Happy October! The leaves here are starting to turn - so beautiful! It's almost time for Star Stable's Halloween event to begin, but in the meantime we've been happily enjoying a slower-paced two weeks.
During the final week of September, Star Stable tempted us with another horse bazaar. On sale this time were the Friesian for 570 star coins, the Arabian and Pintabian for 475 star coins, and the Curly Horse for 510 star coins.
Apologies for the random player crashing our screenshot - they were sitting there for quite some time, and we ran out of time and patience.
We're good on the Friesian and Arabian/Pintabian fronts, but we could not resist the Curly Horse. Ironically, they were 10 star coins less expensive the first time they went on sale, back in December 2025. Obviously, we passed on them back then - if I'm remembering right, it was bazaar overload in that timeframe, with us just recently buying our Morgan and looking ahead to buying our Ardennes.
As an early generation 3 horse, the Curly lacks the... refinement... of more recently-added horses. Its animations, especially its fast gallop, are rather clunky. It also isn't retrofitted at all, meaning it can't wear any of the newer styles of tack. We've passed on most early gen 3 horses for those reasons, but we made an exception for the Curly. Why? Because they exude so much cuteness and charm - they give off huggable teddy bear vibes.
We loved all of their coat colors, but we had to go with the chestnut because he seemed the most teddy bear like of them all.
Meet Teddyexpress!
Oof, one of our more awkward girl-meets-horse screenshots
No regrets - he's such a sweet guy - but one thing we find super annoying is that every time we get on him, this popup appears. If only there was a "do not show me this message again" option to click.
As slow-paced as we've been playing, Teddy will probably be our mount for a decent chunk of the Halloween event. We don't anticipate purchasing any Halloween horses (we already have our two favorites), so he's hopefully our last new horse for a while.
firefly chasing in Hollow Woods
Enjoy the happy, summery scenery now, buddy. Spooky season will be here soon!
Ready or not, I'm going to dive into the main subject of this post now, ArtPrize 2026. It took over downtown Grand Rapids, MI over the past few weeks. It's a free-to-the-public art competition that returns each fall and always seems to whiz by way too quickly. There were over 1000 entries this year spread out over 150+ venues. Mom didn't see all 1000, but she still saw an overwhelming amount of amazing art in person, took photos, and told us all about it.
Throughout the competition, the public could vote on their favorites At the end, prizes were awarded in various categories (2D, 3D, installation, etc.) both to the winners of the public vote and juried vote (aka a panel of art experts.)
For the record, the public vote grand prize winner this year was Sketchdiet: A Year of Drawing Everything I Ate by Kristin Pennock. It stretched out accordion-style over a looong stretch hallway in DeVos Place. The artist travelled extensively and had food allergies, so this had a bit of a celebratory feel (this is what I could eat, and this is where I was!) In summary, per her statement, "The drawings pushed me to seek new places and foods for variety, thinking more carefully about what I really wanted to be eating, providing a creative outlet, serving as a kind of diary, and recognizing those who became part of the experience."
We're happy for the artist and think the win was well-deserved, but it did not rank near the top on any of our lists.One that did: Monsterpalooza. A new batch of 50 of these not-so-scary watercolor monsters were on display in the same downtown hotel lobby as previous years. The artist has been creating one of these a day since 2014 and is still going strong!
one side of the display pillar
These never fail to put smiles on our faces. Keep going for our favorites. I've decided we'll go in birthday order this year to mix things up, because why not?
Felicity's pick: laundry monster
Julie's pick: freeze pop monsters
Bethany's pick: Michigan-shaped ice cream monsters (Superman ice cream is her favorite! :))
my (Lily's) pick: rootbear
We also all loved this one, Unexpected Beasts. It's chaotic and not very cohesive but great fun. The beasts were crafted mostly out of unexpected items the artist found on her property.
Felicity's favorite: spider
Julie's favorite: hedgehog
Bethany's favorite: tortoise
Next up: each sister's top 5 entries!
Felicity's picks:
1920s Harbor/Fishing Village
a quaint historical scene built out of legos!
So much detail and so much fun!Mom spent a ton of time admiring this one.
The Pause
Felicity was intrigued by this painter's unique style and appreciated it even more after reading the artist's explanation. She chose to paint this security guard, someone she barely knew and found intimidating. The painting took over 500 hours for her to complete - a lot of time spent in the presence of that security guard. A snippet from her statement: "What began as an inquiry into difference became an experience of recognition. Through the intimacy of prolonged seeing, fear gave way to empathy, detachment to tenderness. In this work, I celebrate the profound dignity and beauty that exist in every person, especially when they first seem distant from us. The painting stands as a testament to the transformative power of attention: that to truly see another person is, eventually, to love them."
Earth Portalsabstract nature art at its finest
This one was her favorite of the four.
THE MOMENT BEFORE COLLAPSEWhat a dramatic painting! We prefer to imagine that he's coming together rather than disintegrating.
Catch my drift
A spectacular driftwood dragon!
This one was located in a prime spot outside of a museum so got lots of love.
Julie's picks:
Solitude Trails
Serene paintings of a local golf course that became a nature preserve a few years ago. Julie loved this painter's meticulous detail and the masterful use of color and shadow.
We recognized the area immediately from photos Mom has taken - she's walked there many times. <3 As you can see, the land's gone from manicured, monolithic grass to meandering trails through native plants instead!
Infinite Deep
this massive painting of a great Pacific octopus got its own little dark room with a sign on the door about only entering if you dare. XD
it was so pleasingly textured and sparkly!
Price to Pay
This has the feel of a dragon's treasure hoard, but it's all cast off gold-colored everyday items. Julie appreciated the the beauty in the chaos and enjoyed picking out cute random things like a rocking horse and a rubber duck, but of course the artist had deeper things in mind. Per her statement, "This reflects a broader cultural longing for purpose, beauty, and belonging in a society shaped by overwork, overconsumption, and dissatisfaction. Ultimately, the installation asks: Do we belong here? How do possessions help us claim place in an unstable world? What do we truly desire? Why can’t we have what we want?"
A Gentle Giant
a textile portrait of Yogi, a well-loved brown bear from our local zoo who passed a few years ago the ripe old age of 31. <3
Maeve
A happy, colorful oil painting about living in the moment and enjoying the little things in life.
The artist was there when Mom visited. When somebody commented on how difficult the bubbles must have been, she said she'd concentrate on one bubble per day to keep from getting overwhelmed. :^)
Bethany's picks:
The Hidden Hollow
Bethany loves the depth and vibrant colors in this painting. The artist's short, sweet statement:"A glimpse into a hidden place I’ve always imagined exists, somewhere just beyond the path." Bethany wishes she could go there, as do I!
Endangered Animals
Bold paintings of some beautiful animals we definitely don't want to forget about.
One thing Bethany especially liked was how much blue paint was used in the "white" of the zebras.
Legacy
such a quietly beautiful painting
Magnanimous
def: (adj) very generous, forgiving, or noble, especially toward a rival or someone less powerful
The artist's inspiration: she was lucky enough to swim with three humpback whales in the ocean near Tahiti. "They were aware of our presence and moved carefully around us, watching us with interest and making eye contact... they so graciously allowed us to join with them in their waters, sharing in their dance and song. I would like the viewer of this artwork to feel like they joined us in the water with them..."
The Appreciation Project
This was actually a 3-part entry - there were also some 2D drawings of plant and animal bits displayed on traditional rectangular canvasses and on the sides of 3D shapes - but Bethany's favorite was this part, The Subway People. The artist enjoys sketching people on the New York City subway and then decided to turn them into clay figures. Bethany loved the somewhat cartoony yet still realistic style of these. Each is so detailed, unique, and relatable.
a close up
My (Lily's) picks:Owl at the Edge of Soft Reflections
This one was located in the basement of the B.O.B., hence Mom's unevenly lit photo.
I found this so soft, dreamlike, and beautiful!
The Eyes of the Gods
a glass mosaic masterpiece!
Where Water Whispers
Again, apologies for the uneven lighting in the photo, but Mom was really glad it was there to emphasize all the sparkly bits, which included glass, gemstones, and even two Petoskey stones. I love everything about it, including how the foxes are watching the viewer right back. Per the artist, "Ultimately, Where Water Whispers is a reminder that wonder does not always demand our attention. Sometimes it rests quietly beneath the surface, waiting for us to become still enough to see it."
this is knot a wall but a plane of opportunity It's dark and ominous, but not so dark and ominous that you aren't drawn in to look at the holes.
So much variety in both wood and knotholes!
The Symphony of Life
The artist took a walk in a nearby park and was inspired to paint this beauty. "On that day, standing among the wildflowers, I felt something I have experienced many times throughout my life. The flowers, the light, the breeze, and the observer no longer felt separate. Everything seemed connected, moving together in quiet harmony. That feeling became this painting."
And there you have it, our collective top 20. Congrats for making it all the way to the end! As we tend to think every year, there were so many amazing entries that it was painful to each limit ourselves to just 5! Thank goodness, though, because this post is a marathon as it is. Until next time! <3
