Blog entry

There are Always Flowers - Artisan Handmade - May 27, 2021

There are always flowers for those who want to see them - 

Henri Matisse

Henri Matisse is absolutely right.  There are ALWAYS flowers.  Even when it's winter and no flowers are found (except a few succulents that bloom inside during the winter), I have them in my heart, impatiently waiting for spring to see the hollyhocks, roses, geraniums, bottle brush, mimosa, lantana, Russian sage and other fine petaled friends again.  And they are beautiful right now, blooming away before the desert heat sets in.  To add even more floral beauty to this spring, I decided a colorful flower blog was needed.  Artist friends shared two of their handmade items with a flower theme.  If something catches your eye, be sure to click on the photo or the link below the photo to be taken to the item in the shop.  I hope you love these cheerful beauties.      

Handmade Earrings and a Necklace - New Jewelry by Shadow Dog Designs

It’s been about six weeks since my newest earrings and necklaces were shared with you . . . so I decided a new blog post was in order.  I would have more new jewelry to share, but sales of new pieces have been excellent - yay!  I’m definitely NOT complaining!  Shared here are the newest seven pairs of earrings and one necklace listed in my Shadow Dog Designs shop since the last post: a wide range of jewelry featuring famous art, a Norse horse, pink waves, dragonflies, dog and cat earrings and others. Each piece is carefully designed and handmade by me and is one of a kind.  If something catches your eye and you want to browse more photos and information, please click on the item photo or the live link below each picture to be taken directly to the listiuing.  I hope you enjoy these news handmade jewels.

Gotta Love Those Earrings! - Three for Thursday - November 26, 2020

Not sure about you, but I adore earrings.  If I walk out of the house and later find I forgot to put a pair on (which doesn’t happen too often), it seems as if the earth tilts a bit on its axis and the rest of the day seems kind of strange . . . until I can put a pair on.  I especially love long earrings, the more boho the better, but will also wear shorter earrings.  But rarely wear studs unless I put one in the second hole of my left earlobe (which normally has a small sterling hoop in it).  

Because of my love of earrings, my Three for Thursday blog features just that:  EARRINGS!  I chose three pairs of earrings that I would definitely wear from three handmade jewelry artists.  The artists are:  Elaine of ELDumont;  Julie and Harry of Blue Morning Expressions; and me, Catherine of Shadow Dog Designs.  And I do want to confess that it's hard for me to let some of the earrings I design to be offered for sale in my shop.  OK, a LOT of them!  I hope you enjoy these selections:  

Autumn Beauties - Artisan Handmade

"Autumn is a second spring when every leaf is a flower." — Albert Camus

I don’t know about you, but autumn is my favorite time of the year, although it’s somewhat bittersweet since winter follows.  It’s a time where the temperatures (at least here in the Desert Southwest) are moderating and thankfully, the gates of the blast furnace of Hell for this extreme heat summer have closed.  It’s a time for rethinking and replacing plants that didn’t make it through this summer.  Many people start fall gardens and farmers bring in their harvest.  Fall is part of that ongoing cycle of loss, rest, regeneration and, ultimately, regrowth.  The Autumn Equinox is a balance between light and dark, a balance between the season that happens again in the spring.  And who doesn’t love the trees and some shrubs with their gorgeous leaf displays as they prepare for their winter sleep.