Blog entry
Make It a Handmade Mothers Day - Week 3
Posted March 24, 2020
It's been over a week now since my husband and I decided to really get serious about social distancing due to COVID-19. I keep hearing how people are bored and have nothng to do. Not true in my case. I keep VERY busy! Now that we're in the Upside Down, I realized - except for yoga and working out at the YWCA for an hour each weekday, eating out with friends now and then, and doing art shows - my life, once I started creating jewelry and selling online, always had a lot of social distancing. And I bet a lot of my artist friends are the same way. OK, enough of that. I just want everyone to stay safe and healthy out there!
Week 3 of the Mother’s Day Countdown 2020 seemed to blow right by. Hosted by Julie and Harry of Blue Morning Expressions on their the Blu Print blog, 30 unique handmade items were shared from 10 artists - each one a wonderful gift for Mother’s Day. Since the big day will be here before you know it - about 7 weeks from now - this is the perfect time to start thinking about and buying a gift(s) for your Mom. Browse all the wonderful handmade shares for Week 3, visit the shops of the artists featured and buy your Mom a beauty that was handmade from the heart.
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Unique Earrings for You - Artisan Handmade - Three for Thursday
Posted February 13, 2020
Earrings are my “go to” jewelry. They are the piece of jewelry I almost always put on right away when I get up in the morning. BUT if I happen to leave the house without a pair dangling from my ears, and suddenly realize it, it feels like the earth somewhat shifts on its axis, like I’ve accidently wandered into the Upside Down. Weird, I know. I can’t wait to get back home to put on a pair to set things Rightside Up.
Since earrings are an integral part of my life, both to wear and create, this week’s Three for Thursday is called “Unique Earrings for You.” Three pairs of earrings from three handmade jewelry artists are featured. The artists are: Mary of PrettyGonzo; Linda of VictorianStyleTreasures; and, me, Catherine of Shadow Dog Designs. If something catches your eye, be sure to visit the artisan’s shop for more beauties. I hope you thoroughly enjoy this earrings collection featuring a wide range of styles.
An Artisan Handmade Christmas - Gift Ideas - Week 4
Posted October 15, 2019
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Week 4 of the Countdown to Christmas quickly came and went . . . and a wide variety of wonderful artisan handmade items were left in its wake. According to the ever ticking Christmas clock, there is only 70 days until Christmas is here - once again - too early. Now is the perfect time and this is the perfect place to start your holiday shopping. Follow this motto: SHOP EARLY, SHOP OFTEN! And, most of all, SHOP HANDMADE!
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!!!
Handmade Jewelry - New Necklaces and Earrings by Shadow Dog Designs
Posted May 30, 2019
Spring is pretty much behind us here in the Desert Southwest. Although it has been a very mild spring (YAY!) with below average heat with morning still cool enough that a light jacket is sometimes needed. But all of us who live here know that summer is just around the corner bringing some triple digit temperatures in June. The the summer monsoons arrive (hopefully) in July, August and September bringing cooler temperatures again (but also the dreaded humidity) and a sense of rejuvenation.
So many of my new jewelry designs deal with summer-y type things, whether the designs feature flowers, summer colors, the sun or other beauties. And don’t forget your dogs or cats! I hope you enjoy the newest earrings (and one necklace) designs that can be found in my Shadow Dog Designs jewelry shop:
Make It an Artisan Handmade Christmas - Week 4
Posted October 16, 2018
Wow! Where did week 4 of the Countdown to Christmas go? Fortunately, a wide variety of amazing artisan handmade items were left behind. According to the ever ticking Christmas clock, Christmas will be here in only 69 days!!! The Countdown is the perfect place to start your holiday shopping. A good motto to live by this Christmas gift buying season: Shop Early, Shop Often! And, above all, Shop Handmade!!!
Make It an Artisan Handmade Christmas - Week 3
Posted October 9, 2018
Week 3 of the Countdown to Christmas sped right on by . . . and a wide variety of lovely artisan handmade and vintage items have been left in its wake. According to the ever ticking Christmas clock, there is only 75 days until Christmas is here . . . once again. This is the perfect place to start your holiday shopping. Shop early, shop often!
Make It an Artisan Handmade Christmas - Week 1
Posted September 25, 2018
WOW, wasn't last Christmas like . . . last month? Yikes! According to the Christmas clock, there is only 90 days, 22 hours, 30 minutes and those quickly descending seconds (as of 1:30 a.m. Tuesday morning) until Christmas is here . . . once again! And it's even closer by the time your read this "Make it an Artisan Handmade Christmas - Week 1" blog post!
All Creatures Great and Small - Artisan Handmade
Posted May 19, 2018
I’ll be the first to admit that I am an avid reader - always have been and, I imagine, always will be. It seems I have at least 3-4 books going at the same time and have a stack of books by the bed. One of my all time favorite books, one I have read time and time again, is James Herriot’s (real name, James Alfred Wight) All Creatures Great and Small. I loved that book the most, but also loved the other three in the series: All Things Bright and Beautiful, All Things Wise and Wonderful and The Lord God Made Them All (and the other numerous books he wrote). The books made me laugh and also made me cry as Herriot related his life as a country vet in the fictional town of Darrowby, Yorkshire. The people he encountered were funny and sometimes maddening, but it was the description of the animals that touched my heart. You could tell Herriot really, truly cared for the animals. By the way, I also thoroughly enjoyed the BBC series on TV . . . but the books were so much better.
Have a Heart for Valentines Day - Wonderful Handmade Wednesday on Indiemade
Posted February 7, 2018
Valentine’s Day is only a week away. There is still time to order a perfect handmade gift for your loved one(s). The theme of today’s blog is Have a Heart for Valentine’s Day. All of the beauties featured today have hearts as part of their design component. All are artisan handmade and most are one of a kind items. Give your sweetie a Valentine’s Day gift that contains a bit of the heart and soul of of the artist who created it.
MAKE IT A HANDMADE VALENTINE’S DAY!
