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I also like the fact that they are life like. When I had my brown Emperor shipped to my last job one of my old co-workers said she would not be able to have him in her house because she was afraid he would come to life in the middle of the night
My family was always big on reading, my mom and dad both pushed books on us…My first love was the Black Stallion….I still have the whole set of paperbacks from when I was 8 or 9 years old.
Then at 13 my mom gave me a copy of “Dragonsong” by Anne McCaaffery…..I was enraptured…I have every book she has ever written and almost all of them in hardback.
I first saw the Windstone dragons in a Wicks n Sticks and I was sunk. They looked to me like the dragons of Pern…..And I so wanted to live in the world of Lessa and F’lar and Jaxom….teenage angst and all…it was so easy to go visit Pern when the world seemed to be against me…
So from then on, all I wanted for Christmas and Birthdays was Windstones. I think my first piece was the old Brown Male or maybe it was the Peacock Male…both have been with me a long time. Of course, I got the “dragons are evil and dungeons and dragons was evil…and you must be a nerd kinda thing” and so some family members bought stuff besides Windstones and some people bought me all kinds of pewter dragons and stone critter dragons.
The Wicks n Sticks closed and I was limited to getting them for myself when I went on trips…This year I decided to indulge and went from 20 Windstones in April to about 80 pieces. I can afford them now and still find myself buying the older stuff…though the Black and Gold is probably my favorite color…so I have a few new Black and Golds. And now that I can afford them I don’t have to wait for my birthday or Christmas….or for my mom to buy me a dragon egg that isn’t a Windstone…
Non-Collectors DO NOT UNDERSTAND the it MUST be a Windstone!
I loved everyone’s stories especially Purplecat’s…they do allow you to be free…they are from a different world!!!
Like some have mentioned, Windstone was the first time I was ever able to see a black unicorn (and now the pegasi :yay!: ) I LOVE black fantasy animals. The black young male unicorn was my gateway drug into the land of Windstone collecting. Ironically, the black creatures have always remained elusive for me.
Being a fantasy mythical (I still maintain some of these creatures either have existed or do exist if were lucky enough to see them.. call me crazy, you wouldnt be the first) lore lover, and animal lover, the segway to Windstones was a natural and early (in my teens in the 80s) progression. After you have a Windstone, there is no substitute, IMO. Not only in the quality of sculpture but in how they are meticulously painted. They fit like a glove into a life that has always been touched by the supernatural and magick.
Some of you may know about my spiritualism based on how Ive spoken in other posts. I think everything has energy to give off and in turn, I absorb energy for everything around me- be it alive, maybe alive or inanimate. Im very sensitive and emotional. I had a wonderful life growing up- I wont lie. But there were some very trying times for me as a kid, then in 98 when my health started to go down and then in 2001 when I lost my fiance in 9/11 (he also loved Windstones and it was all he collected). Yes, I had supportive friends and family (and animals!), but sometimes, more often than not, just sitting like I was in a trance and gazing at the shelves full of Windstones, taking time to focus on each piece for more than just a few minutes– it was very soothing for me. The energy that they gave off and transfered to me, why and how ever they did it (maybe it was wishful thinking… but I asure you Im not touched in the head), they got me through some seriously trying times in my life. They have brought me nothing but positive energy, as I believe that is how they were created, sculpted and painted. I believe when they were in production that during my pieces handling, that those artists were either in good moods or their art was therapeutic for them which helped them get out of a funk.
I dont know if any of that makes sense to anyone, but it has always worked for me- whether it sounds sappy or crazy to you. I appreciate art that is so obviously done with love than for the all mighty dollar. I can justify the costs of Windstones because of their quality. But all that aside, it is the joy theyve brought to my life, the positive energy Ive felt infused with and the pick me ups theyve given me over my life of collecting that is all it comes down to in the end. That is why it was dreadful for me to ever consider and need to sell them. But I had to make a choice… keep the Windstones that I couldnt take with me to the other side and leave my family with tons of medical bills (the only outstanding bills they would have to deal with), or keep the Windstones in my clutches till my last breath. I had to consider family in this case.
In closing my novella here (you asked us and Im a writer!), most of you know by now why I was looking for the black horse pieces and the black version of a griffin, as well as the Flion (Im a Leo). It was obvious by my lawyers and attorneys expressions that they have not come across such strict guidelines to be followed for statues after their clients die. The fact that those black Windstones and the Flion are in my Will with 2 pages worth of very detailed and specific wishes and instructions, must say something about what they mean to me. If that makes me crazy, well, then I’ll take that label with a smile and chuckle.
PT I hope eveything works out for the best for you.
Reading your entry makes me want to tell EVERYONE about the Secret. I was told about it and I’m doing my best to apply it in my every day life. It tells you all about how positve thought WILL turn into positve actions. Tell the universe what you are looking for agian and again and wait for the universe to bring it to you. Don’t let the negative thoughts and people bring you down. I have had a few really good things happen to me since I hav changed my outlook on what life gives me. I’m more accepting to things I can not change and look forward to what is next on the universes list for me.
I would highly recommend getting the Secret and watching it if you can. I have shared it with several friends so far.BTW I now feel like my Windstone Dragons are my guardians for good luck. My friend who has now passed away had a beautiful dragon right in the edge of his living room facing the door and said that dragon facing the door where supposed to ward off Evil spirits!!
Dragon Master wrote:PT I hope eveything works out for the best for you.
Reading your entry makes me want to tell EVERYONE about the Secret. I was told about it and I’m doing my best to apply it in my every day life. It tells you all about how positve thought WILL turn into positve actions. Tell the universe what you are looking for agian and again and wait for the universe to bring it to you. Don’t let the negative thoughts and people bring you down. I have had a few really good things happen to me since I hav changed my outlook on what life gives me. I’m more accepting to things I can not change and look forward to what is next on the universes list for me.
I would highly recommend getting the Secret and watching it if you can. I have shared it with several friends so far.BTW I now feel like my Windstone Dragons are my guardians for good luck. My friend who has now passed away had a beautiful dragon right in the edge of his living room facing the door and said that dragon facing the door where supposed to ward off Evil spirits!!
Thank you for your kindness. It’s obvious you and I can see eye to eye on certain things in life. Tell me, The Secret… is that a movie? Must be as I cant imagine “watching” a book…der! But is it available to watch on DVD or VHS from Blockbuster or some place? Youve got me interested and Id tend to follow the recommendations of anything you have based on how you wrote out the rest of your post. If it is a movie, perhaps it will be a good family night get together for alll of us that are local for us to share and bond over while watching.I agree with your friend about the guardian aspects of them. Hence, the reason why the ones that will surround my urn have been dubbed by my family as “The Guardians.” Even in the Will, it says, “and the Windstone statues (then he names each of them), hereby known as ‘The Guardians’…”, so that he doesnt have to keep repeating the official production names of them over those 2 pages. It’s sad when some ppl dont do their research or dont delve into history to better understand the purpose of say, a gargoyle. So many misunderstand and call them evil when they should look at history (heck, just look at churches in NYC now!) and see that they adorned sacred places and their purpose was to ward off evil and warn dwellers of approaching trouble.
I think dragons existed during the time of dinosaurs and did manage to make it into medieval times. Like many large reptiles, they were misunderstood and seemed a threat to humans (I mean after all, hunters are allowed to use armor piercing bullets to go game hunting… like there’s some big old buck out there saying, “Im ready for yer a$$!” 🙄 ) I think there were very special ppl that were able to bond with dragons and they worked in unison for the greater good. I have a whole theory on how they were able to breathe fire and fly (not unlike a hot air balloon) but thats too much to go into here.
My point is, I see them as a force of good and not evil. Too many ppl get sucked into Hollywoods perceptions of what they put in movies and either ignore history or perpetuate a stereotype… which includes those of us who collect such creatures. Nevermind that they dont notice that the dragon or gargoyle could be sitting next to a symbol of overwhelming purity such as a unicorn 😡 Ignorance! But, to each his own as to a dragom with the last laugh would say, “meddle in my affairs and be forewarned for you are crunchy and taste good with ketchup!” Harumph! 😉 😈 ::imagines a satiated dragon flying away, spitting out spandex and polyester saying, hmm, taste like chicken! ::
Let me know about The Secret and what I can do from here. And thanks again for seeing my post for how I truly meant it to come across and not come weilding a torch at my house with a straight jacket! 😛
Everyone’s got great stories!
PT – The Secret is both a book and a DVD. It was featured on Oprah, and should be availible wherever books and DVDs are rented or sold. 😉
I discovered Anne McCaffery’s Pern books when I was in Junior High school and fell in love. I loved the idea that Dragons were good, not ‘evil’ as they were so often portrayed. I always loved Unicorns and Pegasus and loved all the sculpture on the medieval castles and churches, so the Guardian aspect appealed.
Then I saw Melody’s dragons at a store in the mall when I was 15ish and WOW. They were so beautiful. Graceful, real looking with out the gaping maws and sharp fangs or hovering over a girl in chains or a pile of bones. I saved and saved all my babysitting money and used to visit the shop once a week to oogle them. I finally saved enough and bought myself the peacock hatcher and was so proud! The collection has grown since then, I’ve always had a “special” jar to save up for them and my books 😛 ,through me buying or My parents and siblings have bought me the odd piece for my birthday or christmas, even amidst the taunting of being “The Dragon Lady” and hissed at and my collection called the “Dust catcher” collection.
I was so disappointed when I moved back to Calgary and the only Stores that I knew carried them had closed. I’ve found the other 2 now and this website so my collection continues to grow along with my love of them. Sometimes when I’m feeling low I will actually pull one down off the shelf and cuddle it. So I’m weird 😯 I’m so happy cause with all the remodelling in my room (I so can’t wait to have enought to get a house so I can fill it with windstone pretties 😀 ) I have finally got everyone out of their boxes, except the Bookends cause my bookshelves are stuffed, and displayed. All 80 of them. Of all the things I have my windstones are my prizes.It originally was just the quality. Cant say I read fantasy books or anything like that… just thought my brothers 2 dragons were cool and bought them from him. Kept those two for 10 years before I just decided I wanted more and looked on Ebay. Eventually led me to here. Now I collect them cuz I still like the quality, but now it gives me something to share and talk about with you guys 😆 . Also because of what Nam said… Made in America and I like the people in the company.
I think I was about eleven when I found them… We went to the mall that day and my little brother weaseled Dad out of $60 worth of videogames, so I felt justified in asking for an emerald mouse wizard. I loved it because the green (then my favorite color) was so vibrant, and I had a soft spot for mice even back then.
I remember Dad looking at it in the glass display case with this bemused expression on his face and he asked me “…what would you do with it?”
“Put it on my table and look at it every day and not let it get dusty.”
So I got it. At Christmas that year I got the emerald hatcher, and for my birthday I nearly died when my only present from Dad was the emerald male. See, he’s just as addicted as me, I’m just his excuse to buy the pretty dragons 😉 He can’t deny it, the sheer volume of fantasy on his bookshelf speaks against him.
It’s been going like that ever since. And now I’m “grown up” (ha ha!!) and can buy some for myself once in a while!
Wow….this is amazing. The stories make me feel all fuxxy inside, and PT yours almost made my shed a tear. And Nam-I love your descriptions of them!
My reason isn’t one to make you feel fuzzy inside, but growing up I have always loved unicorns. In fact there was one time when I must have forgotton that I loved unicorns because one day my mom gave me a stuffed animal unicorn that was from my grandma. She said grandma got it for me because how I had always loved unicorns, and at that moment I couldn’t recall whether or not I did like them. But I took it with a smile on my face, and ever since then, I really learned to love them again.
I would receive unicorn statues as gifts, and so my collection grew a little bit. My first prized unicorn was one that I bought when I was in Germany. It is stamped with the word Kaiser Germany on the bottom, and it is in the style of the old medieval unicorn with the lions tail. She was my favorite peice (and still is on that favorite’s list) until I saw the Grand Unicorn in the David’s Briar Shoppe in my local mall. I saw it from the hallway, and without my gaze leaving the unicorn, I glided right to it. I think I drooled over it for a few minutes before I realized that I could probably buy it if it was cheap enough. Sure enough-it was too expensive for my budget, but I took a brocure and went home. I looked it up on the internet, and when I found out that it had a whole set of them I almost flipped!!I browsed Ebay, and I found a mother unicorn in perfect condition, and so I bid on it and I won! She was my first Windstone, but I was dismayed when I found a damaged knee. It looked like the UPS delivery people dropped it on her knee. I was surprised it didn’t shatter. So now she has two cracks and a flat dent on her knee. Overall, I try to hide it but it isn’t noticeable unless you look closely.
Ever since then my collection has grown.
I just bought the Black male pegasus and it is to arrive in the mail tomorrow, and as soon as I get the black mother pegasus and a gothic unicorn (which I am hoping it will be in a new color soon!) I think I will span my collection to include the griffins and the dragons!Yay Melody!
I totally agree with everyone on the beauty and the quality of the Windstones! Whwere would we be without them? 😮
I love Windstones because of everything Nam said.
I like mythical/fantasy creatures like dragons because they bend the rules of nature just a little bit. Melody makes the by far most realistic – aside from the wings always being too small – dragons, and her non-classic critters like Poads are so realistic I can just imagine them skittering around my desk.
Plus, I’m an adamant supporter of U.S. industry. I wouldn’t buy Windstones if they were produced in China, even if they had the exact same handiwork and quality (which they wouldn’t). Nor would I buy them if Windstone were part of a big corporation like Hasbro. I love Windstone’s small enterprise, hand-made artwork, Made in U.S.A. policy. (I tend to think economics/politics with just about anything. Sorry.)
Aside from that, there’s no real sentimental value to any of my pieces, since I bought all of them for myself. I do consider my emerald coiled mama my first piece and I’m attached a bit more strongly to her. (I may have gotten the griffin candlelamp first though. I don’t remember.)I have always loved fantasy stuff, unicorns for sure, but dragons were a very close second. Back in the mid/late 80s all the fantasy stuff coming out of other factories (imports) were poorly made, lacked detail and were few and far between – just not much selection.
When I saw my first Windstones the detail was amazing (still is), they were large, and the colors were spectacular. I’m a nut when it comes to details and the quality on Windstones were far and beyond anything back then. I’ve noticed that the details and selection coming out of China in resin has improved dramatically (for less cost), but Windstones are still my favorite. It also seems odd that not many people can make a descent looking unicorn. That’s why I have always loved my Windstone unicorns. Ahhh the detail and quality!
The only regret I have is that back in the 80s Windstones were quite expensive in comparison to most things on the market so that my parents wouldn’t buy them for me. I had to wait until the mid-90s before I could purchase my first one.
And I haven’t stopped yet! 😀
I love Windstones because castles, knights, and queens always fascinated me. I was sitting around one day because someone asked me what my favorite animal was. I thought for a moment and Dragons popped into my head. I was walking around the mall and stopped in this store. There they were (Windstones) the dragons I had been looking for (I said to myself). I showed my friend and she got me the emerald hatching for my birthday and it worked out well because green was my favorite color. From then on, when I went to stores I would see them and I would check to see how much they would cost. I would count my pennies to see if I could afford them. I was drawn to the mother dragon and was amazed on how big the Emperor dragon was. I loved the large wizard because of all of the movies I saw. I did stop for a while collecting them until I had a proper place to put them. It wasn’t until I found this place and all the people that my collection has grown to a great amount. I am very grateful to share things with people who understand. It makes my life feel whole and it was something that I was missing for a long time. I didn’t know that Windstone Editions was an USA based company until I came here and that just adds a bonus to the sculpture. The friendliness of the staff and artist makes it much more worth it to me.
I am an animal and fantasy lover (especially for dragons) and since the age of 6 have been searching for sculptures of critters that were perfect. Something that actually looked real. When I was 7, I discovered Windstones, and knew then and there that I was never going to find sculptures of any animal that were any more perfect than that.
Thank you FOXFEATHER!
And thank you (and sorry) to you EAGLE!
Im enjoying reading all these. I hope more keep coming!
OK I finally caught up on all the posts here. The Secret cost me $30 and I found it at Borders. I searched Target also but they did not have it in the stores and I can’t remember now if they showed it on line but I think they did and it was the same price. It really covers so many things I can’t remember them all and do not want to ruin it for anyone else, but since everyone takes away different things the biggest message I got was to keep positive thoughts and tell the universe what you want and stay positive and wait for the universe to bring it to you. It talks about the power of brain waves both good and bad. I do not want to say too much and influence anyones take on this movie. It’s more of a documentary describing how the Secret works. I have been trying to have positive thought about things especially with my mom and grandma passing so close to eachother and I seem to be having better things happening in my life. All my bills are now completely caught up and some are ahead of the game so that alone has helped the stress level in my life and I got the Green Gold SK for much less then I thought I would, actually I thought I was going to get outbid, even though that was before I saw the Secret I’m looking at it as positive.
My birthstone is also Ruby. I had a ring made about 15 years ago it has a ruby in the middle and 4 diamonds around it, and I have gained so much weight that I can only wear it on my pinky. I just got my mom’s mother’s ring when she passed and it has a small Ruby and I’m being told Diamond for my sisters birthstone, she is June and I always knew it as Pearl, but my Ruby seems to change on my. My mom’s mothers ring also fits my pinky and she was left handed so I wear hers on ly left pinky and I’m righ thanded so mine is on ly right pinky. There are times it’s VERY dark and times when I can almost see thru it. It seems that during my hard times the Ruby is very dark and during better times I can see to the middle of the stone. both Rubies are light now so I’m taking it as good times coming up.I’m off tomorrow and I think I’ll be watching the Secret again. It was recommended to me since I have horrible luck dating men and finding a possible partner. I always get attitude when I go out for some reason and in talkig to some friends they told me to get this movie. I used to get VERY frustrated because EVERY time I met a guy to date within 3-4 dates he was telling me he met someone else and they where getting serious so I was ALWAYS the one getting the dear John talks. I’m EVERYONE ELSES good luck charm. I was wondering why and was told it’s not something I did or did not do. I’m also told I’m high maintance since I do not drink, smoke or do drugs and in the gay world that is very rare.
I would recommend the Secret to EVERYONE. My cousin even told my aunt she needs to see it. It was worth the money as far as I’m concerned
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