Enjoy

*** FREE SHIPPING ***

(First Class Ground Advantage - U.S. Only)

 

Blog entry

New Handmade Jewelry by Shadow Dog Designs - Necklace and Earrings

 

 

It’s definitely been a loooong time since I last shared my newest jewelry designs.  Thanksgiving, Christmas and the year 2020 are finally behind us.  Good riddance to 2020, although, believe it or not, there were some bright spots!  I have to think and give thanks to those instead of dwelling on the depressing things of the past year.  One of the things that was good was the ability to sit and design lots of new necklaces and earrings, along with some bracelets, without the show season to interrupt (although I definitely DO miss meeting people and selling at shows!).  Online sales were excellent so many of the new designs listed before Christmas are gone, along with numerous oldies but goodies.  Since Valentine’s Day is looming, I decided to pull together ten of the newest designs still in my shop.  I hope you enjoy the new beauties!

Make It a Handmade Christmas 2020 - Week 12

 

 

 

Tick . . . tick . . . tick.  According to the Christmas clock, there are now only 16 (!!!) days until Christmas!  It’s hard to believe that December is already here and, with it, the last week of the Countdown to Christmas 2020.  The Countdown has been graciously hosted by Julie and Blue of Blue Morning Expressions on their The Blu Print blog. Yes, Week 12 has come and gone and 33 artisan handmade items from 11 artists were left in its wake, any of which will be perfect for a Christmas gift that was carefully created from the heart.  Support handmade artists by helping Santa make it a HANDMADE Christmas this year!

 

 

 

Make It a Handmade Christmas 2020 - Week 10

 

 

Wow!  Christmas Eve will be here in 30 days!  And there are only two more weeks left in the Countdown to Christmas 2020!  Where does the time go? The ever ticking Christmas clock doesn’t let up and keeps ticking down those seconds until Santa and his herd of reindeer make a nighttime visit to leave gifts or lumps of coal. The Countdown is the place for handmade artists to share three of their beautiful (often one of a kind) creations. Need a perfect start to your Christmas shopping?  Shop the Countdown to Christmas: browse and purchase that special piece for that special person! An excellent motto to follow this holiday season: SHOP EARLY, SHOP OFTEN! And, most of all, SHOP HANDMADE from small artisan shops! 

 

 

 

Make It a Handmade Christmas 2020 - Week 5

 

 

Week 5 of the Countdown to Christmas rushed right on by (the time goes quicker and quicker each week, it seems!), and a huge variety of fabulous artisan handmade items were left in its wake.  According to the ever ticking Christmas clock, there are only 65 days, barely over 2 months, before Jolly Ol’ Santa and his reindeer arrive once again. Now is the perfect time to start your holiday shopping and the Countdown is the perfect place!  Remember this motto: SHOP EARLYSHOP OFTEN! And, most of all, SHOP HANDMADE!

 

 

 

Make It a Handmade Christmas 2020 - Week 1

 

 

WOW, wasn't last Christmas like . . . three months ago?  With as strange as the year 2020 has been so far, it’s hard to believe that Christmas is only 93 days away (according to the ever ticking Christmas clock).  It’s not too early to start thinking about your Christmas shopping list.  A perfect place to start is the 12 week Countdown to Christmas 2020 hosted by Julie and Harry of Blue Morning Expressions that is filled with a wide variety of handmade gifts.  A good motto to follow: SHOP EARLY, SHOP OFTEN! And, most of all, SHOP HANDMADE to support small businesses!

Mimosas, Bumblebees and Hummingbirds

 

 

When we first moved into the house we now own, a scraggly “weed” started growing in a shrub bed on the southeast side of the house.  Being of a mind set where a “weed is just a misplaced plant,” I often let something grow until I can identify it, I left the scraggly plant. And I’m sure glad I did!  It turned out to be a mimosa tree (Albizia julibrissin), a tree I’ve seen quite  often and admired greatly in more tropical areas,  like Florida where it can be very invasive, but never thought it would grow here in an arid desert climate.  I don't remember seeing one anywhere near the house so am not sure how the seed that ended up in the shrub bed.  Since it sprouted fairly close to an irrigation mister head, it grew fairly quickly and is now, almost 9 years later, a beautifully arching tree that attracts a wide variety of pollinators.  An added bonus is that the mimosa smells heavenly, especially in the cool of the morning.  I know sometime in the not too distant future, we'll have to cut it down because we don't want the roots to mess with the house's foundation and sidewalk.  But for now, I'll definitely enjoy it.     

New Handmade Jewelry by Shadow Dog Designs

 

 

You would seem due sheltering in place because of the COVID-19 pandemic, I’d have more time to create new jewelry and blog.  Before, my days were very structured.  Now they’re not, even though I try to structure them.  It seems I find myself saying, “I’ll do it tomorrow” . . . and then when tomorrow rolls around, it becomes “tomorrow” again.  So, this morning, I sat myself down to create a new blog showcasing the newest pieces of jewelry in my SHADOW DOG DESIGNS shop.  Fourteen handmade beauties:  nine pairs of earrings, four necklaces and one bracelet.  They are all one of a kind creations from a variety of materials including, gemstones, polymer clay, Czech glass, Swarovski crystals and a host of other things.  I hope you take the time to browse and to check out all the other jewelry in my shop.  After all, Christmas will be here before we know it - get a head start with your holiday shopping!  Enjoy.

Flora and Fauna - Artisan Handmade

 

 

The Earth is such a beautiful place to live on, if we just take the time to look and observe.  No matter where we go, unique plants and animals can be found, two very important parts of any ecosystem.  I’ve been lucky to have lived in many places and many different ecosystems, from Central Texas to North Carolina, from near Georgian Bay in Canada to a forest in Northern Virginia, from North Texas to an island in South Carolina.  Now I live in the gorgeous Desert Southwest.  The flora and fauna of each place was awe-inspiring - some the same but, most often, very different.  Since I love what Mother Nature has to offer, I find it all VERY, VERY interesting and want to keep on learning about how our wonderful Earth functions . . . and what we need to do to heal it.   

 

 

 

Summer Flowers - Artisan Handmade - Three for Thursday

 

 

Summer will soon be here.  Despite the (expected) triple digit heat that has set in here in the Desert Southwest, the water wise flowers I planted last year and in the cool of this spring are blooming up a storm.  Everyone who knows me really well knows I love to work in my flower beds . . . and am ecstatic at the resulting blooms.  So my beautiful flowers are the inspiration for this week’s Three for Thursday where I feature three items from three artists.  This week the artists are:  Roxanne of watercolorsNmoreJacki of Christie Cottage; and me, Catherine of Shadow Dog Designs.  Enjoy the wide range of floral art.  Hopefully one or more of the items will soon be on the way to you!

 

Julia's Roses (And A Few Irises)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

My good friend, Julia, `spent many years creating a most amazing rose garden in her backyard.  They are her “babies” and she spends many enjoyable hours working in the garden, talking to the roses and inhaling their heady scents when blooming.  She also communes with the wondrous nature that is all around.  However, in years past, she’s wasn't at home when the roses were in full bloom.  She would fly to Bolivia for three months in the spring (autumn in Bolivia) to visit her brother and other relatives in the town where she grew up.  I always felt sad for Julia when she was away, knowing how she was missing her amazing rose show. I’d go to her house, take photos of the roses, blog about them and then email her the link.  But that definitely wasn’t anything like being in her garden to enjoy the beauty each bush provided

 

Syndicate content