Introducing myself: Lifelong fan

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  • This topic has 15 replies, 12 voices, and was last updated 7 years ago by Matty.
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  • #1519561

    Hiya,

    I emailed this to Melody when I joined the raffle, it will explain a bit behind my interest.

    I have loved your creations ever since I was a little girl. I remember the very first time I laid eyes on them.. I was at the mall with my mother. She was a stay at home mother of three and when my brothers were old enough to both be in school, it was just the two of us. We were very poor but she tried to find activities for her and I to do that would be exciting for me, so walking through the mall was one of our weekly pastimes. That day, we took a less frequented route and went by a store called Tobacco Lane.. They sold fine cigars there and so my mother always rushed me past it in the unusual times we walked that way, since this was long enough ago that you could smell the tobacco thick in the air coming from the shop and she didn’t want me to breathe it.

    For some reason that day, though, I stopped in front of it to notice that they had a huge display of what I now know are the exquisite masterpieces you have lovingly crafted. I was utterly enraptured and I dug in my heels. It took me a few moments to formulate coherence to tell my mom *why* I had stopped, and why I then insisted on being allowed into a store that to her was inappropriate for children. When I pointed at the display case, she herself paused for a long moment and we just stared together. Then silently she took my hand and we walked in together. The shopkeeper was incredibly nice. In spite of my incredibly young age, he let me touch and hold your figures. I was literally moved to tears over how breathtaking they were. I cried and cried. Nothing had prepared me for the idea that such beauty could exist in this world. My mom tentatively asked the keeper how much they were, and now as an adult, I can recognize the fact that she was full of despair when she was shown their price. They are worth every penny and then some, they are literally priceless beyond measure in my opinion, but at the time we never even had enough for food, let alone extras. She let me look at them for awhile longer and then quietly tugged me along, thanking the store for allowing me to handle them.

    From there on out, every time we went to the mall, I wouldn’t ask in words, but I would tentatively navigate towards that quiet end of the mall and look up at my mom. She would look back down at me in a sad way and we would go over to stand in front of Tobacco Lane, where we would watch the rotating, glass case display of your gems in companionable silence together. I understood that she wished she could get one for me but that it was outside her means. I never faulted her for it.

    It wasn’t until a few years ago that I began to afford finally being able to purchase Windstone figures of my own. Now I, too, am a mother of three, and I delight in displaying the handful of pieces I have been able to collect for my own kids to oohh and ahhh over. They give me such unbridled joy. Even on my dreariest day, I can pass by my china cabinet and when my eyes fall on my collection, my heart swells with happiness and nostalgic pride that now I can fill my home with cherished memories from my childhood. I might only have a few, but I will spend the rest of my life saving for the pieces most important to me and obtaining them as I can.

    Thank you, from the depths of my soul, for everything you’ve done. Thank you for sharing your amazing talent in a way that has moved so many. You deserve to have your works recorded in the annals of history, alongside Renaissance artists that we measure as the greatest influences in mankind. Your art means so much to me. My life would not be the same if you had not introduced to me that magic is real and alive, and it can be found and held in your hands.

    #1519563
    Bodine
    Participant

      HEAR!HEAR!
      Welcome and glad you are here.

      Every act matters.No matter how small💞
      (Wanted......Brimstone Lap)
      Male Hearth....one day🤞Dream on.

      #1519564

      Thank you so much, Bodine 🙂

      #1519565
      Stormbreeze
      Participant

        Welcome! It’s great to meet you and to hear your story.

        [i]Keeping an eye out for fantasy gryphons and test paint dragons.[/i]

        #1519570

        Stormbreeze, it’s my pleasure to be here! This looks like an amazing group of friends <3

        #1519572
        StormDancer
        Participant

          Welcome to the forums.
          I wasn’t as young as you were when I saw my first Windstone but I was in foster care so I too spent years dreaming of the magic and grace of the Windstone dragons. I think we all understand the feeling you get when you see the ones you have now.
          Wishing you lots of joy on your journey towards more Windstones!

          Looking for:
          "COSMIC SHIFT DRAGONS and KI-RINS" and the "OCTOPUS TANUKI TEST PAINT #1"

          #1519617
          Melody
          Keymaster

            What a wonderful story! Gosh, I am so touched! I am so happy you have joined the forum!

            #1519622
            Celestial Rainstorm
            Participant

              Welcome, welcome! We are so happy to have you, and cannot wait to see your collection!

              Finding happiness again.

              #1519624
              Natasha
              Participant

                What a sweet story! Welcome to the forum!

                Seeking Test Paints & GBs ! Please get in touch if you'd trade/sell. I'll remove pieces from list by owner request
                ANY Red Eyed Unis
                ANY Test Paint Bat
                UNIS:
                The Purple/Yellow Baby Uni of Awesome
                Male- Snow Leopard TP
                White Lighting Male, Pony, Colt and Grand - I have Mom, Baby, & Young
                Ponycorns: Golden Zebra and/or Spotted Skunk
                Mother: Okapi
                Gothic - Mahogany
                PEGS: Male Midnight Calico, Male Bloodstone, Mother Starlight Rain
                DRAGONS: Male Coyote

                #1519641
                Landipan
                Participant

                  Welcome Sharra! Glad to have you here, and I’m so happy for you that you finally got to start collecting Windstones after waiting so long!

                  *Formerly meowmix101
                  Not currently open for PYO commissions.

                  #1519654
                  Jennifer
                  Keymaster

                    Sharra, my story is very similar to yours. When I was a child, my family was not in poverty, but extras were not something my parents could afford by any stretch. Our small local mall had a gift shop in it, and yes, a front display with Windstones. I distinctly remember that they had several peacock dragons, and a kirin family. I’d stare at them for what seemed like hours (surely not, in reality), smitten with how realistic they were, and how they spoke to my dreams and imagination! Alas, my parents couldn’t possibly afford any of them for us, so we just looked.
                    When I was a teenager, I recall being extremely distressed when the shop went out of business. They discounted the Windstones steeply. There was no internet or social media or warning, just one day we went into the mall and most of their inventory was gone, with large signs posted that they were closing. I remember actually crying over it! They had two dragons left; a scratching dragon and a young dragon. My brother had enough money to buy the steeply discounted young dragon, and I so wanted the scratching dragon! I went home to see if I could gather up enough personal money (I was a bit too young for my first job) and went back to see if it was enough the next day, but the scratching dragon was gone. I lamented that I’d never be able to get a Windstone! Many years passed before I even saw another Windstone (in a gift shop in TX).
                    My brother teases me to this day, “How will Jennifer ever get a Windstone?!”. This is a joke because as fate would have it, I ended up working for Windstone! And to this day, the goofy scratching dragon is still very special to me.

                    Volunteer mod- I'm here to help! Email me for the best response: nambroth at gmail.com
                    My art: featherdust.com

                    #1519956

                    Thank you to everyone for such a beautiful and warm welcome! This place is so wonderful and it embodies the spirit of everything I feel for Windstone. It’s funny because sometimes when you have a childhood hero, you grow up and learn they’re just another person. But this is one of those few cases where the reality has exceeded even my younger self’s imagination – Melody truly IS a gift from heaven to us all. 🙂

                    Jennifer,
                    Do you remember which gift shop in Texas it was that you saw the other one? I live in Texas and I haven’t seen one featured in a shop for many years, now, even though they were prevalent when I was younger. I wish Renaissance stalls would have them, I think they would sell great there. I love the happy ending to your story and I feel for you when you cried over the shop’s closing. That kind of heartache is all too real!

                    #1519963
                    Jennifer
                    Keymaster

                      I’m pretty sure it was a “Wicks n Sticks” at the Baybrook Mall in Clear Lake (near Houston). Those are long gone. It was 15 years ago now, probably.
                      At least one vendor at the TX Ren fest had Windstones, as one of mine came from there, but again this was over a decade ago and much has changed.

                      Volunteer mod- I'm here to help! Email me for the best response: nambroth at gmail.com
                      My art: featherdust.com

                      #1519979
                      Kim
                      Blocked

                        Welcome to the forum Sharra! Thanks for sharing your story and it is very sweet! My story is a bit similar as well. It was about 20 years ago now in 1997 when I was about 13 that I used to go to this gift shop in my local mall all the time where they sold Windstone dragons as well. I collected beanie babies at that time and would go there to get those whenever I saved some extra money but I remember always passing by this glass case with all the beautiful Windstone dragons as well and would stop and stare at them and all their pretty colours. I remember always wanting a peacock fledgling dragon and eventually got one but then when the rainbow dragons came out I was enthralled with the colour and badly wanted a rainbow fledgling to go with my peacock dragon. I never got one back then though as they were a bit more money and I think they sold the one I wanted and then ended up going out of business after the beanie craze. I was so sad as it was my favourite store in the mall and had been there forever.

                        A few years ago though I found some Windstone dragons on ebay and then found this website and started buying pieces to add to my tiny collection. I finally got my rainbow fledgling on ebay too after a couple years of looking and got really into the grab bags on here as well. Last time I checked had almost 200 different Windstones which I never ever dreamed I could afford or own. I love them as well and always admire them in my curio cabinets when I walk by. They are my pride and joy and although some were hard to acquire and took a lot of time to find and trade for I have been so happy to discover this hobby of collecting these myself. So I have to ask which Windstones do you now own? I always love hearing about and seeing pictures of other people’s collections!

                        Looking for rainbow or pink & teal grab bags!

                        #1520010
                        Mary
                        Participant

                          Welcome, Sharra! Looking forward to seeing your collection

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