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Make It An Artisan Handmade Valentines Day!

 

 

 

Before we know it, Valentine’s Day on February 14, will be here with hearts, cupids and items in pink and red assailing us everywhere.  Across the United States and in many other countries around the world, candy, flowers and gifts are exchanged between loved ones, all in the name of St. Valentine.  Although the history of Valentine’s Day and its patron saint is shrouded in mystery,  February has long been celebrated as a month of romance.  St. Valentine’s Day, as we know it today, contains vestiges of both Christian and ancient Roman traditions. 

 

 

 

Gotta Love Those Earrings! - Three for Thursday - November 26, 2020

 

 

Not sure about you, but I adore earrings.  If I walk out of the house and later find I forgot to put a pair on (which doesn’t happen too often), it seems as if the earth tilts a bit on its axis and the rest of the day seems kind of strange . . . until I can put a pair on.  I especially love long earrings, the more boho the better, but will also wear shorter earrings.  But rarely wear studs unless I put one in the second hole of my left earlobe (which normally has a small sterling hoop in it).  

 

Because of my love of earrings, my Three for Thursday blog features just that:  EARRINGS!  I chose three pairs of earrings that I would definitely wear from three handmade jewelry artists.  The artists are:  Elaine of ELDumontJulie and Harry of Blue Morning Expressions; and me, Catherine of Shadow Dog Designs.  And I do want to confess that it's hard for me to let some of the earrings I design to be offered for sale in my shop.  OK, a LOT of them!  I hope you enjoy these selections:  

 

 

Summer Flowers - Artisan Handmade - Three for Thursday

 

 

Summer will soon be here.  Despite the (expected) triple digit heat that has set in here in the Desert Southwest, the water wise flowers I planted last year and in the cool of this spring are blooming up a storm.  Everyone who knows me really well knows I love to work in my flower beds . . . and am ecstatic at the resulting blooms.  So my beautiful flowers are the inspiration for this week’s Three for Thursday where I feature three items from three artists.  This week the artists are:  Roxanne of watercolorsNmoreJacki of Christie Cottage; and me, Catherine of Shadow Dog Designs.  Enjoy the wide range of floral art.  Hopefully one or more of the items will soon be on the way to you!

 

Flowers for Your Ears - Handmade Floral Earrings by Shadow Dog Designs

 

 

“I must have flowers, always, and always.”

Claude Monet

 

 

I totally agree with Monet.  There are a lot of things I can give up in life, but flowers are not one of them.  To plant a seed or seedlings into the ground . . . and then a miracle happens. Sometimes slowly and sometimes quickly, the plant grows and flowers emerge.  I have been redesigning flower beds here at our house using a wide range of water wise plants: knipofia (called “mango popsicle’ - truly well named), several salvias in several colors, a fabulous penstemon; Russian sage, Texas red yucca, gauras and many colors of the workhorse of the desert garden, the glorious lantana.  Every plant I chose has to benefit bees, butterflies and/or hummingbirds. I have seen bees and butterflies on the flowers, but the hummingbirds seems to prefer the feeder and the mimosa tree, which is blooming right now. Several times a day, I go out and just look, and am always filled with a sense of wonder and awe at the sheer beauty at what is happening.

Handmade Gift Ideas - Three for Thursday

 

 

When I was browsing the internet the other day, looking for nothing in particular, I stumbled across this quote:

 

Something Handmade is So Much More Meaningful


 

It caught my eye, because, being a handmade jewelry artist myself, I promote buying handmade whenever I can, through my own work or the work of others artist friends.  Handmade items ARE more meaningful . . . and are often one of a kind . . . and always have a small piece of the artist’s soul buried in them.

First in the Shop - Wonderful Handmade Wednesday on Indiemade

 

 

I always enjoy browsing through the handmade shops of artist friends.  So much talent and such creativity! This week’s Wonderful Handmade Wednesday on Indiemade features the first item in each shop (as of when this blog was being worked on) featured here:  First In the Shop. Oftentimes the first item is the newest - sometimes it’s not. Either way, the items are all wonderful and each will fill that need for a gift perfectly.  

 

Remember:  SUPPORT INDEPENDENT, HANDMADE ARTISTS

 

Artisan Favorites - Wonderful Handmade Wednesday on Indiemade

 

When you buy something handmade by a person, there is something special there. And you do feel it. The consciousness with which the thing is made is often more important than the thing itself.  J. Donald Walters



 

I just love browsing through the shops of handmade artist friends.  Who knows what new beauties - or old beauties you suddenly see in a brand new light - you will find!   Two items from five artists are featured below (myself, included). I hope you enjoy these picks.

Spring Colors! - Wonderful Handmade Wednesday on Indiemade

 

 

Behold, my friends, the spring is come; the earth has gladly received the embraces of the sun, and we shall soon see the results of their love!   Sitting Bull

 

 

With spring definitely here in the Borderlands, I have been thinking about colors quite a bit as the brown of the desert bursts into so many glorious shades of green.  The white and pink fruit trees have pretty much quit blooming, so the various shrubs, hardy trees, ocotillo, cactus and poppies will add their beautiful spring colors: yellow, pinks, oranges, reds, purples and others all against the huge dark blue sky.  My soul revives!

Second Page, Second Artisan Item - Wonderful Handmade Wednesday on Indiemade

 

 

 

What beautiful artisan handmade items are included in this blog post!  But, then, ALL the items included in my blogs the last two years have been beauties.  This edition of Wonderful Handmade Wednesday on Indiemade is a melange of items, a random choosing of the second item on the second page of the artist's shop.  I hope you enjoy the items featured.

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