Esther O'Hara Gallery at the Farm

UPDATE: For those of you that come to my art gallery at the Amish Farm and House, this year I will not be working on site as I have in the past. The Amish Farm and House gift shop staff will continue to sell the Amish reproductions, and it will still be the only place you will find them hand signed other than on my website. This will still be my gallery, and I will replenish the Amish designs as needed. As some of you know, I am experiencing pain in my neck & shoulder and the... Orthopedic Surgeon said it is directly related to the hours of closeup work when making original artwork. Since I’ve been home for the past two months, the pain is much less so I’ve accepted with some sadness that this change is necessary. I will continue to create a few original Amish designs and some jewelry which will also be sold through the AFAH gift shop, but will no longer put out the volume that I have sold in the past. I discovered the clay in 1996 and it has been quite a journey. I never dreamt I would design something that was in demand and would eventually be picked up by a gift company (Blossom Bucket, Inc in 2008) who now reproduces and sell them nationally and at times, internationally. It’s a dream come true that I never dreamt. As I look over the past years, I know it was my followers who helped that dream come true. Thank you so very much. See more

One of my collectors sent me his collection of the Original Nativity Set. I told him I would share it with you folks as he can't put it directly on my page due to privacy issues. I am thankful to have so many collectors through my art career, and as happens after many years, I know my days for doing this original work are limited due to some health issues (arms and shoulders). Many of my collectors have become friends. Unfortunately I don't do mail order of these original pieces anymore and only sell them at the physical shop in Lancaster County due to these health issues. You can always buy the reproductions through the website at estheroharagallery.com

THERE IS STILL TIME TO ORDER FOR CHRISTMAS. For those who enjoy the Amish culture, here are some Christmas gift ideas for a: 1. FRIEND 2. SISTER 3. MARRIAGE, ANNIVERSARY OR JUST SIMPLY for YOUR SPOUSE 4. friends with a NEW OR EXISTING HOME 5. TEACHER or 6. ORNAMENT FOR A NATIVITY SET COLLECTOR. If you buy this popular Amish folk-art from my website, you will get the artist signature. I design this Amish line for Blossom Bucket, Inc., a wholesale company in Ohio who has them massed produced and sold across the US You will also receive information cards "About the Amish" and "About the Artist" which makes the gift more personal. Go to my website to order at estheroharagallery.com or contact me with questions at [email protected]

CONGRATULATIONS JODY DAVIS, you are the winner of the Amish Nativity Contest!! THESE MAKE GOOD CHRISTMAS GIFTS, so order now on estheroharagallery.com if interested. It will be unique in that it will include the artist hand signature. Please feel free to contact my by e-mail if you have questions: [email protected] Thanks to all to you that entered. I wish all could win, but of course that is not possible. Please be assured that with the help of my husband, I use a fair method in selecting winners and everyone has the same chance at winning.

Don't forget to join the contest for the giveaway of the AMISH NATIVITY (see previous post). In the meantime, I'd like to introduce you to our new puppy. Tobi has been with us for three weeks. I take him to my art gallery at the Amish Farm and House most Saturdays so he can meet new people. Fortunately he has quickly become buddies with our 13 year old Jack Russell, Zeppy. This photo was taken for Halloween at the farm when they dressed him in a lion's costume. If you go on my website, you will see a figurine which features our Zeppy. Possibly in the future there will be a figurine featuring Tobi. Our dogs bring my husband and I much joy. If anyone would like to share a picture of your pup in a comment below, feel free to do so.

CONTEST: It’s that time of the year, friends! ENTER TO WIN THE 13 Pc. AMISH NATIVITY SET. At the end of this message you will find 3 steps to enter. Please follow them carefully to be eligible. This Amish Nativity is a reproduction (copy) of my design as I license my Amish line to a wholesale company in Ohio (Blossom Bucket, Inc). This line is sold across the country by the company, but they are hand signed only when you get them directly from my website or my physical a...rt gallery. This contest ends at 12:00PM (noon) on Monday, Nov. 30, 2020 and the winner will be announced on Tuesday, December 1st. These make great Christmas gifts. The cost is $47.00 + shipping. There is also a smaller Amish Nativity for $24.00 + shipping. You will find both sets if you go to my website at estheroharagallery.com and click on the Amish Nativity Set tab . PLEASE FOLLOW THE INSTRUCTIONS BELOW CAREFULLY TO BE ELIGIBLE FOR THIS CONTEST.. 1. "LIKE" or "FOLLOW" THIS "ESTHER O’HARA GALLERY AT THE FARM" page if you have not already done so, PLEASE NOTE: to be eligible, you must like or "follow" the gallery page, not just like this contest posting. 2. SHARE THIS POSTING and Nativity photo on your FB timeline. 3. COMMENT UNDER THIS POSTING that you have liked or followed Esther O’Hara Gallery at the Farm, and shared this picture on your timeline . AFTER THE WINNER IS ANNOUNCED, YOU MUST CLAIM YOUR WIN. Due to people's privacy settings from previous contests, I sometimes find it difficult to contact the winner personally. I will try to contact the winner, but the winner should also contact me (Esther) to claim the item within two weeks after winning. [email protected].

NEW FEATURE: Periodically I will feature one of the Amish figurines and will explain the inspiration behind the creation of that design. This week the figurine of the "Amish lady with Apple Cider 4 sale" is featured. INSPIRATION BEHIND THIS FIGURINE: The year I created this figurine was just after my husband and I visited an Amish fall event where Fresh Apple Cider was made in a stainless-steel hand pressed cider machine. It was fascinating to watch. THIS FIGURINE IS... 15% off for a limited time. To purchase go to https://www.estheroharagallery.com Click on the Amish Figurine tab and you can purchase directly from the website. If you are visiting Lancaster County in the near future and like Apple Cider, visit Kauffman’s Fruit Farm and Market. The owners are Amish and they have developed an award-winning Apple cider which is wonderful. See more at kauffmansfruitfarm.com/FarmMarket See more

UPDATE: For my collectors who have started to travel and would like to stop by my art gallery when in Lancaster County, PA, the following information will update you on my hours at the Amish Farm and House gift shop where my gallery is located. The Farm premises opened in June and I have been reluctant to return regularly as before, as I have joined the senior citizen category. When I am not there, the store staff sells my designs seven days a week but I agreed to physically ...be at the gallery from 10:30 - 4:00 on Friday and Saturday. This is until near the end of the year when I have a shoulder replacement. I hope to be back again next spring if all goes well with surgery and depending on COVID 19. For those that visit, please know IT IS MANDATORY that visitors wear masks inside the building of the Amish Farm and House. The staff wear masks to protect each other and to protect the customers, so we ask that everyone do their part. We are all trying to figure out how to put some normalcy back in our lives, but to do so with safety in place. Thanks to all of you who follow my Amish designs and for many of you who have become friends. I feel blessed. amishfarmandhouse.com & estheroharagallery.com See more

ALL THE RETIRED AMISH FIGURINES ARE SOLD from the earlier posting this afternoon. There are 2 of the "Quilting Friends" and 4 of the Arctic Nativity Set, both of which are not Amish designs, but still designed by me. I have sent out invoices to all and will get the figurines in the mail after I receive payment. Pina, I have not recieved an e-mail from you for the figurines you expressed interest in. Please e-mail me at [email protected] so I can send you an invoice. If anyone is interested in the non-Amish Quilting Friends or Arctic Nativity, please e-mail me and I will send you an invoice or let you know if at that point they have all sold. It is first come first serve. (SEE PREVIOUS POSTING FOR PHOTOS)

RETIRED AMISH FIGURINES FOR SALE: Recently some of my collectors contacted me for one of my Amish design they saw on another website but didn’t see it for sale on my website. If you see them on other sites, it is because that company has old inventory and that figurine is no longer available from the company I design for or from me as the designer. The company discontinues these designs within a year and puts out new designs as I send them. Below are several limited nu...mbers of older designs which I have for sale, so if you want any of these it is first come first serve. If you are interested, YOU MUST DO BOTH STEPS BELOW TO CONFIRM YOUR PURCHASE ... FIRST: put ‘SOLD as well as number of figurine in the red box' in the comments below this posting. #SECOND: E-MAIL ME at [email protected] with selected figurine and I will send you an invoice. Also, you will see a photo of an Arctic Nativity set that I designed. There is a limit of six of these Nativity sets. FIGURINES WILL ONLY BE SIGNED WHEN PURCHASED DIRECTLY FROM ME AS THE ARTIST. scription See more

CONGRATULATIONS goes to Betty Elliott LaBreck for winning the contest for a pair of handmade clay earrings. Betty, due to privacy settings I may not be able to contact you so I ask that you send me an e-mail message at to let me know which pair you would like and also provide your physical address as soon as possible. Thanks to all to you that entered. Please be assured that with the help of my husband, I use an unbiased and fair method in selecting winners and everyone has the same chance at winning. To order any of these earrings for $25.00 each which including shipping, you can e-mail me at [email protected]. If you would like to go shopping for a handsigned reproduction of my Amish Line of folkart, visit my website at estheroharagallery.com

I just posted five additional Amish figurines to my website. If you are interested in making a purchase, go to estheroharagallery.com and click on the "Amish Figurine" tab. You can purchase these from other websites and stores, but when you purchase them from me directly you will get the hand signature as well as information cards "About the Artist" and "About the Amish" which makes them more personal. I design this Amish line for a gift company who markets them across the United States.

CONGRATULATIONS! The two winners of the contest for the Amish figurines go to Karen Gervaise and Sandy Thayer. Karen and Sandy, Please contact me within two weeks to claim your win. Due to privacy settings I may not be able to contact you so I ask that you send me an e-mail message at with your physical address for shipping, as well as your choice of the two figurines pictured as soon as possible. Thanks to all to you that entered. I wish all cou...ld win, but of course that’s not possible. Please be assured that with the help of my husband, I use a fair method in selecting winners and everyone has the same chance at winning. If you are interested in purchasing one of these figurines, go to my website (estheroharagallery.com) and click on the Amish Figurine tab which will give you the selection of figurines you can choose from. See more

To those that have joined the contest, I just realized there is an error in my posting about the cutoff date. I tried to edit it but it will only let me see previous edits so I think I've used up the amount Facebook allows me. Anyway, here is the correction. The contest ends Thursday, March 26th 2020 at midnight, and the two winners will be announced Friday, March 27th. My original post had the weekdays vs. the dates mixed up. Sorry for the inconvenience. Hope you are all doing okay with the limitations in our world right now. It's a broken world we live in and we ask God for guidance as we find our way. Thanks for joining the contest and also to those of you that wrote kind words. Blessings to all!

GIVE AWAY CONTEST: This is a stressful time for many of us, so let's have some fun. In this contest, two people will win their choice of the following Amish figurines. Please follow instructions carefully after reading this explanation about the contest items. EXPLANATION: This is a signed reproduction (copy). I design the Amish line for Blossom Bucket, Inc. a national gift company who reproduces and markets them. These Amish designs are sold across the US by the compan...y. This figurine will be hands signed. The only other way you will receive a hand signed copy is if you buy it directly from my gallery at estheroharagallery.com (or my physical gallery at the Amish Farm & House in Lancaster, PA when it reopens). The figurine will also come with information cards About the Amish and About the Artist. As a rule, the figurines measures about 3 ". INSTRUCTIONS: Please read the four step instructions below carefully to be eligible. 1. FOLLOW ESTHER O’HARA GALLERY PAGE on Facebook if you have not already done so at the top of the page. 2. SHARE THIS POSTING on your personal FB Timeline. 3. Post a comment below you are have followed Esther O’Hara Gallery at the Farm, and shared this picture on your Timeline. PLEASE ONLY ONE POSTING PER PERSON. 4. AFTER THE WINNER IS ANNOUNCED, YOU MUST CLAIM YOUR WIN. The contest ends Thursday, March 27th 2020 at midnight, and the two winners will be announced Monday, March 28th. Due to people's privacy settings from previous contests, I found it is sometimes difficult to contact the winners personally. I will make an attempt to do so, but if the winner does not hear from me, I ask that they contact me to claim the figurine within one weeks after winning. Esther’s e-mail [email protected] Website - estheroharagallery.com

Hi friends. Like so many other establishments, The Amish Farm and House where I have my art gallery is closed for the next two weeks at which time they will re-evaluation the situation due to the Coronavirus. This is a difficult time for many, and I hope that we can find things to do to relieve the stress and anxiety. Let’s pray for each other and join together to think of ways we can help others without risking our own health. I’m asking for comments below that will give others ideas as to what you can do to encourage others with thoughts and deeds. We know there are many concerns and you are welcome to express those, but let’s try to keep this thread positive as well as we try to encourage each other.

"Dashing through Snow" in Lancaster County today. The snow was beautiful, and we were thankful to have the option of watching it from the our warm home. Photographer: Dan Marschka of Lancaster Newspaper.

HOW DO AMISH BRING IN THE NEW YEAR IN LANCASTER COUNTY, PA? Many Lancaster folks, including Amish, are descendants. of Pennsylvania Dutch (also called Pennsylvania Germans or Pennsylvania Deutsch) and have a unique New Year’s tradition of eating pork and sauerkraut on New Year's Day. This tradition was originally considered a way to bring good luck into the New Year. This, like many traditions have started from superstitions and then turn into fun customs that remind us of ou...r childhood memories. The Pennsylvania Dutch are descendants of early German immigrants to Pennsylvania and are made up of a range of religious groups including Amish, Mennonite, German Reformed, Moravian, and others. Enjoy celebrating the new year and a new decade ... 2020! We'd love to hear of your New Year's traditions in comments below, and how you intend to bring in the new year. Don't forget to say where you are from. In our house it will be with Pork and Sauerkraut! See more

MERRY CHRISTMAS to all of you from our home to your home. Thanks so much for helping to support my art with encouragement and your patronage this past year. It has been over 20 years since I first came up with the Amish line to where these designs are now sold to people from around the world. It is a dream come true, that I never dared to dream. THANK YOU!

Rose, one of our employees at the Amish Farm and House often brings her pup, Boots to work. Here he is dressed as Santa & Rudolph and looking a little shy. He's a good boy and adds to our fun at the farm.