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Perfectly Pink for Valentines Day! - Wonderful Handmade Wednesday on Indiemade
Last week’s Wonderful Handmade Wednesday blog focused on artisan made creations using the color red. This week the focus is on the color pink. Pink is another color that has deep associations with Valentine’s Day, often paired with the more emotionally intense red on cards and candies and other Valentine’s items. Although both red and pink represent love, the color red represents heat and passion, while the color pink represents romance and charm. Hot pink is used to communicate playfulness, while light pink is used to communicate tenderness. It is the color of universal love, of others and of oneself. It symbolizes friendship, affection, harmony, inner peace, and approachability (which is why I often will wear a pink top when selling my jewelry at an arts festival).
The Magical Color of Purple - Wonderful Handmade Wednesday on Indiemade
Since purple is a fairly rare color in nature, an almost magical aura has been associated to it throughout human history. The first historical record of a purple dye, called Tyrian purple, indicates that it began to be manufactured in the Phoenician city of Tyre in the eastern Mediterranean in the 14th century BCE. The dye was extracted from the glands of several types of shellfish, but especially the Murex brandaris. The process to extract the dye took about three days. Thousands of putrefied, crushed shellfish were left to bake in the sun. Salt was then added and the mash of glands were boiled down. (Can you imagine the overwhelming stench of the process!!!). It took about 12,000 shellfish to extract 1.5 grams of the pure dye, barely enough to dye a single garment the size of a Roman toga. In 301 A.D. during the reign of Roman Emperor Diocletian, one pound of purple dye cost 150,000 denarii or around three pounds of gold. This is the main reason the purple color was reserved for emperors or individuals with titles of royal authority.
Handmade Beauties to Ring in the New Year
A new year is almost on us. Which leaves me to wonder: what the heck happened to 2016? I don't know about you, but it sure zoomed by quickly! Despite its swift passing, 2016 also witnessed exquisite handmade creations from a host of artist friends. To help ring in 2017, I decided to share some of those favorites - many are one of a kind pieces - that would be perfect to wear to any New Year's Eve party. Enjoy!
Ancient Symbols in a Modern World - Wonderful Handmade Wednesday on Indiemade
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Symbols have always had a great significance in the lives of humans, from pre-historic times to modern man. Since ancient symbols are ingrained into our lives, most people don't realize these symbols are everywhere. From the logos of modern companies (Starbucks with their mermaid), to television shows (spirals in True Detective) and movies (Legendary Pictures with their Celtic knot logo) from religious books and texts (The Bible, The Koran) to decorations on buildings (sunbursts and dolphins), ancient symbols are everywhere.
Earthy Browns Abound - Wonderful Handmade Wednesday on Indiemade
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.
"Colours" by Donovan - Wonderful Handmade Wednesday on Indiemade
Recently, I have become enamored all over again with many of the songs I grew up with from the 60's. One of the artists I have always loved was a Scottish singer / songwriter / poet from Scotland, Donovan Leitch who is better known as simply Donovan. Donovan is widely regarded as one of the most influential songwriters and recording artists - and is still active in music today. Even the Beatles acknowledged that Donovan influenced them greatly on their ground breaking Sgt Pepper’s Lonely Heart’s Club Band album and the White Album with his finger style guitar playing and many of his unique chord patterns. While I love most of his songs, I have been listening more to his earlier works that have their roots in folk music. One of them, a sweet, simple and beautiful song, Colours, is the inspiration for this week's Wonderful Handmade Wednesday post.
The Lucky Number 3 - Wonderful Handmade Wednesday on Indiemade
I am not by nature a superstitious person, but I have a real affinity for the number 3 (even more for 33). For centuries, it has been revered as a lucky number. I also knew it had many, many religious connotations, such as the Holy Trinity (Father, Son and Holy Spirit) in the Christian faith - St. Patrick used a shamrock to teach about the Holy Trinity. It also describes the three attributes of God: omniscience, omnipresence, and omnipotence. In Hinduism, the number 3 represents the three gods: Brahma, the creator; Vishnu, the preserver; and Shiva, the destroyer. The number 3 is very important in Buddhism and represents: the Buddha, the historical Buddha Shakyamuni; the Dharma, the Buddhist body of teachings; and, the Sangha, the people who follow the teaching of the Buddha.
Great Blue Dome - Wonderful Handmade Wednesday on Indiemade
My husband, Seamus (our sweet, goofus Moose of a dog) and I are fortunate to live in the Desert Southwest, a part of the country where the sky is immense and an ever changing blue most of the year. In fact, a cloudy day (like today!) is actually a treat! I was gazing out the window in my studio the other day when a Thomas Carlyle quote came to me: "The old cathedrals are good, but the great blue dome that hangs over everything is better." And I have to agree! Even though I love visiting old cathedrals with a sense of wonderment, spirituality and awe - Canterbury Cathedral, Koln Cathedral, Notre Dame, National Cathedral, St, Paul's to name a few - I absolutely revel in the everchanging "great blue dome" that is above my head almost every day. The colors can range from the palest blue to a deep, mystical, velvety blue that occurs 45 minutes or so after the sun has dipped below the horizon and the sunset has faded.
Go Ahead, Treat Yourself to Handmade! - Wonderful Handmade Wednesday on Indiemade
Summer is slowing drawing to an end and, for many children, school has already started. Summer has probably been a whirlwind of activities, traveling, family outings, cook outs and shopping for school. With all that in mind, it’s time for YOU to treat YOURSELF to something handmade from the heart. Browsing through the shops of Indiemade artist friends, I found a wide range of items. Anyone is guaranteed to brighten up your day or at least pique your interest to see what other handmade wonders the artists have in their studios. If you see something you particularly like, please click on the live link below the photo for more information, photos and the price. Go ahead! Enjoy the selections!
Blossoms, Butterflies and Birds - Wonderful Handmade Wednesday on Indiemade
Blossoms, butterflies and birds . . . what beautifully wonderful elements of summer. Even though the dog days of summer are on us, flowers are still blooming, butterflies are still nectaring and birds are still singing and raising their families. Today’s Wonderful Handmade Wednesday on Indiemade features a wide range of artisan creations that showcase the three B’s, each celebrating the wonder of Mother Nature. If something catches your eye, please click the live link under the photo to be taken to the artist’s studio for more information and photos. I hope you enjoy these Blossoms, Butterflies and Birds selections:
