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Make It a Handmade Christmas - Countdown - Week 1

 

 

WOW, wasn't last Christmas like . . . last month? Yikes!  According to the Christmas clock, there is only 96 days, 20 hours, 54 minutes and those rapidly descending seconds until Christmas is here . . . once again!  And it's even closer by the time your read this!

It's a Handmade Countdown to Christmas 2017 - Week 1

 

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Autumn Inspired Handmade Beauties

 

 

 

The cooler temperatures of autumn have arrived here in our area of the Desert Southwest.  It still gets into the high 80’s or low 90’s during the day but drops down into the high 60’s at night.  The monsoon season has pretty much ended, the horrid humidity mostly gone, and our drier air has been welcomed back by everyone.  It is so nice to turn off the air conditioner (at least until early afternoon) and open windows and doors to allow fresh desert air to blow through.  While I don’t see any trees changing colors yet, the desert is extremely green after the above average rainfall we received the last two months.  Maximillian sunflowers can be found all over, as well as masses of small yellow, purple and terracotta colored wildflowers that I don't know the name of but enjoy immensely nonetheless. My favorite time of the year!

Second Category, Third Item - Wonderful Handmade Wednesday on Indiemade

 

 

 

The Franciscan Festival of Fine Arts at the Holy Cross Retreat Center is this Labor Day weekend, Saturday and Sunday.  The Retreat Center has been operational for 60 years. However, some of the buildings in the compound are over 100 years old. It's so peaceful there and feels like you step back in time, especially when you see Father Tom walking around in his full cassock with a large, wooden rosary tied around his waist, chatting with as many people as he can. The juried festival itself has been held yearly for almost 20 years and is a “go to” festival for local people and the many who might drive from Tucson, Albuquerque or beyond to buy beautiful artisan handcrafted items.  If you are in the Las Cruces, NM or El Paso, TX area, please stop by - I will be selling my jewelry there.  For more information, here is a link:  Franciscan Festival of Fine Arts.

 

Radiant Rainbows! - Wonderful Handmade Wednesday on Indiemade

 

 

The monsoon season is still going on here in the Desert Southwest.  Most every afternoon, the sky clouds, the wind starts to howl, thunder can be heard and lightning seen . . . and if we are lucky, rain falls.  As happens so often here, our house can get a deluge but a friend just a few block away may only get a few sprinkles.  If the rain ends at just the right time, a magical rainbow can be seen towards the east.  Sometimes a paler secondary - or even very pale triple - rainbow forms.  A colorful, visual gift!  The photo above shows part of a double rainbow (that tried to turn into a triple rainbow).  At the end of this post is a single rainbow, both taken with my trusty camera.

First Artisan Item, Second Page - Wonderful Handmade Wednesday on Indiemade

 

 

The week since my last Wonderful Handmade Wednesday on Indiemade blog post just flew by.  Here is is Tuesday evening and I suddenly realized I hadn’t even thought about the post for tomorrow.  Heck, I forgot it was even Tuesday!  Not to fear though . . . there are so many beautiful handmade items in the shops of Indiemade artist friends, that I have a wide range of beauties to choose from.  I decided this week’s post would feature the First Artisan Item, Second Page (as of my typing this).  Even though the picks are widely diverse in style and materials, they all fit beautifully together since they all are handmade from the heart.

Make it a Handmade Summer! - Wonderful Handmade Wednesday on Indiemade

 

 

 

Do you love unique handmade items such as  jewelry, dog bandanas, hand painted tags, copper components and hand knitted tops?  You can find a wide variety of of artisan beauties, imaginative pieces that were created from the heart, in this new blog.  Browse the items and then browse the shops of the artists featured here.  Believe me, you won’t be disappointed.  Let’s make it a handmade summer!!!  

She Comes in Colors Everywhere - Wonderful Handmade Wednesday on Indiemade

 

 

 

 

Roses are red and violets are blue and rainbows have seven colors.  Most people live in a colorful world.  As humans, our color vision influences everything from our art and poetry to the colors we paint our homes and the clothing we buy.  But why do we see (or not see) color?  Being of an inquiring mind (and remembering some of what I learned in science), here is the low down in an encapsulated form:

Happy Independence Day! - Wonderful Handmade Wednesday on Indiemade

 

 

Independence Day will soon be here, in less than a week.  It was quite an interesting time, a time populated by giants of U. S. history:  George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, John Adams, Richard Henry Lee and many others.  The 4th of July has been a federal holiday in the United States since 1870 (and a paid holiday to all federal employees since 1941).  But the tradition of celebrating Independance Day dates back to the late 1700’s at the time of the American Revolution.  On July 2nd, 1776, the Continental Congress voted in favor of independence from Great Britain.  Two days later, delegates from the thirteen colonies adopted the Declaration of Independence, a historic document largely drafted by Thomas Jefferson of Virginia but with help from John Adams of Massachusetts, Roger Sherman of Connecticut, Benjamin Franklin of Pennsylvania and Robert R. Livingston of New York.

The Ocean Stirs the Heart - Wonderful Handmade Wednesday on Indiemade

 

The ocean stirs the heart, inspires the imagination and brings eternal joy to the soul - Robert Wyland (marine life artist)

 

 

This past week, I was able to reconnect with the ocean when visiting the Coos Bay / Bandon, Oregon area.  While my husband golfed, I explored the amazing land that is southwest Oregon.  From huge trees to craggy cliffs by the sea; from the multitudes of birds to the fog interlaced with sunshine, I was taken with the landscape . . . and the very friendly people.  And I was actually able to meet a long-time artist friend face-to-face for the first time. What a lovely person Sue is!

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