Blog entry

Make It a Handmade Christmas 2021 - Week 9

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! 

Christian Jewelry - Handmade by Shadow Dog Designs

Religious jewelry is always a perfect gift for the Christian woman, especially when the necklaces and earrings are one of a kind, artisan designs.  Today, I’m sharing ten pieces of beautiful, Christian inspired jewelry from my SHADOW DOG DESIGNS shop, seven necklaces and three pairs of earrings.  As I mentioned above, all are one of a kind designs so you can rest assured no one else has a piece just like it!  If something catches your eye and you want more information and photos, be sure to either click the item photograph or the live link below the picture to be taken to the listing.  I hope you enjoy these meaningful beauties!

Every Flower - Artisan Jewelry by Shadow Dog Designs

EVERY FLOWER IS A SOUL BLOSSOMING IN NATURE

Gerard de Nerval

Anyone who knows me well, knows that I love growing flowers.  Since moving to the Desert Southwest, it has been a long experiment to see what survives and what doesn’t.  Not only does the summer heat make some plants struggle, but we had an unexpected deep freeze this past winter.  But since the monsoon season has arrived early this year with much needed rain (yay!) and cooler temperatures (yay!), my flower beds are thriving.  The zinnias that were grown from seed have just started to bloom - they are an experiment so we’ll see how they do.  Grandpa Otts morning glories and sunflowers are aso blooming, along with the yellow and native lantana (which started back in March) and cheerful moss-rose purslane.  And, of course, the bright fuchsia pink Knockout roses keep chugging right along.  An all-time favorite flower, hollyhocks, are just about bloomed out.  I've been taking photos and hope to share some in a blog later on.  I revel in the beauty of flowers!

Christian Cross Jewelry - Artisan Handmade by Shadow Dog Designs

To a Christian, crosses are a symbol of atonement and reminds them of God's love in sacrificing his own son for humanity.  Despite being associated primarily with Christianity, many cross symbols were used as religious symbols pre-Christianity, especially in Europe and western Asia.  Crosses can be found carved on rocks and in caves dating back to the Upper Paleolithic period, approximately 50,000 to 12,000 years ago.  During the European Bronze Age (app. 3200 - 600 B.C), cross symbols seemed to carry a religious meaning, possibly a symbol of consecration especially during burials.  For at least two centuries after the crucifixion of Christ, the symbol of Christianity (when it was depicted) was a headless T-shaped Tau cross.  Gradually over time, the Tau cross was replaced by the Greek cross, with arms of equal length, then by the Latin cross (or Roman cross) with a longer descending arm, which is the most common cross used today.  Crosses come in many different variants, all having a religious meaning.  If you are interested in seeing some of the variants and what they mean, I find these two links to be especially helpful:  Christian Cross Variants and Kinds of Crosses--What the Different Designs Mean.