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Make It an Artisan Handmade Christmas - Week 4 Favorites - 2024
Posted October 15, 2024
Who would have believed how quickly Week 4 of the Countdown to Christmas 2024 went by . . . but here we are! Left in its wake is a wide variety of wonderful artisan handmade / designed items. According to the ever ticking Your Christmas Countdown Clock, there are only 70 days until St. Nick pays a visit to let you know of you have been naughty or nice. With the rapidly approaching gift giving season, Julie and her faithful sidekick, Handsome 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 from 12 artists featuring a wide range of gifts: unique jewelry designs, custom dog portraits, photographic and digital art, home decor, gift tags and stickers, tote bags, t-shirts and a host of other beauties. If you need a perfect start (or ending) 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. These are my favorites for Week 4:
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Make It a Handmade Mothers Day 2024 - Artisan Gifts - Week 8
Posted April 23, 2024
Just a warning: if you haven't started shopping for Mother's Day gifts, you're quickly running out of time!!! Just a little less than three weeks from now, the big day for Mom will be here. To help you in your search for the perfect gift item, check out the Countdown to Mother's Day 2024 - Week 8. It's a collection filled with unique artisan items, 33 beauties from 11 artists, all handmade / designed from the heart. As an added bonus, many of them are one of a kind designs. Hosted by Julie and Harry of Blue Morning Expressions on their Buy Handmade from Makers blog, each of the unique items will make a memorable gift for Mom on her day. This is the perfect time to start buying a gift(s) for your Mom - and, perhaps, add something for yourself! Items on the Countdown go quick so don't miss out. Browse all the wonderful handmade shares for Week 8, visit the shops of the artists featured and buy your Mom a beautiful gift that was HANDMADE. Also you'll be supporting a grateful indie artist.
Make It a Handmade Mothers Day 2024 - Artisan Gifts - Week 5
Posted April 2, 2024
Another week of the Countdown to Mother's Day 2024 has come and gone. Hard to believe we're over 1/2 way through the promotion! Week 5 of the Countdown, as all the weeks have been and will be, was hosted by Julie and Harry of Blue Morning Expressions on their Buy Handmade from Makers blog. Thirty-three unique handmade / designed items were shared from eleven artists. Many are one of a kind and each will make a memorable gift for Mom on her big day. Since Mother's Day will be here before you know it, on May 12, this is the perfect time to think about and start buying a gift(s) for your Mom, grandmom, aunts . . . and, perhaps, for yourself. Browse all the wonderful handmade shares on the Countdown - Week 5, visit the shops of the artists featured and buy your Mom a beautiful gift that came from the heart. For this year's Mother's Day: PLEASE BUY HANDMADE and help support small, indie businesses!
Make It a Handmade Mothers Day - Artisan Gifts - Week 4
Posted March 26, 2024
It's hard to believe that Week 4 of the Countdown to Mother's Day 2024 Week 4 has come . . . and gone so quickly! We're near the end of March with Easter next Sunday, March 31. But the Countdown to Mother's Day 2024 doesn't take a break! The fun Countdown, hosted by Julie and Harry of Blue Morning Expressions on their Buy Handmade from Makers blog, is the place where artisans come together and share three of their unique items. This week 13 artists shared a total of 38 lovely items - each one a perfect gift for Mother’s Day. Since Mom's day will be here before you know it, this is the perfect time to start thinking about and buying a gift(s) for your Mom, grandmother, aunties and other much loved women. Be sure to browse all the wonderful handmade / designed shares for Week 4, visit the shops of the artists featured and buy a unique beauty that was artisan made from the heart. This year, definitely Make it a Handmade Mother's Day!
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!
A Fantasia of Flowers - Artisan Handmade Floral Gifts
Posted February 27, 2024
Here in the Desert Southwest, you can feel that spring is not far off. The days are getting longer and warmer, the winds are getting . . . . well . . . . windier, and, despite not having much rain in the last several months, flowers are beginning to stir and put on buds, a prelude to their much anticipated appearance before the heat sets in. I saw the first swallows of the season yesterday, soaring and dipping through the arroyo that butts up against our back yard. Other bird migrants will soon be here - some will pass on through and some will stay to nest. Hummingbirds are greatly anticipated as are the butterflies, bees and wasps, all of which I hope will make good use of the new pollinator flower bed that has been a long, slow process in the making. Life is good.
Thinking about flowers reminds me of a favorite floral quote by the Impressionist painter, Claude Monet, who painted many amazing floral landscapes and cultivated large flower gardens at Giverny:
“I MUST HAVE FLOWERS, ALWAYS, AND ALWAYS”
I TOTALLY agree with him!
The flowers shared below blossomed in the creative minds, hearts and souls of each artist featured. I hope you enjoy browsing all these cheerful artisan handmade / designed spring beauties. And be sure to visit the shops of the artisans featured for even more to choose from. After all, Easter and Mother’s Day will quickly be here!
Gorgeous Gifts - Artisan Handmade for Valentines Day!
Posted January 7, 2024
Valentine’s Day, February 14, will be here before we know it. When you walk into most stores shortly after Christmas (or even sometimes before!), hearts, cupids and other items in pink and red will assail you from every direction. Flowers, candy and gifts are exchanged between loved ones throughout the United States and in many other countries around the world . . . all in the name of St. Valentine. Although the exact history of St. Valentine (or Valentinus) is shrouded in mystery (there are actually three St. Valentines recognized by the Catholic Church to consider!), February has long been celebrated as a month of romance. Valentine’s Day, as we know it today, contains vestiges of both ancient Roman (Lupercalia) and Christian traditions, with a few other influences thrown in for good measure.
This year for Valentine's Day, don't think abour buying mass produced from large companies. Think, instead of supporting a small, indie business, people who actually make or design the items themselves. Scroll down and you'll see 26 items, many are one of a kind and handmade from the heart! Any of items highlighted will make a wonderful gift for a loved one. Remember: SHOP SMALL and support a small indie artist!
Artisan Handmade Gifts - Thank You
Posted July 20, 2023
Recently, I asked several artisan friends to aprticipate in a "Christmas in July - Artisan Handmade Gifts - 2023" blog promotion, involving leaving two items on an InLinkz. Once the InLinkz ended, I pulled together a blog featuring the wonderful items. All items from the InLinkz and the blog were to be promoted on at least two social media sites. That's the usual deal for the many years we have been promoting each others items. Twelve friends participated, making a total of thirteen counting me. To thank the seven artists who took the time to stop by and leave a blog comment (as of writing this, Wednesday morning the 19th), I decided to pull together an "Artisan Handmade Gifts - Thank You" blog. From each shop, I chose an item that immediately caught my eye and shared them here in the order of the comments left. I hope you visit the shops of these wonderful artists. And remember to SHOP SMALL and to SHOP HANDMADE.
Buy Artisan Handmade for Mothers Day 2023 - Week 4
Posted April 4, 2023
It's hard to believe that week 4 of the Mother’s Day Countdown 2023 has come . . . and gone so quickly! It's now the beginning of April and Easter is next Sunday! The fun Countdown, hosted by Julie and Harry of Blue Morning Expressions on their Buy Handmade from Makers blog, is a place where artisans come together and share three of their unique items. This week 11 handmade artists shared a total of 33 lovely items - each one a perfect gift for Mother’s Day. Since the big Mom day will be here before you know it - in about 6 weeks from now - this is the perfect time to start thinking about and buying a gift(s) for your Mom, grandmother or others. Be sure to browse all the wonderful handmade shares for Week 4, visit the shops of the artists featured and buy your Mom a unique beauty that was artisan handmade from the heart. This year, definitely Make it a Handmade Mother's Day!
Pick a Bouquet of Spring Flowers - Artisan Handmade Floral Gifts
Posted February 19, 2023
Spring unlocks the flowers to paint the laughing soil.
~ Bishop Reginald Heber ~
I have always loved the quote shared above. Bishop Reginald Heber (1783-1826), well known for his poetry, describes in just a few words the joyousness of spring on the return of flowers. I, myself, can’t wait to finish the new flower bed I started digging last fall and filling it with native plants chosen specifically for pollinators of all types. Let the flowers paint the laughing soil! And let the colorful flowers be an important food source for bees of all types, flower flies, butterflies, moths, wasps and hummingbirds.
With all-things-flower in mind, I invited artist friends to share two of their floral designs. As you will see in the beautiful items below, there is a wide range of flowers to be had, from note cards to jewelry, from lampwork beads to photography, from photography to digital art and many, many more! Be sure to pick a bouquet of floral beauties and support small handmade businesses!
For Twitter, please use the hashtag #SpringFlowers.
