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Hot Summer Fun 2025 - Artisan Handmade - Week 3
Posted July 24, 2025
The last week of the “Hot Summer Fun 2025” promotion is here . . . the three weeks seem to fly by. ALL the beauties featured on the new “Hot Summer Fun - Week 3” blog are artisan handmade / designed and many are one of a kind pieces. So if something catches your eye, 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 a loved one (or yourself!) to a unique artisan gift! And remember: SHOP SMALL and SHOP HANDMADE! Small indie shops will definitely THANK YOU!
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Hot Summer Fun 2025 - Artisan Handmade - Week 2
Posted July 17, 2025
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Week 2 of the "Hot Summer Fun blog is here! In it, you'll find a large selection of summery items: hot colors, beachy vibes, flowers, sun designs, tropical themes, ocean colors, etc. Some items shared are more on the blazing summer side and some represent a more calming summer. However, ALL are artisan handmade / designed and many are one of a kind pieces. So if something catches your eye on this Hot Summer Fun 2025 - Artisan Handmade - Week 2 blog, please click the photo or the link below the photo for more information and more pictures of the individual item. And to see the entire collection click here's a link: Hot Summer Fun - Artisan Handmade Gifts Hopefully one or more of these beauties will make it into your shopping basket. Treat yourself or a loved one to a unique artisan gift! And remember: SHOP SMALL, SHOP HANDMADE!
Hot Summer Fun 2025 - Artisan Handmade - Week 1
Posted July 10, 2025
To celebrate the hot, hot summer days, I asked artist friends to share three items that represent “hot summer fun” - items with hot colors, beachy vibes, flowers, sun designs, tropical themes, etc. 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 Hot Summer Fun 2025 - Artisan Handmade - Week 1 blog, please click the photo or the link below the photo for more information and more 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!
Artisan Valentines Gifts for Loved Ones - Week 4 - 2025
Posted February 6, 2025
Just a warning: Valentine's Day is only 1 week away, this coming February 14! In case you still need a gift for the big day, Week 4 of the Valentine’s gift blog on Shadow Dog Designs features artisan handmade / designed beauties. Each piece makes a wonderful gift for your loved one. Traditional and non-traditional Valentine's designs are included. Many of the artisan items can be worn / used all year long! If something catches your eye, be sure to click either the photo or the description below the photo to be taken to the artistan's shop. To see all of the gift ideas in one place, here’s a link: Artisan Valentine's Gifts for Loved Ones - Week 1 - 2025. ALL of the gifts shared here were created by small business owners. Please be sure to SHOP SMALL this Valentine's Day and support an indie artist. We will certainly appreciate that!!!
Artisan Valentines Gifts for Loved Ones - Week 3 - 2025
Posted January 30, 2025
Yikes! Valentine's Day is only 2 weeks away (February 14)!!! For ease of shopping for the big day, Week 3 of the Valentine’s gift blog on Shadow Dog Designs features artisan handmade / designed beauties. Each piece in the collection is perfect for a loved one. There are plenty of Valentine's Day themed items, but gifts that are not so distinctly traditional are also included. Many of the artisan items can be worn / used all year long! If something catches your eye, be sure to click either the photo or the description below the picture to be taken to the artistan's shop. To see all of the gift ideas in one place, here’s a link: Artisan Valentine's Gifts for Loved Ones - Week 1 - 2025. ALL of the gifts shared here were created by small business owners. Please be sure to SHOP SMALL for this Valentine's Day. We will certainly appreciate that!!!
Make It an Artisan Handmade Christmas - Week 5 Favorites - 2024
Posted October 22, 2024
Where does hte time go? It seems to go by more and more quickly each week: week 5 of the Countdown to Christmas has already come and gone! According to the ever ticking Your Christmas Countdown Clock, there are only 63 days (a bit more than 2 months!!!) before the the reindeer driving man clothed in red and white arrives once again. With the rapidly approaching holiday season, Julie and Harry of Blue Morning Expressions comtimue to host a twelve-week Countdown to Christmas 2024 of artisan handmade items on their Buy Handmade from Makers blog. Now is the perfect time to start your holiday shopping and the Countdown is the perfect place to begin that! This week, 33 handmade / designed items from 11 artists were shared in the wide-ranging gift collection: jewelry of all different styles, photo albums, art prinrs, note cards, throw pillows, keychains, decal sets, lampwork beads, baby gifts and more. Remember this motto: SHOP EARLY and SHOP OFTEN! And, most of all, SHOP HANDMADE to support a small indie business.
Each week during the 12 week Countdown, I will pick a favorite item from each artist (hard to do!) and feature them here on my blog. Here are my favorites for Week 5:
A Fantasia of Flowers - Artisan Handmade Floral Gifts
Posted February 27, 2024
Here in the Desert Southwest, you can feel that spring is not far off. The days are getting longer and warmer, the winds are getting . . . . well . . . . windier, and, despite not having much rain in the last several months, flowers are beginning to stir and put on buds, a prelude to their much anticipated appearance before the heat sets in. I saw the first swallows of the season yesterday, soaring and dipping through the arroyo that butts up against our back yard. Other bird migrants will soon be here - some will pass on through and some will stay to nest. Hummingbirds are greatly anticipated as are the butterflies, bees and wasps, all of which I hope will make good use of the new pollinator flower bed that has been a long, slow process in the making. Life is good.
Thinking about flowers reminds me of a favorite floral quote by the Impressionist painter, Claude Monet, who painted many amazing floral landscapes and cultivated large flower gardens at Giverny:
“I MUST HAVE FLOWERS, ALWAYS, AND ALWAYS”
I TOTALLY agree with him!
The flowers shared below blossomed in the creative minds, hearts and souls of each artist featured. I hope you enjoy browsing all these cheerful artisan handmade / designed spring beauties. And be sure to visit the shops of the artisans featured for even more to choose from. After all, Easter and Mother’s Day will quickly be here!
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!
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.
Happy Valentines Day - Artisan Handmade Gifts!
Posted January 13, 2022
Valentine’s Day will be here before we know it. Walk into a store shortly after Christmas and hearts, cupids and other items in pink and red will assail you from every direction. Flowers, candy and gifts are exchanged between loved ones throughout the United States and in many other countries around the world . . . all in the name of St. Valentine. Although the exact history of St. Valentine is shrouded in mystery, February has long been celebrated as a month of romance. Valentine’s Day, as we know it today, contains vestiges of both Christian and ancient Roman traditions.
