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March 2016

A Bounty of Blues - Wonderful Handmade Wednesday on Indiemade

 

 

The history of blue is very interesting. If you stop and think about it, there is not a lot of natural blue in nature. Most people worldwide do not have blue eyes, blue flowers do not occur without human tinkering, and blue animals are rare -- birds that are blue only live in certain areas. The sky is blue . . . or is it? One interesting theory suggests that before humans had words for the color blue, they actually saw the sky as another color! This theory is supported by the fact that if you never name the color of the sky to a child, and then ask what color it is, he/she will struggle to describe it.  Some describe the sky as colorless and some describe it as white. It seems that only after being told that the sky is blue, and after seeing other blue objects over a period of time, does the sky look blue in their eyes. I wonder now, when I was very young, if I saw the sky as "blue" before or after it was given a color name.  Something to ponder over!

Easter Egg Colors - Wonderful Handmade Wednesday on Indiemade - March 23, 2016

 

Easter Sunday is almost on us, coming fairly early this year.  In celebration of Easter, I decided to base this Wonderful Handmade Wednesday post on the glorious colors of Easter eggs, since there will be millions dyed, hunted and rolled come Sunday.  There is an old Latin proverb:  "Omne vivum ex ovo," which means "all life comes from an egg."  Many ancient cultures the world over believed the whole universe was created from an egg, the egg an important symbol of life.  Before Christianity, eggs were revered by pagans as a symbols of fertility and resurrection and played important roles in their return-of-spring celebrations.  Christians used Easter eggs (which started to be painted around the 13th century) to represent Jesus’ emergence from the tomb and his resurrection.  However, many scholars point out that ancient Persians painted eggs for Nowrooz, their New Year celebration falling on the Spring Equinox, a tradition that continues to this day and was picked up by cultures and religions around the world. 

New One of a Kind, Handmade Jewelry by Shadow Dog Designs

The last two weeks have been busy making, photographing and listing new handmade jewelry in my Shadow Dog Designs shop.  The earrings and necklaces are unique, each a one of a kind designs so you can rest assured you are the only person in the entire universe with a particular piece!  Some designs are boho, some are elegant . . . and all fun.  I hope you enjoy browsing the new designs - and three older designs to make an even 10 showcase.  If something piques your interest and you want to see more photos and a more detailed description, please click the live link below each photo and you will be taken to the individual listing.

Purple is Perfect for Spring - Wonderful Handmade Wednesday on Indiemade

 

 

Over the centuries, purple has been regarded as the color of royalty and is also thought of as a color of creativity.  It also has a softer side being one of the first colors of spring that pops up in its many hues and shades on flowers.  It is near the top of my list of favorite colors, as are the two colors that combine to make purple.  Many, many people, especially women according to research, have a passion for the color purple, and I can see why with its oh-so-rich color!  I decided to do a bit of research about the color purple and share a bit of what I found.  And, also shared, are beautiful handmade artisan creations featuring purples.

The Wearing of the Green - Wonderful Handmade Wednesday on Indiemade

 

Since my family has a LOT of Scots Irish in them, I grew up listening to Irish ballads and bagpipe music.  St. Patrick's Day has always been a favorite celebration (although no watered down green beer for us - had to do it right with Guinness Stout!).  St. Patrick's Day was also celebrated as the start of the spring planting season for gardens and flower beds. Since Ireland is supposed to have forty shades of green, the start of planting season always seemed very appropriate.

Unique New Handmade Jewelry from Shadow Dog Designs

Lots of new handmade jewelry designs went into my Shadow Dog Designs Indiemade shop the last two weeks.  I have been busy, busy, busy creating new necklaces and earrings.  Arts Festivals are coming up so the shop needs to be well stocked because the shows will (hopefully) draw from the design that are there and the ones that will not be listed.  The designs continue to be a combination of boho, of elegance and everything in between - wherever the Muses take me.  I hope you enjoy looking at the new beauties.  Two oldies but goodies have been added to make an even 10 jewelry designs.  To see more photos and information of each, please click the link below each photo: