Blog entry

The Sky is Already Purple - Wonderful Handmade Wednesday on Indiemade

"The sky is already purple; the first few stars have appeared, suddenly, as if someone had thrown a handful of silver across the edge of the world."

I have always loved this quote from Alice Hoffman’s novel, Here on Earth.  It is so very evocative of watching the sky turn dark here in the Desert Southwest during this glorious time of the year.  When the sky is transformed for a few minutes into a magical velvety bluish-purple color, a multitude of stars come out to to play, twinkling away.  Then the sky will finally slip into a depthless black and even more stars will appear . . . and, hopefully, a shooting star will streak across the sky.  Another reason autumn is my favorite time of the year.

Second Category, Third Item - Wonderful Handmade Wednesday on Indiemade

The Franciscan Festival of Fine Arts at the Holy Cross Retreat Center is this Labor Day weekend, Saturday and Sunday.  The Retreat Center has been operational for 60 years. However, some of the buildings in the compound are over 100 years old. It's so peaceful there and feels like you step back in time, especially when you see Father Tom walking around in his full cassock with a large, wooden rosary tied around his waist, chatting with as many people as he can. The juried festival itself has been held yearly for almost 20 years and is a “go to” festival for local people and the many who might drive from Tucson, Albuquerque or beyond to buy beautiful artisan handcrafted items.  If you are in the Las Cruces, NM or El Paso, TX area, please stop by - I will be selling my jewelry there.  For more information, here is a link:  Franciscan Festival of Fine Arts.

Captivating Copper - A Short History with Artisan Handmade Beauties

Throughout the history of man, copper has been one of the most important metals, having been in use for at least 10,000 years, probably more.  Since it could be found in great quantities near the Earth's surface, copper was the first metal mined.  Tools, weapons, household objects, jewelry and many other items were all crafted from copper.

Shadow Dog Designs - New Handmade Jewelry

The past two weeks have been very busy . . . not so much with making new jewelry and listing new pieces . . . but with life itself.  It seems I find myself coming and going at the same time.  Thank heavens for yoga classes and the bits and pieces of meditation I can do.  They definitely help center my life, to look at what life throws my way with empathy, caring and a sense of humor (or at least I hope!).