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Delicate Easter Colors - Artisan Handmade Three for Thursday

 

 

Easter is a symbol of hope, renewal, and new life. 

Janine di Giovanni

 

 

Since yesterday was Ash Wednesday - and Easter is approximately six weeks away - I started thinking about Easters past, always large gatherings of family and friends.  But, before everyone showed up at our house, we went to Easter Sunrise mass, the only time my father was ever cajoled into going to church. As a child, I always remember getting a new Easter dress, usually with a matching headband, socks and gloves(!) to wear to church on Easter Sunday.  And if my sister and I were lucky, a small purse would be included. Very stylish, indeed, and usually VERY itchy! The clothes were always spring pastel in color: pinks, pale yellows, pale greens, pale blues and such. A preview of all the pastel colored Easter eggs that were waiting to be found!

 

This week’s Three for Thursday features three items from three handmade artists that definitely are filled with the renewal of Easter springtime colors.  The artists are: jewelry artist Mary of PrettyGonzo; crochet artist Pamela of MagdaleneKnits; and, me, Catherine of Shadow Dog Designs, also a jewelry artist.  I hope you enjoy my choices. And be sure to visit the artists’ shops for more splendiferous designs!

Flowers are Food for the Soul - Artisan Handmade

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Flowers always make people better, happier, and more helpful; they are sunshine, food and medicine for the soul.

Luther Burbank


 

I love this quote from Luther Burbank because it’s true!  For those who are not familiar with Luther Burbank, he was an American botanist, horticulturist and pioneer in agricultural science, developing more than 800 strains and varieties of plants during his lifetime, including the tasy plumcot (fruit trees being a special passion of his, it seems).  One of my favorite things to do doing the winter months was to constantly browse through Stark Bro's and Burpee Seed Co catalogues (both companies sold quite a few of Burbanks’ seeds and plants after his death), planning my flower beds and vegetable gardens. Looking at the brilliant pictures and dreaming of all the flowers and veggies spring, summer and fall would bring made those winters quite a bit easier to bear.  Even now, living in the Desert Southwest where the winters are mild in comparison, I still dream of the promise of flowers.

Flower Earrings - Artisan Handmade by Shadow Dog Designs

 

 

When you take a flower in your hand and really look at it, it's your world for the moment. I want to give that world to someone else. Most people in the city rush around so, they have no time to look at a flower.  I want them to see it whether they want to or not. Georgia O'Keeffe

 

 

One of my all time favorite artists is Georgia O’Keeffe.  Whenever I’m in Santa Fe, I'm always drawn to the museum named after her.  While there, I almost go into a meditative state while contemplating her paintings.  Her flower paintings are dear to my heart.

 

All through my life, I have had flower gardens, some rather grand and some on a much smaller scale, such as the one here in the Desert Southwest.  I cannot imagine life without the beauty and cheerfulness of flowers (or dogs, for that matter!). Life would be so bland with out them.  Because of that, flowers designs can always be found in my handmade jewelry, especially the earrings.  For this blog post, I chose 10 pairs of earrings, some new and some that have been in my shop a while, to feature. There are many others in my SHADOW DOG DESIGNS shop.  I hope you will stop by and take a look . . . and maybe buy a pair for yourself or a loved one.

Valentines Day Jewelry, Earrings and Necklaces Handmade by Shadow Dog Designs

 

 

If I had a flower for every time I thought of you . . .

I could walk through my garden forever.

Alfred Lord Tennyson

 

 

Valentines is just a bit over two weeks away, on February 14.  It is a day a day filled with pink and red hearts, flowers, cards, candy, and other tokens of love and devotion.  With that in mind, I wanted to share a collection of handmade Valentine’s Day jewelry, mostly earrings but two necklaces are also included.  Some of the jewelry from my Shadow Dog Designs handmade shop are traditional Valentine’s Day designs; others are not and can definitely be worn all year long.  There are even a couple for a dog lover.  I hope you enjoy this beautful collection . . . and maybe one or more of the one of a kind designs will end up with your sweetheart!  

Handmade Valentines Day Jewelry Gift Ideas - Three for Thursday

 

 

Love recognizes no barriers. It jumps hurdles, leaps fences, penetrates walls to arrive at its destination full of hope.  

-- Maya Angelou



 

Valentine’s Day will be here before we know - a day filled with pink and red, hearts, candy, cards and other tokens of love.  Speaking of tokens of love, I thought I’d pull together some charming artisan handmade jewelry from three different artists in this new post of Three for Thursday.  The first two jewelry selections are heart themed, but with a difference. Just in case, however, hearts aren’t your thing or your loved ones “thing,” then I also included a third item that would make a superb gift but that isn’t overtly Valentines-y.

Artisan Handmade Gifts - Tuesday Tag

 

 

Please share your links and comments on the host blog:  CHRISTIE COTTAGE

 

 

Handmade Valentines Day Gift Ideas

 

 

On February 14 each year, candy, flowers cards and gifts are exchanged between loved ones not only here in the United States but also in other countries all around the world to celebrate Valentine's Day.  The Greeting Card Association estimates that approximately 1 billion Valentine's Day cards are exchanged each year, the second most popular card-sending holiday after Christmas (about 2.6 billion cards).  How did Valentine's Day develop?  Here's a short history:

Artisan Handmade Gift Ideas - Tuesday Tag

 

 

Please share on the host blog:  CHRISTIE COTTAGE

 

 

Unique Jewelry, Artisan Handmade - Three for Thursday

 

 

Buy Handmade - Be One in a Million, Not One of Millions

 

I don’t know about you, but I HATE to buy jewelry that everyone else can buy.  I don’t want to see a stranger three states over wearing a piece of jewelry that I might be wearing.  That doesn’t happen, however, because I have almost always worn artisan handmade jewelry that is one of a kind, whether the earrings, bracelets or necklace are created by another artist or created by me.  There is something so soul satisfying in that, knowing that I’m the only person in the universe wearing a particular design - unless an evil twin in an evil alternate universe is up to her evil copying of designs.  

 

The three handmade artists that are features in this new “Three For Thursday” blog all make one of a kind jewelry designs:  Mary of PrettyGonzo; Julie of Blue Morning Expressions; and me, Catherine of Shadow Dog Designs. I hope you enjoy this small sampling of the one of a kind jewelry designs that are in their shops.  Please visit each shop for more eye catching and soul satisfying beauty. I hope you enjoy these selections:

New Handmade Jewelry from Shadow Dog Designs - Necklaces and Earrings

 

 

This quote by Rebekah Joy Plett pretty much says it all when you are a handmade artist:

 

 

“When you buy something from an artist you are buying more than an object. You’re buying hundreds of hours of errors and experimentation. You’re buying years of frustration and moments of pure joy. You’re not buying just one thing, you are buying a piece of a heart, a piece of a soul… a piece of someone else’s life.”

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