Blog entry

Handmade Valentine's Day Jewelry by Shadow Dog Designs

With Valentine’s Day fast approaching, I thought I’d share a range of handmade earrings and two necklaces from my Indiemade shop; any will be perfect for gift giving to a loved one.  Some of the jewelry is obviously Valentine’s related.  But most can be worn all year long.  The last five designs featured are from my line of meaningful dog rescue jewelry.  All have hearts and pawprints, perfect for the woman who loves her dog(s), especially if her four footed friend is a rescue.  As always, whenever any of the dog rescue jewelry sells, one half (½) of the purchase price is donated to the Humane Society.  

If one or more of the pieces catches your eye, be sure to click the live link below the photo for more information and pictures.  I hope you enjoy these one of a kind earrings and necklaces:

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

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.  

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

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.

Love is in the Air! - Wonderful Handmade Wednesday on Indiemade - 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!