Maurice

Wow, I just finished reading Maurice by E.M. Forster in two days..what a feversih love story!!

I have seen the movie of course and am a big Forster fan, but must never had read this one.  I came upon a nice copy with thick watercolor-esque paper that felt lovely to hold. 

The main thing I did not know and maybe you don't know either, is that Maurice was published posthumously....sixty years after he wrote it!!  Can you imagine?  One piece I read quoted him saying that it was the happy ending that proved illegal..if these young men would've hung themselves, the world could've read Maurice 60 years earlier...

Of course as I was reading I was remembering Hugh Grant who looks amazing, but Rupert Graves..le sigh!!  Must see more of him, even if it has been twenty years. He is kindof giving me a Keifer Sutherland vibe.   Anyone have any suggestions?

Lately

The holidays are here along with fairly cold and wet and muddy and frozen weather. What to do? Make some presents and read..a lot!
Edythe helped me make these hooks. Functional art folks!!
Where are my keys??? Oh that's right, on the tiger hook where I always put them now!

I put in some hold requests at the library this summer and some of them are just now trickling in. Such as this thriller Before I Go to Sleep.
A really fast read!! Don't act like you're just going to read a few pages before dinner. Everyone will come home to a cold kitchen and you in your bed hurriedly turning pages.
I never would've picked this up but saw a review of it this summer.

Then for something completely unrelated, I found this at the goodwill on my birthday and really loved it!! Also very quick reads, I already finished number two in the series. Also, haven't read a series in a long time, so that is fun! Also I found out they made a movie/miniseries of these books and my fave Jill Scott plays the leading roll. I will be interested to peep her African accent. Go female detectives!!

My daughter's 2nd birthday is tomorrow, so we're adding that to the mix!! Hope everyone is enjoying the holiday season. Try to find a bit of quiet time every day if you can to reflect, breath and relax. Cheers!

Giving Thanks all over the Place!!

My mother in law brought us this beautiful bouquet of leaves from the trees at her house, the colors are so fleeting and so attractive..beautiful!

Here is our little goose playing in the leaves downtown, the one second I could convince her to stay still!
I am so thankful to be here on this planet with all of my family and friends and I am thankful and hopefully more conscious everyday of our ability to start anew, begin again, make a new choice. Each day is truly ours to make decisions and changes for the better, the greater. Love and blessings to all.

Dia De Los Muertos and...

What happened to October? Wow, the last time I posted was for the Equinox. I redid my alter for Day of the Dead and it felt good to remember all my people and to be more conscious of the passing of time.

These roses and quite a few other flowers were thinking it was time to bloom again! Our Indian summer tricked us all!

And a sneak peak of the first finished piece for our upcoming Beyond Printmaking Show at the Raven starting late November. More new work to come.

Happy Equinox

As we move into the next season, my words of advice to my self are Self Care. Wishing good transitions to all.

Serious.Studio.Cleanup..!!!!

Wow, I really wish I would've taken some "before" pictures, but trust me..it was a mess! I got rid of so many old things, broken things, abandoned projects, 15 year old letters, etcetera etcetera!!
Now you can get a tour of the new and improved studio..looks like there's even some space for a table for Edythe!! (who's favorite thing, of course, is to go into Mama's studio!)

Can you handle it???

Found independently of each other all in the same week!!!

Soon to be in my shop!

New Etsy Shop!!

I've had an idea for awhile to open another Etsy shop for vintage finds. I've had a name and the idea for awhile and finally started it almost two weeks ago. I already sold some items! Awesome! I still need to get business cards and some branding products going, but I'm really happy with my first sales and have high hopes for this new endeavor!

You can see a few of my sold items below.

I also got to do some photos of my items with my friend Alberta. We had lots of fun and will hopefully do it again when I have more goodies.

With my daughter Edythe.

Modeling a snap shirt.

Please check out Arizona Star Trading Company on Etsy!!

A Visit to the Heard Museum

Wow, if you have never made it to the Heard Museum in Downtown Phoenix, I would absolutely urge you to go! We were there on a rainy afternoon recently and of course didn't have enough time to spend, but here are some favorites:

I was really affected by the amazing cradle boards that all different tribes made for their babies. So many hours of work went into each piece, you can imagine the maker thinking of the baby throughout the process and the intention that comes with that.

Of course all the jewelry was out of control amazing blow your mind! One thing I noticed that was of interest is that many times you cannot tell by looking if a piece was made in 1910, or 2010. Many of the old pieces are very modern in design and perhaps ahead of their time.

These long earrings from Ecuador made my day! I even took a picture of the description to remember what it said.

The Heard has multiple museums in the valley and I would urge anyone interested to attend. Beautiful building and grounds as well.

Primal Power Opening Night

My Dad setting up the musica.

Edythe and I.

Matthew, my mom, Edythe, and the Rays check it all out.

Doing a block print demonstration.

It was a fun night, thanks for everyone who came! The show runs through the 15th of March, please check it out if you can!

GALLERY BEYOND WORDS

Prescott’s Unique Contemporary Gallery
204 North McCormick Street
Prescott AZ 928.778.2713