Blog entry

Happy St Patricks Day! - Wonderful Handmade Wednesday on Indiemade

Due to my mother's side of the family, quite a lot of Scots-Irish blood flows through my veins, being a MacLellan and an O'Birney.  I grew up listening to old Irish ballads by John McCormack and others and also to Scottish bagpipe music.  I thrilled to the legends of Brian Boru, the Fenian Cycle and others - and also to the lifes of Irish saints (although those weren't quite as exciting).  When St. Patrick's Day rolls around, I find myself going though my CDs of Irish folk songs, popping one into my computer and singing along (probably much to the chagrin of Seamus - am surprised he doesn't howl along!).  In honor of the upcoming St. Patrick's Day, I also wanted to share handmade items from talented artist friends that use green as all or part if the design. 

Beautiful Firsts - Wonderful Handmade Wednesday on Indiemade

Looking for a handmade gift for a special someone, an item that was made from the heart?  Each of the Beautiful Firsts creations featured below are artisan handcrafted; many are one of a kind designs.  The unique items chosen are the first listing in each shop (as of this post) but there are many more beauties to be discovered if you stay awhile and browse.   Support handmade . . . support handmade artists!

Colorful Creations! - Wonderful Handmade Wednesday on Indiemade

Whether you have had lots of snow this winter or lots of brown (such as can be found in the Desert Southwest), I bet everyone can agree that we are all longing for color!  Colorful flowers, grasses greening, big blue skies, etc.  The list can go on and on.  This week’s Wonderful Handmade Wednesday on Indiemade features a wide range of colorful handmade creations by artist friends.  Any will make a perfect pick-me-up gift for a loved one . . . or for yourself!  Enjoy these “Colorful Creations”:

Valentines Day Gift Ideas! - Wonderful Handmade Wednesday on Indiemade

Valentine’s Day will be here before we know it.  It is a day that started with pagan roots, associated with the Roman festival, Lupercalia. Celebrated at the ides of February (February 13-15), Lupercalia was a fertility festival dedicated to Faunus, the Roman god of agriculture, as well as to the Roman founders, Romulus and Remus.  Lupercalia survived the initial rise of Christianity but was outlawed around 496 A.D. when Pope Gelasius declared February 14 as St. Valentine’s Day. It is not known, however, which of three St. Valentines (all of whom were martyred) Pope Gelasius was honoring.  In 1381, Geoffrey Chaucer, a famous English poet, first associated St. Valentine's Day with romance in a poem he wrote in honor of the engagement between Richard II and Anne of Bohemia.  The engagement, the mating season of birds, St. Valentine’s Day and true love were all linked . . .  and it’s been a day for lovers ever since.