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A Fantasia of Flowers - Artisan Handmade Floral Gifts

 

 

Here in the Desert Southwest, you can feel that spring is not far off.  The days are getting longer and warmer, the winds are getting . . . . well . . . . windier, and, despite not having much rain in the last several months, flowers are beginning to stir and put on buds, a prelude to their much anticipated appearance before the heat sets in.  I saw the first swallows of the season yesterday, soaring and dipping through the arroyo that butts up against our back yard.  Other bird migrants will soon be here - some will pass on through and some will stay to nest.  Hummingbirds are greatly anticipated as are the butterflies, bees and wasps, all of which I hope will make good use of the new pollinator flower bed that has been a long, slow process in the making.  Life is good.

 

Thinking about flowers reminds me of a favorite floral quote by the Impressionist painter, Claude Monet, who painted many amazing floral landscapes and cultivated large flower gardens at Giverny:  

 

 

“I MUST HAVE FLOWERS, ALWAYS, AND ALWAYS”  

 

 

I TOTALLY agree with him!

 

The flowers shared below blossomed in the creative minds, hearts and souls of each artist featured.  I hope you enjoy browsing all these cheerful artisan handmade / designed spring beauties.  And be sure to visit the shops of the artisans featured for even more to choose from.  After all, Easter and Mother’s Day will quickly be here!

 

 

 

New Handmade Earrings and Necklaces by Shadow Dog Designs

 

 

It has been a very long while since I last showcased some of the newest jewelry in my SHADOW DOG DESIGNS shop.  Where does the time go???  The eleven selections being showcased today - eight pairs of earrings and three necklaces - are one of a kind designs.  With Valentine's Day rapidly approaching, any of these will make a unique gift for a loved one.  Why wear mass produced jewelry when you can wear a one of a kind design that was handmade from the heart!  Please support small independent businesses - you'll be glad you did!

Make It an Artisan Handmade Christmas - Favorites - Week 9, 2023

 

 

Christmas is barreling down on us like a runaway freight train!  It will be here very soon.  Week 9 of the Countdown to Christmas 2023 has come and gone and the ever ticking Your Christmas Countdown Clock doesn’t let up.  According to what the clock says today, Santa and his traveling buddies will start their journey in only 32 days, just a bit over four weeks from now!  The Countdown is a place for handmade artists to come together and share three of their beautiful (often one of a kind) creations and then promote each other.  This week, eleven artists shared a total of 33 unique items.  The twelve week Countdown to Christmas, hosted by Julie and Harry of Blue Morning Expressions on their Buy Handmade from Makers blogis the perfect place to start / end to your Christmas shopping - find those special gifts for a loved one!  An excellent motto to follow this holiday season is : SHOP EARLY, SHOP OFTEN!  And, most of all, SHOP HANDMADE to support hardworking indie shop owners! 

 

In addition to promoting each handmade item from the Countdown collection to my "Countdown to a Handmade Christmas 2023" Pinterest board and on my Twitter feed, I decided to share one item from each of the artists who participated this week.  Here are my "favorites" picks of the items, in an order determined by drawing numbers from my trusty numbers bowl.  I hope you enjoy these unique items! 

 

 

Make It an Artisan Handmade Christmas - Favorites - Week 8, 2023

 

 

It’s all going so, so fast!  Week 8 of the Countdown to Christmas 2023 has already come and gone, with only four more weeks remaining!  The ever ticking Your Christmas Countdown Clock doesn’t let up - according to it, Santa and his flying reindeer will start their journey in only 39 days!  Yikes!!!!  Need a perfect place to start / finish your Christmas shopping? The Countdown - a chance for artists to come together and share three of their unique gift ideas - is the just the place to do that holiday shopping!  Julie and Harry of Blue Morning Expressions are hosting the twelve-week Countdown to Christmas 2023 of artisan handmade items on their Buy Handmade from Makers blog (where you can also see the first seven Countdowns).  This week, 39 items, many which are one of a kind designs, from 13 artists are featured.  The artists shared a wide range of handmade gift ideas: jewelry of all sorts, Christmas gift tags, sweatshirts, limited edition prints, photographic prints, lampwork beads, coffee mugs and much, much more.  A wonderful motto to follow: SHOP EARLY, SHOP OFTEN!  And, most of all, SHOP HANDMADE to support hard working indie artists! 

 

In addition to promoting each handmade item from the Countdown collection to my "Countdown to a Handmade Christmas 2023" Pinterest board and on my Twitter feed, I decided to share one item from each of the artists who participated this week.  Here are my "favorites" picks of the items, in an order determined by drawing numbers from my trusty numbers bowl.  I hope you enjoy these unique items! 

 

 

 

Make It an Artisan Handmade Christmas - Favorites - Week 3, 2023

 

 

It's amazing how quickly Week 3 of the Countdown to Christmas 2023 sped right on by . . . and a wide variety of gorgeous artisan handmade items have been left in its wake.  According to the ever ticking Your Christmas Countdown Clock, there are only 74 days until jolly Santa Claus and his merry band of reindeer are delivering packages once again. With the rapidly approaching gift giving season in mind, Julie and her wonderful four-footed sidekick, Harry, are hosting a twelve-week Countdown to Christmas 2023 of artisan handmade items on their Buy Handmade from Makers blog, part of their Blue Morning Expressions Shopify shop.  This week, there were 33 shares by 11 artists featuring a wide range of truly unique gift ideas: jewelry of all types, party tags, spiral notebooks, photographic and digital art, ornaments, throw blankets and a host of other beauties.  If you need a perfect start to your Christmas shopping, the Countdown is the place to do just that!  An excellent motto to follow is: SHOP EARLY, SHOP OFTEN.  And, most of all, SHOP HANDMADE to support small indie businesses!


Each week during the 12 week Countdown, I pick a favorite item from each artist (hard to do!) and feature them here on my blog.  These are my favorites for Week 3:  

 

 

 

 

Make It an Artisan Handmade Christmas - Favorites - Week 2, 2023

 

 

Week 2 of the Countdown to Christmas 2023 has already come . . . and gone,  No worries because unique artisan handmade / designed items were left in its wake.  According to the ever ticking Your Christmas Countdown Clock, there are only 81 days until Christmas is here.  With the rapidly approaching gift giving season in mind, Julie and her wonderful four-footed sidekick, Harry, are hosting a twelve-week Countdown to Christmas 2023 of artisan handmade items on their Buy Handmade from Makers blog, part of their of Blue Morning Expressions Shopify shop.  The twelve week time period was chosen to correspond with the ubiquitous Christmas carol, "The Twelve Days of Christmas''. This week, there were 30 shares by 10 artists featuring a wide range of gift ideas: unique jewelry, Christmas tags, watercolor art prints, an original book, photographic and digital art for the home, ornaments, key chains and a host of other beauties.  If you need a perfect start to your Christmas shopping, the Countdown is the place to do just that!  An excellent motto to follow is: SHOP EARLY, SHOP OFTEN.  And, most of all, SHOP HANDMADE to support small indie businesses!

 

Each week during the Countdown, I pick my a favorite items from each artist (hard to do!) and feature them here on my blog.  These are my favorites for Week 2:   

 

 

 

New Handmade Earrings and Necklaces - Jewelry by Shadow Dog Designs

 

 

Since the heat wave that set in about a week ago has not let up, I find it too hot to go outside and photograph new jewelry (which I normally do around noonish).  Photographing is something I really need to do, but I'll wait until it cools down a bit.  So I decided to pull together a blog that features the eleven newest jewelry designs in my SHADOW DOG DESIGNS jewelry shop,  three new necklace and eight pairs of earrings.  Each piece was designed and handmade by me and they are all one of a kind designs.  If something catches your eye and you would like to look at more photos and read more about the piece, please click on the picture or the description underneath to be taken to the item listing.  I hope you enjoy each and every piece as much as I love creating them!

Buy Artisan Handmade for Mothers Day 2023 - Week 7

 

 

Week 7 of the Countdown to Mothers Day 2023 zoomed right on by . . . and in it's wake, 30 handmade items were left on the link-up by ten talented artists.  The Countdown is hosted by Julie and Harry of Blue Morning Expressions on their Buy Handmade from Makers blog.  Each unique item will make a memorable gift for Mom on her day.  Since Mother's Day will be here in about three weeks, on May 14, this is the perfect time to purchase a gift(s) for your Mom - and, perhaps, for other loved ones and yourself!  These items go quick, and, since many are one of a kind, don't miss out!  Browse all the wonderful handmade shares for Week 7, visit the shops of the artists featured and buy your Mom a beautiful gift that was handmade from the heart.  And, when you purcahse from these shops, you are supporting small indie businesses! 

 

 

 

Buy Artisan Handmade for Mothers Day 2023 - Week 1

 

 

 

Julie and the ever Handsome Harry Florida Dog of Blue Morning Expressions are once again hosting the wildly popular Countdown to Mother’s Day 2023 Week 1 on their Buy Handmade from Makers blog.   Last year's Mother's Day Countdown 2022 was a resounding success . . . so the 2023 version is up and running. Since Mother's Day will be here before you know it - on May 14 - this is the perfect time to start thinking about buying a gift(s) for your mom, grandmom, aunts and/ or other beloved women.  Browse all the wonderful handmade shares, visit the shops of the artists featured in this week's Countdown and buy your mother a beauty that was handmade / designed from the heart.  When you do so, you support a small, independent business (which makes us do a happy dance)!

 

 

 

Pick a Bouquet of Spring Flowers - Artisan Handmade Floral Gifts

 

 

Spring unlocks the flowers to paint the laughing soil.

 

Bishop Reginald Heber ~

 

 

I have always loved the quote shared above.  Bishop Reginald Heber (1783-1826), well known for his poetry, describes in just a few words the joyousness of spring on the return of flowers.  I, myself, can’t wait to finish the new flower bed I started digging last fall and filling it with native plants chosen specifically for pollinators of all types.  Let the flowers paint the laughing soil!  And let the colorful flowers be an important food source for bees of all types, flower flies, butterflies, moths, wasps and hummingbirds.  

 

With all-things-flower in mind, I invited artist friends to share two of their floral designs.  As you will see in the beautiful items below, there is a wide range of flowers to be had, from note cards to jewelry, from lampwork beads to photography, from photography to digital art and many, many more!  Be sure to pick a bouquet of floral beauties and support small handmade businesses!

 

For Twitter, please use the hashtag #SpringFlowers.

 

 

 

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