Blog Hop Special

Hello! 
Some fellow crafters and I are participating in a blog hop for the next few days.  We will be featuring sales, new items, specials, and more.  Look for the shop links in the comments below and visit their stores!  We all have shops on the new UK platform "SupaDupa".  Let us know what you think!

My shop is http://www.mckenziecreekjewelry.com   and I am offering 15% off through Valentine's day! 
Here's a new item in my store:  Only $12.00 for the two piece set, BEFORE your discount!

Adjustible Ring and Antique Style Brooch

Thanks so much for looking! 

(If you came here to see my usual posts, please scroll on down.)
Susan

Leona Caldwell, Arizona Designer

Greetings Everyone!

I recently learned about a wonderful boutique designer named Leona Caldwell.  She made her own ceramic pieces, used in jewelry and belts, based on ancient Hohokam Native American designs. 
The reason I discovered her is below.  Amongst my grandmother's many collectibles, some of the "discards" going to charity were set aside for me to look at (possibly for jewelry making). 
This signed designer belt was included...I am so glad I got it instead of a thrift store!  Yay!

There are 3 different poses of the baby quail in the belt, all are shown here.

Her signature appears on only one piece.

The entire piece...the leather is stuck now but still pliable.

Isn't he adorable?

Not extremely well known, Leona Caldwell is still quite collectible.  In addition to her ceramic pieces, she also designed (and handmade) dresses and jackets that incorporated the Hohokam designs.  Some designs featured agave, opuntia, owls, phoenix, eagle's eye, quail, and cone flowers. 

A great place to see her clothing is here:

http://theseekspeak.blogspot.com/2011/09/vintage-designer-leona-caldwell.html

From her obituary I obtained this information:

"Leona H. Caldwell drifted into death April 19, 2003. She was born Leona Holly May 31, 1912, on a farm near Peoria. First of five children born to Bob and Bessie Holly, she was last to survive.

Married in 1933 to Ralph W. Caldwell, Jr. she had two children, Ralph and Pat. While Ralph Jr. was in the Pacific (WWII) she returned to Arizona State Teacher's College in Tempe to study art.

When her husband died in 1954, she expanded her ceramic studio in Phoenix and soon opened Leona Caldwell Originals in the Kiva Craft Center on Fifth Avenue in Scottsdale, neighbor to fellow artisans Lloyd Kiva, Charles Loloma, Paolo Soleri and many others. She created ceramic jewelry and garments silkscreened with original designs inspired by Hohokam artifacts, animals and plants of the Southwestern desert. She retired in 1978 to enjoy her home, garden, and family.

In addition to her two children Ralph W. Caldwell and Patricia L. Konomos, she has five grandchildren: Kevin Higgins, James Konomos (deceased), Karen Markland, Anastasia Konomos, and Ralph T. Caldwell. She is great-grandmother to eight and beloved aunt and friend to many.

She will be remembered by all for her creativity and moral example, and missed for her generosity and love. " 
The Arizona Republic, Phoenix, Arizona
Tuesday, April 22, 2003

Thanks for reading!

Susan