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Make It an Artisan Handmade Christmas - 2022 - Week 11
Posted November 29, 2022
It's hard to believe that Week 11 of the Countdown to Christmas 2022 has already come and gone . . . . and there is only one more week left of the promotion! When the Countdown starts, the end of the twelve weeks seems a looooong way off. Then - BAM! - here it is! With Christmas just 3 1/2 weeks away - 25 days, where does the time go? The ever ticking Christmas clock doesn’t let up - those seconds just keep ticking down until the jolly man in red and white leaves wonderful gifts or lumps of coal under the tree. Just what is the Countdown? It’s a place for handmade artists to share three of their beautiful (often one of a kind) creations. Need a perfect start (or finish) to your Christmas shopping? Shop the Countdown to Christmas and purchase that special piece for that special person! An excellent motto to follow this holiday season: SHOP EARLY, SHOP OFTEN! And, most of all, SHOP HANDMADE to support small indie businesses!
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Make It an Artisan Handmade Christmas - 2022 - Week 6
Posted October 25, 2022
It’s hard to believe that we’re already half-way finished with the twelve week Countdown to Christmas 2022! Yikes! That means Christmas is bearing down on us and will soon be here - two months away! According to the ever ticking Christmas clock, there are only 60 days until the jolly ho-ho-ho-ing Santa and his merry band of clattering reindeer arrive once again. Now is the perfect time to start your holiday shopping and the Countdown is the perfect place to buy unique beauties! Remember this motto: SHOP EARLY, SHOP OFTEN! And, most of all, SHOP ARTISAN HANDMADE to support a small indie business!
Make It an Artisan Handmade Christmas - 2022 - Week 3
Posted October 4, 2022
It's amazing how quickly Week 3 of the Countdown to Christmas 2022 flew right on by. In its wake, a wide variety of gorgeous artisan handmade / designed gifts were shared. According to the ever ticking Christmas clock, there are only 81 days until Christmas is here . . . once again.
With the rapidly approaching gift giving season, Julie of Blue Morning Expressions along with her handsome sidekick, Hurricane Harry, are hosting a twelve-week Countdown to Christmas 2022 of artisan handmade items on their Buy Handmade from Makers blog. The twelve week time period was chosen to correspond with the pervasive holiday carol, "The Twelve Days of Christmas''. This week, there were 36 shares by 12 artists. The shared gifts include: jewelry of all sorts, polymer clay beads, lampwork beads, party stickers / tags, christmas ornaments, photographic art and digital art. Shopping the Countdown to Christmas is the perfect place to start your holiday gift gathering! An excellent motto to follow is: SHOP EARLY, SHOP OFTEN. And, most of all, SHOP HANDMADE to support small indie businesses!
Halloween - Spooky Artisan Handmade Goodies - 2022
Posted September 11, 2022
Halloween will soon be here, a little more than six weeks away! It’s a favorite day / evening for many with a steady stream of trick or treaters in creepy or cute costumes, grinning skulls, Jack O’ Lantern pumpkins, spooky ghosts and other notorious beasts. During the weeks before October 31, it’s fun to wear spooky accessories or decorate the home for Halloween. With that in mind, handmade artist friends were invited to share two Halloween-type items - whether symbolic or filled with the traditional colors or both. You’ll see a wide variety of spine-tingling jewelry, eye-catching photography, fun party items, a cute baby gift set, an orange cat print, unique lampwork glass beads and your choice of sugar skull pincushions. Each one of these handmade beauties, many of which are one of a kind pieces, are perfect to help celebrate that supernatural day of the year. I hope you enjoy these choices and will visit the shops of the talented artists featured for more amazing handmade beauties, some shuddersome and some not!
Oldies But Goodies - Unique Artisan Handmade Gifts
Posted July 5, 2022
Whenever someone says “Oldies But Goodies,” most people think of old songs (especially from a jukebox - remember those?), vintage cars, lots of items on the Antiques Roadshow or, possibly, themselves (after . . . *ahem* . . . a certain age). However the term, “Oldies But Goodies,” also refers to items in our artisan handmade shops that have been around for longer than the artist who made it would like. Whenever something is created and then listed in our shops, we always think it will sell right away. Some do. But, for whatever reason, some beauties sit there . . . and sit there . . . and sit there some more. There is absolutely nothing wrong with that particular item - not at all!!! It just hasn’t found that forever person to give it a forever home.
I asked artisan friends to share two items from their handmade shops that they considered “oldies but goodies.” Many of the items are one of a kind creations and would make a perfect gift for a birthday, an anniversary, for Christmas, or just because . . . I hope something catches your eye and that you visit the shops of the artists below. And that many of the “oldie” items find a loving home.
New Handmade Earrings and Necklaces - Shadow Dog Designs
Posted June 16, 2022
The heat of summer has set in here in the Desert Southwest. Which means planting more flowers in the flower beds is pretty much a done deal until the monsoon season sets in shortly (hopefully - we really need some rain!). More time is being spent inside during the day until the temps cool down when the sun starts to set, so I'm making good use of the extra time inside creating and listing new jewelry. And I'm looking further down the road to the Labor Day weekend when the Franciscan Festival of Fine Arts is being held - my first big show of the season and my favorite. Five new pairs of earrings and two new necklaces have been recently added to my SHADOW DOG DESIGNS handmade jewelry shop. I also added three older pieces to make an even ten. If something catches your eye and you want to look at more photos or need more information, please either click the picture or the description under the pic to be taken to the item listing. I hope you enjoy these new necklace sand earrings, all of which are one of a kind designs.
Hot Summer Fun - Artisan Handmade Gifts
Posted June 9, 2022
It’s hard to believe that we are already through a good part of the first week of June with most of the scorching summer still ahead of us - even though it’s not yet “officially” summer (June 21 at 3:14 a.m. MDT this year). Up until the last few days, summer here in the Desert Southwest has been relatively mild. BUT the triple digits have finally set in and the AC seems to run continuously. As everyone says: at least it’s a dry heat! June is usually our hottest month. And then the monsoon season sets in where we get most of the 9” of rain that is normal for this part of the desert. Everyone is praying that the rains do start soon on schedule, normally at the end of June. For the past several years, a big storm has shown up on the 4th of July where we can enjoy Mother Nature’s fireworks - and then the scheduled fireworks once the storm blows through, all from the comfort of our upstairs porch. Hope that happens again this year since it’s quite spectacular.
Heavenly Hollyhocks in the Desert Southwest
Posted May 26, 2022
Hollyhocks (Alcea rosea) have always been a flower dear to my heart. Can't explain why besides they have such a beautifully majestic look to them (at least to me) as they sway in the wind. According to information I've read, they are biennials, taking two years to bloom (although you can't always believe what's written since these seeded last summer and are blooming now). Hollyhocks are originally from Asia, grown in ancient China by wealthy people. They spread to the Middle East through trade routes and then were carried to western Europe by returning Crusaders from the Holy Land. The Latin name of the hollyhock plant, Alcea, is derived from altho the Greek word for healer. In Greek Mythology, Althea is a beautiful goddess of healing and compassion, family, marriage and protection. The flowers were used as a diuretic, a laxative, an emollient and in anti-inflammatory treatments. Rosea is Latin for for rose, rosy or pink. The common name, hollyhock, is a combination of two words — holy and hock. Holy refers to the healing powers of the plant and that it was brought to Europe from the Holy Land. Hock is an Old English word which means mallow. Hollyhocks made their way to the United States in colonial times in seed packets carried by immigrants. They symbolize the circle of life and abundance and were traditionally planted near the front door to welcome prosperity.
Unique Handmade Necklaces and Earrings by Shadow Dog Designs - Jewelry
Posted May 18, 2022
"Jewelry is a very personal thing . . . it should tell a story about the person who’s wearing it"
Garance Daré
I love the quote above by Garance Daré since it is so true. Jewelry IS a very personal thing. It can range from very traditional jewelry to jewelry that is uniquely boho; from mass produced to individually handmade pieces. I LOVE making unique jewelry! Necklaces and earrings, as you can see in this post, that definitely lean to the fun, boho side and are mostly one of a kind (with the excepton of a few pairs of Christmas earrings). Featured here are ten pieces of the newest jewelry in my SHADOW DOG DESIGNS, six pairs of earrings and four pendant necklaces. If something catches your eye and you want more information and more photos, be sure to click the photo or short description to be taken to the item in my shop. Enjoy!
Make It A Handmade Mothers Day 2022 - Week 9
Posted May 3, 2022
Watch out! Mother’s Day will be here very, very soon - in fact, this coming Sunday, May 8. It’s still not too late to order a handmade gift (do it now!) from the beauties shared this week on the Mother's Day Countdown 2022. The Countdown was hosted again this year by Julie and Harry of Blue Morning Expressions on their The Blu Print blog. Hard to believe this is the last weelk of the Countdown! Despite that, 9 handmade artisans shared a total of 27 wonderfully unique items. Browse the wide range of eye catching 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! By shopping small, you'll also support a small indie business.
