Enjoy

*** FREE SHIPPING ***

(First Class Ground Advantage - U.S. Only)

 

Blog entry

Think Green for Artisan Christmas Gifts - Wonderful Handmade Wednesday on Indiemade

Posted December 7, 2016

 

 

 

Red and green are colors that are closely associated with Christmas.  Last week I shared how red became a Christmas color.  You can read that post here:  Think Red for Artisan Christmas Gifts.  This week, green, the other Christmas color, is explored mainly through the symbolism of holly, mistletoe and evergreen trees.

 

The color green and its association with the time around Christmas has a pre-Christian origin, more specifically tied to the Winter Solstice.  Evergreen plants, like holly, mistletoe and pine, spruce or fir trees have been used for thousands of years to decorate and brighten up buildings during the long, dark, cold winter when life could be very tenuous.  Ancient peoples were scared of the short days and freezing nights and mistakenly believed that the Sun might disappear altogether. Evergreens reminded people that spring would come and that winter wouldn't last forever.  Historical records show that the Romans wove wreaths of holly to hang on their walls and doors to celebrate the winter solstice / Saturnalia. They also exchanged evergreen branches as a sign of good luck. The ancient Egyptians would bring green date palm branches into their homes during their mid- winter festivals as a symbol of "life triumphant over death." To the ancient people, the color green represented life, nature, peace, eternity and the hope of the future.  

» Read more
» 5 Comments
» Tagged: artisan, cards, ceramic, Christmas, Christmas gift ideas, Christmas green, copper, cowl, dichroic, dog, earrings, gemstone, gift ideas, gifts, hand knit, handmade, holiday gift ideas, jewelry, necklace, ornaments, pendant, Shadow Dog Designs, ShadowDogDesigns, Swarovski crystals, tribal

Think Red for Artisan Christmas Gifts - Wonderful Handmade Wednesday on Indiemade

Posted November 30, 2016

 

 

 

The color combination of red and green is closely associated with Christmas - for example, Santa’s red clothing and green holly with red berries.  But how did this come about?  From ancient history to modern time, color has been an integral part of cultural awareness and even an understanding of life; it touched all members of society and conveyed deeper messages (such as, only royalty could wear the color purple).  Red and green as Christian symbolism can be traced back to Medieval Miracle Plays and rood screen painters.  The color combination can be traced to the Mabinogion, a collection of Welsh stories from the 13th century.  And these stories were probably based on an oral tradition that dates back to the pre-Christian Celts many centuries before where a half-red, half-green tree figures prominently in one of the tales.  In pre-Christian times, red and green represented male (red) and female (green), strength and harmony, desire and fertility.  

» Read more
» 7 Comments
» Tagged: artisan, ceramic, Christmas, Christmas red, copper, cowl, dichroic, dog, earrings, flowers, gift ideas, gifts, hand knit, handmade, jewelry, necklace, ornaments, pendant, red, roses, ruffle, scarf, Shadow Dog Designs, ShadowDogDesigns, tribal

Earthy Browns Abound - Wonderful Handmade Wednesday on Indiemade

Posted November 15, 2016

 

 

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.

» Read more
» 7 Comments
» Tagged: artisan, bandana, brown, ceramic, copper, diatoms, dichroic, dog, earrings, earthy, gemstones, handmade, Indiemade, jewelry, knitting, necklaces, pendants, Shadow Dog Designs, ShadowDogDesigns, shawl, spirals, tigerseye
Syndicate content