Dio de los Muertos

                    Honoring......

 Jays life and music

                                                                                  

                                              

Milagros.....The Shop

            Milagros......

This past weekend we drove down to Seattle to a shop 

called Milagros to pick up a couple of things to decorate my altar for 

Dio De los Muertos .

They don't allow photos in there because most

of their inventory is handmade

by artists in Mexico.

However I asked , and she let me take this one photo.

A dance costume.

It's a great store, in Post Alley right above the Seattle Public Market.

Actually they have now opened a second store as well, just a few blocks away.

The second store carries a lot of the same inventory but also had some very OLD Mexican pieces .

There was one piece I would really like to have, but a bit spendy. I

have to think about it a bit.  Actually I can't STOP thinking about it!!

Not to tempt YOU or anything..........but.....they ship....:)

After a bit of wandering in and about the Market

we headed to one of our favorite antique stores in the same area.

Again, no photos allowed. They said it makes the dealers nervous. 

After promising not to take any photos of the amazing jewelry in this place, they let me take a few

pics but it was a quick sort of covert operation and I apologize for the quality.

So.......I know when we go antiquing, we are all drawn to different things........

(thank goodness!!)

Here are a few photos of the sort of things that I am drawn to...............

See those Chinese fingernail protecters???

always fascinating to me!!!

Another one of those dolls.............

This one with a child and some sort of charm hanging from it.

Couldn't see the tag, and with my camera out, didn't want to ask for help...:)

Always attracted to these old shell art pieces.

(made me think of you Cathie:)

  And lastly, these old half dolls........

Someone had taken a couple of them,

altered and dressed them up a bit 

and put them under domes. 

Kinda fun and cute!!

All that walking around and sneaky camera work made us hungry, 

so we found a little spot right above the market

to have some brunch and a mimosa

while we people watched.

People watching.................always the most fun!!!

From our observations........... in Seattle, at the Market on a 

beautiful October day, the two most common accessories were a scarf

(we saw some beautiful ones!!)

and a camera!  

Hope you all had a great weekend as well!!

.

                                                                                 

Starting My Altar.......

Antique Icon, painted on tin............

Found in Colorado by my mother in law Anna.

I have wanted to make a larger altar  for quite a while.

 My small one is always so jumbled and loaded that

to handle anything on it means moving other 

things around......not good.

With Dio De los Muertos just around the corner

this seemed like a good time to at least get a start on a larger one.

So inspired by all the beautiful ones I have been seeing on 

some of my favorite blogs, I sat down with a list of 

how I wanted to be able to use mine, what I wanted it to  

include, and where I wanted to put it. 

I bought this little cupboard 3 years ago at a citywide garage sale.

It's been sitting in my garage .....waiting.......

I decided it was the perfect size, and will just fit on my buffet

in the dining room. 

First step: Took out the shelf so I can

put in taller objects and have more light.

Second : Painted the inside........the paint is still wet here.

Since my plan is to leave this up year round

I needed to use colors that are somewhat compatible

with the rest of the house. You can see here 

that I toyed briefly with  the idea of turquoise....

Couldn't do it.

So black it is.

This paint was in the garage , left over from another project. 

I also love the two drawers, I think they will be handy to store

incense, candles, photos, etc.

A tin heart I made, surrounded by milagros.

I didn't have enough milagros, but a little visit to Ebay, and now more are on their way. 

I'll add them later.

Starting the fun part...............

At home, sitting on top the buffet.

The old test tube is for flowers.

The flower frog is to hold photos.

(Hey Steph......notice the postcard!!!!!...:)

Still more to do,

I have some religious medals I want to add,

But I like things that are an ongoing process,

(like me!)

I am happy with this first version,

and  will be decorating it next week for

Dia De los Muertos.........

So......to be continued .........:)

BTW: If you want to see some stunning

altars that will take your breath away,

visit Lauries' blog to see some of hers as well

as links to other beautiful altars.

                                                                                   

NOMAD...........Sibella Court

                             
This was in my email box!!  An announcement for Sibella Courts new book....... 

                           
 "Nomad....Bringing your travels Home"

It's going to be available for purchase in early November!!
                                                                                                                                         

                              
It's already available for pre-order  here:

                               
                            
 Courts'  last book "ETCETERA, Creating Beautiful Interiors with the
                              
Things You Love"  is one of my all time favorite design books!!
                               
If you haven't seen it, here are a couple of photos to give you
                               
an idea how rich and layered her style is.

                                                                               

A tough act to follow..............................

 (from Etc:)

(from ETC:)

(from ETC:)

I can't wait to get the new book, and

if it's anything like the last one it will be

like reading a piece of art!!

*****UPDATE TO MY LAST POST:****

OK, I took the Native American "whatever"

in to a friend of mine that is a dealer, and handles a

lot of Native pieces. She had never seen a piece like it

or come across one in any of her books.

Without doing research on it...... in her opinion:

It is: Native American, probably East Coast.......

circa 1880's or so...............

made to hang on a wall

to hold a fetish

not for tourist trade.

So that's all I know/don't know at this point.

HOWEVER:

My grandson Matt took it to show his third grade class

since they are studing Native Americans,

and it was declared

"COOL AND CREEPY!!"

(he was happy!!)

(priceless!!!!!)

                                                                                                                                                                                

Auction Treasure

Native American Pocket? From a belt? saddle? For a wall???
    

There is a small auction  every two weeks

in the next small town over.

I usually try and preview it the day before and that way if there

isn't anything  I REALLY want,

I don't go just for fun and end up buying lots of stuff I don't really want or need

just "because it was a screaming deal??"

Yesterday throwing all wisdom out the window,

I went to just watch the "treasures "

parade by.

And ended up buying this........................

I am really not sure what this is.

It has two small pockets on the front, they are wool,

and edged with a red fabric that has frayed.....silk?

The embroidery on it doesn't look like thread.

Maybe hair? Horse?

Some of it has been dyed red.

There are horsehair tassels  (dyed blue)

that are set in silver tubes,

and some of them are missing.

This is the back...........

lined with a red cotton, edged with a zigzag of red felt, there is a small  pocket on

the bottom.

It's going to be fun researching this,

trying to find out age, tribe, purpose.

THE BAD.............

It was a box lot. Yup. That means there's

always the "rest of the box".......

I will probably try to send that drum home

with my grandson...........:)

A couple of things will go into the "I might make something out of that

someday " box.

But I don't need an airline flotation device

laying around here.

(I hope!!)

How does that even end up at an auction??  

Off to the Goodwill donation box!!!

                                                                                                                       

Dia de los Muertos

Talisman earring.................................................

Working on some

Day Of The Dead jewelry.

I know, rather subdued .

This is a single earring because I find that's

all I seem to be wearing these days.

I will probably make a very short one with 

just a bead and skull to wear with it occasionally.

SO.....................................

I am standing at the jewelry counter at my local Goodwill,

waiting for a "lady"

to get through looking at EVERY single

piece in the counter.

(I go every couple of weeks looking for pieces to take apart)

Finally, realizing she's going to be a very long time,

I asked if I could look with her, after her.

Before long I see her pick up a necklace, and immediately put it down.

I asked the clerk if I could please have a look at it.

I start looking at it, and the lady says VERY loudly, 

"Oh, I could never wear that I am a Christian". 

I realized she thought it had skulls on it. 

I told her....."It's not skulls, it's elephants".

Not listening, not hearing, not caring,

she still went on and on about how she was a Christian and could not wear "it".

I am starting to feel like I have a blinking light

 over my head  flashing HEATHEN!!!!

I turned to the clerk and said "I'll take it please".

                                                                    

This is my new necklace that I am pretty sure is Ivory,

even down to the tiny clasp.

 I now happily own it because she "could never wear that".

I quickly realized that lady had far more problems than I could ever hope to address over

the jewelry counter at the Goodwill.

Cute huh!!

This is my favorite rosary.

It came from a nuns estate in Montreal.

It hangs on my bedpost and when I am particularily

troubled I hold  it in my hands to just feel it.

I am not Catholic but it still comforts me.

I like to think about all the prayers it has heard, and

feel how worn all the many medals are from those prayers.

Oh look..... 

what's that I see at the bottom of the crucifex?

A skull??

I'm pretty sure the nun whose fingers

wore these metals almost smooth was a

CHRISTIAN