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The Magical Color of Purple - Wonderful Handmade Wednesday on Indiemade
Since purple is a fairly rare color in nature, an almost magical aura has been associated to it throughout human history. The first historical record of a purple dye, called Tyrian purple, indicates that it began to be manufactured in the Phoenician city of Tyre in the eastern Mediterranean in the 14th century BCE. The dye was extracted from the glands of several types of shellfish, but especially the Murex brandaris. The process to extract the dye took about three days. Thousands of putrefied, crushed shellfish were left to bake in the sun. Salt was then added and the mash of glands were boiled down. (Can you imagine the overwhelming stench of the process!!!). It took about 12,000 shellfish to extract 1.5 grams of the pure dye, barely enough to dye a single garment the size of a Roman toga. In 301 A.D. during the reign of Roman Emperor Diocletian, one pound of purple dye cost 150,000 denarii or around three pounds of gold. This is the main reason the purple color was reserved for emperors or individuals with titles of royal authority.
Handmade Beauties to Ring in the New Year
A new year is almost on us. Which leaves me to wonder: what the heck happened to 2016? I don't know about you, but it sure zoomed by quickly! Despite its swift passing, 2016 also witnessed exquisite handmade creations from a host of artist friends. To help ring in 2017, I decided to share some of those favorites - many are one of a kind pieces - that would be perfect to wear to any New Year's Eve party. Enjoy!
Earthy Browns Abound - Wonderful Handmade Wednesday on Indiemade
Despite the grass in our back yard staying an amazing green so far into the year, I can see the slide of winter colors beginning to show up. Pretty soon our back yard, the arroyo behind the house and the desert over all will be clothed in the many varied shades of warm earthy browns with tinges of other subtle colors. Waiting . . . waiting . . . waiting . . . . for the brilliance of spring.
“Earthy Browns Abound” is the theme of this week’s “Wonderful Handmade Wednesday on Indiemade. I hope you enjoy the beautifully earthy artisan creations featured here. And, please, support handmade artisan this holiday season.
Yellers, Browns and Goldens - Wonderful Handmade Wednesday on Indiemade
The other day, as I was pondering the theme of this week’s “Wonderful Handmade Wednesday" blog post, I ran across a very colorful quote from Roy Bean talking about autumn in the desert: “And Fall, with her yeller harvest moon and the hills growin' brown and golden under a sinkin' sun.” Aha, I thought! The handmade theme of earthy yellers, browns and goldens was then set in my mind.
The Autumn Wind is a Pirate - Wonderful Handmade Wednesday on Indiemade
Since I live in the Desert Southwest, autumn comes creeping slowly in with cooler temperatures. Most of the trees here are evergreen so there isn’t much color change. This time of the year, I always think about the forest we lived in for 10 years in Northern Virginia. Oh, the glorious colors as the leaves on the trees changed.!!! Sometimes almost blinding color combinations. Then sometimes, the wind would hit and the leaves became a carpet of color on the forest floor. I ran across this great quote about autumn wind from Steve Sabol: “The autumn wind is a pirate. Blustering in from sea with a rollicking song he sweeps along swaggering boisterously. His face is weather beaten, he wears a hooded sash with a silver hat about his head . . . The autumn wind is a raider, pillaging just for fun.” A pillaging wind playing with and swirling the colorful leaves!
The Lucky Number 3 - Wonderful Handmade Wednesday on Indiemade
I am not by nature a superstitious person, but I have a real affinity for the number 3 (even more for 33). For centuries, it has been revered as a lucky number. I also knew it had many, many religious connotations, such as the Holy Trinity (Father, Son and Holy Spirit) in the Christian faith - St. Patrick used a shamrock to teach about the Holy Trinity. It also describes the three attributes of God: omniscience, omnipresence, and omnipotence. In Hinduism, the number 3 represents the three gods: Brahma, the creator; Vishnu, the preserver; and Shiva, the destroyer. The number 3 is very important in Buddhism and represents: the Buddha, the historical Buddha Shakyamuni; the Dharma, the Buddhist body of teachings; and, the Sangha, the people who follow the teaching of the Buddha.
Go Ahead, Treat Yourself to Handmade! - Wonderful Handmade Wednesday on Indiemade
Summer is slowing drawing to an end and, for many children, school has already started. Summer has probably been a whirlwind of activities, traveling, family outings, cook outs and shopping for school. With all that in mind, it’s time for YOU to treat YOURSELF to something handmade from the heart. Browsing through the shops of Indiemade artist friends, I found a wide range of items. Anyone is guaranteed to brighten up your day or at least pique your interest to see what other handmade wonders the artists have in their studios. If you see something you particularly like, please click on the live link below the photo for more information, photos and the price. Go ahead! Enjoy the selections!
Breathtaking Blues and Greens - Wonderful Handmade Wednesday on Indiemade
Maybe it’s because I spent a good part of the week before last in a much greener part of the state, but blues and greens have been much on my mind lately. In the Desert Southwest, the color blue is extremely well represented with our huge, ever changing blue skies. But since the monsoon rains have been virtually nonexistent so far, the desert is still a toasty brown. I long for the rains and the land to green up like it normally does this time of the year and be a perfect complement to the blue skies.
Love is in the Air! - Wonderful Handmade Wednesday on Indiemade - February 3, 2016
With Valentine's Day quickly approaching, it seems where ever you go these days, "Love is in the Air" with all the massive displays of Valentine's cards, chocolates, stuffed animals and such. Last year the total retail expenditure for Valentine's Day was a whopping $18.9 billion. Yes, that is with a "B" - a record for sales. It was estimated that the average person celebrating February 14 shelled out $142.31. Men spent about $100 more on gifts than women: $190.53 vs. $96.58. Candy, flowers and jewelry are the three most popular gifts. Interestingly, about 20% of people bought a Valentine's gift for their pet!
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