ShadowDogDesigns' Blog

Catherine's Blog About Jewelry, Gemstones and Other Artists
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Introducing Seamus, the Newest Shadow Dog

Published: 05-19-2012 08:42am
The end of April and May have been very busy for me in many ways.  After loosing two Shadow Dogs in six months, our sweet Chase in November and wonderful Loki suddenly last month, we adopted a new puppy from the El Paso Humane Society on Earth Day.  We had actually picked out another dog a week earlier, but when we came back with Mesa, there was no way they would get along together.  Mesa made that very plain for the whole world to see.Then we found Seamus (his name there was "Cowboy" - ugh!).  He was sitting in the corner of his run, looking very dejected and sad.  He almost had an Eeyore look to him.  We called to him, he got up and came o... » Read More

A Short History of Scrimshaw

Published: 05-12-2012 04:08pm
Posted In: History of . . .
First practiced by sailors working on New England whaling ships, scrimshaw is often considered to be the only true art form that originated in America.  "Scrimshaw" comes from a slang term that refers to anything that was the product of a sailor's idle time.  While out at sea, several weeks or even month could pass between whale sightings; it was during this down time that the sailors produced scrimshaw.  Early scrimshaw was done with crude sailing needles or other instruments that could scratch whale teeth or bone.  The skill of the artist, as well as the movement of the ship, produced scrimshaw with varying degrees of detail and artistry. Â... » Read More

The Power of Red Coral!

Published: 04-29-2012 01:15pm
Posted In: Gemstone Information
Red coral has a long, fascinating history.  In Greek mythology, the origin of red coral was explained in the story of Perseus.  Using the head of Medusa, Perseus petrified Cetus, the sea monster threatening Andromeda.  Wanting to wash his hands, he placed Medusa's head on a riverbank.  When he picked the head back up, he saw that Medusa's blood had petrified the seaweed (or reeds), turning the plants into red coral.  In fact, the Greek word for "coral " is "Gorgeia" since Medusa was one of the three Gorgons.  Red coral and Tibetan black onyx beads necklace by GracefulDesigns.Mainly used decoratively, red coral has been harvested since antiqu... » Read More

Flower Garden - New Necklace with Polymer Clay Floral Beads

Published: 04-19-2012 03:54pm
About six weeks ago, I found myself constantly eye-balling several polymer clay flower bead creations by Julie of BlueMorningExpessions.  She creates such amazing beauties with such amazing detail! I had been wanting to use her beads in necklace and earring creations for quite some time, but never made the actual purchase.  I had three sets in mind and would go "visit" them every couple of days or so - until that fateful day when I noticed one set had sold!  Oh, no!!  So, without further hesitation, I quickly ordered the other two sets.  Julie shipped out almost immediately and, within 2 days, they were in my mail box.  And within just a few... » Read More

Absolutely Amazing Agate!

Published: 04-13-2012 02:02pm
With possibly the exception of jaspers, agates have to be one of the most amazing, most colorful, most fantastically patterned stones to be found.  They are a stone I turn to time and time again, especially for pendants, because of their exquisite WOW! beauty.  Since I have created several necklaces in the past several months, featuring agates of all types, I did a little research about the stone and decided to share.  I also hunted down agate creations by ArtFire artists or stones that are for sale to be used in jewelry and want to share those, too.  Just look at the swirls and curls in this aptly named Crazy Lace Agate pendant by Quentin of ... » Read More

Copal - Tree Blood of the Gods

Published: 04-09-2012 07:19am
Posted In: History of . . .
Recently, when I was in my favorite bead store (Western Traders in Las Cruces, New Mexico) I fell in love with a strand of graduated, sunny yellow beads that turned out to be copal.  I just had to have them!  I took them home and the next day designed a copal, turquoise and sterling silver necklace that I named "Sonoran Sunrise".  Now I already knew a little about copal, that it was in the middle stage of the journey as raw tree resin is transformed into amber.  But I didn't know a whole lot more.  So, being of a very inquiring mind, I decided to read up on it and share my findings.Beautiful grooved copal bead with sterling caps made in Nepal... » Read More

The Many Faces of Green

Published: 04-02-2012 05:58pm
Posted In: History of Color
Green is a favorite color of many people because of being the predominant terrestrial color of Nature.  It is considered by many to be the most restful color (green being a favorite color choice for bedrooms).  But the color green wears many faces, both in its numerous beautiful shades (please visit my recent collection, also called "The Many Faces of Green" featuring creations from the Checked In Today guild)) and its interesting historical context.  I found the history and symbolism of green to be fascinating and decided to share some of what I found:  "Daisy Bloom", a nature inspired pocket journal handmade by Rose of walkinthewoodsllc.The ... » Read More

Horses: Past and Present, Symbols of Power and Freedom

Published: 03-25-2012 12:23pm
Ever since I took my first horseback ride at the age of 4, I have had a deep love of all things horse.  As a young kid, I probably read every horse book published, collected horse knick knacks and tried to convince my parents that stabling a horse in our car port was a great idea!  As I got older, I was always plotting a way to get my next horseback ride, which usually involved hopping on my bike and pedaling out a few miles to Henry Allen and Annie's ranch to ride their very tame horse, Brownie.  When my parents bought a small ranch in the Texas Hill Country, I was in heaven because I now could have a horse.  Golden Angel, a palomino colored ... » Read More

The Wonders of Paintbrush Jasper!

Published: 03-17-2012 04:25pm
Posted In: Gemstone Information
Paintbrush jasper (also known as "landscape jasper" or "picture jasper") is such a fascinating stone to work with - a favorite of mine.  And looking through the studios of ArtFire artists, I can see it is a favorite gemstone of theirs, too!  Since one of my newest creations was made with a glorious paintbrush jasper pendant that looks like it has a design created with India ink, I decided to do a bit of research about the gemstone and share it with you.  An exquisite red creek jasper intarsia pendant necklace by Augie of TheSilverBear.Jasper gets its name from Old French "jaspre" meaning "spotted" or "speckled", which, when traced back, ultimat... » Read More

Luscious Lapis Lazuli, Gemstone of Ages

Published: 03-13-2012 03:56pm
Lapis lazuli is a luscious gemstone that seems to evoke faraway tales straight out of the Arabian Nights, a deep blue stone with starry inclusion of pyrite.  I love to say the name slowly - so melodious!  The name "lapis" comes from the Latin word for "stone" and  "lazuli" comes from the Persian word "lazhward", the name of a location where the stone was mined:  "the stone of Lazhward".Beautiful lapis lazuli wire-wrapped pendant by Tracy of TBeads.  Love the pyrite in the stone!Being a relatively rare semi-precious stone, lapis lazuli has been valued since antiquity for its intense blue color.  Lapis has been mined in the Badakhshan province... » Read More

Venetian Chevron Beads - Handmade Wonders!

Published: 03-10-2012 05:44pm
Posted In: History of . . .
Many years ago, I was given two chevron beads and was told that they were very old. "How old?", I asked, of course.  My great aunt didn't know exactly but was told, when she bought them on a trip to Africa in the early 1900's, that they were 100-150 years old then.  She also told me they were most likely used as trade beads.  To this day, whenever I hold those two chevron beads, I wonder what hands touched them - what stories they could tell.  After creating a new bracelet from modern chevron beads, I thought back to those old trade beads and decided to do a little research and share the information with you.A Venetian glass chevron beads, cir... » Read More

Cinnabar: Its Brutal History and Modern Transformation

Published: 03-04-2012 10:24pm
Posted In: History of . . .
I have always held a long standing fascination with intricate carving.  Maybe the fascination stems from sitting with my Grandfather.  Many summer evenings we sat together outside waiting for the day's heat to break:  I whittled a stick while he carved beautiful little animals from pieces of wood he found laying around.  It's too bad that I don't have any of those little creatures - wonder what happened to them?Wonderful "Golden Prana" vintage yellow cinnabar (with a core of red) earrings by EurekaEureka. So when I began making jewelry, I was drawn to what is offered today as cinnabar.  Such intricate detailing can be found on the carved ... » Read More

Down in the Flower Garden, You Might Find . . .

Published: 02-27-2012 05:35pm
Posted In: Collections
With Spring popping up all over here in the high Chihuahuan Desert (however fleeting it might be!), I started thinking about the joy of planting and caring for an ecologically sensitive, organic flower garden.  A garden that welcomes birds and butterflies and bees and even a shadow dog or two!  And, yes, also a garden that sometimes does "battle" with voracious deer and rabbits, but a battle waged in a non-harmful, integrated pest management way with the shadow dogs always playing a large part.   To celebrate Spring and the new flower garden I am going to plant, I curated a collection a couple of days ago from the studios of the very talented ... » Read More

"Peace" Said Many Different Ways

Published: 02-22-2012 10:15pm
I was born a little too late to take part in the whole late 60s/early 70s hippie movement.  I remember watching it all in fascination, wishing I was old enough to make it to Woodstock or San Francisco or anywhere else besides the small Texas town where I grew up.  I was very fond of the peace sign and, much to the dismay and consternation of my very conservative parents, drew/embroidered/painted  it everywhere.   My small way of rebellion, which actually felt very BIG at the time!  Sigh . . . still wish I had my "work of art" embroidered blue jeans!   It wasn't until I ran across and ordered a "Paz" pendant from Happy Mango Beads that I r... » Read More

A Multidisciplinary Artist - Elaine of Zoomgraphik

Published: 02-19-2012 06:50pm
If you are interested in beautiful, WOW! type handmade jewelry and cards, then I want to introduce you to Elaine of zoomgraphik!   Like most of us, Elaine has dabbled in various types of crafts for the last 20 years or so, but found her passion in designing unique, one of a kind jewelry.  Elaine calls herself a multidisciplinary artist, working with many types of gemstones and beads put together in fascinating ways, often with hand formed wire links.  In addition, she also designs cards, makes teddy bears, paints, creates illustrations on the computer, and takes photographs. Most recently she ordered a lot of tools and metal - am an... » Read More

"Take Flight" Collection

Published: 02-16-2012 04:18pm
Posted In: Collections
How many of us wish we could spread some wings and fly?  I know I do!  A favorite poem of mine is called "High Flight", written by Pilot Officer Gillespie Magee who was killed in an airplane accident in World War II.  The poem is about flying in an airplane but I can just imagine being able to join in the "tumbling mirth" on my own power if I had wings!  The first four lines read:  Oh! I have slipped the surly bonds of earthAnd danced the skies on laughter-silvered wings;Sunward I've climbed, and joined the tumbling mirthOf sun-split clouds - and done a hundred things . . . To slip the surly bonds of earth . . . wouldn't that be wonderful? ... » Read More
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