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Make It an Artisan Handmade Christmas - Week 1

WOW, wasn't last Christmas like . . . last month? Yikes!  According to the Christmas clock, there is only 90 days, 22 hours, 30 minutes and those quickly descending seconds (as of 1:30 a.m. Tuesday morning) until Christmas is here . . . once again!  And it's even closer by the time your read this "Make it an Artisan Handmade Christmas - Week 1" blog post!

Botanical Beauties - Wonderful Handmade Wednesday on Indiemade

BOTANICAL:  pertaining to plants

Many people think that the desert is nothing but prickly plants and blowing sand.  Believe me, there are plenty of prickly plants here in the Chihuahuan Desert, and, at times, plenty of blowing sand.  But there are a whole host of other plants that bloom beautifully and are much more friendly to the skin.  The Chihuahuan Desert is termed a "cold desert" since temperatures often drop below freezing during the winter with occasional snowfall.  It is, on average, higher in altitude (El Paso is at 3800 ft / 1200 m) than the neighboring “hot” Sonoran Desert around Tucson (2643 ft / 806 m) which rarely experiences freezing temperatures.  While Tucson and Phoenix bake for several months with triple digits, summer temperatures in the Chihuahuan desert are more moderate, our hottest month being June. Triple digits, yes, but for only a few weeks.  Rainfall averages less than 10" per year, most of that coming during the monsoon season, normally July through mid-September. Amazingly, the World Wildlife Fund for Nature has indicated that the Chihuahuan Desert may be the most biologically diverse desert in the world!  Our plants just tend to be built on a smaller scale than those found in the Sonoran Desert.

Countdown to Mother's Day - Handmade Gifts - Week 5

Week 5 of the Countdown to Mother's Day, hosted by Julie and Blu of Blue Morning Expressions on their The Blu Print blog, sped right on by.  Sixty artisan handmade items from twenty artists were left in its wake.  Mother’s Day is fast approaching!  Now is the perfect time to start browsing gift ideas and buying that perfect gift(s) for your Mum.  Any one of the mostly one of a kind handmade items shared this week are perfect for even the pickiest Mom.  Visit the shops of the artists featured and buy Mom something that was handmade from the heart.  

Spirals, Circles and Arcs - Wonderful Handmade Wednesday on Indiemade

This week’s Wonderful Handmade Wednesday on Indiemade features artisan design that feature spirals, circles and/or arcs.  All three symbols were used as early as 38.000 BC in Europe, Africa, Australia and South America when ancient man began to carve into stone or paint cave walls in protected areas.  It is possible that earlier hunter/gatherer peoples might have decorated their bodies and clothes or marked trees or features in the landscape but, if they did, evidence of that art has not survived.