+ The Key Ring to your Heart! +

 + Having the Horse as your totem or spirit guide connects you to several core themes: 

                                                    * Freedom & Independence

                                                    * Strength & Endurance

                                                    * Balance of Instinct & Discipline

                                                    * Partnership & Loyalty

Just as Wild Mustangs naturally run uninhibited, the horse totem signifies a deep-rooted desire to break free from limitations & gallop toward new adventures!  It represents the stamina needed to handle long journeys, both physical & spiritual! 

The horse balances wild passion with trained focus, teaching you when to let your creative, untamed spirit run free, and when to channel your energy with intentional discipline.  Horses have been allies for thousands of years!  This aspect of the totem highlights the importance of Trust, Cooperation, and Community in your life!

+ Handcarved Trinity of Horses in ethically sourced oxbone. Hold it, Rub it and may your Spirit Totem guide you! + 

            

+ Celebrate the Pups we Love! +

Friendship, Loyalty & Devotion is what this hand engraved pendant symbolizes!  Crafted by Master Engraver: Paul d'Olympia of Vineyard Haven, Massachusetts in 2001!  Pendant dangles from a vintage oxidized silver & gold ball necklace dating from 1998. Don't forget: International Dog Day is August 26, 2026!

Visit my Etsy Shop for more information: www.appaloosamoon.etsy.com

www.appaloosamoon.etsy.com

+ Old Oregon Coast Abalone Shells +

Montana-Made "Smudge Pots" using old, collected, Abalone Shells from the Oregon Coast!

Whether you are a smudger or a smoker, or both, these small shell vessels are perfect 

for personal use. Comfortably fit into the palm of your hand & can travel wherever you carry your tobacco. They are delightful decoratively on display in your cabinet of curiosities or to have on hand for those special times you need to cleanse & purify! Beautiful Antique Trade Beads adorn & dangle from these special, vintage pieces!

    

                                  For more information visit: www.appaloosamoon.etsy.com

 

+ A Sunburst of Spiny Oyster +

Let the Sun Shine In & on your finger! Vintage 1960's Navajo Sunburst Ring, handcrafted by Silversmith PJ Begay!  This beauty features a cluster of Spiny Oyster Shell sun rays set in sterling silver & stamped with the maker's mark! In addition, classic Silver Raindrops adorn the rays!

                                                    

                                   For more information visit: www.appaloosamoon.etsy.com

+ All Color & Beauty! +

 These Kinship Strands were handcrafted under a Scorpio Moon which influences Mystery, Passion & Loyalty!  Beads of Carnelian, blue Chalcedony, Lapis Luzuli & Turquoise are woven into each strand to compliment your mood or to refashion it!  May a Copper Thunderbird bring Power, Strength & Protection to the wearer! Pure color, sensory & stone story...wear one, wear them all!

www.appaloosamoon.etsy.com

+ Silver Bunny: Vintage Pins +

 One with a golden heart and the other a body of mother of pearl, these vintage bunny beauties are the sweetest adornments!  Add a bit of charm & whimsy to your jean jacket, a felted gaucho, beret or blazer lapel!  Mother of Pearl is a Taxco Mexican pin & Bunny with a Heart of Gold is a signed Roberta Williamson piece! Both vintage & adorable!

                                                                At www.appaloosamoon.etsy.con

+ Montana-Made Buffalo Hide Medicine Bag +

 This Medicine Bag was made, by my dear friend in Montana, of old weathered Buffalo Hide from the 1920"s!  It was designed in the Northern Plains style & the fringe is repurposed braintan hide with yellow ochre natural clay paint, authentically made in the Cheyenne tradition. The leather is crisp & stiff in texture. The interior contains a tuft of Buffalo fur to bestow the wearer with Good Fortune, Strength & Protection!

~ Sacred Ways & Native Souls ~

at www.appaloosamoon.etsy.com

                    

+ Midnight Ponies: Blue & Gray +

Silver Ponies, Iridescent Labradorite & Aqua Quartz, make this Kinship Necklace unique & special with beautiful words of inspiration engraved on the back:

"Be Mindful, Aware, Courageous & Full of Love!"   

This sterling silver pendant was made by Silversmith Jes MaHarry for the Sundance Catalog! I used faceted Labradorite stones which shimmer blue in the light and is a lovely match for the pony charm! The cloudy aqua blue Quartz beads, additionally, compliment the pop of iridescence of the Labradorite gems!

                                                            At www.appaloosamoon.etsy.com

+ Star Garden +

 

~ From the unexpected gift of connection...and the immense joy from correspondence...and the sheer surprise from presents...comes the healing grace of Kindness.  And a lasting friendship! 

Thank you Andrea & Adele, my heart is full. ~

www.stargardengallery.com

@stargardengallery

+ Happy New Year 2026: Year of the Horse! +

 Wishing you a bright, healthy & prosperous New Year filled with much Love & Adventure! 

This is the Year of the Horse: the 7th animal in the Chinese zodiac!

It embodies a fiery, independent spirit & a "can-do" attitude that encourages overcoming 

obstacles through perseverance.  2026 is specifically the Year of the Fire Horse!

Occurring once every 60 years, this element of fire intensifies the horse's natural traits, leading to a year of intense passion, high energy, and potential for dramatic, transformative change!

Key themes: 

Action & Momentum

Success & Strength

Adventure & Passion

Social & Emotional Traits

You will see me crafting many projects this year...including works with Horse Hair Tassels!

+ Happy Holidays 2025! +

Leona Caldwell: Vintage Ceramic Thunderbird Necklace!

This is a beautiful & fun ceramic Thunderbird Pendant by Arizona Artist Leona Caldwell!  

It is a vintage necklace, all original, and signed by the artist. This cardinal red piece comes directly from the Caldwell Estate & was a part of her overstock collection from the 60's-70's!

All original, and looks as if it were newly created!

//. About the Artist: (1912-2003) Leona Caldwell was a wife & mother when she returned to Arizona State Teacher's College in Tempe to study art.  In 1954, she expanded her ceramic studio located in Phoenix and subsequently opened Leona Caldwell Originals in the Scottsdale Kiva Craft Center.  There, she crafted & sold her ceramic jewelry, silkscreen fabrics & clothing.  She was inspired by the beautiful southwest & the Hohokam culture, often incorporating the ancient symbols in her artwork!  

Her obituary states: "she retired in 1978 to enjoy her home, garden & family."  //.

 

+ Vintage JR Ltd Silver Cross Earrings: 4 Directions!

//  Beautiful handmade Sterling Silver Cross/Four Directions Earrings from the 1990's!

These earrings were purchased at the now infamous Santa Fe shop called JR Ltd.

It was a specialty store created by John Reid in 1979 & featured handcrafted southwestern silver, turquoise & leather goods.  

The cross symbolizes the Four Directions. It is a form of ancient chakana & features a 

"stepped motif," indicating the cardinal compass points: North, South, East & West.

Inscribed with artist signature: A.Vacc for JR LTD.

They are truly unique, lightweight to wear & make a lovely strong statement! //

 

 

~ Sacred Ways + Native Souls ~ A Celebration of Life

~  Sacred Ways + Native Souls ~

Grief is a testament to Love.  

It is a natural & enduring process, to live with, to heal around, and manage over time.

It does not end.

It changes shape.

Sorrow & Peace.  Pain & Comfort.  Tears & Laughter.

Grief is my testament to Love. It is a journey, challenging my strength & my resilience.  

It is a direction, sometimes moving me up & sometimes taking me down. 

It is a weather pattern, sometimes all rain showers & sometimes all sunshine.

It is a remodel, my rebuild around the absence of a loved one, 

at times heartbreaking & at times heartwarming.

But

I look forward to the memories. I speak to the memories. I hold on to the memories. 

If tears are the silent language of grief,

then let them flow, for the sun will shine & the laughter will roll.

Love...is a gift.

It is spirit...it is soul...it is sacred...it is alive...& it is 

eternal.

+ for JLY with love + Nde-Kweyom +

+for SRY with love +

+ for sacred ways & native souls +

+ for my Montana-Made +

 

+ Vintage Leona Caldwell Estate Ceramics +

 Leona Caldwell was a wife & mother when she returned to Arizona State Teacher's College in Tempe to study art.  In 1954, she expanded her ceramic studio located in Phoenix which lead her to open Leona Caldwell Originals in the Scottsdale Kiva Craft Center shortly thereafter.  There, alongside fellow atisans: Paolo Soleri, Charles Loloma & Lloyd Kiva, she crafted her ceramic jewelry and designed silkscreened fabrics & clothing.  Leona's love of the beautiful southwest was captured in her work. Inspired by the Hohokam, her original designs feature animals, symbols, and plants of the southwestern desert.  Her obituary states that she retired in 1978 to enjoy her home, garden & family.

These lovely ceramic pendants are signed by the artist: Leona Caldwell and include their leather straps! All original, vintage & lovingly cared for from the Estate of Leona Caldwell! 

                                                                                +

+ C H E R I S H is the word +

 JLY: I cannot think of a better way to describe how I feel when I look at, hold, wear & ponder over your artwork/my collectibles than to resort to these gentle & sincere words, from the song by the band The Association: Cherish is the word...

Now, more than ever, this old song represents the best of these newly tangled emotions swirling yet hidden inside of me. It is my love letter too. So much to miss, it hurts. So little time, it burns. Dreams. Plans. Partnership. It aches: Perish is the word that more than applies to the hope in my heart each time I realize... your creativity is no longer. Your creativity now rests in all that you Had created. It is over. That breaks me. It is what was. That crushes my heart. Darkness shades the light. How it saddens me.

I have a project to start & a work-in-progress to complete with those special, cherished, beads you gifted me. Gosh, how I want to sit with you & talk ALL about them....and more. There was so much more to talk about. And although my inspiration is immersed in a thick fog today, just know, the sun will rise again & I will come back to them. I will.  Born of Sacred Ways & Native Souls. Lightness dispels the dark. 

And I do cherish you

And I do cherish you

Cherish is the word

~ Nde-Kweyom ~

+ Into the Lightness of Spirit +

+

May we enter into the lightness of spirit and slip frequently into the feel of the wild

Let the clear silence of our animal being cleanse our hearts

May we learn to walk upon this earth with all the confidence & clear-eyed stillness

so that our minds might be baptized in the name of the Wind, and the Light, and the Rain.

~ John O'Donohue ~

 

+ Time...waits for no one +

+

I wanted more time...selfishly. I waited too long...selfishly. i didn't. i didn't. i didn't...selfishly.

forgive me.

+

 

+ Bless this Space Between Us +

+

I pray that my flood of tears will become a river 

that will endlessly bend, meander & wind its way

through the Skies that have taken your sweet Soul. 

may the Clouds cradle my tears

may the Skies shelter my river

& may the Winds intertwine my broken heart

I pray that your Spirit will remember to come back to me 

& shine down on me

SHINE down on me.

Bless this space between us

+

~ Gmetsenen ~