handmade holidays

You may have noticed the nice little badge over there to the right about the Handmade Pledge. I wanted to take a moment to explain why this is something which is important to me, and encourage others out there to make a similar pledge.



I love giving gifts I have made myself. I always get raves from the recipients, which makes me feel good first off because I like the attention. When I give a gift that is creative, well made, and one of a kind, people tend to go on and on about it- lavishing me with thanks and bragging to their friends about their new gift. (I know, you had no idea I like that sort of thing!) Beyond that though, I enjoy knowing that the gift will be treasured and cared for on a different level than a store bought gift. The people I give handmade gifts to think about me and my family when they use their item, and they recognize the time, effort and love put into the creation of it as a symbol of how much we care about them. In my opinion, it is just a whole higher level of giving- it is more special in many different ways.

The dilemma I have had on many occasions is this: the list of people I'd like to give to is disproportionate to the time I have available for gift making. Not by just a little, but by a LOT. And while I do function fairly well at a high level of overcommitted-ness, the people who end up suffering live right here in my own house. I spend numerous late nights finishing gifts for friends and family and then when my own kids' birthdays roll around they get last minute, store bought gifts. And I end up feeling stressed over the whole thing.

So this pledge comes at a wonderful time for me- I had already decided to make 2008 the Year of Making Stuff Only For US! but was planning to purchase from Etsy and other online sources for handmade items in place of making them myself. Because giving a gift which was handmade by someone else is the next best thing to making it on my own. The folks on my list will still get creative, unique treasures and I will have more time to make things for my own family.

So I'm starting with my holiday shopping for this year- if I don't have the time to make things myself, I'll buy it handmade- either from local shops of online. This will not only support other creative people like myself who actually DO have time to make more than what they need at home, and it will fulfill the criteria I have for what makes a good, memorable gift. It also encourages growth of small businesses- the type we want to support in our local community as well as all over the globe. And it will kick us off right for the coming year to be filled with lots of handmade items for our own home! After that, I'll try to strike a balance between making myself and buying handmade.

If you feel the same way I do about the gifts you give your loved ones, take the pledge today! And then start watching for local craft fairs, art shows, and handmade boutiques in your area. And of course, check out Etsy.com for fabulous handmade items every day.