Blog entry

An Artisan Handmade Christmas - Gift Ideas - Week 9

Christmas is barreling down on us - it will soon be here!  Week 9 of the Countdown to Christmas has come and gone.  The ever ticking Christmas clock doesn’t let up - according to what it says today, Santa will start his journey in only 35 days, just barely a month from now!  The Countdown is a place for handmade artists to share three of their beautiful (often one of a kind) creations. Need a perfect start to your Christmas shopping?  Shop the Countdown to Christmas: browse and purchase that special piece!  An excellent motto to follow this holiday season: SHOP EARLY, SHOP OFTEN!  And, most of all, SHOP HANDMADE! 

Radiant Red - Artisan Handmade Three for Thursday

For friends who know me well, they know red is my all time favorite color.  Always has been and probably always will be (although fuchsia and turquoise are right up there, too).  I love the vibrancy of the color and that, in ancient Egypt, it represented life, health and victory. Yay! 

So when I was musing on what the theme of this week’s Three for Thursday blog, I decided RED was it!  Three handmade items with red as a main component of the design are featured from three artisans. The three artists are:  Charlotte of Covergirlbeads; Jacki of Christie Cottage; and me, Catherine of Shadow Dog Designs. I hope you enjoy these picks and will visit the artists studios for more handmade beauties.

Delicate Easter Colors - Artisan Handmade Three for Thursday

Easter is a symbol of hope, renewal, and new life. 

Janine di Giovanni

Since yesterday was Ash Wednesday - and Easter is approximately six weeks away - I started thinking about Easters past, always large gatherings of family and friends.  But, before everyone showed up at our house, we went to Easter Sunrise mass, the only time my father was ever cajoled into going to church. As a child, I always remember getting a new Easter dress, usually with a matching headband, socks and gloves(!) to wear to church on Easter Sunday.  And if my sister and I were lucky, a small purse would be included. Very stylish, indeed, and usually VERY itchy! The clothes were always spring pastel in color: pinks, pale yellows, pale greens, pale blues and such. A preview of all the pastel colored Easter eggs that were waiting to be found!

This week’s Three for Thursday features three items from three handmade artists that definitely are filled with the renewal of Easter springtime colors.  The artists are: jewelry artist Mary of PrettyGonzo; crochet artist Pamela of MagdaleneKnits; and, me, Catherine of Shadow Dog Designs, also a jewelry artist.  I hope you enjoy my choices. And be sure to visit the artists’ shops for more splendiferous designs!

Artisan Handmade for a Spooky Halloween!

Halloween - the day of trick or treaters in creepy (or cute) costumes, grinning skulls, Jack O’ Lantern pumpkins, spooky ghosts and other notorious beast - will soon be here.  But even weeks before October 31, it’s fun to wear spooky accessories or decorate the home for Halloween. With that in mind, I decided to pull together some spine-tingling jewelry and other items from handmade artists, each one perfect to help celebrate that supernatural day of the year.  I hope you enjoy these choices and will visit the shops of the talented artists featured for more amazing handmade beauties, shuddersome or not!