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Make It an Artisan Handmade Christmas - Favorites - Week 1, 2023

 

 

Amazing!!!  It seems like Christmas was here just a few months ago . . . especially when the Christmas Countdown Clock says there are only 88 days (as of today) before Christmas is here!  With that in mind, it's definitely not too early to start thinking about all those people on your Christmas shopping list.  Where to start????  What should you get them???  A perfect place to shop (and hopefully buy)) is the 12 week Countdown to Christmas 2023 collections.  Hosted by Julie and Harry of Blue Morning Expressions on their Buy Handmade from Makers blog, the collections will be filled with a wide variety of artisan handmade / designed gifts.  A new collection will be added each Friday through the second weekend of December.  On week 1 of the Countdown to Christmas, there were 36 shares from 12 handmade artists: unique jewelry, Halloween gifts, lampwork beads, party invitations / stickers / kits, tote bags, baby gifts, Christmas ornaments, home decor and more.  A good motto to follow through these weeks leading up to Christmas is:  SHOP EARLYSHOP OFTEN!  And, most of all, SHOP HANDMADE to support small indie sellers!

 

Here are favorites from Week 1 of the Countdown to Christmas:

 

 

Buy Artisan Handmade for Mothers Day 2023 - Week 5

 

 

Another week of the Countdown to Mother's Day 2023 has come and gone. Week 5, as all the weeks have been and will be, was hosted by Julie and Harry of Blue Morning Expressions on their Buy Handmade from Makers blog.  Thirty-three unique handmade / designed items were shared from eleven artists.  Many are one of a kind and each will make a memorable gift for Mom on her big day.  Since Mother's Day will be here before you know it, on May 14, this is the perfect time to thinking about and start buying a gift(s) for your Mom (and, perhaps, for yourself).  Browse all the wonderful handmade shares for Week 5, visit the shops of the artists featured and buy your Mom a beautiful gift that was handmade from the heart.  For this year's Mother's Day:  PLEASE BUY HANDMADE and support small, indie businesses!

 

 

 

Make It an Artisan Handmade Christmas - 2022 - Week 6

 

 

It’s hard to believe that we’re already half-way finished with the twelve week Countdown to Christmas 2022!  Yikes!  That means Christmas is bearing down on us and will soon be here - two months away!  According to the ever ticking Christmas clock, there are only 60 days until the jolly ho-ho-ho-ing Santa and his merry band of clattering reindeer arrive once again.  Now is the perfect time to start your holiday shopping and the Countdown is the perfect place to buy unique beauties!  Remember this motto: SHOP EARLY, SHOP OFTEN!  And, most of all, SHOP ARTISAN HANDMADE to support a small indie business!

 

 

 

New Handmade Earrings and Necklaces - Shadow Dog Designs

 

 

The heat of summer has set in here in the Desert Southwest.  Which means planting more flowers in the flower beds is pretty much a done deal until the monsoon season sets in shortly (hopefully - we really need some rain!).  More time is being spent inside during the day until the temps cool down when the sun starts to set, so I'm making good use of the extra time inside creating and listing new jewelry.  And I'm looking further down the road to the Labor Day weekend when the Franciscan Festival of Fine Arts is being held - my first big show of the season and my favorite.  Five new pairs of earrings and two new necklaces have been recently added to my SHADOW DOG DESIGNS handmade jewelry shop.  I also added three older pieces to make an even ten.  If something catches your eye and you want to look at more photos or need more information, please either click the picture or the description under the pic to be taken to the item listing.  I hope you enjoy these new necklace sand earrings, all of which are one of a kind designs.

Fall Fun - Artisan Handmade

 

 

“Fall has always been my favorite season. The time when everything bursts with its last beauty, as if nature had been

saving up all year for the grand finale.”

 Lauren DeStefano


 

For many, many people, fall is a favorite time of the year, when the heat of summer dissipates into the coolness of autumn and the deciduous trees are a riot of color.  Here in the Desert Southwest, the temperatures are still reaching the mid-90’s during the day.  But the temps in the morning are dipping into the mid-60’s, a glorious reminder that the first cool front will blow through any day now.  A perfect time for gardening.  And just to sit and watch the grand finale . . .  and to just be . . . 

Miracle of a Single Flower - Artisan Handmade - Three for Thursday

 

 

If we could see the miracle of a single flower clearly our whole life would change. – Siddhartha Gautama Buddha

 

 

Flowers are one of my favorite things.  I wander the yard several times each day, visiting all the flowers I’ve planted and feel at peace and happy (even when I see the leafcutter bee has been at work).  The types of flowers are varied.  Knockout roses, verbena, gold columbine, geraniums, hollyhocks, sunflowers, zinnias, larkspur and more have all been planted (some from seed, some from bought plants) and are in various stages of growing / blooming.  I'm also enjoying the mimosa tree which has just started to bloom with it's wispy pink flowers that are visited by countless pollinators and hummingbirds.  And the bottlebrush tree survived the deep freeze we had here this winter, and even though it lost some limbs, there are a few blooms on it!  Flowers are definiey miracles.

 

So, with all this blooming beauty (or blooms to be anticipated), I decided this week’s Artisan Handmade - Three for Thursday would be about flowers.  I’ve chosen three floral items from three handmade artists: notecards, baby items and jewelry.  The artists are:  Roxanne of watercolorsNmore; Pamela of MagdaleneKnits; and, me, Catherine of Shadow Dog Designs.  I hope you find joy in these picks!

Hot Summer Reds, Oranges and Yellows - Artisan Handmade

 

 

Even though summer hasn’t officially arrived - that will happen on June 20 - it has been summer here in the Borderlands for several weeks now.  And it looks quite warm in many areas in the U.S.  So I made a call to artist friends to share some “hot” handmade items with me to be included in this blog.  You’ll find LOTS of fiery colored items in red, yellows and oranges, beauties that can be worn all summer long.  If something catches your eye and you want more information, please click on the item photo or the link below the picture to be taken to the artist’s shop.  I hope you enjoy all the sizzling hot items!

Flower Gardening in the Desert

 

 

My husband and I have been living in our cosy little house in the Desert Southwest for 7 ½ years now, 5 years as renters and 2 ½  years as owners. As I always say, “The house is OK, but it’s the yard I love.” At the time we moved, we had three large dogs so needed a larger backyard, unlike most of the postage stamp size yards that seem so prevalent now.  We have only one large dog now and the backyard is his kingdom.

Summer Fun - Artisan Handmade Gifts

 

 

The first day of summer will be here before we know it.  This year, the first day of summer starts here in the Borderlands at 9:54 a.m. MDT on Friday, June 21.  Although, by that time, we’ll surely have had several days near triple digits or some 100+ degrees. But it’s a dry heat and doesn’t keep me from doing much outside as long as I have a wide brimmed hat on my head and plenty of water with me.

Summer Fun - Artisan Handmade

 

 

Even though summer has not officially arrived - the Summer Solstice will show up on Thursday, June 21 at 4:07 a.m. Mountain Time here in the Borderlands - thermometers tell another story.  June is the month for triple digits here with a high UV index. Then the temperatures cool down when the monsoon season arrives with its amazing lightning displays and much needed rain.  Despite the June heat, we go about our daily lives enjoying the out of doors, albeit in the mornings and evenings mostly: gardening, cooking on the grill, hiking, star gazing, birding, etc. With an altitude of 3740’, we still have gloriously cool mornings and evenings to enjoy being outside.

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