Blog entry
Flora and Fauna - Artisan Handmade
Posted June 25, 2020
The Earth is such a beautiful place to live on, if we just take the time to look and observe. No matter where we go, unique plants and animals can be found, two very important parts of any ecosystem. I’ve been lucky to have lived in many places and many different ecosystems, from Central Texas to North Carolina, from near Georgian Bay in Canada to a forest in Northern Virginia, from North Texas to an island in South Carolina. Now I live in the gorgeous Desert Southwest. The flora and fauna of each place was awe-inspiring - some the same but, most often, very different. Since I love what Mother Nature has to offer, I find it all VERY, VERY interesting and want to keep on learning about how our wonderful Earth functions . . . and what we need to do to heal it.
» 9 Comments
Make It a Handmade Mothers Day - Week 8
Posted April 28, 2020
If you haven't started shopping for Mother's Day gifts, you are quickly running out of time! Just a little less than two weeks and the big day for Mom will be here. To help you out, check out the Mother's Day Countdown 2020 Week 8, a cllection filled with unique artisan items, most of them handmade from the heart. Hosted by Julie and Harry of Blue Morning Expressions on their Blu Print blog, each of the unique 39 items from 13 artists will make a memorable gift for Mom on her day. This is the perfect time to start buying a gift(s) for your Mom - and, perhaps, for yourself! These items on the Countdown go quick, and, since many are one of a kind, don't miss out. Browse all the wonderful handmade shares for Week 8, visit the shops of the artists featured and buy your Mom a beautiful gift that was HANDMADE.
'Twas the Thursday Before Christmas - Three for Thursday - Handmade
Posted December 19, 2019
Here it is, the Thursday before Christmas with one more weekend to do holiday shopping. Shopping online is still doable if you order now and have the package sent out by USPS Priority Mail. The deadline for Priority Mail shipping is December 21, this Saturday. To help you with those last minute purchases, I wanted to share three unique items from three handmade artists: Mary of PrettyGonzo; Jacki of Christie Cottage; and me, Catherine of Shadow Dog Designs. I hope you enjoy the items chosen today.
A Melange of Handmade - Three for Thursday - June 20, 2019
Posted June 20, 2019
This weeks's Three for Thursday is a melange of items. Since I have an addiction to words, I wanted to give a brief etymology of the word melange. The word, which rolls off the tongue to so beautifully, first is first found in French documents around the comes from the 15th century French word meler, meaning 'to mix, mingle." Meler, in turn, came from the Old French meslance or meslinges (a set of diverse elements). So, according to The Free Dictionary, the modern word means “a collection of various things.” Which is the perfect definition of the variety of handmade items I found from artists and am sharing in this post: The items featured are from three handmade artists: beautiful original watercolor paintings from Roxanne of watercolorsNmore; fun and handy to have cards of various types from Jacki of Christie Cottage; and a selection of one of a kind handmade jewelry from me, Catherine of Shadow Dog Designs.
I hope you enjoy these picks. And that you will visit the shops of the artists for more handmade beauties.
Beautiful Blues - Artisan Handmade - Three for Thursday
Posted May 23, 2019
Blue is a much beloved, favorite color of many, many people worldwide, especially in Europe and the United States. But, if you look back at the history of blue, it was an ignored color for quite some time. The Greek and Romans had no word for the color - it was never mentioned in any of the many texts produced at that time. The color itself was barely distinguished from neutral shades. In the Odyssey, for example, Homer mentioned white and black hundreds of times, rarely mentioned red and yellow and used the term “wine-dark” to describe blue items, such as the sky or the sea. What we think of as blue was associated with the Celts who were said to have painted their bodies blue before going into battle, women with blue eyes were believed to have loose morals and descriptions of rainbows omitted the color blue altogether!
Make it an Artisan Handmade Mothers Day - Week 7
Posted April 23, 2019
Week 7 of the Mother’s Day Countdown - 2019 has come and gone like a flash. Since Mother’s Day will be here before you know it (here in a flash), now is the time to start shopping for that perfect handmade gift for Mom. Hosted by Julie and Harry of Blue Morning Expressions on their The Blu Print blog, the Countdown to Mother’s Day is a perfect place to start your shopping! Each week, handmade artists share up to three of their unique items, each one a perfect gift for even the hardest to please Mom. This week, a total of 36 artisan items were shared on the Countdown from 12 handmade artists. Browse all the wonderful handmade shares for Week 7, visit the shops of the artists featured and buy your Mom a unique beauty that was handmade from the heart.
Valentines Day Jewelry, Earrings and Necklaces Handmade by Shadow Dog Designs
Posted January 31, 2019
If I had a flower for every time I thought of you . . .
I could walk through my garden forever.
Alfred Lord Tennyson
Valentines is just a bit over two weeks away, on February 14. It is a day a day filled with pink and red hearts, flowers, cards, candy, and other tokens of love and devotion. With that in mind, I wanted to share a collection of handmade Valentine’s Day jewelry, mostly earrings but two necklaces are also included. Some of the jewelry from my Shadow Dog Designs handmade shop are traditional Valentine’s Day designs; others are not and can definitely be worn all year long. There are even a couple for a dog lover. I hope you enjoy this beautful collection . . . and maybe one or more of the one of a kind designs will end up with your sweetheart!
Handmade Valentines Day Gift Ideas
Posted January 17, 2019
On February 14 each year, candy, flowers cards and gifts are exchanged between loved ones not only here in the United States but also in other countries all around the world to celebrate Valentine's Day. The Greeting Card Association estimates that approximately 1 billion Valentine's Day cards are exchanged each year, the second most popular card-sending holiday after Christmas (about 2.6 billion cards). How did Valentine's Day develop? Here's a short history:
Unique Artisan Handmade - Three for Thursday
Posted August 2, 2018
The desire to create is one of the deepest yearnings of the human soul.
Dieter Uchtdorf
Two weeks have already flown . . . and here it is, time for another Three for Thursday blog post. Three wonderful handmade items from three different artists are featured. The artists highlighted this week are: Marcia of MarciaMcKinzieArt with unique watercolor batik paintings (I chose all beautiful landscapes); a wide range of fiber crafts by Jacki of Christie Cottage; and unique boho style jewelry by me, Catherine of Shadow Dog Designs. If something catches your eye, please be sure to click on the photo or the link below the picture to be taken to the item for more photos and information. I hope you enjoy the unique artisan handmade items featured below. And, remember: BUY HANDMADE!
Summer Fun - Artisan Handmade
Posted June 7, 2018
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.
