Blog entry

Halloween and Day of the Dead

Halloween and Day of the Dead will be here before we know it!  To get the word out about all of the spooky goodies in our shops, please share two Halloween inspired items.  They don't have to be actuall Halloween items but can be the colors of orange, black and brown usually associated with Halloween, Dia de los Muertos and autumn.  The InLinkz is open now and will close this Saturday, September 10, at 12:00 p.m. MDT.  I hope to have the blog out by Monday morning.

If you participate, please share each item and the blog on at least two social media sites (I'll be tweeting and sharing on several Pinterest boards both from the linkup and from the actual blog).  Please use the hashtag #Halloween2022 for tweeting so the items are easily found.

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?”  ANIMALIA:  a 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!

There are Always Flowers - Artisan Handmade - May 27, 2021

There are always flowers for those who want to see them - 

Henri Matisse

Henri Matisse is absolutely right.  There are ALWAYS flowers.  Even when it's winter and no flowers are found (except a few succulents that bloom inside during the winter), I have them in my heart, impatiently waiting for spring to see the hollyhocks, roses, geraniums, bottle brush, mimosa, lantana, Russian sage and other fine petaled friends again.  And they are beautiful right now, blooming away before the desert heat sets in.  To add even more floral beauty to this spring, I decided a colorful flower blog was needed.  Artist friends shared two of their handmade items with a flower theme.  If something catches your eye, be sure to click on the photo or the link below the photo to be taken to the item in the shop.  I hope you love these cheerful beauties.      

Make It a Handmade Christmas 2020 - Week 6

It’s hard to realize that we’re half-way finished with the twelve week Countdown to Christmas 2020!  Yikes!  That means Christmas is bearing down on us and will soon be here, just a bit less than 2 months!  According to the ever ticking Christmas clock, there are only 58 days until 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! Remember this motto: SHOP EARLY, SHOP OFTEN! And, most of all, SHOP ARTISAN HANDMADE!