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Make It an Artisan Handmade Christmas - Week 12 Favorites - 2024

 

 

Tick . . . tick . . . tick . . . tick . . . tick.   According to the Your Christmas Countdown Clock  there is only 14 days (two weeks!!!) until Christmas is here!  It’s hard to believe that 12 weeks have already gone by since the Countdown to Christmas 2024 started.  The Countdown has been graciously hosted all these weeks (and many years) by Julie and Harry of Blue Morning Expressions on their Buy Handmade from Makers blog. Yes, Week 12 has come and gone and 30 artisan handmade / designed items from ten artists were left in its wake.  Any of the beauties will be perfect for a Christmas gift, one that was carefully created from the heart.  Support independent artists by helping Santa make it a HANDMADE CHRISTMAS this year! 

 

In addition to promoting each handmade item from the Countdown collection to my "Countdown to a Handmade Christmas 2024" Pinterest board and to my Twitter feed, I share one item from each of the artists who participated this week.  Here are my "favorites" picks of the items - it's always hard to choose!  I hope you enjoy these unique items.  

 

 

 

Make It a Handmade Christmas 2021 - Week 6

 

 

It’s hard to realize that we’re half-way finished with the twelve week Countdown to Christmas 2021!  Yikes!  That means Christmas is bearing down on us and will soon be here - just a bit less than 2 months!  According to the ever ticking Christmas clock, there are only 59 days until ho-ho-ho-ing Santa and his merry band of clattering reindeer arrive once again.  Now is the perfect time to start your holiday shopping and the Countdown is the perfect place! Remember this motto: SHOP EARLY, SHOP OFTEN! And, most of all, SHOP ARTISAN HANDMADE to support a small indie shop!

 

 

'Twas the Thursday Before Christmas - Three for Thursday - Handmade

 

 

Here it is, the Thursday before Christmas with one more weekend to do holiday shopping.   Shopping online is still doable if you order now and have the package sent out by USPS Priority Mail.  The deadline for Priority Mail shipping is December 21, this Saturday. To help you with those last minute purchases, I wanted to share three unique items from three handmade artists:  Mary of PrettyGonzo; Jacki of Christie Cottage; and me, Catherine of Shadow Dog Designs. I hope you enjoy the items chosen today. 

St. Patricks Day Gift Ideas - Artisan Handmade

 

 

St. Patrick’s Day will be here before we know it, when all those with Irish heritage (or those that wish they had Irish blood) wear green and wax lyrical about the The Emerald Isles.  And, if you have ever visited Éire, you will know the nagging inner yearning to always go back.

 

It’s with St. Patrick’s Day in mind that I decided to share seven items from seven handmade artists, all featuring the color green in its many shades.  Why seven beauties you might ask? I chose that number from two symbols that always show up for St. Patrick’s Day, symbols which are often confused: the shamrock (which has 3 leaves) and the lucky four leaf clover (which, obviously from its name, has 4 leaves).  Seven leaves, seven items. The shamrock is a three-leaved clover, a plant was used by Saint Patrick to illustrate the doctrine of the Trinity. It is the national symbol of Ireland, the word coming from seamróg, the Irish name for the plant. The four leaf clover is an aberration of white clover which normally only has three leaves.  Occasionally white clover produces an extra leaf, making finding one especially lucky.

Shopping for Handmade Christmas Gifts - Tuesday Tag

 

 

Please share your links on the host blog:  CHRISTIE COTTAGE

 

 

Shopping for Christmas Gifts - Tuesday Tag

 

 

Please share your links on the host blog:  CHRISTIE COTTAGE

 

 

Handmade Gift Ideas - Three for Thursday

 

 

When I was browsing the internet the other day, looking for nothing in particular, I stumbled across this quote:

 

Something Handmade is So Much More Meaningful


 

It caught my eye, because, being a handmade jewelry artist myself, I promote buying handmade whenever I can, through my own work or the work of others artist friends.  Handmade items ARE more meaningful . . . and are often one of a kind . . . and always have a small piece of the artist’s soul buried in them.

It's an Artisan Handmade Christmas in July!

 

 

 

I always thought Christmas in July was a very modern “holiday,” a marketing ploy since there are no holidays between July 4 and Labor Day (in the U.S.).  But much to my amazement, the first mention of Christmas in July was in Werther, an 1892 French opera with libretto by Édouard Blau, Paul Milliet, and Georges Hartmann.  In the opera, a group of children rehearse a Christmas song in July, to which a character responds: "When you sing Christmas in July, you rush the season."

Colors to Love! - Wonderful Handmade Wednesday on Indiemade

 

 

Most artists absolutely love a wide range of colors - that’s part of being an artist, right?  Vibrant colors and subdued colors, they all have their places in designs. As Wassily Kandinsky, a Russian painter who is credited with painting the first purely abstract works, once said:

 

"Color is a power that directly influences the soul."

 

I totally agree!

Three for Thursday - Artisan Handmade

 

 

As I was toying around with the idea for a new set of blog posts, Three for Thursday became an “Aha!” moment.  My plan is to feature three items from three handmade artists in each post, hopefully at least twice a month.  The items will be wide ranging from a variety of materials, most, but not all, one of a kind beauties.  In this inaugural post, the artists I have chosen are:  Mary of PrettyGonzo; Jacki of Christie Cottage; and me, Catherine of Shadow Dog Designs.  If something catches your eye, please be sure to click on the photo or the link below the picture to be taken to the item for more photos and information.  I hope you enjoy the unique artisan handmade items featured below:

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