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Make It an Artisan Handmade Christmas - Favorites - Week 11, 2023
Posted December 6, 2023
It's hard to believe that Week 11 of the Countdown to Christmas 2023 has already come and gone . . . . and there is only ONE more week left of the promotion! When the Countdown starts, the end of the twelve weeks seems a looooong way off. Then - BAM! - here it is! With Christmas just 18 days away, where does the time go? The ever ticking Your Christmas Countdown Clock doesn’t let up - those seconds just keep ticking down until the jolly man in red and white arrives. Since the holiday gift giving season is lurking just around the corner, Julie and Harry of Blue Morning Expressions are once again hosting a twelve-week Countdown to Christmas 2023 of artisan handmade / designed items on their Buy Handmade from Makers blog. The Countdown is the place for handmade artists to share three of their beautiful (often one of a kind) creations. This week ten artists shared 30 items, a wide range of beautiful gift ideas: jewelry of all styles, ornaments, gift card holders, sweatshirts gearheads, lampwork glass beads, watercolor art prints and many other unique items. Need a perfect start or end to your holiday shopping? Shop the Countdown to Christmas; browse and purchase that special piece for that special person! An excellent rule of thumb to follow this holiday season: SHOP EARLY, SHOP OFTEN! And, most of all, SHOP HANDMADE to support small, independent artisan shops!
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Make It an Artisan Handmade Christmas - Favorites - Week 2, 2023
Posted October 4, 2023
Week 2 of the Countdown to Christmas 2023 has already come . . . and gone, No worries because unique artisan handmade / designed items were left in its wake. According to the ever ticking Your Christmas Countdown Clock, there are only 81 days until Christmas is here. With the rapidly approaching gift giving season in mind, Julie and her wonderful four-footed sidekick, Harry, are hosting a twelve-week Countdown to Christmas 2023 of artisan handmade items on their Buy Handmade from Makers blog, part of their of Blue Morning Expressions Shopify shop. The twelve week time period was chosen to correspond with the ubiquitous Christmas carol, "The Twelve Days of Christmas''. This week, there were 30 shares by 10 artists featuring a wide range of gift ideas: unique jewelry, Christmas tags, watercolor art prints, an original book, photographic and digital art for the home, ornaments, key chains and a host of other beauties. If you need a perfect start to your Christmas shopping, the Countdown is the place to do just that! An excellent motto to follow is: SHOP EARLY, SHOP OFTEN. And, most of all, SHOP HANDMADE to support small indie businesses!
Each week during the Countdown, I pick my a favorite items from each artist (hard to do!) and feature them here on my blog. These are my favorites for Week 2:
Happy Halloween - Spooky Artisan Handmade Goodies - 2023
Posted September 17, 2023
Halloween will soon be here, only about five weeks away! Halloween is a favorite day / evening / night for many, with a steady stream of trick or treaters in a variety of cute or creepy costumes. Decorations are aplenty: Jack O’ Lantern pumpkins, grinning skulls, eerie ghosts and other infamous creaturess. During the weeks before October 31, it’s fun to wear spooky accessories or decorate the home for Halloween. With that in mind, handmade artist friends were invited to share two Halloween / Day of the Dead / Autumn-inspired items - whether symbolic or filled with traditional colors or both. You’ll see a wide variety of spine-tingling jewelry, eye-catching photography, fun baby gifts, unique lampwork glass beads and your choice of sugar skull pincushions. Each one of these handmade beauties, many of which are one of a kind pieces, are perfect to help celebrate that supernatural day of the year. I hope you enjoy these choices and will visit the shops of the talented artists featured for more amazing handmade beauties, some spine-tingling and some not!
Christmas in July - Artisan Handmade Gifts - 2023
Posted July 13, 2023
Since it seems Christmas arrives earlier and earlier each and every year, it’s never too early to start shopping for those perfect holiday gifts for a loved one! Believe it or not Christmas with the jolly man in red and his reindeer show up in about 6 months - actually 164 days (from when this blog is posted) according to the ever ticking CHRISTMAS CLOCK. I’ve noticed quite a few “Christmas in July” promos and such at stores and on social media, so I decided to host one here on my Shadow Dog Designs blog. I asked artist friends to share two items - one that is “Christmasy” (in design or colors, etc.) and one that doesn’t have to be. Since many of these beauties are one of a kind, be sure to shop early (and often) so you don’t miss out. And please visit the shops of the artisans featured for even more wonderful creations that are handmade from the heart. Hopefully one or more items featured in the Christmas in July - Artisan Handmade Gifts - 2023 (or in the artists' shops) will make it into your shopping basket - treat yourself or someone else! And remember this year: SHOP SMALL and SHOP HANDMADE!
Fun in the Hot Hot Sun - Make it an Artisan Handmade Summer
Posted June 8, 2023
The official start of summer will soon be here. I takes place at 8:57 a.m. on June 21 here in El Paso, where the day will be 4 hours and 9 minutes longer than on the shortest day in December. To celebrate the hot, hot summer days, I asked artist friends to share two items that represent “hot summer fun” - something with hot colors, a beach or tropical theme or the like. Some items shared are more on the blazing summer side and some represent a more mellow, cool summer. However, ALL are artisan handmade / designed and many are one of a kind pieces. So if something catches your eye on this Fun in the Hot Hot Sun - Make It an Artisan Handmade Summer blog, please click the photo or the link below the photo for more information and pictures of the individual item. Hopefully one or more will make it into your shopping basket - treat yourself or someone else to a unique artisan beauty! And remember: SHOP SMALL and SHOP HANDMADE!
Buy Artisan Handmade for Mothers Day 2023 - Week 5
Posted April 11, 2023
Another week of the Countdown to Mother's Day 2023 has come and gone. Week 5, as all the weeks have been and will be, was hosted by Julie and Harry of Blue Morning Expressions on their Buy Handmade from Makers blog. Thirty-three unique handmade / designed items were shared from eleven artists. Many are one of a kind and each will make a memorable gift for Mom on her big day. Since Mother's Day will be here before you know it, on May 14, this is the perfect time to thinking about and start buying a gift(s) for your Mom (and, perhaps, for yourself). Browse all the wonderful handmade shares for Week 5, visit the shops of the artists featured and buy your Mom a beautiful gift that was handmade from the heart. For this year's Mother's Day: PLEASE BUY HANDMADE and support small, indie businesses!
Buy Artisan Handmade for Mothers Day 2023 - Week 4
Posted April 4, 2023
It's hard to believe that week 4 of the Mother’s Day Countdown 2023 has come . . . and gone so quickly! It's now the beginning of April and Easter is next Sunday! The fun Countdown, hosted by Julie and Harry of Blue Morning Expressions on their Buy Handmade from Makers blog, is a place where artisans come together and share three of their unique items. This week 11 handmade artists shared a total of 33 lovely items - each one a perfect gift for Mother’s Day. Since the big Mom day will be here before you know it - in about 6 weeks from now - this is the perfect time to start thinking about and buying a gift(s) for your Mom, grandmother or others. Be sure to browse all the wonderful handmade shares for Week 4, visit the shops of the artists featured and buy your Mom a unique beauty that was artisan handmade from the heart. This year, definitely Make it a Handmade Mother's Day!
Buy Artisan Handmade for Mothers Day 2023 - Week 2
Posted March 21, 2023
It's hard to believe that week 2 of the Mother's Day Countdown 2023, hosted by Julie and Harry of Blue Morning Expressions on their Buy Handmade from Makers blog came and went so quickly! A total of 39 unique items were shared from 13 talented artists - each beauty a perfect Mother’s Day gift. Since Mother's Day will be here before you know it - on May 14th, less than 2 months from now - this is the perfect time to start thinking about and buying a gift(s) for your mom, grandmother, aunties and other loves ones. Browse all the wonderful handmade shares for Week 2, visit the shops of the artists featured and buy your Mom a beauty that was handmade from the heart, many of which are one of a kind designs. This year, please support small artisan handmade shops!
Buy Artisan Handmade for Mothers Day 2023 - Week 1
Posted March 14, 2023
Julie and the ever Handsome Harry Florida Dog of Blue Morning Expressions are once again hosting the wildly popular Countdown to Mother’s Day 2023 Week 1 on their Buy Handmade from Makers blog. Last year's Mother's Day Countdown 2022 was a resounding success . . . so the 2023 version is up and running. Since Mother's Day will be here before you know it - on May 14 - this is the perfect time to start thinking about buying a gift(s) for your mom, grandmom, aunts and/ or other beloved women. Browse all the wonderful handmade shares, visit the shops of the artists featured in this week's Countdown and buy your mother a beauty that was handmade / designed from the heart. When you do so, you support a small, independent business (which makes us do a happy dance)!
Pick a Bouquet of Spring Flowers - Artisan Handmade Floral Gifts
Posted February 19, 2023
Spring unlocks the flowers to paint the laughing soil.
~ Bishop Reginald Heber ~
I have always loved the quote shared above. Bishop Reginald Heber (1783-1826), well known for his poetry, describes in just a few words the joyousness of spring on the return of flowers. I, myself, can’t wait to finish the new flower bed I started digging last fall and filling it with native plants chosen specifically for pollinators of all types. Let the flowers paint the laughing soil! And let the colorful flowers be an important food source for bees of all types, flower flies, butterflies, moths, wasps and hummingbirds.
With all-things-flower in mind, I invited artist friends to share two of their floral designs. As you will see in the beautiful items below, there is a wide range of flowers to be had, from note cards to jewelry, from lampwork beads to photography, from photography to digital art and many, many more! Be sure to pick a bouquet of floral beauties and support small handmade businesses!
For Twitter, please use the hashtag #SpringFlowers.
