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Handmade Jewelry - New Earrings and Necklaces by Shadow Dog Designs

Time seems to rush by so quickly these days.  Wasn’t it just Christmas and now we are already in February?  What happened to January?  Despite a month blasting by, I have been very busy making and listing new earrings and necklaces, many with a boho flair and some a bit more traditional.  All the handmade jewelry featured here are one of a kind designs - you will be the only person in the universe wearing that particular design (unless you have an evil twin in an alternate universe!).  Many of the earrings and necklaces use creations by artist friends from around the world.  Any of these will make a perfect Valentine’s Day gift, a birthday gift, a Mother’s Day gift or a “just because” gift to a loved one . . . or to yourself.

Perfectly Pink for Valentines Day! - Wonderful Handmade Wednesday on Indiemade

Last week’s Wonderful Handmade Wednesday blog focused on artisan made creations using the color red.  This week the focus is on the color pink.  Pink is another color that has deep associations with Valentine’s Day, often paired with the more emotionally intense red on cards and candies and other Valentine’s items.  Although both red and pink represent love, the color red represents heat and passion, while the color pink represents romance and charm.  Hot pink is used to communicate playfulness, while light pink is used to communicate tenderness. It is the color of universal love, of others and of oneself.  It symbolizes friendship, affection, harmony, inner peace, and approachability (which is why I often will wear a pink top when selling my jewelry at an arts festival).

Monday Twitter Tree - Handmade and Vintage - January 30, 2017

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Red Hot for Valentine's Day! - Wonderful Handmade Wednesday on Indiemade

With Valentine’s Day less than three weeks away, you can’t help but to notice all the red heart cards, boxes of heart-shaped candy, red cupids and the like.  Red is a very emotionally intense color.  Since it is the color of fire and blood, it is associated with energy, war, danger, strength, power and determination.  Red also can signify passion, desire, and love (hence it’s use for Valentine’s Day).  It enhances the human metabolism by increasing the respiration rate and raising blood pressure.  Stop signs, stoplights, and fire equipment are usually painted red since it has very high visibility.  In heraldry, red is used to indicate courage and confidence and is a color found in many national flags.  Red is the color for the base or root chakra, located at the base of the spine, allowing us to be grounded and connected to universal energies.

Monday Twitter Tree - Handmade and Vintage - January 23, 2017

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Handmade Valentine's Day Jewelry by Shadow Dog Designs

With Valentine’s Day fast approaching, I thought I’d share a range of handmade earrings and two necklaces from my Indiemade shop; any will be perfect for gift giving to a loved one.  Some of the jewelry is obviously Valentine’s related.  But most can be worn all year long.  The last five designs featured are from my line of meaningful dog rescue jewelry.  All have hearts and pawprints, perfect for the woman who loves her dog(s), especially if her four footed friend is a rescue.  As always, whenever any of the dog rescue jewelry sells, one half (½) of the purchase price is donated to the Humane Society.  

If one or more of the pieces catches your eye, be sure to click the live link below the photo for more information and pictures.  I hope you enjoy these one of a kind earrings and necklaces:

First We Dream - Wonderful Handmade Wednesday on Indiemade

One of my favorite sayings is from Carl Sandburg:  “Nothing happens unless first we dream.”  I don’t know about the other artists that are included in this post, but I often dream about a design, especially one I am trying to figure out, whether it be a color combination or a new wire wrap technique.  Maybe “dream” is not exactly the right word, but a design can come to me in that state between wakefulness and sleep where my mind comes up with all sorts of weird stuff.  

Anyway, the handmade items in this post are the first ones listed (at least at the time this was posted) in the shops of the Indiemade artists featured here.  Most are one of a kind items . . . and all are a “dream” to have.  Enjoy.

Monday Twitter Tree - Handmade and Vintage - January 16, 2017

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The Magical Color of Purple - Wonderful Handmade Wednesday on Indiemade

Since purple is a fairly rare color in nature, an almost magical aura has been associated to it throughout human history.  The first historical record of a purple dye, called Tyrian purple, indicates that it began to be manufactured in the Phoenician city of Tyre in the eastern Mediterranean in the 14th century BCE.  The dye was extracted from the glands of several types of shellfish, but especially the Murex brandaris.  The process to extract the dye took about three days.  Thousands of putrefied, crushed shellfish were left to bake in the sun.  Salt was then added and the mash of glands were boiled down.  (Can you imagine the overwhelming stench of the process!!!).  It took about 12,000 shellfish to extract 1.5 grams of the pure dye, barely enough to dye a single garment the size of a Roman toga.  In 301 A.D. during the reign of Roman Emperor Diocletian, one pound of purple dye cost 150,000 denarii or around three pounds of gold. This is the main reason the purple color was reserved for emperors or individuals with titles of royal authority.

Monday Twitter Tree - Handmade and Vintage - January 9, 2017

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