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Countdown to Mother's Day - Handmade Gifts - Week 2
Julie and Blu of Blue Morning Expressions are once again hosting the popular "Mother's Day Countdown” on their BluPrint blog. Last year's Mother's Day Countdown 2016 was a resounding success so a 2017 version, which started last week, is up and running. Mother's Day will be here before we all know it! Now is the perfect time to start browsing gift ideas and buying that perfect gift(s) for your Mum. Any one of the handmade (many of which are one of a kind) and vintage items shared this week are perfect. Visit the shops of the artists featured and buy Mum something that was handmade from the heart or that will re-live as a vintage piece.
Countdown to Mother's Day - Handmade and Vintage - Week 1
Julie and Blu of BlueMorningExpressions are once again hosting a wildly popular "Mother's Day Countdown” on their BluPrint blog. Last year's Mother's Day Countdown 2016 was a resounding success so a 2017 version is up and running. Since Mother's Day will be here before you know it, now is the perfect time to start thinking about and buying a gift(s) for your Mum. Browse the handmade and vintage shares for this week, visit the shops of the artists featured and buy Mum something that was handmade from the heart or that will re-live as a vintage piece.
Green for St. Patrick's Day - Wonderful Handmade Wednesday on Indiemade
St. Patrick's Day (Irish: Lá Fhéile Pádraig, "the Day of the Festival of Patrick"), is a cultural and religious celebration held on March 17, the traditional date when Saint Patrick died. What began as a religious feast day for the patron saint of Ireland (c. AD 385–461) has become an international festival observed by the Irish and the Irish-at-heart. Irish culture is celebrated with parades, dancing, special food, beer and a tremendous amount of green (including copious amounts of green beer).
Shadow Dog Designs - New Handmade Necklace and Earrings Gift Ideas
Fortunately the Muses have finally come back from an extended vacation (just in time) and I have been busy creating quite a few new necklaces and pairs of earrings. Many designs have a definite boho flair and some are supremely elegant. With the spring arts festival season quickly approaching, my handmade jewelry stock definitely needs to be replenished. There will be many more new jewelry listings in the coming weeks.
Spirals, Circles and Arcs - Wonderful Handmade Wednesday on Indiemade
This week’s Wonderful Handmade Wednesday on Indiemade features artisan design that feature spirals, circles and/or arcs. All three symbols were used as early as 38.000 BC in Europe, Africa, Australia and South America when ancient man began to carve into stone or paint cave walls in protected areas. It is possible that earlier hunter/gatherer peoples might have decorated their bodies and clothes or marked trees or features in the landscape but, if they did, evidence of that art has not survived.
Handmade Jewelry - New Earrings and Necklaces by Shadow Dog Designs
Time seems to rush by so quickly these days. Wasn’t it just Christmas and now we are already in February? What happened to January? Despite a month blasting by, I have been very busy making and listing new earrings and necklaces, many with a boho flair and some a bit more traditional. All the handmade jewelry featured here are one of a kind designs - you will be the only person in the universe wearing that particular design (unless you have an evil twin in an alternate universe!). Many of the earrings and necklaces use creations by artist friends from around the world. Any of these will make a perfect Valentine’s Day gift, a birthday gift, a Mother’s Day gift or a “just because” gift to a loved one . . . or to yourself.
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).
Handmade Valentine's Day Jewelry by Shadow Dog Designs
With Valentine’s Day fast approaching, I thought I’d share a range of handmade earrings and two necklaces from my Indiemade shop; any will be perfect for gift giving to a loved one. Some of the jewelry is obviously Valentine’s related. But most can be worn all year long. The last five designs featured are from my line of meaningful dog rescue jewelry. All have hearts and pawprints, perfect for the woman who loves her dog(s), especially if her four footed friend is a rescue. As always, whenever any of the dog rescue jewelry sells, one half (½) of the purchase price is donated to the Humane Society.
If one or more of the pieces catches your eye, be sure to click the live link below the photo for more information and pictures. I hope you enjoy these one of a kind earrings and necklaces:
First We Dream - Wonderful Handmade Wednesday on Indiemade
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One of my favorite sayings is from Carl Sandburg: “Nothing happens unless first we dream.” I don’t know about the other artists that are included in this post, but I often dream about a design, especially one I am trying to figure out, whether it be a color combination or a new wire wrap technique. Maybe “dream” is not exactly the right word, but a design can come to me in that state between wakefulness and sleep where my mind comes up with all sorts of weird stuff.
Anyway, the handmade items in this post are the first ones listed (at least at the time this was posted) in the shops of the Indiemade artists featured here. Most are one of a kind items . . . and all are a “dream” to have. Enjoy.
Valentines Day Gift Ideas! - Wonderful Handmade Wednesday on Indiemade
Valentine’s Day will be here before we know it. It is a day that started with pagan roots, associated with the Roman festival, Lupercalia. Celebrated at the ides of February (February 13-15), Lupercalia was a fertility festival dedicated to Faunus, the Roman god of agriculture, as well as to the Roman founders, Romulus and Remus. Lupercalia survived the initial rise of Christianity but was outlawed around 496 A.D. when Pope Gelasius declared February 14 as St. Valentine’s Day. It is not known, however, which of three St. Valentines (all of whom were martyred) Pope Gelasius was honoring. In 1381, Geoffrey Chaucer, a famous English poet, first associated St. Valentine's Day with romance in a poem he wrote in honor of the engagement between Richard II and Anne of Bohemia. The engagement, the mating season of birds, St. Valentine’s Day and true love were all linked . . . and it’s been a day for lovers ever since.
