Blog entry
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
New Jewelry - Handmade Earrings and Necklaces by Shadow Dog Designs
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!
Handmade Valentines Day Jewelry Gift Ideas - Three for Thursday
Love recognizes no barriers. It jumps hurdles, leaps fences, penetrates walls to arrive at its destination full of hope.
-- Maya Angelou
Valentine’s Day will be here before we know - a day filled with pink and red, hearts, candy, cards and other tokens of love. Speaking of tokens of love, I thought I’d pull together some charming artisan handmade jewelry from three different artists in this new post of Three for Thursday. The first two jewelry selections are heart themed, but with a difference. Just in case, however, hearts aren’t your thing or your loved ones “thing,” then I also included a third item that would make a superb gift but that isn’t overtly Valentines-y.
It's an Artisan Handmade Three for Thursday - Polymer Clay
I think there is something very special about handmade work. You can appreciate the thought, detail and time that have been invested into creating something amazing, whether it is great or small. In my opinion, handmade goods are accessible works of art.
Tami Gagne
What an amazing quote . . . and one I agree with 100%. There is always something very special about a handmade item since part of the artist’s heart and soul goes into each piece created. You will definitely see what I mean when you look at the work of the artist’s featured today. Not that I planned it this way - it just happened - but the the three artists included in this week’s Three for Thursday blog are all polymer clay artists (who also work in other mediums), creating such amazing and diverse art. The artist’s are: Pati Bannister of patibannister; Julie Cleveland of Blue Morning Expressions; and Susana Paredes of EarthExpressions. I have purchased from all three of these polymer clay artists and can guarantee that their work is superb.
Colors to Love! - Wonderful Handmade Wednesday on Indiemade
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Most artists absolutely love a wide range of colors - that’s part of being an artist, right? Vibrant colors and subdued colors, they all have their places in designs. As Wassily Kandinsky, a Russian painter who is credited with painting the first purely abstract works, once said:
"Color is a power that directly influences the soul."
I totally agree!
COLORS! - Wonderful Handmade Wednesday on Indiemade
I love this quote by the artist Edvard Munch: “The colors live a remarkable life of their own after they have been applied to the canvas.” I can’t imagine life without colors, from the bold and brilliant to the soft and subdued. The magnificence of a field of wildflowers would be lost, along with a blazing sunset and the colors of a hummingbird and a Renoir painting. I truly feel sorry for people who can only see a small amount of color . . . or none at all.
The theme of this week’s Wonderful andmade Wednesday on Indiemade blog is “COLORS!” The beautiful colors used to create the artisan handmade pieces shown below definitely have a life of their own after they were worked into the design. Enjoy!
She Comes in Colors Everywhere - Wonderful Handmade Wednesday on Indiemade
Roses are red and violets are blue and rainbows have seven colors. Most people live in a colorful world. As humans, our color vision influences everything from our art and poetry to the colors we paint our homes and the clothing we buy. But why do we see (or not see) color? Being of an inquiring mind (and remembering some of what I learned in science), here is the low down in an encapsulated form:
Beautiful Firsts - Wonderful Handmade Wednesday on Indiemade
Looking for a handmade gift for a special someone, an item that was made from the heart? Each of the Beautiful Firsts creations featured below are artisan handcrafted; many are one of a kind designs. The unique items chosen are the first listing in each shop (as of this post) but there are many more beauties to be discovered if you stay awhile and browse. Support handmade . . . support handmade artists!
Colorful Creations! - Wonderful Handmade Wednesday on Indiemade
Whether you have had lots of snow this winter or lots of brown (such as can be found in the Desert Southwest), I bet everyone can agree that we are all longing for color! Colorful flowers, grasses greening, big blue skies, etc. The list can go on and on. This week’s Wonderful Handmade Wednesday on Indiemade features a wide range of colorful handmade creations by artist friends. Any will make a perfect pick-me-up gift for a loved one . . . or for yourself! Enjoy these “Colorful Creations”:
Colorful Doors to Adventure
As long as I can remember, I have always been fascinated with unique doors, whether they are ancient, colorful or beautifully carved . . . or all three at once. An urge to see what lays beyond the door comes over me, what adventures are beyond. Needless to say, I have a Pinterest board dedicated to doors, gates and windows - but mostly doors seem to get pinned. This blog post is dedicated to 15 of my most favorite, which was a very hard to choose. I could have gone on and on. Photographers are given credit where credit is due, but, even with a google search, I came up blank on who took many of these. Also, if the information was given, I included where the door was found.
