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Make It a Handmade Christmas 2021 - Week 1

Posted September 21, 2021

 

 

 

My gosh!  Wasn't last Christmas like . . . three months ago?  With as strange as the year 2021 has been so far, it’s hard to believe that Christmas is only 94 days away (according to the ever ticking Christmas clock).  It's definitely not too early to start thinking about all those people on your Christmas shopping list.  A perfect place to start looking (and buying) is the 12 week Countdown to Christmas 2021 hosted by Julie and Harry of Blue Morning Expressions that is filled with a wide variety of handmade gifts.  A new collection will be added each week. 

 

A good motto to follow: SHOP EARLY, SHOP OFTEN!  And, most of all, SHOP HANDMADE to support small indie businesses!

 

 

 

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» Tagged: amethyst, baby gift, Blue Morning Expressions, BlueMorningExpressions, bracelets, butterflies, cardinal, chandeliers, Christmas Countdown, Christmas gifts, Countdown to Christmas, crochet, dogs, earrings, enamel, exotic wood, flowers, fluorite, gemstones, gifts for her, gifts for women, green, handmade, handmade bracelets, Handmade Christmas, handmade earrings, handmade gifts, handmade jewelry, handmade necklaces, hearts, lampwork, lotus, love me love my dogs, love my dogs, malachite, mother of pearl, necklaces, pendants, purple, Shadow Dog Designs, ShadowDogDesigns, sweater, thimbles, wood, yoga

Red, Roja, Rossa, Rouge! - Artisan Handmade - Three for Thursday

Posted September 10, 2020

 

 

Anyone who knows me well, knows that red is my favorite color . . . a color I have always adored, even as a small girl who only wanted to wear her “pretty red dress.”  If my Mom would have let me, I would have worn that “pretty red dress” until it disintegrated on me.  Red makes my soul sing.

 

An artist friend, Jacki of Christie Cottage, listed a beautiful red felted wool pouch recently in her shop, which got me thinking about a new blog featuring the color red.  So, here it is:  Red, Roja, Rossa, Rouge!    The new Red, Roja, Rossa, Rouge (English, Spanish, Italian and French for "red) Three for Thursday post features three items from three artists that feature a hefty dose of red in their handmade designs.  The three artists are:  Jacki of Christie Cottage; Charlotte of Covergirlbeads; and, me, Catherine of Shadow Dog Designs.  I hope you enjoy all these unique handmade designs with blazing red!

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» Tagged: ACEO, art, artisan, boho, chandeliers, Christmas, Christmas earrings, earrings, enamel, felted pouch, fine silver, glass beads, hand painted, handmade, jewelry, lampwork, light red, medium red, Nepal, orange, pearls, pouch, red, red flint, Red Roja Rossa Rouge, red rose, roses, Santa, Sherpa, Swarovski crystals, tags, Three for Thursday, vintage, Volkswagen, VW, white, yellow

For the Love of Earrings - A Short History

Posted August 16, 2020

 

 

I don't know about you, but I feel strange when I hop in the trusty Dog Mobile and then notice I have forgotten to put on a pair of earrings!   At least there, in the driveway, I can hop out of the truck, run inside and grab a pair to put on.  But, heaven help me, if I get somewhere and realize I am earrings-less!  It's like the world has tilted just a bit on its axis and I’m in the Upside Down.  Being an ardent wearer of pierced earrings since the early 1970’s, I have quite the collection of handcrafted Native American earrings  - and earrings I’ve made myself and then couldn’t part with.  Just LOVE them!  

 

 

 

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» Tagged: Apadana Palace, apple wood, blue, boho, chandeliers, earrings, Egyptian, enamel, feather, flowers, gemstones, glass, Greek, handmade, Hawaiian, history, Iraq, lampwork, microphone, moon, music, orange, pirate, polymer clay, poppy, purple, Queen Elizabeth I, Queen Victoria, red, Renaissance, Roman, royal greaves, Shadow Dog Designs, ShadowDogDesigns, sing, Southwest, stars, summer, Swarovski crystals, Swarovski pearls, wedding, white, yellow

Hot, Hot, Hot Dogs Days of Summer - Artisan Handmade

Posted July 11, 2019

 

The dog days of summer are here and the temperatures have gotten hot, hot, hot.  It seems heat records have been shattered worldwide, especially in places that normally don’t get that hot.  Weird weather all over. Climate change is real, folks! 

 

So, just how did the term "Dog Days of Summer" come about?  Depending on latitude and longitude, the Dog Days usually start the beginning of July and end the beginning of September in the Northern Hemisphere and between early January to early March in the Southern Hemisphere.  Most people believe the phrase "dog days" developed by observing domestic dogs (such as our Seamus) laying around in shady areas during hot days. Another old myth, first attributed to Pliny the Elder, a Roman naturalist, stated in his Natural History that rabid dogs are supposed to be more common during this time of the year because the heat drives them mad.  He advised feeding dogs chicken manure to curb the tendency!!!

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» Tagged: African, applique, art, artisan, Buddha, bumblebee, cat lover, cats, chandeliers, clip on, Dog Days, Dog Days of Summer, donut, earrings, flowers, gemstone, glass, goddess, handmade, Hot Hot Hot, jewelry, lampwork, lemon quartz, mandala, necklace, Nepal, note cards, orange, pearls, pendant, polymer clay, quilled, red, Shadow Dog Designs, ShadowDogDesigns, summer, sun, sunburst, sundress, sunflower, sunrise, Swarovski crystals, tribal, watercolor, wood, yellow

Artisan Handmade Jewelry by Shadow Dog Designs

Posted September 16, 2018

 

 

Since the autumn arts festival season is in full swing, I have been thinking a lot about handmade items, especially since I mostly make one of a kind jewelry.  People always ask me, “How do you come up with the design.” I reply something like this, “To tell the truth, I’m not sure. Most of the time it just happens.” Or, “The Muses were good to me.”  I’m sure a LOT of artists give some semblance of those answer since the “creative idea” is often elusive. But the answers definitely don’t take into account all the years and years of working to perfect your art through taking classes, people giving their opinions, selling (or not) at shows and by trial and error . . . and more trial and error . . . and more trial and error.  Then, suddenly, it just happens.

 

I found this poster at WalchaHandmade that pretty much sums up the process:  

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New Artisan Handmade Jewelry at Shadow Dog Designs

Posted May 26, 2018

 

 

I love this quote by J. Donald Walters:

 

 

When you buy something handmade by a person, there is something special there, and you do feel it.  The consciousness with which the thing is made is often more important than the thing itself.

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» Tagged: amethyst, artisan, black, blue, boat, chandeliers, copper, coral, crosses, Czech glass, Day of the Dead, earrings, elephants, gemstones, green, handmade, horse, jewelry, Kuchi coin, lake, lampwork, moss agate, necklaces, onyx, petroglyph, rainbow fluorite, red, Shadow Dog Designs, ShadowDogDesigns, skulls, solar quartz, stalactite, sugar skulls, Swarovski crystals, Tree of Life, vintage, vintage tea tin
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