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Valentines Day Gift Ideas! - Wonderful Handmade Wednesday on Indiemade

Posted January 4, 2017

 

 

 

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.  

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» Tagged: artisan, bracelets, cat, ceramic, charms, copper, crochet, dichroic, dog bandanas, earrings, gemstones, handmade, hearts, jewelry, journal, knitted, necklaces, neckwarmer, pendant, pink, red, Shadow Dog Designs, ShadowDogDesigns, Valentine's Day, Valentines, washcloth

Think Red for Artisan Christmas Gifts - Wonderful Handmade Wednesday on Indiemade

Posted November 30, 2016

 

 

 

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.  

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» Tagged: artisan, ceramic, Christmas, Christmas red, copper, cowl, dichroic, dog, earrings, flowers, gift ideas, gifts, hand knit, handmade, jewelry, necklace, ornaments, pendant, red, roses, ruffle, scarf, Shadow Dog Designs, ShadowDogDesigns, tribal

HOT, HOT, HOT!!! - Wonderful Handmade Wednesday on Indiemade

Posted July 27, 2016

 

If you have been keeping up with the weather lately, you know that a huge section of the United States has been dealing with unusually high heat.  Here in the Desert Southwest, we are used to triple digit numbers (but it’s a dry heat!).  People who are live in other parts of the U.S. are not used to the high heat and may not even have air conditioning to remediate.  Let’s hope the high that had stalled above the U.S. moves on out and normal temperatures return . . . and our monsoon rains start here in the Borderlands.

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» Tagged: baby booties, ceramic, earrings, gemtones, handmade, hot, Indiemade, jewelry, knitting, lampwork, necklace, orange, pendant, red, scarf, sewing, Shadow Dog Designs, ShadowDogDesigns, tissue cover, yellow

Fiery Red and Orange - Wonderful Handmade Wednesday on Indiemade - May 18, 2016

Posted May 18, 2016

 

The temperatures are beginning to heat up here in the Desert Borderlands (although I can’t complain since this has been an unusually cool spring).  With the higher temperatures, it seems the sunsets become more fiery in all their blazing yellows red, and oranges.  A sunset a couple of nights ago gave me the inspiration for this blog post:  Fiery Red and Orange.  I browsed through the studios of Indiemade handmade artists and featured a fiery red or orange (or both) creation from each.  I hope you enjoy these richly colored selections.

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» Tagged: baby booties, ceramic, copper, coral, dichroic glass, dogs, earrings, gemstone, hand knit, handmade, hat, Indiemade, jewelry, lampwork, orange, red, Shadow Dog Designs, ShadowDogDesigns, sunglasses case, watercolor

Love is in the Air! - Wonderful Handmade Wednesday on Indiemade - February 3, 2016

Posted February 3, 2016

With Valentine's Day quickly approaching, it seems where ever you go these days, "Love is in the Air"  with all the massive displays of Valentine's cards, chocolates, stuffed animals and such.  Last year the total retail expenditure for Valentine's Day was a whopping $18.9 billion.  Yes, that is with a "B" - a record for sales.  It was estimated that the average person celebrating February 14 shelled out $142.31.  Men spent about $100 more on gifts than women:  $190.53 vs. $96.58.  Candy, flowers and jewelry are the three most popular gifts.  Interestingly, about 20% of people bought a Valentine's gift for their pet!

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» Tagged: boho, cards, charms, copper, dichroic, earrings, gift ideas, gifts, hearts, Indiemade, jewelry, knitting, lampwork, necklaces, pink, red, Shadow Dog Designs, ShadowDogDesigns, shawl, Valentine's Day, Valentines

A Joyful Heart - Wonderful Handmade Wednesday - January 20, 2016

Posted January 20, 2016

 

 

A favorite quote, one that I often remind myself, is from Mother Teresa:  "A joyful heart is the inevitable result of a heart burning with love."  Such true words!

 

 

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» Tagged: bracelet, brooch, cards, cat, crown, dog ruffle, earrings, gemstone, handmade, hearts, Indiemade, jewelry, journal, lampwork beads, pendants, pink, red, Shadow Dog Designs, ShadowDogDesigns, Valentine's Day, Valentines, white copper

Not So Simply Red - Wonderful Handmade Wednesday on Indiemade - December 2, 2015

Posted December 2, 2015

With Christmas fast approaching (can you believe it's already December?), the color red was chosen to be highlight of this post.  Just think of everything that red is associated with during this holiday season:  Santa's red suit, Rudolph's red nose, the red of holly berries, red poinsettias, red ribbon, red apples as some of the first Christmas tree decorations centuries ago, and many more.  This post is called "Not So Simply Red" because red is definitely not a simple color.  Just look at all its various blazing shades and nuances of red in the handmade artisan creations below . . . and in the reds you see all through the Christmas season.

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» Tagged: Christmas, coral, earrings, flower crown, holiday cards, jewelry, knit, lampwork, neck ruffle, necklace, red, rose, slippers, tartan, wine stopper, Yemen
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