Sammy's got the Deep Sloth Blues

Uncle Paul and Sammy Playin the Deep Sloth Blues

Hooboy. We opened gifts on Christmas Eve, and junior gave my brother a carved wooden sloth, with a hooked tail for hanging upside down. Lord knows what goes through my bro's head sometimes (but it seems to run in the family) -- but he showed up on Christmas morning with his steel guitar and the sloth, which he introduced as Sammy, discreetly hanging from his pocket and an impish grin on his face.

He took out the guitar and began to play the blues. After a few bars he gave Junior a wink and pulled Sammy out of his pocket. And the rest is cell phone video history. We shot two more takes after the first song. Unfortunately I don't have video editing software to trim the ends, but honey when I do, Sammy the Sloth will be the next YouTube phenomenon! ;-)

Doesn't Sammy look like he's totally scared
spitless and praying his tail off???

~~~~~~~~~~

Bird House Brooch

Bird House Brooch
Originally uploaded by mary_tafoya

While I was pre-Christmas cleaning I found a bag of jewelry I had forgotten I made. (Maybe that's why the MOTH gave me BrainAge for Christmas???). I decided to put my little Bird House Pin in my Etsy shop, with this nod to Leonard Cohen:

"Like a bird on the wire,
Like a drunk in the midnight choir,
I have tried in my way to be free."

Today I plan to photograph some more of the lost-and-found jewelry. I think that's why I had put them in that baggie to begin with...

Brain fartfully yours... 8-)

Christmas Paz

Amazingly, I got my work table clean in time for Christmas Eve. It took hours. (This time, I didn't shove everything in boxes under the table and put an extra long tablecloth over everything.) This time, I sorted. I organized. I rearranged. I packed. I put things in little compartments and drawers and baggies. I had bought two beautiful little dark wood mult-drawer rolling carts which had stood basically empty all Fall. I labelled them very discreetly with little old fashioned letter stickers -- r, o/y, g, b, v, etc., and filled them with the junk, er, I mean, supplies off my table. Well, not filled, just organized.

Last night after everyone left and I had put the food away, it was very late but I got out a little bag of goodies I bought at Mama's Minerals' 50% off sale yesterday, and it was so awesome to be able to look at my new beads, then turn around and pull out the exact beads I thought would look cool with them.

Organized. It's a whole new world! But I can't wait to mess up my table again. ;-)

Oh and in other news, unfortunately a relative has developed a problem with alcohol and like others in our world and yours, it's gotten progressively worse, because that's what alcoholism does. Thanksgiving was awkward and a bit uncomfortable although the relative isn't a crazy drunk. So my DH and I decided it was once again (something you have to do now and then over the years) time to declare our home alcohol free over the holidays. We called the relative to let them know, very simply and not in a mean way, and although it seemed to go well, that entire portion of the family decided it would be more fun to go to a casino for Christmas Eve. (lol ;-)

I know we did the right thing. There was a time when I had a sign in my house that said, "Mi casita de paz" -- my little house of peace. I'm certainly compassionate about alcoholism, and for that matter addiction and mental health issues and all those other things we don't choose to be afflicted with, but if there's anywhere on the planet I have some rights to choose my influences, it's in my own home. I wasn't so surprised the one relative chose to stay away, but I was disappointed that the others didn't come.

So today we travel to another relative's for Christmas Day. And maybe we'll meet up with our drinking relative, and maybe we won't. But I know, whatever happens, it will be ok.

~~~~~~~~~~

Artdoodads Etsy Treasury

Kewl -- Artdoodads, an Albuquerque-Etsian, included my blue apatite bangle ring in her "Soft and Pretty" Etsy treasury. Thanks!

~~~~~~~~~~

Vintage Pistachio

Vintage Pistachio
Originally uploaded by mary_tafoya

Yummy pistachio vintage beads on blackened sterling silver

Gregory Cajete and bell hooks Poster

Here's my finished poster project from my Adult Learning class. Meet my "friends," bell hooks and Gregory Cajete. Well, you met them not long ago in their unfinished state. Many thanks to my classmate John who took photos of all our presentations. This might have been the most fun I'll ever have in grad school. ;-)

I will post some links later to some great videos of hooks and Cajete as well as John's wiki he created as a resource for Adult Learning theories.

~~~~~~~~~~

Morning Glory Antiques & Jewelry

I fully intended to post something bloggish yesterday, but I ended up spending the better part of my late afternoon wandering instead through this wonderful website of a local vintage jewelry dealer! Oh. My. Just take a look at the finds there, and the resources. I find a lot of inspiration for new bead embroidered jewelry designs, strung jewelry, and even wonderful color combinations by studying vintage jewelry. And now that I seem to have a vast stash of rhinestones, I found the designs intriguing in a new way, too.

I have lots to blog about but I think I'm in regroup mode after a busy, busy Fall and I just don't want to do anything I don't have to do. I don't even want to do anything I have to do, but I'm faking it, just for today. I do have a new artist profile coming. She probably thinks I forgot. ;-)

My bro comes in from Boulder tomorrow, and then I'm officially in vacation mode. We will celebrate his birthay at Tucano's -- in Gmail chat: "Hey bro, we were thinking of taking you to Tucanos for your birthday." "Sure, you know I'm always up for free meat." <--You would have to know him to know how true that is. Put it this way, last year he bought me a gift certificate at Thomason Stone Supply and when I got there to spend it, the guy who works there said "I think I remember him." I said, "He looks kind of like a small grizzly bear." And the guy said, "Yeah, I remember him." LOL.

I suppose I should cook next week but first, I need to clean my house. I mean, I need to clean it OUT. Anything that's been on the floor for more than a week is subject to dumpster review. Anything that's been next to the sink for more than a week will be boiled and bleached. Anything that's been on the bathroom floor for more than a week will be burned in the firepit. This morning I was walking through the house trying to put on a bracelet, and I tripped, I kid you not, over the space heater, the dog, and my husband's shoes (which are responsible, over the last 20 years, for 2 broken toes -- my toes.) Once outside, I turned my ankle in a hole in the driveway. My living room is like an obstacle course. We have four tray tables and two of them are full of things I plan to photograph. What are the odds I'll be ready for extended family (and select friends who have a high tolerance for my style of housekeeping) by Christmas Eve?

Hahahahahaha! Well, there, I guess I blogged after all.

~~~~~~~~~~

From the Archives

LOL! I found this while rearranging & archiving some images on my computer. Why did I make this???? I have no recollection. Was I trying to spice up my marriage? (hint -- that's not my real face, so I doubt it.) Update my professional portfolio? (er, which profession are we talkin about here?) Wow. Who knows... but the file was named "atthecasbah.jpg" LOL.

100th Etsy Sale!

Woohoo and yippee! Today I sold my 100th jewelry item on Etsy and how perfect that my BFF was the customer and my best-selling earrings, the Fairy Tree Wings, was the item. Thank you Sarah! Her secret special customer prize was a Paypal refund. ;-) Merry Solstice, GF! 8-)

And speaking of Etsy, I've finally been able to stock up my supply shop in the last week or so, with new vintage rhinestones, new sequin colors, awesome little coin charms, a neato Victorian jet nailhead beads that I've never listed before. And there's more to come. Anyone who is a member of my Yahoo Groups announcement list, MaryTafoyaBeadwork, gets a 10% discount in my supply shop (seriousbeader), and if you live in Albuquerque you might also qualify for a meetup delivery to save you a bit on shipping (see my shop policies about that).

Teenagers and Menopause

know, I know. TMI. The hot flashes started about three weeks ago (during dinner with Betcey and Mark no less). I feel like a pot bellied stove, heating up from the inside out. They truly are power surges. And I'm thinking -- what if I went out and bought some menopause herbal remedies and gave them to my young teen? LOLOL! Do you think he would take up knitting instead of... well, texting for one thing.

In other local news (hehe), I thoroughly needed the night out to OFFCenter last night. What a long week. (picture me bleary eyed, slump shouldered, weight of the world type of look) I sold 5 pieces of jewelry which was totally fun because I usually sell just 1 thing on opening nights. The band was great, and good friends showed up. Mama's Minerals plugged the show in their e-newsletter, and several people I don't get to see often dropped by on their way to and from other openings.

And so now that the aforementioned young teen is at a party, I'm off to Flying Star for a quick soup date with the MOTH (man of the house). See ya!

P.S. Seven days til end of semester... tick tock tick tock zzzzzzzzz wha? I missed class??? (I'm having school dreams again...)

~~~~~~~~~~

OFFCenter Holiday Show

Please come to OFFCenter's fundraiser, holiday and birthday show. Bonnie Bluhm will help celebrate with live music. Over 40 of us artists will show our work -- basically the gift shop will be expanded across the entire gallery.




The shows opens Dec. 5 and runs through January-something. And the opening, this Friday, Dec. 5, starts at 5:00 p.m. and lasts all the way until 10:00! Woohoo! If you arrive after 6:00 there is a $5.00 admission fee and you get a raffle ticket with that for an art/door prize.

OFFCenter, in case you live around Albuquerque and aren't aware, is a free open studio in downtown Albuquerque, where anybody can come in and work peacefully. The artists get to keep a very high percentage of the selling price of their work compared to other galleries.

I'll have some jewelry in the show -- mostly pulled from my Etsy shop, so if you have been wanting to see the stuff up close and personal-like, come on by! Here are a few things I'll have hanging:

OFFCenter is located at 808 Park Ave SW, Albuquerque. It's caddycorner from the Hotel Blue, kind of on the southwest side of the new-ish turnaround on Central Ave., not far from the bars, y'all. There is lots of parking next to and across the street from the gallery.