New and Old PC Additions

 A few hobby things brewing here.  One I am really excited about, but probably won;t be able to share anything until this coming weekend, depending on the Post Office.  But in the mean time, I've added a couple cards to my Paul Blair player collection.

Wait. Don't I already have that card?  Yes, I do. I had three at one time, but traded one for the chicken bucket lid and a handful of team-issued postcards. So, this one brings me back up to three.  I've talked about this card before.  To recap, it was a limited edition Nabisco All-Star Legends card that was issued at regional in-person events and not through the mail like the more pervasive cards from this small set.  In 10 years, I have seen only 5 appear on eBay.  When the listing mentions the actual set name, the cards always sell for crazy dollars (the lowest I've seen is $68.)  

But, twice now it was buried in a larger lot of cards and the auction description made no mention of Nabisco.  Both times, I was able to pounce on the lot and win this card for a song.  This card above came in a lot with autographed cards of Brad Ausmus, Steve Avery, Harold Baines, Jesse Barfield, Jay Bell, Tom Brookens, and Earnest Byner.  The whole lot was mine for about $30.  I don't need any of the others, so claim 'em if you want 'em.

The second card is a custom card that draws it's inspiration from 1988 Donruss.

Other than the bare-bones back (I alliterate intensely) it is actually well done. I'm still not overly convinced about ACEO cards, but I am not deadset against them either.

Anyways, I've got a full day tomorrow and need to get my beauty sleep. So, I am going to end here and only mention vaguely that I am within striking distance of finishing one of my favorite projects that I've undertaken since I got back into the hobby.

What I am listening to:  Appalachian Nightmare by Justin Townes Earle

Ponies!

A while back, dayf over at Cardboard Junkie asked his readers for pony artwork. So, as I described in this post, I made him a custom card front based on the 1976 Topps Big League Brothers card, using a picture of two of my horses. He asked what I wanted in return, and I suggested a few Heritage cards.

Well, his package came in today. And there was more than a few Heritage cards, as well as a selection of 1976 Topps (the set I was working on when I got laid off). All I can say is, again, I am overwhelmed by card bloggers generosity.

I don't have time to do a more comprehensive post on what he sent because I am trying to get myself prepared for a job interview on Friday. I will hopefully get something up over the weekend. I will, however, show the star card in the package.



I am guessing Applejack and Applebloom are two characters in My Little Pony. I like how this card riffs off my custom creation. Well, "riff" probably isn't the right term. This card has too much awesomeness to be considered derivative. Let's say, dayf took my germ of an idea and made it his own. This card is going to go into my super vintage/relic/general awesomeness card binder because this card belongs there. I am putting it next to my Hector Noesi auto card:



If I read the expression on Hector's face correctly, he seems to be saying "Sweeeeet!!!! I like ponies!" So, everybody is happy.

Cardboard Catastrophes Custom Card Creations - Ponies!

A week or so back, dayf over at Cardboard Junkie held a contest to pick the Super Bowl winner and the winner's point total. Along with that, was a second chance contest if you made him some pony artwork. So, since I have two ponies here on the farm, I dredged through my photograph files to find a snapshot to use. Alas, I didn't have any good shots of the two ponies together because, well, they don't get along.


But, I did decide to use one of my favorite pictures, what I refer to as the Mini Me photo. And, of course, what do you do with a picture of two horses that look a lot alike? Why you put them on a 1977 Topps Big League Brothers card. And here is what I created:



I am not going to take you through the creation process, but I will mention a couple things about how I chose what I did for this custom card.

First, the choice of Big Pony and Little Pony for the names is based on more than just there size. It is actually a tip of the hat toward the Waner Brothers, Lloyd and Paul, who were born about 30 minutes from here in Harrah, OK. The Waners were known, of course, as Big Poison and Little Poison.

The choice of the Houston Colt 45s was mainly because it was as close as I could get to a horse themed MLB team nickname. Yes, I know they were actually named after a gun, not a horse. But, what else would I have chosen? I suppose I could have gone with the Pittsburgh Pirates, since that is who the Waner brothers played for, but I didn't think of that until afterward. Sue me.

Now, let me reveal this cards secret problems. The larger of the two equines isn't technically a pony. A horse is generally considered a pony if it is less than 14 hands tall at the wither (the vertebrae where the upper neck, shoulder and back come together.) The big guy in the back stands 16.2 hands tall. Also, the two horses are not brothers. Indeed, they aren't even related, except in a vague evolutionary sense. Penny, in the foreground is a 11 year old registered Welsh Pony. Jack, in the background is a 26 year old Quarter Horse. If that wasn't sufficient reason to put away the notion of brotherhood, Penny is a mare. For you city slickers, that means she is a girl. But, we shouldn't let minor matters like gender and genetics stand in the way of great art, should we? Of course not.

New Blog Feature - Cardboard Catastrophes Custom Card Creations

I've mentioned before that, even after a year of blogging I don't feel like I have found my voice yet. They closest I have come to finding my niche in a baseball card blogging world that is populated by some genuine talent is my intermittent Twin Brothers from Different Mothers feature. But, I think I have happened upon a concept that will help me have some original content around here.

I had a great time creating a custom card entry for Thorzul's Nightmares on Cardboard contest. I also amused myself greatly with my mocking of John Lackey in a trade post the other day. So, I thought I would use my mad Photoshop skillz to create some humorous card designs. I ran with the John Lackey theme and created this card, that I have titled "Hey Red Sox, All The Signs Were There Before You Signed Him."



I can't predict how often I'll do this, but this one was a great time waster on a gray Sunday.