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Handmade Jewelry by Shadow Dog Designs - New Earrings and Necklaces
It has been almost a month since I last sat down to share my newest batch of handmade earrings and necklaces. Visiting friends in Long Beach, California and Charleston, South Carolina took up a lot of time, along with shorter trips to Dallas. Plus, three big shows are in the not too distant future, all in April, so I’ve been very busy trying to make new jewelry to freshen up the look. Lots of spring inspired jewelry has been photographed - hopefully, those will make it into the next post.
Terrific Turquoise - Wonderful Handmade Wednesday on Indiemade
Since I live in the Desert Southwest, turquoise is a definite favorite of people, both the gemstone itself and the color. Turquoise is a shade of blue that lies on the color scale between blue and green. It has psychological characteristics associated with both of those colors: the calmness of blue and the growth that is represented in green. Turquoise is said to be a color that balances blue, green and yellow, linking it to emotional balance. It is a color promotes a feeling of serenity and stability. I don’t know about you, but whenever I work with turquoise, I do feel a great sense of peace and calmness.
Terrific Turquoise is the theme of today’s Wonderful Handmade Wednesday on Indiemade blog. Each artisan handmade item selected uses the color turquoise (or even the gemstone itself) as a major part of the design or as a beautiful accent. Most of these beauties are one of a kind designs and all are made from the heart. I hope you enjoy these handmade creations using the color turquoise.
Valentines Day at Shadow Dog Designs - Handmade Jewelry
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Since Valentine’s Day is quickly approaching, I decided to share some handmade Valentine’s inspired jewelry from my Shadow Dog Designs studio. Most are red and/or pink in color - but not all - and some have hearts. But most are not your “traditional” Valentine’s earrings or necklaces; they are more geared for the woman who loves unique designs with a boho falir. The one of a kind pieces can be comfortably worn long after this year’s Valentine’s Day is past. But what a perfect gift any of the handmade jewelry featured below will make . . . long after the day itself is a fond memory!
Handmade Earrings and Necklaces, New Designs from Shadow Dog Designs
I have been really busy making and listing new earrings and necklaces these last two weeks, mostly earrings, it seems. Have been enthralled with two new artists I have found and buy jewelry components from. One creates pieces from recycled tea or cookie tins. The pieces are whimsical and very light in weight. Another creates amazing polymer clay pieces, some with a technique called embroidered polymer clay - very intricate and time consuming. I have one pair of earrings from each artist in the beauties shared below. There are seven new creations; the last three are wonderful oldies but goodies to round out the number to an even ten.
Red for Valentine's Day! Wonderful Handmade Wednesday on Indiemade
Valentine’s Day will soon be here, so I thought I’d share some mainly red handmade items from talented Indiemade artists. Now these items were purposely chosen to not be overly “Valentines” - no heart designs here! Just wonderful designs that primarily deal in many shades of red, from deep reds to vibrant reds. So these beauties obviously can be worn most any time of the year.
Make it a Handmade Valentine's Day!
Every February 14, candy, flowers and gifts are exchanged between loved ones in several countries, all in the name of St. Valentine. The history of Valentine’s Day contains remnants of both Christian and ancient Roman traditions. The patron saint himself is shrouded in mystery. Who is this mysterious Valentine? Where did traditions associated with Valentine’s Day come from? Being of inquiring mind, I did some research and decided to share my findings, along with a whole host of artisan handmade items, each one a perfect Valentine’s Day gift for a loved one:
Autumn Inspired Handmade Beauties
The cooler temperatures of autumn have arrived here in our area of the Desert Southwest. It still gets into the high 80’s or low 90’s during the day but drops down into the high 60’s at night. The monsoon season has pretty much ended, the horrid humidity mostly gone, and our drier air has been welcomed back by everyone. It is so nice to turn off the air conditioner (at least until early afternoon) and open windows and doors to allow fresh desert air to blow through. While I don’t see any trees changing colors yet, the desert is extremely green after the above average rainfall we received the last two months. Maximillian sunflowers can be found all over, as well as masses of small yellow, purple and terracotta colored wildflowers that I don't know the name of but enjoy immensely nonetheless. My favorite time of the year!
Radiant Rainbows! - Wonderful Handmade Wednesday on Indiemade
The monsoon season is still going on here in the Desert Southwest. Most every afternoon, the sky clouds, the wind starts to howl, thunder can be heard and lightning seen . . . and if we are lucky, rain falls. As happens so often here, our house can get a deluge but a friend just a few block away may only get a few sprinkles. If the rain ends at just the right time, a magical rainbow can be seen towards the east. Sometimes a paler secondary - or even very pale triple - rainbow forms. A colorful, visual gift! The photo above shows part of a double rainbow (that tried to turn into a triple rainbow). At the end of this post is a single rainbow, both taken with my trusty camera.
Happy Independence Day! - Wonderful Handmade Wednesday on Indiemade
Independence Day will soon be here, in less than a week. It was quite an interesting time, a time populated by giants of U. S. history: George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, John Adams, Richard Henry Lee and many others. The 4th of July has been a federal holiday in the United States since 1870 (and a paid holiday to all federal employees since 1941). But the tradition of celebrating Independance Day dates back to the late 1700’s at the time of the American Revolution. On July 2nd, 1776, the Continental Congress voted in favor of independence from Great Britain. Two days later, delegates from the thirteen colonies adopted the Declaration of Independence, a historic document largely drafted by Thomas Jefferson of Virginia but with help from John Adams of Massachusetts, Roger Sherman of Connecticut, Benjamin Franklin of Pennsylvania and Robert R. Livingston of New York.
Summer Heat - Wonderful Handmade Wednesday on Indiemade
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With the summer solstice rapidly approaching, I decided it was time to feature hot, hot, HOT colored artisan handmade items in oranges, reds and yellow. But before I do, (since I am a huge science geek), I thought I’d share a bit of about sunrises, sunsets and the summer solstice. The solstice here in the Texas Borderlands will take place on Tuesday, June 20, 2017 at 10:24 pm MDT. Most people think that, because the solstice signifies the longest day of the year (or the shortest, in the southern hemisphere), the earliest sunrise and the latest sunset happens on that day. But that is not true. The exact date of earliest sunrises and latest sunsets varies with latitude. At mid-northern latitudes (say Philadelphia at 40 degrees north latitude), the earliest sunrises of the year happens on June 14 and the latest sunset on June 27. The farther south you go in latitude, the earlier the earliest sunrises become and the later the latest sunset are. For instance, the earliest sunrise here in El Paso has already passed - on June 11 - and the latest sunset isn’t until June 30.
