Blog entry

Holiday Art Crawl - El Paso

On December 14 and 15 is the first annual Holiday Art Crawl right here in El Paso.  Four west side artists are opening their homes/studios for two days of shopping for unique handmade Christmas gifts for a friend, a relative, a loved one . . . or yourself.  Guest artists will also be found at most of the homes.  Food and beverages will be available (including my almost-world famous sangria at Nina Eaton's house).  You can also register for a chance to win a door prizes at each location.  So, mark your calendar and come join us at the Holiday Art Crawl!!

I'm thrilled that Nina Eaton has asked me to be the guest artist at her house.  I'll have a wide variety of handmade jewelry from my Shadow Dog Designs shop, mostly earrings and necklaces, but a few bracelets as well.  Everything is one of a kind with the exception of a few Christmas earrings.  Nina will have a wonderful selection of El Paso photography and gift items.  I have purchased several beautiful items from her over the course of a couple years, including, most recently, custom photo coasters of our sweet dog, Seamus (:  Here's a link to her online shop:  Nina Eaton Photography

Flowers are Food for the Soul - Artisan Handmade

Flowers always make people better, happier, and more helpful; they are sunshine, food and medicine for the soul.

Luther Burbank

I love this quote from Luther Burbank because it’s true!  For those who are not familiar with Luther Burbank, he was an American botanist, horticulturist and pioneer in agricultural science, developing more than 800 strains and varieties of plants during his lifetime, including the tasy plumcot (fruit trees being a special passion of his, it seems).  One of my favorite things to do doing the winter months was to constantly browse through Stark Bro's and Burpee Seed Co catalogues (both companies sold quite a few of Burbanks’ seeds and plants after his death), planning my flower beds and vegetable gardens. Looking at the brilliant pictures and dreaming of all the flowers and veggies spring, summer and fall would bring made those winters quite a bit easier to bear.  Even now, living in the Desert Southwest where the winters are mild in comparison, I still dream of the promise of flowers.

Beautifully Artisan Handmade - Three for Thursday

Two weeks have already flown . . . and it’s time for another Three for Thursday blog post.  Three wonderful handmade items from three different artists are featured. The artists highlighted this week are:  Colleen of Colleen Cornelius with a wide range of eye catching photographs; boho style jewelry by Kathy of KatsAllThat; and, unique art work by Sam of Shinrin Studio.  If something catches your eye, please be sure to click on the photo or the link below the picture to be taken to the item for more photos and information. I hope you enjoy the unique artisan handmade items featured below:

Gift Ideas for a Handmade Mothers Day - Week 5

Week 5 of the Mother’s Day Countdown 2018, hosted by Julie of Blue Morning Expressions on her The Blu Print blog, has sped right on by.  Fifteen handmade artisans shared a total of 44 beautiful items. Since Mother's Day will be here before you know it, on Sunday, May 13, this is the perfect time to start making a list of gift ideas / buying a gift for your Mom.  Browse all the wonderfully unique shares for this week, many of them one of a kind designs, visit the shops of the artists featured and buy your Mom something that was HANDMADE from the heart.