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Animalia - Handmade Animal Inspired Gifts

 

 

As most of my friends know, I adore animals - always have and always will - in all their glorious shapes and sizes and colors life story.  Well, ttruthfully, I’m not too fond of mosquitos and ticks, despite their important role on this earth.  Besides dogs and horses, it’s hard for me to pick out a favorite animal.  I'm fascinated by all of them.  How about you?  

 

But just what is the term “animalia?”  ANIMALIAa taxonomic kingdom comprising all multicellular living and extinct animals - also called “metazoa.”

 

According to the Animal Diversity Web, it estimated that around 9 to 10 million species of animals inhabit the earth.  Metazoa range in size from no more than a few cells - such as the parasitic orthonectids - to organisms weighing many tons - such as blue whales and giant squid.  By far, insects make up the most species in animalia, with approximately 5.5 million species. 

 

Having such a life-long love of (most) animals, I decided that a blog based on “Animalia” would be fun to pull together.  I invited artist friends to share two handmade items that were based on animals.  What a wide variety of beauties were shared, many one of a kind designs.  If something catches your eye, please make sure to either click the photo or the link below the picture for more information.  I hope you enjoy this showcase of animal art!

 

 

Oldies but Glorious Goodies - Artisan Handmade Gifts

 

 

I don’t know about you, but whenever someone mentions “oldies but goodies,” most people flash back to an old song, maybe their favorite vintage car, possibly antique furniture or, (shudder) themselves after . . . ahem . . . reaching a certain age.  “Oldies but goodies” can also refer to items in handmade shops that have been around for much longer than we would like them to be.  I, for one, always hope that whenever a new beauty is created and then listed, it will sell right away.  Sometimes they do.  But sometimes, for whatever reason, the item sits there . . . and sits there . . . and sits there some more. There is absolutely nothing wrong with that particular piece - not at all!  It just hasn’t found that forever person to give it a forever home.

 

I asked artisan friends to share two items from their shops that they considered “Oldies but Glorious Goodies.”  Most of the items shared are one of a kind creations and would make a perfect gift for that certain someone for their birthday, anniversary, Christmas, Mother’s Day, or just because . . . I hope one of these “oldies” catches your eye.  Please be sure to visit the artisan shops for even more exceptional handmade lovelies.

 

 

Saturday Shopping Spree - Artisan Handmade - February 8, 2020

 

 

Please share your items on the host blog:  CHRISTIE COTTAGE

 

 

You are invited to the Inlinkz link party!

Click here to enter

Saturday Shopping Spree - Artisan Handmade - January 25, 2020

 

Please share your items on the host blog:  CHRISTIE COTTAGE

 

 

You are invited to the Inlinkz link party!

Click here to enter

A Little of This, A Little of That - Artisan Handmade Three for Thursday

 

 

This week’s Three for Thursday blog, featuring three items from three handmade artisans, is “A Little of This, A Little of That.”  As the title indicates, I picked out a wide variety of unique items, from fractal art counted cross stitch patterns / refrigerator magnets / polymer clay beads to hand sewn jewelry / favor bags to one of a kind jewelry.  The artists included are: Julie (and her four legged sidekick, Harry) of Blue Morning Expressions; Ani of readytoshipproducts; and me, Catherine of Shadow Dog Designs. If something catches your eye and you want to see more, please click the photo or link to be taken to the artist’s shop.  I hope you enjoy browsing the items.  

Oldies But Definitely Goodies - Unique Artisan Handmade

 

Whenever someone mentions “Oldies But Goodies,” most people think of old songs, vintage cars, antique furniture or, possibly, themselves (after - ahem - a certain age).  “Oldies But Goodies” can also refer to items in handmade shops that have been around for longer than we would like.  Whenever something is created and then listed in our shops, we always think it will sell right away.  But, for whatever reason, the beauty sits there . . . and sits there . . . and sits there some more. There is absolutely nothing wrong with that particular item - not at all!  It just hasn’t found that forever person to give it a forever home.

 

I asked artisan friends to share two items from their shops that they considered “oldies but goodies.”  Many of the items are one of a kind creations and would make a perfect gift for a birthday, anniversary, Christmas, or just because . . . I hope something catches your eye and that you visit the shops of the artists below.

Spring Colors! - Wonderful Handmade Wednesday on Indiemade

 

 

Behold, my friends, the spring is come; the earth has gladly received the embraces of the sun, and we shall soon see the results of their love!   Sitting Bull

 

 

With spring definitely here in the Borderlands, I have been thinking about colors quite a bit as the brown of the desert bursts into so many glorious shades of green.  The white and pink fruit trees have pretty much quit blooming, so the various shrubs, hardy trees, ocotillo, cactus and poppies will add their beautiful spring colors: yellow, pinks, oranges, reds, purples and others all against the huge dark blue sky.  My soul revives!

A Spooky Halloween / Samhain! - Wonderful Handmade Wednesday on Indiemade

 

 

Halloween will soon be here, a time for pumpkin carvings, dressing in costumes, trick or treating and parties  Halloween has been around for over 200 years - how did it evolve?  To answer those questions (and refresh my memory), I decided to share a short history of Halloween, dealing more with its ancient traditions.

 

Halloween dates back to the ancient Celtic festival of Samhain (pronounced sow-in). The Celts lived about 2,000 years ago in the area that is now Ireland, the United Kingdom and northern France and celebrated their new year on November 1.  This day marked the end of summer and the harvest.  It also marked the beginning of the dark, cold winter, the time of year that was most associated with death. Celts believed that on the night before the new year, the boundary between the worlds of the living and the dead became blurred. On the night of October 31, Samhain was celebrated when it was believed that the ghosts of the dead returned to earth.

The Sky is Already Purple - Wonderful Handmade Wednesday on Indiemade

 

 

"The sky is already purple; the first few stars have appeared, suddenly, as if someone had thrown a handful of silver across the edge of the world."

 

 

I have always loved this quote from Alice Hoffman’s novel, Here on Earth.  It is so very evocative of watching the sky turn dark here in the Desert Southwest during this glorious time of the year.  When the sky is transformed for a few minutes into a magical velvety bluish-purple color, a multitude of stars come out to to play, twinkling away.  Then the sky will finally slip into a depthless black and even more stars will appear . . . and, hopefully, a shooting star will streak across the sky.  Another reason autumn is my favorite time of the year.

An Explosion of Flowers! - Wonderful Handmade Wednesday on Indiemade

 

 

 

Flowers always make people better, happier, and more helpful; they are sunshine, food and medicine for the soul. Luther Burbank

 

 

 

 

 

Since we there has been quite a long string of triple digit days here in the Desert Southwest, most of my outdoor potted plants have quite blooming, with the exception of a vibrant fuchsia colored geranium that makes me smile every time I look at it.  Now gardening pretty much consists of watering and deadheading the spent blossoms. Hopefully the monsoons will soon show up (they are a bit late this year) and bring much needed rain and cooler temperatures.  Until then, I’ll dream about masses of colorful flowers.

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