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Halloween and Day of the Dead Handmade Jewelry - Three for Thursday
Posted October 10, 2019
Halloween and Day of the Dead will be here very soon. Halloween is the last day of this month, October 31, when ghouls and goblins and vampires and princesses and more show up at your door for tricks or (preferably) treats. Day of the Dead is actually celebrated on two days: November 1 for Dia de los Angelitos (Day of the Little Angels - for deceased children) and November 2 is Dia de los Muertos (for spirits of all the dead). Women who celebrate these holidays definitely need unique handmade jewelry! To help with this, three jewelry items from three handmade artists are featured in this Halloween and Day of the Dead Jewelry blog post. The artists are: Mary of PrettyGonzo; Linda of VictorianStyleTreasures and, me, Catherine of Shadow Dog Designs. I hope you enjoy the earrings, bracelet and necklace that are showcased. Please visit the artists’ shops for more wonderful handmade jewelry, many one of a kind designs.
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It's an Artisan Handmade Christmas - Week 2
Posted October 1, 2019
Week 2 of the Countdown to Christmas 2019 has come and gone . . . and unique handmade and vintage items have been left in its wake. According to the ever ticking Christmas clock, there is only 84 days, 23 hours, 5 minutes and those quickly descending seconds (as of 12:01 a.m. Tuesday morning) until Christmas is here . . . once again! Need a perfect start to your Christmas shopping? The Countdown is the place to do just that! A good motto to follow: SHOP EARLY, SHOP OFTEN! And, most of all, SHOP HANDMADE!
New Jewelry - Handmade Earrings and Necklaces by Shadow Dog Designs
Posted September 12, 2019
It has been quite a while since I shared new, one of a kind necklace and earrings designs. The autumn show season has started and it seems I’m making new items, setting up at shows, selling at shows and packing up from shows. So my Shadow Dog Designs online shop hasn’t seen a whole lot of new handmade items posted lately - and many that were posted have sold. But I wanted to share the five newest pieces, plus three that are fairly new and one Halloween and one Christmas design. To see more information about individual items, either click on the photograph or the link under the photo - both will take you to the item in the shop. I hope you enjoy looking . . . and maybe buying!
Colors for Autumn - Artisan Handmade - Three for Thursday
Posted September 5, 2019
Despite the days still being in the mid- to high-90’s here in the Borderlands (unusual here for this time of the year), the last few mornings have had a tinge of autumn in the air. I’m definitely ready for the cooler breezes and being able to leave the windows open. Purple asters will bloom and the cottonwoods will turn a glorious golden yellow. Fall will soon be here (I hope!).
With autumn in mind, I decided to choose handmade beauties in fall colors for this Three for Thursday titles, appropriately enough, Colors for Autumn. The artists today are: Kathy of KatsAllThat; Pamela of MagdaleneKnits; and me, Catherine of Shadow Dog Designs. I hope you enjoy my autumn inspired picks and will visit the shops of the artists for more wondrous handmade fall elegance.
We Have the Blues - Artisan Handmade - Three for Thursday
Posted August 22, 2019
Blues is a tonic for whatever ails you. I could play the blues and then not be blue anymore.
B. B. King
Even though the above quote by B. B. King is about music, it can also be about the color blue. According to psychologists, the popularity of the color may take root in our evolutionary development. In the early hunter-gatherer days, those drawn to positive things - like clear blue skies and clean blue hued water were more likely to survive. Over time, this preference for the color blue may have become hard-wired. To this day, the color blue is still a favorite color worldwide.
New Jewelry From Shadow Dog Designs - Handmade Earrings and Necklaces
Posted July 21, 2019
I like for jewelry to tell a story and to be able to tell a story about what I’m wearing. That’s more important to me than a name, brand or label - Nikki Reed
I just love this quote because I love jewelry that tells a story, too. And if you look at the jewelry in my Shadow Dog Designs handmade shop, many, many of the pieces have such interesting stories to tell. Why buy mass produced necklaces and earrings when artisan handmade jewelry, often one of a kind pieces,has GREAT stories to tell!
Red, White and Blue Artisan Handmade Jewelry - Three for Thursday
Posted July 4, 2019
The 4th of July is here! Cookouts, picnics, swimming, parades and fireworks are all memories of Independence Day festivities in the past. Plus wearing the patriotic red, white and blue! For this Three for Thursday, I decided to go with unique jewelry and share three pieces from three handmade artists. Each piece had to feature a majority of red, white or blue. The three artists are: Mary of PrettyGonzo; Sharon of BlondePeachJewelry; and me, Catherine of Shadow Dog Designs. The GREAT thing about each piece of jewelry shared here today is that they can be worn at any time of the year, not just for the 4th of July! I hope you enjoy this edition of Red, White and Blue Artisan Handmade Jewelry - Three for Thursday.
Flowers for Your Ears - Handmade Floral Earrings by Shadow Dog Designs
Posted June 6, 2019
“I must have flowers, always, and always.”
Claude Monet
I totally agree with Monet. There are a lot of things I can give up in life, but flowers are not one of them. To plant a seed or seedlings into the ground . . . and then a miracle happens. Sometimes slowly and sometimes quickly, the plant grows and flowers emerge. I have been redesigning flower beds here at our house using a wide range of water wise plants: knipofia (called “mango popsicle’ - truly well named), several salvias in several colors, a fabulous penstemon; Russian sage, Texas red yucca, gauras and many colors of the workhorse of the desert garden, the glorious lantana. Every plant I chose has to benefit bees, butterflies and/or hummingbirds. I have seen bees and butterflies on the flowers, but the hummingbirds seems to prefer the feeder and the mimosa tree, which is blooming right now. Several times a day, I go out and just look, and am always filled with a sense of wonder and awe at the sheer beauty at what is happening.
Handmade Jewelry - New Necklaces and Earrings by Shadow Dog Designs
Posted May 30, 2019
Spring is pretty much behind us here in the Desert Southwest. Although it has been a very mild spring (YAY!) with below average heat with morning still cool enough that a light jacket is sometimes needed. But all of us who live here know that summer is just around the corner bringing some triple digit temperatures in June. The the summer monsoons arrive (hopefully) in July, August and September bringing cooler temperatures again (but also the dreaded humidity) and a sense of rejuvenation.
So many of my new jewelry designs deal with summer-y type things, whether the designs feature flowers, summer colors, the sun or other beauties. And don’t forget your dogs or cats! I hope you enjoy the newest earrings (and one necklace) designs that can be found in my Shadow Dog Designs jewelry shop:
A Moment of Zen - Three for Thursday
Posted May 8, 2019
Anyone who knows me well knows that I love to garden, mainly growing flowers. There is something so gloriously fundamental about putting my hands in the living soil and planting something that will benefit bees, butterflies and/or hummingbirds (my way to decide what to plant - plus drought tolerance once established is a must since we live in the Chihuahuan Desert). Planting and tending to the plants is my meditation and I experience many moments of Zen when I feel deeply connected to myself, to others and to Mother Earth.
Just what is “Zen?” It’s to explain, especially when it is often tossed around so carelessly in popular culture (maybe like I just did above). Zen is an authentic spiritual tradition, a path to an awakening: awakening to / realizing who we really are, and awakening the aspiration to serve others and take responsibility for all of life. Zen is believed to be our true nature expressing itself moment by moment.
