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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:
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Make It an Artisan Handmade Christmas - Week 4 Favorites - 2025
Posted October 7, 2025
Who would have believed how quickly Week 4 of the Countdown to Christmas 2025 went by . . . but here we are! Left in its wake is a wide variety of wonderful artisan handmade / designed items. According to the ever ticking Your Christmas Countdown Clock, there are only 78 days until St. Nick pays a visit to let you know of you have been naughty or nice. With the rapidly approaching gift giving season, Julie and her faithful sidekick, Handsome 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 27 shares from 9 artists featuring a wide range of gifts: unique jewelry designs, holiday gift tags, note cards, stickers, lampwork beads, napkins, home decor and a host of other beauties. If you need a perfect start (or ending) 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. These are my favorites for Week 4:
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 Artisans Mothers Day - Week 3 Gifts - 2025
Posted April 22, 2025
Where did Week 3 of the Countdown to Mother's Day 2025 go? It was here . . . and then, quite 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, 27 handmade / designed items from 9 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 11 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 . . . and don't forget yourself! These items go quickly, and, since many are one of a kind, don't miss out! Browse all the wonderful handmade shares for Week 3, visit the shops of the artists featured and buy your Mom a beautiful gift that was handmade from the heart. You'll be supporting an indie artist and the purchase will be GREATLY appreciated! Shop Small this year for Mother's Day!
Here are my picks from all the wonderful items left for Week 3:
Make It an Artisans Mothers Day - Week 1 Gifts - 2025
Posted April 8, 2025
Julie and the Handsome Harry Florida Dog of Blue Morning Expressions are again hosting the wildly popular “Mother's Day Countdown.” Last year's Countdown was a resounding success . . . so the 2025 version is up and running. Check out the Mother’s Day Countdown 2025 Week 1 on Julie and Harry's Buy Handmade from Makers blog. Since Mother's Day will be here before you know it - on May 11 - this is the perfect time to start thinking about buying a gift(s) for your mom, grandmom, aunts and/ or other beloved women. Browse all the wonderful shares, visit the shops of the artists featured in this week's Countdown and buy your mother a beauty that was handmade / designed from the heart. When you do so, you support a small, independent business (which makes us do a happy dance)! #ShopSmall for Mother's Day this year! Here is a favorite from each artist who shared their work on the Countdown this past weekend:
Artisan Valentines Gifts for Loved Ones - Week 4 - 2025
Posted February 6, 2025
Just a warning: Valentine's Day is only 1 week away, this coming February 14! In case you still need a gift for the big day, Week 4 of the Valentine’s gift blog on Shadow Dog Designs features artisan handmade / designed beauties. Each piece makes a wonderful gift for your loved one. Traditional and non-traditional Valentine's designs are included. Many of the artisan items can be worn / used all year long! If something catches your eye, be sure to click either the photo or the description below the photo to be taken to the artistan's shop. To see all of the gift ideas in one place, here’s a link: Artisan Valentine's Gifts for Loved Ones - Week 1 - 2025. ALL of the gifts shared here were created by small business owners. Please be sure to SHOP SMALL this Valentine's Day and support an indie artist. We will certainly appreciate that!!!
Christmas Open House: Nina Eaton Photography and Shadow Dog Designs Jewelry
Posted December 1, 2024
This coming weekend, December 7 and 8, 2024, Nina Eaton of Nina Eaton Photography is hosting a Christmas Open House. And she invited me to participate in it again! THANK YOU, Nina!! If you are finishing up your holiday shopping, or haven't even started yet(!), or need unique stocking stuffers, stop by for a wide assortment of unique gifts. Nina will have a wonderful selection of her award winning El Paso photography: matted and gallery wrap prints, note cards, stone coasters, trivets, calendars, mouse pads, and other photographic beauties. I'll have a wide variety of my mostly one of a kind handmade jewelry, including many Christmas earrings created with mega-sparkle vintage 1950's Austian / German crystals, glittering Swarovski crystals and whimsical artisan dangles. You'll find many more designs at the Open House than are listed in my Shadow Dog Designs shop. Additionally, the wide selection of Christmas earrings will be 10% off and there will be some deep discounts on other pieces of jewelry.
