Blog entry

Make It a Handmade Mothers Day - Week 2

Week 2 of the Mother’s Day Countdown 2020, hosted by Julie and Harry of Blue Morning Expressions on their the Blu Print blog, quickly came and went.  A total of 48 unique items were shared - each one a perfect Mother’s Day gift - from 16 handmade artists. Since Mother's Day will be here before you know it - about 9 weeks from now - this is the perfect time to start thinking about and buying a gift(s) for your Mom.  Browse all the wonderful handmade shares for Week 2, visit the shops of the artists featured and buy your Mom a beauty that was handmade from the heart.

Shadow Dog Designs - New Handmade Jewelry

It has been a good while since I showcased my newest jewelry designs - since December, methinks.  Wow! Where does the time go? Here it is already March. I picked out a baker’s dozen of new earrings and necklaces, not everything that’s new in the shop, but ones that certainly draw my eye - and hopefully yours.  Please stop by to see all the jewelry, both new and old, at SHADOW DOG DESIGNS. I hope you enjoy this selection of new beauties.

Follow Your Heart - Handmade Valentines Day Gifts

Love is something eternal; the aspect may change, but not the essence. - Vincent van Gogh

By now, everyone is aware that Valentine’s Day (or St. Valentine’s Day) is rapidly approaching; it will be here in less than a month, on February 14th.  Many stores have been decked out in hearts, cards, red roses, candy and cupids since the day after Christmas so it’s a day that’s hard to miss.  

Since the most common Valentine's Day symbol is the heart, the new "Follow Your Heart" Three for Thursday blog is dedicated hearts.  Three beautifully unique heart items are shared from three handmade artist friends. Some of the items are more traditional and some are not - but all will make a perfect Valentine’s Gift for your loved one.  The artists featured are: Julie from Blue Morning Expressons; Heather from BluKatDesign; and, me, Catherine of Shadow Dog Designs. If something catches your eye, click on the photo or the description and you’ll be taken to the item in the shop.  I hope you enjoy each and every heart.

 All you need is love. But a little chocolate now and then doesn't hurt. - Charles M. Schulz

Make it an Artisans Handmade Valentines Day!

Valentine’s Day, February 14th, will be here before we know it with cupids, hearts, pink and red found everywhere.  Across the United States and in many other countries around the world, candy, flowers and gifts are exchanged between loved ones, all in the name of St. Valentine.  While there was a St. Valentine (the Catholic Church actually recognizes three saints named Valentine or Valentinus), the “day of love” was declared the day before the pagan celebration of Lupercalia, celebrated at the ides of February or February 15.  Lupercalia was a fertility festival dedicated to Faunus, the Roman god of agriculture, as well as to the Roman founders Romulus and Remus. Valentines Day was officially declared on February 14th by Pope Gelasius at the end of the 5th century in an effort to Christianize the Roman celebration, declaring Lupercalia as “un-Christian.”