The Great Southwest Antique Show
Every trip to New Mexico we take to visit family, I look for a new turquoise piece of jewelry (or two…). For our trip this year, being 20 pounds lighter, I knew what I would be looking for- It had to be a vintage belt buckle! I had everyone on full belt buckle alert before I got there, and the day after we arrived, four of us went to The Great Southwest Antique Show in Albuquerque. What an amazing show! It was there that I found the perfect buckle, ironically at one of the very first vendors I stopped at (I shopped around before I went back, just to be sure). I wore the rest of the trip, so happy to have found it.
Hand formed, hand-hammered designs, hand made in every way by a Native American named Buffalo, who is now in his 90’s and no longer making jewelry (the vendor was kind enough to write down all the information about the piece). I will treasure it always.
There was also a bead vendor, Sandy Schor (www.beadsbysandy.com), who had almost anything bead or trinket-related that I could ever dream up! His booth just went on and on… Native American pieces, scrimshaw, Japanese glass beads, chains, silver, you name it. I was so glad I didn’t see this booth until late in the day, otherwise I would have never gone to any of the other booths!
Trying to be careful not to buy things I wouldn’t use but not leave behind things that were just too special to pass up was hard, but I came home with just a few things for myself and Emma. I am pretty sure everything will get used. Mine are pictured, Emma has already put her things safely away.
I have a little DIY project in mind for those tiny bakelite buckles in the top right of the photo above, stay tuned for that.
These wonderful little paper books were only $2 each, great illustrations inside. Not sure what I will do with them yet.
My mother-in-law saw me eyeing an antique Victorian sewing notion and bought it for me as a surprise. It is carved ivory, with a pin cushion on top and a tiny tape measure rolled up inside. It even had a few tiny glass head pins in the top. A treasure. I am looking for the perfect place to put it.
