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Earrings and Necklaces, New Handmade Jewelry from Shadow Dog Designs
Christmas has come and gone and a New Year is almost here. And then on to Valentine’s Day with Mother’s Day not far behind. Looking back on 2016, I find it has been a whirlwind year full of shows, jewelry making, photographing jewelry, listing and . . . sales. Yay! A year of double down hard work is paying off.
No rest for the weary, however. This blog post features six new pairs of earrings, one new necklace and three “oldies but goodies” that are still looking for a loving home. All of the earrings and necklaces featured here are handmade, one of a kind designs; a bit boho, a bit classic and all extremely in fashion. When purchased, YOU will be the only one with such a unique piece.
Christmas Jewelry Gift Ideas from Shadow Dog Designs
Christmas is almost here . . . but there is still time to check off those special gifts on your list. Artisan handmade jewelry is always a welcome treat, somethign that is not mass produced. Most handmade jewelry are one of a kind necklace and earring designs that come from the artist's heart and soul, such as the beauties featured below. All of the jewelry below are unique - the wearer would be the only one with that design - except for the snowmen earrings with Swarovski emerald crystals. Seven new designs can be found in my Indiemade shop since the last post sharing my jewelry. The last three featured are oldies but goodies that are still looking for a loving home.
Think Green for Artisan Christmas Gifts - Wonderful Handmade Wednesday on Indiemade
Red and green are colors that are closely associated with Christmas. Last week I shared how red became a Christmas color. You can read that post here: Think Red for Artisan Christmas Gifts. This week, green, the other Christmas color, is explored mainly through the symbolism of holly, mistletoe and evergreen trees.
The color green and its association with the time around Christmas has a pre-Christian origin, more specifically tied to the Winter Solstice. Evergreen plants, like holly, mistletoe and pine, spruce or fir trees have been used for thousands of years to decorate and brighten up buildings during the long, dark, cold winter when life could be very tenuous. Ancient peoples were scared of the short days and freezing nights and mistakenly believed that the Sun might disappear altogether. Evergreens reminded people that spring would come and that winter wouldn't last forever. Historical records show that the Romans wove wreaths of holly to hang on their walls and doors to celebrate the winter solstice / Saturnalia. They also exchanged evergreen branches as a sign of good luck. The ancient Egyptians would bring green date palm branches into their homes during their mid- winter festivals as a symbol of "life triumphant over death." To the ancient people, the color green represented life, nature, peace, eternity and the hope of the future.
Think Red for Artisan Christmas Gifts - Wonderful Handmade Wednesday on Indiemade
The color combination of red and green is closely associated with Christmas - for example, Santa’s red clothing and green holly with red berries. But how did this come about? From ancient history to modern time, color has been an integral part of cultural awareness and even an understanding of life; it touched all members of society and conveyed deeper messages (such as, only royalty could wear the color purple). Red and green as Christian symbolism can be traced back to Medieval Miracle Plays and rood screen painters. The color combination can be traced to the Mabinogion, a collection of Welsh stories from the 13th century. And these stories were probably based on an oral tradition that dates back to the pre-Christian Celts many centuries before where a half-red, half-green tree figures prominently in one of the tales. In pre-Christian times, red and green represented male (red) and female (green), strength and harmony, desire and fertility.
Ancient Symbols in a Modern World - Wonderful Handmade Wednesday on Indiemade
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Symbols have always had a great significance in the lives of humans, from pre-historic times to modern man. Since ancient symbols are ingrained into our lives, most people don't realize these symbols are everywhere. From the logos of modern companies (Starbucks with their mermaid), to television shows (spirals in True Detective) and movies (Legendary Pictures with their Celtic knot logo) from religious books and texts (The Bible, The Koran) to decorations on buildings (sunbursts and dolphins), ancient symbols are everywhere.
Christmas Gift Ideas - New Jewelry from Shadow Dog Designs
Thanksgiving is almost here and Christmas is not far behind. To help with your holiday gift giving, I decided to showcase seven of my new necklaces and pairs of earrings along with three Christmas / winter earrings. Each design here is one of a kind, except for the Christmas earrings. Some designs are more boho flavored and some are more classic. So if a person on your list loves unique artisan jewelry, one (or more) of these choices will be perfect. And, while you're at it, how about something for yourself?
Earthy Browns Abound - Wonderful Handmade Wednesday on Indiemade
Despite the grass in our back yard staying an amazing green so far into the year, I can see the slide of winter colors beginning to show up. Pretty soon our back yard, the arroyo behind the house and the desert over all will be clothed in the many varied shades of warm earthy browns with tinges of other subtle colors. Waiting . . . waiting . . . waiting . . . . for the brilliance of spring.
“Earthy Browns Abound” is the theme of this week’s “Wonderful Handmade Wednesday on Indiemade. I hope you enjoy the beautifully earthy artisan creations featured here. And, please, support handmade artisan this holiday season.
New, One of a Kind Handmade Jewelry by Shadow Dog Designs
It has been almost a month since I shared handmade jewelry from my Indiemade shop. Arts festivals, company and a bit of traveling has kept me very busy. But I have a short break now between shows, so decided to feature the new, one of a kind necklaces and earrings which can be found in my shop. A few have already sold, but I wanted to share them, just the same. I hope you enjoy these twelve unique beauties:
Yellers, Browns and Goldens - Wonderful Handmade Wednesday on Indiemade
The other day, as I was pondering the theme of this week’s “Wonderful Handmade Wednesday" blog post, I ran across a very colorful quote from Roy Bean talking about autumn in the desert: “And Fall, with her yeller harvest moon and the hills growin' brown and golden under a sinkin' sun.” Aha, I thought! The handmade theme of earthy yellers, browns and goldens was then set in my mind.
All Creatures Great and Small - Wonderful Handmade Wednesday on Indiemade
Anyone who has spent even a small bit of time around me knows that I love animals, animals in all shapes and sizes and colors and temperaments. Even the so called “icky” ones are admired since they have a role to play in the complex balance of Nature. One of my favorite all time books is “All Creatures Great and Small” by James Herriot, where the theme for this post was lifted. And, after all my work with and around animals, my favorite quote in the book is this: “If having a soul means being able to feel love and loyalty and gratitude, then animals are better off than a lot of humans.” So very true!!!
