Blog entry
Flaunting Flowers - Artisan Handmade Three for Thursday
Posted March 26, 2020
"If we could see the miracle of a single flower clearly, our whole life would change" – Buddha
Spring is in full swing here in the Desert Southwest. Since there was more rain than normal during the winter and on into spring, the flowering trees and the wildflowers, especially the poppies in the Franklin Mountains, have been spectacular. The various cacti and succulents haven’t started blooming yet with all their sometimes garish colors, but they should be extra pretty, as well. This time of the year, my thoughts always turn to working in the flower beds, trying to decide where to put “just one more” plant. Watching plants reawaken and start their flowering is indeed a miracle . . . and does change my life for the better.
With flowers in mind, I decided this week’s Artisan Handmade Three for Thursday would feature flowers. Three floral inspired handmade pieces, which turned out featuring mostly pink flowers, were chosen from the shops of handmade artisan friends. The artisans are: Jacki of Christie Cottage; Roxanne of watercolorsNmore; and me, Catherine of Shadow Dog Designs. I hope you enjoy the handmade beauties. And be sure to visit the shops of the artists for even more gift ideas - for someone you love or for yourself.
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A Lot of Boho, a LOT of Fun - Artisan Handmade Three for Thursday
Posted February 27, 2020
The term “boho” gets thrown around a lot these days, but what exactly does the word actually mean? Short for “bohemian,” boho as a style is most closely associated with the free spirits and hippies of the ‘60s and ‘70s - but also the pre-Raphaelite women of the late 19th century. It embraces the carefree, the relaxed, and the unique. But, truth be told, it borrows from the fashions of many cultures and time periods through the ages that almost anything can be "boho" if it’s styled right.
With that in mind, I decided this week’s Three for Thursday would embrace boho,” specifically with fun, unique necklaces. Featured in the A LOT of Boho, a LOT Of Fun are three necklaces from three handmade three artists. The artists are: Mary of PrettyGonzo, Jacki of Christie Cottage; and me, Catherine of Shadow Dog Designs. I hope one of these catches your eye! Be sure to visit the shops of the artists for more amazing jewelry.
Shades of Purple - Artisan Handmade - Three for Thursday
Posted January 2, 2020
Up until the 1850’s, the color purple was most often associated with nobility. Cyrus, a Persian king, wore a purple tunic, adopting it as his royal uniform. Some Roman emperors even forbade their citizens from wearing purple clothing - under penalty of death. During the Byzantine Empire, rulers wore long purple robes, used purple ink to sign their orders, and their children were described as being “born in the purple.” Why? The reason was that a pound of purple wool cost more than most people earned in a year! The color purple was produced from a species of rare sea snail, centered in the ancient Phoenician city of Tyre. It took as many as 250,000 of the snails, which produced a purple staining mucus, to yield just one ounce of usable dye. After the fall of the Byzantine empire in the 15th century, the upper class monopoly of purple fabric waned - but it was still expensive. It wasn’t until the 1850’s with the creation of the first synthetic dyes that the color purple became more widely available.
I, for one, am glad that the color purple is now easily attainable. With that in mind, this week’s edition of the Three for Thursday blog is titled “Shades of Purple.” Three items from three handmade artists are featured. The artists are: Cathy of Crafting Memories; Roxanne of watercolorsNmore; and me, Catherine of Shadow Dog Designs. I hope you enjoy all the different shades of purple found in the beauties shared.
A Little of This, A Little of That - Artisan Handmade Three for Thursday
Posted August 8, 2019
This week’s Three for Thursday blog, featuring three items from three handmade artisans, is “A Little of This, A Little of That.” As the title indicates, I picked out a wide variety of unique items, from fractal art counted cross stitch patterns / refrigerator magnets / polymer clay beads to hand sewn jewelry / favor bags to one of a kind jewelry. The artists included are: Julie (and her four legged sidekick, Harry) of Blue Morning Expressions; Ani of readytoshipproducts; and me, Catherine of Shadow Dog Designs. If something catches your eye and you want to see more, please click the photo or link to be taken to the artist’s shop. I hope you enjoy browsing the items.
A Melange of Handmade - Three for Thursday - June 20, 2019
Posted 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.
Beautiful Blues - Artisan Handmade - Three for Thursday
Posted May 23, 2019
Blue is a much beloved, favorite color of many, many people worldwide, especially in Europe and the United States. But, if you look back at the history of blue, it was an ignored color for quite some time. The Greek and Romans had no word for the color - it was never mentioned in any of the many texts produced at that time. The color itself was barely distinguished from neutral shades. In the Odyssey, for example, Homer mentioned white and black hundreds of times, rarely mentioned red and yellow and used the term “wine-dark” to describe blue items, such as the sky or the sea. What we think of as blue was associated with the Celts who were said to have painted their bodies blue before going into battle, women with blue eyes were believed to have loose morals and descriptions of rainbows omitted the color blue altogether!
Spring Flowers - Artisan Handmade - Three for Thursday
Posted May 16, 2019
Happiness held is the seed; Happiness shared is the flower . . . John Harrigan
If you are a flower gardener (like I am) and grow many flowers from seeds, you truly understand the above statement. So much beauty is bound up in a single flower seed which, like magic, can transform into a breathtaking flower. I find happiness in just holding flower seeds and dreaming of the infinite possibility of what they will become. And when that magic happens - a seedling appears, a plant grows, a bud unfurls and a flower faces the sun - I am truly happy, awe struck and humbled. And if I can share those flowers with family and friends, so much the better.
A Moment of Zen - Three for Thursday
Posted May 8, 2019
Anyone who knows me well knows that I love to garden, mainly growing flowers. There is so gloriously fundamental about putting my hands in the living soil and planting something that will benefit bees, butterflies and/or hummingbirds (my way to decide what to plant - plus drought tolerance once established is a must since we live in the Chihuahuan Desert). Planting and tending to the plants is my meditation and I experience many moments of Zen when I feel deeply connected to myself, to others and to Mother Earth.
Just what is “Zen?” It’s to explain, especially when it is often tossed around so carelessly in popular culture (maybe like I just did above). Zen is an authentic spiritual tradition, a path to an awakening: awakening to / realizing who we really are, and awakening the aspiration to serve others and take responsibility for all of life. Zen is believed to be our true nature expressing itself moment by moment.
Keeping Warm with Artisan Handmade - Three for Thursday
Posted February 7, 2019
As everyone knows, winter definitely arrived last week with extreme bone chilling, record breaking temperatures in a huge swath of the United States. Except . . . (I almost hate to say this) . . . in the Desert Southwest. I won’t even mention the weather we got to enjoy while watching news features of people bundled up head to toe while trying to find and dig out their cards from under several inches of snow. My husband and I lived in Canada for a few years and got to experience those sub-Arctic temperatures first hand . and . all . the . shovelling . of . snow. Been there, done that! I’ll take our sunny desert winters anytime these days.
Handmade Christmas Gift Ideas - Three for Thursday
Posted November 29, 2018
Christmas will soon be here. As anyone who browses the internet know, there are millions and millions of gifts out there, many of which are mass produced in sweatshop conditions. But there is always another option: BUY HANDMADE! I love this very timely and true quote by J. Donald Walters:
When you buy something made by a person, there is something special there. And you do feel it. The consciousness with which the thing is made is often more important than the thing itself.
