Under the Tree

Going Places Gift Shopping STORY BY CANDACE WALSH & EDIE DILLMAN PHOTOS BY INGA HENDRICKSON

Under the Tree All we want for Christmas?

Hint: It’s all made here.

His and hers. Kenneth Johnson’s (Muscogee/Seminole) silver-andturquoise Sleeping Beauty Cuff Bracelet (Carolyn Pollack Jewelry, 505-345-5304; carolynpollack. com) gets cozy with John Rippel U.S.A.’s 4-stone Western Classic four-piece belt set—black crocodile, engraved silver, and bezel-set turquoise (505-986-9115; johnrippel.com)—wrapped around a Forget-Me-Not Blue Tutu from Kiwi Industries. (505) 332-9090; kiwiindustries.com 14 NEW MEXICO | DECEMBER 2013

HOMBRES New Mexico’s traditional array of handmade masculine trappings makes conversations about what to get the fellas a lot more interesting.

Tres Cuervos’ handmade Juniper Leather iPad Case is studded with antiqued brass hardware. Also from Tres Cuervos: a contraststitched leather wallet and leather wrap bracelets with .22 shell and magnet closures (etsy. com/shop/TresCuervos).

Gary S Custer (Diné), who shows each year at Santa Fe Indian Market, makes sand-cast jewelry as part of his Twin Feather Designs line.

His silver-and-turquoise Zia bolo tie (the bolo is New Mexico’s official State Tie) has a handbraided leather cord and silver tips (505-879-0017; garycuster.com). You can’t throw a tamale in this state without hitting a pickup truck with a dog in the back, watching the world go by. Celebrate that with James Reid’s handsome silver Truck & Dog Keyring, made in his Santa Fe workshop (505-988-1147; jrltd. com). Holiday cheer fits nicely into this hand-painted, leathersleeved flask made in Albuquerque and sold at John Rippel U.S.A. (505-986-9115; johnrippel.com). The Silver Bison Ornament, made

by Curtis Benavidez (Santo Domingo Pueblo), adds style to your cowboy’s tree (505-9834823; theshopchristmas.

Clockwise from top left: The Mauger Estate’s parlor, and street view. The Bottger Mansion’s Orange French Toast and Franz Huning Room are both sublime.

com). For the man who has everything: a woolly mammoth tooth-adorned penknife or wooden inlay money clip, both from Cutlery of Santa Fe, Ltd. 107 Old Santa Fe Trail, Santa Fe; (505) 982-3262 nmmagazine.com | DECEMBER 2013 15

Going Places Gift Shopping

MUJERES In New Mexico, women’s bling, beauty items, and fashion staples are intimately connected to the land itself. Take this gray-and-white scarf by Oropopo, of Albuquerque, its pattern inspired by a bird’s-eye view of Chaco Canyon (505-427-3265; oropopo.com). Clear Light: The Cedar Company’s Body Scrub and Elf Light Candle are infused with cedar sustainably harvested in Placitas (800-557-3463; clcedar.com). The spiral petroglyph design of Milk and Honey’s Lotion Bar references stone markings found all over the state, while the skin-soothing, locally grown calendula flowers add pampering function to its form (505-412-1857; milkandhoneysoap.com). Made in New Mexico, W3ll People’s natural, organic, mineral-based lipsticks, skin powders, and facial tints are cult items in the international fashion world (512-366-7963; w3llpeople. com). Tote them around town in this cosmetic bag (seen here in Snappy fabric—there are 14 other options) made by Designs of Erika (505-424-3806; designsoferika.com).

Kat Schilke’s handmade Ooo So Santa Fe handbags, like this clutch, are composed of upcycled and repurposed Navajo rugs, leather fringe, tack items, and silver and turquoise jewelry (575-770-2348; on Facebook).

Buckle up with Diné artist Ernest Rangel’s exquisitely wrought Heavy Gauge Floral Buckle with Turquoise (top left corner of handbag) (866-372-1042; wrightsgallery. com). Complete the look with turquoise-andsilver chandelier earrings and a Mercurydime necklace, both from John Rippel U.S.A. (505-986-9115; johnrippel.com).

Each bead of the necklace is composed of two Mercury dimes (struck between 1916 and 1945) hand-hammered into rounded shapes and then fused together. Love the metallic tone of silver but not the weight? Keep it light with Oropopo’s leather Point & Line III Cuff, seen here peeking out from below the Ooo So Santa Fe clutch.

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Going Places Gift Shopping NIÑOS Although many people think they can’t avoid buying toys from China, we’ve a fine selection of sweet children’s items made right here in the Land of Enchantment. North Star Toys, of Questa, makes beautiful, classic wooden toys from sustainably sourced alder, oak, and walnut. This Indy Car races across smooth floors when you loop the included rubber band around its rear axle and then roll it backward (800-737-0112; northstartoys.com).

Nothing beats a stuffed, hand-sewn bunny rabbit, especially one made in Santa Fe and available in other fabrics at Moon Rabbit Toys, which also offers cunning little games made up of cloth “boards,” figures, and a pair of dice, such as Mammals vs. Reptiles (bottom right), all fitting into a tin box the size of a deck of cards (505-982-9373; moonrabbittoys. com). The bunny’s sitting on a blue tutu pouf skirt (made

by Kiwi Industries) containing faux rose petals, perfect for dress-up or an especially festive trip to the park. Also by Kiwi, the boldly colorful organic cotton tree dress and striped all-in-one are made in partnership with Southwest Creations Collaborative of Albuquerque, a nonprofit that has created 100 jobs for formerly economically disadvantaged women (505-332-9090; kiwiindustries. com). Janice Phelps has been making leather clothing, shoes, and accessories since 1988. These butter-soft, handsewn deerskin baby moccasins are fitted with bark-tan sheepskin insoles. She sells them Saturdays and Sundays at El Museo Cultural, in Santa Fe, along with leather clothes for grown-ups (575-4213086; 14leatherwizards@gmail.com).

My Travelin’ Eye, a Bank Street Best Children’s Book of the Year, was written and illustrated by Jenny Sue KosteckiShaw, of Taos. It’s widely available online, and at Beehive Books, in Santa Fe (505-780-8051; beehivekidsbooks. com). Looking for Tula, written and illustrated by Santa Fe artist Catherine Kirkwood, is about two dogs who recently relocated from New Mexico to Florida . . . and are not happy about it. All lovers of New Mexico, young and old, will relate. (505)-986-0151; garciastreetbooks.com 18 NEW MEXICO | DECEMBER 2013