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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!!!
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Make It an Artisan Handmade Christmas - Week 12 Favorites - 2024
Posted December 10, 2024
Tick . . . tick . . . tick . . . tick . . . tick. According to the Your Christmas Countdown Clock there is only 14 days (two weeks!!!) until Christmas is here! It’s hard to believe that 12 weeks have already gone by since the Countdown to Christmas 2024 started. The Countdown has been graciously hosted all these weeks (and many years) by Julie and Harry of Blue Morning Expressions on their Buy Handmade from Makers blog. Yes, Week 12 has come and gone and 30 artisan handmade / designed items from ten artists were left in its wake. Any of the beauties will be perfect for a Christmas gift, one that was carefully created from the heart. Support independent artists by helping Santa make it a HANDMADE CHRISTMAS this year!
In addition to promoting each handmade item from the Countdown collection to my "Countdown to a Handmade Christmas 2024" Pinterest board and to my Twitter feed, I share one item from each of the artists who participated this week. Here are my "favorites" picks of the items - it's always hard to choose! I hope you enjoy these unique items.
Make It an Artisan Handmade Christmas - Week 3 Favorites - 2024
Posted October 8, 2024
It's amazing just how quickly Week 3 of the Countdown to Christmas 2024 sped right on by . . . with a wide variety of gorgeous artisan handmade / designed items left in its wake. According to the ever ticking Your Christmas Countdown Clock, there are only 77 days until jolly Santa Claus and his merry band of reindeer are delivering packages once again. 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 2024 of artisan handmade items on their Buy Handmade from Makers blog, part of their Blue Morning Expressions Shopify shop. This week, there were 36 shares by 12 artists featuring a wide range of truly unique gift ideas: jewelry of all types, coffee mugs, party tags, photographic and digital art, baby gifts, watercolors prints, 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 12 week Countdown, I pick a favorite item from each artist (hard to do!) and feature them here on my blog. Here are my favorites for Week 3:
Make It a Handmade Mothers Day - Artisan Gifts - Week 3
Posted March 19, 2024
Week 3 of the Countdown to Mother’s Day 2024 seem to have blown right on by (where do the days go???). Hosted by Julie and Harry of Blue Morning Expressions on their Buy Handmade from Makes blog, 36 unique handmade items from 12 artists were shared on the Countdown - each beauty a wonderful gift for Mom in her bug day. Since Mother's Day will be here before you know it - on May 12 - this is the perfect time to start thinking about and buying a gift(s) for your mom, grandmother, favorite auntie or other much loved woman. Browse all the wonderful handmade shares for Week 3, visit the shops of the artists featured and buy your mom a unique gift that was artisan handmade from the heart. Be sure to buy handmade this Mother's Day and support a small indie business!
Make It a Handmade Mothers Day - Artisan Gifts - Week 2
Posted March 12, 2024
It's hard to believe that week 2 of the Countdown to Mother's Day 2024, hosted by Julie and Harry of Blue Morning Expressions on their Buy Handmade from Makers blog came and went so quickly. A total of 30 unique items were shared from 10 talented artists - each beauty a perfect Mother’s Day gift! Since Mother's Day will be here before you know it - on May 12th, about 8 weeks 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 of the Countdown, visit the shops of the artists featured and buy your Mom a beauty that was handmade / designed from the heart. Many of the items are one of a kind designs. This year, please support small indie shops! When you do so, you make us VERY happy!
Here are my favorites from Week 2:
Make It an Artisan Handmade Christmas - Favorites - Week 8, 2023
Posted November 15, 2023
It’s all going so, so fast! Week 8 of the Countdown to Christmas 2023 has already come and gone, with only four more weeks remaining! The ever ticking Your Christmas Countdown Clock doesn’t let up - according to it, Santa and his flying reindeer will start their journey in only 39 days! Yikes!!!! Need a perfect place to start / finish your Christmas shopping? The Countdown - a chance for artists to come together and share three of their unique gift ideas - is the just the place to do that holiday shopping! Julie and Harry of Blue Morning Expressions are hosting the twelve-week Countdown to Christmas 2023 of artisan handmade items on their Buy Handmade from Makers blog (where you can also see the first seven Countdowns). This week, 39 items, many which are one of a kind designs, from 13 artists are featured. The artists shared a wide range of handmade gift ideas: jewelry of all sorts, Christmas gift tags, sweatshirts, limited edition prints, photographic prints, lampwork beads, coffee mugs and much, much more. A wonderful motto to follow: SHOP EARLY, SHOP OFTEN! And, most of all, SHOP HANDMADE to support hard working indie artists!
In addition to promoting each handmade item from the Countdown collection to my "Countdown to a Handmade Christmas 2023" Pinterest board and on my Twitter feed, I decided to share one item from each of the artists who participated this week. Here are my "favorites" picks of the items, in an order determined by drawing numbers from my trusty numbers bowl. I hope you enjoy these unique items!
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!
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)!
Make It a Handmade Christmas 2021 - Week 10
Posted November 23, 2021
Wow! Christmas Eve will be here in 30 days! And there are only two more weeks left in the Countdown to Christmas 2021! 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 rule of thumb to follow this holiday season: SHOP EARLY, SHOP OFTEN! And, most of all, SHOP HANDMADE to support small, independent artisan shops!
Make It a Handmade Christmas 2021 - Week 9
Posted November 16, 2021
Christmas is barreling down on us - it will soon be here! Week 9 of the Countdown to Christmas 2021 has come and gone and the ever ticking Christmas clock doesn’t let up. According to what it says today, Santa and his traveling buddies will start their journey in only 38 days, just five weeks from now! The Countdown is a place for handmade artists to share three of their beautiful (often one of a kind) creations and then promote each other. Need a perfect start / end to your Christmas shopping? Shop the Countdown to Christmas to browse and purchase that special piece! An excellent motto to follow this holiday seasonis : SHOP EARLY, SHOP OFTEN! And, most of all, SHOP HANDMADE to support small, indie shop owners!
