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Make It a Handmade Mothers Day - Week 2
Week 2 of the Mother’s Day Countdown 2020, hosted by Julie and Harry of Blue Morning Expressions on their the Blu Print blog, quickly came and went. A total of 48 unique items were shared - each one a perfect Mother’s Day gift - from 16 handmade artists. Since Mother's Day will be here before you know it - about 9 weeks from now - this is the perfect time to start thinking about and buying a gift(s) for your Mom. Browse all the wonderful handmade shares for Week 2, visit the shops of the artists featured and buy your Mom a beauty that was handmade from the heart.
Colours by Donovan - Three for Thursday
A couple of days ago, while I was picking up some veggies and fruit from our local Whole Foods, I keyed in on a song that was playing in the background - a song I loved waaaaay back when. When I got home, I looked it up on YouTube, played the video and then let the mix of music from the mid-60’s to early 70’s continue playing. Brought back to many happy, and some sad, memories. One of the songs that played was Donovan Leitch’s “Colours,” a song I adored then and still adore now. I get lost in the peaceful lyrics, the lovely simplicity of the folk guitar accompaniment and Donovan's hauntingly beautiful voice. The song was released in 1965 and, 54 years later, is still a classic. I have played it over and over since “rediscovering” it. The lyrics are shared near the end of the post.
Here’s a link to the YouTube video (version without harmonica):
And here’s an incredible live version of the song with Pete Seeger sitting in on banjo:
Hot, Hot, Hot Dogs Days of Summer - Artisan Handmade
The dog days of summer are here and the temperatures have gotten hot, hot, hot. It seems heat records have been shattered worldwide, especially in places that normally don’t get that hot. Weird weather all over. Climate change is real, folks!
So, just how did the term "Dog Days of Summer" come about? Depending on latitude and longitude, the Dog Days usually start the beginning of July and end the beginning of September in the Northern Hemisphere and between early January to early March in the Southern Hemisphere. Most people believe the phrase "dog days" developed by observing domestic dogs (such as our Seamus) laying around in shady areas during hot days. Another old myth, first attributed to Pliny the Elder, a Roman naturalist, stated in his Natural History that rabid dogs are supposed to be more common during this time of the year because the heat drives them mad. He advised feeding dogs chicken manure to curb the tendency!!!
Radiant Roses for Julia
My good friend, Julia, LOVES roses. She has planted the most amazing rose garden in her backyard, mostly lining the rock wall separating her yard from the large arroyo on the other side of the wall. Each year, Julia spends three months in Bolivia visiting with family and friends. Unfortunately, that is also when her roses are at the peak of their bloom. Because I hate that she misses the showy display from her rose babies, I went to her house to take photos of the roses so I could share them on a blog post and then email her the link. Looking at the photos is not the same, of course, but at least Julia can see how much beauty her roses are bringing to me and to her neighbors who water her plants. It's just too bad there's not the ability to attach a scratch and sniff thingy for each photo so she can enjoy the heavenly perfume! Happily, some of the roses rebloom in late summer, so she gets to enjoy some of the beauty then.
Make it an Artisan Handmade Mothers Day - Week 7
Week 7 of the Mother’s Day Countdown - 2019 has come and gone like a flash. Since Mother’s Day will be here before you know it (here in a flash), now is the time to start shopping for that perfect handmade gift for Mom. Hosted by Julie and Harry of Blue Morning Expressions on their The Blu Print blog, the Countdown to Mother’s Day is a perfect place to start your shopping! Each week, handmade artists share up to three of their unique items, each one a perfect gift for even the hardest to please Mom. This week, a total of 36 artisan items were shared on the Countdown from 12 handmade artists. Browse all the wonderful handmade shares for Week 7, visit the shops of the artists featured and buy your Mom a unique beauty that was handmade from the heart.
Delicate Easter Colors - Artisan Handmade Three for Thursday
Easter is a symbol of hope, renewal, and new life.
Janine di Giovanni
Since yesterday was Ash Wednesday - and Easter is approximately six weeks away - I started thinking about Easters past, always large gatherings of family and friends. But, before everyone showed up at our house, we went to Easter Sunrise mass, the only time my father was ever cajoled into going to church. As a child, I always remember getting a new Easter dress, usually with a matching headband, socks and gloves(!) to wear to church on Easter Sunday. And if my sister and I were lucky, a small purse would be included. Very stylish, indeed, and usually VERY itchy! The clothes were always spring pastel in color: pinks, pale yellows, pale greens, pale blues and such. A preview of all the pastel colored Easter eggs that were waiting to be found!
This week’s Three for Thursday features three items from three handmade artists that definitely are filled with the renewal of Easter springtime colors. The artists are: jewelry artist Mary of PrettyGonzo; crochet artist Pamela of MagdaleneKnits; and, me, Catherine of Shadow Dog Designs, also a jewelry artist. I hope you enjoy my choices. And be sure to visit the artists’ shops for more splendiferous designs!
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.
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.
Easter Perfection! - Wonderful Handmade Wednesday on Indiemade
Easter will be here before we know it, on Sunday, April 16. It was a family tradion, a week or so before Easter, that my Mom would take my sister, my brother and me to the local dry goods store to shop for a new Easter outfit to wear to church. My sister and I always ended up with frilly dresses in pastel shades, new white shoes, lace edged socks (sometimes in colors matching our dress), white gloves and a new mantilla or flower headband. My brother, always with not much choices, ended up with khakis, a white shirt and new brown shoes (and sometimes a new plastic dinosaur for this extensive collection). Were we ever Easter styling! Hopefully all photos of us kids decked out in our Easter finery have been lost.
