Blog entry

School Daze - Wonderful Handmade Wednesday on Indiemade

When I drive the back way to Spa for Paws, where Seamus goes to romp and play with his doggie friends three days a week, we pass by an elementary school.  Today I noticed on the school sign that the first day of school is August 13, with teachers back at school August 3!!! What??? No wonder I have been bombarded with “back to school” brochures and coupons in the mail. I imagine that there a huge amount of ads on regular TV, but since I only watch PBS, NetFlix or the like, I don’t see them.  Thank heavens for that! But it sure seems awfully early for school to begin. Where has the summer gone???

The school sign prompted the theme for today’s Wonderful Handmade Wednesday on Indiemade, titled School Daze.  The artisan handmade items chosen will be welcome “just because” first day of school gifts, to help counteract the daze of school starting up again.  The meaningful, unique items chosen span a wide range of ages, from kindergarten/first grade through high school. I hope one of the beauties goes to school that first day!

4th of July - Celebrate a Handmade Red, White and Blue Holiday!

When in the Course of human events, it becomes necessary for one people to dissolve the political bands which have connected them with another, and to assume among the powers of the earth, the separate and equal station to which the Laws of Nature and of Nature's God entitle them, a decent respect to the opinions of mankind requires that they should declare the causes which impel them to the separation.

Preamble to the Declaration of Independence, written by Thomas Jefferson.

The 4th of July, also known as Independence Day or July 4th, has a tradition of celebrations goes back to the American Revolution.  When the initial battles of the Revolutionary War broke out in April 1775, very few colonists desired complete independence from Great Britain.  But, by the middle of the following year, the idea of independence grew due to the growing hostility against draconian British laws and the spread of revolutionary sentiments, such as the pamphlet published in early 1776 by Thomas Paine, called “Common Sense.”

All Creatures Great and Small - Artisan Handmade

I’ll be the first to admit that I am an avid reader - always have been and, I imagine, always will be.  It seems I have at least 3-4 books going at the same time and have a stack of books by the bed. One of my all time favorite books, one I have read time and time again, is James Herriot’s (real name, James Alfred Wight) All Creatures Great and Small.  I loved that book the most, but also loved the other three in the series: All Things Bright and Beautiful, All Things Wise and Wonderful and The Lord God Made Them All (and the other numerous books he wrote). The books made me laugh and also made me cry as Herriot related his life as a country vet in the fictional town of Darrowby, Yorkshire.   The people he encountered were funny and sometimes maddening, but it was the description of the animals that touched my heart. You could tell Herriot really, truly cared for the animals. By the way, I also thoroughly enjoyed the BBC series on TV . . . but the books were so much better.

Gift Ideas for a Handmade Mothers Day - Week 8

Wow!!!  It’s extremely hard to believe that there only two more weeks of the Mother’s Day Countdown 2018 which is hosted again this year by Julie of Blue Morning Expressions on her The Blu Print blog.  Week 8 came and went and fourteen handmade artisans and one vintage seller shared a total of 45 wonderful items items. Since Mother's Day is quickly gaining on us, on Sunday, May 13, this is the perfect time to start buying a gift for your Mom.  Why don’t you browse the wide range of 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!