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June 2017

Happy Independence Day! - Wonderful Handmade Wednesday on Indiemade

 

 

Independence Day will soon be here, in less than a week.  It was quite an interesting time, a time populated by giants of U. S. history:  George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, John Adams, Richard Henry Lee and many others.  The 4th of July has been a federal holiday in the United States since 1870 (and a paid holiday to all federal employees since 1941).  But the tradition of celebrating Independance Day dates back to the late 1700’s at the time of the American Revolution.  On July 2nd, 1776, the Continental Congress voted in favor of independence from Great Britain.  Two days later, delegates from the thirteen colonies adopted the Declaration of Independence, a historic document largely drafted by Thomas Jefferson of Virginia but with help from John Adams of Massachusetts, Roger Sherman of Connecticut, Benjamin Franklin of Pennsylvania and Robert R. Livingston of New York.

Monday Twitter Tree - Handmade and Vintage - June 25, 2017

 

 

Please share your tweets and links on the host blog:  CHRISTIE COTTAGE

 

 

Relaxing Blues and Teals - Wonderful Handmade Wednesday on Indiemade

 

 

Blues and teals are relaxing colors, both mentally and physically.  In color psychology, the colors control and heal the emotions, creating emotional balance and stability.  Worldwide, the color blue is the favorite color, a color that is seen as reliable and responsible.  Teal, a hue that is halfway between blue and green, is seen as happy and friendly, and is the most common color requested by photographers for logo designs.  

Monday Twitter Tree - Handmade and Vintage - June 19, 2017

 

Please share your tweets and links on the host blog here:  CHRISTIE COTTAGE

 

Shadow Dog Designs - New Handmade Jewelry

 

 

The past two weeks have been very busy . . . not so much with making new jewelry and listing new pieces . . . but with life itself.  It seems I find myself coming and going at the same time.  Thank heavens for yoga classes and the bits and pieces of meditation I can do.  They definitely help center my life, to look at what life throws my way with empathy, caring and a sense of humor (or at least I hope!).  

Summer Heat - Wonderful Handmade Wednesday on Indiemade

 

 

With the summer solstice rapidly approaching, I decided it was time to feature hot, hot, HOT colored artisan handmade items in oranges, reds and yellow.  But before I do, (since I am a huge science geek), I thought I’d share a bit of about sunrises, sunsets and the summer solstice.  The solstice here in the Texas Borderlands will take place on Tuesday, June 20, 2017 at 10:24 pm MDT.  Most people think that, because the solstice signifies the longest day of the year (or the shortest, in the southern hemisphere), the earliest sunrise and the latest sunset happens on that day.  But that is not true.  The exact date of earliest sunrises and latest sunsets varies with latitude.  At mid-northern latitudes (say Philadelphia at 40 degrees north latitude), the earliest sunrises of the year happens on June 14 and the latest sunset on June 27.  The farther south you go in latitude, the earlier the earliest sunrises become and the later the latest sunset are.  For instance, the earliest sunrise here in El Paso has already passed - on June 11 - and the latest sunset isn’t until June 30.    

Monday Twitter Tree - Handmade and Vintage - June 12, 2017

 

Please share your tweets and links on the host blog:  CHRISTIE COTTAGE

 

 

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Circles of Our Lives - Wonderful Handmade Wednesday on Indiemade

 

 

 

 

Sometimes the most mundane of things in life suddenly captures my imagination.  The other day, when I was outside with Seamus, the very handsome Shadow Dog, I started thinking about circles (yes, my brain does shoot off on a tangent sometimes!).  You see circles everywhere: most door knobs, most coins, the sun and moon, the pupil of most animal's eyes and the wheel, just to name a few.  Most people don't give them a second thought unless you're a mathematician, an architect or an artist.  As a gardener and an avid observer of nature, I daily feel the circle of life all around me on a more cosmological scale: day/night, phases of the moon, seasons, life/death.  And then I remembered a Wendell Berry poem, called "Circles of Our Lives", which I will share at the end of this post. This led me to do some reading about circles (inquiring minds want to know!) and copious note taking.

Monday Twitter Tree - Handmade and Vintage - June 4, 2017

 

 

Please share your tweets and links with the host blog:  CHRISTIE COTTAGE

 

 

New Handmade Earrings and One Necklace by Shadow Dog Designs - Jewelry Gift Ideas

 

 

It has been a month since the last time my newest handmade jewelry was shared.  A week stay in Dallas at the beginning of the month and then a glorious week stay in Oregon last week definitely cut into my creative time.  But I came back filled with all sorts of new jewelry ideas - I just hope the Muses are inspired, as well!