting just how adorable this new winter
duo is. "People seem to really like the design of these guys! They're going to be
doing different activities each year. Some things will be Christmas-related, but
some will be winter-related."
Kristina has thought up a number of fun activities for Kringle and Kris to do in
the years to come. She's also hidden a few surprises for kids to discover along
the way. "My son's name is Finn, and so it's hard to find things with his name on
them. I got to put his name on the nice list, along with some other common names
that happen to be the names of his aunts, uncles and cousins. Finn's going to be
able to look at this ornament and say, 'Hey, I made Santa's list!' We try to add
names that are popular so other kids will be able to see their names there as well."
Daffodil Fairy - 2014
10th in the Fairy Messengers series
Kristina's favorite flower is the daffodil, and so it was a natural choice in creating
the 10th ornament in the Fairy Messengers series. "Daffodils announce spring.
They pop up and look happy, and so I wanted to make it look like she was
skipping."
This tiny tot's bright and sunny yellow color really stands out from other
fairies in the series. "So many of the fairies have long hair, and so it was fun to
do a bob cut. And now there's a pop of yellow in there with all the other pinks
and purples."
Great Granddaughter and Great Grandson - 2014
Keepsake Ornament Artists have been working on granddaughter and grandson
ornaments for years, but this year is the first to feature ornaments made just
for great-granddaughters and great-grandsons! These two tiny polar bears are
bundled up in winter scarves that pack a whole lot of attitude.
Kristina explains, "I tried to have the girl posing, because little girls always love
to be so mature. And the little boy is like a super hero. I kept them simple with
materials so I could focus on the attitude they have and the words on their outfits."
Featured Artist
Kristina Gaughran
MAY 2013
Daisy Fairy - 2013
9th in the Fairy Messengers series
"I try to have the previous fairies on a wall in front of me when I’m drawing. It shows
where we’ve been, so I take them all into consideration. I looked up the meaning
behind daisies and found out that they’re all about innocence. I sketched out
Daisy’s dress and started to think about what pose she might take on, sculpting
every element out of a type of wax that we formulated right here at Hallmark. For
a finishing touch, Daisy’s also got these lovely glittering wings that make it look like
dew just fell on the rims of flower petals."
Little Sweet Pea Fairy - 2013
"This one reminds me of my cousin’s baby girl—I thought about her when I was
designing this ornament. She’s on top of a sweet pea flower and her little bloomers
are another color of sweet pea. I had to give her the ruffles because they’re just so
cute on little girls. The Fairy Messenger series is really trying to capture that youth and
playfulness of little girls. Some of them get a bit more serious, but they’re all a lot of fun.
We snuck a boy in as well, so you can see how this series has grown over the years—like
with the addition of this baby fairy."