Blog entry
Colors for Autumn - Artisan Handmade - Three for Thursday
Despite the days still being in the mid- to high-90’s here in the Borderlands (unusual here for this time of the year), the last few mornings have had a tinge of autumn in the air. I’m definitely ready for the cooler breezes and being able to leave the windows open. Purple asters will bloom and the cottonwoods will turn a glorious golden yellow. Fall will soon be here (I hope!).
With autumn in mind, I decided to choose handmade beauties in fall colors for this Three for Thursday titles, appropriately enough, Colors for Autumn. The artists today are: Kathy of KatsAllThat; Pamela of MagdaleneKnits; and me, Catherine of Shadow Dog Designs. I hope you enjoy my autumn inspired picks and will visit the shops of the artists for more wondrous handmade fall elegance.
A Melange of Handmade - Three for Thursday - June 20, 2019
This weeks's Three for Thursday is a melange of items. Since I have an addiction to words, I wanted to give a brief etymology of the word melange. The word, which rolls off the tongue to so beautifully, first is first found in French documents around the comes from the 15th century French word meler, meaning 'to mix, mingle." Meler, in turn, came from the Old French meslance or meslinges (a set of diverse elements). So, according to The Free Dictionary, the modern word means “a collection of various things.” Which is the perfect definition of the variety of handmade items I found from artists and am sharing in this post: The items featured are from three handmade artists: beautiful original watercolor paintings from Roxanne of watercolorsNmore; fun and handy to have cards of various types from Jacki of Christie Cottage; and a selection of one of a kind handmade jewelry from me, Catherine of Shadow Dog Designs.
I hope you enjoy these picks. And that you will visit the shops of the artists for more handmade beauties.
Make it an Artisan Handmade Mothers Day - Week 5
Mother’s Day is rapidly approaching, so if you haven’t thought about a gift for Mom, now is the time to start! The Countdown to Mother’s Day 2019 is the perfect place to start! The Countdown is by Julie and Harry of Blue Morning Expressions on their The Blu Print blog. Each week, handmade artists will share three of their unique items, each one a perfect gift for even the most hard to please Mom. This week, a total of 30 artisan items were shared from 10 handmade artists. Browse all the wonderful handmade shares for Week 5, visit the shops of the artists featured and buy your Mom a beauty that was handmade from the heart.
Flower Earrings - Artisan Handmade by Shadow Dog Designs
When you take a flower in your hand and really look at it, it's your world for the moment. I want to give that world to someone else. Most people in the city rush around so, they have no time to look at a flower. I want them to see it whether they want to or not. Georgia O'Keeffe
One of my all time favorite artists is Georgia O’Keeffe. Whenever I’m in Santa Fe, I'm always drawn to the museum named after her. While there, I almost go into a meditative state while contemplating her paintings. Her flower paintings are dear to my heart.
All through my life, I have had flower gardens, some rather grand and some on a much smaller scale, such as the one here in the Desert Southwest. I cannot imagine life without the beauty and cheerfulness of flowers (or dogs, for that matter!). Life would be so bland with out them. Because of that, flowers designs can always be found in my handmade jewelry, especially the earrings. For this blog post, I chose 10 pairs of earrings, some new and some that have been in my shop a while, to feature. There are many others in my SHADOW DOG DESIGNS shop. I hope you will stop by and take a look . . . and maybe buy a pair for yourself or a loved one.
Artisan Handmade Gift Ideas - Three for Thursday
I love this quote by Zac Posen, an American fashion designer, since it’s the way I feel about making artisan handmade items and buying artisan handmade items to gift to friends:
I want to make things of quality. I'm a big believer in handmade, tactile, crafted pieces. I want to keep that tradition alive.
Red for Valentine's Day! Wonderful Handmade Wednesday on Indiemade
Valentine’s Day will soon be here, so I thought I’d share some mainly red handmade items from talented Indiemade artists. Now these items were purposely chosen to not be overly “Valentines” - no heart designs here! Just wonderful designs that primarily deal in many shades of red, from deep reds to vibrant reds. So these beauties obviously can be worn most any time of the year.
Flora and Fauna - Wonderful Handmade Wednesday on Indiemade
I have always admired Walter Cronkite on so many levels, but mostly as an intelligent and reliable newsman and as a vital, moral human being. Even though he died in 2009, I still remember his plain spoken grace in delivering the news, from moonwalks to war, assassinations to peace treaties and thusands of other topics. A favorite quote of his, made 2005 (but still oh so relevant today), is this one:
“I am joining the hundreds of thousands who shall be marching in the Virtual March on Washington to Stop Global Warming in order to demonstrate the concern that we all hold for the future of our planet and all the living things — flora, fauna, human and animal — that exist upon it. The governments of the world have tarried long enough, and the United States is scarcely without doubt the greatest culprit among them. We the people have the strength to bring our country from our weak-kneed stumbling gait in the last ranks of reason to the leadership of the great march to environmental victory.”
Relaxing Blues and Teals - Wonderful Handmade Wednesday on Indiemade
Blues and teals are relaxing colors, both mentally and physically. In color psychology, the colors control and heal the emotions, creating emotional balance and stability. Worldwide, the color blue is the favorite color, a color that is seen as reliable and responsible. Teal, a hue that is halfway between blue and green, is seen as happy and friendly, and is the most common color requested by photographers for logo designs.
Fun and Funky - Wonderful Handmade Wednesday on Indiemade
In the Urban Dictionary, I found this fascinating description of the word "funky" as it comes to style:
"Funky can be a mixture of thrift store and name brand, lace and leather, a simple gold bracelet and a huge plastic pink one, matching or unmatching, a ton of jewelry or none, classy and trashy. Being funky is about taking risks, and not being afraid to get a stare or two from people who wish they could be as funky as you . . . funky is never about boring."
April Showers Bring May Flowers for Spring and Summer!
We have all heard the rhyme, "April showers bring May flowers" from a very early age. It's popular to say in the spring time. But, what is the history of the saying? Being of an always inquiring mind, I decided to find out and share the information here.
