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Make It an Artisans Mothers Day - Week 4 Gifts - 2026
Posted March 31, 2026
It's hard to believe that Week 4 of the Mother's Day Countdown 2026 Week 4 has come . . . and gone so quickly! We're at the tail end of April, but the Mother's Day Countdown doesn't take a break! The fun Countdown, hosted by Julie and Harry of Blue Morning Expressions on their Buy Handmade from Makers blog, is the place where artisans come together and share three of their unique items. This week 10 artists shared a total of 30 lovely items - each one a perfect gift for Mother’s Day. Since Mom's big day will be here before you know it, on May 10, this is the perfect time to purchase a gift(s) for your Mom, grandmother, aunties and other much loved women in your life. Be sure to browse all the wonderful handmade / designed shares on Week 4, visit the shops of the artists featured and buy a unique beauty that was artisan made from the heart. This year, definitely Make it a Handmade Mother's Day and Shop Small!!!
Here are my "favorite" picks from all the wonderful items shared:
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Make It an Artisans Mothers Day - Week 3 Gifts - 2026
Posted March 24, 2026
Where did Week 3 of the Countdown to Mother's Day 2026 go??? The weekend was here . . . and then, too quickly, it was gone. The Countdown is hosted by Julie and Harry of Blue Morning Expressions on their Buy Handmade from Makers blog. This week, 30 handmade / designed items from 10 artists were shared. Each unique item will make a memorable gift for Mom on her day. Since Mother's Day is quickly approaching, on May 10 this year, this is the perfect time to start thinking about and buying a gift(s) for your Mom . . . and, perhaps, for other much loved women in your life. Pssssttt, by the way, don't forget about a gift for yourself! These items go quickly, and, since many are one of a kind, don't miss out! Browse all the wonderful handmade / designed shares for Week 3, visit the shops of the artists featured and buy your Mom a beautiful gift that was handmade from the heart. Since you'll be supporting a small indie artist, the purchase will be GREATLY appreciated! Remember: Shop Small for Mother's Day this year!
Here are my "favorite" picks (hard to pick a favorite from each artist!) from all the wonderful items shared:
Valentines Day Gifts: Artisan Handmade or Designed - Week 2, 2026
Posted January 22, 2026
Valentine's Day will be here before we know it, February 14, less than a month away. Since the day is drawing nearer, a collection of wonderful Valentine's Day gifts was pulled together, 4 items from each artist. Each week of the 4 week promo, a blog will be posted on Shadow Dog Designs' site to share one artisan handmade / designed beauties from each participant. There are plenty of Valentine's Day themed items, but also ones that are not so distinctly traditional Valentine's gifts. Many can be worn / used all year long. If something catches your eye, be sure to click either the photo or the description below to be taken to the artisan's shop. To see all of the gift ideas in one place, be sure to click this link: Valentine's Day Gifts: Artisan Handmade or Designs - 2026. All of the gifts shared here were created by small business owners. Be sure to SHOP SMALL this Valentine's Day and support an indie artist. It will certainly be appreciated!
Valentines Day Gifts: Artisan Handmade or Designed - Week 1, 2026
Posted January 15, 2026
Valentine's Day will be here before we know it, February 14, almost a month away. With that in mind, a collection of wonderful Valentine's Day gifts were pulled together. Each week for the next four weeks, a blog will be posted on the site of Shadow Dog Designs to share the artisan handmade / designed beauties that were posted to an Inlinkz. There are plenty of Valentine's Day themed items, but also ones that are not so distinctly traditional Valentine's gifts. Many can be worn / used all year long. If something catches your eye, be sure to click either the photo or the description below to be taken to the artistan's shop. To see all of the gift ideas in one place, be sure to click this link: Valentines Day Gifts: Artisan Handmade or Designed - 2026. All of the gifts shared here were created by small business owners. Be sure to SHOP SMALL this Valentine's Day and support an idie business. We will certainly appreciate that!
Make It an Artisan Handmade Christmas - Week 10 Favorites - 2025
Posted November 18, 2025
Wow! It's pretty amazing that we are already at Week 10 of the Countdown to Christmas 2025 with only 2 more weeks to go! Time sure can fly by. The ever ticking Your Christmas Countdown Clock doesn’t let up: only 36 more days until Santa and his herd of flying reindeer make a nighttime visit to leave welcome gifts or lumps of coal. Since the holiday gift giving season is lurking just around the corner, Julie and Harry of Blue Morning Expressions are once again hosting a twelve-week Countdown of artisan handmade / designed items on their Buy Handmade from Makers blog. The Countdown is the place for artists to share three of their beautiful (often one of a kind) creations. This week eleven artists shared 33 items, a wide range of wonderful gift ideas: many styles of jewelry, Christmas ornaments, lampwork beads, Christmas notecards, art prints, photo albums, keychains, and many other unique items. If you need a perfect start or end to your holiday shopping, please shop the Countdown to Christmas; browse and purchase that special piece for that special person! An excellent rule of thumb to follow this holiday season: SHOP EARLY, SHOP OFTEN! And, most of all, SHOP HANDMADE to support small, independent artisan shops!
In addition to promoting each handmade item from the Countdown collection to my "Countdown to a Handmade Christmas 2025" 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 - hard to chose! I hope you enjoy these unique items!
Make It an Artisan Handmade Christmas - Week 8 Favorites - 2025
Posted November 4, 2025
The weeks are going by so, so fast! Week 8 of the Countdown to Christmas 2025 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 50 days! Yikes!!!! Need a perfect place to start / finish your Christmas shopping? The Countdown - a place for artists to come together and share three of their unique gifts - 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 of artisan handmade items on their Buy Handmade from Makers blog (where you can also see the first seven Countdowns). This week, 30 items, many which are one of a kind designs, from 10 artists are featured. The artists shared a wide range of handmade gift ideas: jewelry, lampwork beads, art prints, throw pillows, home decor, keychains, baby gifts, 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 2025" Pinterest board and on my Twitter feed, I decided to share one item from each of the artists who participated this week.
Make It an Artisan Handmade Christmas - Week 5 Favorites - 2025
Posted October 14, 2025
Where does the time go - It seems to go by more and more quickly each week! Case in point is that week 5 of the Countdown to Christmas has already come and gone! According to the ever ticking Your Christmas Countdown Clock, there are only 71 days before the the reindeer driving man clothed in red and white arrives once again. With the rapidly approaching holiday season, Julie and Harry of Blue Morning Expressions comtinue to host a twelve-week Countdown to Christmas 2025 of artisan handmade items on their Buy Handmade from Makers blog. Now is the perfect time to start your holiday shopping and the Countdown is the perfect place to begin that! This week, 9 artiss left a total of 27 handmade / designed items. The collection is wide-ranging gift collection: different styles of jewelry, stickers of various types, phtotography, Christmas ornaments, home decor, watercolor prints, lampwork beads and much. Remember this motto: SHOP EARLY and SHOP OFTEN! And, most of all, SHOP HANDMADE to support a small indie business.
Each week during the 12 week Countdown, I will pick a favorite item from each artist (hard to do!) and feature them here on my blog. My favorites for Week 5 are:
Make It an Artisan Handmade Christmas - Week 3 Favorites - 2025
Posted September 30, 2025
It's amazing just how quickly Week 3 of the Countdown to Christmas 2025 flew by with October just around the corner. According to the ever ticking Your Christmas Countdown Clock, there are only 85 days until jolly Santa Claus and his merry band of reindeer are delivering packages (or lumps of coal) once again. With the rapidly approaching gift giving season in mind, Julie and her handsome four-footed sidekick, Harry, are hosting a twelve-week Countdown to Christmas 2025 of artisan handmade items on their Buy Handmade from Makers blog, part of their Blue Morning Expressions Shopify shop. This week, there were 24 shares by 8 artists featuring a wide range of truly unique gift ideas: jewelry of all types, party tags, photographic and digital art, watercolors prints, note cards, key chains, linens 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. Here are my favorites for Week 3:
Make It an Artisan Handmade Christmas - Week 2 Favorites - 2025
Posted September 23, 2025
Week 2 of the Countdown to Christmas 2025 has already come . . . and gone! No worries, however, because many unique artisan handmade / designed items were left in its wake. According to the ever ticking Your Christmas Countdown Clock, there are only 92 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 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 27 shares by 9 artists featuring a wide range of gift ideas: unique jewelry, lampwork beads, Christmas stickers, note cards, photographic art for the home, pennants 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 SMALL and SHOP HANDMADE to support an appreciative indie businesses!
Each week during the Countdown, I pick my a favorite item from each artist (hard to do!) and feature them here on my blog. These are my favorites for Week 2:
Make It an Artisan Handmade Christmas - Week 1 Favorites - 2025
Posted September 16, 2025
Wasn’t the Countdown to Christmas happening just a few short months ago? Here it is, already the middle of September, and the Countdown is up and running! The ever ticking Your Christmas Countdown clock says there are only 99 days (as of today) before Christmas is here! With that in mind, it's definitely not too early to start thinking about all those people on your Christmas shopping list. Where to start???? What should you get for them??? A perfect place to shop (and hopefully buy) is on the 12 week Countdown to Christmas 2025 collections. Hosted by Julie and Harry of Blue Morning Expressions on their Buy Handmade from Makers blog, the collections will be filled with a wide variety of artisan handmade / designed gifts. A new collection will be added each Friday through the beginning of December. On week 1 of the Countdown to Christmas, there were 21 shares of a wide variety of gifts from 7 artists: unique jewelry, lampwork beads, home decor, note cards, stickers, holiday money holders and more. A good holiday motto to remember: SHOP EARLY, SHOP OFTEN! And, most of all: SHOP SMALL, SHOP HANDMADE to support small indie sellers!
Here are my favorite picks from Week 1 of the Countdown to Christmas:
