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Make It an Artisan Handmade Christmas - Favorites - Week 11, 2023

 

 

It's hard to believe that Week 11 of the Countdown to Christmas 2023 has already come and gone . . . . and there is only ONE more week left of the promotion!  When the Countdown starts, the end of the twelve weeks seems a looooong way off. Then - BAM! - here it is!  With Christmas just 18 days away, where does the time go? The ever ticking Your Christmas Countdown Clock doesn’t let up - those seconds just keep ticking down until the jolly man in red and white arrives.  Since the holiday gift giving season is lurking just around the corner, Julie and Harry of Blue Morning Expressions are once again hosting a twelve-week Countdown to Christmas 2023 of artisan handmade / designed items on their Buy Handmade from Makers blog.  The Countdown is the place for handmade artists to share three of their beautiful (often one of a kind) creations. This week ten artists shared 30 items, a wide range of beautiful gift ideas:  jewelry of all styles, ornaments, gift card holders, sweatshirts gearheads, lampwork glass beads, watercolor art prints and many other unique items.  Need a perfect start or end to your holiday shopping?  Shop the Countdown to Christmas; browse and purchase that special piece for that special person!  An excellent rule of thumb to follow this holiday season: SHOP EARLY, SHOP OFTEN!  And, most of all, SHOP HANDMADE to support small, independent artisan shops!

 

In addition to promoting each handmade item from the Countdown collection to my "Countdown to a Handmade Christmas 2023" Pinterest board and on my Twitter feed, I decided to share one item from each of the artists who participated this week.  Here are my "favorites" picks of the items - hard to chose!  I hope you enjoy these unique items!

 

 

 

Make It an Artisan Handmade Christmas - Favorites - Week 1, 2023

 

 

Amazing!!!  It seems like Christmas was here just a few months ago . . . especially when the Christmas Countdown Clock says there are only 88 days (as of today) before Christmas is here!  With that in mind, it's definitely not too early to start thinking about all those people on your Christmas shopping list.  Where to start????  What should you get them???  A perfect place to shop (and hopefully buy)) is the 12 week Countdown to Christmas 2023 collections.  Hosted by Julie and Harry of Blue Morning Expressions on their Buy Handmade from Makers blog, the collections will be filled with a wide variety of artisan handmade / designed gifts.  A new collection will be added each Friday through the second weekend of December.  On week 1 of the Countdown to Christmas, there were 36 shares from 12 handmade artists: unique jewelry, Halloween gifts, lampwork beads, party invitations / stickers / kits, tote bags, baby gifts, Christmas ornaments, home decor and more.  A good motto to follow through these weeks leading up to Christmas is:  SHOP EARLYSHOP OFTEN!  And, most of all, SHOP HANDMADE to support small indie sellers!

 

Here are favorites from Week 1 of the Countdown to Christmas:

 

 

Christmas in July - Artisan Handmade Gifts - 2023

 

 

Since it seems Christmas arrives earlier and earlier each and every year, it’s never too early to start shopping for those perfect holiday gifts for a loved one!   Believe it or not Christmas with the jolly man in red and his reindeer show up in about 6 months - actually 164 days (from when this blog is posted) according to the ever ticking CHRISTMAS CLOCK.  I’ve noticed quite a few “Christmas in July” promos and such at stores and on social media, so I decided to host one here on my Shadow Dog Designs blog.  I asked artist friends to share two items - one that is “Christmasy” (in design or colors, etc.) and one that doesn’t have to be. Since many of these beauties are one of a kind, be sure to shop early (and often) so you don’t miss out.  And please visit the shops of the artisans featured for even more wonderful creations that are handmade from the heart.  Hopefully one or more items featured in the Christmas in July - Artisan Handmade Gifts - 2023 (or in the artists' shops) will make it into your shopping basket - treat yourself or someone else!  And remember this year:  SHOP SMALL and SHOP HANDMADE!

 

 

 

Make It an Artisan Handmade Christmas - 2022 - Week 12

 

 

 

Tick . . . tick . . . tick . . . tick . . . tick.   According to the Christmas clock, there is now less than 3 weeks (18 days!!!) until Christmas is here!  It’s hard to believe that almost a week has already gone by here in December, and, with it, the last week of the Countdown to Christmas 2022.  The Countdown has been graciously hosted all these 12 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 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 handmade independent artists by helping Santa make it a HANDMADE CHRISTMAS this year! 

 

 

 

Red, Green and White For Christmas! - Three for Thursday - December 3, 2020

 

 

According to the ever ticking Christmas clock, there’s only 21 days until Christmas arrives.  If you haven’t already started your holiday shopping, now’s definitely the time!  To help you select gifts, I pulled together three handmade beauties from three artists in the christmas colors of red, green and white.  These are gifts that are guaranteed to please.  The handmade artists are:  Linda of VictorianStyleTreasuresCharlotte of Covergirlbeads; and me, Catherine of Shadow Dog Designs.  I hope you enjoy these selections and will visit the artists’ shops for more gift ideas.  There will be something there for even the hardest to buy for Mom or aunt!  Remember:  SHOP SMALL and BUY HANDMADE!!!

An Artisan Handmade Christmas - Week 3 - Gift Ideas

 

 

Week 3 of the Countdown to Christmas sped right on by . . . and a wide variety of lovely artisan handmade items have been left in its wake.  According to the ever ticking Christmas clock, there is only 77 days until Christmas is here . . . once again. This is the perfect place to start your holiday shopping.  A good motto to follow: SHOP EARLY, SHOP OFTEN! And, most of all, SHOP HANDMADE!

 

 

Ceramic Healing Hand, Cross and Spiral Pendant Necklace Handmade by Mary of Pretty Gonzo

 

 

Christmas in July - Artisan Handmade - Three for Thursday

 

 

All this month, merchants celebrate “Christmas in July.”  Believe it or not, the real Christmas will be here before we know it - yikes!  To celebrate Christmas in July, I decided to share items from three handmade artists that either have holiday items on sale or are offering free shipping.  The items range from sweet baby clothing, to unique ornaments, to fun Christmas art, and to sparkling holiday jewelry. The three artists are: Pamela of MagdaleneKnits; Jacki of Christie Cottage; and me, Catherine of Shadow Dog Designs.

 

I hope you enjoy these selections.  Don’t wait! Start your Christmas shopping early while there is a wide selection of unique handmade beauties.

Shopping for Handmade Christmas Gifts - Tuesday Tag

 

 

Please share your links on the host blog:  CHRISTIE COTTAGE

 

 

New Christmas Gift Ideas - Give Handmade Earrings This Year!

 

 

Earrings are always a great gift for the woman who loves to wear them.  They come in all sorts of shapes and sizes and colors and price ranges - always something perfect for the intended wearer that won’t break the bank.  I’ve featured twelve pairs of earrings that can be found in my Shadow Dog Designs handmade jewelry shop: eight of the newest pairs listed and four sparkling pairs of Christmas earrings.   I hope you enjoy browsing the beauties . . . and maybe at least one pair finds its way into your shopping cart and then under the Christmas tree.

Shopping for Christmas Gifts - Tuesday Tag

 

 

Please share your links on the host blog:  CHRISTIE COTTAGE

 

 

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