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Make It an Artisan Handmade Christmas - Week 8 Favorites - 2024
Posted November 12, 2024
It’s all going by so, so fast! Week 8 of the Countdown to Christmas 2024 has already come and gone, with only four more weeks remaining! The ever ticking Your Christmas Countdown Clock doesn’t let up - according to it, Santa and his flying reindeer will start their journey in only 42 days! Yikes!!!! Need a perfect place to start / finish your Christmas shopping? The Countdown - a chance for artists to come together and share three of their unique gift ideas - is the just the place to do that holiday shopping! Julie and Harry of Blue Morning Expressions are hosting the twelve-week Countdown to Christmas of artisan handmade items on their Buy Handmade from Makers blog (where you can also see the first seven Countdowns). This week, 33 items, many which are one of a kind designs, from 11 artists are featured. The artists shared a wide range of handmade gift ideas: jewelry of all sorts, Christmas money holders, thimbles, lampwork beads, limited edition art prints, digital art, t-shirts and much, much more. A wonderful motto to follow: SHOP EARLY, SHOP OFTEN! And, most of all, SHOP HANDMADE to support hard working indie artists!
In addition to promoting each handmade item from the Countdown collection to my "Countdown to a Handmade Christmas 2024" Pinterest board and on my Twitter feed, I decided to share one item from each of the artists who participated this week.
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Make It an Artisan Handmade Christmas - Week 7 Favorites - 2024
Posted November 4, 2024
It is so very hard to believe (at least to me - how about you?) that we are already into the first week of November . . . and that there are only 5 more weeks left of the Countdown to Christmas 2024! It’s also hard to believe that Christmas will be here before we know it, in less than 2 months. According to the ever ticking Your Christmas Countdown Clock, there are only 49 days (as of today) until Santa drops down the chimney once again with his bag of goodies . . . or coal. With Christmas rapidly approaching, Julie and Harry of Blue Morning Expressions continue hosting the twelve-week Countdown to Christmas of artisan handmade items on their Buy Handmade from Makers blog. Start or finish your holiday shopping now on the Countdown - Week 7 - a perfect place to buy unique handmade / designed gifts! This week, 36 items from 12 artisans were shared in the wide-ranging gift collection: jewelry of many different styles, Christmas ornaments, gearhead sweatshirts, keychains, lampwork glass beads, stickers, Christmas tags and more. A wonderful motto to follow: SHOP EARLY and SHOP OFTEN! And, most of all, SHOP HANDMADE to support small indie businesses.
In addition to saving each handmade item from the Countdown to Christmas 2024 Week 7 collection to my handmade Christmas Pinterest board and Twitter feed, I pick a favorite item from each artist (hard to do!) and feature them here on my blog. Here are my favorites for Week 7:
Make It an Artisan Handmade Christmas - Week 6 Favorites - 2024
Posted October 29, 2024
It’s hard to believe that we’re already half-way finished with the twelve week Countdown to Christmas 2024! Yikes! That means Christmas is bearing down on us and will soon be here. According to the ever ticking Your Christmas Countdown Clock, there are only 56 days (as of today) until Santa and his merry herd of flying reindeer arrive once again. With the rapidly approaching holiday season in mind, Julie and Harry of Blue Morning Expressions continue to host a twelve-week Countdown to Christmas 2024 of artisan handmade items on their Buy Handmade from Makers blog. Start your holiday shopping now on the Countdown - a perfect place to buy unique gifts! This week, 24 handmade / designed items from 8 artisans were shared in the wide-ranging gift collection: jewelry of many different styles, fine art prints, throw pillows, thank you stickers, Christmas ornaments, lampwork glass beads and more! A wonderful motto to follow: SHOP EARLY and SHOP OFTEN! And, most of all, SHOP HANDMADE to support small indie businesses.
In addition to saving each handmade item from the 12 week Countdown collection to my handmade Christmas Pinterest board and Twitter feed, I pick a favorite item from each artist (hard to do!) and feature them here on my blog. Here are my favorites for Week 6:
Christmas in July 2024 - Artisan Handmade Gifts - Week 5
Posted July 25, 2024
Here we are at the last full week og July! How does the time go by so quickly??? This is the last full week, Week 5 of the Christmas in July 2024. Since Santa and his merry bunch of reindeer will visit before we know it, it’s never too early to start shopping for unique holiday gifts for a loved one. There are now only 152 days to Christmas (from when this blog was posted) according to the ever ticking CHRISTMAS CLOCK.
Artist friends were asked to participate in a “Christmas in July” promotion, sharing three of their favorite items - one that was “Christmasy” (in design or colors, etc.) and two others that didn’t have to be. The first week was only Christmas items - the weeks since have been a mixture. Since I miscalculated the number of weeks, a Week 5 was added where friends shared one more item of their choice. Many of these beauties are one of a kind, so be sure to shop early (and often) so you don’t miss out. And please visit the shops of the artists for even more wonderful items that are handmade / designed from the heart. Hopefully items featured here or in the shops will make it into your shopping basket. Buy for a loved one . . . and be sure to treat yourself! Remember: SHOP SMALL and SHOP HANDMADE!
Christmas in July 2024 - Artisan Handmade Gifts - Week 4
Posted July 18, 2024
Well, here we are a bit more than halfway through July and Week 4 of the Christmas in July 2024 is posted. It’s never too early to start shopping for unique holiday gifts for a loved one since Santa and his reindeer will be here sooner than we think right now. There are only 159 days to the big day (from when this blog was posted) according to the ever ticking CHRISTMAS CLOCK.
Artist friends were asked to participate in a “Christmas in July” promotion, sharing three of their favorite items - one that was “Christmasy” (in design or colors, etc.) and two others that didn’t have to be. The first week was only Christmas items - the weeks since have been a mixture. There is only one more week to go, Week 5. 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 artists for even more wonderful items that are handmade or designed from the heart. Hopefully items featured here or in the shops will make it into your shopping basket. Buy for a loved one . . . and be sure to treat yourself! Remember: SHOP SMALL and SHOP HANDMADE!
Christmas in July 2024 - Artisan Handmade Gifts - Week 3
Posted July 11, 2024
It’s a bit over halfway through the year and Christmas will be here before we know (just like in years past!). Because of this, it’s never too early to start shopping for unique holiday gifts for a loved one! Santa will be clattering around with his herd of reindeer in about 5 ½ months - actually 166 days (from when this blog was posted) according to the ever ticking CHRISTMAS CLOCK.
Artist friends were asked to participate in a “Christmas in July” promotion, sharing three items - one that was “Christmasy” (in design or colors, etc.) and two others that didn’t have to be. Last week, Christmas items were showcased in a new blog. This week the items are a mixture of Christmas and non-Christmas creations. 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 artists for even more wonderful items that are handmade or designed from the heart. Hopefully items featured here or in the shops will make it into your shopping basket. Buy for a loved one . . . and be sure to treat yourself! Remember: SHOP SMALL and SHOP HANDMADE!
Christmas in July 2024 - Artisan Handmade Gifts - Week 2
Posted July 4, 2024
Christmas seems to arrive earlier and earlier each and every year. Because of this, it’s never too early to start shopping for those perfect holiday gifts for a loved one! Believe it or not, the jolly man in red and his reindeer show up in a little over 6 months - actually 173 days (from when this blog was posted) according to the ever ticking CHRISTMAS CLOCK.
Christmas in July has become a big thing in stores on line stores and all over social media, so I decided to host one here on my Shadow Dog Designs blog. I asked artist friends to share three items - one that is “Christmasy” (in design or colors, etc.) and two others that don’t have to be. Each week, one item will be showcased in a new blog, this being the first blog featuring a Christmasy item from each artist. 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 / designed from the heart. Hopefully one or more items featured here, on the next two blogs or in the artisans’ shops will make it into your shopping basket. Buy for a loved one . . . and treat yourself! Remember this year: SHOP SMALL and SHOP HANDMADE!
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!
Gorgeous Gifts for Valentines Day - Artisan Handmade
Posted January 5, 2023
Valentine’s Day will be here before we know it. When you walk into most stores shortly after Christmas (or 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 is shrouded in mystery, February has long been celebrated as a month of romance. Valentine’s Day, as we know it today, contains vestiges of both ancient Roman and Christian traditions, with other traditions thrown in for good measure.
